All of the princeps and powerful families are meeting in the main tent now,he told us.Reece said it’s best to let them know what is happening so that we can get the supplies and permissions we need.
“Yep, the East River will require permission,” I said, remembering that from my time here. “It’s the fastest and most direct route to the Delfora but is also guarded.”
And the last thing we needed was to waste time fighting Desertlandian warriors.
"I’m near peeing myself with excitement to see how this transport system works." Mera said in a higher pitch than normal. "Rivers of sand are not easy to imagine."
There are dangers to it,Galleli said,But it's an experience. I just hope that the stolen power set in motion already doesn’t stir the tumultuous streams too much before we make the Delfora.
“It will take days to build,” I said shortly. “But I imagine it’s going to be rough going by the end.”
Luckily, Mera would be gone at that point, and the rest of us would manage the swells.
"It'll be fine," Len called as he fell back to join us. "Not much can best our family. Not when we're together."
Mera let out a huff, and I knew she was once again pissed about our inevitable separation. She might understand the reasons why, and even somewhat agree with them, but that didn’t mean she liked it.
None of us did.
28
When we reached the huge tent, all of the princeps were in attendance, along with many powerful families from various dynasties. Except, of course, for Tsuma and whoever else was already in a vessel on their way to the Delfora.
We all met in the middle of the dance floor; the sand-bound prisoners positioned above our heads. "Why have you summoned us?" a male from Fret dynasty demanded, hands on his hips as he glared in Reece's direction.
The response was a whoosh of energy as Reece withdrew his power from around the captives, allowing them to tumble to the floor. A few of them groaned as they sprawled on the hard surface, but Zena and Dally wasted no time, bouncing to their feet, ready to fight again. That was until they realized they were surrounded by powerful dynasty members.
"We were ambushed by these traitors tonight," Reece said calmly, even while red sands whipped around him in a heated frenzy. "And while interrogating them, we uncovered a plan to raise the ancients’ gods in the sacred lands."
More likeconfirmed what we’d already expected, but these leaders didn’t know that.
The silence after his statement was heavy.
"Impossible," the Yemin princeps finally spluttered, rubbing a hand across the chest of his orange tunic. He was a tall, thin man with a completely bald head and arresting golden eyes. I'd met him once, but his name was evading me at the moment. "Those gods cannot be woken. No one can even make it past the securities, not without a massive source of energy, and since the most powerful of us are all here”—he waved a hand around— “who else could there be?”
When Reece focused his full attention on the princeps, the Yemin male took a step back. "Nothing is impossible with the right planning,” Reece said, his tone indicating he was about done explaining facts to stupid fucks. “This entire gathering was a plan to tap into the collective dynastic powers and use them to set this all in motion. They’ve already sent this power toward the Delfora, and it will keep building until”—his voice lowered ominously—“the power moon.”
There were gasps all around, but Reece didn’t let that deter him. “In half a dozen new-moons, a twin will form, and with that, there will be more than enough power to wake the ancients."
Panic and disbelief were now the most prominent expressions, but no one argued again, knowing that Reece was not only not prone to exaggeration, he also had a connection to the Delfora.
“Tsuma was the one to suggest this meeting,” Yemin finally said, his body drooping, “after decades of staying out of our politics.”
Color us all surprised by that revelation.
"So, where are they now? Why are you here and not stopping them?" Those questions came from a tall, voluptuous Crani female whose gorgeous brown skin was highlighted by the gold of her dynasty. She crossed her arms over her ample chest as she glared at Zena. "Have you interrogated these traitors fully?”
"We have enough information,” Reece said quickly, “and we are about to take off after Tsuma to hopefully make it to the Delfora before they do. There’s no point tracking them along the river they’ve chosen, because their gathered energy is shrouding their path. It would be a waste of time to follow them. Our only shot now is to take the fastest vessel we have and get into the East River.”
I had no idea of the dynamics on this world these days, but it stood to reason that many Desertlandians in this tent were not allies. And almost all of them could be stubborn bastards for no reason other than they were powerful enough to do what they wanted. With that in mind, I was prepared for the sort of backlash and refusals and arguments that could take hours to resolve. Hours we did not have.
"We cast a vote," the Crani princeps said, her voice rising up. "Those who agree to Reece's plan, raise your hand now."
To my utter shock, almost every hand I could see went into the air.
Crani nodded. "That's a majority. Do you need anything else?"
“Supplies—” Reece started to say before a familiar male stepped to the front of the leaders, all but interrupting.
