Chapter 118: Chapter 118
A hostile has been defeated in your purification zone.
Belissar exhaled his breath as the message crossed his vision. A moment later, the shade’s body dispersed into mist, taking most of the flames with them. He could feel the chill of the Hunger fade as his Tower’s mana flooded the area. Dead grass and flowers left in the shade’s wake began to regrow.
He, Chief Rohsuak, and Metsaitti had to stamp out a few small fires, but in the end the situation had been dealt with. And with not a bee harmed in the process.
“Looks like we got it. Did, um…”
Belissar hesitated but swallowed and cleared his voice.
“Was anyone hurt? I might be able to help if so.”
Chief Rohsuak smiled and shook her head.
“No, thanks to you we got through unscathed. Which reminds me…”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stick to ourselves? What if we need to leave again? We’ve made it this far on our own, why do we need to do something ?”
Chief Rohsuak heaved a sigh…and allowed herself to slump over. She felt an itch in her throat…and she allowed herself to cough and hack until Juosiutik brought her a drink. She thanked the girl as she drank.
All the karnuq were staring at her, many with their eyes open wide. It was, after all, one of the first signs of her age she had truly permitted them to see. She cleared her throat once more before beginning to speak.
“Our people have teetered on the edge of a knife for a while now. We’ve made it through, yes. But…that will not last forever. We are one mistake, one instance of bad luck, one unfortunate accident away from ruin. And even if our good luck continues…we cannot continue forever. As you can see, my time is dwindling, much sooner than you think. Metsaitti is not getting any younger either and we have no champions as of yet that can match him. What will happen ten years down the line, or twenty? What if Metsaitti is wounded and a shade like the one we faced tonight appears?”
She turned and looked the young hunter in the eyes.
“Could you stand against something like that alone?”
The younger hunter held her gaze for a couple of seconds before glancing away. Chief Rohsuak coughed once more, then took a deep breath and straightened her spine once more, rising to her full height. Even now, she stood above most of her people when she wasn’t hunching over.
“We have survived, but we have made no progress. We have only lost more and more on our journey. But now…now we have a chance to change that, and to grow.”
She turned to Leijaliuk.
“For the first time since our journey began, we know where tomorrow’s meals will come from.”
Leijaliuk nodded and Chief Rohsuak pointed to Juosiutik and Noigakkuq.
“We have raised our first new champions since we lost our home, with more on the way.”
And then she turned to Metsaitti, who nodded as everyone turned to face him.
“And, as of tonight, we have protection from an army whose might exceeds our own.”
She turned and looked each member of the meeting in the eye, one by one.
“For the first time, our people can grow in strength, abundance, and numbers. But that is only true as long as we remain here. If, for some reason, we are forced to leave, we will lose access to that protection. We will lose access to the first consistent source of food we have had. And our two champions will lose access to the Sacred Den of the patron who has granted them her unique blessings, while no further members of our clan will have an opportunity to receive a blessing at all.”
She then smiled at them.
“What I propose is that we do what we need to make our current good fortune permanent and ensure that we will continue to grow far into the future, even after all of us here are gone.”
The karnuq slowly began to nod, though one of the eldest frowned.
“But…didn’t you say it’s dangerous to trust a Sacred Den Master? Don’t you remember what happened to our fathers and mothers?”
Chief Rohsuak nodded.
“I did. And I do. And that was why we held back. That is why we still live in tents, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. That is why we live on the outskirts where we are still exposed to the Underway and the Hunger.”
She made eye contact with him.
“But I no longer think that. We gave this Sacred Den Master a chance to show us his true colors and he has. From the time we have arrived here, he has not hesitated to share with us the bounty of his Sacred Den, or the blessings of his patron. And in exchange he only demanded one thing: that we not harm his bees. Tonight, he risked those same bees himself in order to protect us, even though we hadn’t even asked for his help, and then he asked us for nothing in return. This Sacred Den Master has earned my trust.”
She turned to Metsaitti who nodded.
“Mine as well. I owe him my life for tonight.”
A wave of murmuring passed through the karnuq…which only grew as Noigakkuq stepped forward, tossing a new dagger in her hand.
“I’m in favor of it.”
Juosiutik nodded and stepped forward as well.
“As am I. I would not have reclaimed my mother’s legacy without his help.”