"That is one of the rare instances where they might break my trust. Our history is riddled with such occurrences. None take that step lightly because those who do are often treated as pariahs afterward. It’s not unheard of for those who have broken faith to commit suicide shortly after." Graydon's eyes met Kira's. "It's why an oath of that magnitude isn’t undertaken lightly. They tie their fates to mine, and we rise or fall together."
It was a pretty concept, deceptively seductive. To have people who were so loyal to you that you knew they would always be in your corner.
The only flaw was reality. Sometimes people weren't who you thought. Sometimes, they changed and evolved.
“Can they leave your service?” Kira asked.
Graydon paused. “Yes, but usually only under certain circumstances. It is rare.”
“Even if they find the fit isn’t right?” Kira asked.
Graydon inclined his head.
Kira grimaced. “Life is too short to waste in service to someone you deem unworthy.”
Graydon's big shoulders shrugged. "I agree with you. Our people are incredibly long-lived and can be exceptionally stubborn. We don't change our loyalties or views easily—even when it’s warranted and in our best interests."
"Where have you brought me?" Kira asked, looking around.
Besides the statues, there was a smooth wall with circular lines carved into it, many intersecting in different places until it resembled a model of a foreign star system.
The rings it was made up of each had smaller circles attached to them, representing planets. Only instead of a sun at the middle was the carving of a coiledlu-ong, its crest flared and fangs bared.
Graydon gestured to the room. "This is Roake's Hall of Ancestors.”
Graydon stopped in front of the last statue. This one was newer than the rest, the stone lacking the patina of age.
"These are the previous Overlords," he said.
Kira stiffened as she realized why he'd chosen to linger in front of this particular statue. Almost as if drawn by a magnet her eyes shifted until they were resting on the statue's face. Her father's face.
Echoes of her features had their origins in his. The line of her nose, the shape of her lips.
He seemed almost amused, as if on the verge of laughter.
Graydon moved away, stopping in front of the wall. He touched one carved line reverently, the deep blue of Roake's colors spreading from the spot he touched, marching around and around until the solar system stood in stark relief.
"You're determined to pass youradva kaas soon as possible." Graydon's hand fell, and the wall vanished, revealing the beginnings of a carved passageway. Despair and grief wafted out of it. "This will be your first challenge. Before you can be deemed ready to advance to the next stage, you must pass the Trial of the Broken.”
The wall snapped back into existence.
Kira stared at it, tucking her shaking hands against her sides. Whatever that place had been wasn't natural. It had felt like every one of her deepest, darkest fears waited within its depths.
"What is that?" Kira whispered.
Graydon walked toward another set of statues. At first glance, it would be easy to assume they were of Tuann. That assumption would be wrong. Upon closer examination, Kira found the limbs a hair too long. Their eyes bigger than any human’s or Tuann's.
Their beauty was unearthly and alien. Cruelty and amusement were stamped on their faces as they looked out at the world.
Their armor wasn’t synth armor, which was Kira’s biggest clue.
Graydon paced along the statues. Every other statue was of a monster, no two alike. Some crouched and snarling, others upright on two legs.
"Not all of the Mea’Ave can be considered welcoming. It has its darkness like all things. What you just felt is a small sample of that. Roake uses it to determine a person's inner strength, how well they will stand against temptation and self-doubt. Admittedly, it can be rather brutal, and Roake is one of the few who still use the Trial of the Broken on its young. Passing theuhva nawill mean your integrity is virtually unassailable," he told her.
"Why go to such lengths?" she asked.
He nodded at the statues in front of them. "The enemy of old. The ones who bred our race to fight their endless wars. I suspect ancient Tuann were much like your humans. Fragile and only half aware of the deeper secrets of the universe. The enemy of old forced us to evolve. Our stories tell us unspeakable wrongs were committed against us in the attempt."
