Page 70 of Heart of the Desert

Lord Nathaira’s hand fell to the pommel of her sword. A flash of red glimmered brightly there in the morning sun, confirming the presence of blood glass in the handle of her saber. “How dare you question me? The two of you say you will not subjugate the clans, but here you stand, insulting my leadership. I will make you bleed for questioning my honor.”

I put my hand on the handle of my own sword. “Perhaps we should see which of us makes the other bleed first.”

Tension hung thick in the air as we looked each other up and down.

“I am willing to stake my clans allegiance on the outcome of a duel of honor.” The Lord of Clan Ratan broke the silence. “The prowess of The Viper—Erix—is known to us, and I would follow his command in battle. If Keera can prove herself equal in skill to a lord, I will accept their right to lead us into battle together.”

“She has already bested me on several occasions, and I am as strong as any lord,” Dhara scoffed. I looked over my shoulder to find her crossing her arms and glaring down the others.

“Given that you are alive, it was clearly training, and not a true duel of honor,” Lord Vidar chimed in.

Elion opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “I accept.”

A shiver ran through the air. I had gotten myself into trouble accepting duels as queen, but Erix had promised me a different type of leadership. I could ride the desert and embrace the wildness that lived within me as I ruled with sword in hand. I was a warrior, and while I preferred to fight for my people instead of raising my blade against them… If I was going to spill the blood of anybody in the desert, it would be Lord Nathaira.

“Magic is not allowed in true duels of honor,” Nathaira pointed out.

My lips pulled back from my teeth in a mix between a smile and a snarl. Of course, she would point this out, only ever pretending to carry the power of the desert.

“As any lord, I only need my sword to prove my strength,” I assured her.

“Then Lord Nathaira and Keera will face each other in a duel of honor. If Keera is victorious, we will all accept her and Erix as High Lords of the Desert,” Izumi declared. The others nodded along.

“And if I am victorious?” Lord Nathaira demanded.

“You won’t be.”

Erix spoke from behind me with such confidence that warmth bloomed in my blood. The barest moment of disbelief flickered over her face before it twisted into a sneer.

“You are as naïve as she is,” Lord Nathaira declared, before she turned away and started stripping off the outer robe she wore to protect her from the sun, handing it to her warlord. I turned back toward Erix and the others as well to prepare.

Despite his confidence in me, he leaned in close as I took off my own robe, leaving me in just a cropped vest and loose pants. “She may not be as powerful as you, but don’t underestimate her craftiness. She hasn’t stayed lord longer than anybody else here without both skill and guile.”

Aderyn leaned in as well. “And don’t leave your left shoulder unguarded. It’s how I best you nearly every time I best you.”

I shot her a glare and she shrugged. “I’ve just given up my best advantage over you, so make it worth it.”

As she backed away, making a large ring around the edges of the clearing with the others, Erix reached out and clasped my wrist. I held his in return. “You are not the same girl she left to die. Don’t let her make you feel that small again.”

I nodded. One last squeeze and we separated, although his presence stayed like a constant, pleasant touch in my mind as he took his place among the onlookers. I drew my sword from my hip and let the weight settle in my hand. Turning back toward Nathaira, I took a few slashes at the air, my heart accelerating in response to the woosh of the blade.

My body knew battle was coming, and it was ready. Despite everything, I was looking forward to it. This was a challenge of leadership I understood: A clean battle with a sword in hand. It suited me better than the political maneuvering in Kelvadan. I could bleed for my people far more easily than I could smile and lie.

But even more than that, I had imagined making Nathaira pay for what she did to me more times than I could count. In the dark nights at the oasis when my loneliness crowded in on me, making me gasp for air and break out in a cold sweat, I would imagine how it would play out if we ever crossed paths. They were not thoughts I was proud of, but rage had kept me going in times when grit alone hadn’t been enough.

Now, I was meeting her as an equal. No… not an equal. I would best her, and I would be a superior. She had exiled me out of dread that I would challenge her one day, and in doing so, she had ensured exactly what she feared would come to pass.

Nathaira faced me now, her own sword held low in a fool’s guard. Despite the years difference in age between us, her arms were lithe and wiry, speaking to decades carrying a weapon on horseback. I was taller and had put on considerable bulk in the time since my exile, but I couldn’t discount her experience. Erix was right: Strength and speed weren’t everything in a sword fight.

I lifted my own sword in an overhead guard and waited. I itched to show her my own skills. Erix and Aderyn had taught me how to wait for my opponent to strike first, exposing a weakness I could use. But one side of Nathaira’s lips pulled up in a sneer before she attacked.

“A decade of exile to harden you, and you’re still weak and afraid,” she shot.

I didn’t tell my muscles to move, but they jumped to attack anyway. I shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, stabbing straight at the smug smile that bloomed across Nathaira’s face. She batted the blow away as if she had known it was coming, trying to use the opening it created for a slash of her own. I only barely sidestepped in time, the wind from her cut ruffling the loose ends of my sash.

My heart leapt into my throat. It was a trick Aderyn would have caught me with in our early training, when I fought with little finesse. I knew better, but with my blood boiling from Nathaira’s barbs, my rational thoughts were distant and fuzzy. I dodged back a step as she slashed again, trying to regroup and circle, looking for her weak points.

“You think you’re fit to be a high lord when you retreat at the first sign of danger? How do you expect to lead riders if you are too scared to fight?” Nathaira taunted.