As we came into the clearing, I paused and blinked a couple times as my eyes adjusted to the bright light of the torches spread about the area. A coyote snarled once and clamped briefly onto my left calf to goad me forward. Without making a sound, I pulled my leg free and continued with Rowe into the center of the clearing.
At the far end, Kane sat on his throne hewn from a giant boulder. The leader of the animal clan was a large man with a massive barrel chest and legs like tree trunks. His body was wrapped in a large bearskin, while his large bare feet were smeared with mud.
The leader of the animal clan always had to be the strongest. He was frequently challenged by other members of the clan in battle. Unfortunately, until Kane, the leaders of the animal clan had not been known as the best strategists in battle. The clan was known as great melee fighters and was usually the first sent into battle against any enemy. It wasn’t until Kane rose to power that the group realized exactly how poorly they had been treated by the royal family.
Unfortunately for me, the animal clan had been the most vocal against Aurora’s decisions, forcing me to strike against them to protect her sovereignty. They had the most reason to hate me, and I had a dark feeling that I was going to feel the brunt of that hatred tonight.
Our guards had backed away from us, leaving Rowe and myself standing alone in the circle. I glanced around to find many of the naturi changing back into their natural form, while others settled on the ground, still in animal form. Their expressions varied from distaste to outright hostility. Only Kane looked somewhat amused by our presence. Locke took up his position on the right side of Kane’s throne with a smug look on his face. Without a doubt, their minds were already made up against me. I had to find a way to not only get out of this alive, but to convince them to take a big risk on a young naturi with a dream.
“I am honored that you have granted me this audience, lord of the animal clan,” I said with a bow of my head. I again held my hands out to my sides with my palms open to show that I held no weapons and offered up no threat. At my side, Rowe said nothing as he folded his arms over his chest and glared at Kane.
The leader of the animal clan gave a deep chuckle. “We have been short on entertainment recently, and right now, only Aurora’s head carries more value to me than your own.”
Suppressing a sigh of frustration, I pushed forward. “Locke granted Rowe safe passage through your domain so long as he doesn’t return. Will you honor that offer?”
“Locke told me of the argument you made for him. Wise words,” he admitted, scratching the scraggly brown beard that stretched from his chin. “I will grant him safe passage so long as he never returns to our lands.”
All eyes then turned to Rowe, who gave a nonchalant shrug of his slim shoulders. “In truth, I have been short on entertainment as well. I’d like to stick around and see the show, if you don’t mind.”
Kane gave a deep laugh, slapping one hand on the arm of his stone chair. “Done!” he declared. “I might have been young at the time, but I recall days of you two training together. I would have thought there would be more solidarity between you.”
“Things change,” Rowe said in a low voice that wiped the smile from Kane’s face.
Yes, things had changed for all of us, and none of it seemed for the better. The naturi had been caged, Aurora turned on many of her own people, Rowe branded a traitor, and I’d become a winged creature of death for those I was sworn to protect. The naturi were dangling on the cusp of extinction. Things had indeed changed.
My temporary captive ambled slowly away from where I stood in the center of the clearing and over to a large tree. He leaned against it, crossing one foot in front of the other as he prepared to watch me try to dance my way out of my own death. A part of me wished that Cynnia had not sent me alone into Kane’s territory, but I knew that if I had come with more at my back, Kane would have instantly seen it as a threat. I was an emissary, a diplomat. Not a threat.
“Will you give me leave to deliver a final message from Cynnia before you pursue my death?” I inquired in a calm, even voice, as if I weren’t talking about my own bloody end.
Kane arched one thick brow at me and seemed to cock his head to one side in surprise. “The young one lives? Between her run-in with the Fire Starter, the death sentence from Aurora, and her association with you, I assumed that she was long dead.”
“No, Cynnia lives, though she is in hiding from Aurora’s spies. She has sent me to you with a message. Will you hear it?”
Kane gave a wave of his meaty hand, beckoning me to continue. I once again bowed my head to him, attempting to show a degree of subservience. My people might have hated me from my birth, but until this moment I had been forced to bow to no one but Aurora.
I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. My life not only lay in Kane’s hands, but also in Rowe’s—I needed his cooperation now more than ever before. Unfortunately, it had been many years since we’d last seen eye-to-eye, and Cynnia seemed to forever separate us.
“Cynnia hales your break from Aurora and the independent domain that you have established within these mountains. She wishes you many years of strength and glory—”
“Enough of your pretty words,” Kane interrupted as he slouched in his chair. “Surely she has something more important to say, something that just may save your hide.”
“Fair enough,” I said, my voice taking on an icy chill that had struck fear in the weaker. I straightened my shoulders and crossed my arms over my chest. “Cynnia plans to strike against Aurora. The queen has gone mad. As you well know, she saw treachery and betrayal around every corner. She accused her own sisters of being traitors when we remained her loyal subjects. Aurora plans to continue her campaign against the humans despite the fact that our numbers have greatly diminished. In the end, Aurora will bring about the total extinction of our people. She must be stopped.”
“I’m assuming that Cynnia will place herself on the throne should Aurora be defeated,” Kane sneered.
“Cynnia has a different vision for our people,” I quickly countered, evading his question. “She believes that we can pursue a quiet coexistence with mankind that will allow our numbers to once again flourish. She wishes a peaceful existence that will bring our people back from the brink of extinction. There will no longer be war with the nightwalkers, the lycanthropes, or the humans.”
“You paint a pretty picture.”
“One that no longer uses the animal clan as its whipping boy.” Rowe’s interjection surprised me.
Kane glared at Rowe before finally returning his attention to me. “As I’m sure you expected, this plan is appealing after years of being the main force behind Aurora’s army. We would like nothing more than to return to the forests and live in peace. However, I’m no fool. What is the catch to this beautiful dream?”
“Cynnia needs to build an army to defeat Aurora and those who have sided with her,” I said. “She humbly asks that the animal clan lend their assistance.”
“So we are to become the dog soldiers for Cynnia instead of Aurora?” Kane roared. “How is this going to be any different than what Aurora has offered us? We are still under the heel of the ruler and we are done with that role!”
“When we go into battle, the animal clan will not be alone,” I quickly argued. “They will be joined by members of the wind clan, most of whom have flocked to Cynnia’s banner, as well as some members of the earth clan. We will all be equals on the field of battle, taking back our lives from Aurora and securing our future.”
Kane shook his head. “Your numbers will still be fewer than those that follow Aurora. You will be slaughtered.”
“We will not go down as easily as you expect. Cynnia would like you to lead one battalion of naturi, and should I survive tonight’s encounter, I will lead a second. Our commander on the field will be Aurora’s former commander, Rowe,” I announced, not daring to look over at the one-eyed naturi. I couldn’t imagine how he was taking the news that Cynnia expected him to lead the army against his former wife-queen. For now, he remained silent, and I was grateful. “Rowe is unmatched in his fighting skills and a superior strategist when it comes to the battlefield. His leadership along with your own will give us an edge.”