Page 89 of Heart of the Desert

She lifted the small pot of black pigment in her hand, offering it to me. I took it gratefully. The last thing I needed while leading the charge was to be blinded by the sun.

As I dipped my fingers into the pot, Aderyn cleared her throat. “All the lords are organizing their own riders, and Elion and Dhara command themselves. I have no place to ride in the charge.”

I paused with my fingers halfway to my face and stared at her. “Of course you do. You’ll ride at my side.”

Aderyn’s shoulders softened a touch, and she smiled ruefully. “I have no banner to carry for you, like a proper lord would have.”

“Don’t be calling me a proper lord now,” I huffed, smearing the paint across my eyes. I even put a stripe down my bottom lip for good measure, the exact same configuration I had worn in gold when I had been coronated as Queen of Kelvadan. Then, the war paint had been symbolic. But today, I would get to fight for my people in the way I knew best: With a sword in hand and a horse beneath me.

“Besides, you shouldn’t be bearing my banner,” I told Aderyn as I handed the paint back to her. “You are your own banner. You fight for Kelvadan.”

Aderyn nodded, looking surer of herself. “I do.”

“All the clans have a lord in this battle ready to fight and bleed for them. The people of the great city—who likely suffer much under their occupation—deserve the same.”

“You fight for Kelvadan too,” she pointed out.

“I do. I will kill for all the people of the desert, but not the way you do for Kelvadan. Not like somebody who truly calls it home.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You certainly are persistent with your wishes.”

“I just want what is best for Kelvadan, and I certainly proved that isn’t me as the queen,” I shrugged.

“You are making a serviceable high lord.”

“Save the judgement for after the battle. And they are not nearly the same thing.”

Aderyn’s lips twisted. “Either way, it would be an honor to ride at your side.” She rapped her knuckles to her temple.

I did the same in return. “The honor would be mine.”

The sun was high in the sky as I crested the final rise between us and Calix’s army. I stopped there, fully visible from the large dip that housed the oasis below. Aderyn sat astride her horse to my right, with the other lords spread out in both directions. The line of riders assembled behind us, bearing banners that flapped in the breeze; the maroon scorpion of Clan Padra and the black snake of Clan Katal snapped not far behind the line of lords.

Normally, charging riders in the desert would not make for such fanfare—war was for fighting, not posturing—but we wanted all eyes on us. Through the odd sense of Erix in my stomach, I could tell he was no longer moving, and I hoped that meant he had made it to the other clan’s encampment on the far side of the oasis.

The army below responded to our appearance quickly, scurrying about like fire ants on a smoldering log. Men in burnished armor that shone blindingly in the desert sun formed lines against us. Their flesh must be roasting from the heat, especially compared to the riders of the desert who wore minimal leather armor or none at all. Still, they would be protected from our swords and arrows.

Behind them, a small force of cavalry assembled, and I ground my teeth so hard they creaked at the sight of saddles and bridles. The men astride the stolen horses bore broad shields and carried long pikes. Their defense would be strong, but true riders of the desert would be faster and nimbler. We did not need such heavy equipment.

It was enough to give me a sliver of hope even as bile filled my throat. The assembled riders at my back, combined with the men of Doran, was likely the single largest force ever to ride into battle in the desert—yet it paled in comparison to the army below.

“I bet I can kill more than you.”

I looked incredulously over at Elion, who had leaned over to speak his challenge to Dhara.

She scoffed. “You’re stupider than you look if you believe that.”

“Or maybe I just have something worth betting.”

“A wager?”

He smiled. “A challenge. If I kill more soldiers than you, then you finally agree to marry me.”

A shocked shiver ran through those within earshot as we all held our breaths. I half expected Dhara to knock Elion off his horse right there. Instead, she looked pensively down at the army below us.

“They don’t seem too fierce. I’m confident that I can fell more than you can. And when I do, command of your clan will belong to me.”

Elion’s eyes narrowed as we all watched in shock. “Agreed.”