Awakening the Lightforged

It has to be enough.

C. 11 days, 25 hours since the assassination of rebel leadership

Koruuksi took a deep breath as he approached Last Shadow's command room. It had only been four days since he’d arrived but even while catching up with Lysanda and having fun with Nomlana, Koruuksi felt like weeks had passed.

He still hadn't entirely gotten used to hours of manual labor, either.

The doors to the command room stood open. The frame was tall and thick, likely made of titansteel or some other strong metal, and had both georaural and electric components to it like the one back at Wolfden. Two guards flanked the entrance, and inside, Mahele, a thick Samjati man with tall, Nimikadeka antlers and dark blue skin sat in a chair, broad shoulders hunched. Two women, presumably his daughter, Paiz, the Samjati one, and Kytai, his wife's Natari advisor, stood to either side, talking to each other. Another man and woman stood within, but they didn't participate in the conversation. From their posture, clothing, and the weapons they carried, Koruuksi guessed they were some type of elites or bodyguards.

Koruuksi took a deep breath.

Just relax. They have no legitimate reason to throw you out, and they’re much less likely to kill you than Bonde’s people were.

Still… the terse responses Aaden had received from Mahele hadn’t suggested Last Shadow’s leadership was listening to reason these days.

Koruuksi brightened his clearnodes, hoping to catch some of the conversation.

The light wasn't too bad, but he winced at the smell of so many people without showers living in a tunnel system, and had to sift through all the ambient conversation and noise his enhanced hearing picked up to get anything from in the room.

"… if we allow them to operate their fighters out of our hangars," the Natari one, Kytai, was saying to Mahele, “Anarak might allow us to work with some of their sympathizers on the continent for resources so we don’t have to raid the Imaia supply shipments."

"I still say it's too risky," the other woman—presumably Paiz—said. "They're so close to Imaia territory, and some of their people are working with Frozen Phantom. We don't want them operating out of our base. It draws too much attention."

"What if we could get a few fighters out of the deal?"

"We'd still need fuel and ammunition. The costs just…"

Koruuksi took note of that, but tuned the two women out as he peered at Mahele. The man sat hunched in his chair, resting his head on one hand. His silvery-gold eyes were downcast under his orange brow, but they weren't bored.

Thoughtful. And a little haunted.

That was reassuring, at least.

When Koruuksi got to the door, he assumed his appointment would allow him to just walk in, but the guards stepped inward and held their rifles out to the side, blocking him.

He dimmed his clearnodes.

The closest guard had an aqua gemcrest at her brow and the light blue-violet skin and thin, branching antlers of a Juusanariti'i. She glared at Koruuksi, trying to look intimidating, and while the scar across her right cheek and jaw helped, Koruuksi was used to Estingai's glares.

Koruuksi looked to the other one, a tall Natari man with light red skin and stripes that climbed from his neck up his jaw and to his cheeks. His uniform hid the gemcrest at his clavicle, and he merely studied Koruuksi.

Koruuksi smiled and identified himself. "Mahele said he had some time to meet with me today."

Both guards blinked, eyes going to his forehead, then growing wide. The Samjati one paled a bit, swallowing. "Of course, Koruuksi. I should have recognized you. Let me—"

"Keep him there, Nata," the Samjati woman inside the command room said, walking toward Koruuksi with eyes narrowed and arms folded across her chest. She stopped just behind the guards.

"Anything Koruuksi wants to say to my father, he can say to me."

He'd been right then.

Looking Paiz up and down, Koruuksi found himself impressed. This woman was the most intimidating person Koruuksi had encountered since entering the base. She was about Koruuksi’s age, had a face like a storm, and her tight-fitting clothes told Koruuksi that she kept herself in fighting shape. Her clothing was also in much better condition than everyone else's.

Special privileges, or a point of pride?

Studying Mahele and Kytai again, Koruuksi had a feeling it was the latter. Their clothing was in better shape than most, but not as kept as Paiz's. With her closer, he also saw the family resemblance.

She had the same stripes as Vila, and deep blue Nimikadeka skin, but no antlers. Not surprising, given Vila's mixed parentage, even if Mahele was Samjati.

"I requested a meeting with Last Shadow's leader," Koruuksi said, trying to keep a respectful tone. “If Mahele is busy, I don’t mind waiting out here and talking with Nata and…”

Koruuksi looked to the Natari one and raised an eyebrow.

The man straightened. “Chidi.”

Koruuksi grinned. “And Chidi. I would rather speak to Ma—”

Paiz snorted, cutting him off. "You're lucky I've let you even get this close after your—"

"Let him through, Paiz," Mahele said, voice tired, but firm. "I accepted his request for a reason."

Paiz's frown deepened, blue gemcrest at her brow shining, and she glared at Koruuksi with her golden-brown eyes before nodding to the guards.

They stepped aside and Paiz took a step back to allow Koruuksi through, but she didn't turn her back to him as he strode into the room.

Koruuksi tried not to take it personally. He did have a reputation.

As he stood before Mahele, Koruuksi took a moment to study Kytai. The Natari woman was tall and slender with bright red skin and just a few small stripes running from her forehead down the bridge of her nose. Her dark brown eyes studied him with an almost amused light, and her dark coat hung open, with the shirt underneath dipping low enough to display a shining violet gemcrest, though a thick braid of dark hair hung over her shoulder, obscuring part of it.

Koruuksi looked back to Last Shadow's leader and felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He'd seen the pain in the man's eyes before, but now that Mahele looked directly at him, that pain was more raw. It seemed almost a physical thing, coiling around Koruuksi's chest.

Daring a glance at Paiz as the young woman moved to stand closer to her father, Koruuksi saw that same pain in her gaze, though anger and suspicion overshadowed it.

This wasn’t what he’d expected.

Looks like Paiz is the one behind the vehement refusal to work with us.

From what she’d said earlier, it seemed like the rumors about Estingai having something to do with the faction heads’ deaths were in Last Shadow as well, and had reached Paiz.

They probably started here.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Koruuksi turned back to Mahele, rethinking his tactics. “Thank you for meeting with me. Before anything else, I wanted to offer my condolences. I don't know the pain of losing a partner, like you have…" he turned his gaze to Paiz, "but I know what it's like to lose a parent. If there's anything I can do—"

"Like leave?" Paiz challenged, "and go back to your own people?"

"Paiz," Mahele said, throwing his daughter a pointed look that made her adopt an expression a hair away from a pout.

The leader's heavy shoulders rose and fell as he let out a deep sigh. "Forgive my daughter. We've all been under a lot of stress lately."

Koruuksi nodded, hiding a smile. “I can sympathize."

He knows his daughter is emotional. I don’t have to cater to Paiz as much.

Mahele studied him for a moment. "You avoided being taken to me when you arrived here. Why? If your aim was to meet with me?"

Koruuksi frowned. "I wasn't ready yet—wasn't sure what I wanted to say yet. I needed to get away from Wolfden, though. Estingai was asking too much of me too soon."

Mahele raised an eyebrow. "And so you thought I would welcome someone who shirks their duties?"

"Of course not. I've been staying with a few friends I have among your people, and I had them put me to work every day since I arrived. It's the kind of work Estingai wanted me to do that I wanted no part in. There are people better suited to that."

"And Estingai doesn't know to put those people on that work instead of you?" Kytai asked.

Koruuksi shrugged. “Can you blame her for having some trust issues given the circumstances?” He turned back to Mahele. "If you let me stay here, I'll do the work, and I'll even fight and protect you against the Imaia if needed, go on raids. I just don't want to be responsible for everyone in an entire base."

Mahele frowned at that, and Koruuksi worried he'd miscalculated. Then the man took a deep breath.

"It's not a burden everyone's suited for." He met Koruuksi's gaze. "Is that why you wanted to meet with me? To make sure I'd let you stay here?"

Koruuksi shook his head. "I honestly wanted to offer my condolences and see if there was any help I could provide. Losing my brother led to a falling out between me and Estingai, and it's shaken most of Frozen Phantom. I've been here a few days and I see similar signs of frayed nerves and a lack of direction. My friends and some of the people I worked with just seem to be going through the motions. They do what they do because it's familiar, but they don't seem to have any hope."

He hesitated, looking between Mahele and the two women.

"I know it isn't my place, but I wanted to ask if you have any plans after—"

“You're just here working for Estingai," Paiz said. "Leave now before I have the guards—"

Mahele raised a hand and Paiz's mouth snapped shut. He held his daughter’s gaze for a moment, then turned back to Koruuksi.

"I've entertained this meeting and your presence in my base only because you are Kojatere and Aiteperit's son," Mahele said, "and they gave everything for us. That does not mean you've earned my trust, however. Living as we do… it changes people."

"Then let me start," Koruuksi said. He wanted to brighten his yellownodes for a bit of luck, but Paiz at the least would notice that and know he was up to something.

"Next Auroraday," he said, looking between the three of them, "the Imaia will send another train of supplies through Atonga. One of its stops will be Memfoso, a mining town alongside the railroad."

Kytai cocked her head. "That's near Ironpeak's base, isn't it?"

Koruuksi shrugged. "Near one of the tunnels they connected to their base. I don't know if Estingai is going to try and hit the train, but if she does, there are some sympathizers in the town that will help secure extra resources for us while the Imaia is distracted.”

Koruuksi studied Mahele and the other two. The widower and Kytai looked thoughtful, while Paiz looked shocked rather than suspicious for once.

"That seems like very privileged information," Mahele said slowly. "What do you hope to get out of sharing it with us?"

"Trust," Koruuksi lied. “I’m hoping you'll give me a chance, and maybe you'll give Estingai a chance as well."

Mahele raised an eyebrow, and Paiz's expression darkened.

"She and I may not be getting along at the moment," he said, "but she's Kojatere and Aiteperit's child as well. And she has a plan for us. I don't know if it will beat the Imaia or get us off this rock, but it's something. I'm not going to try and argue anything for her or myself, but I will point out that I am one of only two full Auroraborn that fight against the Imaia. If it looks to your people like you recruited me, that will score major points for you with them, and boost their morale. From what I've seen, they need some of that. We all do."

Mahele considered him for a moment, then looked between Kytai and Paiz. The advisor shrugged, while Mahele’s daughter frowned.

Another moment of silence passed, then Mahele nodded.

"You make a good point, Koruuksi. I will have to verify the information you gave us, of course, but for now, you may stay among my people. If your friends need a bit more room, I'll find a place for you."

Koruuksi smiled and inclined his head to the three of them, hiding his confusion. He’d expected Kytai to block him with efficient bureaucracy from what he’d heard about her, or at least play a bigger part.

Am I missing something?

He needed to get out of here and regroup. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to trust his intel as far as he would like, and he would have to assess the leadership personally before he could begin to determine who—if any of them—had betrayed Svemakuu and the leaders.

That’s nothing new, though. It was the same way with Bonde.

Only this time, he wasn’t infiltrating a nest of insurgents. People bent on slaughtering towns like Memfoso simply because the people there didn’t actively resist the Imaia with everything they had.

At the very least, he could learn as much as possible about Last Shadow in case things went south.

Auroras, I hope that doesn’t happen.

"Thank you, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help,” Koruuksi said, forcing a smile. “I have… experience that could be useful given recent events."

Mahele's expression told Koruuksi that he understood the message, and Koruuksi smiled again. He shot a grin at Paiz just to annoy her, before turning and walking out of the command room, back toward Lysanda and Nomlana's suite.

I hid the gem. Now I just need to wait and see where it shines.