to all the gods and goddesses in the universe that he stayed inside.
“It was an accident,” I said softly, resisting the urge to look down at their feet. But I kept my eyes level, on the smooth column of the horde king’s throat, though I knew they would not be able to see my face unless I tilted it towards the moon.
“Is that a confession, nekkar?” the messenger growled again, next to the horde king.
My breath whistled out from my nostrils. “Please listen to what I have to say. Our village is hungry. Our crops have withered. We were only trying—”
The messenger slashed his arm through the air to silence me.
“We?” he repeated. “You did not act alone in this crime? Name your partner and I will ensure that both of your blood spills over the scorched land, to replenish Kakkari in full. You take from her? Then you must give in return.”
My stomach lurched. For some strange reason, I looked up from his throat, though he had not spoken yet, directly into the horde king’s eyes…because I knew that it was him I spoke to. Not the messenger. It was him I needed to appeal to. His eyes were still on me, as if his gaze could penetrate the shielding shadows of my cloak, freezing me into place.
The door of our home burst open and I cried out in alarm as Kivan flung himself into the circle of armed Dakkari, moving to stand before me, blocking my view with his broad shoulders.
“Kivan!” I hissed, moving to step in front of him again.
“It was me,” Kivan exclaimed. “I started the fire, not my sister. She is only trying to protect me.”
The Dakkari messenger finally unsheathed his blade then and I saw Kivan’s shoulders tense tight when the sharpened edge glinted in the light. The gold was so reflective that I saw my hooded figure in it, saw Kivan’s drawn, frightened face.
To draw attention away from him, I shoved him behind me, putting me within arm’s reach of the horde king, and said, “Our village will starve if we cannot replenish the crops. You do not let us hunt game. We are surviving on Uranian Federation rations. So, I’m sorry that we burned your land, but know that it was only in a desperate attempt to feed ourselves before the cold season comes and the ground freezes over.”
“It is not our concern how the nekkar feed themselves,” the messenger growled out.
Before I could reply, a rumbling, deep voice thundered within the group, making all of the Dakkari straighten, even the messenger.
Because that rich, dark voice belonged to the horde king.
“Take off your hood, kalles,” the horde king ordered in the universal tongue, still looking straight at me. “Let me see the face of the female who dares to challenge the Dakkari.”
Chapter Two
The horde king wanted me to take off my hood?
I didn’t hesitate, though Kivan began to protest. Anything to save him, to take the attention away from him, I would do readily.
The horde king’s nostrils flared and the singular yellow ring of his irises contracted with a visible pulse when I pushed back the thick hood, letting it settle around my shoulders.
My chin lifted, meeting his gaze, though he towered over me.
“Brave kalles,” the horde king murmured and I could actually see the way his pupils studied me, how they shifted over my face. “Foolish kalles too.”
I stiffened at the slight insult. I assumed kalles meant ‘woman’ or ‘female’ in the Dakkari language. Either way, it set my teeth on edge.
My spine went taut like a bow string, all too aware that Kivan still remained within the circle of gold swords, in front of a horde king that wanted his blood in exchange for burning their land.
“Call me what you wish,” I said, the cool night air brushing my face like a soft touch. “But my brother’s life is not yours to take. I will not let you.”
The Dakkari surrounding us shifted, the movement hardly perceptible, ever so slight.
As for the horde king…he didn’t even twitch.
“Let me, kalles?” he repeated, his voice sharp. “I will do whatever I wish.”
Perhaps that had been the wrong thing to say.
“Please,” I said, my hands trembling from adrenaline and nerves. The yellow band around his pupils contracted again, his head cocking slightly to the side. “Take my life in exchange.”
“Luna—,” Kivan tried to cut in, but I pushed him back when he made to grab for my arms.
“I am responsible for my brother,” I