Zu*ji had had a hunch about her latest visions and it had been confirmed. In the fire under the kettle in her hut, she burned the message that she had received from a very slender snake shortly before, and she would send the same snake back with an answer as soon as possible.

  “You sent for me?“ Majanie asked, entering the hut.

  ”Yes, I need you, my faithful student,” Zu’ji nodded. She was about to write her own message on a tiny scroll. ”The Venomsnakes sent me a message. They tracked the ancestor. He moves towards the Underwood Furrow.”

  Majanie’s eyes widened. “A blessing of the tiki, at last.”

  “Yes, it seems that he accompanies a group of wanderers,” Zu’ji said, not very pleased. “How these lost trolls managed to secure the services of such a special creature is beyond me, but it doesn’t matter. We must act quickly now.”

  “And how? If the Ancestor comes that close to our territory again, our tribe, or rather Khojun, might take notice,” Majanie pointed out, although her hope for revenge was stirring, which she disguised, though. ”Or is this the time when we either secure Khojun’s favor or get rid of him by sending him against Blood Tusk?”

  “After careful consideration, I have decided against our champion,” Zu’ji mentioned. Her main concern was that if the river teeth were to have a fresh start under Haruk’Zil, they needed a new champion who was completely devoted to them. “He is too unpredictable and a sign of the near past, and as much as I trust the ancestor, I don’t want to risk anything that could harm him. Blood Tusk is far more important than Khojun’s favor.”

  Majanie bit her tongue briefly and pressed her fingernails into her own thighs. Her mistress was too absorbed with the message to see that. “But if we do nothing, then what?” she asked more relaxed. “Do you want to send out the Venomonsnakes again?”

  “That’s the plan and you will send the message,” Zu’ji ordered. After she had finished the message, she fed the narrow snake a bite of meat as a reward. ”Since his scouts have disappeared, Banjhan’s eyes are on me as soon as I leave the hut. You have to release the snake outside the village somehow.”

  “You ask a lot,“ Majanie admitted. She was a little afraid. “He knows that I am your loyal student and there are probably eyes on me as well, even if only a few.’

  ”I’m aware of the risk,” Zu’ji admitted, but for her there was no compromise on this matter. ”But it is one that we have to take. The all-seeing serpent sent me the new visions of the ancestor for a reason. Haruk’Zil finally wants back what is his. Do you understand that?!“

  ”Y-yes, of course, mistress,” Majanie bowed her head. ”I’ll send the message, you can count on me.”

  “That’s why I’m trusting you, and only you, with this,” Zu’ji emphasized honestly. She didn’t really have many other close confidants for this task, though, and she wanted to motivate her student with the same flattery she used when she handed her the snake. ”Now go. Ine’kata will be coming soon to seek my advice about this extravagant night.”

  Before Majanie stepped outside, she hid the handy snake in her shoulder bag. She then went about her business as usual through the lively village, which was at lunchtime and therefore mostly mealtime. She would certainly not carry out the task immediately, because that would have been far too conspicuous, especially if she left the safety of the settlement. A pretext, preferably a task of her la’jatal, would be useful for that, but Ine’kata would be with Zu’ji in a moment, so Majanie couldn’t count on that, or at least not until much later. However, in order not to attract attention, she decided to perform her typical tasks as a servant of the la’jatal for the time being. These included, for example, checking and replenishing her fresh water and food supplies, dusting and cleaning Ine’katas large, two-story hut, or reading the requests from villagers and delivering answers to the requests from the previous day. All the tasks allowed her to think about the secretive exposure of the snake, but the longer she thought about her master’s request, the more Majanies own needs bubbled under the surface. She had always been a completely loyal and fertile servant of the all-seeing snake, and Haruk’Zil saw more than the naked eye could see. So why didn’t the tiki fulfill her innermost desire, revenge on Khojun? Hadn’t she given enough already? After all, it was she who had discovered Blood Tusk in the first place. How could a Suara, who had been a follower of Meneka before or maybe still was somehow, get her desire fulfilled immediately by injecting a whelp in the belly? Her mistress was gaining more and more prestige, for Haruk’Zil and herself, and complete strangers and wayfarers were coming to the Riverfangs and allowed to share in the growing prosperity. The tiki seemed to favor everyone, except Majanie, and it dawned on her. Perhaps the all-seeing serpent was testing her faith, or more than that – if everything was to happen according to the will of Haruk’Zil, he would guide her and help her to send the message safely. If her tiki really wanted the ancestor, he would never allow anything to happen to Blood Tusk. Yes, everything started to make sense for Majanie and her heart swelled with joy, because she firmly believed that the tiki would finally reward her and grant her her revenge. However, this went against her mistress’ wishes and she didn’t want to offend her, so Majanie, distorted by both a desire for revenge and loyalty, decided that she would keep the exact circumstances of her success from Zu’ji. So there was only one question left for her - how should Majanie do it and how sent by her tiki, she saw the answer.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Suara was walking with a blissful smile across one of the village squares, where she watched mostly whelps playing and kept touching her own belly.

  Majanie had no doubt about it. It was time for the high priest’s female to finally prove her loyalty to Haruk’Zil and at the same time repay his favor to her womb enormously. “Hello Suara,” she greeted her kindly. “Out and about all alone?”

  “Good day, Majanie,” Suara replied warmly. She didn’t seem to be influenced by the wild events of the past nights. Was it perhaps because Zu’ji had drummed into her that it should be done for Haruk’Zil? ”The same goes for you, or does Ine’kata send you on errands?”

  “No, she’s busy right now,“ Majanie revealed. ‘But there is something urgent I need to talk to you about – in private.’

  ”Oh? Sure. Come, we’ll go a little more out of the way.”

  Majanie, however, decided where exactly this privacy was and she remained here at this lively village square, where she sat down with her on a bench made of piled stones. The hustle and bustle and the loud conversations made it very difficult for possible eavesdroppers to listen to them. “You have to do something very important for the all-seeing serpent,” Majanie claimed quietly. “Extremely important.”

  “Again...?“, Suara replied uncertainly and even more quietly. ‘Haven’t I done enough already?’

  ”After Haruk’Zil has given you the greatest gift, do you question him?“

  ”No!” Suara shook her head. The thought that she might lose the puppy in her womb again made her completely vulnerable and controllable. ”What does the all-seeing serpent want me to do?”

  “To reclaim what is his,” Majanie said promisingly. In her mind, there was no way the progenitor could fall. ”The gladiator... Blood Tusk, he was spotted with a group of wanderers near Underwood Furrow. Haruk’Zil wants him or sees him eradicated from this world forever.”

  The mention of the giant made Suaras gasp, and again she instinctively clutched at her belly. “W-what would Haruk’Zil want with a fighter like that?”

  “Whatever he wants. It’s not for us to question it.”

  “Y-yes, of course not--what should I do?”

  Majanie wanted to make everything seem natural. She took off her shoulder bags and put them on the bench next to her. “I’ll be leaving in a moment,” she said, grabbing the other female’s hands. She smiled as if she were telling her the latest gossip or sharing some kind of joy with her. “You’ll stay here for a moment and then realize that I’ve forgotten my bag. Take it and go looking for me. But you’re not supposed to bring it back to me. Instead, I want you to release the snake inside somewhere outside the village. It carries an extremely important message, but it is not meant for your eyes or anyone else’s.”

  “That’s it?“ Suara asked. It seemed far less difficult to her than delivering her scent as a gift to Ine’kata. “Nothing more?’

  ”Not quite,” Majanie noted, letting go of the priestess’s hands. ”First thing tomorrow morning, I want you to seek out Khojun. You will tell him that you know where the gladiator is at the moment.”

  “I... don’t understand?“ Suara replied doubtfully. “Khojun wants to kill the gladiator and Haruk’Zil wants him back.’

  ”Or wiped from the world forever,” Majanie repeated. That was how she saw it. ”It’s a test, in many ways. For you, for Khojun, for the gladiator, and for a few others.”

  With the subject steadily progressing, Suara spoke more carefully. “But my little man and the Jatal have forbidden Khojun from looking for him, and what if Khojun asks me how I know?”

  “It has to be convincing,” Majanie said conscientiously, proving how much she had learned from her master. ”I know that Khojun was banned from hunting the gladiator and that’s exactly what we’re going to take advantage of. Tell him you overheard a conversation between our jatal and your mate and that they wanted to keep it from him. When Khojun asks why you told him, tell him you feel his loss keenly and that it is his right as a brother to take revenge.“

  ”And, and if he goes to jatal with it,” Suara feared. She was nowhere near as manipulative and stable as Zu’ji or Majanie. ”It all sounds very dangerous.”

  “You’re not a stupid female,” Majanie smiled and she slid her hand over the cheek of the priest female. ”Use your innocent charm. Beg Khojun to not tell that you told him this and tell him that bringing this topic to the jatal would not achieve anything anyway. He would simply deny it to Khojun.”

  Suara seemed anything but enthusiastic about her task. “I know I owe the all-seeing serpent a lot and I want to be devoted to him, but I’m kind of afraid that all this could lead to a great disaster for our tribe.”

  “For us trolls who don’t see through the eyes of a tiki, many things can be truly frightening,“ Majanie admitted sympathetically, but she had no doubt. “But disaster? Look around you. Since Haruk’Zil saved us from making a big mistake during the trials, our tribe has thrived more than ever.’

  ”Yes... since he stopped Khojun.”

  Majanie responded cunningly. “That’s right, and maybe now Khojun will get his chance at redemption or his punishment.”

  With that, Suara was finally convinced, even though she took it all with moderation. “Yes, I’m beginning to understand, you’re right. I’ll do whatever the all-seeing serpent demands.”