“Can the oni cross from their world to ours through this unstable area?” At least True Flame asked her directly.
“I don’t know,” Tinker said. “I need to study the area more. In theory, there should not be enough energy to keep it unstable.”
“We think at least one creature has come through.” Windwolf said. “My domi was attacked in the valley yesterday by what we believe is an oni dragon. It is unlikely that the oni could have smuggled such a creature across all the borders of Earth — so it stands to reason that it’s a new arrival.”
“Then we will have to wait until this area is secure,” True Flame tapped Turtle Creek on the map, “before you can continue your study.”
“If the oni can come through, then we’re in trouble,” Tinker said. “They had an army poised to come through my pathway. With a few hours of study, I can…”
“Child, you will stay out of this valley until I give you leave,” True Flame said.
“I am not a child.” Tinker snapped.
“You have learned your esva?” True Flame asked.
Tinker didn’t know the word. She glanced to Windwolf.
“No, she hasn’t.” Windwolf said quietly, as if holding in anger. “You know it takes years of study.”
“A domi protects her warriors as they protect her,” True Flame said. “Until we know the enemy’s strength, we will not endanger any of our people by pushing them onto the frontlines with a helpless child to protect.”
Windwolf put a hand to her shoulder as if he expected her to say something rude. Tinker, however, found herself glancing at Stormsong and Pony standing with the Wind Clan’s sekasha. She hadn’t been able to protect her people — she nearly got them killed. She looked away, embarrassed by True Flame’s correct reading, and that she had failed Pony and the others so completely.
True Flame took her silence as agreement and moved on. “Have you been able to determine any other oni stronghold?”
“Not yet. Tinker killed their leader, Lord Tomtom, but the size of their organization and the type of operations that they were carrying out suggested a number of subordinates, which we haven’t identified nor located.”
True Flame grunted and signaled for tea to be poured. A servant moved forward to fill the delicate china tea bowls. After a month at Aum Renau, Tinker knew that talking was a no-no without Windwolf’s glance her direction; some elf bullshit about appreciating the act of being civilized. She distracted herself with the honey and milk. True Flame studied the map of the sprawling Earth city and expanse of Elfhome wilderness, ignoring the tea. Silence would rule until True Flame, as highest ranked person at the table, spoke.
“The oni weakness has always been their own savageness,” he said finally. “To keep his underlings in check, an oni keeps his people weak and in disorder. There is no chain of command. Once you killed this Lord Tomtom, it was each dog for himself until one could emerge as strongest.”
True Flame locked his gaze on Tinker. “Each elf knows who is above them, and who is beneath them, and that neither relationship is stronger than the other. Those who serve are to be protected, those who protect, are to be served. We are not wild animals thinking only of ourselves, but a society that works only when we each know our position and act accordingly.”
Tinker forced herself to sip her tea and chose her words carefully. “Having seen the oni up close, there is no need to convince me which is better.”
She expected another angry look from Windwolf, but his eyes filled with sorrow, which only made her more uncomfortable than his annoyance would have. She focused on her tea instead.
“The rest of my force will be arriving on gossamers shortly,” True Flame said. “I was afraid that you’d be overrun before they could arrive, so I came on ahead.”
“Thank you,” Windwolf said. “If my beloved’s aim had not been true, all would have been lost before you arrived.”
“Tonight, we can bivouac in this field, and tomorrow, we’ll start securing the city.” He ran his hand over the great expanse of wilderness. “The Stone Clan is traveling under escort of my force. I will have no choice but reward them for their service.”
“I know that.” Windwolf said in a carefully neutral tone.
It hurt to see him sit there and take it. She couldn’t just sit there and watch him bow his head and have the Stone Clan swoop in to take what he had carved out of raw wilderness. “Wolf Who Rules didn’t summon Pittsburgh here. And there was no way he could have kept the humans off Elfhome — not even killing every last human would have done that — because then there would have been retaliation. The door was open to the oni by no fault of his.”
“I know that,” True Flame said.
“Then why should he be punished and the Stone Clan rewarded? You claim that our society works because everyone works together. What benefit would the Stone Clan reap if the world was flooded by oni? Wolf Who Rules has put everything on the line — where is his reward?”
“Because it is the law of our people: you hold only what you can protect. It is the law that kept the peace for thousands of years.”
“Beloved,” Windwolf said quietly. “It is not as unfair as it seems. We are making a choice. Does the city fall to Stone Clan, who are honorable elves, or to oni?”
“I wouldn’t turn over a — a — a — warg to the oni.” That was an unfortunate choice of words as it reminded her of the warg at the oni camp and poor, poor — but hopefully dead — Chiyo. How could someone she hated trigger such remorse? One thing was certain — she cried much too easily lately. “This sucks,” she snapped in English, wanting to blot the evidence of tears out of her eyes, but the damn fancy sleeves of her gown were in the way. She turned away from True Flame; she didn’t want him to see her crying. Yeah, yeah, impress the elf on how grown up you are and bawl like a baby.
There was movement beside her and she realized Pony had moved up to her side. It took everything she had not to reach for him.
“If I may be excused,” she hated that her voice shook. “I wish to go back to the enclave.”
“You may go.” True Flame said.
She reached for Pony’s arm. He got her up and away smoothly, almost as if tears weren’t blinding her. So much for appearances.
A full Hand peeled off to accompany her and Pony back to the enclave. Somehow, just having Pony there clearing a path to her bedroom refuge made it possible to blink back the tears and get herself under control. Still she was fumble fingered with emotion as she tried to undo the hooks of her dress.
She finally gave up. “Can you undo me?”
Pony stood behind her and unhooked the tiny fasteners down the back of dress. “Domi, do not be upset. True Flame can see that your heart is in the right place.”
She groaned at the echo of what Stormsong had said to her. “They will put that on my gravestone. Here lies Tinker, her heart was in the right place, but her foot was in her mouth and god knows where her brain went.”
He chuckled. “Usually we judge ourselves harsher than anyone does.”
It was a relief to let the dress slither down to the floor. She stepped out of the pool of silk and picked it up, not wanting it to be ruined. She had messed up enough things already today.
“So, Wolf Who Rules’s mother is—” Tinker paused to recall the various words the elves used to denote relationships. This was made tricky because she wasn’t sure if True Flame mother or father was the connection. If True Flame was Soulful Ember’s brother, then his father was King Halo Dust. What was the word for paternal aunt? “— father’s sister to True Flame?”
“Yes. Longwind and Flame Heart formed an alliance of the Wind Clan and Fire Clan. Wolf Who Rules spent his doubles at court under the Queen’s Care, learning the fire esva. It was there that he gained the favor of his royal cousins.”