Page 106 of The Horde King of Shadow

I tried to steady my constant nerves with every rejection. I was one of three remaining acolytes among my Sarrothian peers who still hadn’t claimed an Elthika. The other two were amongthe ones who’d gotten rejected, though they continued to wait for another attempt.

I was likely one of the only riders whohadn’ttried to claim one yet, except for the older blood borns from the other territories. But something had always stayed my hand. That flash of memory of Lygath, right here at Tharken. That searing familiarity.

Like Muron’s lightning, just as Sarkin had described.

And so when I saw Lygath, bathed in moonlight, flying in the middle of the pass, I could even hear the astonishment from the hordes, still watching along the outer mountains. Sound carried oddly, and I could hear a smattering of their murmurings, even miles away.

Sarkin had told me Lygath hadn’t been spotted in years. Yet here he was. Flying in plain view, as if hewantedto be seen, gliding along silently like his namesake. Appearing out of thin air like an apparition.

My heart began to thunder in my chest as shouts were raised among the remaining acolytes, the blood borns. They were here for a Vyrin, Sarkin had told me. And here was Lygath, prowling down the pass, a descendant of Muron himself.

They would die,came the stray thought, that realization stealing all the breath from my lungs.

If I didn’t get to him first, they would die. Iknew, deep in my bones, that I was meant to claim Lygath. It had tomeansomething. My visions, my dreams. I’d felt the bonding pull, hadn’t I?

And so if I was meant to be Lygath’s rider, he would throw off all others who tried to claim him. Just like he’d done to Haden. Would Sarkin catch riders who fell?

I wasn’t certain. His priority wasme.

My husband wouldn’t be distracted—his focus would be unshakeable, tracking my movements, especially with Lygathso near after what I’d told him. I couldn’t promise him that I wouldn’ttryto claim Lygath if the situation presented itself. Here it was…and Sarkin likely felt the frustration of my stubbornness.

As if on cue, I heard Zaridan’s roar from the dark depths of the foggy pass. Lygath responded, his tail flicking, his movements becoming agitated, swinging his head to search for his sister. His distraction brought him within mounting distance to where another acolyte was waiting, not far down the pass from where I was situated.

“No!” I called out when I saw the sudden movement. The leaping figure, shadowed in the darkness until a piercing shaft of moonlight hit him, just as he was airborne. Lygath’s head whipped to regard me, the piercing gold eyes cutting straight through me. Zaridan’s eyes.

An acolyte—a male Karag, no one I recognized but either from the North or the East—latched onto Lygath’s back.

The Vyrin roared, the sound jolting my heart in my chest. I watched in horror as Lygath swung his head, trying to dislodge the rider, diving low as he spun…

Which brought him directly into the path of another rider.

In disbelief, with my heart in my throat, I watched another rider launch himself onto Lygath, landing on his other side. Were they going to challenge each other for the Elthika?

They will be ruthless,Sarkin had said.

The sound that Lygath made caused the hairs on my neck to stand on end, anguish building in my belly. It seemed to quiet the entire night, making movement slow all around us. They swept right in front of me, so close that I could actuallysmellthe Elthika. Earthy musk, like damp dirt on the wildlands after a summer storm.

A flash of knowing went through me, so certain, soright.

“Lygath!”

The Elthika’s head swiveled at his name, and he veered, ascending into the sky while the riders on his back grappled toward a better mounting position, their tethers hanging off the side. I tracked them overhead, and then Lygath turned, descending quickly, spinning again, hurtling straight toward the cliff where I was waiting.

I felt theboomof the cliff, the ground shaking beneath my feet as the entire mountain seemed to tremble with the force of his deliberate impact. Lygath latched himself into the side of the mountain. When I craned my neck around, I only caught a glimpse of him before I heard the guttural cries.

Something flashed in the moonlight. Then another.

Two Karag males, plummeting toward their deaths, dislodged off Lygath’s back when he’d rammed into the cliffside. The Elthika roared, and I could hear his talons scrape against stone. He catapulted away, flying down the pass before he started to turn, heading back toward me.

All I could do was watch the darkness swallow the two riders. A death fall.Two.The echoes of their cries went quiet, and I heard Zaridan’s roar.

If I don’t claim him, more will die,I thought.

Determination rose in me. My heart was rapid, beating so hard that it hurt, that it was difficult to breathe after what I’d just witnessed. The air was crisp, and it burned when I sucked in a sharp breath. I had to time it perfectly when there was no time at all.

Closer and closer, Lygath came. I backed up, imagining where I would meet him.

“Klara, no!” I heard dimly. Sarkin’s voice, echoing up the pass. He knew what I was about to do.

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