Bone and Blood Volume I

11 - The Nest, 1926

Over the next week, Torani hunted doggedly, bringing back a victim every night. He had to justify himself. Prove that he deserved the privilege he had been granted. Or at least he felt that way.

The workers dutifully followed his orders as if nothing had changed. If the hunters had an opinion, they had enough sense to keep it to themselves. Rotero remained neutral as ever. Demeko's silent stance was apparent from his empty stares.

Vaeilentha had made good on her promise though. She had taken to ignoring Torani's existence. Even better, she no longer lavished spiteful affection on Kordi in his presence. That proved she had only done it to upset him, but that was not the point. The animosity between them had ended.

However, only one opinion mattered: Serana's. An opportunity to talk with her alone had thus far eluded Torani. He liked to blame it on Demeko's presence. Never mind that Demeko spent very little time by the cage these days. In truth, Torani was terrified of explaining himself to her. Every night, he passed a victim to her with a guilty smile and explained that he had to visit Rek.

Those visits were underwhelming.

The older workers understood that when Torani appeared he wanted to see Rek. They would nudge Rek to approach Torani. Most nights, Rek would turn around and run back. It was frustrating. An electrical pulse would make Rek join him. One little zapped command. That would be fine, right?

It would not be his first. Rek got a taste pulses when he was ascending. And again to name him. A third pulse to make Rek understand Torani's wishes would be harmless. That logic was also the gateway to manipulating Rek into becoming exactly what Torani wanted. Just like Vaeilentha had done to him.

So, Torani kept his hands to himself. He accepted Rek's instinctual fear of royals.

Slowly, his patience paid off. That night, it took only one shove for Rek to stumble towards Torani. The worker sat down a safe distance away instead of running. Unfortunately, he was still relearning how to string words together into meaningful sentences. He managed "Knight Prince Torani" as a mumbled greeting. That was about it. It would be weeks before Torani could talk with him. Even then, conversations with Rek would be basic and concrete.

For now, the two sat in silence on the spiral while the other workers picked up their tools and scraps. To pass time, Torani made a game of trying to catch Rek in eye contact. Rek seemed confused by the game but not frightened.

It was a far cry from the adoring stares Torani had hoped for. Still, it was a step up from last night, when Rek ignored him to push a poorly hammered nail further into the walkway. Technically, it was a milestone. Torani tried to appreciate it.

Another worker timidly stepped up. Ru. Though most of his scars had healed, Torani recognized him from the bone sands. Seeing him gave Torani a twinge of validation. His judgement had been good for the nest. It was a bonus that that Ru and Rek had formed a friendship.

Ru tapped Rek on the shoulder. It was time for them to retire to the worker's den. Rek looked pointedly at Torani, waiting for dismissal. Torani sighed and smiled weakly. He reached out to ruffle the fuzz on Rek's skull. Rek ducked. Realizing his disobedience, his eyes widened.

Torani retracted his hand. "You're okay. If you don't like, then you don't like it. You're not in trouble. Go on." Torani waved him off. Rising to his feet, Rek followed Ru down the spiral to join the others. The oldest worker was on his way into the den. What was his name? "Les! Come here."

The worker startled. He scampered back up the walkway to meet the failed prince. Kneeling into a bow, he said, "Knight-Prince. How may I serve you?"

"Do me a favor: don't put Rek on any work in the queen's chambers. I don't want him in there unless it's absolutely necessary. Find other things for him to do."