Bastial Energy (43 page)

Zoke hoped Vithos had an answer, because he sure didn’t.

“I am a traitor,” Vithos said, “but to the massive Slugari, Doe and Haemon, not to the tribe.”

“How is that? They lead the tribe.”

“I have no quarrel with the Krepps, only with Doe and Haemon. They led the attack on my people. They took me from my parents.”

Nebre shifted his weight to his heels. “But…but their actions are performed by Krepps.”

Vithos leaned forward. “If they commanded you to shoot an arrow at me, I wouldn’t seek revenge against you, nor would I against the maker of the bow or arrow that you used. But I would come at them with all my power as soon as the opportunity arose.” Vithos turned his head to look from the corner of his eyes. Zoke could almost hear him say the words as he glared at Nebre:
“And you too if you cross me.”

“We’re not here to hurt you, Nebre,” Zoke said, in an attempt to alleviate some of the fear he found in his old friend’s wincing face. “We saw you with Humans. We just need to know what’s happening.”

Nebre shook his head like he was coming out of a trance. “I’m not supposed to tell you. If I see the Elf I should…I should.” He looked down at the knife on his belt.

“There’s no need to panic,” Vithos said calmly. “They told you to kill yourself before I was close, didn’t they?”

Nebre turned shyly and shut his eyes for a breath.

“That’s how they are,” Vithos continued. “I would never make you do that. It appears that you know Zoke, so you should know he’s not like that, either. He would never wish harm upon you, right?”

Nebre asked Zoke in common tongue, “
Can I trust you? Please don’t let him hurt me.”

“
No harm, I promise
,” he answered in the same language and knew then that he couldn’t kill his old friend, no matter what happened. “
You can trust me,
” he told Nebre, hoping Vithos couldn’t sense this peaceful change within him,
otherwise he might take it upon himself to kill Nebre if he thinks it’s necessary.

Zoke glanced at Vithos as subtly as he could. The Elf was looking right back at him, but just like their time at the encampment, his face gave no signs to tell Zoke what he was thinking.

Nebre straightened to his full height. “Those Humans are from Tenred. They were escorted through our camp to meet with Doe and Haemon. Later, the entire tribe gathered for Doe to make an announcement. With the Tenred Humans beside him, Doe told us who they were and what they were doing in our camp. Doe said that the Humans in Kyrro have been in contact with the underground Slugari, that…that they’re allied with them, meaning our tribe is now enemies of Kyrro. Tenred and Kyrro are at war. Since we now have a common enemy, Doe and Haemon have agreed to join forces with Tenred.”

Could it be true?
Zoke shared a glance with Vithos. Opportunity seemed to pull the Elf’s eyes open as he held in a smile.
He sees this as gaining an army,
Zoke realized.
The army of Kyrro. I’m not sure I feel the same way.

“They needed a Krepp who could speak common tongue,” Nebre continued. “I…I couldn’t think of anything else but the pleasure of using the language for a good purpose, so I volunteered. I was the only Krepp to do so. I’m sure the smarter ones were remaining silent.”

“It’s not stupid to wish to help your tribe,” Zoke told him. “What did they ask of you?”

“To walk into Kyrro and deliver a message. They wrote it in Kreppen because they don’t know the language of the Humans and didn’t trust anyone else to write it for them.”

Nebre pulled the scroll from his belt and handed it to Vithos. It was tied with a thin rope that the Elf undid with an eager twitch of his wrist. “I’m to read it to the King of Kyrro and then return with his answer.” Nebre spoke with a tremor in his voice.

Zoke stood beside Vithos to read it over his shoulder:
To the King of Kyrro, Welson Kimard, we will stop at nothing until we have found the underground Slugari. Reveal their location to us or we will burn Kyrro and everyone within the territory. If our intermediary does not return within fifteen days with a map and instructions to find the Slugari, then we will prepare for attack immediately.

“I still don’t understand what Tenred has to do with this,” Zoke said when he was finished reading.

“They wish for war,” Nebre said.

“That’s what I don’t understand. Why would Humans in one territory ally with Krepps to fight Humans in another territory?” Zoke asked.

“Krepps kill each other all the time,” Vithos retorted. “I’m sure Humans are the same.”

“But Krepps would never go to
war
against each other. That’s madness. Nebre, did the Humans say why they wanted to start a war?”

“No, but I didn’t ask. What they did say was that they didn’t even want us to give Kyrro the ultimatum. Instead, they urged us to attack with them without warning, but Doe and Haemon decided otherwise.”

“Doe and Haemon care only to find the Slugari,” Vithos added. “If there’s a way they can do so quicker and easier, they’ll always favor that method. It just so happens to be a threat this time, not death. Yet, I imagine there would be no hesitation in attacking if their demands are not met.” Vithos handed the note to Zoke, keeping his dark eyes on Nebre. “Zoke and I will accompany you to Kyrro to deliver the note as instructed, but then Zoke and I wish to speak to the King in private before he provides an answer.”

Two Krepps and an Elf stroll into Kyrro…could it be the beginning to a joke?
“You hope to convince Welson of what?” Zoke asked, accepting the scroll and tucking it into their bag.

“It’s better if we discuss that in private,” Vithos said. He placed a hand on Nebre’s shoulder. Being a head shorter, he needed to lift his arm awkwardly to reach it. Nebre sunk his head to meet Vithos’ eyes. “You should have no worries about your safety, Nebre. I just don’t wish for certain information about us to get back to Doe and Haemon. Wait here for a moment while I speak to Zoke.”

Nebre nodded subordinately.

Vithos took Zoke aside. “It doesn’t matter if we locate the Slugari first if the Humans are going to reveal their location to Doe and Haemon. There won’t be enough time for us to make a difference. We’ll simply die with them or worse—join them in slavery. Our only chance to stop this is to ensure the Humans defeat Doe and Haemon. If they can’t do it alone, then they can join forces with the Slugari to fight.”

“You expect to persuade the King of Kyrro to prepare for war instead of giving up the Slugari?” Zoke asked.

“If needed. I can be very convincing.” Vithos lowered his head to look from the top of his eyes and it sent a chill through Zoke. “This is our only chance to gain the help of an army. Before, I assumed we could fight alongside the Slugari, but we can’t go to them now unless we know the Humans won’t give up their location.”

“Zeti would be fighting on the opposing side. I understand your thirst for revenge, but how can we assist in starting a war with sister to me as an enemy? I can’t bear the thought of being responsible for her death.”

“There’s only a small risk of that. This is your opportunity to reunite with Zeti, and if that’s not enough, let me tell you what Doe and Haemon plan to do with the Slugari. They’ll invade their territory with hungry Krepps who will chase down and bite into them, ripping off chunks of flesh while they’re still alive. The Slugari who survive the attack will spend the rest of their lives in cages. They’ll be forced to breed. They’ll watch their children grow until they’re big enough to be killed, cooked, and eaten. This will continue until they’re too old to produce offspring, and then they’ll be killed for food, but not before realizing that their children who haven’t already been killed will take their place to continue the cycle.

“This is certain to happen if Doe and Haemon find the Slugari, but there is no certainty Zeti will die if we convince Welson Kimard to fight. It’s our best chance to take out Doe and Haemon, and it’s the only way you’ll be able to speak to Zeti again.”

Zoke jabbed at the dirt with the claws on his feet. It was dry on the surface, cracking open as he prodded. “This feels like the beginning to something I’ll regret.” He was thankful for the doubts, at least. He took it to mean Vithos hadn’t used psyche to persuade him.

“I’ll do everything in my power to prevent bloodshed. If Welson Kimard has sufficient bowmen among his army, we should be able to host a surprise attack to take out Doe and Haemon. With them dead, a war may be avoided completely. As I mentioned before, Krepps have never been able to lead themselves. We may even find that there are better options once we speak to the King of Kyrro.” Vithos made a fist. “War is not certain, and the death of Zeti certainly isn’t either. Going to Kyrro with Nebre is our best option.”

“I have a terrible feeling about this, like someone will surely die, someone other than Doe or Haemon.” Zoke picked up a slab of dirt to crush in his palm. “But you’re right, doing nothing would be worse.”

Nebre approached. “The sun is setting. If you still wish to come, we should prepare for night.”

“We do,” Zoke said, letting the dirt fall from his claw.

“I hope you have food and water with you,” Nebre said. “I didn’t bring enough for three.”

“We have enough,” Vithos answered. “We should walk for another two or three hours, otherwise it will still be dark when we rise.”

At that, Nebre twitched nervously.
He still has that same habit
, Zoke thought. “Rest will come easier then,” he said, trying to console.

“You lead,” Nebre said. “Without the sun, my sense of direction is lost.”

Vithos pointed south. “It’s this way. Go on ahead. We’ll catch up. There’s just one more thing Zoke and I need to discuss.”

Nebre gave a twitchy nod and went.

“What else?” Zoke asked.

“It’s Nebre,” Vithos answered with a grave tone. “He’s grown far more anxious and untrusting. I don’t believe that he’ll come so willingly. He might try something during the night. We should sleep in shifts, but don’t let him know. I want to see how he behaves when he believes we’re both asleep.”

Zoke spat at the idea. “I know him. He always has avoided confrontation. He scares easily, and I’m very tired.”

“It’s been many years. He may not be the same Krepp you remember. I’ll stay awake as long as I can, but I’m going to wake you when I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. If all goes well this night, we won’t have to do it again.”

Zoke slumped his head and gave it a slow shake. “Another half night of sleep—I’d hoped we were done with that. Wake me when you need to, but he won’t try anything.”

“Let’s hope so,” Vithos muttered.

Chapter 45: Awake

ZOKE

There were trees in every direction but with enough room between for the three of them to walk beside each other. The dirt was mostly bare except for animal tracks and droppings. Rarely, Zoke glimpsed the stub of a tree that had been chopped down. With the castle of Tenred nearby, he wondered why more trees weren’t cut. “Don’t they use wood in Tenred?” He hoped Vithos might know.

“They do, but the castle sits upon a great source of iron. It was lucky for them to settle there. Do you know the story?”

“Of what?” Zoke asked.

Nebre answered for Vithos, “Of Tenred. I read about it in a book.” His eagerness to share was palpable.

“I don’t,” Zoke said. “I’m in the mood for a story.”
Anything to get my mind off another pointlessly vigilant night.

“I know only what was told to me,” Vithos said. “Tell me if any of this doesn’t match what you read, Nebre.”

Nebre’s bright yellow eyes faded to the dirt when he realized he wouldn’t get to start. Stories of the Humans were rare, and Nebre seemed to hold more appreciation for them than anyone else Zoke had met.

Vithos cleared his throat. “Tenred was established recently, sometime in the last one hundred years. The Humans who founded it were from Kyrro. They were part of the King’s army there, and they plotted to overthrow his power, but their plan was discovered and many were captured.”

Nebre added, “Some were even council to the King. They were planning to replace the King with a different leader after he was dead, but one of them snitched to reveal the takeover before it could happen.” He spat.

“As the rebels started getting captured, the rest tried to escape,” Vithos continued. “Only ten made it out of Kyrro. They were chased north, running until they couldn’t run any farther. They climbed the hills of southwestern Satjen where only one path could reach them. That’s where they prepared for battle. Five hundred of the King’s men came after them but couldn’t win the battle. The ten men atop the hill were all skilled archers and held off each attack thanks to their position.”

“I read that it was two hundred men who chased them,” Nebre added with a tone like he was ready to argue.

“If Humans are anything like Krepps, then it is likely even two hundred is an exaggeration of the truth,” Zoke said, trying to alleviate the discord he could feel growing between Nebre and Vithos.

“Whatever it was, the King’s men weren’t prepared for such a standoff and retreated back to Kyrro for the appropriate supplies,” Vithos said. “More battles ensued, but the numbers in Tenred grew because more and more from Kyrro kept coming to join them. Although they were considered traitors at first, eventually there were so many switching sides that the King of Kyrro had no choice but to agree to a treaty.”