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C_old Bloo_d

A _Story by Onyx Ta_o

[ This story is licensed under the Creative Commons

Attribution Noncommercial Share Alike 3.0 License

© 2008 by Onyx Tao All Rights Reserved ](%5C)

C_hapter Twelv_e

I_nterlud_e

The room was deep in a cave, reachable only by those who knew the many twists and turns, the places to climb through a hole, and the places to drop through an apparent sinkhole: an entire complex unknown and unsuspected by the majority of Redding Clave. Mostly unsuspected because, when the alpha wolven of Redding Clave vanished, most wolven were simply too relieved for the respite to wonder where their masters had gone. A handful of the younger ones, planning to become alpha themselves, wondered quietly, but they kept their thoughts most cautiously to themselves. It was good practice, for a would-be alpha.

The blue-tinged mage lights that lit it were not the extravagance the might seem to other wolven. This deep in the earth, the smoke from lanterns or flames would foul the air, and worse, the scent of burning might reveal the secret. The cushions, stuffed furs and hides from kills, were a luxury, but a small one. A clave could afford a few indulgences for its alpha members, and Redding Clave was not so poor that they couldn't make a good show in front of their lessers. The hides were easily come by, if the wool stuffing was dearer, and nearly every alpha in the room had a cushion, and a fur or two or three to ward off the chill of the deep earth. The hot stone that Senior Alpha and two of the oldest alphas lay atop was not a luxury at all. They might be old, but their experience was valued by all, and nobody wanted the pain of chilled old bones leaking into the concordance.

Alpha Mars was an older wolven. His strength, unfortunately for him, had peaked in the reign of the previous Alpha. He'd been alpha, but still unready to challenge for Alpha when the now-Senior had had taken it. And when the now-Senior had stepped down, alpha Mars was too old to be a serious contender. It was best, the alphas agreed, if their Alpha was young. This brought consistency and a sense of long-term planning to the clave, even if it meant that some of the alphas would never have a real chance of being Alpha. And besides, if he had really wanted to challenge the Alpha for his position - he could have. There was even a time when he might have won.

It hadn't been a sure thing, though, and it was one thing to lose in the general contention. It was another to lose a personal challenge, and he certainly wouldn't have been alpha in that case. He was still a senior member of the pack, still respected by the other alphas, and the one the other claves contacted when they wanted to make their opinions known.

Like now. All the alphas were present, waiting to discuss the situation, but Alpha had not yet invited anyone to speak. The wolven were simply there, letting their minds come to a harmony before they were ready to discuss the surprising results of their plans. Mars could sense the disharmony: anticipation-anxiety-frustration-dissatisfaction. The latter was likely to draw a rebuke from Alpha, but it was only the younger ones, too new to alpha status to quite understand the decorum expected.

Once their breathing had synchronized, Alpha did reach out with a powerful rebuke, seizing the frustration-dissatisfaction and quelling it - Mars and most of the older ones reached out, too, following Alpha'_s lead. Let the pack speak as one on this, and in another breath, all the older ones - even _alpha Senior - had joined Alpha. The few holdouts shifted quickly as they felt the will of the pack shift.

Better , Alpha sent into the concordance. A random element has favored us. Before we consider how to proceed, however, I want us to come to accord on where we are. This is the first alpha clave to have all our members present for some time. If the clave is to reach our goals, we must act as a clave. Alpha didn't bother moving, he just turned his attention to Mars. Your report?

The other claves are angry, of course. Interactions with the minotaur clans has always been strongly discouraged, and interactions with them that points out that humans are herd-meat even more strongly discouraged. Mars didn't bother holding back the cutting formal denunciations nor the fury the other ambassadors had radiated; they were an important part of the response and the alphas should experience them fully. But denunciations aside, no clave has moved to sanction us, and I judge that if we refrain from further action in the short term, this will pass and be forgotten. There is also the interest in the meat we've garnered, as well, and Blossoming Clave's herald - alpha Martou - even hinted that trade concessions in that matter might ease their unhappiness - and Blossoming Clave would then help defuse the situation.

Senior was first, projecting amused-resignation-satisfaction, and the entire concordance took it up.

Good , Alpha said. Are we in a position to make those concessions? Blossoming's support would be helpful in the next phase.

Cautious-optimism-disappointment from alpha Odine answered him. The harvest from the Mog Ford battle was less than expected. Lycaili Clan specified that we should have the mortally wounded, and we agreed. But they had a healing-mage with them, and so many wounds that _ we _ would consider mortal ... were not mortal. Our larders are full, and we butchered a good number unnoticed, but barely a half of what we'd projected.

You did not dispute that interpretation? Indignation-entitlement-suspicion. One of the younger ones, Mars noted.

No. Clear images and impressions of the minotaur warriors cleaving through the human infantry. Concealed-amusement-unhappiness. These do not make clear the problem. Let me try again. The same images danced through the concordance, but more slowly - manipulated, not pure, as certain things were emphasized.

Impossible! Rejection-disbelief. The thought came from any number of the group, but the powerful sending of Senior interrupted them.

Emphatic-unquestioning-acceptance-of-unpleasant-truth. No. Senior might be old, and too frail to be Alpha, but nothing was weak about his mental grip.

Unfortunately so, Alpha added . Senior, would you?

They call it tempus , Senior sent, and with it came a kaleidoscopic set of images of minotaurs in motion. It forms the backbone of their warrior training; they can retard their progression through time. All of them. It takes training, of course. Every wolven is a mentalist, but not every wolven is alpha. Just so, not all minotaur are warriors. But those that are ... are formidable beyond conception.

Stunned-surprise. You knew this? It wasn't even identifiable as a particular alpha; almost the entire concordance demanded it.

Youngsters require proof. Assurance-confidence-contemplation. There was no danger, not in allying with them. And now it is clear without arguing that we must avoid direct confrontation with them. Satisfaction.

Senior made it clear to me , interjected Alpha. Quellingly. It was good to see for ourselves.

The concordance shifted to dubious-acceptance, but no particular alpha was willing to challenge the Alpha.

Gratified respect emanated from Odine. Thank you, _ Alpha _ .

A salutary lesson , Alpha said. You have carried out my instructions? Expectation of compliance.

Yes, Alpha. Submission-obedience; an unusual quality from an alpha, Mars thought privately, but most of the alphas were still processing Odine's experiences with tempus, and the tenor went unremarked, if not unnoticed.

Inform the clave.

Our hand in the second army is the Senator Josephus; he is fully under our influence. Neither he nor his bodyguard will permit him to be taken alive, and with him dead, there is no way to track this back to us.

Explain , the concordance demanded.

The gestalt Odine sent quickly encapsulated the history of Josephus's indoctrination and control. His bodyguards, too, had been influenced, but not to such an extent. Josephus would not be taken alive, and even if his bodyguards were, they would show nothing but a loyalty imperative - something a human mage might have laid on them.

Understanding-acceptance.

Into the lull, Alpha sent The risk is minimal. Are we agreed that we may move to the next phase?

The concordance wrestled with the idea for almost five minutes, but at the end, only three alphas remained opposed.

We will proceed , Alpha formalized the decision. With all due caution.

_ Alpha _, another mind interjected. A random factor?

Yes , Alpha sent back, the affirmation devoid of any further detail.

Curious-calm. Is there some reason to conceal this from the clave? Mars tried to single out the questioner, it was a heavy voice, feminine, ... ah. Alpha Brure, sprawled over her mate, alpha Cefrith.

Amusement - negation. We took a human mage who can change skins , Alpha admitted, and then he sent HOLD! as the concordance exploded with surprise. Mars exerted himself to quell the commentary, silencing the concordance, and a number of other alphas joined him. Alpha himself just waited. Squabbling children! Shameful-rebuke.

Mars sat there, radiating aggrieved agreement, until the concordance had settled into contrition, with a few of the elders exuding, like Mars, patience.

Alpha sent a clear explanation into the calm; images of the female human, the slowness of the procedure, the apparent inability of the clave's own magic handlers to grasp the technique. Even so, the mage could do a skin a month. In a year, eleven or twelve wolven who could take a human form.

Every alpha knew that a single wolven might control three or four humans, but the humans outnumbered them by three or four thousand to one, and wolven could only with great danger infiltrate the great Imperial cities ... and so the Senators were almost impossible to access, and even then guarded with their own, hidden mages. Alert as they were for assassination attempts from each other, the clave's attempts at control had been frustrated repeatedly.

But if they could renew the art of skin-changing, that would change.

Obstacles remain , Alpha cautioned. Sober-danger-caution. The other claves must not know we are relearning this. Those who do not need to know it should relinquish the knowledge to the concordance. None of our brethren know what we plan, and up to now, the glimpses they have caught have told them nothing.

If they learn this ... they will know. Instead of quiet control of the humans - a silent monopoly for Redding Clave alone, all the claves will fracture. Some will seek to supplant us, others to oppose us, and in the uproar, the minotaur will discover our intentions.

And that would be a disaster, Mars reflected.