by Eric Vall
“Ah.” I rubbed my hand through my hair. “We can just burn these traitors as far as I’m concerned.”
“If you’ll make some kind of pit to protect the rest of the trees, we can start bringing the bodies over here,” Laika suggested.
I nodded and called on my stone magic to bring up a layer of rocks from the river. I set them in as flat a pattern as I could to form the bottom of a pit, and then I built more stones up three sides of the bottom, so they could still drop the bodies inside.
Laika, Nike, Ravi, and the dryads, along with some jaguars, dragged the two dozen corpses to the stone pit and tossed them on the floor. Once the clearing was empty of dead assassins, I opened my mouth and released a column of flames into the pit until we had a few more piles of bones and ashes.
I smirked at the smoking piles. These sons of bitches would get what was coming to them soon enough.
The jaguar Demi-Humans stood and stretched out after I’d healed their injuries. For most of them, it was the first time I’d healed them, so they didn’t seem to realize how quickly it worked. Jai motioned to them to gather around, though, and the jaguars formed a circle around their House leader, Nike, and me.
“I know we didn’t know this enemy until recently,” Jai began as he looked at his gathered men, “but we will not allow them to run rampant in our jungle or in our city. We will be working with the other factions to take down this enemy.”
The warriors cheered at the idea of going after the Sect assassins again.
“And those bastards won’t be able to hide from us for long,” I vowed and flashed a fanged, savage grin.
Chapter 13
The jaguars led our group back to House Onca, but I stayed back to walk with Alyona, Laika, and Ravi at the back of the group. The jungle was surprisingly quiet after the chaos of the battle, but I did hear some normal noises. Birds were chirping high in the canopies, and I noticed several healthy, non-rabid looking monkeys swinging through the tall trees.
It felt good to see that we’d helped the jungle recover a little, but I sighed as I turned to my women.
“Okay, let’s hear it,” I grumbled. “Why did you go out here by yourselves without telling anyone?”
“Well, we found the Novum spell--” Alyona started.
“What’s that?” I interrupted before I rubbed my chin and shook my head. “Sorry, I was just so worried about you.”
“I understand, my love,” Alyona said with a gentle hand on my shoulder. “We should have told someone we were going. I was just so excited to try it.”
Laika’s gray ears flattened on her head, but she stayed silent as she wiped a smear of blood off her cheek.
“I still think the Novum spell could work, Milady,” Ravi interjected. “We didn’t even get to finish.”
“I do, too,” Alyona agreed and turned back to explain to me what they were talking about. “The Novum spell is total purity. According to the texts, it completely purifies anything without trying to use dark magic.”
“I like this better already.” I inclined my head toward the princess. “Go on.”
“We still haven’t found the exact dark magic curse,” she continued, and she frowned as she fiddled with a lock of hair. “We’ve found a few possibilities, but the risks of trying to cure the wrong one are too great. We could increase the power of the spell, which would obviously be very bad, or we could create a second layer to the curse, which would also be very unhelpful to our cause. So, the Novum spell seemed like the perfect solution.”
“So, what happened?” I asked.
“Those stupid Green Glass bastards happened,” Laika growled and crossed her arms.
“Yes, the Sect members interrupted us before we could even get halfway through the Novum spell,” Alyona confirmed with a furrowed brow. “I’m not sure if they have been watching the river or if it was just bad timing.”
“I would bet they’ve been watching the river,” I muttered. “They have to know we’d be close to fixing it.”
“All the more reason to try again.” Alyona’s face was set with fierce determination.
“Not yet,” I argued. “I’m not putting you at risk again until we clear the jungle out.”
“I should’ve been able to protect them.” Laika frowned, and her tail flicked with irritation.
“You did,” I consoled her. “You kept them safe and called for help, as you should have. I just don’t trust these assholes to stay away long enough for them to finish the ritual.”
Laika grunted but didn’t argue.
“We’ll meet with the others and get the jungle clear,” Nike interjected as he fell back to walk beside us. “Then you all will be able to finish the spell, and everything will be fine.”
“Plus, you probably need to recharge a bit after using your magic to fight them off,” I added. “I’m guessing this is a big spell, and the last thing we need is to empty both of your magics because we didn’t want to be patient.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Alyona mused and looked at Ravi, who nodded her head in agreement.
The phoenix would never complain, but I knew she’d used a lot of her magic to create her fire weapons.
“So, it’s settled,” I confirmed. “We regroup with the other House leaders and search the jungle. Then you can finish purifying the river.”
Alyona, Ravi, and Laika looked at each other and sighed. They knew I was right, even if they didn’t like it.
Finally, we reached the edge of the jungle and walked into House Onca. The palace was abuzz around us, and I saw servants peeking through windows and around doorways as the bloody jaguar warriors marched ahead of us.
“Raed, we need some food and a table prepared for a meeting with the other House leaders,” Jai ordered as we walked into the great hall where the advisor was waiting.
Raed nodded briefly and disappeared into a back hall without a word.
“Do you want us in the meeting with you, sir?” one of the jaguar warriors asked Jai.
“No, go ahead and get some food and rest for now,” Jai answered. “We’ll make a plan, and then I’ll give everyone their orders. But make sure the guards out front know what has happened, and tell them to be alert for any movement in the jungle.”
The warriors all nodded and filed past us to the dormitory hall without question.
Well, at least Jai was learning I didn’t like a bunch of warriors in a leader meeting. Hopefully, the other leaders would do the same.
We followed Jai into the sitting area at the back of the great hall, and servants had already started filling the center table with fruits and meats for our late breakfast. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled the food, and my stomach growled. I’d been so focused on getting to the river that I’d forgotten the most important meal of the day.
I started toward the table, but suddenly a demure maid stepped in front of me.
“Pardon me, Lord Dragon,” she murmured with her head down, “but would you like to clean up before you eat?”
She held out a rag and a wide, deep bowl full of water, and I blinked in confusion, but then I looked down and noticed the blood staining my clothes and forearms. I probably had more viscera and ash caked across my face, too. I wouldn’t bother changing since we were going back into the jungle soon, but I could at least rinse my hands of the Sect members’ blood.
“Thank you,” I told the maid, and then I reached out, dipped the rag into the lukewarm water, and wiped off my hands and forearms. I also scrubbed my face a little to be a bit more presentable to the other House leaders, and I watched as Jai and my other party members did the same around me.
Once we were all relatively clean, the handful of servants bowed before they left with the dirtied water and rags, and I finally turned my hungry attention back to the food laden table.
“Gods, I’m famished,” I growled as I sat down at the head of the table and made a plate. I was stressed about the entire situation, but damn it, I was going to eat, and my women
had better eat, too.
I looked around the table to make sure they were filling their plates. Ravi munched on a bright yellow fruit with orange spots, and her plate was only half filled with other fruits and a slice of bread, which was pretty normal for the phoenix’s little appetite. The firebirds had grown used to their desert lifestyle, which meant small meals and not eating often.
Laika, on the other hand, had filled her plate and plopped down to dig in, and I could always count on the warrior to take care of herself.
Alyona held onto a plate, but it had no food on it, and she gazed off into space with a thousand-yard stare.
I shifted my chair over and nudged Alyona’s empty plate with a finger.
“Get something to eat, princess,” I instructed her gently. “You can’t return to the river on an empty stomach.”
“Of course,” she murmured as she grabbed some fruit and a slice of meat. It wasn’t a full plate by any means, but it was better than nothing. Then she sat down to my right and took a few small bites.
As I checked on my women, Lord Kinba strode in through the door with Kalem and Aaliyah right behind him.
“What is the meaning of this emergency meeting?” Kinba demanded as he looked around the room.
“I will explain everything once Chax is here as well,” I replied. “I wouldn’t have called you all here on such short notice for nothing.”
Kinba huffed and sat down at the other end of the table across from me, and I smirked at the lack of argument from him. He knew I wasn’t going to stand for any more of his old bullshit.
Aaliyah glanced across the table at me and smiled. Then she sat down next to her father, and Kalem sat on his other side.
Moments later, Chax, Imani, and Chidi rushed into the room.
“Lord Evan,” Chax gasped. “What’s going on?”
“Have a seat.” I gestured to the table in front of me. “We had an incident this morning, and we will need all the factions working together to address it.”
The cheetahs quickly sat down and focused on me. Then Raed and Jamir walked into the room and hovered behind Jai’s chair, and everyone who needed to be here was ready.
“This morning, there was another attack on members of my group,” I began, and I saw several of the nobles’ mouths opening to respond, but I held up a hand. “I don’t blame anyone here. It was the work of the Green Glass Sect, the same assassins who attacked at the peace treaty signing. While we were able to handle most of them, a few escaped back into the jungle.”
Most of the Demi-Humans growled at the mention of the attack and the escape, and I nodded in approval.
Good, they would be motivated to put the assassins down.
“The next step in terminating these pests is to hunt them down,” I declared. “So, Lord Nikolaus is working on a plan for how we can cover the most area quickly and clear these bastards from our jungle. We need every house to bring their hunters in, and we will divide them up to conquer our enemy.”
“How many hunters do we need?” Chax asked. His eyes gleamed with the need to hunt, and I recognized the look that matched my own feelings.
“Nike?” I turned to the noble to answer, since he’d already been planning out the grid on a map.
“I’m thinking a dozen per House,” Nike replied while he stared at his map. “Then we can divide into groups of three or four and sweep the jungle within a few hours.”
“Hours would be much better than days,” I agreed. “We can’t give the Sect too much longer to regroup and figure out their own next steps. Or worse, give them time to run out of Tikal and escape completely.”
“Then we will each get a dozen of our best hunters,” Kinba announced before he turned to his right-hand man. “Kalem, head back to the palace and begin making the preparations.”
The lion’s advisor dipped his head and hurried out of the room.
“I will be joining the hunt as well,” Aaliyah proclaimed and winked at me. “I’m sure you remember how good of a hunter I am.”
“I’m repeatedly impressed with your skill,” I answered with a smirk.
“We need to prepare our warriors as well,” Jai said as he turned to his own advisors. “Go tell them to meet me in front of the palace in twenty minutes. That should give the other House warriors time to arrive.”
Raed and Jamir bowed dramatically and scampered into the hall to talk to the jaguar warriors.
“We need to gather our hunters as well,” Imani told Chidi. “They should be in the training room right now.”
Chidi nodded silently and strode out after the other advisors.
“I assume I have a few members of my party who want to join as well,” I said, and I looked at Laika as I spoke. I knew she was still pissed the Sect members had gotten the upper hand, even for a moment.
The wolf warrior glanced at me with a half-smile that ended up looking more like a snarl considering her mood.
I took that as a yes.
Then I glanced at the dryads as well, and the sisters nodded in unison.
“Your enemies are our enemies, Lord Evan,” Polina declared in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
“Yes, and we will help you put them in the dirt,” Marina added, and her smile was surprisingly sharp.
“Every last one of them,” Trina agreed.
I grinned in response. I always forgot the silly, nature-loving dryads were originally warriors with The Blue Tree Guild. They might be flighty and love to have fun and tease people, but they were also capable fighters, and they were not to be underestimated.
I knew Nike would obviously be in on the search, but I looked at Ravi and Alyona and shook my head.
Ravi pouted and looked away, but Alyona raised a brow at me.
“You need to stay here, princess,” I told her. “You can’t regroup and heal if you’re out fighting again. Besides, you won’t be alone. Ravi needs to stay and heal also.”
“I am a priestess, my love,” Alyona replied, and her brow was furrowed. “I am supposed to take care of the needs of my people.”
“And they need you to fix the water without getting killed,” I growled and tried to control my volume. “Did you already forget what the poisoned jaguar said only a few days ago? He said the voice in the curse told him to kill you. Not me, not the House leaders, not anyone else in Tikal, just you. Do you know what that means?”
“It means I have yet another enemy.” Alyona lifted her chin in defiance. “I’ve had them my whole life, just like my father.”
“And now you have a guardian,” I countered. “So, you don’t have to face these things alone. And you won’t. You will stay at House Onca until we’ve cleared the threat from the Green Glass Sect.”
The room was silent. I’d almost forgotten about everyone else at the table while I tried to convince my fiancée to let me handle shit. Well, I wasn’t trying to convince her anymore, now I just told her what was happening.
I was not about to lose her to these Sect bastards.
“Of course, my lord, whatever you think is best.” Alyona stared at me with her violet eyes for a long moment before she pushed her chair back from the table and gave me a curt nod. Then she walked out of the room and turned in the direction of the library.
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Ravi set the pit of her fruit on the table and rushed out after the princess.
Nike cleared his throat and rolled a map out on the table.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he muttered as he leaned toward Jai. “I borrowed a map from you to form our plan.”
“Oh, go ahead,” Jai agreed and stared at the map.
“So, if we all start here,” Nike said and pointed to the western side of the jungle, “we can work in rows moving east.”
“Why not start east and move in?” Jai asked.
“We don’t want to push the assassins anywhere else,” Nike answered. “If we start outside and move in, they could run to either of the other two Houses, which puts the rest of our citizens in danger
.”
“Ah.” Jai pursed his lips and didn’t say anything else.
“So, we start here,” Nike continued and pointed to the western line of the jungle. “We will be in ten groups of four, so we can cover these areas.”
Nike drew grid lines along the map to designate each group’s area to search.
“I want one person from each faction in a group, and then a fourth person can be from either one of the factions or one of my party,” I commanded. “Everyone has their own set of skills, and you should each have a way to communicate with your leaders. This way, we can ensure that whoever comes across the Sect’s hideout has a way to fight and to call for help.”
“Great idea, my lord,” Chax murmured.
“And I do expect a call once your people find any of the assassins,” I remarked in a voice that didn’t accept any questions. “No one will face them alone, and no one will keep me from taking one of them and getting some answers.”
The House leaders all nodded. No one would argue with me on that. I was going to get to the bottom of these attacks.
“How do you communicate across a distance with your warriors?” I asked Jai, just to double check everything. We could make no mistakes once we re-entered the jungle.
“Well, you saw my horn this morning,” he replied. “My warriors all have a smaller one to wear as well.”
“Perfect,” I murmured before I turned to the lion lord. “What about you, Kinba?”
“We usually just roar,” Kinba answered with a shrug. “The sound travels for at least several miles.”
“That works.” I nodded and turned to Chax. “And you?”
“We don’t have anything like that,” the cheetah mumbled, and he looked embarrassed at the admission.
“It’s okay,” I said and waved my hand. “As long as we have an option or two for letting the other groups know when we find someone, we’ll be alright. I just want each of the groups to have a way to let another group know. I’ll be flying overhead to keep track of the groups as well, so it shouldn’t be too hard to keep in touch.”
“If each of us is with a different group, we also can send our messages,” Polina offered as she gestured to her Blue Tree Guild necklace. “That would cover at least four of the groups.”