The scout finally dropped the knife, although he was clearly hesitant for a few moments, waiting to see if I would attack. Instead, he circled in front of me so he could look me over. “I will go report to the tribe, and if we feel it is worthy, we will bring someone back.”
I glanced at the moons overhead and tried not to sigh. “How long must I wait?”
“A hand of movement of the largest moon,” the scout answered.
I grimaced at the thought, my eyes flashing with hints of red. I didn’t want to think about leaving my Dana alone for so long. It was the middle of the night, true, but the Caterri had done stranger things. What if they decided to leave in case someone was following them? What if they decided they no longer needed a hostage? Not that the second was really an option. No, they needed females as badly as we did, did they not?
“I will wait,” I finally said. I did not want to, but it was becoming clear I didn’t have a choice. I also didn’t want to show them how much I wanted this meeting, because that would have given them more power than was good to have on a bargaining table. “But only three fingers of the moon’s movement, no more.”
The scout’s tongue flickered out like he was attempting to scent my honesty, but that was useless among my people. Maybe it was different for them. “Fine.” Without another word to me, he turned and headed directly opposite me. I had no expectation this was actually the direction of his tribe. Any good scout would go in multiple directions to confuse any watchers.
I sank down to the ground, fiddling with some of the scarce grass and dirt. I had limited the time he could take to bring someone, but there was still no guarantee I was not waiting here for nothing. There was also the doubt that was starting to creep in around the edges. Had my father been right? Was I the crazy one? Should we have given in and just tithed to the Caterri like nothing was wrong?
Uncertainty burned inside me. I did not know, and it was a decision that affected many. For a moment, the wish to see Dana or O’Rrin by my side burned through me. O’Rrin had been there to discuss many of my decisions, although we had not fully discussed the repercussions of this one. And Dana seemed to be a leader among her small tribe of people, so she might have something useful to tell me.
That, and if I was to mate her, as the chief’s mate, she would be responsible for the tribe as I would. I did not want to surprise her with that if she did not want it, but something in me told me she would. My Dana liked the responsibility.
I didn’t know how much time I lost sitting on the ground, staring at nothing, before I caught scent of the two N’Akron in the distance. Given it was dark, I could smell them before I could see them, so by the time they got close enough to me that I could tell who it was, I was already standing, a hand on my weapons belt.
“Who stands there?” The scout from before was the one who spoke.
“N’Ashtar of N’Akkar,” I answered patiently, because no, that had not changed. “And who do you bring with you?” The N’Akron by his side was two fingers taller than I was, with a more prominent brow ridge. It made him look extremely serious. It was a good sign, too. It meant this was likely who I had wanted to.
“N’thim of the R’thui.” He lifted his eyes to hold my gaze.
I didn’t show the relief that swam through me. I could tell from his name alone that he was who I needed. As the oldest son, the heir, he was given the honorary ‘N’ amendment to his name. Yrrix, who had been second son, did not get it. Nor had he become a warrior of renown and earned a V’ title like V’Annor. Among the N’Akron, names were sacred and told you much about a person.
“I am here to speak with you about the Caterri,” I said simply. Then I explained everything to him, how the Caterri directly contributed to the problem of not enough women among N’Akron tribes, how their tithing was targeting what few hopes we had to continue our people. How the Caterri were using the truce to keep us under their thumb instead of actually providing any benefit to our people.
When I was done, the look N’thim was giving me wasn’t particularly hopeful. Instead, he looked skeptical. “I am not certain your thoughts warrant a destruction of the truce with the Caterri,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest.
“We will never escape their rule unless we work together,” I argued. “Their actions have made it so that no individual tribe would have the strength to defeat them on their own.”
“That does not mean we should attack them.” N’thim didn’t seem entirely convinced. “I must consider things. When I am finished, I shall send a runner to N’Akkar.”
I winced at the thought of a runner making it to my father, who was very much not supportive. “Send them to me. I am continuing on a Caterri trail, and you can find me from the trail marks.”
N’thim inclined his head in a polite, dismissive gesture taught to all of those of N rank when they were young. “Very well.” Then he was walking away, the scout at his side, leaving me standing there.
I tasted the air, searching for the hint of Dana’s scent underneath everything that had been put in it. I needed that reassurance, that knowledge she was there, more than I needed anything else. Instead of worrying, I turned and headed back towards the camp I had established. Whether I was the crazy
