The sky is dark; the wind is already starting to pick up. I eye the threatening clouds above us. It’s not late, but the oncoming storm is enough to make it feel like night already. Only Hunter’s rune-inscribed torches allow us all to see clearly, though their steady glow will only last as long as they have charge. Hunter tells me that she thinks she’s getting closer to figuring out how to power enchantments from the environment, but she’s not there yet.

  Given that she’s worked out how to do four-rune strings and is now working on five-rune matrices, she’s already made significant progress. Even if we’re still restricted to the runes in the beginner’s book, apparently five-rune matrices are a game-changer – the number of runes appears to present an opportunity with different arrangements which previous numbers didn’t, offering different effects of even the same rune cluster depending on which runes were empowering each other.

  She did emphasise that it was very much theoretical, but I trust her instincts by this point. I still wish that I’d had more time to work on runes, but my Rune-Carving Skill has hardly budged in the last few months due to spending time on other projects.

  The whole village – and additions – are all gathered in the central area between the huts. Our new accommodations loom off to the side, visible even in the darkness thanks to the various lights dotted around the place. I can’t help shaking my head in amazement at how magic enabled the Pathwalkers to create five large huts in just a few hours – and with enough extra time to go and meditate in my den for a while.

  I shiver in the cold wind. Maybe it would be a good idea to see about making a large hut for us to have our council meetings inside, I think to myself. Then I centre my focus on the present.

  “Alright everyone. Council members, please assemble. Everyone else can watch, but if you interrupt, you’ll be sent away. Any questions or concerns can be addressed to your representative during the intermission and then raised in the second session of the council.”

  My own people should be familiar enough with how this works to help guide the newcomers. I’m glad to see a few of my Unevolved sitting among their new brethren, though most of them are staying bunched up together. For protection, I would guess. Bares-claws and Kills-a-deer are sitting with their old village. Hopefully they’ve learned enough about our ways to help guide their friends.

  The Warriors from the other villages are sitting bunched up together too, apart from a few notable exceptions where they’re sitting with one of my Warriors. Perhaps they know each other from previous Festivals – certainly, they appear to be the older Warriors.

  As for the Pathwalkers, I lift my eyebrows as they enter the circle and make as if to sit down with the Pathwalkers of my village.

  “New Pathwalkers, you have not yet earned the right or the authority to be part of the council. Step back, please, and allow the council members to assemble. You may watch, but not take part.”

  Predictably, many of the Pathwalkers appear outraged by this, Ice-Shaper, Earth-former, and Water-former in particular.

  We are Pathwalkers! We should automatically be the leadership of any village we are a part of, Water-former insists.

  I give her a hard look.

  “Being part of the village is a large part of the problem. Or can you honestly say that your loyalty is to this village and this village alone?”

  Of course, she can’t. Water-former looks away from my gaze, but this means her eyes land on the group of fourteen Unevolved clearly making themselves part of the council circle. I make a mental note to ask the representatives to reduce their numbers by one, a pang of grief running through me once more.

  We’ve been careful to make sure that each group is equally represented, and now that we’re one Pathwalker down, we need to reduce the Warrior and Unevolved representatives by one too. At least until either one of the newcomers proves themselves or another Pathwalker Evolves. I’m glad to see that the Warriors and Unevolved have already sorted out between themselves who would replace those cut down in the recent battles, but the necessity of it just makes that grief grow once more. I push it away since all it will do is distract me right now.

  What are those Unevolved doing there? Water-former demands, pointing imperiously at the group with her claws. Sitting as if they’re part of this ‘council’.

  “That’s because, unlike you, they are,” I tell her levelly, doing my best to hold my temper. “Now sit down and be quiet.”

  Unevolved allowed to join a so-called leadership group when a Pathwalker is barred entry? Water-former makes an odd sound which I interpret as angry laughter when the colour of her spikes is taken into account. It’s an outrage!

  “The only outrage here,” I start hotly, my grip on my temper loosening, “is that you seem to have forgotten that just yesterday you were doing your best to kill or capture my people. A single day of work to repair what you broke is not enough to make you the equivalent of any one of these Unevolved. They have worked tirelessly for years to support this village, where you have done your best to tear it down. Now, I won’t say it again. Sit down and shut up,” I order her, using the Bond to ensure her compliance.

  Honestly, I’m almost grateful for Water-former’s obstinance – tearing at her with words is certainly satisfying, especially when she’s given me such a good excuse to do so. I don’t need to feel conflicted when she’s put herself forwards so blatantly. And with any luck making an example out of her will help the others realise just how much lower on the pecking order they’ve become because of their choice to attack us. Clearly, they would have been perfectly happy to walk into positions of comfort and influence like nothing had ever happened.

  And it’s not like I haven’t had experience with arrogant, irascible Pathwalkers – she’s as bad as Windy was at the start. Oddly enough, that makes me realise just how much Windy has softened and changed, for all that she still irritates the hell out of me. She might still be abrasive, but at least she’s been working more and more for the good of the village and not just her personal good.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Water-former sits down abruptly and her jaws snap shut with an audible click. Her eyes go wide and her spikes ripple with red. Touching the Bond, I realise that below the anger and fear is a sense of insecurity. Is she acting out just to try to work out where her place is in this new arrangement? Well, if she is, she’ll find it – but it won’t be what she was hoping for.

  As the council continues assembling and the rest of the enlarged village settle down, I hear a snippet of conversation passing between two of the Warriors.

  “Are the Unevolved really given an equal say?”

  Yes, they are.

  “Isn’t that…humiliating, though? To the Pathwalkers? To our fellow Warriors?”

  I kind of thought that way at first…but I realised over time that it’s only humiliating if we make it so. And if the Pathwalkers accept it, why shouldn’t we? Besides, I’ve noticed that the happier the Unevolved are, the more smoothly the village runs. Unexpected, right? And letting them speak as equals makes them happier.

  I redirect my focus away from that quiet conversation, pleased despite myself. Ultimately, any changes I make here will only stick around if the samurans buy into them. I do hope that the council will stay, and that the Unevolved will remain on it, either because they are seen as worthy members, or because now they’ve had a taste of being able to influence decisions made in the village, that they won’t be willing to be relegated back into second-class citizens. The conversation I’ve just overheard is encouraging and indicates that attitudes are changing in a good way.

  I frown as my eyes scan those present for the council.

  “Where’s Flower?” I ask everyone present. Several of the Pathwalkers exchange glances.

  I haven’t seen her for a while. Have you?

  She was working on the huts, that’s for sure.

  I’m almost certain I saw her in the den with us, though?

  I saw her there too. But she can’t still be there – I saw her walking next to Earth-Shaper. They seemed to be deep in conversation.

  “Jumpy?” I ask, picking up on the last little fragment of conversation. “Do you know where she is?”

  The samuran who has only recently become a Pathwalker is still a little nervous at being the centre of attention. I don’t blame her – I’m only not getting stage fright in front of what has to be between three hundred and four hundred samurans because of the amount of practice I’ve had recently in public speaking.

  I…She wanted to talk more about what we were doing to build the huts. Maybe she went over there to inspect them? We definitely got back to the village together. I nod and give her a closed-lipped smile.

  “Thanks.” I hesitate, knowing we need to get this meeting started if we’re going to finish before the heavens open and drench us all, but also wanting to be sure that Flower is fine. This is the first time she’s missed a council meeting, after all.

  “Pathwalker Tamer? I can go to find her, if you like?” One of the Unevolved in the crowd volunteers. I vaguely recognise his scale patterning, but am not entirely sure of his name. A quick mental question to River gets me that information in a fraction of a second.

  “Thank you, Rolls-in-the-leaves. Please just let her know that we’re starting now and that if she wishes to take part, she needs to come as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, Pathwalker Tamer,” the Unevolved acknowledges, then scampers away. I step forward to the centre of the circle of council members, which is itself surrounded by a circle of everyone else.

  “For those of you to whom this is entirely new, this is the council. Composed of equal numbers of representatives from each group among the village – yes, as you can see, that includes the Unevolved – the council meets together regularly to discuss issues facing the village as a whole and propose solutions to them. Representatives are chosen by those who they represent and are the face and voice of their group. If you have any issues, first go to your representative to try to find a solution. If they cannot solve your problem, they will direct you to someone else who can.”

  We’ve certainly come a long way from where this village started, and not all of it has been at my instigation which pleases me. “There are far more of us present now than ever before. Unevolved from the village lower down the mountainside, I don’t know whether you’re fully aware of the circumstances which have led to you joining our village, or whether your leaders have been completely honest with you even if they have informed you of the situation. Earth-former, stand up please.”

  The Pathwalker slowly rises to her feet, dread flickering across her spikes even as it oozes across the Bond between us. “Tell your people, honestly and fully, exactly why they are sitting here.”

  It appears that my suspicions were correct as her stilting and stumbling rendition is met by expressions of anger and horror from her own people. Finally, her spikes mingling the deep pink of mortification and the yellow of fear, she sinks to the ground when I give her permission, her story completed.

  “To be utterly clear. I hold the Unevolved of the lower mountainside village as blameless in this matter. You can go or stay as you choose. If you go, we will supply you with some food to take with you and wish you luck. If you stay, you will be treated as full members of the village – as if you were born here. You will be given the same opportunities to earn Energy Hearts as those who have always lived here, and I will do my best to make the rounds among each of you to check your physical bodies, and for those who wish it, your Energy channel matrices to see if there are any long-term issues holding you back.”

  I hear a susurration of excitement among the new Unevolved and have to work hard to prevent myself from smiling. I suspect there won’t be many who choose to leave, if any. “The Warriors who attacked us, as we have already established, you must give our village enough work to make up for the damage you did before you can be released to choose where you go. You are given this grace only because I understand that it is your Pathwalkers who give you the direction of where to use your weapons. Pathwalkers, due to the fact that you were all in a position to prevent the deaths and damage my village has suffered, you will be staying here permanently. Except perhaps Water-former and Healer – the one from the lead red tribe village – if your leader is wiling to come to a satisfactory agreement on ransom for you. Work hard, and perhaps you can regain the status you once had – before you made the decision to attack us.”

  I scan the crowd around me, turning slowly on the spot, trying to see whether the intended targets of my words have received my message. So far, so good, it seems.

  Opening my mouth to invite the council members to get started with the actual meeting, I pause, my attention caught by the flickering of light reflecting off the shelters. I frown – what’s that? It doesn’t look like a fire or lightning, but Hunter’s lights don’t flicker like that.

  Suddenly, the Unevolved I sent to fetch Flower appears on the edge of the crowd.

  “Pathwalker Tamer! Pathwalker Tamer! Pathwalker Grower! She’s Evolving! Again!”

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