Page 81 of The Horde King of Shadow

Iwas hesitant to do this to her, but I knew it was necessary. Breaking one’s fear was pertinent to success as a rider. Panic got you killed. Fear paralyzed you. Some might not’ve agreed with these methods, but I needed her to understand that therewas trulynothingto fear. Not when I was here. Not when I was around. She was my wife. I would always protect her.

Even if I had be cruel first.

I urged Zaridan forward, weaving into the pass of the Tharken cliffs so that the tall mountains jutted on both sides of us. Like they were closing in around us.

“These cliffs will be covered with Elthika in a few weeks’ time,” I murmured into her ear.

“Is this where you saw Zaridan for the first time?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, sweeping my hand in front of her vision. “Just beyond this cliff here.”

And where my friend fell to his death,I thought.

In the rush of adrenaline after claiming Zaridan, I’d flown too high with her during our first flight. When Lygath had thrown Haden off his back, I would’ve never been able to reach him in time, even with a death dive. If I’d stayed closer to the base of the cliffs, if I hadn’t been so elated with my claim, Haden would still be alive.

During Klara’s choosing ceremony, I would be at the very bottom, tracking her movements closely. Nothing would distract me. She had nothing to fear because…I’d learned from that tragic mistake. I would never make it again.

When I tugged on Zaridan’s tethers, she stilled in midair again, her wings flapping rhythmically, keeping us hovering high above the pass below. Wisps of gray clouds floated around us, and Klara shuddered. Our clothes had dried from the waterfall on our journey here, but it was colder closer to the coast.

“No one is watching here,” I told her. It was quiet, save for Zaridan’s wings. The Elthika wouldn’t start migrating to this territory for another two weeks. We were alone here. “All right?”

“Except you,” she answered, shifting to regard me. I supported her back as she did. Her feet dangled over the harnesswith her turned to the side. “I don’t want you to see me fail either. Most of all, you.”

“That’s inevitable,” I informed her, trying to keep my voice gentle. “It won’t make me think less of you, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“Those are pretty words,” she said, a sad smile on her lips. “But I’m not sure I believe them. You would care what your horde thinks of me. I’m aware of that more than you are.”

I blew out a rough breath through my nostrils, steeling my spine. We swayed with Zaridan’s movements. And we were here for a purpose, even if Klara might not understand it yet.

“When you fall, you want to give your Elthika time to catch you,” I told her. “It’s important to keep a steady mind and to think through it logically. Position yourself parallel with the earth, spread your arms and legs out wide to reduce your acceleration. Anything to give you drag. To give your Elthika time.”

“Have you ever fallen?” she asked, trepidation rising in her voice.

“Many times,” I said. “You can be unseated in countless situations. Last time I fell, we were flying home from the Arsadia two seasons ago. We encountered a storm just before we reached the mainland. Zaridan dodged a bolt of lightning, just like what happened to us returning from Dakkar, but I wasn’t prepared. It was a sharp turn, I’d loosened my grip on the tethers…”

Her breathing went shallow.

“Falling is a normal part of being a rider. That’s why you need to get used to it, Klara. Because the fear of it will get you killed if you panic,” I said.

She looked focused at those words, like she was committing them to memory. It was how I’d picture her in her precious archives in Dothik, her expression determined.

I dragged in a deep breath.

“Remember what I told you before…I’m not your husband right now. I’m not your king. I’m not your friend. I’m your instructor. Whatever I do to you, I would do to any acolyte under my training. Do you understand?”

Her brows furrowed, a frown turning down her mouth. “Sarkin?—”

“And falling can happen so quickly that you never see it coming,” I said, gritting my teeth.

I grabbed Klara’s waist?—

And I flung her off Zaridan’s back.

Her resounding scream of surprise and fear made everything in me rebel. I growled, restless. My first impulse was to immediately dive for her, just as I’d done in Sarroth that night. I felt wild panicburningin my chest. Not because I thought she was in danger. But because the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel so much terror.

Yet it was inevitable.

“Come on,aralye,” I pleaded softly, watching her grow smaller and smaller below us. “Do what I told you to do. Focus!”

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