Rise of the Valiant

Rise of the Valiant Read Online Free PDF Page B

Book: Rise of the Valiant Read Online Free PDF
Author: Morgan Rice
angry eyes off her, snarling, as if summing her up, as if daring
her.
    As soon as it
was unchained, the beast stomped his legs, as if threatening to attack.
    But, strangely,
it did not. Instead, it stared at Kyra, fixing its eyes on her, and slowly its
look of anger seemed to morph to one of tolerance. Perhaps even gratitude.
    Ever so
slightly, it seemed to lower its head; it was a subtle gesture, almost unnoticeable,
yet one she could decipher.
    Kyra stepped
forward, held its mane, and in one quick motion mounted it.
    A gasp filled
the room.
    At first the beast
shivered and began to buck. But Kyra sensed it was for show. It didn’t really
want to throw her off—it just wanted to make a point of defiance, of who was in
control, to keep her on edge. It wanted to let her know it was a creature of
the wild, a creature to be tamed by no one.
    I do not wish to
tame you, she said to it in her mind’s eye. I wish only to be your partner in battle.
    The Solzor calmed,
still prancing, but not as wildly, as if hearing her. Soon, it stopped moving,
perfectly still beneath her, snarling out at the others, as if to protect her.
    Kyra, sitting
atop the Solzor, now calm, looked down at the others. A sea of shocked faces
stared back, mouths agape.
    Kyra slowly
smiled wide, feeling a great sense of triumph.
    “This,” she
said, “is my choice. And his name is Andor.”
    *
    Kyra rode Andor
at a walk down the center of the courtyard of Argos, and all her father’s men,
hardened soldiers, stopped and watched in awe as she went. Clearly, they had
never seen anything like it.
    Kyra held his
mane gently, trying to pacify him as he snarled softly at all the men, glaring
them down, as if he held a vendetta for being caged. Kyra adjusted her balance,
Baylor having put a fresh leather saddle on him, and tried to get used to
riding up so high. She felt more powerful with this beast beneath her than
she’d ever had.
    Beside her,
Dierdre rode a beautiful mare, one Baylor had chosen for her, and the two of
them continued through the snow until Kyra spotted her father in the distance,
standing there by the gate, awaiting her. He stood with his men, all of them
waiting to see her off, and they, too, looked up at her in fear and awe,
stunned that she could ride this animal. She saw the admiration in their eyes,
and it emboldened her for the journey ahead. If Theos would not return to her,
at least she had this magnificent creature beneath her.
    Kyra dismounted
as she reached her father, guiding Andor by his mane and seeing the concern
flicker in her father’s eyes. She did not know if it was because of this beast
or for the journey ahead. His look of concern reassured her, made her realize
she was not the only one who feared what lay ahead, and that he cared for her
after all. For the briefest moment he let his guard down and shot her a look
that only she could recognize: the love of a father. She could tell that he
struggled in sending her on this quest.
    She stopped a
few feet away, facing him, and all grew silent as the men gathered around to
watch the exchange.
    She smiled up at
him.
    “Do not worry,
Father,” she said. “You raised me to be strong.”
    He nodded back,
pretending to be reassured—yet she could see he was not. He was still, most of
all, a father.
    He looked up,
searching the skies.
    “If only your
dragon would come for you now,” he said. “You could cross Escalon in but a few
minutes. Or better—he could join you on your journey and incinerate anyone who
came in your path.”
    Kyra smiled
sadly.
    “Theos is gone
now, Father.”
    He looked back
at her, eyes filled with wonder
    “Forever?” he
asked, the question of a warlord leading his men into battle, needing to know
but afraid to ask.
    Kyra closed her
eyes and tried to tune in, to get a response. She willed for Theos to answer
her.
    Yet there came a
numbing silence. It made her wonder if her she had ever had a connection to
Theos to begin with, or if she had only
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