The LEVELER King ✔

BOOK 3: CHAPTER 13

Indel hated this body when he tried to do regular work. Climbing was by far the worst. He couldn't imagine how Nala managed without complaints.

Crane was silent. Boon, wearing a robe to guard his skin until his scales grew back, came along as well. He'd at least offered to come and help his brother find a new ino.

"If you get an egg, yours will be smaller than mine, I guess," Boon said, pulling himself up onto another rock.

Of the three of them, Crane climbed with the most ease. He hoisted himself up so quickly he overtook them.

Boon made a brave attempt at climbing the rock faster.

Indel was the most pitiful, and he called to his son. "Crane. Lend me a lift!"

Crane reached the top and extended his hand down.

When he helped Indel up and reached down to do the same for Boon, his brother boxed his arm away.

"I will manage! Just you wait. When my scales come back, I'll be the faster one."

It took ages for Boon to finally reach but he did.

They searched nest after nest to no avail.

Just as Indel feared, it was the season and the animals no doubt took to mating.

That knowledge reminded Indel of his bad luck. He was Indel now and going back to the roost as such was better than waiting in hopes of being able to change again. Indel was his new form, perhaps his last. This was the second season Levelers would mate without a king. They wouldn't last a third. They had to return. At least Citel's son wasn't fit to reproduce. If Crane and Boon were still unaffected by the spells, the other would-be king was as well.

They were big though, Crane towering over Indel easily. Boon looked shorter now but when his scales returned, he would take on some more height.

The time to return was soon, and Indel feared the indignity of forcing one of his sons to walk rather than ride an ino there. Somehow or another, they had to find one.

Boon peered down over the ledge of the cliff and said, "I see something moving."

"Probably a throw-away," Indel said. "A babe that cannot prosper so they've left it for dead."

They climbed down.

Though Crane wore a frown, Boon smile. "Well, no sense in crying about it now then. Aza'll have food ready by the time we get home."

Crane stared him down. Indel half expected them to break out into yet another fight. Instead, Crane stepped past them, jumping from the rock into the brush. "May your weak robe see you safely home, maggot."

Boon stared after him, his face scrunched up as it often did before he'd cry. He didn't make a noise, however. In a great huff, he struggled out of the robe and threw it down.

"Boon..." Indel warned but it was too late, the boy had started back down into the woods.

Indel meant to advise Crane against jumping into bushes without a fully formed exoskeleton but it was a bit too late for that. He waited on Crane, reasoning that should something attack Boon, the boy would run back to them.

After some time and a lot of cursing on Crane's part, he came out with a young ino in his grip.

"There were a few," he said. "I got the biggest one. This one's a girl, too and she looks fair. Don't you think?"

Indel counted no less than five slugs on Crane's shoulders alone.

"Come out quickly and get into the sun. It will save you from the vermin you've collected."