Storm Surge by R. J. Blain Page A

throb in his skull, he likely had taken a tumble from the saddle. The circumstances, however, still slipped from his grasp. The absurdity of it all agitated him almost as much as the presence of the Kelshite and her mount. When his head no longer felt ready to split in two, he’d think long and hard on why the woman triggered such a reaction in him.
    “Is something the matter?” Tala asked, concern in her voice.
    “I’m fine,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
    ~Lie,~ the feminine voice stated.
    Kalen’s patience snapped along with his temper. “Would you keep your insufferable nose out of this? And your Rider calls me rude.”
    The woman’s beast started as though he had cracked her across the hindquarters with a whip.
    “I am a Knight, not just some rider. She is my Yadesh, and she most certainly is not insufferable!” Tala exclaimed.
    Kalen stiffened, his eyes widening. The pain in his hand spiked, awakening the memory of what a Knight had already done to him. Beneath him, Honey tensed. She bobbed her head and snapped her teeth.
    “You’re a Kelshite, you should know—”
    “I am not a Kelshite,” he growled through clenched teeth. Both the Knight and her Yadesh gaped at him.
    “Then what are you?” Tala asked, angering deepening her voice.
    “I am a Rifter.”
    “A Rifter,” she echoed in disbelief.
    “You don’t believe me?” Kalen laughed despite how much it made his head hurt. “Do you truly believe you have horses that are a match for my Honey here? I have seen your beasts, Kelshite. They do not compare.”
    The woman bristled, but she snapped her teeth together and said nothing.
    ~Truth,~ the Yadesh murmured warily.
    “Forgive me, but few men come from the Rift,” she said. The scorn in her voice baffled him.
    “And this is my fault?” he muttered in the Rift tongue.
    “Speaking their language does not a Rifter you make,” Tala replied, also speaking in the Rift’s language.
    Kalen winced and decided he would be careful to speak exclusively in Kelshite. “While I’m impressed you speak it at all, please speak in Kelshite. My head hurts enough without your unfortunate slaughter of my language.”
    She grumbled something too soft for him to hear before saying, “It’s a hard tongue.”
    “I really am from the Rift.”
    Tala sighed, her posture relaxing. The woman draped her arm over her Yadesh’s neck. “I believe you. I apologize for offending you, if I have. It was unintentional.”
    “I apologize for my rudeness,” he replied with a dip of his head. “I forgot the customs of your people, who treat their horses differently than we do.”
    “She’s a gorgeous animal. What’s her name?”
    “Honey.”
    “My Yadesh is called Relas, and she wishes you welcome to Kelsh. Kalen, was it? You don’t look well. It is my duty as a Knight to care for those within our borders. Please allow me to offer what aid I can as an apology for making you think I was trying to steal your horse.”
    Kalen endured the pain of stroking Honey’s shoulder. If he had fallen from Honey, it was likely she had gone for help in the only way she knew how. He sighed. It wasn’t the woman’s fault he was surly due to his pain and embarrassment. While he had no reason to trust the Kelshite woman, Honey did. His mare bobbed her head as though in agreement with his thoughts.
    “Thank you,” he replied, wincing at the pain nodding caused.
    “Don’t thank me yet. I have to find a healer for you first. There’s probably one in Morinvale. I was on my way there, and would be pleased to accompany you.”
    Kalen froze. A nightmare of darkness, blood, and young corpses consumed his mind. He shook. As though summoned by his memory, thunder rumbled. Honey stiffened beneath him before trumpeting an alarm.
    “What’s wrong?” Tala asked. Mounting with more efficiency than grace, the Knight settled in her Yadesh’s saddle. The beast turned a full circle, as alert and wary as Honey.
    The cold presence in his