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Deruthel growled. “I am taking the risk, so I will be king by the end of this day.”
Halak’s claws scraped the wall as he retracted his claws. “You have not gained the power to control the vorla. We need them as a food source, but you know how dangerous they can be.”
Deruthel huffed. “They can breed all they want. I have a regime in place. The jackals will feed on them. They will not be allowed to age past seven.”
Halak shook his head. “They overpopulate quickly. Even under Ashkara’s command.”
Deruthel turned to his second. “You are forgetting one very important fact.”
“What?”
“This body will be in command one way or another. Even if Ashkara wiped my mind, he would be stuck with the power I currently possess.”
Halak glanced at Riley as if he regretted their conversation. Had he shown his hand? What was he concerned about? He was clearly uncomfortable with the direction his and the general’s conversation had taken. “We will see.”
Colton whispered to her. “I thought the vorla were their rats. Why does Halak fear them?”
She wet her lips. “The ones we have seen are adolescents. They breed like rats, but these have the ability to burrow into another demon’s body and infiltrate their mind. They can make puppets out of any demon.”
“What?” Colton asked, astounded.
“Yeah, but it takes at least ten years for them to reach that level of maturity. The soldiers and jackals kill them before they reach their tenth birthday.”
Halak spoke to Riley, but she wasn’t sure it was for Deruthel’s benefit. “That is not their only resource. They can amass and effectively swarm a soldier demon. Feeding off his flesh and rendering him to bone in a matter of minutes.”
Riley’s eyes widened. “How old do they need to be to do that?”
Halak flicked a glance at Deruthel. “When they have a solid leader, they can become part of the swarm at any age.”
“A leader? You mean other than Ashkara?” she asked.
Halak nodded. “They always protect the oldest. The one most likely to mature, but Ashkara can sense developing telepathic skills. He kills their leader before such a power can mature.”
“That’s how the former vorla king ruled. He controlled the soldier king from within. I don’t understand how the vorla amassed such power. When they live a relatively short life span.”
Halak’s lips thinned. He didn’t seem pleased by her knowledge of the vorla. “Deruthel has been quite forthcoming with you.”
“How did the vorla take the king?” she asked.
“The vorla king ruled no more than five years. Such a short time by our standards, but their power is exponential in those last few years. We would have to live thousands of years to match it. The vorla planned to pass the king onto his progeny but when he disconnected from the former king, he died. Once they fuse with a body, they die without it. His son was not strong enough to hold the soldier king’s mind, and he ripped the vorla from his body and almost wiped them into extinction. We need them, but we must be wary of them.”
She shook her head. “It’s hard to imagine a vorla controlling Ashkara.”
Halak’s eyes widened. “A vorla could never command a soldier who has ascended.”
“Ascended?” she asked.
“Ashkara has grown beyond the confines of his body. This is a blessing and a curse. He hoped to traverse one more portal, but he can no longer move between worlds. Deruthel is correct. His body will rule us going forward, but it is yet to be determined who will reside within it.”
“I think I would prefer Deruthel over Ashkara,” she said.
“Why?” Halak asked.
“All that power. Are you kidding? At least we know what Deruthel is.”
Halak snorted. “The king will have to fight to make such an exchange. Regardless of who drives the general’s body. His power will be relatively the same.”
“With the exception of the extraordinary psychic ability,” she said.
