Page 99 of The Horde King of Shadow

I knew why he’d had to go. To inform the council about the heartstones that we believed were buried in Dakkar. Decisions had to be made and quickly.

I only wished he hadn’t needed to leavenow, though I knew time wasn’t on our side.

He might not return until tomorrow, but I knew that the moment he did, we would be leaving for the Tharken cliffs. The entire horde was waiting for his return with bated breath, travel packs ready to go. Many would come with us to make camp, to watch theilla’roshas it unfolded.

Sammenth told me other riders, from various stretches of Karak, would also be joining the choosing this year, though they were staying in their respective territory’s villages in the Arsadia. There were older riders too—some my age or even older—ones who were taking another shot at the choosing. I’d learnedanyonecould try to claim an Elthika of their own if they were of age, regardless of their instruction. But without it, it was a death sentence more times than not.

None of these things had done anything to quiet the steady rise of my nerves, as each hour passed, as each sunrise came and each moonrise followed.

“Where’s Ryena?” I asked Sammenth.

“Hatchery duty,” she replied. “Mating season is nearly here, so they are preparing.”

The two sisters had become good friends to me the last few weeks. I felt like I was making a place for myself here…despite knowing that soon it would be time to return to Sarroth. Even Vyaria—my grumpy riding partner—had laughed at one of my jokes yesterday during training. It had felt like I’d won something, hearing it. The blood born had been difficult to crack. They were a different breed of Sarrothian, apparently.

It feltgoodto walk through the village and hear my name called out in greeting. Some would press food into my hand—urging me to keep up my strength for the choosing—and others would spare a few moments to speak to me or to eagerly show me their dwelling, giving me details of how they’d decorated it while I smiled and nodded.

They were a kind people once you barreled through their tough exteriors, I was learning.

Much like Vyaria.

Much like Sarkin.

Ryena and Sammenth had been different from the beginning.

“I’ll never know everything there is to know about this place,” I confessed. We meandered our way down to a quiet place along the rushing river. My body was exhausted. I was dirty and hungry, and I missed my husband, whose absence I had felt especially keenly the last two nights.

We were good.Sogood. When he left, it felt like a small loss, a lost limb.

I hadn’t expected to miss him so much. I was surprised to realize how much he’d taken root inside me, filling up all my lonely places. When he was gone, I felt an aching emptiness.

“You’ll learn,” Sammenth assured me. “You’ve only been in Karak for…a month? That’s no time at all. I was born here, and I still don’t know everything. That’s the beauty of it though. The exciting part of discovery.”

I grinned. “That’s how I felt at the archives. Every day there was possibility to learn something new. I just think I’m frustrated because I don’t have the basic understanding of your people like you do. Of the Elthika. I don’t even know when mating season is for them. Or how the hatchery works. Or what’s going to happen at the choosing.”

Sammenth smiled. “Well, that’s easy. You see an Elthika you like, and you jump on their back. Done.”

“Imeant,” I said, chuckling as I shook my head, “logistics. Do they drop you off somewhere? Do you share cliffs with the other acolytes? What happens if you go after the same Elthika? What happens if the choosing continues for days? Where do youpee? What if you don’t bring enough food? What if a storm rolls in from the coast? What if all the Elthika are gone by the time we get there?”

“All right, all right,” Sammenth said, looking at me in disbelief. “I get it. You’re nervous.”

“I’m not even nervous about falling,” I admitted softly, blowing out a soft breath as I looked out over the river. Behindus, a group of younger Sarrothian—not the acolytes—laughed and chattered as they passed by. Kyavor was still methodically greasing his contraption in the middle of the river, and I watched little waves splash into his boots, though he didn’t seem to mind. “I’m nervous about disappointing Sarkin. Kyavor. You and Ryena. The horde.”

“Youcan’tthink like that, Klara,” Sammenth urged, taking my hand and squeezing it.

She reminded me of Sora, I realized. Open and courageous and extroverted and confrontational. They both never backed down from anything. I wondered how my friend was doing in Dothik, if Dannik had given her my goodbye letter, as he’d promised.

“You need to block all that out. Block out all those other worries,” Sammenth said. “Where you’llpee? Really? It doesn’t matter! You’re in theilla’rosh! All of your focus should be on scanning those cliffs and waiting for your opportunity. The choosing can last days. The longest one lasted nearly a week. Most are over by nightfall. What happens, happens. You’ve prepared yourself. You’ve worked hard with Kyavor. You’ve worked even harder with Sarkin. You’ll be fine, Klara, but only if you focus.”

I hadn’t told her about Lygath. I’d dreamed about him almost every night this week, but I hadn’t told Sarkin. He wanted me to steer clear of the Elthika I’d seen in my visions for almost a decade. But I didn’t know if I could. If the bonding pull was really as strong as everyone said, would I have a choice?

Sammenth sighed and then continued, “We ride out during the dawn. We’ll reach the Tharken cliffs by the late morning. You can choose where you want to be, whether that’s alone or with others. My advice? Go it alone so you’re less distracted. Other acolytes might try to get into your head. And choose a place high up along the cliffs.”

In case I fall,I knew. I listened to her carefully, cataloguing everything I could. “All right. What else?”

Sammenth looked up at the night sky, twinkling with beautiful constellations I recognized, as if trying to remember her time at her choosing. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to forget a single detail. “Keep up your energy with regular meals, but don’t eat too much. If it’s a longer choosing, sleep. If you’re tired, you’re more likely to make a mistake. The Elthika will move around. They’re just as curious about you. Though watch out for their tails if they try to show off in front of you. They’ll…preen. They like to be admired. During my choosing, one nearly whacked me off the cliff by accident.”

I bit back a smile. “Anything else?”

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