Page 110 of North Queen
Horses.
Riders.
Moving quickly toward them.
They drew closer, and her pulse raced. A sword gleamed in the air, held high by the lead rider. They were attacking.
“Mikael!” she called, pulling the mare back.
Norah’s chest tightened. She didn’t even have a weapon. The Shadow King sat quietly on his horse in front of her. He raised his fingers slightly to calm her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the advancing Horsemen, feeling panic well within her. But Mikael seemed indifferent, and Norah forced herself calm. While she considered herself to be ill fated in marrying him, she did trust he’d keep her safe.
The commander slid off his mount and pulled out his axe. She looked at the other soldiers and noted that they hadn’t taken up their arms. But the commander stood, wielding his axe, and waited.
A shrill scream sounded from the lead Horseman, and Norah realized it was a woman. The woman’s horse bore down on the commander with a thunder. Just before she reached him, she leapt from her mount and met his blade with her own. The clash rang through the air as she hit the ground and tucked into a roll, leaping up and turning to meet him again. The rest of the Horsemen fanned out to either side, surrounding them.
The woman fought him back with a fury, and Norah was mesmerized. She was clothed in soft leather and furs, fitted to her form. Her dark auburn hair was pulled back in braids, and black markings lined her eyes. She bared her teeth as she exchanged blows with the commander, but there was a hint of a devilish smile—she was enjoying the fight.
She swung high, and he met her blade with his axe, striking it down with a force and pushing her backward. The woman pulled her sword back quickly, slicing into the flesh of his arm and drawing blood. She moved to attack again, but he spun and delivered a blow to her side. She countered with an elbow and caught him on the brow. The commander reached out and grabbed her, sweeping his leg under her and taking her to the ground. She loosed another elbow to his shoulder, and he winced. Pinning her with his weight, he looked at her to yield. Instead, she ripped down the wrap from his face and drew him down into a deep kiss.
Norah gasped, not fully understanding what was happening. The commander broke away in surprise and disgust, releasing the woman. She flashed a fiendish smile and rose, pulling her sword from the ground. “You’re losing your edge, Soren,” she goaded him, eyeing his arm. She stepped forward, looking closer at him. “Or perhaps you’re still recovering from whoever gave you that look.” She grinned, nodding at the bruising on his face.
The commander shot Norah a glance, and the woman followed his gaze. It was as if she hadn’t realized they were there.
“Tahla,” Mikael greeted her.
“Salar,” she replied with a nod, a formality coming to her. Then her eyes widened as they found Norah. “Savantahla?” she gasped. Tahla drew closer to them as though she were looking at a ghost.
Norah didn’t understand, but she remained still, keeping the hood of her cloak pulled down low. It took her a moment to realize the woman was looking at the mare, not her.
Tahla glanced at the commander and then back to the horse, stepping even closer. The commander’s axe came up, halting the woman. She scowled at him but then turned her attention back to Norah.
“How is this possible?” she asked. “How do you ride with Savantahla?”
Norah still didn’t understand.
And Mikael didn’t answer her question. “We seek accommodations for the night, as my armies pass through. We go to meet the Northmen at the far Canyonlands.”
“The Northmen?” she said with surprise, lifting her brow. Then her face hardened slightly. “You go to battle the North Queen?” she asked, glancing at him for a moment but then looking back at the mare. “You call us to go with you?”
“No.” Looking at Norah with a slight curve in his lip, he opened his hand and gave a nod. She pushed the hood of her cloak back, showing herself. “This is the North Queen,” he said.
The woman drew in a bewildered breath, speechless. “The North Queen commands Savantahla?” she asked finally. “And rides with you?”
“We go to announce our marriage,” Mikael said. “The union of Kharav and the North.”
“Sol!” Tahla exclaimed, which Norah assumed to be an expression of disbelief. “Marriage?” the woman asked, looking at the commander, not seeming to believe the king. “Kharav and the North?”
A smile came across Tahla’s face, and her brows raised in astonishment. “That’s unexpected. I don’t know what to say.” She paused, shaking her head. “But the Uru would be honored to host you this evening. And to host Savantahla.” She swung onto her horse with a big grin and waved them to follow.
Norah urged her mare close to Mikael as they rode after the Horsemen toward their village.
“I don’t understand. Who’s that?” she asked Mikael quietly.
“Tahla Otay of the Uru. Her father is chief.” He paused. “When Soren and I escaped Aviron, I was near death. Tahla and her father helped me, healed me, and saw us through the canyons and back home.”
It was all coming together for her now. Bahoul. Aviron.
“The Uru are the largest of the Horsemen tribes,” he told her. “And they’re friends. They’re keepers of the western Canyonlands, one of the only two entryways into Kharav.”
