Moon Blessed

Chapter 36 ~ Desert Sands

The journey to the Dunes passed quicker than Nikolai expected, though the fact could be owed to the way his mind had been distracted during the entire ride. He'd spent much of the night reading through his poems again and even wrote a new one. The verses of it had replayed in his thoughts all day, especially when he found his gaze wandering towards the Silent Knight.

Princess of Moonlight, of Darkness...
Princess of Starlight, of Silver...
Princess of Shadows, of Secrets...
They are yours to keep.
They are yours to protect.

The words were simple but true, and despite his irritation, they reflected what Danitza had told him. The Silent Knight's secrets were hers to keep, and even if his suspicions were correct, he had no right to force her into the open. Doing so could expose both of them, and right now, protecting themselves and getting through the tournament was more important.

Nikolai glanced at her again from the corner of his eye and a small smile curved his lips. If the Silent Knight was indeed Nastasia, she'd improved her horse riding skills quite a bit since they first set out. She seemed at ease in the saddle and Moxie was perfectly content too. Nikolai turned away as someone whistled towards the front of the group.

"We're here," Sir Gareth murmured when he rode up beside him. "Look at the sand."

Nikolai's eyes widened as he noticed the ground beneath Temnota's hooves. Only moments ago, it had been coarse white sand and some stray gravel. Now, there was nothing but blinding ivory silt. Nikolai drew a careful breath and guided Temnota up a gradual slope.

They had barely crested the top when the stallion suddenly tossed his head and gave a startled whinny. All down the line of Knights, their horses were doing the same. Nikolai furrowed his brows and attempted to coax Temnota forward, but the stallion stumbled backwards, his eyes growing wide enough to show the whites.

Nikolai dismounted at once and Sir Gareth followed his lead. "It seems they won't go any further," Nikolai said. "We'll have to leave them here."

"Leave them here?" Vadik scoffed from a few yards away. "So they can bolt and leave us stranded in the middle of a desert?"

"We don't have much of a choice. If you want to try to force your horse in there, be my guest, but I doubt you'll have much luck. Besides, look at this sand." Nikolai stooped and cupped some into his hand. It was soft as silk as he let it slide between his fingers. "They won't be able to walk safely on the dunes."

"They walked before." Vadik dug his heels into his horse's sides, but his mount merely threw its head and shifted anxiously, its lips parted in frightened grunts.

"We weren't riding on dunes before. They can handle flat ground more easily," Nikolai argued.

"Just leave the damn horse, Vadik," Volya huffed as he dismounted. "We're wasting time. If the beasts run, they run. You can blame Arlov if Emperor Kazimir gets angry about it."

Nikolai fixed Vadik with a parting glare, then faced the swell of ivory dunes that loomed before them. Several Knights had already set off across them, and farther ahead, he spied the Silent Knight's small frame.

"He went first," Sir Gareth mentioned, following his gaze. "Seems the lad found some courage since our previous challenges."

Or she had courage all along, and now she's learning how to use it, Nikolai thought, but he granted Sir Gareth a smile and a nod, then set out across the sand.

Sir Gareth trailed after him and Nikolai was surprisingly grateful for his company. There was a strange emptiness to the Dunes of Azzam. It was completely silent. No wind, no sounds of animals, nothing. It was just...empty.