Half a month had passed since Gomas paid us its semi-official visit. Vay had been building a stable for the griffins — complaining endlessly about the green… builders working on it. Well, no one said it would be easy.
The morning sun rose slowly over the horizon, spreading warmth across the land, as if calling everyone to wake.
In the center of White Stony City, on the square in front of Valeria's residence, an assembly was being held. Over two hundred chieftains had gathered for the great council, coming from every corner of Valar.
Their squads, companions, and guards could not fit inside the city, and if not for the partial food delivery from Gomas the day before, they would probably be eating whatever they could catch in the river or find in the forest… The walls of the granaries and storage huts were not exactly bending under the weight of supplies.
Argos had suggested that Valeria greet each of the chieftains individually beforehand. She was not thrilled about the thought of listening to hours of complaints, but since this was the first gathering of such scale, it was worth ensuring each of them saw her up close, bowed, and presented their gifts.
Everything went fairly smoothly — until the delegation from the Brown Bears tribe arrived. They looked exactly like their name suggested — massive brutes covered in tattoos and furs. The largest among them, with a long black beard streaked with gray, treated Valeria like a child from the very beginning and showed no intention of lowering his tone.
"My dear brother gave his life for Valar! Surely the Brown Bears tribe deserves one hundred spears and shields!? Does it not!?" he shouted, standing beneath a banner marked with a bear.
Seated on her honorary chair-throne, Valeria studied him carefully, glanced at the rolled-up parchments and baskets of cheap fabrics, then, clasping her hands on her lap, replied:
"Your brother's sacrifice will not be forgotten. I hope you, too, will serve the cause of Zod, Barga son of Burg…"
The bastard must have felt death's breath on his neck upon hearing her tone and seeing that unnaturally wide smile. He softened immediately and fell silent, which only confirmed my suspicion.
"Yes, Your Majesty… And regarding the equipment?"
"Of course. The matter will be considered thoroughly."
"Well, it better be! Hah!"
What an idiot! Saying "considered thoroughly" isn't much different from saying "forgotten." I can already see us handing over that much equipment to a southern tribe while we ourselves have nothing!
"How many more?"
Valeria stretched in her chair, the heat getting to all three of us. God, how I missed air conditioning. A makeshift canopy of cloth stretched over sticks just wasn't it…
At least these theatrics were happening outside — it was easier to look at dry earth and patches of grass than at the architectural "wonders" created by the green builders. No nails. Technology practically nonexistent. Tools? Barely any. And the workers… well, their enthusiasm far exceeded their skills.
"Almost done, Your Majesty."
Argos, seated on the other side at the foot of the raised platform to her left, looked like he was dying of boredom.
It turned out that some of the chieftains had not managed to arrive, fearing raids from the orcs. Others probably just had better things to do than rush here to argue over villages where five or six families lived.
I had been living in this forest for some time now, yet I still couldn't understand why most of these "tribes" were nothing more than a handful of families clustered around a slightly better patch of land.
No wonder Hakku and his band had been able to impose their terror here. It was unsettling to imagine what would happen if the ogre tribe returned — and not just to shame some mixed-blood outcast of theirs, but at full strength.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live Zod!" shouted the last chieftain in line, and the whole commotion was quickly wrapped up.
The true assembly was planned for the late evening hours, once the sun had set. There was still a need to bring order and present them with some kind of laws, plans, or structure.
After all, the Kingdom of Valar was a kingdom — and those who lived in it should be aware of that.
Meanwhile, I headed as far away as possible from that crowd, which kept pestering me about the God of the Sword or Zod. Not to mention attempts at bribery, impossible promises, and efforts to curry favor with what they saw as the queen's right hand.
That was how they saw me — though probably only the greens did.
In this world, the strong ruled. And compared to Jo'Xa'Jaru, Argos, or even Doirak and Mago, I was a nobody at the very bottom — compensating only with appearance, physique, and species. Even the blessing from Zod wasn't enough.
Vay was in a completely different league — one I would probably never reach.
Inside, the official celebrations had already begun. Music drifted beyond the high fence, and the smell of roasted meat and all kinds of food — from simple soups to slightly burned potatoes — made me almost jealous. For once, I was alone and had time to gather my thoughts. How much talking and listening can one person take!? I'm an introvert!!!
The forest in the evening was blue-green through my violet eyes. My second head scanned for prey with its crimson gaze, while the third — the newest — calmly examined the surroundings, sniffing the ground and the air.
My level was still far lower than the others', and although I didn't want anyone to notice how much it bothered me, it was becoming harder to hide. Everyone here saw me as powerful — well, maybe except the lizardmen and anyone who wasn't a goblin… What a joke…
I crossed familiar thickets — the same ones we had marched through to attack that bastard Hakku. I still had no idea how I survived back then.
Now I was reaping the consequences. Threats from almost every direction, a deranged dragoness on my trail, and Valeria, who probably saw me as someone I wasn't… Ugh…
I sprang to my feet, sensing a familiar aura approaching at great speed. A dark aura.
"Taking a walk? A beautiful night, hmm… isn't it?"
Vay leaned against the crown of a tall tree, standing casually on one of its bare branches. His sapphire eyes in the moonlight and his pale face could frighten the devil himself.
"What's bothering you? I doubt it's your stomach. The tables in the city are overflowing with food. I wouldn't be surprised if some goblin's stomach bursts, ha!"
What was he doing here? He definitely wasn't wandering out of boredom. He wanted something. Better watch my words around someone like him. If he wanted to, he could kill me with his bare hands.
"Why do you think something's bothering me? Have you never walked at night? Never had anything to think about, Vay?"
"Hmm…" he laughed. "I don't know what troubles you, I don't know what nightmares wake you at night. I don't even know who you really are or what you desire. And you know what? I don't need to."
He jumped down from the tree and, just before touching the ground, turned into mist, reappearing gracefully in front of me.
"I've seen your effort. I truly want to thank you for taking care of my sister… for what you're doing."
"I'm not doing it for praise. Your sister is a very good person. You should be glad — you're lucky."
A strange glint appeared in his eyes and vanished just as quickly. A faint grimace crossed his face.
"Yes… little Va is a very good sister. Hard to find someone like her. Before I came here, I thought she was completely alone. Now I see she has gathered some truly good beings around her — with you at the forefront."
"What are you getting at?"
"I'd like you to promise me that no matter what happens, you won't stop supporting her. Va is young and inexperienced. She will make many mistakes. She might hurt you, or you might hurt her… I want you to stand by each other when hard times come."
Vay looked up at the moon, shining unusually bright.
"Zod… I believe you're telling the truth. You don't strike me as someone who would risk themselves against the Beast of Cataclysm. Besides… Valeria told me quite a bit…"
I hadn't expected a conversation like this out of nowhere. Had he drunk too much? What brought this on? Was he planning to leave somewhere?
For now, overwhelmed by his presence and these sudden confessions, I simply nodded along.
"She has a long road ahead of her. The God of the Sword would not have manifested if she weren't worthy."
"Hmm… perhaps… Hard times lie ahead for Va. Tedious work… and the wars to come. I hope she can endure them."
Silence fell.
"And you? What do you think?"
"I think sometimes it's better not to think. Let's focus on the assembly, and then on the challenges ahead. There will be no shortage of them, and each will be difficult in its own way."
We stood there, looking at the moon, talking about what had happened, about Valeria's journey and how bravely she had fought to reach where she was now. Vay listened to it all, and I could feel that something weighed on him — as if he carried a secret he wasn't ready to reveal.
For now, we headed back toward White Stony City, and the distant shouting and arguments suggested we wouldn't find anything pleasant waiting for us.
A long night lay ahead.