Page 63 of The Horde King of Shadow

Sammenth breathed in deeply, flashing me a small, apologetic smile. “No one in mykya’rassawas rejected.” I remembered that word. Sarkin had used it once. It meantrider horde, though he’d used it to refer to his best riders, the ones he’d chosen, the ones he trusted to keep the entire horde safe. “Ithappens less than you think. The Elthika are choosy about their riders, but only a few rejections end in a death fall. Most will return the rider to steady ground. The Vyrin…those are the ones you need to be careful of if you select one.”

“The Vyrin?”

“It’s a name for the ancients, though they aren’t truly old—not in years at least. They are high-ranking Elthika from strong bloodlines. Zaridan is a Vyrin, for example. Vyrins can afford to be very particular about their chosen rider. They’re the ones that are dangerous during a first flight.”

“And…Sarkin’s friend,” I began, “he tried to bond with a Vyrin?”

“Not only a Vyrin. With a direct descendent of Muron,” Sammenth answered.

A jolt went through me. “But Zaridan…”

“Yes,” she replied, inclining her head at me. “He tried to claim her brother.”

“Zaridan’s brother killed Sarkin’s friend?”

Sammenth’s quiet was answer enough, and my brow furrowed, lowering my gaze to the steaming tea.

I took a small sip, the taste bitter, though Ryena had tried to sweeten it with a thick syrup that reminded me ofkinuberries.

“How tragic,” I said softly.

“TheKarathunderstands that these things happen. You cannot control an Elthika, just like they cannot control the Karag,” Sammenth answered. “What happened to his friendwastragic but not surprising.”

“And it never should’ve happened in the first place,” Ryena cut in, giving Sammenth a long, lingering, stern look. “Enough now. Drink your tea. Both of you.”

“Yes, Mother,” Sammenth grumbled, but I caught the stray flash of her smile. It was obvious the sisters were close, though Ryena did take on a more parental figure between the two.

I thought of Dannik, a stab of longing to see him, speak with him going through me. I wanted to tell him not to worry. I wondered if such a message was even possible. I wondered about Sora, thinking how I wished our last interaction hadn’t been so tense.

Then I wondered about Sarkin, thinking over the new tiny bit of information I’d gleaned tonight. I couldn’t imagine how helpless I would feel watching someone I cared about falling to their death.

I remembered the look in his eyes that night when I’d fallen over the cliff at his keep in Sarroth. I remembered how he’d dived straight off, without hesitation, to save me.

Every night, he firmly tugged the strap that connected our ankles, like he needed the extra assurance it was tight.

Now I couldn’t help but wonder if he was remembering his friend while he was trying to protect me. The only place I could fall off here was the waterfall, and I’d have to navigate the village carefully to find it. We couldn’t stay tethered in sleep forever.

Under Ryena’s watchful gaze, I took another dutiful sip of my tea.

And I realized that in addition to the Karag, to the Elthika, of which I knew very little about, I could add my husband to that growing list as well.

Chapter 23

SARKIN

Klara gasped when she came awake, seeing me lingering above her.

“Get dressed in your riding clothes and come with me,” I told her.

“You’re back,” she breathed, still groggy. “I’d dreamed…”

“What did you dream?” I wondered, stilling.

She shook her head. “Nothing of the heartstones.” She blinked the bleariness from her eyes. “Is it still night?”

“Yes. We just returned. Hurry.”

Klara didn’t question me, only slid out from beneath the furs, as I tried not to skim my gaze over her legs. As I remembered the way they’d tightened around my hips in Lishara’s temple. I still had her little claw marks down my back. This morning, I’d looked at them in my reflection for longer than necessary.

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