Storm Without End (Requiem for the Rift King Book 1) (28 page)

“Kaaaaaalen!”

Kalen turned in time to see a blue-clad streak thunder up the stairs and plow into him. The air rushed out of his lungs, and he fell beneath his youngest brother. The cast creaked beneath Welis’s weight. His vision turned gray and lights burst in front of his eyes. He blinked up at his sibling. Welis wiggled free and snatched at Kalen’s collar.

“I found a horse in the forest! It’s stuck in the mud, and it can’t get free. We have to help it.” Tears gleamed in his brother’s dark blue eyes.

Kalen struggled to catch his breath. “Where?”
 

Welis released him long enough to point into the forest. “That way.”

“Get off of me and go tell your father,” Kalen replied. “Then I’ll help—”

One of Welis’s elbows dug into Kalen’s stomach, and he let out a pained wheeze. Without looking back, the boy disappeared into the cottage. Startled exclamations came from within and Welis emerged moments later, wide eyed. “Where is Papa?”

Kalen jerked his throbbing hand to point to the end of the porch. “With the horses.”

“That looks like it hurt,” Aden said from the doorway. “Want a hand?”

“I’ll take two,” Kalen replied. He shook his head and shoved off of his elbow to sit upright and hissed at the pain. “Hellfires.”

“Are you all right?” Aden lifted him up by his upper arm.
 

Kalen nodded. “I’ll live.”

“What was that about?”

“Welis found a horse in the woods, and he wants help rescuing it,” he replied.

“And?”

Kalen had to tilt his head back to look up at Aden. At three years younger and at least a foot and a half taller, he suspected he’d be a lot like his younger brother if life hadn’t happened to him. Maybe if he hadn’t found his way to the Rift, he’d be that tall, too. Then again, he’d be dead. Death was pretty good at stunting growth. “I thought it was obvious. We rescue the horse.”

“Father isn’t going to like that, not with him so eager to leave as soon as he can.”

“I’m sure he’ll survive. We all have to make sacrifices.” Kalen stretched his hand in the cast and was satisfied when he could move all of his fingers. He inspected the cast for damage and grinned. The plaster was cracked halfway to his elbow. The split was also broken and splinters of wood stuck upright.
 

“It itches, doesn’t it?”

“Will it rain today?”

Aden laughed. They glanced up at the dark skies and listened to the faint rumbles of thunder in the distance. “Point taken.”

“May as well get this over with.
He
isn’t going to see me eye to eye on this, and the sooner I start fighting with him, the sooner I can go check on that horse.”

“Horses are really important to you, aren’t they?”

Kalen pointed at the clouds overhead before stepping down off of the porch to circle the cottage. The horses were picketed near the tree line. Lord Delrose stared down at Welis with his arms crossed over his chest. Welis shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Which horse can I take?” Kalen asked. His sire stared at him. Welis stared too, and tears welled up in the boy’s eyes.

“He says we can’t.”

“I wasn’t asking him for his permission.”

“We can’t go rescue some farmer’s horse. You made a bargain with me, and we do not have the time to waste.”

“I never agreed to abandoning a horse in need. We don’t abandon horses in the Rift, and I’ve no interest in breaking the Code for any bargain I’ve made with you.” Kalen braced his hand on his hip. Each breath sent jolts of pain up his arm, but he ignored it and met his sire’s eyes.

“It isn’t a Rift horse. It’s probably some farmer’s horse that escaped from the fields. It isn’t your concern. There are a lot of little hamlets near here.”

“That doesn’t matter to me. I said it once, I’ll say it again, so maybe you’ll understand it this time: We don’t abandon horses in the Rift, and I’ve no intention of starting that habit here.” Kalen stared at the animals in the line. “We don’t steal horses either, but I’m willing to make an exception for the cause.”

“You can’t just do what you want!” Lord Delrose bellowed.

“Papa…” Welis sniffled and rubbed at his eyes.

“You should be grateful that His Majesty is such a considerate person, darling. You’re not going to win this one, so why fight it? It isn’t
their
fault they paid attention to what
you
taught them.” Lady Delrose emerged from between two of the picketed horses, slapping a curry comb against her riding breeches. “Please stop antagonizing your father, Satoren.”

For all his mother wore a smile, her dark blue eyes were harder than stone. He wrinkled his nose and said nothing.

“You’re in for it now,” Aden whispered in his ear.

Kalen glanced over his shoulder and flashed his brother a grin. “She won’t kill me. Imagine how much political turmoil that’d cause. You, on the other hand, she—”

“Quiet, boys,” Lady Delrose ordered. “Well, darling? Which horses are they taking?”

Kalen choked back his laugh.
 

Snorting and tossing his head, Satrin trotted forward. A golden-dyed bridle hung from the Yadesh’s mouth. The reins draped over Kalen’s head, and the Yadesh glared at him until he lifted his hand to take the tack. “Thank you, Satrin.”

His sire snatched the bridle, and Kalen hissed as the straps caught on the cast and pulled at his wrist.

“That settles that. Satrin agrees with me. Do be careful, boys. Come back as soon as you find out if the horse can be saved.”

Kalen shivered. His mother’s smile was still fixed in place, and while she’d turned her stare onto his sire, he struggled against the urge to hide behind Satrin.

“Go get your other brothers, Welis,” his sire said with a sigh. “We may as all go. If the horse is alive, I don’t expect Kalen—”

“Satoren,” his mother corrected.

“—will be willing to leave until the animal has been rescued. We’ll need rope, too.”

“Yes, Papa!” Welis ran to the cottage.

“Clever way to buy a little time for one of your Guardians to find you,” Lord Delrose muttered.
 

“This has nothing to do with that. I said it three times. We don’t abandon horses in the Rift. I meant it. It’s a part of the Code, and I won’t break it.”

“And this Code is so important, then?”

Kalen watched Lord Delrose bridle and saddle Satrin. When done, the Yadesh stood at Kalen’s side and stared at him.

“It doesn’t help that I like horses,” he admitted.

“Just like your mother.”

“And Mother is always right, isn’t she?” Lady Delrose’s smile didn’t quite turn up in a full grin, but amusement sparkled in her eyes. She stepped forward and rested her hand on Kalen’s shoulder. He stiffened and struggled against the urge to pull away.

“The correct answer is ‘Yes, darling.’”

Lord Delrose sighed. “Yes, darling.”

“I’ll stay here with the girls and finish gathering our things. Try not to be too long.” His mother’s grip tightened on his shoulder before she let him go.

It didn’t take them long to prepare the horses. Satrin knelt down so Kalen could mount without having to use his hand to get into the saddle. Riding the Yadesh didn’t feel right. While the animal was slender, Satrin lacked Ferethian or Honey’s more slender build. He lacked their smooth, graceful movements. Kalen struggled with his posture, but couldn’t force his muscles to relax.

“It isn’t far!” Welis sent his pony cantering through the trees and disappeared into the shadows. His brothers took chase, letting out whooping calls. Kalen shook his head. His sire stared at him.

“Old men first,” Kalen said.

“Oh, by all means, after you, Your Majesty. Someone has to pick you up when you fall.”

“That’s Breton’s job, not yours.” He tightened his hold on Satrin with his legs. The Yadesh cantered after the other horses. It didn’t take long to catch up, and Satrin slowed to a brisk trot, staying back just far enough to keep them in sight.

“There!” Welis called out, pointing through the trees.

Kalen looked where his youngest brother pointed. A small brook cut through the moss and blanket of decaying leaves. Beyond was a clearing. He squinted and searched for the horse. It wasn’t until the animal lifted its head that he spotted it. It’s nostrils quivered before it rested its head back on the exposed roots of a tree.

Satrin stretched out a hoof to test the ground. Dark, thick mud clung to his hoof.

“Hellfires. That’s a mess.”

Lord Delrose rode up to join him. “Quagmire. It’ll be dangerous to free that horse at best. Looks like a yearling, judging from the size. Might not even be possible. Stay back, we could fall prey to it as easily as that animal. It’s best to abandon it. There’s no way to tell if it broke a leg when it fell in.”

“Only way to find out,” Kalen replied. Kalen nudged Satrin with his heels, and the Yadesh inched forward, testing the ground with a hoof before each step. They stopped within a horse’s length from the trapped horse. “If I stand on your saddle, think you can throw me in the right direction, Satrin?”

The Yadesh twisted his head around to stare at him with a golden eye. After a long moment, Satrin nodded. Kalen slipped his feet free of the stirrups. Kalen placed his hand on the crest of the proudly arched neck for balance and stood upright.

“What are you doing?” Lord Delrose asked.

“Someone has to go in and check on that horse,” Kalen replied, unable to stop from grinning. “Do it, Satrin.”

Kalen bent his knees with the rise of Satrin’s hindquarters. He lunged off of the Yadesh’s back and landed in the muck with a splash. The trapped horse let out a startled squeal. Mud splattered against Kalen’s face, and he spit out silty water. Kalen threw his cast over the withers of the animal. His grip slipped on the horse and his head submerged.

He broke the surface spluttering and spitting. His heart beat a frantic tempo in his chest, throat and ears. The press of the muck around his legs and stomach sought to suffocate him. It seeped through his clothes, into his boots, and he shivered at the slimy texture and its chill. “I hate this kingdom,” he muttered.

“Are you insane?” His sire roared out from the safety of the bank.

“Watch your eyes,” Aden warned. Kalen looked up in time to see his brother run toward the quagmire and jump at him. Kalen let out a curse and pulled himself closer to the horse. Aden landed within an arm’s length and sank down to his elbows. A wave of mud and water crashed over Kalen’s head.

Spluttering, he shook his head to get his sopping hair out of his eyes. The horse let out another squeal. Kalen tensed when the animal jerked its head around and snapped its teeth. Dark eyes flecked with gold stared into his. The delicate nostrils flared. Aden splashed to Kalen’s side. Water struck the small muzzle to reveal the black coat beneath.

Kalen sucked his breath in through his teeth and held it. Teeth snapped at him, but he stood still. One of his braids was seized and tugged on. A black eye stared at him, ears still pinned back in silent rebuke.

His horses couldn’t speak, but the stare tore through him and shattered the void that had nested in his chest. In its wake, the guilt of separation, the awareness of his horse’s accusation at his disappearance, and the joy of reunion fought for dominance. Kalen’s eyes burned.

“Ferethian,” he whispered. He struggled to catch his breathe.

Ferethian tugged at his braid again before letting it go and answering Kalen with a soft whinny. His horse’s nose was soft and warm against his cheek. Ferethian tossed his head and let out another whinny before ramming his nose against Kalen’s chest. After a few more nudges and nuzzles, his horse let out an ear-piercing squeal and bit on his tunic.

“Easy, easy!” Kalen struggled with the weight of the mud-covered cast to soothe the animal.
 

“Well, friendly enough horse,” Aden said. “Can you keep it calm while I check its legs?”

Kalen jerked at the sound of Aden’s voice. Heat spread across his cheeks. “Ah, yes.” He hesitated a moment. After speaking in Kelshite for so long, it felt strange to speak in the Rift language. “Still and check.”

“What did you say?” Aden asked. Kalen twisted around to look at his brother. Aden crawled through the muck to Ferethian’s hindquarters.

“Just muttering to myself,” Kalen replied. He rubbed at Ferethian’s neck, trying not to smile as he was nuzzled and his clothes and braid were lipped at. When he didn’t move or rebuke the horse, Ferethian chewed on his hair. “Stop that.”

That earned him a nip on the shoulder. Rain splattered on the top of his head and Kalen looked up at the sky. He drew two breaths before the deluge threatened to drown him. Spluttering, he ducked his head.

“Get out of there, you two. It could flood out,” Lord Delrose ordered.

Kalen stiffened. His breath came in ragged bursts. If the pit flooded, Ferethian would die. “No!”

Aden gripped his shoulder. “It’s fine, we’ll get your horse out one way or another.”

Lord Delrose stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “Get out of there. It’s too dangerous.”

“I won’t leave him,” Kalen replied, and hated himself for not being able to speak louder than a whisper.

“I wouldn’t leave my horse either,” Aden whispered in Kalen’s ear. Then, in a louder voice he said, “I’m not coming out either. Not until we get this little horse freed.”

“What has gotten into you, Aden? Since when did you become so obstinate?” Lord Delrose stared past Kalen to Aden. Then, his sire’s eyes fell on him. “For some reason, I’m not surprised you’re doing this. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I’m not leaving my horse.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that this horse just happens to be
your
horse? I’m not so easily tricked, son!”

“Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you,” Kalen replied. He let his breath out in a huff and patted Ferethian’s neck again. His hand throbbed with each beat of his heart.

“How do you propose to do that?”

“Get out one of the ropes and prepare to throw it.”

“I’ll catch it,” Aden offered.

Kalen shook his head and said, “No need, but thank you.”