“And…Sarkin’s friend,” I began, “he tried to bond with a Vyrin?”

“Not only a Vyrin. With a direct descendent of Muron,” Sammenth answered.

A jolt went through me. “But Zaridan…”

“Yes,” she replied, inclining her head at me. “He tried to claim her brother.”

“Zaridan’s brother killed Sarkin’s friend?”

Sammenth’s quiet was answer enough, and my brow furrowed, lowering my gaze to the steaming tea.

I took a small sip, the taste bitter, though Ryena had tried to sweeten it with a thick syrup that reminded me of kinu berries.

“How tragic,” I said softly.

“The Karath understands that these things happen. You cannot control an Elthika, just like they cannot control the Karag,” Sammenth answered. “What happened to his friend was tragic but not surprising.”

“And it never should’ve happened in the first place,” Ryena cut in, giving Sammenth a long, lingering, stern look. “Enough now. Drink your tea. Both of you.”

“Yes, Mother,” Sammenth grumbled, but I caught the stray flash of her smile. It was obvious the sisters were close, though Ryena did take on a more parental figure between the two.

I thought of Dannik, a stab of longing to see him, speak with him going through me. I wanted to tell him not to worry. I wondered if such a message was even possible. I wondered about Sora, thinking how I wished our last interaction hadn’t been so tense.

Then I wondered about Sarkin, thinking over the new tiny bit of information I’d gleaned tonight. I couldn’t imagine how helpless I would feel watching someone I cared about falling to their death.

I remembered the look in his eyes that night when I’d fallen over the cliff at his keep in Sarroth. I remembered how he’d dived straight off, without hesitation, to save me.

Every night, he firmly tugged the strap that connected our ankles, like he needed the extra assurance it was tight.

Now I couldn’t help but wonder if he was remembering his friend while he was trying to protect me. The only place I could fall off here was the waterfall, and I’d have to navigate the village carefully to find it. We couldn’t stay tethered in sleep forever.

Under Ryena’s watchful gaze, I took another dutiful sip of my tea.

And I realized that in addition to the Karag, to the Elthika, of which I knew very little about, I could add my husband to that growing list as well.

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Chapter 23SARKIN

Klara gasped when she came awake, seeing me lingering above her.

“Get dressed in your riding clothes and come with me,” I told her.

“You’re back,” she breathed, still groggy. “I’d dreamed…”

“What did you dream?” I wondered, stilling.

She shook her head. “Nothing of the heartstones.” She blinked the bleariness from her eyes. “Is it still night?”

“Yes. We just returned. Hurry.”

Klara didn’t question me, only slid out from beneath the furs, as I tried not to skim my gaze over her legs. As I remembered the way they’d tightened around my hips in Lishara’s temple. I still had her little claw marks down my back. This morning, I’d looked at them in my reflection for longer than necessary.

I decided to wait outside as she dressed, and when she joined me in the cool night air, I led her to the landing field.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked, more awake now, though she kept her voice a hushed whisper. The horde was quiet, slumbering.

When we reached the landing field and she saw Zaridan waiting there, her confusion only doubled.

“Kyavor told me you had difficulty mounting today,” I informed her.

Her lips parted in realization, blinking as I swore I caught a flash of embarrassment on her features. “That’s not… It was… You’re keeping watch over me?”

“You are at a grave disadvantage, Klara,” I informed her, rubbing at my tired eyes. I’d been on dragonback all morning, day, and night, trying to track down the missing Elthikan horde, with no luck. I was tired and wanted sleep. But this was important, and I needed her to realize that.

“I’m not training to be a rider, Sarkin,” she said softly. “That’s not my purpose here.”

“But it is your duty to claim an Elthika of your own,” I said, my tone inviting no argument. “You don’t have to ride well, Klara, but you do have to master the basics if you want a mere chance at succeeding. Most Sarrothian riders begin practicing mounts when they’ve barely begun to walk.”

“Is that when you started?” she questioned, going to Zaridan.

The ease with which Zari lowered her head to press into Klara’s palm should’ve been maddening…given how much challenge the Elthika had given me during our bonding process.

“I was not a blood born,” I told her, leaving it at that. “So I know how difficult it is to catch up during instruction…and I even started training at fourteen. You’re over a decade older than your peers.”

“I know,” Klara grumbled, and I didn’t know why that cranky tone tugged on the corners of my lips. “You don’t have to remind me. I know how out of place I am among them.”

“That’s not what I meant,” I said, softening my tone. “The silver moon is only a month away…but there are already signs that the Elthika are migrating to the Tharken cliffs, where the first flights take place. You were told about those?”

“Yes, from Sammenth,” she said.

I should have been the one to tell her, I realized, recognizing my failing. She was the first Dakkari to step foot onto Karag soil in centuries. Of course she would have no knowledge of these things like we did about them. We’d been watching them for decades. Even now, there were Karag on Dakkari soil and they were none the wiser.

Know your enemy. Conquer them before they conquer you.

That was one of Elysom’s commands, etched in silver on their capital building in their pristine coastal city.

But the Dakkari weren’t our enemy, were they?

“The first-flight choosing might happen before the silver moon with how restless the Elthika have been lately,” I said. “That’s what I’m saying. So you need to be as ready as you can be. In addition to your lessons with Kyavor, I’ll be training you at night as supplementation. Lysi?”

Klara blew out a sharp breath. “Do I have a choice?”

“No,” I told her truthfully, honestly. “You might be my wife now, Klara, but I will not be easy on you. I will be harder on you than Kyavor would be.”

“You’re worried about me,” she said quietly, realization threading through her tone. “You wouldn’t be doing this otherwise.”

I said nothing.

“You don’t think I have it in me to claim an Elthika of my own,” she guessed next.

My silence felt long and harsh.

“I see,” she said quietly. She looked down to the ground, her hand never leaving Zaridan. “I suppose I cannot fault you for that. And I know I’m no good to you dead.”

My brow furrowed, my body jolting.

“I told you before—don’t say that,” I growled.

“It’s the truth,” she said, shrugging a shoulder. “Let’s at least be honest about it, Sarkin. You need me because you know that I’m your best chance at finding more heartstones for your people and for the Elthika. And in order for that to happen, to remain here, your people have to accept me. You’ll do everything you can to ensure that. I’m not a fool; I’m actually very practical. I know what’s at stake, just like you know there are other reasons why I want to be here.”

The restlessness in my chest grew. Did she really think I was as cold as that?

Of course she does, I thought, shame spreading. I’d never done anything to show her otherwise. Navigating this with her was difficult. Uncertain. I felt out of my element. As Karath, I was in control at all times. With her, I’d never felt so untethered.