Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,69

was finally Tallis that broke, which caused a sliver of a smile to creep up on Cyler’s face before he masked his joy. Cyler won this little battle.

“And what exactly is to be expected of my people, should we ally together?” Tallis asked.

“Dormas is trying to untangle themselves from the influence of the Empire. We can no longer sit idly by while they abuse their power, and now we have the resources to succeed.”

Cyler’s voice rang throughout the tent, and the only sound heard after his declaration was the crackling of the emerald fire. I cautiously looked around, worried that Lackley himself was somehow spying on us. To even think of defying the Empire was punishable by death. The fact that Dormas was going as far as to ally with their enemies was terrifying.

“Counting the sins of the Empire doesn't make you a saint, Cyler Black. You watched on the sidelines as my people were pushed deeper into the deadlands. Besides, you have yet to answer my question," Tallis spit out like his words were venomous.

"I didn't watch from the sidelines. My family and I were struggling to keep Dormas alive. We didn't have the time or the resources to help anyone else," Cyler countered. His knuckles were white from tension.

"What do you want from us? Obviously, you have all the power in this situation. The threat of X is a heavy burden on us,” Tallis said with a frown. My thoughts drifted to the infected Walker that blazed through the forest earlier.

“I need your men to fight. I need your connections with the other camps; I need your friendship and your fists.” Cyler shrugged as if what he was suggesting wasn’t a huge request.

“You want my men to die for a cause that isn’t theirs,” Tallis replied with a snarl. I watched as his scarred hands gripped the edge of his chair. “We untangled ourselves from the empire when we fled to the deadlands. We struggle through survival enough as it is, and now you want us to risk more lives for your people?” The mood of the room plummeted, and I watched as each participant flexed their muscles.

"I'm offering you a chance at survival! I'm offering you the vaccine! You know that whatever chaos I bring to your doorstep will be worth it. Your people are dying," Cyler pleaded.

I looked around the room at the others and wondered if they would jump in to defend Cyler's deal, but each of them wore silent and brooding expressions. I thought that the level-headed Maverick or even the kind Kemper could diffuse the surmounting situation with Tallis, but it seemed that each of them was given strict instructions not to speak. I, however, was not; which is why I packed away my fear in the darkest parts of my swirling gut and spoke up .

“With all due respect, Tallis,” I began, earning various disapproving looks from my guys, and a guttural growl from Huxley. “Your men will die regardless. Influenza X is on your heels. How long do you think it’ll be before the Empire is breathing down your necks, too? They take what they want and have a trail of destruction to prove it. Either your men die from X, or they’ll die fighting. With us they have more of a chance.” I exhaled and stayed motionless, praying I wasn’t overstepping or making things worse for Cyler.

“Who are you?” Tallis asked while rising from his throne. He walked around the fire pit and stopped in front of me. My eyes were level with his pale knees until he plopped down and sat cross-legged in front of me. He leaned forward and calmly rested his elbows on his thighs. All authority and seriousness seemed to drain out of him as he openly observed me with the careful gaze of a friend and not the intense glare he wore before.

“I’m… Ash. A newly liberated Walker from the Galla province,” I answered with mock confidence. My entire body hummed with fluttering assurance. A flustered and annoyed Cyler tried to speak, but Tallis held his gnarled hand up to stop him. He was eerily interested in me.

“I’ve heard rumors of newly liberated Walkers taking up residence in Dormas. I've often wondered if you were trading one pair of shackles for another. Are you happy there?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. My eyes left Tallis' for the briefest of moments to catch an overly pleased grin from Kemper. My admission made him happy.

My eyes flashed back