He shrugged. “We trade for it.”
“Trade what?” She couldn’t help the incredulity from her voice. The horses had incredible stamina, true, but they were pitifully ugly. The Keldari had nice weapons, but so did many other warriors of the world.
“We have plenty of gold.”
Leaving her with that startling tidbit, Zahak halted his mount and turned to his men. “Our tal is here, and I have failed in my task he set me as saif. If you wish to camp with him alone, now is your chance.”
Malum dragged his whip through his hand, not even looking up as he spoke. “You won’t camp with the Cobras?”
His voice wasn’t confrontational, but she sensed the man’s inner turmoil, a strain in the tightening of the skin about his eyes and mouth. His nostrils were pinched.
“We shall camp with Cobras unless Amin refuses us. But I will stand alone before our tal.”
The Keldari glanced at one another, down at the sand, at the sky, at the cursed leather whips. All these years, Zahak had sacrificed for them, and now, they couldn’t even look him in the eyes. Were they so terribly afraid of his brother? Lifting her chin, she kneed the mare forward to stand beside him. “Not alone, for I stand with you.”
Flames danced in his gaze. He leaned over and tugged the black cape back, throwing it over her shoulders, and jerked the tunic open underneath to bare his mark on her throat. Self consciously, she started to lift a hand to touch it, but she forced herself to leave it openly displayed and unprotected. Let everyone see his brand on her, if that’s what he desired.
Side by side, they rode along the Wall. Distantly, she heard the murmur of people and neighing horses. She still didn’t understand how he knew where to go, but that camp of people must be his.
“They’re not afraid of me or Amin, azharana. They’re afraid of you.”
Surprise jolted through her. “Me?”
“You are the unknown stone yet to be tossed. From the beginning when you offered water, you have not acted as we expected. You have not acted like a munakura. No foreigner would have known to offer water or accept hospitality. In fact, you should have arrived unconscious, half dead, and slung over the back of my horse. A munakura certainly never would have chosen me. So now, they wonder. Add the Wall, what it means to us, and their discomfort only mounts. The prophesy...”
His voice fell away, unsure. She’d never seen him so worried. “What prophesy?”
“The reason we went searching for a White Daughter is two-fold. We’ve seen the reward of such sacrifice: a Well long dry for thousands of years suddenly overflowed with water, bringing tribe Tellan into existence. But the most important reason is a legend the priests have told for generations, how a woman not of our desert...”
Silently, she waited for him to continue. His brow was creased, his palm wrapped around the hilt of the curved blade on his hip. When he finally continued, he spoke so softly she had to strain to hear.
“At dawn, she will walk out of Agni’s Fire and Yama’s Despair unscathed and declare her mate to be the first azi.” A surge of fear from him scared her more than his words. “I never fully believed. I thought a White Daughter would be enough to make Amin the azi. I never thought—”
He jerked his mount to a halt and reached over to clamp his hand on her upper arm. “Stay with me at all times. If—when—Agni Comes…” His shoulders shook, his eyes blazing with determination and fear, for her.
Although she didn’t know who Yama was, she understood despair very well indeed. “Don’t worry for me, Zahak. I’ve already survived the fire of Agni. Don’t you see? You carry the Fire. You gave it to me. You said even Keldari women don’t survive unless they fully tame their mates’ beasts. Here I am, alive and well.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand, his face solemn and tender. “Iyeh, here you are, and you’ve certainly tamed me.” His jaw clenched, and then he forced away his worry. Bit by bit, the hard saif returned. “I will keep you alive and well. Let us find my brother and break the news to him.”
“What news would that be, brother?”
* * *
Staring into Eleni’s eyes, Zahak felt a wave of guilt from her that made his heart ache. She hated the thought of bringing him pain or causing strife in his tribe. Setting brother against brother would earn approval from the Shadow which spawned her tainted blood line. Ironically, such turmoil made her more Keldari than not.
:My heart beats for you, azharana.:
Coolly, he turned to his brother who sat on his horse a dozen paces away. For the first time in the thirty one years of his life, he forced himself to view Amin with clarity instead of shame and guilt.
His brother sat loose and casual on his horse, comfortable as all Keldari must be on horseback. He wore the same taamid as all males, and his hair was long and full, unlike his older brother, but no weapon hung at his hip.
Zahak knew he must have at least a knife on his body somewhere, but no scimitar, short blade, or whip, the traditional weapons on the desert dunes. Had he ever seen Amin use a scimitar? He couldn’t remember. Even as a boy, Amin had clung to their mother’s clothing, afraid of the clang of metal, harsh grunts, and laughter as warriors danced the blades.
All this time, Zahak had believed his brother purer because he didn’t carry the curse of dragon blood, the Fire within that killed and twisted men into beasts, because he was afraid of that Fire himself. Now, though, with his Fire burning in Eleni’s bright eyes, he felt shame no longer. And he saw a brother who was more munakur than the woman beside him.
“This is the White?”
How would Amin take the news? “My brother, this woman is Eleni dal’Moran dan’Angelina from the Green Lands, White Daughter of Somma, She Who Hung the Moon, and she’s mine.”
“I can see that,” Amin answered dryly, indicating the mark blazing on her throat. “I smell you all over her, and her on you.”
Heat blazed through Zahak’s veins, his dragon rousing, eager to fight for his mate. “She chose me. When I bought her from the traders near Far Illione, she offered water as though she were one of us, and she accepted my hospitality. She’s mine, brother.”
“I see that,” Amin repeated, his face tightening.
Muscles coiled, Zahak let his hand settle on the scimitar. Eleni cried out softly, her guilt and fear wrenching his heart. He regretted that she would see him cut down another, let alone his brother, but he would fight for her.
“Later,” Amin bit off, his face darkening. He jerked his horse around and trotted into the lengthening shadows. “There’s news you need to hear as my saif. Come to the tents.”
Dragon riding him hard, Zahak breathed heavily, trying to come down from battle frenzy to talking and plotting the demise of troublemakers. He rode after his brother, Eleni beside him.
“That’s it?” she whispered, eying his brother’s back.
“For now.” Then he realized their conversation had been in Keldari, so she wouldn’t have understood the words. “There’s trouble, worse than our disagreement. We’ll discuss you later.”
“Later,” she blew out a hard breath disgustedly. “He uses you. ‘Come, saif, take care of this problem for me.’ I don’t like him at all.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Amin called back over his shoulder in her language.
“Good,” she muttered. Zahak thought she might actually strike his brother if she were close enough. He felt a surge of protectiveness from her, a fierce urge to defend her mate that warmed his heart. She certainly had the heart of a dragon.
At the tent, Amin gave a sharp look her direction. Zahak knew very well that his brother didn’t want her involved in the coming discussion, but he refused to allow her out of his sight. Taking her hand, he helped her dismount. At Amin’s sneer, she wiped the discomfort off her face and walked as proudly as she could despite the soreness in her muscles.
“How far did my brother carry you on the ride to the Wall?”
“Not one step,” she replied, her voice hard. Fir
e surged through their bond and her eyes flashed. She hesitated at the tent flap and stared at Amin, brow arched.
Zahak hid a smile. She wanted words, hospitality, some greeting and assurance of safety. Very smart woman.
“I need to speak to my saif, woman. You may wait out here.”
“Come, azharana.” Zahak forced lightness to his voice and tucked her hand beneath his arm as he turned away from his brother’s tent. “My tent awaits the grace of your presence.”
“Sands swallow you! Tellan refuses to join the tribes, the Mambas raid the other sepahs nearly every night, and you want to dally with a woman in your tent!”
Feigning surprise, Zahak turned to his brother. “Eleni is the mate of my heart. I’m Given to her. Where I go, she goes.”
Amin stared at them, jaw flexing.
“We have water.” Her voice was soft but firm, ringing with pride. “May we take shelter in your shade?”
Zahak froze, waiting to see how his brother would react. She gave him a chance to back down and accept them as guests, but if he refused…they would not have to wait until Agni’s Coming to kill each other.
Finally, Amin inclined his head slightly. “As tal’Cobra, I welcome you to rest in my tent.”
Not the entire sepah but only his tent, and he didn’t make the welcome permanent. Still, it was a slight victory. Proud of her calm and quick mind, Zahak allowed her to precede him into the tent and made sure she was seated first directly across from his brother before he sat beside her.
Silence grew in the tent, Amin stewing, smoothing the folds of his taamid, jerking his gaze away from them both. Amused, Zahak was content to let his brother learn full appreciation for his seemingly delicate, regal woman.
Eleni turned to him, her voice mild yet carrying in the tent. “Is this camp so very poor that they cannot offer refreshment?”
Swallowed laughter nearly choked him. Ah, she was a wonder at the delicate dance of words that were sometimes more deadly than blades.
Amin flushed darkly, his jaw working, and roared, “Tea!”
Immediately, a red-robed priest came from the back alcove with a tray.
Accusingly, Zahak narrowed his gaze on his brother. He hadn’t known any other people were inside the tent. The priest would have overheard every moment of their conversation. While Amin might be comfortable with Shaddad’Agni, listening to all the grim predictions and doom of their people, Zahak was not. He’d much rather be in the thick of battle than talking about the Trinity’s retribution and some horrible sin committed a thousand years ago and more.
Amin ignored him and turned a sly smile on Eleni. “Of course you must be given the best refreshments, and our best is Fire Tea.”
He poured a large cupful and handed it to her.
Wrapping her hands about the cup, she leaned over and inhaled its burning perfume. She made a happy sound, and then proceeded to drain the entire cup. Smiling slightly, she held it out to Amin. “More please?”
He turned bewildered eyes to Zahak. “She can drink our tea?”
“Iyeh, brother. I told you, she is unlike other munakuri.”
“She carries the Fire within.” Normally, Shaddad’Agni’s voice was low and melodic, not shaking like an old man’s. “A White from beyond the sands. She survived our Fire. She’s the one.” The priest pierced Zahak with piercing black gaze, fervent and even frightened. “Which makes you our azi.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Amin retorted. “He’s not even tal.”
“Only because he has never challenged you,” Shaddad’Agni replied sharply. “I’ve told you what I See for you.”
“Lies, all lies!” Amin lurched to his feet and paced back and forth in the tent. He stroked his chin, rubbing his mouth. “I won’t—”
He jerked to a halt and stared at Zahak with wide, frightened eyes. Concerned, Zahak dropped his hand to the scimitar on his hip and drew Eleni closer to him with his left. He’d never seen his brother so afraid. Guilty, too, if the flicker in his eyes was any indication.
“If you want to be azi, then challenge me.” Amin gritted his teeth, his eyes bleeding dark with emotion. “In the meantime, the Mambas are going to attack before dawn. Tellan refuses to come to the Wall, and I’m sure their tal will express a great deal of opposition to whomever we put forward as azi. With their wealth of water and larger numbers, they could easily decimate the rest of us.”
“He has no choice,” the priest said, his eyes glowing with holy light. “Somma’s Daughter stands at his side. She forces his path.”
Eleni tried to stand, her body vibrating with tension. “I force nothing.”
Mind whirling, Zahak tightened his arm around her waist, shielding her against his body. “The Mambas are not a concern,” he said, ignoring Amin’s spluttered denials. “I know our warriors, and I assure you we can handle a few skirmishes. The concern is Tellan.”
He glanced at Eleni, his brow creasing. “They have Whites of their own and will stand against our azi. They might even try to take her from us.”
“You forget the other threat,” Shaddad’Agni whispered, his gaze locked on her. Zahak didn’t like the blaze in the priest’s eyes. It made his skin crawl. “Someone might try to sacrifice her as befitting a White’s blood to Agni. Or even Yama, as Tellan did to renew the Well of Tears.”
Zahak lurched to his feet, dragging her with him. He drew her toward the flap, scimitar in his hand. “I’ll kill anybody who lays a hand on her.”
Slowly, the priest rose to his feet, the bright red robe a constant reminder of Fire, Agni’s punishment. “Guard her well, saif. Keldar hangs around her neck like Agni’s Mark, dragging us all down to His Fire. Whoever holds her, holds the tribes. Beware, black blood rises, hatred and despair determined to wipe away as many of us as are spared by Agni. Yama will not give us any peace, even if Agni spares us. The Black Dragon comes, too. Whether Red or Black Comes first, only the Trinity knows.”
“Take care of the Mambas,” Amin said tightly, his hands clenched into fists. “And then, my brother, you and I will settle this unfinished business between us. The survivor can have the woman.”
“I will never wed you,” Eleni retorted. “I know nothing about your prophesies, your azi, or this Coming that has you shaking and cowering in your blankets, but I know that I love Zahak saif’Cobra. My heart beats for him alone.”
Backing out of the tent with a careful glance about to ensure no trouble waited, Zahak held her body against his, and her bond harder. Her thoughts roiled with guilt and worry, but beneath her distress, he felt the strength of her love. He knew the strength of her heart.
It was time for her to take the final commitment to him and seal their bond forever, even if that meant facing her darkest fear.
EIGHT
If his brother didn’t try to kill him, hers would. Once again, Eleni was tearing everything apart, just with her presence. The red-robed priest spewed hateful prophesies, she was a dead weight around Zahak’s neck, dragging him down to Shadow.
I should never have come here.
He tossed her up onto her mare’s back, his manner unconcerned. “I have something to show you.”
Mounting his horse, he lead her a ways outside of camp. A hill rose, arching toward the Wall. Only when he directed his horse to begin climbing did she realize his intention.
The ramp was rough, stones and boulders covered in packed sand and clay, but the horses maneuvered up the steep slope without too much difficulty. Despite the turmoil in her heart, she yearned to see from the top of the Wall. What did the other side look like? How far could she see?
After ten minutes of silent riding, they reached the summit. Illuminating the night sky for miles, the full moon gleamed on an ocean stretched out to the western horizon. Rough waves crashed below. The Wall was built on a towering cliff, massive, jagged rocks stabbing up from the spray. “The sea rumbles as though it hungers for Keldar’s sands.”
“In a way, it does.” Zahak’s his voice was a solemn
whisper before the awesome sight. “When I was a lad, there was enough room beyond the wall for one to walk and climb. It was a dare of sorts that all lads faced, whether they were brave enough to climb down to the outer edge and taste the salty water. Now, the ground is crumbling away from the Wall in spots. That’s why the priests declare Agni Comes sooner than later.”
She turned to look back over Keldar. The top of the Wall was large enough that the horses stood easily. In both directions, the Wall stretched out like a towering road. She could ride the boundaries of Keldar for days and days, never touching the sands. “You didn’t honestly think this was enough to keep out your God, do you? A dragon?”
“We never built the wall to keep Agni out.” He pointed to a stack of wood piled in the center of the wall. Two men squatted beside it, their gaze trained on the ocean below. “We know Agni will come from the sea, but at what point, no one knows. We keep watchers on the Wall at all times, waiting for the sign of His Coming, and when He does, the Wall will blaze like one massive torch. All of Keldar will know it and tremble.”
Dismounting, Zahak reached up and pulled her down into his arms. Breathing in his spicy jasmine scent sent her heart quickening, her blood pooling, and she rubbed her cheek against the muscle of his chest.
When he tilted her face up to his, her heart raced at the determination glinting in his eyes. “I want you to mark me.”
She recoiled, backing away from him. His brother, and hers; the tribes; these prophesies, worry, turmoil and dread. All she wanted was sanctuary, a place where her brother dared not come. She’d found love beyond anything she’d ever dreamed, but she’d brought conflict and danger to the man she loved.
Ignoring her reluctance, he threw his cloak back off his shoulders and loosened the neck of his shirt. “I understand if you’re reluctant to bite me so forcefully, feeling my skin against your tongue, tasting my blood.”
His voice lowered with each phrase to a low rumbling purr that curled her toes. Moisture and heat flooded her core. Dragging her gaze from the bronzed expanse of skin and the sleek play of muscle and sinew, she paced the width of the Wall. Tears thickened her voice. “I cannot.”
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