“You aren’t going to be able tobribepeople to change their votes on plans for the future,” Jhiton said as Vorik passed near him.
“I know.” Vorik pressed another dried apricot into his brother’s hand.
Jhiton’s eyes narrowed, and Vorik expected him to reject it—if notpelthim with it. Instead, Jhiton growled and put it in his mouth.
“Sweets do have a lot of allure though,” Vorik murmured.
“All the tribal leaders who are able to come have done so or sent proxies to vote for them as we decide future events,”Chieftess Marvola said. She’d assumed the role of spokesperson with Shi gone.
A group had gone out to retrieve Shi’s body for a funeral pyre, but nobody had suggested a delay to the meeting or the voting. People wanted a resolution regarding the war and their future, one way or another.
With his sack empty, Vorik headed to the back of the cave. Maybe he should have reserved more sweets to offer the chiefs. A few of them, including Marvola, had appeared in the line to claim some personally. Tenilor and the rest had sneered with contempt.
Wish me luck, Agrevlari,Vorik thought, sensing his dragon ally remained near the bluff.
You’ll need a talented tongue, not luck.
I do have that, though less when it applies to talking and more to… other activities.
Sexual acts?
Never mind.
Vorik followed the chiefs as they headed through the tunnel at the back of the cave. At first, he thought they might want to hold the meeting around the lake where the kraken had appeared when Syla had been present, but they turned into the very nook where Jhiton had questioned her. It wasn’t spacious, but it was divided from the main cave and private, with enough room for a couple dozen people.
Regardless,Agrevlari said,you’ll need to use your tongue to sway those chiefs, and you might want to do it quickly. Several dragons have arrived from the Island of Eliok. None spoke directly to me, but not everyone was pinpoint with their telepathy, and I caught a few words. They spoke of your queen reaching the island with a wrapped sphere that is thought to be a new shielder artifact. The dragons mentioned believing they had the backing of the storm god but nonetheless lost allies tothe death launcher. They are irritated anew with its presence in this world.
Understandable.Even if Vorik was glad it sounded like Syla had survived an encounter with more dragons, he couldn’t help but wish he’d managed to destroy the awful weapons platform. It was too powerful—too deadly to dragons—to exist in the world.Syla’s aunt must have been able to complete the shielder she was working on.
Yes. The dragons have some faith that the storm god won’t allow her to place it on the island, but they didn’t stay to watch the attempt, not after losing comrades. Also, they felt it important to update the chiefs and their dragon allies before your tribal meeting.
Vorik grimaced. That news might sway some people who’d been borderline on which way to vote.
They’re talking figuratively about having the backing of the storm god, right?A sinking sensation took over Vorik’s stomach as he remembered those clouds.They’re notexpectinga god to show up there, are they?
That is unclear to me.
Any chance that you canmakeit clear? Do a little more spying?
Dragons lack the furtive and secretive nature of spies.
Just plop down in the middle of their gathering and buff your scales.
Someone brushed Vorik from behind. He’d paused a few steps into the nook, thinking he was the last of the chiefs, but Jhiton and General Amalia were joining the group. She saluted him with a half-eaten sweet. Jhiton didn’t do or say anything to Vorik, simply stepping inside and leaning against the wall. His wound had to be making him miserable, and Vorik wished he could suggest that he lie down, but even if that was wise and a healer advised it, Jhiton never would.
Chief Tenilor stepped into the middle of the nook, as if he would take charge. Vorik didn’t want that and stepped forward, smiling and bowing to everyone present.
“Mind if I say something before we begin? As a new chief, I’d like to greet everyone and make my position clear.”
“Oh, weknowyour position,” Tenilor said. “Directly under the Garden Kingdom queen.”
“Actually, I prefer to be on top. From the beginning, that was the plan, after all.” Vorik extended a hand toward Jhiton, but his brother’s frosty don’t-include-me-in-your-scheme look didn’t suggest he would provide backup.
“YoukilledChieftess Shi,” Tenilor said, rudely refusing to ask for details onthe plan.
“No,” Marvola said. “She killed herself. I was looking down when she chose to throw that knife at him and lost her grip. You can’t blame Vorik for that.”
“He’s the one who challenged her!”
