The days following the discovery of the dark truth about the Spiderbeast were long and exhausting. Before the entire council of Chiefs, including Leon, I had to go over every detail of what Leon and I saw, and what it meant to me. Unfortunately, this meant telling them all exactly what my life had been, and the nature of my gruesome death. But this didn't happen just once, but twice; for I had to recount and repeat everything I said in front of all the Chiefs and Artemius and Vivian again, and several other higher-ranking warriors.

On the second day, we were in CiCi’s office, a triangular-shaped room adorned with forest green furnishings and dark mahogany furniture. Vivian was staring at me in shock, her mouth slightly open, while Artemius was glaring at me with his usual angry expression. His orange eyes were narrowed accusingly, and I felt like they were seeing into my soul.

“So… you’re saying this creature didn't start out as an inferior Tisin?” Vivian asked, dumbfounded.

“It doesn’t appear so,” Leon answered gently, giving me a quick glance as he spoke. I sighed audibly. Apparently, that was also a new development in the current gathered information on Tisin. This was completely new, even compared to what CiCi had to face when she founded the Spirit Warriors.

“And it could talk? Intelligently?” Vivian pressed. I was beginning to wonder if she and CiCi had rehearsed with each other. The woman was saying the same things as CiCi had the previous day and it was getting on my nerves. Perhaps it was just the sensitive subject that was making the topic so grating. Or perhaps it was the fact that we had to have the same conversation twice.

“In my father’s voice, yes,” I answered her, and the feeling of tension seemed to thicken. What made it worse was that I felt that the tension was all aimed at me, and it was making me quite uncomfortable.

What Leon and I had seen was classified information thus far, so naturally, word had leaked out and rumors of me being related in some way, shape, or form to Tisin were running rampant. I’d yet to hear an accurate rumor, however, it was still disturbing, and they had effectively alienated me further from the society that the Spirit Warriors were.

“Yuzuki, can you tell us more about the nature of this beast? You knew him when he was a man. How do you think that will affect his current state?” CiCi asked, rapping her knuckles against the desk.

“If he was willing to sell out and murder his family, what do you think his nature is going to be?” Artemius cut in, his voice heavily coated in malice.

“Enough! Yuzuki, I feel the more we know, the better prepared we can make everyone. Surely you understand a few of our more enthusiastic warriors are already setting their sights on eternal glory, vying to be the ones to cleanse the Spiderbeast.”

I nodded at CiCi’s words. Of course, I understood that. But even I knew my response had been meek and weak.

“I understand… but Artemius is right. Everyone knew him for his ruthlessness. He trained us by driving the fear, the love, the hope, and the joy out of us. My siblings and I had to fight to hold onto the humanity we had left. Up until the day we died, we were constantly punished in… the most imaginative ways. He wasn’t just ruthless. He was the cruelest human you could ever meet. My sister had been on a mission to spy on a feudal lord of a region that was considered at risk for an uprising. He married her off to the feudal lord’s son and when she succeeded in her mission and came home she was with a child. He beat her until blood pooled out from between her legs. I fear for anyone who would ever face him, that goes for all in this room too.” I said honestly, looking around at them all seriously. “As a beast, a Tisin, or even if he was but a man still, he was incredibly strong. He’s always been incredibly strong in his resourcefulness. He knew how to get information. He knew how to beat people he could not hope to beat. He always will be, I fear. When I killed him, I was certain I had rid the world of someone evil, but it seems I have only made him more powerful.”

The silence was heavy as everyone contemplated my words.

“It appears he can rip holes in time, revealing the past to him. What we don’t know is if this is the only thing he can see. And even so, how long before he can watch the present? Yuzuki is clearly a subject of interest for him. And what if he can begin to travel through these space and time holes? If he does become capable of this, our world, the living world, and potentially the worlds beyond the Black and Golden Gates may be in jeopardy.” Claus said in a soft voice.

His words caused everyone to jerk their eyes to him from every face. Fear flickered across the features of everyone in the room as they realized something I’d concluded the night of the incident. That long night I had spent awake, my heart racing, my body trembling as my mind reeled over every possible thought one could have in my situation. I imagined my father killing my new friends. That night, Leon had stayed the night with me and had laid in the bed next to me. He had kept his hand on mine, letting me know he was there with me while I battled endless waking nightmares.

I’d had all the time in the world it seemed, laying there sleeplessly dwelling on the new possibilities of what my role in this society meant. They were just now catching up to me.

“Not to mention whatever worlds we know not of,” CiCi added standing, breaking the silence with a soft whisper. Her feet picked up and she began to pace the length of the room. “We may need more than what we have. I will speak to Malakaii tonight, let us see what Okard has to say.”

These words caused me to look up in surprise. To seek answers from a Dragon, but what would Okard know? Would she even help us? I quickly felt the mood shifting into a reactive state and I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t cut out of the action.

“I want to be a part of this! Of everything!” I blurted out, drawing once more attention to myself. “This is personal for me,” I said defensively as eyes stared at me apprehensively. I could feel the weight of my words sink in and CiCi grimaced as she shook her head slightly.

“That is precisely why I do not think…”

“That Tisin is my father!” I interrupted CiCi’s words, causing her to sigh in irritation. I approached her, my hands reached out before I could think, and I wrapped them around one of hers, grasping it firmly. “I will not be told no on something so important to me. That man killed my family. He killed me. He abused all of us for so long. He would have been responsible for thousands of lives lost in an invasion set up at the cost of his loyalty. As a man, he already had the blood of hundreds on his hands, and that is not even including the lives that my siblings and I took on his order. He has already devoured hundreds of souls as a Tisin. Maybe more. Ceasing that many existences is unforgivable in itself, without the list of transgressions he has stacked against him from our lives! I have a score to settle and not just my own, and not just my family’s. For every life he has touched, I must make it right. For every life I took for him, I must atone. I must atone for all of my family. I am the only one who can correct the tragedies that my blood has created.” Letting go of CiCi’s hand, I stood up tall as I spoke, taking Estrakulius in my hands and staring down at the physical piece of my soul. 

Tears fell onto the sheath of the strange sword I held as I spoke. The part of me that had manifested into a weapon that could guide me, protect me, and most of all; could vindicate me. I’d never felt so determined before this moment, and a moment of quiet echoed loudly before CiCi sighed once more and nodded.

“Very well,” she conceded in a resigned voice, and Estrakulius vibrated in my hand as a fierce feeling of determination and joy flooded through me. 

“CiCi!” Leon protested, speaking for the first time since we’d entered the triangular office, echoes of the others agreeing with him reaching my ears.

“ENOUGH!” CiCi’s voice commanded sternly. “This fight is more Yuzuki’s than it is any of ours! If you were all in her position, you’d feel the same. She has a right to bring honor to herself and the memory of her family. She deserves to fix her legacy. And she deserves the closure. That chance was given to every single Transcended in this room, and this is hers! This fight is also a way of self-discovery for her. This is as much about cleansing herself as it is ridding our lives of this danger.” 

CiCi’s voice was stern and strong but also gentle, her green eyes resting on me as she spoke. I could see in her eyes how much she truly understood me. It was at that moment that I grew to truly respect CiCi. I nodded quietly in thanks, and she slipped me a small secret smile before turning to Artemius, who was still protesting. It gave me enough time to wipe the tears from my eyes that had freshly formed at her acknowledgment. 

“She’s not strong enough!” His words caused anger to spiral through me, and I whirled to him as I snarled a response to him through gritted teeth.

“Says you? Someone who has never bothered to check on my progress but judges me every time he lays his eyes on me. I am plenty strong enough. I bet I could put you out in less than five minutes.” I challenged him, causing his orange eyes to narrow at me and Vivian reached out and grabbed his arm to keep him from standing. “I have learned here that everything happens for a reason. I came to this world for exactly this reason, and I did not go to the place I should have! For this! And I will silence you and your judgment if I must Artemious!” I was nearly shouting and the orange-eyed man was silent as he stared at me for a long moment.

“Fine. But here’s a piece of advice. Whatever you learned from him, whatever you think you know, you better forget. You need to learn a whole new way of fighting because if you use the same tricks he taught you before he flipped his train off the tracks, you’re gonna be a dead woman. Again. And this time, there will be no more chances.”

I inhaled sharply, realizing the reality of his words. He was right, and I let him know I understood that with a simple nod before leaving the room promptly. I had a war to prepare for. And I did not feel the need to justify myself to anyone, especially not Artemius. The only person I dreaded the argument from was tall, dark, and handsome. 

To my surprise, however, Leon heavily supported me in the following days. He trained with me constantly, and I was a monster. I pressed him even beyond his limits. We left the training field numerous times, both covered in wounds, filthy, and exhausted. Kora would have a field day, and Rachel had to step in and help us both some days. There was a passing joke running around the Healing Center that Leon and I just tended to get out of hand in our horseplay. While Leon found this amusing, it aggravated me very much. It was a disrespect to martial arts and the way of life of a warrior, and it also made my face burn and my heart race in the most uncomfortable way.

Our scouts had told us that the Tisin’s nest had moved, and they had yet to locate the new one. So while we trained, we had no new information. I was slowly becoming stir-crazy. Leon put me on patrols to soothe my anxiety and it was effective. Several villages that had been posted with constant Warriors were attacked, and I was able to fight Tisin, cleansing a few. I truly felt it was better than doing nothing. Slowly but surely, all the outside villages were being evacuated into the heart of the Warrior City. Things were different now, there were souls spilling out into the streets, sleeping on homemade beds in alleys and any peaceful quiet nook they could find.

Most spirits here did not require food, thankfully, or worry that the overpopulation would have been heavy. Life was different here. The refugees made themselves useful in any way they could, helping the locals with whatever they could. The lack of violence and sickness had me uneasy, though I was grateful for it. Perhaps the afterlife is meant to feel like a dream.

It was a couple of weeks before CiCi called us to the outskirts of the city early in the morning one day. Leon was lying in the grass, and when I arrived, I promptly joined him, sitting cross-legged in the plush greenery. The scenery was that of a large meadow, the wind causing the blades of grass and the random yellow and blue flowers that dotted the scenery to wave peacefully.

“Gonna tell us what’s going on?” Artemius asked in a tired voice, and I couldn’t help but be slightly amused at the fact that this man never seemed to be in a good mood, no matter what time of day it was. Vivian was leaning against him sleepily, her arms wrapped around him. The oddest part of this scene was the fact that he had his arm wrapped around her too, his hand tightly on her hip. Realization hit me like a freight train, and thank everything in the universe that CiCi decided to answer then.

“You will see. Keep your eyes on the sky.” CiCi answered simply. She always had good posture, and today her stance was even more rigid, her back straight as if she were a strict ballet instructor. My gaze went up to the sky curiously, scanning the clear blue abyss for anything that seemed out of place. My hands were resting in my lap, my eyes blinking back the glare of the sun when I saw the distortion in the sky, at first mistaking it for a scenery change. But as I stared at the faint ripple in the sky, it became bigger and fractals of light began to be thrown off from the point in the sky as it drew closer.

Looking at Leon, I saw that his eyes were closed and I reached over and touched his shoulder. When he opened his dark brown eyes to look up at me, I pointed to the sky, his gaze following the direction of my indication, before he sat up, narrowing his eyes at the sky, grinning.

“What is that?” I asked, feeling distinctly uneasy. Leon was smiling up at the sky, his eyes turned to me and I could see the sparkle of mischief in them.

“Okard,” he said in an excited voice, and I could feel the stunned expression on my face as he stood, offering his hand down to me. I took it tentatively and stood, watching as the rippling reflecting light source came closer.

He kept hold of my hand as I watched the sparkling speck fly closer, and as it did, it began to take shape. Slowly, a dragon came into view, details becoming more obvious the closer that it got. The wings were outstretched as Okard began to descend, lazily floating on the invisible thermals of air that made the flaps of skin between the sharp spines of her wings taut. I could have easily lain side by side with Leon vertically down her wings on the largest gap. At the very edge of her wings, the sharp hook at the tip and the elbow of her wings glinted. I noticed she had no spines along her smooth back, except for a crown of them in a small cluster on her head. She was sleek and plain, and exquisitely simple for a dragon. But to me, that is what made her the most elegant and beautiful creature I had ever laid my eyes on. 

I could see once she landed and I could tolerate looking at her opaline presence that her scales were small for a dragon her size, each only the size of the palm of my hand. Her opalescent scales shimmered with different hues in the sunshine as she settled onto the earth, landing gracefully some distance away from us. Her talons were sanguine, and as they settled into the dark green grass they looked like streaks of blood. Tucking her wings along her body, she shook herself a little bit, sending fractals of light shimmering all around her.

Leon was still holding my hand as I stared at her, and I heard his rumbling laugh as I tried to catch my breath. Secretly, I thought the sound was beautiful coming from him, though I’d always been extra careful not to react to it physically whenever Kora was around. That woman had taken to staring at us like some kind of predatory bird when we were together.

“If you do not close your mouth, bugs will fly into it. And you may want to put your eyes back into your skull, Yuzuki.” He said softly, leaning towards me to murmur. I looked at him, speechless, and caught a glimpse of my black curly-haired friend watching us with a creepy anticipation on her face and I gently pulled my hand away, grinning.

“I’m going to cuddle that dragon. I don’t care if I die for it!” I told him playfully, and once again, Leon laughed, following me as I began to walk towards her, watching as old man Malakaii slid down her shoulder to the ground.

“Yuzu!” A little voice rang out, full of delight. I smiled, suddenly perking up at the realization that Alice was also on the dragon’s back. The group converged on the side of Okard, who had made herself comfortable by lying down in the grass, swishing the end of her tail that seemed to be miles away from us back and forth as if she enjoyed the way it felt in the long strands of vegetation.

Alice waited until I approached, and I waved up at her. “Alice-chan,” I said in greeting.

“Yuzu, catch me!” She said laughing, and before I could protest about jumping off of dragons and potentially breaking necks, she leaped into the air. I hurried and positioned myself under the little girl, and caught her, falling down into the grass as she landed heavily on me.

“You do realize that in a couple of years, you’ll be taller than I am?” I huffed, wincing and reaching around and rubbing my tailbone, and Alice simply laughed again. Another sound I deeply enjoyed. While I found Kora’s laugh grating and loud, and Rachel’s too soft to feel genuine, Alice’s laugh was full of innocence and purity, and it always sent a happy feeling through my heart.

“Maybe. You are kind of small for a grown-up.” The little girl in my arms said happily as she hugged me, before clamoring off at Malakaii’s growl at her to behave. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Leon was grinning, but he wisely kept his mouth shut as he offered his hand to me once more, which I took gingerly.

When he pulled me to my feet, I immediately regretted accepting the help as Kora’s green eyes were shimmering with glee. No doubt there would be some sort of new rumor spread throughout the Warrior City within the next few hours. I sent her a brief glare, before turning my eyes to CiCi who had approached Okard and offered a bow of her head.

“Thank you for coming, Okard,” CiCi said in a serious voice, and the dragon turned her deep blue eyes towards the red-headed Chieftain.

It would be folly to ignore a circumstance such as this.

A voice, deep and feminine rang through my head and I felt for a few seconds distinctly lightheaded. A step backward had Leon’s hand on the small of my back, and I turned my eyes up to him. The expression on his face was furrowed as if he were concentrating on the dragon intently.

A tug at my hand had me looking down at Alice, who was looking up at me with concern.

“I met her a few days ago. It takes a minute to get used to it. She speaks in our minds because dragons naturally can’t talk with their voices.” she said smiling. “Don’t worry, your mind will get used to it. It’s hard. Malakaii said that our minds try to push her out because she doesn’t belong there, but once our minds get used to her being there, it will be easier. He was right. Her voice doesn’t hurt me anymore.” Her voice was very cheerful, and I noticed on her blue sundress there were deep pockets that were bulging and wiggling.

“Alice…” I asked, pointing at them quietly, aware that CiCi was going to scold me for not paying attention if she didn’t stop distracting me. The little girl grinned and pulled Khaos the Ferret and Urianna the Mongoose out of them. I could faintly hear in my mind their bickering and I tried to tune them out.

“Why don't Uri and Khaos hurt my mind then?” I wondered out loud and blinked in surprise as the echoing booming voice that was Okard answered me.

Because my mind is as close to being Omnipotent as you will get within this realm. Dragons have a collective mind. We have a king and queen, we are sentient. And we share a collective knowledge. While we do have personal identities, we cannot hear each other's thoughts or whatnot. It is just a… knowing. My existence is vast and connected to thousands of years of collective knowledge. Something like that can’t help but be felt strongly by those who are touched by such a force. Not many can withstand me, even at my most gentle. Only the most impressive beings can. 

Wind. Her voice sounded like a Zephyr gust, and I found it quite enjoyable. I looked up at her, my soul yearning to become one with her as she spoke. Her voice sounded like many voices, and yet one, and it was like being buffeted by a strong wind that could lift you up and carry you far away. I looked around us and saw similar looks of admiration on everyone’s face. Even Artemius looked as if he wasn’t hating every second of his life as she spoke.

 Khaos chittered angrily, wriggling from Alice’s hands to climb up my arm and sit on my shoulder. I looked up at the musty-smelling ferret, amused, suddenly being pulled out of the painful trance that Okard’s presence had put on me.

“I don’t think she thinks you’re stupid. I think she’s just saying that she’s a dragon and therefore better than you.” I told him playfully, and Okard opened her mouth in what I could only describe as a smile, all of her extremely sharp teeth glittering in the sunlight. Khaos turned his red eyes to me and stared at me before he shook his little pointy head.

Humans are stupid, and Dragons are full of poop.

 Khaos said grumpily, and Uriana chittered at him.

 She scolded, and Okard shook herself again, causing all of us around her to wince as the fractals of light shining off of her iridescent scales once again shimmered around us. She would have been a great party decoration.

I let my hands stroke Khaos' fur in apology, smiling down at him. It was almost like we were family, sitting here chatting with a dragon. As if it was something we all gathered around and did every new moon.

“I think we should focus,” CiCi said, impatience lining her stern voice and I nodded, determined not to interrupt again. “Okard, can you tell us what you know?”

The Dragon turned her eyes once more to CiCi.

Yuzuki and Leon. I will look into each of your minds, and recall your exact memories. This will feel intrusive, I do apologize, but it is much quicker than asking you to explain it. Not to mention, I can tap into the exact memory and drag it out, so there won’t be anything left out. Understand, this is not going to feel great.

Again, the booming voice made me wince. It was a strange kind of pain, one I’d never felt before. As if pressure were in my mind, blocking out my cognitive abilities. I wanted to leap into her voice and be carried off by it. I wanted it to buffet me with its psychic gales until I gave myself over to it. I hated this feeling, knowing it was some kind of weird dragon influence on my senses. Still, I was not prepared for the next sensation I was about to feel.

Suddenly, a sharp pressure entered my mind and suddenly, without any triggers or commands to recall it, memories of that day on the recon mission surged through my mind. Leon next to me let out a groan and fell to his knees holding his head.

I grit my teeth and refuse to take a knee, as the images swirl through my mind, the details seeming far sharper than when I was there in person.

Everything felt more intense as Okard dug around in my heart and mind. I could feel her examine the memory of the mission, and I could feel her absorbing every traitorous feeling that the scene aroused in me. The wild tornado of hate, rage, betrayal, and helplessness. I could feel her curiosity peak at my need to free the starved and abused Tisin, the way it felt to hear that almost familiar voice of my father. I could feel her become intrigued with how much hatred had echoed in his voice when he saw that I had safely made it beyond the boundaries of realms, and I know she heard the eerie scream of terror the Tisin had let out when the Spiderbeast had grabbed him for an emotional rage snack. 

I felt her process the fear as the Tisin fled, the raw pain and knowledge that my father was this horrible. malevolent being. She closed her eyes at the betrayal I felt for serving him as an assassin to the Empress Regent, only to have him betray all of us in the end. The agony that all of the pain that my mother, my brother, my sister, and I suffered at his hands was for nothing. The burning need to rip his Tisin heart out of his chest and crush it for every evil deed he had ever done.

I felt violated, the exact feelings I felt during the scene raging through me as I stood in place, my hands clenched into fists, as surges of memories bubbled to the forefront of my mind. Every feeling was dissected by Okard, and I could feel her separate them. As she did, it helped me understand them. Tears streamed down my face as I was emotionally and mentally violated by the giant flying lizard who had dived into my mind without waiting for consent.

Beside me, Leon had grit his teeth, his eyes closed as he crossed his arms in front of him defensively, and I vaguely realized that Okard would be looking through his memories, sifting through them as if they were nothing but picture books at her leisure. I realized she was probably ripping him apart emotionally as well, dissecting his most personal thoughts and feelings.

“What can you tell us, Okard?” CiCi asked.

This is no ordinary Tisin. Never before have I seen something like this. I will look through the collective memory of the dragonkin here in Limbo and see what I can dig up for you. Until then be wary. Do not simply classify this beast as a Tisin. What I feel from this creature looking through the memories of these two… is more than instinct that drives it. This is a creature of pure malevolence. It is smart and sentient. The Tisin are beings of instinct and survival. There is much more to this creature than that. Even I would hesitate to fight it personally.

Everything was silent, and CiCi shook her head, looking confused, and I unconsciously took a step towards Leon, shivering. A vivid memory of being chained upside down in a cold damp room for what had to be three days, the measurement of time being only given by the sliver of sunlight that ran through a crack in the door of the room. It was meant to be a harsh lesson about crying. Crying was a sign of weakness. If I were going to cry and be weak, I would learn to be strong by starving and surviving in the dark. No one wanted to see my tears anyway. That was what my father had said.

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes. But that was the way we all had been taught, generation after generation of Kobayashi. We were raised on cruelty so that we could be the killers that we were bred to be. It was unfortunate to be married off to a Kobayashi clan member. I noticed after the memory surged through my mind, that Okard had shifted her gaze to me and stared at me curiously.

A strange phenomenon. A purely kind soul, born from the seeds of cruelty and madness. You are not ordinary, even my keen powers can only glimpse the suffering that you have endured… and yet here you are completely untainted. This is one to keep an eye on, Malakaii. 

The violation of my memories… of my complete inner being. I felt naked and vulnerable. I didn’t like the idea of Okard seeing into me. I didn’t even know who I was, so why should she get a glimpse of who I am before I understood that myself? I was looking at the ground, on the verge of sulking when I felt a hand curl into mine.

Turning into wide brown eyes looking up at me from below, I blinked at Alice as she looked at me with what seemed to be a kind smile, with the wisdom behind it that should not have been in her young eyes.

“I knew from the moment I found her in the forest that she was someone special.” She said in a soft voice, and the emotion that surged within me at her innocent words caused me to swallow back ridiculous tears.

“It’s not true,” I told her, mutedly. It couldn’t be. I wasn’t exactly kind like Rachel or empathetic like Kora. I certainly felt tainted standing next to the innocent Alice.

Do not tell me what is or is not true, child. Or have you forgotten what I am? You are lost, and nothing more. When you find your way, you will understand. I must take my leave. You’ll be interested to know CiCi, that another village out west was attacked earlier today. I did my part in scaring off the hordes. Nonetheless, you may want to send a squadron.  I will go speak to the collective, and find out more - to see what has caused this creature to be so different. I will contact you all again once I have some answers.

The fact that Okard did not know shocked us all, even Malakaii was looking at her in a perplexed manner.

“I thought that dragons were a collective, don’t you know everything that your kin know?” I blurted out, distressed.

Dragons are a collective child, but it does not mean I know everything that they all know. We have a collective of knowledge, and then we have our own minds. We cannot peer into the minds of our kin at any given moment. Knowledge is shared by us through a sacred act of ritual.

For some reason, that made a lot of sense to me. It would be horrendous, living with the voices and thoughts of hundreds of others in your mind all day. I had always vaguely wondered how they did it. I nodded, to show I understood, and Okard lifted her wings, standing tall above us.

Moving back to a safe distance from the dragon, we still had to crane our necks to watch her wings move, and when she rushed forward on her feet and flapped her wings, we were buffeted by powerful gusts of wind. I watched as the white pearlescent dragon lifted into the sky before turning to listen to Malakaii who was speaking to CiCi now.

“Alice and I will go to the village. She’s had to learn very quickly, and I believe it is time she and I started lending a hand to the cause. We will go do what we can to help the village repair and heal.”

“I will send a squadron to escort you there, and so they can do their duty,” CiCi said, nodding grimly. Leon had come up next to me, his hand resting on my arm. I’d turned to him, and as he opened his mouth to speak to me CiCi’s voice interrupted him. 

“Yuzuki will lead the squadron. She has a personal attachment to the Tisin causing this, and you three seem to have made some familial ties. I think it’s fitting.” I turned my brown eyes in shock towards the group, and I could feel Leon tensing beside me.

“I don’t… She may not be comfortable-” He began and I stepped forward, uncurling my hand from Alice’s.

“Yes, Ma’am. I will go.” I interrupted him, turning back and glaring at Leon viciously. I suppose the look I gave him successfully carried my silent threats to stab him if he didn’t shut up because he simply sighed and fell silent.

“Good. Take a team of five others with you. Leon, Claus, my office. Now.” She barked, turning on her heel to enter back into the city. “I will send some stable workers with mounts for you.”

It was silent for a moment, Claus had immediately begun to follow CiCi but Leon hung back, standing next to me idly while I looked over the group.

“Kora. Rachel, you two are the best healers in the city. I obviously need you two to come along. Nakita, Ivan, and Elliot. I heard through the grapevine that you three have been getting restless as of late. Let’s burn some of the excess energy.” I said, casually grinning. Artemius scowled, though I noted a look of relief in Vivian’s eyes. I truly had to wonder what was up with them, and they turned to follow the chieftains through the gates.

With that settled, I turned to Leon, who was still standing beside me, his arms crossed, a resentful scowl on his face. I frowned at him, crossing my own arms, and mimicked his own defensive stance, tilting my head at him mockingly. When I did this, he sighed, and let his arms drop, his body relaxing as he rolled his eyes.

“Why do you do things like this?” He asked in a defeated voice.

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Memoirs Of The In-Between Table Of Contents

Memoirs Of The In-Between: Chapter 10

The Call Of War

The days following the discovery of the dark truth about the Spiderbeast were long and exhausting. Before the entire council of Chiefs, including Leon, I had to go over every detail of what Leon and I saw, and what it meant to me. Unfortunately, this meant telling them all exactly what my life had been, and the nature of my gruesome death. But this didn't happen just once, but twice; for I had to recount and repeat everything I said in front of all the Chiefs and Artemius and Vivian again, and several other higher-ranking warriors.



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Memoirs Of The In-Between: Chapter 10

The Call Of War

About the Creator

Hope Martin

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