Beqai nodded, and Kumi balled her fists. “Father!” she began, but Labu cut her off.
“We need the protection that a guild in our lands offers. A little more work on my part, and I believe they will allow clan members to train with them.”
“You’re a fool if you believe that,” Kumi said as she turned to look him in the face. “They despise Wilds. Horix, Cadrin, all of them.”
“They know only of the troublesome Wilds from the Isles. They will see that we are different.”
“They only see skin-deep. And you would know that if you weren’t so smitten by them.” Kumi sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Tell me, Brother: if having a guild here is so beneficial to Qihin, why have they become a thorn in our side? Why are we overrun with monsters if the guild is here to protect us?”
I caught a corpse under the arms and pulled him out of the sacred pool. The fishman was ravaged from the vampiric anglers. He’d died quickly from a slashed throat. The Qihin King and the siblings’ conversation continued unabated. They fed me answers to questions that I’d juggled since I’d arrive here.
“It is the fault of those inside Qihin,” Labu said. “By holding too firmly to traditions, most of our people deprive themselves of power and influence in the region, and in doing so, they weaken our whole clan. We must seize that power when it is offered and learn to fight for ourselves.”
“At what cost, Labu?” Kumi asked. “What price will the guild make us pay for access to its powers? What will we lose in becoming more like them?”
King Beqai let out a deep sigh. “You both are always talking of fighting. Do you not realize that some things are better resolved through diplomacy and carefully chosen words?”
“With all due respect, Father, how would diplomacy have saved us from the monsters that attacked the city today?” Labu asked. “Should we have talked calmly with the anglers and the starsquids? Perhaps sit down to tea with the lampreys? Our problem is not a lack of words. It is a lack of strength and discipline. The guild helps us with both. They may only allow the least monstrous of the fishfolk to join them, but it is better than nothing. Were it not for the training I received from Disciple Cadrin, we would not have held back these magical beasts from destroying the city.”
Beqai waved dismissively at the body I had dropped by his feet. “These things happen. The flow of magic and of beasts around us is just a change in the tide. If we can learn to flow with the great stream, then we can follow the Path of Peace, as I have long taught you.”
“The Path of Peace is why we cannot defend ourselves!” Labu snapped as his eyes narrowed into vicious slits. “And now Xilarion, the man who talked you onto this path, has sent his hirelings to cloud your thinking once again. You say you are seeking peace and wisdom for our people, but all your endless meditation does is let us drift rudderless toward disaster.”
“Your youth and your pride in this city are to be commended, my son,” Beqai said. “But you must let your turmoil go before you can find the current of truth.”
“Labu is right, Father,” Kumi said. “We can’t just sit idle. We need to act to ensure our safety.”
“That is not what I meant, Sister.” The prince glowered at her, but she kept her eyes focused on the king.
“All will be well,” Beqai said, a faraway look returning to his eyes as he sank back in his seat. “You will see.”
“Ridiculous.” Kumi flung her hands in the air again and turned to her brother. “We may not agree on much, but we both want to act, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then, we need to gather information. Whether the guild was behind this or not, we need to learn what the members know about this attack and how they view it. Their understanding of the Vigorous Zones is different from ours and could help. Perhaps something is happening to the monsters. The guild could tell us.”
“Agreed. I will return to the guild and see what it knows of these events.”
“I’ll come with you,” Vesma said flatly. Like me, she’d been listening to the conversation. She turned her attention to me as I hauled another twisted body out of the central pool. “There’s something to this I don’t like. We need to bring Faryn and Kegohr into this.”
I wanted to go with her, but I figured I might be better able to push past the king’s exterior if I could talk with him alone. Xilarion had wanted me to help resolve the conflict between clan and guild, and the tentacled fishman on the throne was my best shot.
“Travel safe,” I told her. “I’ll stay here and help with clean-up. See you soon.”
Labu’s icy glare found me as Vesma joined him and his surviving friends. There was barely veiled conflict in that stare. The kind that hinted at trouble coming for me down the line.
“It’s better I organize the burials and restoration of order, Ethan,” Kumi told me gently. “Thank you for your help today. You have made our small corner of the world a safer place.”
“Happy to help,” I said.
She smiled and shook her head. The seashells in her braids clattered against each other and made a sound like distant laughter. “I will see you later,” she said as she headed out of the hall.
I let out a deep breath. It had been a long day. I was starving. But it was far from over yet.
“King Beqai,” I
