Sebastian approached until he stood a respectful distance from the desert chieftain. Boarstaff had moved to stand nearby, his expression carefully neutral despite the tension evident in his posture.
"Chieftain Khalida." Sebastian inclined his head slightly in greeting. The formal acknowledgment of her rank was deliberate, a sign of respect that surprised many watching.
For a long moment, Khalida simply regarded him, a predator taking measure of another across a suddenly quiet clearing.
"Sebastian of House de la Sang," she replied finally, her voice carrying in the silence.
Sebastian's lips curved into a sardonic smile. "I can hardly claim that title anymore, seeing as how I murdered my brothers and intend to take my father's head as well."
A tense silence fell over the gathering. Sebastian could hear heartbeats quickening around him, the subtle shifting of weight as warriors instinctively moved closer to weapons. From the corner of his eye, he saw Boarstaff remain perfectly still, neither intervening nor retreating.
"You may simply call me Sebastian." He kept his tone conversational despite the weight of his words. "As I claim no house or clan now, though I have taken shelter with the Heartwood Clan."
Khalida's eyes narrowed slightly, studying him with new interest. Her gaze traveled to the warrior braids in his hair, lingering there before returning to his face.
"Yet you wear their marks of honor," she observed, one hand moving to touch her own braids, woven with metal instead of bone.
"A gift I did not seek," Sebastian replied honestly. "But one I will endeavor to deserve."
Khalida took a step closer, her head tilting slightly as she assessed him. "The last time we met, you were trying to kill me."
"You were quite difficult to kill," Sebastian acknowledged with a slight inclination of his head. "I've always appreciated competence, even in enemies."
A ripple of tension moved through the watching crowd, but Khalida's expression shifted into amusement.
"Your aim has improved since the northern oasis." She ran a strong finger along the thin scar that traced her jawline. "Though not enough."
"Your ability to dodge hasn't," Sebastian countered, matching her tone. "Though sufficient, apparently."
Boarstaff watched this exchange with visible confusion, clearly unprepared for the almost familiar banter between former adversaries. Thornmaker had moved closer, his hand resting on his weapon, eyes shifting between Sebastian and the desert chieftain with open suspicion.
Sebastian's gaze shifted past Khalida to where the desert clan's horses were tethered. "Did you bring that remarkable black mare of yours? The one with the single white blaze?"
The question seemed to surprise Khalida, though she masked it quickly. "You remember my horse?"
"I remember worthy opponents," Sebastian replied simply. "Both horse and rider."
Something in Khalida's posture eased slightly at this. "Najima stays at our main camp. She's nursing a foal." A hint of pride entered her voice. "Her fifth, and perhaps her finest yet."
"Congratulations are in order, then," Sebastian said, and meant it. "A fine bloodline to continue."
Khalida studied him for a moment, as if reassessing something. "I ride her son now," she said, gesturing toward the corral. "Saqr. He has her speed and his sire's endurance."
"I'd like to see him," Sebastian said with genuine interest.
The request hung in the air, unexpected enough that even Thornmaker's suspicious expression shifted to one of confusion. This was not the conversation anyone had anticipated between a vampire and the desert chieftain.
Khalida considered him for a long moment, then nodded once. "Come, then."
She turned and walked toward the corral, clearly expecting Sebastian to follow. He did, maintaining a respectful distance. After a moment's hesitation, Boarstaff moved to join them, as if unwilling to leave Sebastian alone with the desert leader.
The gathering parted before them, conversations resuming in their wake, though many gazes continued to track their movement. As they approached the corral, the horses shifted, some growing visibly nervous at Sebastian's scent. All except one, a magnificent black stallion with a star-shaped white mark on his forehead, who watched their approach with alert interest.
"Saqr," Khalida called softly, and the stallion moved toward her immediately, his movements fluid and powerful. She placed a hand on his neck, murmuring something in her native tongue that made the horse's ears flick forward attentively.
"He's magnificent," Sebastian kept a careful distance that wouldn't alarm the animal. "Better conformation than his dam, if I may say so. Stronger shoulder line."
Khalida looked at him with undisguised surprise. "You know horses."
