AR Chapter 450

I strode through the streets of Nievtra, my people bowing as I walked past, preparing to receive “visitors”. The first snows had fallen but still refused to stick, and the days were now finally shorter than the nights. I had expected the Misti Hawar to make their approach earlier in the season, especially knowing that we’d taken captives and they hadn’t engaged in any real talks as of yet, but they also hadn’t reached out to us to discuss the surrender of our captives. I had no complaints, since while the furry foes would have a greater advantage in the dark, we could see more than well enough to keep ourselves in the fight. As such, I welcomed the opportunity to train and raise more of my people to be ready for the inevitable battles, expecting that numbers could cover for a whole host of difficulties.

Five days before, Ruskil had returned from the south, his pack having investigated some deliberate markings from the Misti Hawar. It was obvious that they'd left the marks for somebody’s benefit, but whose, we didn’t know. There weren’t any of the Misti Hawar that’d presented themselves recently, and the scouting expedition had remained in the south for an extra 10 days trying to find any particular reason for the marking, but to no avail. Finally, Ruskil had guided his pack to return through the Shandise to report their findings and lack of additional information. Most of my elites’ immediate reaction was to send more to the south to see what they could find, but I refused to allow it. With how little we understood, I wouldn’t permit my people to run around and get themselves killed while we searched for possibly unimportant information. Fortunately, we had a somewhat reliable source of information that bore surprising fruit.

With Ruskil’s discovery, I approached the Misti Hawar prisoners. The female, as always, was more compliant than her fellows when I approached. The other others bared their teeth and generally acted like untamed beasts, while the female, Maksulah, was much easier to talk to.

“I thank you for your presence here.” The dark furred creature bowed as I approached. “How may I serve you?”

The males started to snarl something, but were quickly muzzled by Brutus and several of his Alqat bodyguards. Once there was silence, I said, “I have something one of you might be able to explain to me. While on patrol on the border between our nations, one of my people encountered a small marking on the base of a tree. It was deliberately made with your magic, and in the deepest recesses of the cuts left in the tree, there were deeper pools of your magic there. It was no older than a few days, and we have every reason to believe that this was deliberate and intended for us to discover. Would you like to explain what this is?”

To my surprise, the thrashing males ceased their struggles as soon as they heard my explanation. They started struggling in a different way, their body language more desperate than angry. Even Maksulah, composed and soft spoken as she was, stiffened at my words, and she leaned forward as she asked, “May I ask some clarifying questions?”

I couldn’t mistake the thrum of emotion in her words, and I flared my frills for her to continue.

“How many cuts were there? And do you know exactly how deep the furrows were? How dark was the hue of the magic?”

I flexed my tail in dismissal, answering, “Another knows, I wasn’t present.”

“May I ask that they be brought here? I’m afraid I can’t give you an accurate answer unless I can ask some questions.” Again, everything in the female’s posture positively screamed desperation.

I gesture for Ruskil to step forward, which he did. I had to translate the question for him, as he hadn’t learned the common tongue nearly well enough to have a conversation in it, and with every one of his answers, Maksulah grew more excited. Eventually, she couldn’t help herself and threw her head back, roaring to the skies in excitement. Brutus stepped forward, ready to dispense aggressive and unnecessary punishment, making her cower back. I waved him away as I allowed her her excitement. After several seconds, the prisoner regathered her composure and met my eyes, her tail flicking excitedly as her bestial face twisted into what I could only assume was pure excitement.

“This is an attempt at dialogue. The correct answer would be to strike a parallel cut on the opposite side of the same tree, letting them know that they can approach your camp without fear of violent retribution. As those who have approached, they can enter your town, with them being in the weaker position, and will present the terms for their surrender or for their pleading. In this case, it would probably be to ask for the return of prisoners.”

I flared my frills slowly as I thought over the idea, and I wouldn’t mind turning over the prisoners, given that we’d extracted about all of the intelligence from them that I think we could manage. Yes, they would have additional information for the Misti Hawar about things inside of the city, but they’d seen precious little while in the dungeons, nothing that would give significant advantage over what the invaders had already found in their first attack.

“Ruskil, go to the tree where you found the markings and leave a mirror to the markings on the opposite side of the tree. Do nothing more, do not look for any other signs or anything else, return immediately thereafter, gathering any scouts that you find on the way to return.”

There would be plenty more people keeping their eyes out, but it would only be those who I was confident would be able to protect themselves and stay out of a fight unless the enemy started it. As the young male Khatif left the dungeon, Brutus called off his Alqat from the other prisoners. As soon as he did, one of the prisoners started shouting, “Send me! I’ll do it!”

“You’re an idiot if you think that I will release a prisoner to go discuss the terms of prisoners being released.“ I responded with a clack of my teeth. The male seemed to try to gather his wits about him after I said that, but his rage was obvious in his face and body language. Of course, that was all the rage he could muster while bound hand and foot and stuck under the unforgiving light of the suns, and I ceased paying him any mind.

“Maksulah, thank you for the information. I’ll ensure that those most deserving are those who are discussed when it comes to terms of release and escape. Those who have been the most troublesome will be treated as the troubles they have so long been.”

Faint cries of anger and frustration filled the air as we left them behind, but I didn’t care to have an extended conversation with the losers of the fight. Finally, there was going to be a table to sit at, and from there, I could get a true measure of those who would soon be my enemy in deed as well as word.