Page 35

‘W hy?’ Sindri said.

The question came before he’d even finished his speech, her arms crossed in stubborn defiance.

‘It is a trap,’ Zayn scoffed. ‘And a feeble one at that. They will fall upon us the moment we approach in peace.’

Jai retorted, ‘Isn’t that what I just did? I stand here, putting myself at your mercy. If this were a trap, it’s poorly planned on my part.’ He gestured expansively towards the warriors behind him. ‘What you see here is the entirety of the Kidaran forces. Teji has formed his own tribe, pulling away much of our strength. Now they follow us.’

He locked eyes with both Sindri and Zayn, whose own had widened at his words.

‘I hold nothing back. So I won’t hold this back as well: I need your warriors. In return, I offer you a new chance. To be of the Kidara, and ride with us as equals under my rule. Your khiroi will be granted access to our bloodlines; my mount, Chak himself, will rut with your does.’

Perhaps more than anything, the mention of the pairing between the beasts seemed to pique their interest, for older as he was, Jai’s Alkhara was a veritable giant, a mountain beside a hilltop.

‘You will share in the spoils of our victories, as our brothers and sisters,’ Jai pressed.

Still, they were silent, and so he held his tongue, letting the gravity of his offer sink in. This would be a first, Jai knew. When his father had faced the Sabines, a few Tainted tribes had fought alongside him, and those fought under their own banners, seeking both profit and vengeance. To integrate a Tainted and untainted tribe, let alone with one of the Great Tribes... it was almost unthinkable.

No – it was unthinkable.

Until I thought it.

This wasn’t hubris, but rather survival. There was a problem that needed to be solved, and Jai was not so bigoted that he was blind to the solution. He could only hope Sindri and Zayn – not to mention his own tribe – would see the same.

‘We can reshape our tribes, our people’s future, together.’ Jai extended his hand towards them, his gaze steady. ‘I do not offer domination, but alliance. Do not kneel before me. Stand with me.’

He waited. Finally, Zayn spat, ignoring Jai’s hand until Jai dropped it.

‘We have no need of your acceptance,’ Zayn said. ‘Nor your aged beast’s loins. Your bloodlines are ours already. These does are Chak’s offspring, are they not?’

He motioned behind him, where Jai could easily pick out the khiroi that had been the Valor’s ransom. Of course, a bull like Chak was far more valuable than a doe for breeding purposes, but the man was not wrong.

Except that wasn’t the issue. Because while Jai knew little of the ins and outs of the bloodlines of the khiroi, even he had seen the difference between those of the Kidara and the Valor. And his own tribe’s beasts were broad of chest and long of horn, bright eyed and thick furred. They were the product of generations of rigorous breeding, and to compare them to that of the Valor was akin to weighing a prized stallion against a mule.

The Kidaran khiroi were revered among all tribes for their strength and size, the symbol of Jai’s house a testament to their fame long before Rohan had taken the throne. Chak, in particular, was a prime specimen of this lineage, his sheer enormity unrivalled even by Zayn’s own beast.

But he knew, more than anything, Zayn’s ambition. Only the love of his sister prevented him from declaring himself king.

His disappointment mounted, but he held it in check. For Jai had tried the carrot.

Now the stick.

‘You said you had no choice,’ Jai said. ‘Now you have one. Accept it, or we can all die here. The Kidara conquer the Valor, Teji conquers the Kidara, and our souls can bicker in the great beyond.’

‘Or we take you now,’ Zayn growled, pointing his blade at Jai. ‘And negotiate free passage.’

Jai let out a bitter laugh, even as he gripped Winter by the nape, where she remained perched on the rump of his enormous mount. She had not forgiven Zayn his trespasses against her, and even Jai’s mental urging could not keep her from hissing her displeasure.

‘What do you think these Kidarans abandoned Teji for?’ Jai said. ‘It was for the hate of him, not love for me. After all, am I not a Sabine half-breed, hardly Sithian at all?’

Zayn grunted at his words, but Jai saw he had struck a chord.

‘Take me, and they will charge. I will likely die, and so will you. Without me to stop them, your people, your families, will be given the same treatment as any of the Great Tribes would do to the Tainted: fettering, a fate I would not wish upon anyone.’

Sindri chewed her lip.

‘I must discuss it with my council,’ she said.

Jai shook his head.

‘We don’t have time. We must ride immediately if we are to reach my tribe by nightfall. They travel as fast as they can, using the oldest and youngest of our khiroi, but Teji will whip his own beasts bloody to catch up when his spies report we are divided.’

‘Then we have you at an advantage.’ Zayn grinned. ‘What more can you offer us than the favour of being subservient?’

‘I have little gold,’ Jai said. ‘And the only khiro of mine you see before you. I will not command my people to give you what is theirs.’

‘Then I will take your Alkhara,’ Zayn growled. ‘And you must give me the right to leave, and form my own tribe, with those that would follow. No tax of blood, or gold, or flesh. I will be khan in this lifetime.’

Jai felt a pang of dread at the thought of parting with Chak. He could feel his father’s soul in the great beast. And he had barely had him but a day. But the old bull was past his prime, and Jai knew Chak had sired half the khiroi in his camp. And he had no choice.

Sindri began to speak, but Zayn silenced her with a curse and a raised hand. She averted her gaze. Only now did Jai see the bruise beneath her eye, half obscured by a thick rim of kohl.

A rift between the two had formed, he could see that now. Zayn must have been planning for this, just as Teji had. The familial politics of the steppe were no less cutthroat than that of the Sabines, it seemed. He hated Zayn, in that moment. But he needed him.

‘You may have him when you leave,’ Jai said, swallowing down the bitter lump in his throat. ‘And you may not leave until my tribe is safe from Teji. And remember... until then... I am your khan.’

Jai extended his hand again, his resolve decided. It was a high price to pay, but he had little choice. The next few days would determine his tribe’s fate, and he would play every card he had.

The sun was rising slow over the horizon, casting its soft glow over the vast plains, as if to seal the peace with its beauty.

Zayn reached out and seized Jai’s hand, a twisted grin upon his face.

And even as he rejoiced at bringing the Valor into his fold, he couldn’t help wondering if he had just made a terrible, terrible mistake.