Page 54 of Shifter King
"You could have just killed them right away," Phobos said, turning to Naatos. "So why the games? Why play with them?" The expression on his face suggested he would have conducted the rescue immediately. Perhaps he even disapproved of the suffering that did occur.
"Another time." Naatos picked up his spear. Enver's corpse lay in the center of the staircase, and it was time he turned his focus to other more important things. "I need to prepare the message."
"Message?" Phobos's brow lifted. "What message? If you leave them a message, you make it more likely they'll find you. Do you want them to know this was you? Why? You have a death wish?"
"I intend to change things."
"You have a death wish if you want them to know you were the one who did this," Phobos said, chuckling. "Enver was one of their best contenders. The best contender in Darmusky. Potentate Tilfan will be livid, and they'll start sending out all the tech they've got to track and capture you. More than anything, they're gonna want you in Withercrown."
AaQar finished binding up the youth's arm and shoulder. "Find suphrite if you can. It will be uncomfortable, but it will help. No more than an hour at a time."
Naatos folded his arms. "You enjoy living under Abliato rule?"
Phobos's expression darkened. "No. Who would except most of the Abliatos?"
"Have you ever considered what it would be like if they were not the ones ruling?" Naatos asked evenly.
"Crelspa, you’re insane!" Phobos whistled as he set his hands on the top of his head. "You want to overthrow them." Some of the other Vawtrians stopped their talking and hugging, staring openly.
Naatos kept his gaze fixed on Phobos. "I asked if you had thought of it."
"Yeah, but you wouldn’t be asking if you didn’t think it should happen. And I can’t blame you. I don’t know where you’re from, but I’ll be blunt. I don’t really know you, and I have to watch out for mine first and foremost."
"So you have thought of it."
He scrunched his face. "You’re kinda relentless, aren’t you?" He sighed, then shook his head. "Crelspa, we've all thought about it. Fantasized about it. But we also know it's nothing more than a pipe dream. It's never gonna happen. Except—with you, it might come close." His gaze drifted off to the mountains, his eyes misting. "A lot of people would die. I wouldn't shed a tear if I knew it was the right ones. But that's the thing. There's no way to know. And if we fail, all of us wind up dead or worse."
"You mean in Withercrown." Naatos collapsed the double spearhead and then shrunk it down so he could hang his spear back on his belt. "What you have lived under is a crushing monster that has drained and defiled you. You and your cadre, all Vawtrians, have been denied your birthright. It's up to you to take it back."
"Maybe so. Not gonna deny that you and your friend here didn't show off some impressive skills. But if you're talking about overthrowing Darmusky and the potentate, I'm gonna need a lot more than killing a couple Abliatos."
"Oh? Now they're just a couple of Abliatos?" He folded his arms. "We could take on Darmoste ourselves without your aid or anyone else's if we chose it. We are simply allowing you and your cadre the opportunity to be a part of this."
AaQar raised an eyebrow. He gestured to the young woman with the red and white hair. When she sat on the boulder, he examined her bloodied arm. Whatever he said, Naatos didn't catch, but he knew his brother would be cautious. Probably warn him against crossing lines or going too far. It would take quite some time to go too far in this place.
Phobos chuckled though now he sounded skeptical. "If you can take down Darmusky without our aid in combat, then you would have the allegiance of the Golden Fox Cadre."
"The Raging Jaguars would say the same." The curly-haired youth whose brother had nearly been dragged into the illusion first stepped forward. "What happened out here isn't like anything any of us have ever seen. If you could take down Potentate Tilfan, we'd all join you. Most everyone would." He bit his lip, his face paling. "But until you succeed, we can't risk it. They've killed enough of us as it is. Find a way to make it safer, and we'll join you."
A young woman with green hair approached as well, three other bloodied young Vawtrians behind her, all attentive. "If we are to succeed, we need someone to unite us. If you take Darmusky and spill the blood of the Abliatos into the streets and down the walls of their hallowed tower, then the Wild Kelpie Cadre would also join forces with your cadre and give our encouragement."
This time Naatos chuckled. Already he saw that light of bloodlust brightening in their eyes. "And what makes you think I need that?"
"Don't you?" the green-haired woman asked. "You would have an entire world to battle. You cannot do it alone. Not even with your cadre, no matter how mighty they may be. All perish eventually."
"I will find allies and troops as I have need. And armies I can raise on my own. I do not ask for your help in battle or after or for your words of encouragement."
Phobos kept his arms folded, his eyebrow lifting. "What do you want with us then?"
"Nothing. Fight or don’t. Stay or don’t. I and my cadre will destroy the Abliatos with or without your help. You are neither needed nor resented. My brother and I gave our aid because we chose to. You owe us nothing. What you should be asking is what you owe yourselves."
"Your first task, in case you didn't hear me the first time," AaQar said, raising his voice as he stepped back, "is to stop participating in the levies. Your blood and essence are not what keep the Grey Season from coming. It is impossible. We do not ask you to risk your lives or to put your families or your cadres at risk. There is nothing more precious than family or cadre. If you want to help us with this, make yourselves strong. Make each other strong. Heal. Practice shifting. Learn to fight. And if you can share knowledge with us to help us shut down their technology and their systems, that will help us to move more swiftly."
More than anything Naatos had said, AaQar's words were reaching these youths. A different sort of brightness had entered their faces, greater than bloodlust and healthier. All he asked for was something simple. To better themselves and share knowledge. Nothing hard. And when they were strong enough, the seeds of that bloodlust would flourish and they would be effective as they realized as well from Naatos's example what they themselves could do. This was why he and his brother worked so well together.
Phobos cleared his throat. "Listen," he said slowly. "These Abliatos have ground our people down and drained us for centuries. It’s clear that you are powerful. If you can remove their leaders, their shields, their syringes, we will unite our cadres beneath you. You take over Darmusky with your cadre, then we'll talk. We'll need a stronghold. Show us we aren't going to be wiped out before we risk dreaming." He moved his weight back onto his heel. "It's not that I don't want it to happen, but I can't risk my cadre."
"You always answer to your cadre," AaQar said. "If this will work, it will be apparent."
