Riders of the Realm #3

by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

  After Brauk rescued the rebel army from the prison tower, everything had changed for her. When she’d begun the rebellion with General Tsun, she’d been in charge of it. She’d demanded protection for her mother and her siblings and safe passage to the empire where they would live in exile. General Tsun had even agreed to pay Lilliam a small allowance for one year that would help her rent rooms and find work. The thought of her mother actually working was as incongruous as a tiger wearing clothing, but I’Lenna had remained hopeful.

  Now Brauk was in charge. He knew Lilliam was stealing from the clan, and Lilliam had proved she would not accept defeat. I’Lenna had watched the rebels prepare for attack with growing trepidation. The pile of sharpened spears made her feel sicker than she already was. She couldn’t stop what was to come, but it had struck her early this morning that she couldn’t watch it either. She decided to go.

  I’Lenna ducked beneath a silver-leafed blackwood branch. She needed to get out of the Wilds before a black magna spotted her. She had a hunting knife, a small ration of food, a bedroll, and a rain cloak.

  She was heading to Darthan’s farm. She’d borrow more supplies there and pay him back after reaching Daakur. A few precious gems decorated her ankle bracelet and she planned to sell them to Willa Green at the trading post. She’d buy a ferry ride across Cinder Bay to the Daakuran Empire and lease a room there. With her expensive education, I’Lenna could find work to support herself.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she imagined living alone. Truth was, she couldn’t imagine it, not really; she’d just have to experience it. She wiped her eyes. The sun was rising fast, too fast. Tomorrow Brauk would lead the attack on Fort Prowl. She hoped to be in Daakur by then.

  I’Lenna paused for a breath. Her body shuddered with grief and weakness. Her fever had finally broken and she felt light, empty. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow night, Feylah Stormrunner would be sitting upon her rightful throne, her ancient crown upon her head. I’Lenna’s lips twitched into a brief smile. A huge wrong would be made right—well, maybe not made right, but resolved anyway.

  And even though Brauk and Darthan had assured I’Lenna she had a place in the Fifth Clan, she could not accept it. Lilliam’s reign was a lie. I’Lenna’s jewelry, clothing, her education—were all stolen from the true crown princess. Heat rushed to her cheeks as the shame of it struck her anew. I’Lenna deserved to live on foreign soil, far from her people, as Feylah had been forced to live. Her spine stiffened with resolve and she resumed running.

  By midday, I’Lenna had reached the River Tsallan. “Sun and stars,” she cried. The banks had disappeared and the muddy river had reached the tops of them. Dead branches and debris sped downriver. I’Lenna hiked closer to the river’s edge and stared into the water. It would be impossible to cross it. But there was no way to get to Darthan’s farm and then Daakur without crossing. She teetered and began to laugh. “I’m stuck here.” She laughed harder, realizing she was exhausted and perhaps hysterical. Sudden dizziness overcame her. I need to sit down, she thought.

  I’Lenna took a step, but in the wrong direction. Her foot hovered and then touched water. Oh! Her body tipped forward. Her arms flailed. She tumbled into the river.

  Rahkki and Sula glided between the trees. He kept his eyes down, trying to find I’Lenna’s boot prints. Firo, the buckskin stallion, and his dragon trailed behind, silent and watchful.

  The Wilds were dense, the soil as dark as the trees, and every odd mark on the ground was as likely to be a shadow as a boot print, but Rahkki had spotted a consistent line of smudges that looked like tracks.

  He urged Sula down, slid off her back, and examined the marks. He grinned, pleased. Yes, these were boot prints—I’Lenna couldn’t be far. He leaped back aboard Sula and asked her to trot. They were about to exit the Wilds, and Harak’s patrols could be anywhere. Better to stay on the ground, Rahkki decided.

  Sula trotted, and then eased into a smooth canter, and Tak flew down to rest on Rahkki’s shoulder. Firo and the buckskin galloped between the trees beside them. Rahkki noticed how quiet they were for such large creatures. They leaped overgrown bushes and jumped small logs with the aid of their wings.

  Appreciation filled Rahkki’s heart. Cantering Sula reminded him of riding horses. The beat of her hooves wound up from her body to his, staking them to the land and to each other.

  The sun arced overhead and its beams pierced the trees, splaying like fingers to the ground. Reptiles slithered out of the shade to rest on hot stones. Some bolted out of Rahkki and Sula’s way, others held their ground, hissing. Monkeys screeched at the Pair, excited by their speed, and mosquitoes flew in black swarms.

  As the rain forest rolled by, white froth broke out along Sula’s neck and chest. Rahkki leaned forward to relieve the pressure on her back. Ahead he heard the rushing sound of the River Tsallan.

  They burst out of the trees and onto the high, wet banks of the river. The water, ready to spill over, sped past him, muddy and ferocious. Sula and Firo each whinnied and reared. The buckskin pawed the mud. Rahkki leaned forward and grabbed his mare’s neck before he slid off her back. Upset by the commotion, Tak darted off his shoulder and shot toward the clouds. “What is it?” Rahkki asked the winged horses.

  Firo leaped off the bank and glided in an anxious circle. Using one hand to block the sun from his eyes, Rahkki scanned the forest on the other side of the river and saw nothing unusual.

  Then he noticed that I’Lenna’s boot prints ended at the very edge of the water. “Land to skies!” He urged Sula into the sky. Had I’Lenna tried to swim across?

  They soared over the water, following the current. Anxiety bloomed in his chest. He glimpsed no boot prints on the other side of the river. “Where is she?” he asked the three Kihlari, as if they could answer him. That’s when he spotted a small head bobbing in the water, rushing toward the ocean. “I’Lenna!” he screamed.

  She didn’t hear. Her eyes were fixed on the shore, her arms and legs paddled furiously, and exhaustion lined her small face. She grabbed hold of a rolling log, but it only whipped her faster downriver. She let go and churned toward the river bank.

  Without thinking, Rahkki stood and dived off Sula’s back into the water. Pulling hard with his hands and kicking rapidly with his legs, he cruised toward I’Lenna, swimming with the flow of the current. The princess struggled, sinking between breaths. Sula and Firo dived toward her, whinnying frantically.

  Loose debris—branches, leaves, and garbage from the village—drifted alongside, clunking into Rahkki. “I’Lenna,” he gasped as he drew closer.

  She heard him and shifted her head in his direction. Their eyes met and she blinked, looking stunned. He floated fifty lengths behind her, maybe less. “Rahkki?” she mouthed.

  He kicked harder, jetting toward her and then bumping into her. As he grabbed her thin body, he felt overcome by relief and exhaustion. Sula and Firo reached them and bit into their clothing, dragging them through the water toward shore.

  They reached Darthan’s levy. He’d built it to protect the Sandwen lowlands from flooding during monsoon season. It also enabled him to divert water to irrigate his rice fields. Rahkki and I’Lenna climbed it. The levy bulged, damaged by time and pressure, ready to break. They exited the water, and then tramped across the mud and into the cover of the jungle. They collapsed on their backs and wheezed for breath.

  The three Kihlari stood over them. Firo snuffled I’Lenna’s skin, and Sula leaned against the buckskin stallion, keeping one eye on Rahkki.

  I’Lenna wasn’t still for long. She propped herself onto her elbows and stared at him. Her lips trembled, blue with shock. “You’re back,” she said. “You got away from the giants?”

  “Somehow I did.” He stared into her dark eyes. The last time he’d seen her, Harak had been chasing her through the clouds to arrest her.

  I’Lenna scanned his body. “Did the giants hurt you?”

  His throat tightened. He shook his head. She flopped back down
, touching her shoulder to his, still out of breath. They rested, worn out. “I heard you’ve been sick,” Rahkki said.

  She frowned. “I’m fine.”

  “I’Lenna,” he chided. Her wet clothing clung to her, showing how thin she’d become since her arrest. Her eyes gleamed like dark marbles and her normally tan skin had lost all color.

  But I’Lenna just smiled. It was that quick grin Rahkki had learned meant anything from I am truly fine to I am truly not fine but I’m going to pretend that I am anyway. “So you talked to Darthan, which means you’ve seen your brother and met your sister?” she asked, brightening a bit. “I’ve been with them since I escaped the Sunstone.”

  Anger roared through Rahkki at the mention of the Sunstone, and I’Lenna must have read the sudden fury in his eyes. She held up her hand. “I don’t want to talk about me,” she warned him. “Just you.”

  Rahkki wished she weren’t so stubborn. “Yes,” he finally answered, “I saw my brother and Drael, and I met Feylah. I—I still can’t believe I have a sister and that Drael is alive.”

  I’Lenna intertwined her fingers with his. “Feylah is going to make a fine queen.”

  “She will,” Rahkki agreed, and a real smile formed on his lips. “And Brauk is healed, thanks to you!”

  She laughed, waving off his gratitude. “I think he’s finally forgiven Sula for kicking him.” She glanced at the wild steeds that stood over them like sentries. “They came back for you, we think. They flew to Darthan’s farm and just . . . waited. They followed us into the Wilds.” I’Lenna shook her head. “The rumors about your power over animals will grow.”

  Rahkki grinned. “Wait until you meet my dragon.”

  I’Lenna blinked. “You have a dragon?”

  Where was Tak? His golden friend liked to explore and hunt but he was never too far away. Rahkki whistled for him and, a few moments later, the burner jetted from the clouds and thumped onto the ground between them, burping green smoke.

  “Oh,” I’Lenna cried, mesmerized. “You weren’t joking.”

  Rahkki stroked Tak’s scales. “I am the Commander of Dragons, after all.”

  I’Lenna shoved Rahkki as playfully as she could in her weakened state. “And the Slayer of Serpents.”

  He pushed her back, softer. “And a Saver of Princesses too.”

  I’Lenna laughed, a true happy giggle. “Ah, Rahkki, you’re home,” she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes. “Your family is together. I’m so happy for you.”

  They enjoyed a quiet moment listening to the river before he remembered that he was there to collect her. “Why did you run off?” he asked, though he believed he already knew the answer.

  I’Lenna stood and stroked Firo’s mottled blue hide. “I’m leaving the Realm. The Whitehalls don’t belong here.”

  Rahkki stood also. “Nothing your mother has done is your fault. You were three years old when she took over the Fifth Clan!”

  “I know that,” she said.

  His shoulders drooped. Of course she knew that. “Look, Darthan suggested you hide at his place. Why don’t we go there together and just . . . wait for all this to be over.” Rahkki’s eyes searched her face. Could they ignore what was happening? Just let their families sort it out without them? He enjoyed the fantasy. “I’ll cook the food and we’ll play stones and hide from the world.” He reached for her hand, noticing he’d grown taller than her.

  I’Lenna gazed up at him. “I can’t be here for this battle, Rahkki. I’m leaving.”

  Rahkki’s earlier idea floated up in his mind. The rebels would be furious if he followed through with it, but he suddenly didn’t care. He only cared about I’Lenna and the awful past that still lived between them. “What if you and I could save your mother?”

  Her jaw gaped open and Rahkki felt immense satisfaction to have tongue-tied I’Lenna Whitehall. “So are you in?” he asked.

  She blinked and found her voice. “I’m listening.”

  30

  Dawn

  THE TWO CUBS FINALLY RECOVERED FROM THEIR disastrous swim and stood. Rahkki climbed onto Echofrost’s back and I’Lenna onto Shysong’s. They lifted off and Rahkki guided Echofrost through the jungle to Darthan’s farm. Hazelwind flew between the trees, following them like a shadow.

  When they arrived, Echofrost scented a stranger. Someone had come to tend Darthan’s animals and rice crop. Their sandal prints and cloying smell lingered all over the farm, but the stranger was no longer present.

  I’Lenna stumbled into Darthan’s hut while Rahkki entered the barn and returned with a rich mixture of grain. “Here,” he said, offering it to the three pegasi. The golden dragon danced on his shoulder, chortling with excitement and filling the air around him in green smoke.

  “Rahkki’s made a new friend,” Echofrost nickered to Hazelwind.

  “A loud friend,” Hazelwind added.

  Rahkki stroked Echofrost’s neck, then joined I’Lenna inside the hut. Soon a low fire burned in Darthan’s hearth and their soft voices filtered from the open window. Tak darted toward the heights, enjoying a rare dry sky. He flew loops and dived at dizzying speeds. He shot five shades of fire at imaginary enemies. He raked his claws across the dark clouds.

  Echofrost inhaled a deep breath of jungle mulch and salt-tinged sea air. If she pointed her ears north and closed her eyes, she could hear waves lapping the shore of the Dark Water ocean. Overhead, fresh storm clouds marched across the sky, shrouding the sun. Thunder boomed in the east, drawing closer. “A new storm is coming,” she nickered to her friends. “I expect we’ll have more rain tomorrow.”

  “The battle is tomorrow,” Hazelwind said as he scratched his neck with his back hoof. “I can tell by the excitement in the Landwalkers’ eyes. They are not so different from us.”

  “That’s true,” Shysong agreed. “They’re warriors and they’ve had enough with I’Lenna’s mother. This is an old fight, not as old as ours with Nightwing, but old enough that the course cannot be changed.” She angled a mournful glance toward the hut. “What do you think will happen to I’Lenna if they drive her mother out?”

  Echofrost smoothed her plumage. “What will happen to the clan if they don’t? The Fifth has no choice.”

  Hazelwind trotted between them. “You’re both getting too involved. Lilliam is a bad ruler, like Petalcloud was in Anok. But once the clan is free of her, what they do next is their business.” He flung back his thick forelock.

  Echofrost nickered. Hazelwind was right. Freedom was about choices. Making right ones or wrong ones was a separate consideration. They ate the grain and rested for the remainder of the day. As evening dawned, Echofrost grew agitated. “Is Rahkki going to take us to the fight?” she wondered aloud. “We’re far from Fort Prowl and Brauk’s army. I don’t want to leave my cub, but I won’t let Storm Herd fight without us.”

  Hazelwind glanced at the sloppy wet rice fields, the cozy barn, and Darthan’s hut. Smoke rose from the peaked roof as the cubs cooked their meat. “I don’t think those two are going anywhere tonight. Let’s see what dawn brings.” Hazelwind settled to preen his jade feathers. Shysong and Echofrost finished the last of the grain Rahkki had left them. The sweet, nutrient-rich mixture restored Echofrost’s tired muscles and hungry belly.

  While the clouds piled higher and the air grew thicker, the pegasi stood head to tail, swatting evening mosquitoes, and they drifted into sleep.

  At dawn, Echofrost woke when Rahkki and I’Lenna emerged from Darthan’s hut. They stretched and yawned in the languorous, unhurried manner of youth. The burner that Rahkki called Tak flew out and up, scorching the thick fog with red dragonfire. Blearily, the two cubs entered the barn where Lutegar the swamp buffalo lived and came out with arms full of saddles and bridles.

  Hazelwind flinched and Echofrost felt a familiar wave of dizziness at the sight of the oppressive gear. Rahkki set down his load, went back inside, and returned carrying her set of armor. Brim must have delivered it to the farm after removing it from
Echofrost in the woods. The heavy stuff hadn’t exactly protected her, but then she remembered how many arrows the armor had deflected. Yes, one got through, but the armor had saved her life. I’Lenna approached Shysong with an old horse saddle and bridle in her arms.

  Shysong touched her wing to Echofrost’s shoulder. “We can wear this tack one more time,” she nickered, encouraging her friend. “For them.” She nodded toward the cubs, and Hazelwind nickered approval.

  Rahkki and I’Lenna plopped everything on the ground. I’Lenna went back for another huge bucket of grain, which she placed at their hooves. As the pegasi munched breakfast, the cubs dressed Echofrost and Shysong in their tack. I’Lenna made several adjustments to get the horse saddle to fit behind Shysong’s wings. When they were finished, they mounted and galloped the pegasi overland, heading south, riding between the trees where they would not be spotted.

  Echofrost assumed they were heading to Fort Prowl, but Rahkki halted her in a thick cluster of palms near the Ruk. Soon after, Brauk and his army appeared, over a hundred warriors, slinking through the shadows. Storm Herd walked with them, and when they spied Echofrost, Hazelwind, and Shysong, they flared their wings in greeting. Rahkki and Brauk must have set up this meeting place yesterday, before her cub took off to find I’Lenna.

  Brauk leaped off Kol’s back and hugged Rahkki and smiled at I’Lenna. “You found each other,” he said. Rahkki nodded and the brothers pressed their foreheads together. Brauk pointed at them. “You two stick to the rear with Feylah,” he said. “I don’t want her fighting. I don’t want any of you fighting.”

  Rahkki nodded.

  “Thaan and I won’t leave Feylah’s side,” Tully said. “Don’t worry about her.”

  Brauk climbed back aboard Kol.

  Scanning the Fifth Clan structures and settlement in the distance, Echofrost saw that all was quiet. Smoke piped from the huts, but otherwise, the villagers and soldiers were asleep. If the Sky Guard Dawn Patrol was out flying, it was over the jungle somewhere else, not here. The morning air was full of moist fog and even the crickets seemed depressed by it, singing halfheartedly. Lightning flickered overhead, followed quickly by thunder, and the clouds bulged, full of rain. The weather today would be nasty.