“You’re sure that this will work, that it will stay his hand?” Naha asked as she sat next to Zach on the deck of their airship, as they watched the world passing them by. They were all alone, he had sent Bera and Hiro back to the academy to prepare, and because he didn’t want them slowing him down. Naha and Zach would need to move fast if they were to accomplish what he planned.
Zach glanced back at Naha, but didn’t answer immediately. His plan relied part on his understanding of Ryun, part on hope. Ryun’s anger was justified, but Zach just didn’t want to see it burn those who didn’t deserve it. The two of them disagreed about accountability, the weight of it. Ryun didn’t care that someone didn’t have a choice in the matter, if they were in any way part of the decision that went against him they were guilty. No matter that some people couldn’t afford to make a different choice.
To Ryun, death was always a choice. The world didn’t work that way. It had taken Zach a long time to understand that the circumstance mattered. Culpability wasn’t always black and white.
In order to stop the deaths he feared would happen when Ryun went after his revenge, Zach had to act. He knew that the ones to suffer wouldn’t be the Exalted Empire leaders, but their new vassals in the Core, those who had no choice but to accept the Exalted Empire rule.
“You know,” Zach turned away from Naha and looked out at the clouds moving quickly around them. “Ryun used to feed cats.”
“What?” Naha asked, clearly surprised at his words.
“Those memories are so old, so faint, but I can remember it,” Zach closed his eyes and pulled from his oldest memories, the ones he had stored in his Band of Memory’s Hall. The memory played behind his eyes, colorless, soundless, as if he was looking through a thick glass. “There was this alley, behind the apartment building we lived in. A few strays lived around there. Everyday, before school, he would stop there and drop them some food. One day, when we were sixteen or seventeen, we found a group of kids in the alley, six of them, all much younger than us by a few years—they were maybe twelve. One of the kids kicked a cat just as Ryun and I rounded a corner.”
Zach opened his eyes, then turned and looked at Naha. “Ryun ran into the alley with no hesitation, he attacked the kids. The one that kicked the cat went down first. Ryun bloodied his nose and broke his arm. He beat the shit out of the other kids. It didn’t matter to him that they were smaller than us, just dumb kids, there was no hesitation in him. One of the kids though, he dropped to his knees, apologizing the moment Ryun hit the first kid. Him, Ryun didn’t touch. We were lucky that we didn’t get in trouble for that, the kids lied to their parents about what happened, they were so scared of him I think.”
Zach smiled. “He has a protective streak, especially if he considers something his. He won’t care who you are, what circumstances led you to do whatever you did against him. Only one of those kids kicked the cat, but he beat the others too, since they were clearly part of the same group. Except that one kid that dropped to his knees.”
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Naha tilted her head. “Ah, I see now. And you think that you’ll be able to convince them.”
Zach pulled out a tabled from his ring, the list of factions occupied by the Exalted Empire. “If I can frame it in the right way, then yes.”
Naha didn’t answer him, but she didn’t need to. He knew that she trusted him, and that was enough.
Out in the distance he saw their destination and steeled himself for the conversations ahead.
The skreen guard stepped out of the throne room and approached the Triumphant Hive’s guests.
“The Queen will see you now,” the Champion Form skreen said.
Zach inclined his head and then followed. Naha walked next to him wearing a new ravzor form. She had been experimenting with her forms, trying to improve her affinity with Shadow by manipulating her body while they traveled. Her dark fur almost blended in with the shadows of the cavernous palace around them. The skreen were subterranean, so they didn’t really do much light. Not that it was any issue for Zach and Naha.
They stepped into the throne room and found it empty, the Champion escorted them across the vast chamber, past the elevated platform with a strange organic looking throne, and behind it, to a small door leading out. Updates are released by novel·fıre·net
They entered a much smaller room, a round table was placed in the middle, covered with sand that moved on its own, creating a topographical map of the Settled Territories. Grey Horde stood across from the entrance, two more War Queens were next to her, along with another three Champion Form skreen.
Grey Horde glanced up from studying the table, her antennae twitching on top of her head.
“Your Majesty,” Zach bowed his head.
“Warden,” Grey Horde returned, using the High Ranker title that most in the world knew him by—even though it wasn’t really representative of who he was. Still, there were worse things to be known as.
Grey Horde continued. “Your visit is unexpected. I do not often entertain visitors. Your station affords you this honor. I do not have much time to indulge pointless visits.”
Zach understood her meaning. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. I will not take much of your time.”
Grey Horde’s multifaceted eyes glanced his way. “I assume it has something to do with the Exalted Empire’s invasion of the Sects? I’ve already spoken with their emissaries, I cannot provide any assistance. My agreement with the Undying Void is binding only in case where the Exalted Empire attacks my lands, they have not done so, and it is for his aid only, not mine for the Sects.”
Zach blinked, he didn’t know that Ryun had any kind of agreement with the Triumphant Hive. She was making an assumption about Zach’s loyalties, but he could see how she could’ve made that mistake. He didn’t know the Grey Horde well, they’ve met only a handful of times. The last being when the final agreement about dealing with the Domes was signed between the world powers. Zach had attended as an independent power, but seeing as how his territory was technically in the Sect lands, he could understand people assuming.
“I’m not here on behalf of the Sects,” Zach said. “Though my request will probably echo those of the Sects.”
Grey Horde’s antennae twitched. “Is that so? You want me to join their war?” She didn’t wait for Zach to answer. “The Exalted Empire has prepared for their attack on the Sects well. They had spent the last few years to expand and solidify their hold on the territories in the Core, bringing in new vassals. They have fortified their borders, the border with my Hive being one that is heavily defended.”
“They’ve broken the agreement we all signed,” Zach reminded her.
Grey Horde’s mandibles clicked. “The agreement only said that we’ll work together to clear out the Domes, not that we won’t attack each other.”
“The spirit of that agreement was known to all,” Zach said. “They broke it.”
“It was not a Framework enforced agreement, they didn’t break it.”
Zach suppressed the desire to grimace. “Regardless, as I said, I’m not here on behalf of the Sects. The Exalted Empire made a mistake, that war is about to change drastically.”
“Why are you here then?”
“I have a proposition,” Zach answered.
Grey Horde gazed back at him calmly. “What kind of a proposition.”
Zach smiled, then told her.