Page 10 of The Tainted Khan (The Soulbound Saga #2)

I f Zayn had noticed Jai’s expression, he did not show it, only pointing at Jai’s hands, expecting him to contort them into the shape required for the shade spell.

Jai had always hoped to pass on the spell to any and all Sithians, as had been Balbir’s last wish. But now he saw the opportunity in this: for the first time, Jai possessed something that Zayn desired. What he needed to gauge, then, was how far could he push this formidable man without humiliating him in front of his followers.

‘Feng,’ Jai said. ‘Translate for me, please.’

Feng dismounted, and Jai noticed his friend’s hands trembling. The sight grounded him, reminding him of the precarious situation. They had been separated from the baggage train for a reason.

Jai took a deep breath, composing himself, before speaking in a measured tone. ‘I will gladly teach you the spell, Zayn,’ he said, enunciating each word with as much deference as he could summon. ‘But in exchange, I request something from you.’

Feng hesitated, but then dutifully translated, and Jai watched as Zayn’s eyes narrowed, weighing the proposition.

‘What do... you want?’ Zayn asked, his voice a low rumble, a hint of impatience seeping through.

‘Winter,’ Jai said. ‘My dragon.’

When Zayn immediately stiffened, as if to reject the request, he pushed on.

‘How would you feel, if your Alkhara was kept chained like a dog, away from you?’

He had noted how the big man doted on his own totem, for none among the Valor’s khiroi had fur so shiny and kempt. Indeed, he had seen the man show kindness to young children in the baths. He wasn’t a monster. So maybe he could see how much this hurt both Jai and Winter.

‘Yes,’ Zayn growled. ‘You can sleep in her tent. Chain stay. Now show me.’

‘And Talvir,’ Jai said, pushing his luck. ‘You must teach me.’

Zayn’s face darkened, and he raised a trembling finger.

He barked a string of what Jai knew to be expletives, the force of his feeling apparent in the spittle that sprayed Jai’s face.

‘He’s angry,’ Feng whispered, stating the obvious.

Jai held up his hands, a show of peace.

‘I am in awe of you,’ Jai said, this time in sithosi, attempting the common phrase of respect Feng had taught him.

Zayn seemed to perk up at that, and his anger abated slightly. Jai kept his gaze steady, but lowered his head in deference.

‘You are a formidable warrior,’ Jai continued, Feng translating for him again. ‘Why, the Kidara would more believe you were Rohan’s son than I.’

Jai steadied his breathing as Zayn nodded broadly, accepting Jai’s compliment as his due. Whatever Jai’s status among the tribe, such adulation from an outsider only served to confirm Zayn’s own. In turn, the flattery cost Jai nothing.

‘I heard what you said,’ Jai pressed on. ‘You call me a bastard fool. A stripling not worthy to learn the sacred arts. If you do not teach me... the Kidara will think the same. What worth will I have then?’

Now, Zayn leaned forward, pressing Jai’s forehead with his own. Jai could feel the wet heat of the man’s breaths, the pressure forcing him back a step. He braced, and felt his feet skid in the dirt. And then, just like that, Zayn straightened, pointing to Kiran.

‘She will teach,’ he said, showing off his High Imperial once more. ‘Now show .’

Jai knew he needed back his father’s gorget, and Leonid’s diary to boot. Without them, he might never convince the Kidara of his origins, if he might escape this place.

But now he wasn’t so sure escape was the right option. At least, not until they found his father’s tribe. A castaway does not abandon the pirate vessel that rescued him, only to be swallowed by the merciless sea. He waits for sight of shore.

He was also sure he had already pressed his luck as far as it would go today.

‘Show!’ Zayn barked.

Jai lifted a hand, contorting it as best he could. Zayn gripped his wrist, his eyes hungry. Behind him, Kiran leaned from her khiro, also curious.

After a few moments, Zayn crooked his own fingers, cursing as a green glow sputtered and sparked from the tips of his fingers.

Jai tried to correct the placement of the fingers, manually moving them, when a shout pierced the air: one of the men had spotted something approaching.

Zayn pulled his hand back and vaulted onto his Alkhara, standing tall upon his saddle and peering into the horizon, shielding his eyes from the sun’s harsh glare.

He barked a command. One of the riders peeled off, thundering back towards their baggage train at breakneck speed. The others unsheathed their weapons, the sound of steel singing, accompanied by the creak of leather as armour straps were fastened tight.

‘Jai,’ Feng hissed, holding out a hand. Jai hoisted himself back onto Navi and stared in the same direction as the Valor.

Zayn barked another order, and the khiroi jostled together, shoulder to shoulder, leaving Kiran to pull on Jai’s reins and guiding him to join the line. Together, the khiroi snorted and pawed at the ground, while Navi quivered beneath him.

And within him, Jai felt Winter running. Ripping her chain from the child that held it, tearing over the grassland. She had sensed the danger before Jai had truly grasped it himself. For upon the horizon... they came.

At first glance, Jai thought it a herd of wild khiroi. But they were too closely packed, too purposeful in their travel. And there were riders, their shapes melding with the shuddering, humped forms of their mounts.

‘What is this?’ Jai demanded of Feng.

‘Another clan,’ Feng whispered, his voice breathless with fear. ‘Come to face us. Test our mettle. Or shatter it completely.’

‘We should retreat,’ Jai growled. ‘There are too few of us. Even if Sindri gets here in time, they look like almost twice our number.’

‘The Sithia always ride out to face their enemy,’ Feng said. ‘The enemy should never be allowed near the village.’

Time trickled on as the sun bore down, rivulets of sweat trailing down Jai’s spine. Zayn’s warriors waited in tense silence.

The enemy drew closer, such that Jai could now see them in more detail over the shortened distance. Men and women both, far better armed than they, with falxes near to a man, and war banners fluttering in the breeze above.

The reassuring rumble of approaching allies reached Jai’s ears, but so did the disconcerting sound of the enemy’s advance. A loud chirr drew Jai’s attention, and there was Winter, crouched at Navi’s feet. She gave Jai but a single glance, her blue eyes expressing all that he could already feel through the meld. Her love... and determination to fight. Even with a rusted chain clinking behind her.

A rider lumbered to his side, then another further down the line. Jai thanked any god that might be listening. Their reinforcements had arrived from camp, such as they were.

Now some fifty warriors stood in a single row, eyes locked on the horizon. Jai could only do the same, where a far more formidable line faced them.

‘See the crossed falxes upon their banners,’ Feng breathed. ‘The Keldar. Another Tainted tribe. One of the larger ones.’

‘Allies?’ Jai asked.

Feng grunted before declaring, ‘No such thing. They will swallow us up. Make us their own.

‘Or slaughter those who try to fight back.’

Jai held his breath as Zayn raised his blade, awaiting the command to charge. He wondered what he would do without a weapon of his own, but there seemed there were none to spare.

Channelling the meagre mana within him, Jai prepared the flame spell with his fingers, cursing his scant reserves after last night’s shade spell, which were barely sufficient for a single burst of fire.

Jai felt the sudden urge to attempt escape. Winter was with him, and he rode Navi. But indecision seized him. It was too risky. There were too many variables.

Before Zayn could give the order, Sindri’s cry interrupted him. Breaking ranks, she brandished a white banner on a tall pole above her head.

‘Surrender?’ Jai asked, incredulous.

‘No,’ Feng breathed, both in relief and confusion. ‘Parlay.’