Rider's Revenge (The Rider's Revenge Trilogy Book 1)

by Alessandra Clarke

  "I'm a Rider of the White Horse Tribe."

  "No. You are a slave. Nothing more." She shook her head as she paced the room. "No one cared when they thought this was just a whim of Badru's, elevating a slave to the level of dorana. They weren't happy, but it wasn't worth risking their positions. But now that he had one of his closest advisors whipped for insulting you?" She shook her head. "Badru made many enemies today. You need to go before he makes more."

  "I don't understand."

  "Of course you don't."

  "What will Badru do when he finds me gone? He loves me."

  Herin spat. "And that's the problem. He can't love you, he's the Daliph. He has to lead those men; he needs their respect. He can't put a slave above them and expect them to follow him."

  "How then? How will you get me out of not only the palace, but the Daliphate?"

  Herin glanced at her and away again.

  "You're not going to, are you? You're just going to take me somewhere quiet where you can kill me without witnesses."

  Herin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't be ridiculous. If I wanted to kill you, I'd just have Garzel throw you out the window."

  K'lrsa moved away from the windows, watching Herin and Garzel the whole time. "I'm not going. I don't trust you."

  "You don't have a choice."

  "Yes, I do. I can scream until someone comes."

  "And then what?"

  There was a knock at the door and it immediately swung open. Badru strode into the room in full court dress.

  K'lrsa's heart flipped at the sight of him. She turned away so he wouldn't see it.

  Herin jerked her back around. "You do not turn your back on your Daliph. Ever."

  Two guards flanked Badru, their eyes flat black as they watched the scene. The one on the left's knuckles were white where he grasped his sword, the metal of the blade visible where he'd started to draw it.

  "I would speak with my dorana." Badru stared at K'lrsa, ignoring everyone else in the room. "Alone."

  "No. I can't let you do that, Badru." Herin stepped between them.

  The guard on the left drew his sword and stepped forward, pointing it at Herin.

  Herin eyed the blade and laughed.

  Badru gestured the guard to step back. "Who is the Daliph here, old woman? You? Or me?"

  Herin dropped into a low bow, her forehead almost touching the ground. "Apologies, most honored leader. Forgive this one for forgetting her place." She said the words, but the rebuke was clear in her words.

  Badru stared down at Herin for a long moment before he finally stepped forward and helped her to rise. "You are forgiven, grandmother." He kissed her on the cheek. "But you grow old and I worry for you. Perhaps you should take some time to rest."

  Herin's back stiffened and K'lrsa expected her to make one of her normal biting comments, but Herin simply said, "As you wish. Will you keep the guards with you?"

  "No. I will speak with my dorana alone, just the two of us. Or do you think that one woman can defeat a Daliph?"

  Herin raised an eyebrow.

  It wouldn't be the first time. She didn't speak the words, but K'lrsa heard them as if she had. So did Badru.

  He shrugged away Herin's concern, gesturing for Herin, Garzel, and the guards to leave.

  K'lrsa flexed her fingers. She was still wearing the day clothes of a dorana, but her fingers were free of the meza and she didn't have the tiral restricting her movements.

  This was her chance. If she wanted to kill Badru, she had to act now.

  Badru walked everyone to the door. "Do not enter for at least a candlemark, no matter what you hear."

  He closed the door firmly behind them and turned back to K'lrsa, smiling. "At last we're alone, my love."

  Chapter 69

  "This is for my father," K'lrsa screamed, and launched herself at him.

  Badru countered her attack with ease, a slight smile on his face. She'd underestimated how much even the few layers she still wore would restrict her movements, the skirts tangling her legs, the sleeves holding her back from delivering a full blow.

  She'd also expected Badru to be only partially trained, if that, but he flowed easily into a fighting stance unfamiliar to her, balanced lightly on the balls of his feet as he waited for her next attack.

  He raised one eyebrow as she circled him, looking for an opening. "This is hardly how I expected to be greeted by my dorana after I saved her today."

  "You didn't save me." She struck at his neck, but he easily blocked her.

  "No? I defended you. In front of all my senior advisors."

  She shook her head and kicked low, aiming for his legs. He jumped high, easily avoiding the strike.

  "You weren't defending me. You were defending your honor."

  He smiled and shook his head, dancing backward as she tried a three-blow attack. "No. It was for you that I did that, K'lrsa. No one should ever speak of you that way. Ever."

  "I can defend myself." She managed a glancing blow to his chest and smiled to see him wince.

  "I see that. But not at court, K'lrsa. It's not allowed."

  "Because I'm a slave?" She struck him again, this time on the shoulder. "Because I'm your property?" She kicked him in the shins.

  He danced away from her, the smile now gone. "Yes. And because you're my dorana. And a woman."

  She screamed and lunged at him, her hands outstretched to claw out his eyes. He pushed her aside, tripping her as he did so she fell onto a pile of cushions.

  "I don't make the rules, K'lrsa."

  "Yes, you do. You're the Daliph. You make all the rules. You enforce the rules."

  He shook his head. "It's not that easy."

  She struggled back to her feet. "It is."

  And in that moment she knew that she'd been right all along. That Badru had to die. That the Toreem Daliphate must fall. It was evil and corrupt and the only option was to end it before it destroyed her people and their way of life.

  She attacked him again, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her close until their noses were almost touching. "Stop this, K'lrsa. I love you. You know that."

  She twisted free of his grip and aimed an elbow at his nose, but he ducked back before she could connect.

  "Your men killed my father."

  "No they didn't."

  They circled each other once more.

  "I know what I saw, Badru."

  "Your father staked on top of an ant hill, his belly sliced open." Badru held his hands out before him as if ready to catch her again.

  K'lrsa kicked at him, but he stepped backward before she could connect with his knee. "And his eyes gouged out and his…" She shook her head, trying to banish the image of her father's last moments.

  "Exactly."

  K'lrsa closed on Badru, landing a few blows against his chest before he grabbed her wrists once again. She blinked to clear the tears from her eyes as she struggled to free herself.

  Badru looped his leg through hers and they both fell onto the cushions of the seating area. Badru landed on top of her, pinning her body with his.

  K'lrsa struggled, but he was bigger than her and had positioned his arms and legs so she couldn't get in a blow to free herself.

  "Listen to me, K'lrsa. Think. Why would my men do that to him? What do I gain by that?"

  "What they did to him is one of the greatest insults a man can receive. A man bound like that won't go to the Promised Plains; he won't be able to find his way to the Lady Moon's side."

  K'lrsa bucked again, trying to throw him off, but he pushed down against her, breathing heavily. "And why would my men do that? What would they care about your father's journey to the afterlife. Think, K'lrsa. What do I gain from that?"

  K'lrsa finally succeeded in pushing him off; Badru sprang to his feet and stood nearby, watching her carefully as he tried to recover his breath.

  She sat up but didn't try to stand. "You tell me. What did you gain?"

  "Nothing. It wasn't my men, K'lrsa. Here.
" He pulled a folded piece of parchment out of his pocket and held it out to her. "A report from my men on the border. None have raided your lands. Ever. Read it for yourself."

  K'lrsa bit her lip and looked away, flushed with shame. "I can't read."

  "Then have my grandmother read it for you. Or Sayel." He crouched down far enough away that she couldn't reach him. "It wasn't my men, K'lrsa."

  "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

  He sighed. "Because I'd never lie to you. Or do anything to harm you."

  "You didn't even know me then."

  He met her eyes with his brilliant blue ones and she felt herself drawn in by his gaze, a part of her melting and flowing towards him. "I love you, K'lrsa dan V'na of the White Horse Tribe. You are more important to me than anything else. Anything."

  She wanted to believe him so much. She wanted to be wrong about him, to believe that he was the man of her dreams and not the cruel leader she'd seen hints of in the past few weeks.

  She forced herself to look away. "Words are easy to say, Badru. I'm still your slave and always will be."

  Badru sat back on his heels, not moving. "I can't change that, K'lrsa."

  "You're the Daliph."

  He laughed softly. "That doesn't make me all-powerful."

  She met his eyes, forcing herself to hold back from losing herself in him. "In the tribes a man and a woman come together as equals. They each choose to be with the other. One isn't forced or coerced to mate. It's a choice, freely made." She looked away. "If you love me as you say you do, then you'll free me and give me the chance to choose to be with you."

  K'lrsa waited. She watched as Badru stared down at the carpet, chewing on his bottom lip.

  She knew she could attack him while he was distracted, but she held back still wanting him to be the man she hoped he was.

  "I love you, K'lrsa. But I don't think I can do as you ask." He looked so sad she ached to comfort him. Instead she stood and turned away from him.

  "Go then. As long as I'm your slave, I want nothing to do with you."

  She trembled, waiting to see what he'd do.

  At last, he walked to the mirror and straightened his vest, smoothing any sign of emotion from his face as he smoothed all signs of their fight from his clothing.

  When he was done, he walked to the door, stopping for one last longing glance before he opened it and left her alone.

  She stared out the window, refusing to cry, refusing to regret the demand she'd made of him. She loved him, too, but she refused to be with a man she couldn't freely choose to be with.

  Chapter 70

  After Badru left, K'lrsa paced the room, thinking about what he'd said about her father's attack.

  If his men hadn't killed her father, then who had? Who else was capable of doing that to him? Who would think to punish him in that way?

  She remembered G'van and his talk about the times changing. Was he capable of something like that? Was someone else in the Black Horse Tribe?

  She shook her head, refusing to believe that anyone in the tribes would attack another like that. Life was too fragile, too tenuous to turn on your own. They had a sacred trust to protect, they couldn't afford to fight with one another.

  But G'van had turned away from the ways of the tribes. He'd led slavers across the desert.

  Maybe the Black Horse Tribe was behind the attack on her father.

  And if that was true, if the Black Horse Tribe was responsible for her father's death…

  Then her family was in danger. None would suspect the truth until it was too late. They would ride to the annual gathering and demand expulsion of the Black Horse Tribe, expecting them to surrender to their banishment without conflict. But what if they fought back? What if they killed her tribe the way Lodie's tribe had been killed all those years ago?

  She'd left her family and tribe behind to kill the Daliph when the real enemy had been right there at home, free to visit her camp whenever they wanted.

  It made sense. But could she really trust Badru?

  She wished her father were there to help her see the correct path. She needed him so desperately—his calm, his intelligence, his quiet strength. He'd tell her the right path to take.

  But maybe he had.

  He'd told her not to seek revenge against the Daliph.

  And so had the Lady Moon.

  What if her father hadn't been trying to protect her? What if he'd known who was really responsible for the attack?

  She clutched her arms to her chest, shivering.

  What had she done?

  She'd let her pride and arrogance blind her to the truth.

  She needed to go home.

  Now.

  When Herin came the next morning, K'lrsa grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "I'll do it. I'll run away."

  Herin snorted. "Too late."

  "What do you mean? Why?"

  Herin glanced in the direction of the slaves as they set out the breakfast dishes and opened the windows. "Badru was quite distressed to find you unattended by your poradoma last night. He reminded me and Sayel that they are not just responsible for tending to your needs but are also there to protect you against all threats."

  "But you and Garzel were with me."

  "Exactly." Herin turned away as Sayel entered the room, Morlen and Tarum trailing along behind him.

  Morlen carried a new outfit unlike anything K'lrsa had yet seen. It consisted of a simple top, vest, and split skirt.

  "Is this what I'm going to wear today?"

  Sayel frowned. "Yes. The Daliph has requested your presence outside the palace." He glanced at Herin, shaking his head.

  She shrugged.

  K'lrsa looked back and forth between them. "What?"

  Sayel wrung his hands. "I worry that you're not yet ready for such an outing, my dorana."

  Herin laughed. "If you'd trained her as a true dorana, she'd never be ready for such an outing." She turned to K'lrsa. "Badru has asked that you go riding with him."

  "On Fallion?" Her heart soared at the thought. She'd missed him so much, but hadn't dared ask about him, afraid what she'd hear.

  "Yes. On Fallion." Herin held her gaze. "Recall, of course, that no women of the Daliphate ride horses."

  Before K'lrsa could mention that Herin did, Herin continued. "I'm not considered a woman when I'm riding."

  "What? How is that possible?"

  Herin gestured to her black clothing. "This sets me apart. When I wear black, or when Badru wears black, we are indicating that we have stepped outside of the normal rules. Badru can walk the halls without everyone prostrating themselves across his path and I can ride a horse."

  "But you always wear black."

  "I do."

  "And people defer to you."

  "They do."

  "What would happen if you didn't wear black?"

  Herin smirked. "I'd have to wear some ridiculous outfit like you do, and, because I am the honored grandmother of the Daliph, the Omala, I wouldn't even be allowed to walk for myself. I'd be carried around by four bearers, surrounded by a bevy of servants at all times, each one trying to anticipate my every want and need before I even thought to form the words."

  Herin shook her head. "No. Not for me. And everyone knows," she glanced around the room as if to emphasize the point, "that it is far better to listen to what I say even when I wear the black than to make me don the formal attire of the Omala."

  She held K'lrsa's gaze. "Remember yourself today. You may be on Fallion, but you are still a dorana. Do not speak to anyone except the Daliph. Do not make eye contact with any of the men. And do not argue with the Daliph. Just because you're riding a horse, it doesn't change the rules you must live by."

  Chapter 71

  As they made their way down the long series of corridors to the base of the palace where Fallion was stabled, K'lrsa wondered if she could flee while she was outside. Fallion was so fast, no other horse could match him.

  Except Badru's horse, of c
ourse. Perhaps. It, too, was an Amalanee horse, but could any horse truly compare to Fallion?

  She forgot herself when she saw Fallion standing in front of the stalls and ran forward to throw her arms around his neck. "Fallion." He nickered and rubbed her face with his nose. "Oh, micora, how I've missed you."

  "And he's missed you." Badru stepped out of a nearby stall, dressed head to toe in black, his words laced with affection as he watched her. "The grooms have tended him as well as they can, but he clearly pines for you."

  He watched her, his expression cautiously hopeful; she looked away, not sure what to feel. She was so powerfully drawn to him every time she saw him, but that didn't change who he was or that she was his property, subject to his every whim.

  Near the entrance, a dozen courtiers milled around, waiting for them. Most wore dull brown with bits of color, but one was dressed in solid yellow and another in solid red. Six guards in white flanked them, ever vigilant, even though the great space was otherwise empty.

  "And I've pined for him." K'lrsa scratched Fallion's nose and the soft spot behind his ears, smiling at his contented chuff.

  Badru came to stand beside her, stroking Fallion's mane. "He won't let anyone else ride him. They exercise him in the yard, but he needs a good run."

  "He needs to go home." She held his gaze for a long moment. "So do I."

  Badru winced and glanced away. "Don't say that. I don't want to lose you now that I've found you."

  K'lrsa rested her face against Fallion's, breathing in the horsey smell of him. She hadn't realized how much she missed him until now. She longed for the days they'd spent riding together across the plains, the heat baking their skin, the tang of sage grass in the air.

  "My family needs me, Badru. If what you said was true, that it wasn't your men, then I need to go back and find out who it was."

  He turned back to her, his eyes sad but determined. "You can't be the only one who can protect your people."

  "No." Chances were she'd go back and her mother would keep her so firmly under control that she wouldn't be able to do anything. But she had to try.

  "But you are the only one I love. The only one I'd have at my side." He reached for her hands.