Teru gulch, nor passage across Drukkar’s Sea. And you certainly will never possess a heartstone of Kakkari. Your mountain will crumble and your people will die before that happens.”
“You lie,” he spit. “You have no army here. You bring a handful of warriors camped outside the valley and you think that is an army? I have an army, one bred for a specific purpose and soon, it is you that will fear us. I will not rest until I am sitting on top of the Dothikkar’s throne and he is lying dead at my feet. Until the open streets of Dothik are running rivers of blackened blood. Until the outposts and hordes are burned to the ground. It is you who will serve us.”
The Ghertun shifted throughout the throne room, the energy rising from Lozza’s words.
“Then we will go to war,” I rasped.
“Then we start now. And you will die first, horde king. I will send your head to the Dothikkar,” Lozza hissed. His eyes went to one of the four guards surrounding me. “Sebrissa.”
I lunged, snapping through the chains that encircled my wrists.
Deep, aching pain burned into my chest. One of the guards’ spears stabbed me, hitting bone, a necessary wound so that I could reach Lozza before he scurried away.
I bled on the Ghertun king, coating his shoulder, as I got behind him, whirling him around so that we faced the guards, my arm wrapped around his neck.
Lozza screamed when I plunged my hand into his side, my claws curling deep into his flesh.
Shrieking cries rose from the Ghertun present in the great hall. There was a brief moment of panic, of fluttered movement, before the room seemed to still again. I backed up, walking to the throne so that I could see the whole room.
Lozza was already limp in my arms, his limbs heavy as I dragged him. His taloned feet scraped across the stone, an unpleasant grating sound.
“Wh-what did you do?” he rasped, the words sounding garbled.
“I made friends,” I hissed, flexing my claws deep in his side, making an anguished groan tumble from his lips.
The guards were frozen in the center of the throne room and I saw more had poured in at the entrance from the brief commotion. It told me everything I needed to know about Lozza’s army. That he might be right about having large numbers but that they were not trained. This never would have happened in Dothik with Dakkari warriors at the Dothikkar’s side.
“Do you know what enuwip is?” I asked him.
A garbled sound rose from Lozza’s throat and when I looked down at him, even though his limbs were limp, his eyes were panicked and rolling.
“The Killup are a good ally to have,” I told him. “Now that I have your undivided attention, let us make a bargain. Your cure for mine. Unless you wish to bleed out on your throne.”
The Ghertun in the great hall were beginning to get restless, an anger rising, palpable and strong after the shock had worn off. Because even though Lozza was no king, they still remained loyal to him. And I wasn’t so much of a fool as not to know that if they swarmed me, I would be dead. There were too many of them.
“Tell them to stand back or I will tear my claws from your flesh,” I rasped in his ear. “And you know what will happen when I do that.”
“We have survived enuwip before,” Lozza rasped, his words slurred. “I will take my chances. Sebrissa!”
Vok.
My jaw tightened and I tore Lozza’s dull sword from his waist, tearing my claws from his body and throwing his limp form towards the throne, hearing his pained groan as he began to bleed out.
All at once the Ghertun in the room began to rush towards me. Most were unarmed but their numbers were great.
Closer and closer.
I growled, striking at the nearest male, slashing across his belly, and he fell. I switched my sword hand when Lozza’s blood made my grip slip, raking out with my claws, catching two Ghertun by surprise and cutting them. I hoped there was enough enuwip underneath my claws still to paralyze them, at least briefly.
My attacks only seemed to enrage the group of Ghertun more. All I heard was hissing and bones crunching as their legs propelled them closer.
One Ghertun launched at me. With a growl, I ducked, pivoted, and struck them down.
Then another came.
And another.
The wound in my chest seeped blood, pouring to my abdomen. Out