Page 29

GOLDEN brIDLES

“ Y ou love who you love, my dear.” Derya rubbed gentle circles on my back as I lay on my side, lost in the churning sea beyond my window. “There wouldn’t be so much heartache if everyone could force it to beat for just anyone.”

“He isn’t just anyone, though. I …” I choked on my words, forcing down the swelling sob that wanted to break free. “There’s something wrong with me. Why can’t I love him like he needs me to?”

A faint click echoed through the room, and my body lurched. Letti and Breena walked to the bed, settling on either side of me. Letti scooped me into a hug. A dry sob clawed from my chest, knocking into her shoulder.

Derya must have called for reinforcements.

Letti released me, taking my hand in hers and resting it on her crossed knees. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Just give him space to work through what he needs to. You can’t take away his pain, but Derya’s right—if you don’t feel the same, being honest was the kindest thing to do.” She rubbed her delicate thumb over the inside of my palm. “And it’s okay for you to feel however you feel. You’re your own person, with your own mind and heart.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Ryn. You’re allowed to have a tumble without getting all the feels involved.” Breena rubbed my shoulder.

I sniffled, my lips hiding between my teeth. My throat was raw, my chest hollow and achy.

Wordlessly, Derya handed me a warm cup of tea. The preventative tonic. A watery lump formed at the base of my throat. I nodded, sipping the bitter brew, allowing it to wash my grief away.

All day, my doubt and guilt had hurtled through my racing mind. Overwhelming shame consumed me—for not seeing the depth of my best friend’s feelings before it was too late. Before he was in such pain.

For allowing my desires to take the lead and ignoring my own feelings.

Or had I not wanted to acknowledge the truth? I wasn’t sure anymore. Either way, this is where we were, and I’d have to deal with it.

Just not now.

Exhaustion slithered through my body, hooking into my very soul and calling for surrender. I set the empty cup on my nightstand and laid back, settling my head on Letti’s thigh. She stroked my hair as I soaked in her quiet comfort.

“How will we get through the rest of the trials?” I whimpered.

Breena leaned forward as if sharing a secret. “In time, the little holes in both your hearts will heal. In the meantime, it might help to focus on all the holes you’ll stab into others during the trials. Nothing like a good ol’ dagger fight to get over heartache.”

Letti narrowed her eyes, and Breena shrugged, her eyebrows squashing together as she silently mouthed, “What?”

A wry, soggy giggle bubbled from my lips, making them vibrate.

My sister blew out a breath and tucked my hair behind my ear. She wrapped both hands around mine. “You just will, sis. It’s what you do. You’re stronger than you realize—and so is Kaden.”

I sighed, knowing she spoke the truth. But it didn’t mean any of this hurt less.

Time and patience. Why was it that the things we needed the most were always in short supply?

“Thank you. I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

Derya clicked her tongue, running her hand over my cheek. “Don’t you ever apologize for that. You’re alive—living is a messy business.”

The final teams and Elder Craven stood in the center of the training field. Around the edges, hundreds of our peers gawked—not at us or the Evergryn Elder, but at the majestic, winged horses brushing at the grass with their hooves, nostrils flaring, teeth chomping on gilded bridles.

Thick, golden rings shackled their necks. A black mare lunged forward, her wings flaring as she soared to a chorus of mesmerized gasps. The other equines shuffled, signs of frustration stiffening their massive forms. The mare’s body unceremoniously jerked, her muscles straining as her hooves dug into the space around her. Realizing that there was an invisible chain tethering her to the earth, she brayed, huffing and reluctantly floating back to the ground.

“I didn’t think they existed,” Rhaegar whispered, his eyes wide.

None of us did. Pegasi were the stuff of legends—mortal-bred horses gifted wings by the Ancients once they reached Surrelia. My gaze lingered on a chestnut-colored stallion, my heart dipping and breath catching. It looked just like a younger version of my old horse, Alweo.

“Such elegant creatures shouldn’t be chained,” a wiry Druik muttered next to us, tugging at the sleeves of his wine-red tunic. “It isn’t right. They have earned their freedom.”

He wasn’t wrong. It was clear that these majestic creatures weren’t meant to be chained.

“Fortune has smiled on us today,” Lucan bellowed, his gang of Akridais flanking him. “As you can see, we’ve acquired six Pegasi. They are quite rare, of course, but the Ancients kindly guided them to our part of the Reverie Weald for such an occasion.”

“More like they were hunted down and imprisoned.” Kaden stood well away from me, his eyes refusing to stray my way. He’d kept his distance for the last week, and I couldn’t blame him. I’d give him as much time and space as he wanted.

My brows dipped heavily as my fingers played with the pouch in my pocket. I’d kept Derya’s gifted vials on my person since receiving them, aside from when I attended the ball.

My head drooped thinking of the ball. Of that night. I tucked a loose curl behind my ear, resting my palm against my neck. A defeated breath fell from my mouth, and I dropped my hand, focusing on the majestic steeds before us.

I’d only told the team, Letti, and Xeni about the vials, and we all agreed it was best to wait. To hold on to them in case we needed them during the tournament. I wasn’t afraid to admit that perhaps we were afraid to use something so powerful without knowing exactly what it would do.

Lucan’s rough voice continued, “Teams, choose your champion for the Wilting. This will be a joust, of sorts. No ember will be allowed during this trial—just your wits, your weapon, and command of your Pegasus. They are bound to this area but can still fly a good distance. The joust continues until only one competitor remains.”

“I can do this. I spent quite a few summers riding,” Breena volunteered.

“Riding, not flying. Not jousting,” Kaden remarked, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

“It’s all in the hips.” Breena’s eyebrows wiggled. “And the pointy end of the big stick.”

Kaden rolled his eyes. A small laugh stuck in my throat, escaping through my nose instead. Kaden glanced at me with a smirk, but then he quickly looked away, the corners of his mouth dropping.

“If you’re certain, then I’m confident you’ll succeed, Bree.” I touched her forearm, pushing aside the ache in my chest.

She grinned and stepped forward with the chosen competitors from each team—two male Draumrs, two female Druiks, and the male Druik who’d been upset about the chained animals earlier.

“Here.” Lucan’s twisted cane thumped against the grass, demanding the six to join him. “Allow the Pegasi to choose their champion.”

As they moved closer, the chestnut stallion sidled closer to Breena, sniffing her outstretched hand. She uttered soothing words, and he whinnied when she gently placed her palm on his long snout. Still murmuring, he allowed her to glide her hand along the expanse of his neck. He watched her progress with one eye; his wings, the color of baked wheat, ruffled at his sides. He huffed and then looked forward, chin lifted, as she mounted him.

The others succeeded as well despite the agitation and shuffling of the winged equine. Each player was given a long, wooden lance with twisting patterns carved down the length of it, leading to vicious points.

None of the competitors wore armor. Swallowing my unease, my fingernails dug into my skirt as an image of Breena being impaled skittered through my mind. The players arranged themselves in a wide circle, and the rest of us joined the crowd at the edge of the field.

“Let the joust commence!” Lucan shouted, raising his gnarled staff in the air. The Pegasi and their riders shot in different directions, some in the air and some on the ground.

Breena kicked her heels into the side of her steed. It snorted in response, charging forward. One of the male Draumrs galloped toward her on his white-winged stallion.

I bit my lip, not wanting to scream, holding my breath as she leaned forward, aiming her weapon at him determinedly. The male’s horse was distressed, and it shifted, causing his lance to fumble. Breena’s aim was steady, though, angling herself as if she and the spear were one.

Just as she’d taught me with blades.

The wooden tip met its target, skewering the guard’s chest. Breena grimaced, wrenching her lance from his body as he toppled off his animal. Screaming in agony, he clutched at the gaping hole in his torso as the frightened Pegasus bolted. Before the man slammed into the ground, his body burst into a cloud of cinder. Breena’s face crumpled, but she gripped the reins tighter and directed her steed toward the sound of a woman.

The black mare that tried to escape earlier furiously reared up on its hind legs, its forelegs churning the air. The female Druik lost her hold and flew backward, her neck catching the ground with a reverberating crack.

Dismay rumbled through the crowd as the woman whimpered, apparently unable to move. Breena rode toward her, jumping off and tossing her lance down.

The dark horse bucked, its hooves thrashing in all directions. Breena swooped toward the woman, grabbing her under the armpits and dragging her shrieking form away. But the mare was too distressed, and as it thrashed down, its hooves crushed into the woman’s ribcage, her body crumbling into dust.

Breena fell backward at the sudden shift in balance, coughing and swatting away the ash coating her face. She jumped to her feet, holding her hands up, her lips moving as the Pegasus writhed. The wild-eyed creature brayed and snorted, then ran off into the woods when Breena slapped its flank firmly.

Bile burned in my chest, and I sucked in air, realizing that I was forgetting to breathe, not wanting to miss a moment despite the shock and gore before us.

My eyes flew up as a powdery haze sprinkled from above. The other male warrior stabbed the second female Druik, her Pegasus tearing through the air as her disintegrated body scattered.

The Pyrian Druik guided his animal to the back edge of the field, terror lining his features. The Draumr looked at him, then at Breena collecting her lance from the ground below. He turned his airborne beast, diving directly for her.

“Breena, watch out!” I screamed, and she dove toward her Pegasus just as the tip of the guard’s lance jabbed the soil. She jumped to her feet with her spear, climbing atop her stallion. They galloped in a half-moon shape before she shifted her weight forward, squeezing her knees. The mount’s massive, downy-feathered wings swept open, and they shot into the air just as the guard reached them.

With a whoop of laughter, Breena soared with the creature, its mane and hers fluttering in the wind. The male followed, determined to destroy my friend. Breena drove her Pegasus up and up, its wings and powerful legs pumping through the air.

As the Draumr followed, Breena’s beast nosedived unexpectedly, nearly colliding with her opponent. The male recoiled, pulling on his reins exorbitantly. His airborne steed thrust its wings forward, abruptly jerking and causing the guard to spill from his seat.

As he plunged to the earth, Breena was ready. He fell beside her, and she thrust her wooden spike into his soft underbelly. His roar of pain was cut short as he exploded into fragments, fine grit raining onto the field.

The chestnut stallion landed gracefully, Breena looking like a regal warrior queen atop its back. Her eyes met the last challenger shuffling toward her from the trees, dropping empty golden bridles and collars at his feet.

He’d freed the other Pegasi. The corners of my mouth curled in admiration.

He showed Breena his palms as he approached, shoulders stooping. “I’m done. Don’t bother.” He turned to the crowd, glaring at Lucan. His voice reverberated over the field. “Do you hear me? I am done with this madness—with these useless games! Stand up, you fools! The Elders lie! The Elders?—”

His body ruptured, the breeze carrying the remains away—his blood oath broken.

But not soon enough to prevent the wave of uncertain whispers rippling through the masses.

“Enough!” Lucan demanded as a jade light flared around him. It was the first time I’d witnessed his aura. Splotchy, needle-shaped burned-ocher shades snapped within, like a tornado of dead grym needles. His cane sprayed grass as it cracked into the dirt, and the ground trembled under our feet.

My hands flung out to keep my footing, but Kaden grabbed me from the side, steadying me. He grumbled an apology as he straightened, rolling his shoulders back in irritation, and stepped away from me once more.

The fleeting sensation of my heart filling with prickly grym needles surfaced, but I filled my lungs with fresh air, stacking my spine.

My palms slid over my tunic as the Akridais and Draumrs on duty edged closer to the Elder. “We have the Wilting champion. The final test will come soon enough. Now, be gone!” His face was an unhealthy shade of purple as he stormed toward the palace, his bristly nimbus pricking the air.

We went to Breena as she removed the restraints from her Pegasus. The creature pushed into her palm as she stroked its ear.

I rubbed her shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. “You okay?”

“Yeah. We need to win these trials. One way or the other.” She shrugged, tucking her messy hair behind her ears.

“And that woman who broke her neck? Your chivalry was showing, my friend.” One of Rhaegar’s eyebrows lifted as he drifted to the Pegasus, looking at Breena from the corner of his eye.

Breena’s lips puckered. “Don’t go to mush. Didn’t think that was the way to go out. On her back.” She looked at her feet, shoulders slumping. “Didn’t matter anyway.”

“Your flying skills were impressive,” Kaden admitted after the silence stretched out too long. Rhaegar nodded, petting the stallion, his eyes soft and lined in awe.

Breena grinned, the corners wobbly as she smoothed her breeches. Her shoulders pushed back, and she brushed her fingers over her cheeks, her face streaked with her opponent’s dust. “Told ya. It’s all in the hips.”