Page 66 of Shifter King
Going down that staircase was a bad plan; running would be worse. She set her jaw and then followed. "I’m still a little slow, I’m afraid," she said, placing her hand on the wall. "Dry Deep. It almost killed me."
"Ah yes, I heard about that. It is a hard place to be, but they say that it opens up the mind in ways no other place can." Zorna tapped her finger to her temple. "You will become quite powerful with time. And so long as you are good to us, we will be good to you."
"They will destroy us,"the Ki Valo Nakar whispered in her mind.
She almost jumped, her fingers digging into the cold porous stone surface.
"If we don’t do what they want, if we do not serve this mad woman, she will make sure you never get to be that powerful."
"I definitely got that implication,"she responded.
"You have to be careful. For both of us."
"I know."
"Whatever she asks, do it."
"What if she wants me to have sex with someone to prove my loyalty? How do you think pregnancy is going to go over for you if you hate hormonal fluctuations?"She shook her head. Had Ki been listening for that part of it? Ki was certainly going to love all the new implications of what was to come.
"Little better than death. But that’s awhile out. I’ll go somewhere else,"it muttered."But it’s better than dying. It doesn’t matter what they want you to do. You do whatever it takes to stay alive."
"What is this place?" Amelia asked aloud. The staircase continued on and on, the torchlight shining on the walls and making long shadows dance over the chamber. "It’s—"
"Impressive. I know. When the Abliatos came to their fullest form of power, I was only a girl. For decades, centuries, we ran and fought, our lands and homes always shrinking. But then, there was nothing more to be done. It seemed they had won. My people suffered greatly. They didn’t decimate us. They did the opposite. They left only a tenth, girl. And then they turned us out into the wilderness with nothing but—" Zorna lifted her chin, her spine stiffening. "They nearly destroyed us, but they made one mistake. Our spirit cannot be destroyed. We found our way through, and we made a home on their doorstep. Most of it is underground. Some of the worthy elite have homes and chambers aboveground as well. But down beneath the earth is where most of our heart lies with enough natural protections the enemy cannot easily destroy us. We've turned their technology against them, and they cannot and will not see how strong we have become until it is too late. One day soon, they will bleed in their own streets as the power drains from them and all that they have created, and they face the descendants of those they stripped and crushed."
"I'm sorry. They seem very cruel."
"Your apologies are meaningless. This world is cruel. Survival requires that you become so yourself."
A dull roar grew louder as they continued down the staircase. Soon it opened up into a larger series of passages, portions rough as if hand hewn and others smooth as if naturally formed. The first attendant strode at once to the left, the trails of smoke flowing behind him like a banner. Zorna continued, her stride confident and regal.
Their footsteps echoed around. Impressions of other people, especially feelings of fear and unease, intensified. She tightened the bindings over her wrist elmis and counted her breaths, imagining building up those boundaries and barriers and shields.
On they went for a few minutes more, the roar now louder and mingling with the sound of drums, flutes, and gourds. As they rounded a bend, Amelia glimpsed a wooden door at the end of the hall. This opened into a small room with a couch, a desk, some shelves, and other items for comfort, but they continued to the door directly on the other side.
The male attendant opened it. A blast of cool air struck Amelia, heavy with the scent of wood smoke, river water, wet stone, and floral incense. The music and roar intensified. But it was the surging wave of emotions that nearly knocked her off her feet. The woman attendant pushed her forward.
The music escalated to an almost fever pitch as they strode out onto a wooden platform with a woven floor. This was some sort of underground arena. It had been built into the walls of this natural cave. Dozens, perhaps hundreds of Bealorns, gathered in the stone seats. The thoughts and emotions of those present thundered around her even louder, roaring outside her mind. At regular intervals throughout the chamber stood archers and spear warriors, all at attention.
The section Amelia and the queen strode upon was entirely separate from the seats that had been built into two of the walls. Those had been constructed directly into the center over a chasm shaped like a great bowl. This section led to a large dais with carved wood paneling on a low dais and a single wooden throne with six chairs below it. Five robed Bealorns stood beside these chairs, their heads bowed as Zorna entered.
Zorna strode to the throne and spread her arms wide. The music stopped. She sat, then motioned for the others to sit as well.
Amelia remained standing at the foot of the dais between the two attendants.
Her heart sank. The grating memories and sensations of all the gathered Bealorns bludgeoned against her mind. She struggled to hold up those barriers and shields, but they trembled beneath the weight. All of these people, gathered for obligation. Not the entirety of the population was present. At least that didn’t seem to be the case. Somehow these people had been chosen. But discomfort and vague terror hung over this place like the mists from the river below.
Why was she even here? What could Zorna possibly ask her to do to prove her loyalty? There were so many dreadful options.
She froze, realizing what was on the other end of the walkway.
There in the center of the chasm on a platform above the river was a woman. A Vawtrian woman. Instead of the lithok, she wore the large copper ear clasp like some of the others who now stood against the walls, heads bowed, hair pressed back or shaved away to reveal their left ears. A mark of slavery?
This woman was narrow and thin, her muscles taut and her skin scarred and bruised. Her gaze remained fixed on the woven floor beneath her feet, her whole body shaking.
"Noble Assembly, this is a joyous day indeed. You heard yesterday that the Neyeb has recognized the wisdom of joining our nation," Zorna said. The stones overhead caused her voice to echo even above the roar. It echoed out, traveling around the chamber through the channels of stone. "She will now demonstrate her allegiance by breaking the mind of this bogat here for all to see." She gestured with her cane toward the woman. "So begins our new age."
Low whoops and mild cheers followed though the drummers beat faster.
