Page 76 of Birthright

If his face hadn’t melted to that of a smitten child when he saw me, I would have thought him made of stone. I enjoyed that soft look on him.

So did Cliona. “Put your tongue back in, Sarge. You can play slap and tickle later.”

He growled again but didn’t take his eyes off me to acknowledge her. His face returned to stony hardness. “Doran said they were ready, my lady. Are you?” He held out his arm to escort me.

“For you two? No. For the Slaugh? Yes.”

We walked in silence toward the meet room. Doran was waiting at the door. It opened when we got there, and we entered in a very formal procession. First Doran, then her guardian and her two consorts. I followed a few steps behind with Cliona, with Jordan bringing up the rear. The rest of the court came behind us.

There were six of the Slaugh over to one side. They made the faintest bow as we passed and took our seats on the raised dais. Again, this was an all-out show of power and dominance.

Jordan seemed uncomfortable as he lowered himself to his place by my side. Cliona mumbled “boy toy” under her breath and he made that angry growling sound again. I had to cross my legs to combat the tingle. I was really starting to like that sound.

The Slaugh filed into the open area before the court. Trammel looked angered by the fact that we towered over him. His tiny red eyes were glowing brightly under the black hood. His entourage moved in behind him but not too closely. They spread out to his sides, looking more like bodyguards than officers.

I stood back up and walked down the steps to face him. He was a good five inches taller than me, so I didn’t get too close. I didn’t want to have to look up at him. I heard Doran and the others shift at my movement. I was breaking protocol, but Trammel wouldn’t know.

“Trammel.” I didn’t use a title because he didn’t have one yet. “We’ll forgo the ceremony of this occasion because I doubt you’re smart enough to know what it is.” He took a step back and his eyes flashed, but he didn’t reply as I continued. “Let’s just get down to business.”

I walked around him and eyed the two Slaugh on his right side. I passed them and went around to his back. He didn’t turn, not wanting to show fear. The smell of death lingered on him as I passed around his left side to stop right in front of him again. “What plans of war do you have against the humans? And remember, my guardian will know if you speak the truth or not.”

“Why has Nessum not returned to us, priestess?”

“I don’t know, Trammel.” It was the truth. I knew why he had left, but not the reason he hadn’t come back. “Are you not leader enough to run the island without your Dark Angel?”

He swung so hard and so fast that I almost didn’t see it coming and didn’t have time to set myself well. I spun around as he made contact with my face. Jordan and Cliona were both halfway down the steps before I could hold up my hand to motion them back. Cliona immediately stopped but Jordan kept coming. “Back off,” I told him. He gave me a stern look, but slowly backed up and took his seat. Cliona put her hand on his shoulder.

I turned back. I had expected it and could have remained facing him if I hadn’t worn the damn heels, but I got the reaction I wanted. He had expected me to let my guards have at him. He was backing away as I turned to him. I felt the trickle of blood from my lip. I wiped the drop and licked it off my finger. A tease.

“You’re a soldier, Trammel.” He was watching my mouth as I spoke. “You have proven that by slaying your upper ranks, but what do you know of humanity?” I stepped back in close to show I had no fear of him.

“I know what I need to, Priestess. We will destroy their governments and lower their numbers so that we, and the rest of the Kith, can walk among them again without fear. Nessum and Bran had centuries to do such and didn’t. You killed Bran and Nessum has left us. I will carry on and do what we have planned for centuries.”

“When was the last time you were among humans?” I asked coldly, and with a hint of superiority.

“What matter is that?”

“Answer me, Trammel. When was the last time you or your guards here have walked among the humans? What do you understand of the modern world outside Thule?”

“Centuries.”

I huffed and waved a hand and an image of New York City appeared in a shimmering mist in the air. Bevin made a pleased-sounding hum behind me. The image changed to downtown London. “The modern human world is different, Trammel. They are connected by technology, educated in the arts and medicine.” Each time I spoke, an image appeared to illustrate. “They have modern weaponry, some of which I saw on your island, tossed away like junk. You have no clue what will happen if you start a war in the modern world, do you?”

“Only a weak human would try to frighten a Slaugh, Keena.”

This time he had insulted me. I spun around and kicked him square in the jaw. I had to jump to do so but I connected with the brittle bones of his face. He hit the ground. Again, Jordan stood as Trammel’s guards came to his side to get him to his feet. He waved them off and laughed as he got up. “We understand one another, Priestess. Go on.”

I changed the image to a shot of a huge explosion. “Trammel…this is a nuclear explosion. Do you know this kind of weapon?”

“I’ve heard of such a thing. Mass destruction.”

“Then you understand that the frail, corrupt human governments wield enough power to use such weapons. They will panic when resources are short and blame other governments, and they will attack one another. They are not open minded enough to do anything else.”

“So?” He crossed his arms.

“These weapons will destroy all humanity, Trammel. Not reduce the population, not kill off a percentage of them. These weapons destroy land, people, animals, oceans—everything for hundreds of miles, and leave the earth poisoned for centuries to come.” I saw understanding start to show on his black, wrinkled face. “There are enough of these weapons to destroy the world several times over.”

“That is ridiculous! Why would a government have them if they will destroy themselves by using them?”