Page 87 of The Horde King of Shadow

“Why did you lie to me?” he asked next, after a brief lapse in silence.

“I don’t know,” I said quickly.

“That’s not true. Tell me, Klara.”

I took his hand in mine. His expression was intense, but he waswillingto listen to me. “I feared what it might mean.”

“And what is that? War?”

I inhaled deeply. “My own mother died—was murdered—trying to create theserocks. Seeds. Whatever you want to callthem. I’ve watched my father give free rein to the priestesses in our North Lands. For greed. For power. The heartstones have done great things—twice that we know of, they’ve saved my people. But they’ve also created terrible things…and I know the Karag want them desperately. With the Elthika at your side, with theethrall, I wasn’t…I wasn’t certain.”

“And you think the Karag would fly to Dothik and slaughter your entire people for the heartstones? Without a second thought?” Sarkin asked, narrowing his eyes on me.

“No! But you did unleashethrallon my family to get me to do what you wanted,” I argued, frowning. “Was it so inconceivable for me to have the passing thought that you might do it again, especially when the heartstones are involved? What you want most?”

Sarkin reared back, turning his head to the side, a scoff escaping him. I kept a solid grip on his hand, but I didn’t need to fear him leaving. Instead, when he turned back to me, he pressed closer, cupping my face in his palms. He lowered his head until we were eye level.

“There is an enemy nation in the northeast of Karag. They called themselves the Hartans. A decade ago, only a year after I took over rule of my territory, Elysom called us to war. It took six months of battle until they bent a knee to us,” he said. “Many died. On all three sides, since it was also a war against the Elthika. But war had been thelastresort with the Hartans. We tried negotiations. Treaties. Trade pacts. We gave them a supply of heartstones for their own use, to progress their technologies.

“But they wantedElthika. They wanted eggs, to raise them as battle-bred beasts, to control them, to use them. It’s nonnegotiable for the Karag. The Elthika are not to beowned. The Hartans never understood that. Only after they attacked one of the outer villages in Grym, destroying a hatchery andattempting to steal the Elthika eggs there, did we declare our war against them.”

I processed this information carefully and then asked, “Why not use theethrallon them?”

“Because they used the heartstones we gave them to develop a new technology. It acted like a shield against theethrall. We couldn’t pierce it—and not all Elthika have the ability to useethrall, only some of the Vyrin. Elysom’s offering toward peace ended up prolonging a war that lasted months, one that could have been won in moments and saved countless lives.”

“Then wouldn’t you argue that the war with the Hartans taught the Karag to trust less, to not be so merciful?”

“I’m trying to make you understand that war only happens in extreme circumstances and usually on the heels of a horrendous act that cannot be forgiven,” Sarkin answered, more passionate than I’d ever seen him, his cheeks flushed, a scowl on his face. “There are those in Elysom who believe that as long as the Dakkari have possession of the heartstones, there will always be a threat of war. That is why we’ve been watching you for the last few decades. Your people do not yet have the technologies that would be a great threat to us…but with time, you will.”

“So you will take the heartstones away,” I answered, his hands falling away from my face. “Now that you know where they are. You hoped they werehere. But maybe there was a reason Zaridan markedme, a descendent of Rath Drokka. To lead you to thethalaratree, where my ancestor had once found a heartstone.”

“Perhaps,” Sarkin said, and I didn’t know why I felt such a stunning throb of disappointment at the word. I couldn’t help but rear back, but Sarkin took my hand, not allowing me to pull away. “But I like to think there was a greater reason.”

A little pinprick of hope had me raising my eyes to his.

“And what is that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He shook his head, a slight smile lifting the left side of his mouth. He wouldn’t tell me. Instead, he sighed and leaned forward, brushing his lips against mine. I met his kiss hesitantly, but I met it nonetheless.

“The Karag have more honor than swooping into another territory and stealing something infinitely valuable, like common thieves,” he told me when he pulled back. I felt the words across my lips as his eyes dipped to them. “I will need to take this information to Elysom. There will be negotiations. To destroy athalaratree is a dire choice, but Dakkar will get their share. And yes, after my showing of theethrall, your father might think twice about trying for more.”

“And if he doesn’t?” I couldn’t help but ask. “If he argues that the tree grew in Dakkari soil, then it wouldn’t belong to you and you would have no claim to it. You cannot deny that truth.”

“There is the possibility, yes,” Sarkin said. “Technically we have no claim to the heartstones. But we do need them. To create more. And we won’t be denied them.”

My belly dipped with realization. “Then it is very beneficial to you that you have a Dakkari wife, who is a daughter of theDothikkar. Elysom will realize the gift you’ve given them even if they believe you’d first married me out of spite.”

Sarkin scowled. “That’s not what this is about, Klara.”

“Isn’t it? Will you use me in your negotiations to get what you want?”

“If I must, but no harm wouldevercome to you.”

“But you would make my family believe that it might. My father might not care. But my brother would,” I told him. “If you use me as leverage in your negotiations, then where isyourloyalty tome, Sarkin? Or does it only matter when my allegiance is to you and only you?”

His expression was thunderous, the muscle in his jaw ticking.

“I’m not going to get into an argument with you abouthypotheticals, Klara,” he finally said. “It’s pointless.”

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