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“Fetch me some breakfast, wench,” the soldier barked, causing the males beside him to laugh.
She shot him a disgusted look. “Fuck off.”
The soldier sneered and stood, grabbing his crotch. “Anytime you want a ride, let me know, shell.”
The word was a slap, an insult to Roza’s Sirin Remnant heritage. Roza’s lip curled in disgust. “You think that little bulge is impressive? If you want to know what a real man looks like, you can come closer and I’ll show you,” she growled, her words dripping with scorn. “My clit is bigger than what you’re working with.”
The soldier stepped forward, his face twisted into an ugly snarl. “What did you say to me?”
“I said that if you wanted to see a real man, come take a look. You’ll get an eyeful.” Roza spat the words. Her insult was met with loud laughter from the soldiers surrounding them and a furious glare from the one she had addressed.
“Fucking slave,” he said through clenched teeth as he jabbed a finger in her direction. “You think I’m scared of your little knives? You got nothing on me, girl.” He stepped closer, looming over her. I’d never noticed how short she was before. Her personality always made her seem larger. “Now get me some fucking breakfast before I take you to my tent and make you my whore.”
I walked forward, ready to intervene, when a flash of red darted in front of me. Zerek plunged into the fray, his fist connecting with the insolent soldier’s face.
The man stumbled backward, gripping his bleeding nose, and snarled. His friends joined him, surrounding Zerek with fists raised. Roza pushed her way to the front, a sharp knife glinting in her hand as she shouted for them to back off. The soldier’s allies hesitated only for a moment before they lunged forward as one towards Zerek and Roza.
Zerek ducked under a wild swing and punched one man in the face while Roza sidestepped an attack and kicked another assailant in the stomach. The two moved together like dancers, each taking down enemy after enemy until it seemed that there would be no end.
Zerek stood over the soldier who had insulted Roza, a steady stream of blood dripping from his nose onto his hands. Zerek reached out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him so he could meet his gaze without looking away. “Talk to her like that again and I’ll kill you.”
“Enough.” I stepped forward, and Caelia’s men fell silent.
“Finally decided to step in?” Zerek, his face flushed, met my gaze, a silent understanding passing between us.
“You two had it covered.” I nodded to him and turned back to the gathered crowd, my voice echoing through the tense air, “Let it be known, that the Remnants are not to be treated as slaves. They are our comrades-in-arms, equals in every way. We fight side by side, and we respect each other.”
I stepped closer to the offending soldier, my face inches from his. “If you can’t accept this, you’re free to leave. We have no place here for those who sow discord and hate.”
The soldier’s eyes flashed, a mixture of anger and defiance, but he remained silent, the air around us heavy with unsaid words.
“We’ve forged a world that Atar would look upon with shame,” I continued, my voice rising. “This empire of enslavement, of subjugation, is not the world we were meant to inhabit. It’s not a world that Ydonja would bless.”
My gaze swept over the crowd, meeting the eyes of elves and humans, rebels and remnants alike. “I seek to rectify the wrongs of this world, to break the chains we’ve forged. I will free those I enslaved in service to my Varzorn, and I vow to build a world where freedom and equality reign supreme.”
The camp was silent; my words hanging in the air like a solemn promise. I could see the flicker of hope in the faces of the Remnants, the spark of understanding in the eyes of the soldiers. “We will not create a world where the few rule over the many, where the strong subjugate the weak. We will forge a new path, and build a land where everyone is free. A place that Ydonja would be proud to return to.”
I let my gaze linger on the soldier, my voice firm. “We will stand united, or we will fall divided.”
The air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of my words, a silent promise to Atar and to every soul present that we would make Maeoris worthy of his blessings, a world where scales and skin, elves and humans could live together in harmony.
“Theron?”
I turned to find Kael standing behind me, wrapped in a robe with a thunderous expression on her face as she held her tiara. She stepped forward, her hair sparkling around her like stars. With a wave of her hand, Kael summoned forth a swirling vortex of sand and stone in the center of the elves, the ground groaning and rumbling. The field shook beneath their feet as they backed away in fear, weapons drawn in defense.
“I was once a slave to the empire,” she stated, her voice calm despite the maelstrom she’d created, rocks jutting out of it like teeth in a gnashing mouth. “But now you accept me. Not because of my heritage.” She looked pointedly at Caelia’s warriors before continuing. “But because of this.” She motioned to her soil vortex.”Because I am strong. And that’s all you respect.”
Kael stepped closer to the assemblage, her voice a low growl. “But my rebels are stronger. It takes strength--unlike anything you have ever experienced--to survive slavery. Not only that, but to revolt? Knowing that the odds of making it out alive are slim? That is fortitude. Your armies have fought enemies without magic for centuries and grown overconfident in your power. You revel in easy victories.” She eyed them ruefully, and more than one soldier’s ears reddened. “You’ve forgotten what it’s like to fight an enemy who’s just as strong as you.”
The soldiers continued to back away from Kael, unwilling to confront her power directly as her maelstrom grew, swallowing up a tent and shredding it. “But the Remnants fight a stronger adversary every day. They use their cleverness and cunning to survive.” She looked around at the warriors gathered before her with determination in her eyes. “It is time we recognize the strength within them.”
I nodded in agreement, my thoughts turning to Calyx. He hadn’t been the same after his captivity. It had taken him months to regain his sanity, but I’d seen the strength within him, the will to survive no matter what might come. Kael was right; the rebels were strong in ways that most of the elves couldn’t comprehend.
The surrounding elves nodded in agreement, their faces serious, as she finally let her vortex drop. Kael looked around at them before ordering.“Take the day to pack. We’re leaving tomorrow at dawn. Let’s see if you have what it takes to fight a more powerful opponent.”
She stepped back from the group, her face resolute as she turned to me and shot me a tenuous smile. I winked as she left the circle to return to our tent, glancing at me over her shoulder as she entered. “You heard her. Get moving and prepare for departure tomorrow.”
I followed Kael into the tent and found her pacing. She looked up, her expression hesitant. “Was that alright?”
