“I’ll need to get word out,” Gil said. His lips peeled back from his pointed teeth as he said to the captain, “Guard the senior councilor well and let him know we will come when we are readyandwhen Brannal cen’Vyr is strong enough.”
The captain nodded. “I will inform him myself.”
“Yes,” Mosk murmured. “We wouldn’t want the senior councilor to die, would we?”
Yiis leaned forward. “Guard him well, for if that miscreant dies, I’ll challenge you myself.”
“My lords,” the captain replied with a bow. He turned on his heel and walked away.
Before he’d gone three steps, the door closed behind him.
“What do you make of that?” Mosk asked.
“They’re aiming for a bloodless hand-off,” Yiis replied with a snort. The rebellion had not been bloodless in the least. He shrugged. “It will impart some legitimacy, and we won’t be seen as usurpers—or at least not as much so.”
Gil rolled his shoulders to ease the kinks of tight, sore muscles. “Each caste will have to elect its own leaders to represent them in the new governing council. That will take some time.”
“And blood,” Yiis murmured.
Mosk nodded and added, “We’ll set a date by which time they must present the leaders they wish to represent them.”
Gil shook his head and chuckled.
“What’s so amusing?” Yiis asked.
“Our mates would be very proud of us right now.”
The other two males paused to ponder that, then they began to laugh.
“And rights for females?” Mosk asked after their moment of mirth.
Gil shrugged. “Ursula once urged me to read her country’s Constitution. The revolutionaries who founded her homeland were, indeed,revolutionary. But even so, they did not afford females rights: such rights were later added through amendments.”
“Do you have a copy of this Constitution?” Mosk asked.
“I do. I’ll send it to you to read.”
“What right does Ursula expect?” Yiis asked.
“She wants the right to vote, to have a voice in determining the laws that govern her.” Gil met their eyes. “After having been ruled by a corrupt Council Supreme for far too long, we want the same, do we not?”
Mosk grinned. “We do.”
Yiis nodded. “Carmen will be pleased.” He grinned. “And a pleased Carmen is eager to become asatisfiedCarmen.”
“I can’t wait,” Mosk said, rubbing his hands together. “It has been too long since we fucked our mate.”
Gil agreed. It had been too long since he, Bran, and Zul fucked their mate. The next time the four of them joined in the bedchamber, perhaps they would be fortunate enough to impregnate Ursula. She glowed when she was pregnant, so round and ripe and beautiful.
Mosk slapped him on the back of the shoulder. “You look like shit. Get some rest. I’ll sit with Bran while you sleep.”
“And get something to eat first,” Yiis added.
Gil nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “After I alert the castes. They need to hold elections—and quickly.”
Chapter 33
“We leave tomorrow,” Zul announced as he set down a dead lizard and began to butcher it with efficient skill. Near their tents, Suvesh continued his instruction, teaching Crow about the flora, fauna, rocks, and soil. The boy soaked up such knowledge like a sponge.
