“Drukkar is Kakkari’s counterpart. Her other half. Drukkar is our god and Kakkari is our goddess.”
I’d never heard of a male deity, only Kakkari.
“Kakkari is the earth—solid, nurturing. She gives us life. Drukkar is everything that supportsher, a foundation for her to stand on. Rains, seasons, storms, heat. He can be violent and merciless at times, but she always opens for him, accepts him. Because of that, he loves her, he cares for her, and he punishes all that harm her.”
“I don’t understand,” I said softly, watching her carefully.
“Dakkari males are the same as Drukkar. They worship their female when she opens for him. They can be swayed.”
Realization hit me like a punch.
“You think…you think Aro—theVorakkar,” I corrected quickly, “can be persuaded to help my village?”
“I am saying,” Mirari said carefully, “that if anyone can sway a male’s actions, it is their female.”
“How?” I asked softly. “I’m not…I’m not experienced in things like this. How do I ‘open’ for him?”
Poor Lavi had no idea what was being said, though she was obviously trying to follow the thread of conversation, watching our mouths, her brows furrowed in confusion.
Mirari’s lips curled and she asked Lavi something, who blinked, huffing out a small breath. Lavi replied in Dakkari and Mirari translated, “Lavi says satisfy his needs. Opening for your male is both literal and figurative.”
My cheeks flushed. “That’s a given.”
Mirari’s expression sobered a little as she said, “Support him. Males need comforting, no matter what they say. Every being needs comfort, needs warmth and affection. TheVorakkar…I do not envy his position. He works hard, he has sacrificed much, and he makes difficult decisions that most cannot fathom making. All horde kings do, to keep their horde safe and free.”
I swallowed, nodding slowly, my heart thrumming in my chest.
“Perhaps theVorakkarneeds your warmth most of all,” Mirari whispered quietly. “He has chosen you for a reason, when he has forsaken many.”
All I’d done was fight with him instead, I thought.
“There were other Dakkari females who wanted him?” I asked, pressing my lips together briefly.
Mirari nodded. “Lysi. Of course, especially inDothik. Many vie for the attentions of a horde king, though in my opinion, it is distasteful.”
My eyes strayed over to the chests of treasures along the far wall of the tent. The shift I wore had come from them and I’d always assumed that he had his choice of females, probably had others who ‘served’ him, if he had a stock of clothes and trinkets for them.
“He has chosen you to be his queen,” Mirari said, “and you hold power because of that. Power over him.”
“Couldn’t you get into trouble for telling me that?” I teased softly.
Mirari’s laugh sounded beautiful. “Females always have power over their males. That is a truth.”
I thought of a couple back at my village. A middle-aged man and woman—Jerri and Lysette. Jerri was mean to his core. Everyone knew he beat Lysette behind closed doors, taking out his frustrations on her. But she never left. She always took it.
She had no power over him.
I sobered. Were the Dakkari any different? Was Arokan different? Would he beat me, hurt me if I refused to obey him?
Did it matter?
I wouldn’t be cowed, wouldn’t be threatened. If he beat me because of it, I would fight back. I never wanted to be like Lysette, never wanted to be powerless and frightened of the male I joined my life with.
I nodded to myself. Blowing out a breath, I resumed my work on my pants.
“I’ll try,” I said softly. I would do anything to help my brother, my village, though I could do without helping Jerri.
Could I truly sway Arokan’s thoughts and decisions?
