Page 88 of Shifter King
"Vawtrian blood," AaQar said tightly. "How convenient."
"Exceptionally." Opotwo cleared his throat, his gaze still fixed on the horizon between the trees. "Many perished. Once there were concerns of overpopulation, now there are fears of extinction. Not just of the Machat, but they are most endangered. You will not find any near the cities though because leaders of nations, tribes, cities, clans, and hordes all concluded the same thing: having a prophet to tell the future could be beneficial. Some few chose not to do this. Very few. And a few of those few chose to become sanctuaries. It was my grandmother who made our tribe one of the safe havens for those who found us, and over the years, the Machat who have stayed within our homes have shared some knowledge.
"Among that is the prophecy that the Mad Shifter King will come in search of the Scarred Queen with the White Eyes. He rules whether she does or not, but his rule changes with her life. Our world has seen enough bloodshed. More violence will come, but I pray it is small and the last. And so...we will help. Prophecies cannot be thwarted or stopped. It is only the divine which may choose to change them. As my cousin would say, we are no more than petty mortals. Can we truly change the shape of what is to be?"
"What do the prophecies say about this Mad Shifter King?" AaQar folded his arms as he considered this. Though descriptive, he did not like that particular title.
"Many things. He cannot be stopped. Will not be stopped. At least two thirds of this world are his. Perhaps even more. And he wants blood for the cruelties to his people. Blood and blood and more blood. It’s why the Scarred Queen must live. At all costs. Her death, especially here and now, means our deaths. And that is why Zorna is so dangerous. She would rather see the Neyeb dead than on anyone else's side. She likely has already made plans to see to this."
"Do you not fear that he would be a tyrant? Whoever this king is?"
"We have survived under tyrants before. It is hard to exist beneath those who do not even want to permit you to live. If the Abliatos find us, any of our nations small though they are, they will obliterate us. We no longer serve any purpose for them. And my cousin and I, our nations have been especially so. In years long past, our nations had many cities. Cities and towns and villages. Even the nomadic ones. But now, many of us have had to unite. We struggle to maintain our traditions with so few. Some of us will survive. The greater ways and paths may endure. But much is lost already and more will be lost if it does not change soon. We will take our chances on a madman rather than a machine."
AaQar contemplated this, his brow creasing. "We will remember this. I will remember your decisions here."
"Good. Because in truth, I suspect you may be the only one who is truly sane." Opotwo shrugged. "But better madmen who remember what they owe us than what we have and what is coming otherwise."
INSULT
Naatos listened to everything Chiriese said and committed it to memory, but inwardly he seethed.
After the two Bealorns left, he resumed pacing, struggling to put all of this into his mind in somewhat of an orderly fashion. He picked up a stone, cracked it, and tossed it over his shoulder. The bits of red-grey dust sifted away.
Yet again he was helpless to save his own veskaro. She had been taken from him, and he could do nothing exceptaskothers to help. Did someone have a twisted sense of humor? Had divine fate sent her on this course? Was this a joke to Elonumato? Not even he was this cruel to his enemies.
"We have a course now." AaQar strode alongside, not cutting in front of him.
Yes. And he would find his own means for vengeance eventually.
AaQar tilted his head as he looked at him. "Naatos, will you do this?"
"I will do whatever it takes." Naatos snapped the rock he had been holding, the silt crumbling out from under his fingers. "I can play my part."
"We all will," QueQoa said. "What is to be done in this matter about the attendant?"
WroOth lifted his hand. "I will handle that."
Naatos drew a deep breath in through his teeth. It should have been him. He was the one who should be getting her out.
"Rather fitting, I suppose. I've had practice. Essentially that was my role at her first wedding. The one that really counts." WroOth flashed him a tight smile.
"I agree," AaQar said. "Besides, if they take issue with anything, it is likely to be a male Vawtrian who is not locked or her husband."
Naatos broke another stone and dropped it to the ground. It clattered, a portion cracking off. All he was was brute strength and will, but that wasn't enough to save his veskaro. He had to memorize words and speak them like a puppet and then stand idly by while she suffered. Even his best plan would have gotten her killed if he had gone through with it.
"While WroOth takes care of Amelia, we will make preparations. Opotwo has agreed to send samples of some of the venoms that they use and examples of the traps. He says that their warriors will help us take the wedding hall as well as Reskal itself. Though it would be good to have additional warriors to assist."
"What of the Vawtrians you met? The Golden Foxes?" QueQoa asked.
"Perhaps," AaQar said slowly.
Naatos raked his hand through his hair, the bits of stone dust falling in his face.
"Do you need to kuvaste?" WroOth asked. He turned the bits of twig around and tucked them beneath his fingers.
"No." He didn't have the strength or control to shift while in contact with his veskaro. He struggled at times just maintaining the form when he thought of her. Every scrab of energy had to be saved. "There's no purpose in it." He shot WroOth a sharp look, daring his brother to laugh. To make a joke.
That thought snapped back within his mind. Of course WroOth wouldn't. If he joked or teased at all, it was not for mockery. This was a dreadful bond and understanding they now shared.
