Rider's Resolve (The Rider's Revenge Trilogy Book 3)

by Alessandra Clarke

  K’lrsa tried to hide the horror she felt at Vedhe’s smile, but when their eyes met she knew she’d failed.

  Vedhe clutched the orb to her chest. “Don’t forget who your enemy is. I’ve done nothing but help you.”

  “I won’t.”

  K’lrsa shivered as she turned towards the doorway. She risked a glance towards where the Lady and Father Sun were standing, talking quietly. How much of this—the constant conflict and struggle—was actually the gods’ fault? Without objects like the one cradled in Vedhe’s hand, would men really turn on one another the way they had? Without a god to fight for, would they care so much to take what wasn’t theirs to take?

  The Lady came back to the doorway.

  “Choose wisely,” Vedhe called as K’lrsa joined her.

  K’lrsa nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  As the Lady opened the door, Vedhe added, “Oh, and don’t worry about the imbalance. I left the viewing tube behind. I don’t need it now.”

  K’lrsa turned back in surprise. “Really? I thought it helped?”

  Vedhe’s upper lip twitched in a snarl, making her look like some sort of feral beast. “I don’t need to know that the man I’m about to kill loves his wife and child. Or that he gives food to the homeless every week.”

  “But…Wouldn’t it be good to know that he’s not such a bad person?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t…”

  “I don’t care anymore. They’re all bad in some way.”

  “All men?”

  “All people.”

  “All?” K’lrsa remembered Vedhe’s earlier comments about Badru, her stomach sinking.

  “All.” Vedhe met K’lrsa’s eyes and K’lrsa shivered at her unflinching certainty. For Vedhe the world had become black and white. All shades of gray were gone. People were evil or would become evil, so must die.

  K’lrsa turned back towards the doorway. She’d promised to defeat Aran. She had to do it. And to destroy the Toreem Daliphate.

  But…

  But Vedhe was as much of a threat as anyone. Which meant she needed to choose something that would allow her to not only defeat Aran and destroy the Toreem Daliphate but protect Badru and everyone else she loved, too.

  Assuming that was even possible…

  Chapter 45

  K’lrsa stepped into the room. It was small, like before, with shelves lining the walls, but this time the shelves were empty.

  A single table dominated the center of the room.

  On it were only two objects: the bowl full of moon power and the staff—both of the objects she’d considered choosing before. One would neutralize the sun orb and maybe other objects, and perhaps do other things she didn’t know yet, the other could call water from anywhere in the world.

  She turned to the Lady. “Where are the other objects? Vedhe said she had more choices this time around. Why don’t I?”

  “The room responds to the individual who has come to choose. It shows those objects the individual is likely to want and can actually control.”

  “I can control other objects.” K’lrsa’s heart raced. Had there been so many more last time because Vedhe was more powerful than her? What did that mean for her chances of defeating both Aran and Vedhe?

  The Lady’s laugh was as bright as sunlight on a spring morning. “That staff is the most powerful object ever made. You weren’t given other choices because the only two you want are the two that lie before you. So now the question is…Which will you choose? To neutralize? Or to destroy?”

  K’lrsa stared at the objects on the table for a long moment. Her hand itched to touch the staff just like it had the first time. She was drawn to it as if it had been made for her. But she stayed where she was.

  If she touched it, she’d choose it. She wouldn’t be able to set it aside once she took it up.

  She turned away from the table, focusing her attention on the Lady. “Can the staff defeat the sun orb?”

  The Lady tilted her head to the side, studying K’lrsa. “Why would you need to do that? Vedhe is your friend and ally.”

  Maybe.

  “What if someone takes it from her? Luden took the necklace from me.”

  “Vedhe won’t lose the orb. She’s stronger than that.” The Lady’s eyes flared silver and K’lrsa flinched at the rebuke in her words.

  She glanced at the staff, longing to pick it up.

  What if she wasn’t strong enough to keep it? What if Aran or someone else took it from her? What kind of destruction would she be bringing into the world if she chose it?

  But what if she didn’t choose the staff and the sun orb wasn’t enough to stand against Aran? He might defeat Vedhe…

  K’lrsa shook her head. “I don’t get it. Why let us come in here and choose weapons that could destroy the world? Don’t you even care about what could go wrong?”

  A wind whipped around the room. The Lady seemed to grow, filling the small space as she loomed over K’lrsa. “What do you know of any of this, mortal?”

  “Only what you tell me.” K’lrsa shouted in frustration. “If there’s something else I should know, then reveal it so I can make the right choice!”

  “Ha. The right choice.” The Lady slowly shrank back to her normal size and the wind disappeared. “For whom? You? Or us?”

  “What does that mean?”

  The Lady walked around the room, running her hand along the empty shelves. As she did, ghosts of objects appeared and disappeared, so many they seemed to stretch forever into the distance.

  The Lady finally stopped at the table and stared down at the two objects lying there. “It means that what is best for an individual man or woman isn’t always what is best for that individual’s god.”

  “So killing Aran? Is that for you or for the tribes?”

  The Lady pressed her lips together, refusing to answer.

  “And what about Toreem? Why do you want so badly for me to destroy it? What does it matter?”

  Once again, the Lady kept silent, running a hand along the table, studying the two objects before her, ignoring K’lrsa’s glare. “It’s time to choose, K’lrsa dan V’na of the White Horse Tribe. Which will it be? The moon power or the staff?”

  “Why won’t you answer my questions?” K’lrsa demanded, stepping closer.

  “Who are you to demand answers from a god?” The Lady’s eyes flashed like lightning as she stalked around the table.

  K’lrsa shrank back from her at first, but then stood her ground, hands fisted at her sides for courage. “I’m the person you’re asking to kill a man. And destroy an entire civilization. I deserve to know why you want me to do it.”

  The Lady’s lips twitched into a slight smile. “Because you promised you would.”

  K’lrsa glared at the Lady. “Sometimes I really hate you, you know.”

  The Lady’s laughter was like a sudden rainstorm on a hot day—there and gone in a moment. “It’s time to choose. Which will it be?”

  K’lrsa stared at the two objects on the table, torn.

  Chapter 46

  K’lrsa sighed as she looked back and forth between the two objects on the table. They looked so simple. But even from where she stood she could feel the power emanating from them.

  The staff called to her, tugging at her soul as if it had been made for her. Whispering how powerful she’d be if she controlled one of the basic elements of the world, especially in a land where water was precious and capricious.

  But the moon power could neutralize the sun orb…

  And maybe other objects, too.

  Which choice would save the world she knew?

  Which would destroy it?

  If she chose the moon power but then Vedhe wasn’t strong enough to stand against Aran on her own, the world was doomed. K’lrsa had no doubt he’d come to the Hidden City, break into this room, and take every object he could.

  What would he care about balance?

  He was ruthless and cruel and wanted pow
er more than anything.

  But if she chose the staff…

  She might defeat Aran and then fall to Vedhe. Water couldn’t stand against the power of the sun. And then the world would be just as broken as if Aran had won.

  There was no right choice. She needed them both.

  “It’s time to choose, child.” The Lady stepped closer and K’lrsa moved away, not trusting her.

  Carefully, she removed the necklace from around her neck and placed it in the center of the table, between the two objects, delaying her final decision for just a moment longer.

  “You don’t need to return it.”

  “Why not?”

  The Lady’s lips twitched into a grimace. “Because that necklace is like a single grain of sand in the entirety of the desert compared to either one of those objects. It won’t make a difference.”

  “So then why let me take either one?” K’lrsa glared at the Lady across the length of the table.

  Standing this close it was all she could do not to grab the staff.

  “It’s what’s needed.”

  “But what about the balance?” K’lrsa wished she’d paid more attention to the knowledge she’d received from the labyrinth before it faded away. Now she just had a vague memory that the balance was crucial to survival, but she didn’t understand how it worked or what happened when it was disturbed.

  “Sometimes the world gets out of balance. It happens.” The Lady’s voice was as cold as the snow K’lrsa had seen in the labyrinth.

  K’lrsa paced away from the table, searching for that lost knowledge, but it was gone. Faded away. She wished she could ask Vedhe a few questions, but if she left the room that would be it. She couldn’t come back.

  She stopped and turned to the Lady once more. “Are we the ones taking the world out of balance? Or will choosing these weapons help return it to balance?”

  The Lady crossed her arms. “It’s time to choose.”

  K’lrsa eyed the objects on the table. “Is it possible to take the world so far out of balance that it can’t right itself?”

  The Lady tilted her head, considering. “Yes…But no object that exists is powerful enough to do it.”

  “What about a combination of objects?”

  The Lady studied her carefully, her silver eyes like drowning pools. “Which objects?”

  “These three.”

  “All three of them?”

  K’lrsa shivered slightly, but nodded. “Yes.”

  The Lady smiled, a beautiful smile full of life and joy, like the early days of spring.

  K’lrsa wasn’t fooled. She’d seen what lurked beneath that surface, she knew the darker creature behind the mask.

  She held her breath, waiting for the Lady’s answer.

  The Lady thought about it for a moment. “No. These three together aren’t powerful enough to permanently disrupt the balance.”

  “So if I took all three of these objects on the table with me, I wouldn’t upset the balance?

  Even as she asked the question a small part of her mind was screaming at her that she couldn’t trust the Lady, that taking even one of the objects could destroy the world she knew. Look at what Luden had managed with just the necklace. What damage could all three objects do? Especially when combined with the sun orb? But she pushed that voice away, ignoring its warning.

  She had to take the moon power and the staff. It was the only way to destroy Aran and protect her people from Vedhe. And it was only for a little while. Just long enough to defeat Aran. She’d be careful. She wouldn’t even use them if she didn’t have to.

  Surely a week, maybe two, wouldn’t be enough to change the course of her world?

  The Lady ran her hand along each of the objects, her gaze far away.

  “Lady? Can I do it? Can I take all three without breaking the world?”

  The Lady smiled at her. She was in the guise of the young woman now, her cheeks pink with the first blush of womanhood, her hair long and lustrous as it flowed down her back. “Yes. You can take all three. It won’t break the world.”

  “Good.” K’lrsa grabbed the bowl full of moon power and it turned into a small stoppered jar that easily fit into the pouch at her waist. She considered leaving the necklace behind, but she might need it. Quickly, before she could change her mind, she put it on.

  Last, she grabbed the staff.

  She’d been right. It fit her hand perfectly. And the power it contained—such immense power, more than she could’ve imagined—coursed through her body like a song, lifting her up, leaving her almost dizzy with possibility.

  Anything was possible. She could remake the world. Bring rain, raise mountains, call the oceans.

  Anything.

  Before that voice of warning screaming in the back of her mind got any louder, she turned and stepped through the doorway, the Lady following behind her.

  She’d made her choice. What was done was done.

  Vedhe was waiting for her. “What did you choose?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” K’lrsa planted the staff on the floor, resisting the temptation to use it to call water right then and there. It sung to her, begging to be used.

  Vedhe eyed her warily. “But you kept the necklace?”

  “The Lady told me it wouldn’t make a difference.”

  Vedhe glared at the Lady. “Why did you lie to her?”

  The Lady smiled, a soft, benevolent smile tinged with malice. “I didn’t lie.”

  “You told her it wouldn’t make a difference.”

  “No. I answered the question she asked me. Which was whether keeping it would break the world. It won’t.”

  “Let her put it back. Now, before it’s too late.” Vedhe grabbed K’lrsa’s arm and dragged her towards the room, but the door was closed and no amount of pushing or banging would open it.

  “It’s too late for that. She made her choices. The pendulum is in motion.” The Lady smiled with the fierceness of a desert cat about to pounce.

  “What? What did I do?” K’lrsa looked to Vedhe. “Vedhe?”

  Vedhe turned away, but not before K’lrsa saw the very real fear etched on her face.

  Chapter 47

  Before K’lrsa could ask Vedhe again what she’d done, the Lady stepped between them. “It’s nothing. Time to say your goodbyes.”

  “No. Wait.” K’lrsa pushed past the Lady, earning herself a look so dark she flinched. “Vedhe? What did I do?”

  Vedhe turned on her, fear and anger warring on her face. “Don’t you remember anything about what we learned when we came through the labyrinth?”

  K’lrsa half-shrugged. “Some of it.”

  “What parts? The parts about fighting? I’ve seen you practicing new attacks each day. Or about finding food or water?”

  “And why not?” K’lrsa crossed her arms defensively across her chest. “Those were the parts I could actually use. Do you really think I need to know what happened in a bunch of long-dead civilizations that have nothing to do with me? Far better to learn how to survive in this land than how other people died in theirs.”

  Vedhe shook her head in disgust. “We were given knowledge unlike anything anyone has ever received before. Even the wise ones of your tribe who used to come here didn’t receive the amount of knowledge we did. But you just threw it away.”

  “Because it didn’t matter. It was a bunch of worthless information clogging up my head every time I tried to think.”

  “Which is why you just did the stupidest thing imaginable.”

  “What? Keeping the necklace when I took the staff?” K’lrsa snorted. “The Lady told me that the power of the necklace compared to the power of the staff, or your sun orb for that matter…“ She jammed a finger at Vedhe’s chest. “Was nothing. That it wasn’t going to upset the balance if I kept it.”

  Vedhe turned on the Lady. “Did you really tell her that?”

  The Lady raised her chin, silver eyes flashing. “No.”

  “Yes, you did.”

&nbs
p; “No. I told you that the power of the necklace compared to the power of the other two objects was like a grain of sand compared to the entirety of the desert.”

  “You told me I could take the objects and it wouldn’t upset the balance.”

  Vedhe laughed before she could stop herself.

  The Lady glared her down before answering. “No. I told you that the three objects in that room could not break the world. Taking any object from that room upsets the balance.”

  K’lrsa couldn’t breathe. Taking any one object from the room upset the balance? Then what did taking three objects do?

  “So we upset the balance. For a little bit. Until Aran is defeated. And then we bring them back here. And it’s fine. It goes back to how it was.”

  Vedhe shook her head. “No. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because as soon as you took those objects out of the room, it freed Aran’s gods to act to restore the balance.” Vedhe pressed her lips together, the scars on her face standing out in stark relief. “It was already going to be bad with you having the staff and my having the orb, but now that you have the necklace, too…”

  “But you said they’ll act to restore balance, right? So we’ll be matched? Maybe this was just balancing out his death walker magic?”

  “No.” Vedhe glanced at the Lady for confirmation. “I think the sun and moon stones balance the death walker magic. And when we took the viewing tube and the necklace that allowed Aran more power to balance it. But now…” She shuddered. “He’ll have enough power to balance the orb, the necklace, and the staff. Perhaps combined into one object. One that could break the world. And how do we stand against that when each of us can only use one object at a time?”

  K’lrsa touched the pouch at her waist where the moon power was hidden. As scared as Vedhe was, what would she think if she knew K’lrsa had also taken it?