Lisella.
“Eyan and Geanna were murdered by the rebels,” she explained, her chin trembling. “We buried them this morning.”
Grief stabbed like a jagged splinter of metal into Varian’s gut. The faces of both young scouts flashed through his mind. He’d taken them on many outings to test their tracking skills. Eyan’s improvement during their last foray had earned him a compliment. It’d brought a shy but proud smile to the boy’s face.
Rystin’s actions now made sense.
Varian swallowed hard. “You have proof which rebels did this?”
“When have we discriminated between aggressors?” The scout stabbed a finger toward the house. “They attacked us! Eyan and Geanna were butchered. They deserve to die! All of them!”
“Our alliance with the humans—”
“Was a mistake!” Rystin’s furious shout had those standing with the scout voicing their agreement. “Since when have we delayed meting out justice or defending ourselves against those who would see us dead?”
“Since we asked for sanctuary.” His tone was as uncompromising. “We all agreed to the alliance when Kalan proposed it. With it went our cooperation. Justice may not be swift but it will be handed out in time.”
“We can dispense it now,” one of the other
Na’Chi
argued.
“Yes, we could, but what impression will it leave on the humans who don’t understand us?”
Rystin snorted. “Very few want to understand us! We’d have been better off remaining in
Na’Reish
territory. At least there we knew who our enemies were. Here we have no idea!”
Varian nodded solemnly. “Granted, knowing who to trust here isn’t easy, but it’s going to take time to show the humans we’re different from the
Na’Reish
.” He locked gazes with Rystin. “The accusations leveled by Davyn and his supporters will be proved right if we kill the rebels now. Is that what you want?”
Around them bodies shifted. Varian inhaled deeply, testing the scents in the air. A clear divide existed. He hid a grimace.
“These rebels broke human law,” he continued. “They have a right to be judged by their own people.”
Rystin’s shoulders bunched with tension. “You don’t think we have a right to judge them?”
“Of course I do. Nothing would satisfy my heart more than ending the lives of those warriors one by one.”
Varian glanced over Rystin’s shoulder toward the house where the rebels resided. Beyond the closed door, the Light Blades awaited their fate. Taking a blade to their throats would satisfy the anger inside him.
Their lives for the ones they’d taken.
Protect and avenge.
Na’Chi
justice.
Several months ago, he’d have thought nothing of that sort of behavior, from any of them. Their survival had demanded such a cold, ruthless approach. But circumstances had changed. There was more at stake now—an infant alliance that deserved a chance to succeed.
At the edge of his vision, Varian caught Arek shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet. The Second hooked his fingers in his belt, close to his blade. His team also shuffled uneasily beside him.
Varian sighed softly at the swift loss of trust between their peoples.
“But we no longer live in
Na’Reish
territory.” He resorted to a more persuasive tone. “If we’re to make new lives here living with the humans, we’re going to need to change some of our ways.”
“You should hear yourself.” Rystin shook his head. “
Human
law.
Human
justice.
Human
ways.” His bark of laughter was bitter. “We’re
Na’Chi
. I say we remain true to our ways. If the humans can’t accept us for who we are, then we’re better off without them as our allies.”
Lisella’s gasp was the only sound in the tense silence that followed Rystin’s announcement. Varian ground his teeth together at the scout’s stubborn arrogance.
Patience gone, he pinned Rystin with his stare. “So, this is your justification for breaking my order?” he asked, words deceptively soft. “Is this a
“Eyan and Geanna were murdered by the rebels,” she explained, her chin trembling. “We buried them this morning.”
Grief stabbed like a jagged splinter of metal into Varian’s gut. The faces of both young scouts flashed through his mind. He’d taken them on many outings to test their tracking skills. Eyan’s improvement during their last foray had earned him a compliment. It’d brought a shy but proud smile to the boy’s face.
Rystin’s actions now made sense.
Varian swallowed hard. “You have proof which rebels did this?”
“When have we discriminated between aggressors?” The scout stabbed a finger toward the house. “They attacked us! Eyan and Geanna were butchered. They deserve to die! All of them!”
“Our alliance with the humans—”
“Was a mistake!” Rystin’s furious shout had those standing with the scout voicing their agreement. “Since when have we delayed meting out justice or defending ourselves against those who would see us dead?”
“Since we asked for sanctuary.” His tone was as uncompromising. “We all agreed to the alliance when Kalan proposed it. With it went our cooperation. Justice may not be swift but it will be handed out in time.”
“We can dispense it now,” one of the other
Na’Chi
argued.
“Yes, we could, but what impression will it leave on the humans who don’t understand us?”
Rystin snorted. “Very few want to understand us! We’d have been better off remaining in
Na’Reish
territory. At least there we knew who our enemies were. Here we have no idea!”
Varian nodded solemnly. “Granted, knowing who to trust here isn’t easy, but it’s going to take time to show the humans we’re different from the
Na’Reish
.” He locked gazes with Rystin. “The accusations leveled by Davyn and his supporters will be proved right if we kill the rebels now. Is that what you want?”
Around them bodies shifted. Varian inhaled deeply, testing the scents in the air. A clear divide existed. He hid a grimace.
“These rebels broke human law,” he continued. “They have a right to be judged by their own people.”
Rystin’s shoulders bunched with tension. “You don’t think we have a right to judge them?”
“Of course I do. Nothing would satisfy my heart more than ending the lives of those warriors one by one.”
Varian glanced over Rystin’s shoulder toward the house where the rebels resided. Beyond the closed door, the Light Blades awaited their fate. Taking a blade to their throats would satisfy the anger inside him.
Their lives for the ones they’d taken.
Protect and avenge.
Na’Chi
justice.
Several months ago, he’d have thought nothing of that sort of behavior, from any of them. Their survival had demanded such a cold, ruthless approach. But circumstances had changed. There was more at stake now—an infant alliance that deserved a chance to succeed.
At the edge of his vision, Varian caught Arek shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet. The Second hooked his fingers in his belt, close to his blade. His team also shuffled uneasily beside him.
Varian sighed softly at the swift loss of trust between their peoples.
“But we no longer live in
Na’Reish
territory.” He resorted to a more persuasive tone. “If we’re to make new lives here living with the humans, we’re going to need to change some of our ways.”
“You should hear yourself.” Rystin shook his head. “
Human
law.
Human
justice.
Human
ways.” His bark of laughter was bitter. “We’re
Na’Chi
. I say we remain true to our ways. If the humans can’t accept us for who we are, then we’re better off without them as our allies.”
Lisella’s gasp was the only sound in the tense silence that followed Rystin’s announcement. Varian ground his teeth together at the scout’s stubborn arrogance.
Patience gone, he pinned Rystin with his stare. “So, this is your justification for breaking my order?” he asked, words deceptively soft. “Is this a
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