Chapter Ashborn 391: Of Alliances and Oaths

“I believe you owe me an explanation,” Vir said, his voice cold and low, barely above a whisper. And yet, it contained such authority that even Ra froze, regarding him as he would an Ash Beast.

The black flames burning off Vir’s body tended to have that effect.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sagun’Ra tossed his dagger to the floor, slumping his shoulders. “Come. Trial finished. Talk... Outside.”

Turning his back to Vir, the Raja skulked out of the chamber, heading for the stone door at the opposite end.

Vir followed in silence as he tried to make sense of the situation, his senses on high alert.

First, the revelation that it hadn’t been Annas—or not just Annas—who’d plotted to kill Shan during the tournament.

Vir had never known. Not until that moment. So it had been Nor who’d attacked Tara and him in the qualifiers. She’d been wrong. He hadn’t been after her. He’d been after Vir.

Which meant he’d known that Vir was the Akh Nara. But how?

Vir intended to find out. Even if it meant prying the answer from Sagun’Ra’s mouth.

He strolled with purpose behind Sagun’Ra, who kept throwing anxious glances back at him.

Good. Let the Raja be scared. The Iksana thought the shadows were theirs. Let them know Vir was perfectly capable of playing on their turf. Let them know they couldn’t manipulate him, threaten him, or blackmail him into anything.

The next corridor was long, narrow, and just as dark as the previous one. Vir wondered when he’d passed through. He had no recollection of it. Had he really been so affected by the drug’s influence?

Ra pushed aside another door, and they finally emerged back into the chamber with Ashani and the wolves.

The moment they saw Vir, they understood something was wrong. Ashani’s rod cracked with lightning, and the wolves took up a defensive perimeter around her, growling at Ra.

“Tell your hounds to stand down,” Ra said, halting well away from the beasts.

Vir locked eyes with Ashani and nodded.

It was only after she gave the signal to stand down and the wolves sat back on their haunches did Ra speak again.

“Come. This is no place for conversation. Follow.”

“I’ve followed enough,” Vir said, his voice cold and hard. “How about we talk here?”

Ra shrugged. “Very well. Speak.”

“Let’s start with how Nor knew who I was. He was the one who attacked me during the qualifier round, yes?”

Vir had harbored suspicions about Nor ever since the tournament. While Annas may have been the one who poisoned Shan, only an Iksana could have attacked him in the qualifiers with Tara. At the time, she’d thought it might have been someone after her, but Vir had always had his doubts.

Ra’s brow raised, and his eyes bulged as he muttered to himself, cursing occasionally.

“You didn’t know?” Vir asked, frowning in surprise.

“Now, yes,” Ra said. “Hid track well. Would have executed him. If not.”

Vir didn’t know whether to be exasperated or angry. What he did know, however, was that Ra’s legendary reputation was perhaps not as ironclad as the Raja would have the world believe.

Vir was in a position of power here. Even a novice negotiator recognized the goldmine Nor had given him. In duping his own Raja, he made Ra look bad. Worse—he went against the clans wishes, putting the Iksana in the line of fire of the most feared entity in the realm.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

And Vir knew Ra was pissed. Both at the deception and the insubordination.

“It seems to me that you are not in as much control of your clan as you think you are, Sagun’Ra,” Vir said slowly. “I have to wonder—if one of your own can so thoroughly pull the wool over your eyes, how much can I trust your words?”

Vir might not have been an expert in negotiation, but this was one advantage he could easily exploit.

To his surprise, Ra cackled. “Have you not made mistakes, young one? To err is to live. To live, to err.”

So that’s his angle, Vir thought. Very well. If Ra would play that card, Vir was only happy to counter. “Not a good look, Ra, relying on ridiculing my age. If you recall, it was this young one who defeated the Ravager. It is this young one who builds an army, deep in the Mahādi, the lost city of the gods. An army unlike any this realm has ever seen.”

Sagun’Ra froze. “Say again.”

“Three thousand demons,” Vir said, fudging the facts just a bit. “Each strong enough not only to brave the deepest depths of the Ashen Realm, but defeat the fell beasts that lurk there. Imagine, Ra, an army of Ravagers. That is the force I will soon unleash upon this realm.”

“Impossible…”

“Quite real, in fact,” Vir said. “I can show you if you wish. Assuming, of course, your body could withstand the prana. Which I very much doubt.”

Ra went very still for a long moment. Anyone with half a brain understood the utter devastation such an army could wreak upon the realm. Even if Vir had been exaggerating—his soldiers would boast awe-inspiring prana, yes, but their mastery over their newly inscribed tattoos was lackluster at best—they were still a force unlike any other.

“What do you want?” Ra said at last.

“You know what I want,” Vir said. “Clarity, and the Iksana’s pledge to support me in my endeavor.”

“No. Have not earned it.”

Vir’s eyebrow quivered, but he kept his emotion under control. The Iksana did not behave like other demons, he reminded himself. Their customs were different, and understanding them took patience.

“Perhaps not,” Vir said. “And yet, Zarak’Nor attempted to take not just my wolf’s life, but mine as well. During a sacred ritual, no less. I require recompense. Surely, you cannot begrudge me this?”

“No,” Ra said. “I cannot. Clarity is off limits. Clan would never agree. Uproar. Revolt. Chaos. No. Name your price. Not that. Not yet.”

It's the same as it was with Thaman, Vir thought, gnashing his teeth. Unless he proved himself to the clan, they would never approve of a foreigner learning their Ultimate art.

Vir let out a small breath. He’d always known gaining Clarity was a long shot. Even still, he wasn't joking about demanding compensation for his grievances.

“Then swear your fealty to my cause. Provide me with troops so that I might win this battle. Undo the wrong you wrought by laying waste to Samar Patag.”

Sagun’Ra fell silent for a long while, tapping his shoulder.

Ashani sidled up to Vir. “Do you require my assistance?” she whispered.

“Not unless I have no other choice,” Vir said. “I want to—”

“Iksana will not interfere,” Ra said, interrupting Vir. “With your rebellion.”

“You won’t interfere, but you won’t help, either?” Vir asked, his anger finally starting to overcome his restraint.

“Correct.”

“Unacceptable.”

“It is all I can offer. To commit Iksana… Would raise questions.”

“Questions that might undermine your authority?” Vir asked.

“Possible.”

“Then consider this. When I take back Samar Patag and announce to the world that the Iksana did the bare minimum to help, how do you think the other clans will regard yours then, hmm? And what do you think that will do for your authority?”

“You may fail.”

“Fail?” Vir asked, raising an eyebrow. “No, Ra, that is where you are wrong,” Vir said, clenching his fist.

Ashani stepped forward, but Vir motioned for her to stop.

The very thought of revealing Ashani’s identity to cow Sagun’Ra sickened him. Not just because of her own desire to avoid being worshiped, but because it fundamentally weakened Vir’s own claim to power. If people followed his lead because Ashani told them to, Vir’s own worth mattered naught.

No one would respect him for who he was. Only once he’d proven to the world that he could retake his clan, once he’d earned everyone’s respect, only then would having Ashani by his side strengthen his position.

Besides, while true that most would worship the goddess, there would undoubtedly be those who sought to seek personal gain. Perhaps by capturing her, or blackmailing her. Ashani could easily stand her ground, and Vir would never allow her to venture anywhere unguarded, but the point remained. The enemy couldn’t strike what they didn’t know of, and thus the best defense was invisibility.

Firming his resolve, Vir faced Ra. “You’re wrong, because I will retake my clan at any cost. You don’t believe me. I understand. You don’t know me. You haven’t seen my army. So I invite you to send a detachment of your most trusted Iksana to my camps in the Ash. I will personally guarantee their safety. Then, when they’ve seen my army’s strength and reported back, then you can make your decision.”

“They will die,” Ra said. “Few Iksana can brave the Ash.”

“Not to worry,” Vir replied, having expected this response. “I have developed an acclimatization program for my new recruits. They may join the others, delving deeper only when they are ready. Consider it a gesture of goodwill. From me to your clan. Your Iksana warriors will return transformed. Forged by the very Ash itself, they will be the strongest Warriors in your clan. Tell me, is there any better metric of my army’s strength than witnessing the transformation yourself?”

Sagun’Ra was silent for a moment longer, but not even the ancient Raja could prevent his eyes from bulging. “Perhaps,” he said at length. “Perhaps. Make no mistake. You have not earned the respect of the Iksana. Make whole your clan. Make whole this realm. Show us true coexistence. Then, and only then, will you have our blessing.”

“So, you accept, then?” Vir asked, surprised at how easily the Raja had come around. “Should your troops convince you of my strength upon their return, you will pledge the Iksana to my cause?”

“So it shall be,” was Raja Sagun’Ra’s reply.

Vir felt the edges of his lips curl up. “Then we have a deal.”

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