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Chapter 260
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 21:44:22 +0000 UTCAnother six days passed with nothing noteworthy occurring, the swarm pressing onward while attempting to stay relatively difficult to find. With as many of us as there were, going was slow, especially since we now had nearly half as many subjugated beasts as we had keelish. Were they entirely domesticated, it wouldn’t have been nearly so much as a struggle, but only a dozen or so days ago, they were entirely wild, and only the effects of my own [Skills] combined with Shemira, Farahlia, and Sybil’s magics could keep so many mostly feral creatures in line.
To make matters worse, though we now had over 100 oxfiends and about half as many axebeaks under our influence, they became more and more difficult to manage as the days passed without the additional potency of Sybil’s magic to help keep them docile and submissive. It was all we could do, with wolfstag, keelish, and khatif, to keep the herds together and nonviolent. Fortunately, the oxfiends’ noses were perfect to guide us to the nearest bodies of water, so at least we didn’t suffer for lack of drink. With the threatened instability, we didn’t slaughter any of our pseudo domesticated livestock and instead did our best to keep them calm and happy.
Instead, under Foire and Silf’s recommendations and directions, we sent small packs of keelish on short hunts, never more than a mile or so away, close enough to see from the main body of the swarm, at least in the places where the grasses were under six feet tall. Their hunts were generally successful, and we sustained no casualties, so I allowed myself to hope that our plan to locate indlovu and, specifically Bekizo, could be successful.
On the seventh day, Foire cheered from the center of the swarm, Silf at his side and cheering as well. As I approached, Foire’s eyes met mine, a smile cracking his face.
“I’ve figured it out! They’re influenced by something like what Ytte can do!”
“That makes no sense to me.” I answered, my head cocked to the side as my tail flicked.
“Ytte’s magic, she can control the earth, right?”
“Yeah. So are the indlovu underground or something?”
“No,” Foire clacked his fangs for emphasis, “it’s something different. I’m not sure how they do it, but there’s some places where the ground holds their feet, or cushions them, or something. It keeps them much quieter, and faster, and somehow covers their tracks.”
“That’s good news,” I allowed. “But how does that help us know where they are?”
“The way that I can find things is dependent upon how much I know about them.” Foire dismissed the concern, his tone still excited, but bleeding back to its usual greater formality. “When I know what to search for, my senses extend much further and effectively. I can feel the magic in the air, in the earth, wherever it is. I will find the nearest indlovu, but I can’t guarantee that they won’t find me as well.”
“Then we’ll be on equal ground, at least.” I flared my frills in appreciation. “Thank you, Foire, for your work. You too, Silf.” The two khatif bowed their heads before perking up and their eyes glazed over.
I stepped away to leave them to their search, but not a moment later, Foire hissed to me, “They’re here!” before pointing at a nondescript patch of grass. My heart began to race and I almost couldn’t hear under the thundering of my own blood in my ears while my elites fell in near me. Under my command, the keelish nearest to the grass there stepped away and towards the main body of the swarm. I didn’t hesitate to shout out in the human tongue, “Indlovu! I am Ashlani, the Alpha of my swarm! I am fahvalo of Bloodpriestess Ana of the Moonchildren and escapee from the Veratocracy, Chosen of Nievtala and mate of the khatif known to Bekizo of the Enkulu as one of their own! Identify yourselves!”
For one, two, three firm beats of my heart, I wondered if Foire and Silf were somehow mistaken, if we were still at the mercy of the indlovu. Then, a massive head slowly rose from the grasses and peered curiously at me. Huge gray ears framed the long face, and the two tusks that protruded around its trunk were exquisitely carved with whorls and patterns that seemed to be inlaid with gold. The indlovu stepped forward, the people’s now-familiar maul held in its right hand at the ready but held low. Behind the 14 foot-tall indlovu rose another seven indlovu, their tusks carved but much less ornately so.
“You speak of things that you should not know.” The basso voice shook the ground I stood on, his voice setting my [Tremorsense] on edge. His voice was so powerful that, with the improvements to my sonilphon, I could see the waves faintly in the air.
“Why shouldn’t I know who I am and where I come from? Am I not saharliard?”
Though I heard nothing from the indlovu, they obviously began conferring with each other, their trunks and ears flapping with growing levels of agitation. While the indlovu conferred with each other, Sybil leaned forward and whispered in the keelish tongue, “What you said has them all curious and confused. Several of them just want to kill us without delay, but many of them say that doing so would be unbecoming. It is somewhat difficult to understand the entirety of their conversation. There… are many voices. Many more than we can see. Not all of them are currently present, but this large one can somehow speak with others that are very far away.”
Foire also spoke, his eyes focused on another patch of grass behind us, “There are more there. Maybe seven, I’m not sure.” I flared my frills in acknowledgement and returned to speak once more with the lurking indlovu.
“Why do you follow us? Several of ours were slain by your people some seven days ago. Are you looking for revenge?”
“None of the Yegolide have disappeared in the past days.” the leader responded, a trumpeting cry of challenge punctuating his statement. “I appreciate your patience, little saharliard. My people are a territorial sort, though the Yegolide are more curious than others. Even so, your people are usually a scourge and are treated as such. How you introduce yourself tells much of who you are and how much of a story you have to tell.” The monstrously large leader stepped out of the grass, his hulking frame casting me into shadow. At this point, I stood about seven feet tall, but the indlovu man was at least twice my height.
With a grumbling sigh, the leader sat down before me, his eyes still level with my own. After hesitating for a moment and hearing nothing from the indlovu, I was about to speak, but he raised his hand. About half a minute passed before a small red bird fluttered down and onto his shoulder, where it began to pick at his ear. Then, at last, he began to speak, “You have presented yourself with respect and deserve the same treatment. I am Qaqambi, chieftain of the Yegolide tribe, the shatterer of Three Stone Hill and the Voice Across the Plains. I have come to speak with you, and see if our tribes can work in peace and friendship or must take up the iklabhu to protect ourselves and defeat our foes. Please, counsel with me, break bread with me, and let my askari be yours.”
