The LEVELER King ✔

BOOK 2: CHAPTER 17

Sitting with one chrysalis in the crook of his arm while Nala sat cradling the other, Idrus listened to the world descend into madness. Outside the storm grew violent, inside the queen grew deadly.

"The sloths' carcass was a gift," Sessel assured the crowd. "Your king favored sacrificed—"

"The meat was old," Citel said, glancing at Sessel.

Today's circle was bigger, Idrus sitting opposite her.

He tried to make sense of the chaos. Everyone was frightened. Nala's power of speech had shriveled down into simple grunts. The only things at peace were the babes in their golden shell who slept without a single thought to the nonsense their mothers and father had caused.

"It is my thought," Citel began, "that this is a punishment. We have left the old ways. Your king wastes his cycles, choosing to remain in the one for mating while his vulgar favored does the same. And I cannot even speak of the night of those babes conception. No wonder they are strange; the means of their path into the world is a strange and uncommon one."

Idrus stared her down; wondering if she would dare over-speak and lose her own head in the process. She held her peace after the murmurs erupted.

Sessel seemed old. The weariness and frustration in her voice made her appear worn out.

"It is only a storm. Stories of monsoons are not unheard of. It is only accidental that it should happen now. We should ration our food and be patient."

"To what end?" Citel asked. "We have lost our way. Should we cast the bad out, good fortune should return to us yet again. Mark my words."

"The bad?" Idrus asked finally. "Am I that bad?"

Her eyes settled on Nala for a moment and Idrus hoped it would remain there. Nala's arrival nearly half a cycle before she'd even set foot in the roost would render that argument nonsense.

Instead of Nala, she focused on the chrysalis he held, then on Idrus's.

He understood.

"Then it should be a good omen for a king to come into life with such passion," Idrus insisted.

"Passion? Passion? They are strange and uncommon. They were made in dirt and I regret my folly." Tracing the scar on her face, Citel said, "I will accept my mark. But I request that you allow me to choose a champion, a second mate to complete this process." She gestured to the two chrysalises. "I would say allow the new batch to feed off these, but as they are poisonous once they've taken on the chrysalis, I ask instead that we break the pods now before they've taken our shape."

All was silent save for Nala's gasp.

Even now Idrus could feel the larva move within its protective case. It was strong and filled with life. To kill it....

"Fear is a disgusting Earther weakness," Idrus said. "These larva fought and killed to stay alive; they are warriors. But to take a life out of fear...that is cowardice. Do not turn us into murderers to hide your impropriety."

Sucking in a deep breath, Citel rose to her feet. "A child feeds from its mother, not of it. If you do not destroy them, you doom us all."

She walked away, a flood of Summoners at her back.

Eventually Sessel spoke up, urging everyone to get back to their stations lest the flood waters enter and drown them all.

Soon only the three of them remained.

Sessel sat down on Idrus's left. "Daga..."

"I won't kill them," Idrus said. "There were over five times ten. Two are left and it was by no means easy. You cannot ask me to kill a king after he's fought so hard for his life."