The powerful gusts of the storm beat against Dalria’s dark orange skin as she stood at the edges of the forbidden land of the quen’talrat; she kept herself low to not get thrown off-balance, observing the cave her targets had entered.

  Tremors vibrated through her bones from the flashes of Supreme Chief Ulsa overhead, but now she was beginning to doubt the stories her mother told her. A frown touched Dalria’s three-toothed mouth when the undead Ethereal Clan’s scout came to the mouth of the opening. She sunk lower in her crouching position to evade notice, allowing the pelting rain to obscure her.

  A surge in the gale blocked her view of the deadly ri’bot, giving her the chance to scratch an itch that came from the crimson tattoo the human creature had made. She hadn’t believed her clansmen, yet the second her fingers caressed the symbol, a shiver ran down her spine, and she saw something indescribable. A truth of blood, bone, and carnage beyond the veil of reality imprinted on her consciousness.

  All her life, she’d believed in the Supreme Chiefs. Dalria had taken steps to become the first female Xaria in the Komath since her great-grandmother’s time, but all of that felt meaningless from the moment that creeping eye laid sight on her.

  Hand leaving the mark, she waited patiently, and the cave opening came back into view.

  Burn my tongue, she cursed to herself. Her teeth sawed into her bottom lips as she scowled at the imperious human; somehow, the thing had seen her past the darkness and rain. Not even the Whispering Shade could kill her… What are you?

  A deep hum picked at her mind, making her itch like the brand on her chest; the darkness was seeping into her thoughts, yet she wasn’t as frightened of it now after experiencing the brand of the Scarlet Hand.

  You failed.

  “Did I?” Volcanic heat rubbed against Dalria’s throat from his intrusive, entertained voice. “Hmm-hmm. To one such as yourself, perhaps I did. Such wonderful fun to be had in the future. Preparations must be made, and pieces moved across the world, but I am quite satisfied with the time I spent with the young empress. What will your new master think? Hehehe.”

  Its presence drifted away like the wind, leaving her muscles restless and her thoughts irritated. She wanted to charge in and kill the green-eyed undead abomination until it stayed dead. It’d be so easy; she looked so weak. The looming quen’talrat and ri’bot scout made her think otherwise, however.

  Her gaze fixated on the white-skinned, blue-spotted scout. A boy a whole four years younger than her—barely a teen at the age of six—yet a beginner scout of the Ethereal Clan was able to match her—an entry-level Xaria. All of the tales Chief Krava told about the legendary and dangerous ri’bot clan were made starkly clear in his resurrection.

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  It wasn’t fair! She’d trained every minute of every day since she could reason. Yet this young toe-jabber seemed just as powerful as her. The superior genetics of being born into a stronger clan made all of her blood, sweat, and tears feel worthless. The chief was right; if this Elinor human could bring back undead even more powerful than these already imposing figures… Dalria shuddered. There would be no future for their clan if that happened.

  Having confirmed the undead girl’s survival, she went for tree cover to return to her unit. She was the only one who could evade the Plant Callers’ wide sensory net they’d cast after the clanless attack—an attack she’d forced the small nomadic band to make at the threat of their loved ones.

  Naturally, she’d ordered the hostages to be dispensed with the moment the small number of fighters launched the assault. They’d only served as a distraction to give her the chance to hit one of Elinor’s parents to accommodate the Whispering Shade’s request. Frost fingers, even that had ended in total failure—she hated failure.

  A crash of noise sounded overhead, followed by dozens more, hidden behind the canopy, yet she pressed on without hesitation. Weaving through the branches, it didn’t take her that long to bypass the fortress the Plant Callers had somehow fashioned. Teethless Mystics truly were terrifying when left unchecked.

  Arriving back at her band of fifty high warriors, all under her command, she saw the Speaker of the Eye huddled within the hollowed portion of a dead tree; exiting the storm and relieving her next in command, they all waited silently for her report. Not a soul in her unit hadn’t taken the mark after she’d taken it.

  The human known as Jennifer huddled near a fire they’d somehow managed to make, shivering and clutching one of the shiny objects she’d had them take from the pile of goods; she’d had her snatch a few items before they’d vacated the area.

  “Heh. I’m guessing she’s still alive by your expression,” she whispered, somehow wearing what she’d come to know as a smiling face on humans. “So, she raised her mother, and I’m guessing her father will be next, judging by his personality. It seems we’ll have to move to the next plan.”

  Heran placed his hand over the tattoo on his chest with a shiver. “Not even the Whispering Shade could kill her; what if the undead creature cannot be slain?”

  Jennifer’s vision narrowed while staring into the small fire, the pattering of rain coming into the foreground for a few seconds in the uncomfortable silence.

  “We have to kill her now that she’s off my planet… Lady Revilla wills it; it shall be done. There are options.”

  Dalria grimaced, thinking about how she should report this to her superior. “Chief Krava will be very cautious of the mark, even if I vouch for him to receive the vision. Our clan is no stranger to rituals, but they are slow in adopting new ones.”

  A small tilt came to Jennifer’s mouth as she hugged her covering tighter. “Oh, I think Chief Krava will come around… We can’t wait for that to happen, though. So, you’ll need to find us new members, Dalria. Lady Revilla has sent me a dream… There are allies receptive to her touch in the eastern Great Clans.”

  She looked between them, voice holding laughter. “This is only the beginning.”