I was entrapped in a peaceful rest when something soft itched my face. I grumbled a protest and rubbed the irritated area. Shifting my position, I curled into myself on my right side. A few moments later the safe irritation began, and I swatted it away again. This time, instead of going back to sleep I laid their silently. Acting as though I was drifting off into sleep again. This time I felt it a moment before the itch began again. I quickly reached out with my hand and grabbed something. I slowly opened my eyes and greeted by a pair of milk chocolate eyes. My eyes perused the face and knew who my quite assailant was.
I didn't let grow of the wrist I had caught when I rose into a sitting position.
"Poppy, seriously? How many times have I told you not to touch my face with that accursed feather?"
Poppy's' eyes twinkles, letting me know she knew exactly what she was doing.
I scowled, trying not to let on that I secretly was proud of her not always following the rules. I dropped her wrist and ran my hand through my hair. Trying to play the part of an extremely displeased guardian.
Whispering I said,
"What are you doing here? I thought I told you if something happened to head back to the cave with Dagon?"
Her expression closed up, and she looked everywhere but my face. A vein pulsed on my neck, as I tried hard to control my voice.
"I know it's hard to leave a man behind, but it is necessary. Do you know how reckless it was to come into the camp? Anyone could have seen you, and then I would be worried about getting not just myself out, but you!"
Poppy looked directly at me, and her eyes flickered with indignation. Her mouth slightly opened and I instantly went still. It had been years since she had last spoken and I wasn't about to stand in her way. Holding my breath, she seemed to think twice about it and closed her eye.
She continues to look at me with the seemingly permanent face of a rebellious pre-teen. I sighed and held out my arms for a hug.
Poppy hesitated a moment and then flung herself into my arms. Although, she had seemed relaxed and confident moments before I felt the tension leave her body. She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed me tight.
Although she'd never tell me I knew she was scared that my past had finally caught up with me.
I smoothed down her hair and was reminded that she was only twelve-years-old. No matter how capable she seemed and how much I trained her, Poppy was still young enough that any long-term separation from me would rattle her.
After a few moments of rocking her back and forth, allowing her to relax into my embrace to feel she began to play with my hair.
I knew that her panic had passed and gently put her at arm's length. She took a portion of my golden locks with her and began to twirl it around her fingers, not looking me in the face.
I placed my hands on either side of her face and directed it to look at me.
Her eyes wide peered at me from under her eyelashes, and I gave her a small smile.
"I'm sorry I worried you. When I went out to get dinner, some tracker saw me and knocked me out from behind."
She nodded her head, indicating that she understood.
"I've decided to stay a few days-"
Her eyes darted to mine, a hard line forming at her lips.
"-These people are unfamiliar and too much of a risk to allow to go unchecked. I don't plan on staying long, a week at most. I just want to gather some information, determine if there's a threat, and then get out of here. Do you understand why this would be important?"
Poppy reluctantly nodded her head.
"Good, now I want you to head back with Dagon to the village. I can't concentrate if I'm worried about you being caught. Also, if something goes wrong, you can send a rescue team to come and get me."
She stared at me hard, apparently displeased with the order, but saw the logic of it.
Once I knew she would head back to the village, I stood and looked at the hole in the ceiling. It was always open intended to allow the middle pole to hold ropes strapped to the outside.
"Now, I want you to head back."
I hugged her and stepped back.
"Stay in the shadows and remember, if I'm not back in a week have the Chief send out a search party."
Poppy stepped up to the pole, grabbed a small rope and placed it around the shaft. She scaled it with ease. At the top, she stopped and looked at me one last time.
I gave her a small wave and then she was gone.
Releasing a sigh, I hadn't released had gathered I laid back on the ground. Soon the mists of sleep took me into its embrace, and I willingly obeyed.
…..
It had been three days since my nighttime visit from Poppy. I already learned a lot about these people from the servers I worked beside.
Apparently, these people were a tribe of six clans that had united in hopes of creating a peaceful society. They were run out of their land, called Famidun, by the other six clans who were afraid of their alliance and the threat it posed to them. From their records, their ancestors had raided the western coast of the empire and reported the people to be weak and easily attacked. They had sailed her in hopes of taking over the lands of the west and settling there.
They choose to land in the Jungle because they wanted to gather their strength and survey the land before they launched their take-over but were unprepared for the perils of the jungle.
I had smiled when I heard that. It served them right for thinking that the people of these lands would be so easily conquered. I had heard of the Famiduns ancestors, which were called Razers by locals, and the destruction they did a hundred years ago. The Western shore cities had learned from their past failures and now have one of the most formidable Navies in the entire Empire. The Empress was continually sending her lackeys to negotiate with the Navy's Admiral for his services against rebels and pirates.
They were lucky they choose to land here first. Otherwise, they would have been decimated and sold to the rich as servants.
Today, I was sitting with the servers eating our mid-morning meal. They were gossiping about the newest dalliances.
"Mira is pregnant now, Jalal confirmed that it is Tor's child."
"Oh, good for her. They have been spending quite a bit of time together. Some of the washers were thinking he may be sweet on her. If they bond, she will be very fortunate."
Confused by the comment, I asked,
"What do you mean she would be fortunate? I thought Tor was just a Butcher?"
All conversation seemed to stop, and every eye turned towards me. Wide with disbelief.
Liana, the auburn-haired girl from my first day, spoke first.
"What do you mean just a Butcher? You can't be that ignorant?"
I just stared at her blankly, not willing to further voice whatever essential knowledge I lacked.
Turning to Nala, Lianan said,
"I can't believe you didn't even notice her ignorance? You explain it, you're her guide it's your job."
Nala fidgeted, uncomfortable with the attention pointed at her. I had to hold myself back from lashing out at Liana for making Nala look like a fool in front of everyone. The sweet female and quickly became a friend of mine and was never forgiving towards those who hurt them.
But, before I could speak up, Nala spoke,
"Well, it never came up in conversation, but you are Liana. I neglected my duty in this area. First, let me ask you a question, Mae. How do your people feel about affinities?"
I gave Nala a once over, confused by the question and its purpose. But then I remembered that when she had mentioned her gift a few days ago, she had talked about it with shame. I suddenly realized that the Famidun's must view affinities differently than the people of Aleia did.
"We view all affinities with appreciation and pride."
A murmur raced across the table, and I scanned the shocked faces. They confirmed my suspicions that their and my beliefs about gifts where very different.
Nala nodded her head as if she suspected that this was the case
"In the Famidun society that isn't the case. We view each affinity with a different level of usefulness. First, there is the Body, 2nd the mind. Many people have them as secondary gifts, but only a few have them as their primary gifts. And those who have both are revered in our society. The Warlord is an example of having both. That is one reason why he is greatly respected by our people. Then air, water, and fire and lumped together. Each equally prized, but have different uses. Those three are very common amongst our people. Most hear have at least one of those gifts."
"What about earth?" I asked.
Nala's face fell, and I could feel the unease rolling off of those at the table.
"We view the earth talent as a curse from the sky. The most useless gift given. Not as many people have it as the other three, but it is not as rare as the mind and body."
I was speechless.
To learn that gifts were ranked in value and that my own, earth, was viewed as a cruse left me with no words.
The table was quite waiting for some sort of reaction.
I composed my thoughts and looked at Liana,
"So the reason Mira is fortunate is not that Tor is a butcher, but I am guessing because of his gift."
"Yes, his secondary gift is Body. It is too weak to allow him to become a warrior weak, but still highly prized. So, far he has fathered 3 other children, and 2 have received the Body as their main gift. Mira's grandfather had the Body gift, and so she hopes that her child will have it also."
"But, why would her child's affinity benefit her?"
"Because," spoke Nala, "It would raise her status from a washer to a more beneficial job. She could find a more appealing bondmate and produce children with higher gifts."
It felt as though my mind was rattling at the implications. Finally, I put the pieces together and was shocked at what they were telling me.
"So, that's why there are so many children without parents? Thye are the products of matings outside of a bondmate?"
Nala nodded her head in confirmation.
"and that's why there are so many pairings outside of being bonded. To determine what matches would produce the most lucrative offspring."
Liana smiled, obviously pleased that I seemed to finally understand an essential part of their life.
"Exactly! Now you understand why mating is so popular. It's not just enjoyable, but an essential part of our people's survival. Just think about it, if you only mated with someone who had an earth affinity, it would be a disaster! You and your descendants would be stuck at the bottom of the barrel for generations. I can't even fathom the thought."
From the corner of my eye, I say Nala pale, and I reached for her hand. As I was about to ask her what was wrong Alma wrong the bell. Indicating that lunch was over and we were free to go until it was time to prepare for dinner.
I stayed at the table, waiting for everyone else to leave so I could speak to Nala alone.
"What wrong Nala?" I asked as I grabbed her hand.
With her shoulders hunched she spoke in uncharacteristic gloomy voice.
"I'm an earth user and so was my Mother. I've been trying to gain the attention of men with other affinities, but so far no one has shown interest. I am fearful that I will not be able to find someone with a better affinity to bond or at least mate with me."
I could feel my anger sizzle beneath my skin, causing the earth to respond in like. I felt the ground beneath my feet grow vines littered with razor-sharp thorns. When the bench began to grow from the grip of the vines, I instantly slowed my breathing. Trying to calm my essence, so as not to draw any suspicion.
"Nala, you're so young. You have plenty of time to find someone and not someone with a valuable talent, but someone worthy of you."
She lifted her head, and I could see her eyes glittering with unshed tears.
"That's a nice thought, but you can't know. My Father took a chance on my mother because of her secondary gift, but as soon as I was born, he left her to look for another bond mate potential.
I'm not like the other women of the tribe, I could never give up my child to be raised with the Amma's. But to raise one on your own is unheard of."
A single tear dropped from her eye, and I squeezed from her eye. I quickly glanced my surroundings, making sure that no one was nearby to hear us. Currently, Leven was flirting with the buxom server.
Turning back to Nala I said,
"Nala, the earth isn't as useless as you've been led to believe. I'm an earth user, and the things I can do are incredible. If you want I can teach you some of the things I've learned."
She looked up at me, a skeptical look on her face. I smiled and reassured her.
"I promise you, once you've mastered the things I'm going to teach you, you won't be able to keep the men away and…"
I hesitated, debating whether or not I could trust her with some knowledge. I stared at her tear-filled eyes and remembered to kindness she had shown me since I had arrived. Unlike many of the other Famidun's, she hadn't treated me like dirt for being a foreigner. She had patiently answered my questions, and the earth often lets me feel her pure essence.
Thinking over the consequences, I decided to take a gamble. If she betrayed me, I would be gone from here before they could do anything anyway.
"If that doesn't work you can always leave."
Instantly her eyes cleared of tears and she began to protest. I lifted my hand to cut her off.
"Listen, I haven't wanted anyone to know, but I have a special skill set. I plan on leaving in a few days, without permission. If you are unhappy here put your earring in the nook of the big tree by the latrines, you know the one I'm talking about. With the Kali fruit?"
She nodded her head, letting me know that she knew what tree I spoke about.
"I'll check it every month, and if it's there, I will come by your tent and help you leave. Well go to my people, and you will be accepted there. At the village, I live you would be prized for your skills, not just your earth gift. We value people for all jobs and gifts. Recognizing that everyone has value to add to the community."
She gazed at me as if she had never seen me before, and I realized she hadn't. Or at least not really. For the past four days, I had been the meek Mae, unsure of herself and scared of the slightest noise. She had been my guide, my support, and now here I was showing her a glimpse of my true self.
"Nala, you have to promise you won't tell anyone? The people I live with are hiding as well and don't want to be found. IT would be bad for your people if they were found."
That seemed to snap her out of her stupor and her face set into a determined look. I knew instantly she wouldn't betray me.
"You can count on me to keep you confidence Mae. And thank you for such a wonderful offer. My people aren't bad people, they are wonderful, but as an earth user y life has so few happy things to look forward to."
I smiled and squeezed her hand in understanding. Letting her know, again, that she was not alone.
Standing I pointed towards her tent,
"Let's head to your tent, and I can begin your lessons. You're going to be amazed at the things you can do."
Her face lit up in excitement and followed me out of the serving grounds.
…..
Mael
Reaching my arms up above my head I could feel the joins in my back pop as I yawned. I actually had a great night's rest last night. As soon as I curled up on the floor, I immediately fell asleep. I find that when I don't use my abilities almost every day I get out of practice and my energy is sapped dry the next time I use them. Yesterday was the first time in a week that I got to use my abilities. Nala and I spent a few hours day I spent a few hours learning what Nala could do with her earth abilities. She had some sense that she could connect with the earth's essence. She could feel the vibrations of plants and have learned to identify specific signatures of plants. Since Nala came to the jungle, she has been able to locate the strangler fig, corpse lily, rattan palm, meadowsweet, wasai, and suma. Besides these plants, she can sense when dangerous or medicinal plants are in the area, but can't determine which plants are what. Since she had lived in the desert for most of her life, she is adept at killing plants. I learned that this is a use that all earth users from her people have, which has been scorned because their land is full of deserts, grasslands, and barren mountains. Those areas have more of a Tah energy, which has a considerable influence on death and dryness. And since they don't have regions lush with plants, it would be harder for their earth users to grow things, or at least learn to harness the energy of Toh. Nala could do a few other small things, but I decided to focus on teaching her how to harness and tap into the Toh energy around her.
So, after dinner, I spent time teaching her how to meditate and feel the bright emerald green strands of the Toh energy around her and then absorbing it herself to strengthen her gift. I explained that once this became second nature to her and she was able to do this without meditation, she would be able to better grow the plants around her and then even begin to identify them more efficiently.
At first, Nala didn't believe what I said, which makes sense because her people don't think that you can grow your abilities. So, I decided to show her that it as possible. I had her sit cross-legged in front of me playing her hands in my own as I mirrored her position. Then I tapped into the essence of life that flowed to the earth and slowly drew the energy into myself. With the contact and concentration she was able to see through her mind's eye the ebbs and flows of the Toh and Tah it was absorbed into my body and flow out into the ground below us. Once she opened her eyes, there was a bed of alpinia purpurata surrounding us. She was undoubtedly convinced after that and excited to learn. But, I asked her to keep it between us that I was teaching her. I did not need to stand out more than I already was. If their Warlord was as smart as I thought he was, he was definitely keeping tabs on me. I am the first native they've met so far.
Surprisingly I am excited to teach. Usually, the thought of teaching Poppy and the others feels me with dread. It takes so much energy, and I have to do a lot of finesse training on my part to make sure I don't train them.
Ugh, I don't think I'll ever forgive Torbin for roping me in to teach.
But, being able to help Nala see that her affinity isn't useless, that she can help it grow and be seen as useful. Hopefully, this will give Nala the confidence that she deserves.
I smiled to myself as I walked into the serving camp. I spotted Nala and waved at her, but as I approached, I noticed that she was talking to someone. I looked at her companion and saw a red. It was then that I noticed it was the same alluring redhead from my first night. She was currently talking to Nala, and I did not like what I saw. The redhead, I think her name was Cathel, was standing up with her hands on her hips. Her lips were turned down into a frown, but the smug gleam in her eyes betrayed her. Quietly I took my shoes off and used the earth to glean what was going on. The first thing I felt was floods of panic coming from Nala. Then I noticed a slow, but steady, stream of smug satisfaction coming off of Cathel. I could feel my anger rising to a boil, the audacity that this woman had. I could tell from her energy that was talented in her abilities, which is probably why she was feeling superior to Nala, but the oily imbalance of her Toh and Tah let me know that she was a scheming little twatt. I have always hated those types, they always think that they have to right to do whatever they want.
Picking up my shoes I carefully walked over to them. Standing off to the side I could hear their conversation.
"-become my maid, I expect a lot from you. And since you don't start for another few days, I figured I would start giving you assignments. That way, when you're serving me full time I have confidence that you can get things done."
Nala's head was bowed as she nodded.
"I fully understand Dona, what would you like for me to do?"
Cathel waved a girl forward, she was carrying an arm full of white, cream, and pale tan.
"The Warlord has seen fit to invite me to his quarters this evening, So, I need to look my best. But, my best dresses are all dirty and need to be cleaned. Sasha has the dresses I need to choose from in her arms, and I need them cleaned by tonight."
Nala finally looked up, not raising her head, and I saw her eyes pop open at the number of dresses. I counted at least 20 dresses in the maids' hands. There was no way Nala could clean those by herself before dinner.
"D-dona, I don't mean to be impolite, but I don't think it's possible to be possible to clean all 20 before your dinner with the Warlord. If you pick your five favorites, I can make sure that those are cleaned before your super and have the rest cleaned in two days."
Cathel looked thoughtfully at Nala, as though she was really considering her proposal, but I knew from her delighted energy she really wasn't. Instead, I could feel that she was doing this on purpose, for no other reason but to find pleasure in Nala's circumstance. To my surprise, I felt a furious presence behind me. I snuck a peek at my back and saw Orson standing there. He had a face of perfect neutrality, but I knew differently. It wasn't often that I felt such hostility directed at people, and I knew that he was pissed off at what Cathel was doing.
Turning my gaze back on Nala and Cathel I saw Cathel shake her head in regret.
"I'm sorry dear, but I can't afford that. I must look my best, and I'm to busy to decide now. Sita hand Nala the dresses."
The girl holding the dressing handed then to Nala, but right as she went to take them I felt the girl use her powers to cause a small gust of wind rise and trip Nala to falling right on top of the dresses.
Everything was still as we all realized that all twenty dresses were currently soaked into a smelly pile of mud.
"How could you? Have you no brains in that effete-brain of yours? If these are not pristine by tonight, you can forget about your promotion. Instead, I will personally see to it that you are sent to the slave pits. No man will even see you fit as a rutting mate then."
With those words, Cathel and her companion Sita stormed off.
Nala slowly sat up and began gathering the dresses in her arms. Orson and I rushed over to her and helped her pick up the clothes.
I handed Orson the dresses I had picked up and grabbed the ones out of Nala's arms. She just stood there like a statue, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Once they finally broke Nala caved into herself. I quickly handed Orson the rest and pulled Nala into my arms. She may have been a little less than a half of a foot taller than me, but I tried my best to give her the best loving hug I could.
"Wh-what am I g-gonna d-do Mael?" she sniffled.
"If I d-don't g-get these dresses c-cleaned by dinner I-i'll be ruined!"
A fresh wave of tears hit her, and she began to sob all over again. Rubbing her back I waved Orson away, hoping to have some privacy. At first, he hesitated, his features warring with wanting to stay and comfort her and giving me time to calm her down. Finally, he relented and walked about 10 feet away, never taking his eyes off of us.
"Shh, it's going to be okay-"
Nala's head whipped up, and her swollen eyes dripped in defeat.
"How? Those dresses are ruined. It's already hard enough to clean such lightly colored clothes without ruining them, but the mud. It will be impossible to get it out. It has probably already stained the fabric."
Standing up on my tiptoes I brought Nalas ears clothes to my lips. I began to smooth her hair, in the hopes of looking like I was whispering gentle words.
"Because, my dear friend, as an earth user we have power over all natural ground substances. And that includes mud."
I felt Nala's head jerk in surprise, but I help it firmly close to my ear.
"What we're going to do, is tell Nala we tripped in some mud on our way this morning. Then we're gonna go back to your tent and remove it from the dresses. Their gonna look completely new, but you will still need to wash them to remove any smells. Do you understand."
I felt her slight nod. Slowly releasing her, I looked into her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back and left in search of Alma.
I felt Orson approach and turned to face him. He was watching Nala as she walked away, apparently worried about her. Heaving a tremendous internal sigh, and crossed my fingers he was too distracted to notice my peculiar behavior, I patted him on the shoulder.
"She'll be fine. She's just going to ask Alma for permission to go change. While we're changing we gonna brainstorm on what can be done about the dresses."
Orson turned his frown towards me, and I almost had a heart attack from what he did next. With his arms still filled with the muddy dresses, he pulled me into a quick hug. Quickly he let me go and looked me square in the eyes.
"Thank You."
...….
Sitting on the floor in Nala's tent I gave her some directions,
"Kay so lay out the dresses on that blanket and bring me over some water."
Laying the water bucket in front of me she sat down to watch.
"As I was saying mud is a part of the earth, and since you have an earth affinity, you can manipulate it as you want. Now manipulating the ground isn't where my strength is at. I am better at manipulating plants, but I have trained in it enough that I am proficient in using it. Now manipulating something is different then harnessing and transferring energy. Instead of pulling the energy into your body, you want to follow it as you begin to imagine what its shape will look like. Now with substances like dirt, mud, etc., there are different speeds or patterns that help you distinguish it. Once you are able to meld your essence with the substance, as in it is flowing and moving in the same way, you can now manipulate it. Manipulating things isn't the hard part, it is joining its ebb and flow. People who are good at manipulating this are really good at matching their essences to things of the earth. So, as I'm doing this, I want you to watch with your mind's eye. Kay?"
Nala nodded her head and closed her eyes as I began to work. I found and melded with the earth slowly, trying to go at a pace that Nala could follow and began to pull the mud from the dress. PLacing it in the bucket, I removed the dirt from the water, drying and condensing it, so it formed a rock.
"Kay you can open your eyes now. Did you see what I did?"
Nala nodded and an excited smile lighting her face. I inwardly did a happy dance, it seemed like her despair from earlier had finally lifted off her shoulders.
"Great! Now it's your turn to try."
Nala and I spent the next half-hour pulling the mud from those clothes. She couldn't entirely turn it into rock, but I took care of that for her. We talked about what else she will eventually be able to and the different parts of life that help us use the world around us. In ALeia we called the energy of life Olemus, a force that was a [perfect balance if all things. In this force, there is the Toh and Tah, dark and life, of life. These two energies complimented each other, but are very different and all life contains certain levels of each. As we talked further about this, I learned that the Great Sky is equivalent to our Olemus, but they saw it as a supreme being, not a force. That the night and day of the Great sky is the same as our Toh and Tah. That the Night and DAy are the Mother and Father sides of the Great sky, the same being, but in two different forms.
It was amazing to see the similarities in our beliefs, even though they varied slightly. It helped to find another way to connect with Nala and provided me with more information on their people. The knowledge of their belief system would go a long way in helping me understand their actions and decisions. If they ever become my enemy, I will know their significant motivations and desires. Helping me to predict their next move.
As we were walking back to the serving area, Nala stopped me.
"Mae, thank you so much. I know it hasn't been easy being here, around the people who have taken you from your home, but I am so happy to have met you. You have become a great friend of mine, and I am really thankful for everything you've taught and shown me."
"Of course, and I don't blame you for what your leaders have decided. You are just as powerless as I am. But you right, if one good thing has come from this, its that I've gotten to meet you too."
Giving her a hug we headed back to the serving tent, arm in arm.
Oryn
"So it's decided that we will put Chief Kane in charge of the wedding through the initiates?" asked Ryker.
Those in the circle grunted in agreement.
"Well, that concludes the meeting today. And as a reminder, let your people know that they should not wander past the sentries' posts. If anything happens, they are on their own."
The group slowly got up from the council circle and began to depart from my tent.
Thalia approached me.
"Warlord, I have some information I felt you might like to know."
I noticed a few curious glances and promptly ignored them. Holding out my hand to the cushion she sat next to me and waited until the last person exited the tent,
"I have a report from the guard Leven. The one you asked to get to know our captive."
I inclined my head, prompting her to continue.
"Yesterday, once the servers finished lunch Leven reported that the captive and her guide, Nala, stayed behind to talk. He overheard the captive telling Nala that her village was hidden from others and had plenty of resources. Apparently, the captive is worried about a confrontation between our people and hers."
The information that Thalia provided was very different then what the girl had reported to them her first night. But, what was to be expected. She was being held prisoner by a people she didn't know. If I were in her position, I too would have lied about my origins.
"Did he hear anything about where this place may be located?"
Thalia shook her head.
"I asked Leven, and he said she didn't reveal any more."
I nodded my head,
"Good, this is very good. If he could find the location of this people, we could use it to our advantage. We could march on them and siege their 'secret' village for ourselves. It would give us the protection from others while we gathered our strength. Have Leven ask Mae about her home. See if he can get any more useful information from this girl."
Thalia face lit into a predatory smile.
"Wonderful, I think that is a great option. If I may sir, I think it may be beneficial if I also insert myself into her life. See what additional information he would reveal to me."
Although pleased at my Commanders initiative I couldn't agree with the plan.
"Good thinking Thalia, but you are not quite the type to easily confide in. You may scare the poor girl."
Thalia's face was the immovable mask of a perfect warrior. The slight downturn of her mouth was the only indication that my comment hit a sore spot.
"I understand, maybe we could ask her guide to see if she can also get any information from her."
"Yes, that sounds like a good plan. We could sweeten the pot with the promise of a promotion to Cathel's maid."
Thalia choked back a laugh,
"I don't know if that would be a fun promotion, but it would open doors to other avenues. I'll approach her tonight with the offer. See if she is willing."
My face turned set itself into stone, a hard glint in my eyes.
"If she is loyal to her people she will. Otherwise, have her work on the latrines for the next week."
"Isn't that a little harsh Oryn? You've never required people to do things like this before if it is not one of their duties."
Running my hands through my hair, I let out a great sigh.
"I know, but we are a newly formed people, and tensions are running high. I cannot afford an inkling of unwavering loyalty at the moment. To be able to succeed in this land we must all be focused solely on the achievement of our people."
Thalia was silent for a moment, allowing my words to churn in her head. She meekly nodded her head, finally seeing the wisdom in my words.
"I understand Warlord, I will make sure to relay the importance of this task to her. And I will meet out the punishment myself."
"Good, I know I could count on you."