Riders of the Realm #2

by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

  She sliced off her ankle bindings. “There!”

  Rahkki heaved himself onto one leg and yanked her upright. The wind whistled around them, and the raindrops rolled down her cheeks like tears. She wriggled, panting. “I’m sorry, Rahkki.” Her control broke, and her lips trembled. “I never meant to drag you into this—”

  Another stone crashed into the boy, striking the back of his leg. Pounding footsteps filled his ears as the giants ran toward them.

  I’Lenna stared over his shoulder, and panic bloomed in her eyes. “They’re coming!”

  Sula circled overhead, braying louder. Firo hovered below the cliff’s edge, piercing the air with sharp whinnies. The giants rumbled, and I’Lenna’s tearful gaze met his. In a burst of clarity, Rahkki’s earlier confusion about her shattered and he was sure of one thing; he trusted her. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. She tasted sweet, like peppermints.

  Her eyes widened. “Oh,” she gasped.

  Then Rahkki twirled I’Lenna around and shoved her off the cliff.

  48

  Friends

  “CATCH HER AND ARREST HER!” HARAK HOLLERED, pointing at the falling princess. His Riders rushed toward her.

  I’Lenna’s scream ripped through all other noises in the canyon valley. Above Echofrost, a third volley of stones struck Rahkki. Her cub collapsed while shouting, “Firo! Fetch I’Lenna!”

  But Shysong was already in action. She’d pinned her wings, dived after the flailing girl, and swooped beneath her. I’Lenna crashed onto the mare’s back. She wrapped her hands in Shysong’s slick mane and pulled her legs tight under her wings. I’Lenna’s sides heaved as she wiped away her tears.

  Harak kicked Ilan into action, and they hurtled toward I’Lenna with five Riders following.

  “Stop them,” Hazelwind whinnied. He, Echofrost, Graystone, and Redfire charged toward Harak and his Fliers.

  Ilan saw them coming and flattened his ears. “Incoming!” he neighed to the others.

  Harak and two Pairs peeled off and dived toward the Kihlari steeds. “What do we do?” a Rider asked the blond Headwind.

  “Kill the wildlings!” he shouted. “You others, arrest the princess, take her home, and lock her in the Eighth Tower.”

  Hazelwind neighed to Shysong. “Fly that girl back to her village. Then meet us at the nests. Hurry! It’s time for us to go.”

  Harak nocked an arrow and loosed it at them.

  “Scatter,” Echofrost whinnied. The pegasi darted in four different directions, and the arrow missed all of them. They circled back on their attackers, diving in and striking the Riders.

  Ilan whirled around and struck Graystone with his beaded tail. Thin scratches appeared on the white stallion. Graystone startled. “How did he do that?”

  “Avoid their tails,” Echofrost warned.

  The pegasi ducked beneath the clumsy Kihlari, rearing and clubbing them with sharpened hooves as they passed overhead. Redfire opened a long gash across the flank of a chestnut mare.

  “We don’t want to hurt you,” Echofrost whinnied to the Fliers.

  Ilan snorted as each of their three Riders drew their swords. “Come closer and tell us that,” he nickered, his blue eyes glinting.

  Hazelwind soared straight up, flapping his wings in Ilan’s face and kicking him square in the neck. Redfire struck the Flier’s chest, and the spotted stallion lost his breath.

  Meanwhile, Shysong and I’Lenna had disappeared into a massive dark cloud. Two of Harak’s Riders had bolted in behind her. The clashing of hooves against bone reached Echofrost’s sensitive ears. She powered toward the fight, panicked. “These Kihlari are just distracting us! Shysong needs our help!”

  Black-edged blue feathers drifted down from the cloud mass as Echofrost neared the smoke-dark mist, ears cocked. Hazelwind and the others abandoned the fight with Harak and joined her.

  “Listen,” Echofrost nickered.

  The wind rushed and the clouds shifted, but otherwise, silence.

  “What happened to them?” Hazelwind wondered aloud. The four friends entered the rolling puff, instantly blinded. Echofrost swam through it, her wings creating holes that revealed the green valley below. She found emptiness. Where had they gone?

  Harak and his Riders flew back toward the fighting in the valley. But where were Shysong and the princess? Echofrost brayed, but there was no answer. Had the two Riders captured them? Echofrost hoped that Shysong and the princess had escaped—that would explain the silence. The roan mare wouldn’t want to give up her position by whinnying back to Echofrost.

  Below, Harak pulled up next to Tuni and Rizah, and a heated argument erupted between the two Headwinds.

  Echofrost whipped her eyes back to Rahkki on the cliff. He lay in a heap, surrounded by Fire Horde giants. She exhaled in frustration. He’d tried to save his princess, but now he was in trouble!

  Hovering beside her friends, Echofrost listened to the wind rushing in the heights with her eyes locked on her cub. He’d saved her life more than once. She hadn’t known that a pegasus and a person could be friends, but he had known. And he’d asked for nothing in return. She wanted to be free but realized she was helplessly bound—to Rahkki. Not because of the Pairing ceremony or because he fed her—but because she cared about him.

  Echofrost bent her wings and dived toward her Rider. The giants saw her coming and swarmed the boy. Rage shot through her. “Don’t touch him!” she neighed. He belongs to me.

  49

  Mutiny

  THE CLIFF SHOOK BENEATH RAHKKI’S BODY AS the giants thumped toward him. Sprawled on his back, he let out his breath. Sharp pain radiated outward from his ankle. His armor had saved his life, but he suspected that his bone had been fractured. He wondered about I’Lenna. She and Firo had entered the clouds, followed by two of Harak’s warriors, and then they’d all seemed to vanish. Had they arrested I’Lenna, or were they still trying to catch her?

  His silver mare shot down from the sky, her friends on her tail. They swooped to rescue him, but the Fire Horde king called his burners. The tiny little dragons collected, swarmed, and warded off the wild Kihlari with flames and steam. The wildlings retreated to the nearest ridge to watch, and the burners returned to Fire Horde, perching on the Gorlanders’ arms and shoulders. Sula reared in frustration.

  Meanwhile, the Fire Horde Gorlanders yanked Rahkki upright as the Highland Horde king climbed toward him, guiding his elephant up a steep mountain trail. The Highland prince followed. Even though Rahkki had saved the prince from the python, he didn’t expect mercy. At least not until he revealed his latest trick—that he’d killed no giants.

  Harak circled over the clan armies, grinning. “The princess is arrested.”

  Rahkki’s blood pulsed between his ears. Had I’Lenna been captured that quickly?

  “You all have a choice, yeah?” Harak said, facing the divided Sandwen armies below. “I won’t seek remedies against you traitors if you pledge yourselves to Queen Lilliam right now. You hear me? I’ll seek no remedies.”

  Tuni leaned forward. “You have no more power than I do, Harak. We’ll decide as a group who is queen.”

  Harak kicked his stallion toward her. “Are you siding against me?” His Riders flew closer, menacing Tuni and Rizah. Around them, the rebel soldiers whispered in confusion and lowered their weapons. Both their leaders, General Tsun and Princess I’Lenna, were gone.

  Tuni’s eyes darted helplessly around her. Finally, she lowered her shoulders. “I’m not against you, Harak. I’ll follow the rightful queen, whoever that may turn out to be.”

  Harak nodded to Tuni. “Good.”

  Rahkki stared up at the layered sky. The rain had stopped, and the clouds began to break apart, leaving no clue as to what had happened to I’Lenna or Firo.

  Rahkki spotted his mare, Sula, still armored and looking exhausted. Unable to get past the giants, she and her wild friends had flown to an empty ridge and landed. Sula shuffled from hoof to hoof, watching him anxiously. She was f
ree, so why didn’t she fly away, he wondered.

  Just then the Highland Horde king and his prince reached the top of the mountain dais. They dismounted their elephants with a resounding thud. The king strode toward Rahkki, speaking rapid Gorlish. The Fire Horde giants trudged back, making room for him. All eyes turned up.

  Rahkki shouted to Tuni. “What’s he saying?”

  Tuni flew closer and watched the king’s hands, translating word by word. “He’s saying, ‘When you saved my son from the python, we repaid you. We let you go.’” Rahkki watched the king’s fingers make a walking motion. “‘But you came back, and you destroyed Highland Horde.’” The king exhaled, his breath rippling through Rahkki’s hair.

  Harak clutched his reins, his fists turning white. “You told us the snake attacked you, yeah. But you slaughtered it to save our enemy?”

  Rahkki pretended not to hear Harak, training his eyes on the Highland king instead. The giant stared back at Rahkki, his eyes full of grief. In the valley below, his warriors’ bodies littered the grass.

  But Rahkki had not destroyed Highland Horde. “Translate for me, Tuni!” he shouted. “I’m not a giant slayer!” His voice cracked, rising higher when he said slayer.

  The Gorlanders and the Sandwens stilled. Some laughed, and others shouted in retort.

  Rahkki swallowed, sweating and tense. His eyes shot to the bodies he’d darted with his blowgun. He needed just a few more minutes, and then he would show them. He lifted his hands, stalling for time.

  More grumbling arose from the Sandwen armies. Rahkki’s gaze swept over his people—no one wanted war, did they? “We can have peace between our people and the giants,” he declared.

  “Why?” Harak asked. “We’ve defeated them, yeah.”

  “No.” Rahkki shook his head. “We haven’t.”

  “He’s stalling,” Harak shouted, then he hollered for his supporters. “Finish the hordes!”

  “No!” Rahkki’s voice ricocheted across the battlefield. Then he saw what he was waiting for, and he couldn’t help it—he smiled. “Hold back and watch.”

  Harak gathered his soldiers, readying to massacre the remaining Gorlanders.

  Tuni flew toward him. “Hear Rahkki out!” she ordered.

  The Highland Horde king stomped toward the boy.

  “Wait!” Rahkki threw up his hands. Just then the clouds parted, and a burst of sunshine stretched toward the trampled grass. Every warrior present squinted up at him.

  What good timing, Rahkki thought. He limped to the edge of the cliff and spoke as Tuni returned to translating. “Giants!” he shouted. “Saber cats! Elephants! Rise up!”

  “Rahkki, what are you doing?” Tuni cried.

  He opened his palms. “Just a little magic.”

  50

  Deathlifter

  “DID HE SAY MAGIC?” HARAK ASKED.

  Tuni whipped her head around. The bodies strewn across the valley floor had begun to twitch. A fallen Gorlander near Tuni groaned. She guided Rizah away from it. Then another body moved. One lifted its head.

  On the next ridge, Sula and her friends pricked their ears.

  The watching hordes stared, their tusked mouths agape.

  All around Rahkki, the giants, elephants, and saber cats that he’d nicked or pierced with his treated darts rose up and stood, shaking their heads and looking groggy.

  Rahkki’s huge grin widened as hundreds of creatures seemed to come back to life magically. His plan had worked, and now the creatures he’d put to sleep were waking!

  Rahkki lifted his arms higher as more sunshine lit the valley, drying the rain. A shocked growl rose in the throats of the giants.

  A Sandwen warrior screamed and pointed at Rahkki. “Deathlifter!”

  The Highland prince smiled, showing his yellowed tusks. “You helped the hordes?” the prince signed in Gorlish.

  Rahkki nodded. “Yes, I helped.”

  Harak Nightseer, surrounded by waking enemies, urged his stallion off the ground. “Traitor! Giant lover!” He hurtled up the cliff face toward Rahkki. Flying no handed, he drew an arrow, his green eyes fixed on the boy.

  “Don’t, Harak!” Tuni chased the Headwind aboard Rizah.

  Rahkki tried to run, but white-hot pain shot through his ankle and up his leg. Then a sharp neigh resounded from the ridge, and a flash of silver caught Rahkki’s eye as Sula plunged headfirst toward him. Wings tucked, she raced Harak, who was flying up from the valley floor.

  Ilan crested the cliff wall and hovered so Harak could nock his arrow, drawing a bead on Rahkki’s neck. Harak meant to kill him—another Rider—in plain view of the armies! Unable to run, Rahkki threw up his hands to cover his face. The Highland prince roared. Tuni screamed.

  Harak released the arrow.

  Rahkki heard the twang, watched the missile slice toward him, and knew Harak would not miss. But then Sula’s agile body darted between the arrow and Rahkki’s neck. It slid between her armor and into her rib cage.

  Rahkki jolted. “No!”

  His mare gasped and swept past. The buckskin joined her, and they attacked Harak and Ilan.

  But the Headwind was ready with another arrow, and another. He loosed them, striking the two magnificent steeds. Some arrows pinged off Sula’s armor, others found their mark.

  Rahkki lurched to his knees, tears blurring his vision. “SULA!” He drew his dagger and hurled it at Harak. It bounced off the man’s armor and twirled back toward Rahkki, landing on the hard stone.

  Sula faltered, wheezing for breath. The wild stallions gathered around her as she swam through the sky like a drowning horse. They supported her wings and lifted her back toward the ridge. The buckskin was injured too, but not as badly as Sula.

  Fury sloshed through Rahkki’s veins, blurring his vision. He crawled to the edge of the cliff and screamed at Harak, who had descended back toward the valley. “You shot my Flier!” The rocks crumbled around Rahkki, and he began to slide off the high cliff.

  The Highland prince plucked Rahkki into his arms. Then the prince roared at the Sandwen armies, his voice shaking birds loose from the surrounding trees. His resurrected forces aimed their weapons.

  Tuni pleaded with the Highland prince, speaking rapid Gorlish. She balked at his response. “He says he won’t let you go, Rahkki.”

  Below them, the baffled and disorganized Fifth Clan soldiers and Riders gathered together. The sight of the revived Gorlan army had knocked the stuffing out of the Sandwens. Besides all that, the prize—the wild herd—had escaped. There was no profit left in staying and fighting.

  “Leave Rahkki the Giant Lover here, yeah,” Harak commanded. “That’s an order.”

  At first, no one moved.

  “Retreat,” Harak repeated.

  The Sky Guard and Land Guard armies turned and marched past the body of General Tsun. The fact that their leader remained dead when their enemies had come back to life stung the defeated rebels all the more because they didn’t understand Rahkki’s trick. The Sandwen soldiers turned frightened stares toward Rahkki the Deathlifter, the Commander of Dragons, and Lover of Giants. The small boy now lay folded in the arms of a Gorlan prince.

  The prince motioned to his elephant, and the bull stomped across the dais and knelt. It regarded Rahkki with small, intelligent eyes.

  The prince boarded his mount and spread Rahkki gently on top of its head. The bull’s wrinkled skin was warm, his short hairs prickly. Rahkki tried to stand, but his ankle screamed in rebellion. Saliva filled his mouth, and the world tilted as waves of pain rolled through him. The prince held Rahkki still and urged his mount down the cliff path, heading back to the valley.

  Tuni glided after them. Far below, Mut, Koko, Jul, and Tam hunched near a tree, weapons drawn, ready for anything.

  “Where are you taking him?” Tuni signed to the king.

  The prince flashed his terrifying Gorlish grin. “To the soup.”

  Tuni blanched. “He’s taking you to his camp, Rahkki, to the soup!”

&n
bsp; “Land to skies,” Rahkki hissed. Everyone knew that Gorlanders ate Sandwens! Was the prince taking Rahkki to rescue him or to eat him? Suddenly he wasn’t sure. “Help me, Tuni!”

  She dived closer, but the king’s warriors drove her easily away. “Meela!” she called for help.

  “I said, leave him here,” Harak warned Meela.

  Tuni hovered aboard Rizah, her body shaking. Dusk Patrol surrounded their Headwind, awaiting her orders. “Rahkki!” Tuni screamed.

  The boy turned, saw her anguish. “Tuni, go! Find I’Lenna,” he cried. “Protect her.”

  Harak and his Riders surrounded Tuni. “Order your patrol home,” Harak commanded.

  She spat in Harak’s face. “No.”

  Rahkki blanched as Harak and his Riders yanked Tuni off Rizah’s back. She punched and kicked, but she was outnumbered. Harak flew her down to the Land Guard soldiers.

  Rizah followed, whinnying sharp peals of alarm. All the Kihlari rattled their feathers in distress. Harak threw Tuni off his mount and she landed on the grass with a hard thud. “Tie the traitor up,” he commanded.

  Diving fast, Rizah attacked the Land Guard soldiers who grabbed Tuni. She clamped her jaws around a man’s arm.

  “Rizah, don’t fight!” Tuni shouted.

  Her mare tossed the man across the field and then kicked another.

  A soldier, not more than a teen, shot an arrow at the angry pinto. It was a casual shot, meant to scare her off. But his aim was poor. The arrow lodged deep in Rizah’s neck. The boy blanched and dropped his quiver.

  “What have you done?” Tuni screamed.

  The golden mare pinwheeled toward land and struck the grass. She toppled over, wheezing.

  “March on!” Harak ordered.

  “Sa jin, you heartless dragons.” Tuni kicked and punched her captors.

  “Put that Kihlara out of her misery,” Harak ordered the teen soldier. “Finish what you started.”