Page 65 of The Horde King of Shadow

Of course she does,I thought, shame spreading. I’d never done anything to show her otherwise. Navigating this with herwasdifficult. Uncertain. I felt out of my element. AsKarath, I was in control at all times. With her, I’d never felt so untethered.

I’dalwaysbeen detached from my lovers, given what I’d experienced growing up. When they drew too closely, I pulled away. I recognized that part of myself. But Klara was mywifenow. Just that thought alone brought dark pain rising. I shouldn’t have been surprised that I was struggling to let her in.

I thought this all while knowing that my mother was onlyoneof the wounds that I kept buried deep, enclosed in the unyielding tomb of my chest. How long would it be before Klara wiggled herself inside? How long would it be until she saw the depths of my grief, the scared boy who feared love?

“I haven’t been fair to you,” I said quietly.

Her breathed hitched. “What?”

“I’m noteasy, Klara. I know that,” I admitted. “But I do believe in you. If I haven’t told you that before, let me tell you now, in no uncertain terms. Ibelievethat you can do this,aralye.”

“You do?” she asked. My chest squeezed when I heard the quiet hope in her voice.

“Lysi,” I said, inclining my head at her. “I would not lie to you about this.”

She took a deep breath as she studied me. I would’ve given a lot to hear her thoughts at that moment, wondering what she thought of me, wondering what she saw.

Then she flashed me a surprisingly bright smile. “What will you have me do tonight?”

Her quiet determination was impressive.

“You will practice mounting a real Elthika tonight,” I informed her, knowing the best way I could show her I cared was to do everything I could to ensure she succeeded. “No harnesses in rivers. That’s for children.”

“Where?” she asked, trying to hide the mild apprehension in her tone.

I jerked my head up at the mountain behind us. Her neck craned back to take in its spectacular size.

“There.”

“Again,” I said, voice even and calm with my hands tucked behind my back.

She’d been unsuccessful for the last hour, and I could see the overwhelming fatigue on Klara’s features. What impressed me, however, was that she never gave up. Even when she tried to hide the way her arms trembled from the strain of pulling herself onto the harness, over and over again, or the way she swallowed her fright and fear with every leap off the cliffside onto Zaridan’s back.

We were high up on the cliffside, intentionally so. Despite what she might’ve believed, being higher allowed more time to recover her if she happened to topple off Zaridan. If she tumbledoff one of the lower cliffs, there wouldn’t be enough time to react before she met the ground. She was wary of heights, I’d realized, which never boded well for a rider. Most Sarrothian overcame that fear very young, but she was a Dakkari. One with the earth, not the sky, as she’d pointed out to me the other night.

I hadn’t realized what a hindrance that would be to overcome.

“Sloppy,” I assessed after I watched her make another attempt, this time barely sliding her leg over the harness, causing her to grapple for the stabilizing bar in a panic.

She was huffing as Zaridan hovered close to the edge of the cliff. She rested her forehead briefly on the bar as she tried to catch her breath.

Though frustration was rumbling in my chest, I knew there was a delicate balance of when to push and when to rest. If I pushed her too hard tonight, she wouldn’t perform well with Kyavor come morning, perhaps losing out on vital skills.

“Enough for tonight,” I said. “Faryn,Zari.”

I heard Klara insist, “I can keep going.”

“No,” I said. Her back hunched, her eyes catching mine. I backed up a few paces and then launched off the cliff, landing behind Klara in the harness.

“You do it so easily,” she observed in defeat as my hand came to her waist. Our bodies jolted forward as Zaridan gusted her wings, circling away from the mountain and back down toward the village.

“I’ve had years of practice,” I said into her ear, my lips brushing the sensitive flesh, my tone coming out gruffer than intended, and I caught her shiver. “Remember that. Today was your first time.”

“I’m not used to doing thingsnotwell.”

When Zaridan landed back on solid ground, I thought of Klara’s dagger tossing at the celebration feast. She’d surprised even me.

“Patience,” I said. “We’ll continue tomorrow night. This is one of the most difficult skills you will need to master, and it is the foundation of riding.”

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