I beat my wings downwards, glorying in their strength. Of course, I’ve used Transformation to give me air-wings again – I need them for their reliability and lifting capabilities. I’ve been practising and have learned how to take the transformation and then push it a bit further to make the wings bigger than those I’m copying. After all, Noir’s wings were perfectly fine for just me, but I’m carrying two other burdens too.

  I don’t like this, I don’t like this at all!’ murmurs Water-former for the umpteenth time since we took off. Her eyes are closed tightly and her whole body is tense. Healer is just as tense, but she’s gazing anxiously at the forest beneath our feet as if she wants to know if we’re about to crash into it.

  I can only maintain a single Transformation at any one time so, since my wings are essential, I wasn’t able to borrow an extra limb to hold the Pathwalkers in place. At the same time, I’m not keen on going into a potentially dangerous situation without the use of my hands, so the two Pathwalkers are bound to me with rope. It does make manoeuvring a little more awkward, and I needed to order them to use Ptera’s Lighten ability to allow me to move with any speed, but it’s manageable.

  I’m not alone either – Sirocco is scouting for me and Ptera and Noir are shadowing me, though they have orders to stay out of it unless I ask them for help or they see that I’ve been rendered incapable of asking for it – if I’m accidentally shot with a dart that makes me fall unconscious, for example.

  Bastet wasn’t happy about being excluded – or about the idea in general. Neither was Lathani, if I’m honest. But I refused to let either of them join me – restricted to the ground, it’s too risky for them. Lathani would be the safest out of either of them since she can escape through the shadows, but even then she has to have one that’s big enough for her – if the samurans somehow figured that out and captured her, they would have a strong bargaining position which I’m not inclined to give them.

  To distract everyone left behind, I’ve given them all plenty of tasks to be getting on with. If the red leader doesn’t turn tail as a result of our talk, she’ll have an uphill battle. This is one force we’re not going to allow to just walk through our gates. We might have been taken by surprise by Flying-blade, but not this time.

  They’re here. Sirocco’s warning focusses my attention. The force of Warriors is just ahead.

  “Remember your orders,” I remind the Pathwalkers quietly. “Do not intentionally move, do not interrupt me, and do not seek to help or interact with Tree-whisperer or her forces in any way.”

  Yes, Tamer, Healer acknowledges obediently, a sense of resignation going through her. Water-former fights the command for a long moment, but with the Bond holding her captive, there’s little she can do to resist it. A moment later, I feel her submission as her body goes slightly limp against me.

  Yes, Tamer, she acknowledges with resentment.

  I nod and then remind my three companions of their own instructions. Noir accepts my order with a sense of solemnity, Ptera with a feeling of indifference, and Sirocco with a hint of exasperation.

  If you are attacked, I will protect you, she tells me decisively.

  Only if I’m unable to defend myself, I remind her just as firmly. If you attack at the wrong moment, it could cause delicate negotiations to fall through. Please, Sirocco. Only if I ask for it or am rendered unable to ask for it.

  I feel her struggle with it, but her irritated acquiescence a moment later is all I need from her right now. I send her a wave of gratitude and then orientate myself to slip through the forest canopy.

  There’s a bit of a dicey moment where I can’t bring my wings into play because of the branches in the way, but we get through it with only a slight drop. My two passengers are completely tense again, though. I soar forwards and stop just in front of the force of samurans.

  A hundred and twelve samurans is a sizeable number. It doesn’t sound that big, not compared to human cities with millions of people in them, but when I’m standing in front of a force of samurans all of whom have some sort of magic or stamina based ability….it’s impressive. And that’s not even taking into account the beasts I see around the edges of the force – primarily either big creatures with horns or clear predators more like Bastet or Artemis. I don’t recognise either species, though I do see some kiinas there like Hades and Persephone. Clearly I’m not the only one to think that they might be useful.

  Pulling myself to a stop, I spread my wings out sideways and use their lift to hover in the air. Thanks to the wings being products of my Transformation Skill, I don’t need to focus on keeping them intact. As a result, I have the mental capacity to spare to create a shield of air around me. I leave my face uncovered since, while others might not be able to see much more than a slight distortion in the air, I’ve been told that my voice becomes muffled if I surround myself entirely in a cocoon of dense air.

  It’s not a perfect defence – it’s poor against heavy blows and won’t necessarily stop fast moving ones. But it will slow both of those and, more importantly, will alert me to any attack. Since I shouldn’t need to worry about heavy blows with me up in the air like this, my armour should do the rest of the work to turn any darts or arrows that come my way. As long as they don’t aim at my face, but there I’ve focussed on making the skin thicker and more like that on my feet than what’s usually on my face in any place I can. Obviously, it’s impossible to do that around my mouth and still be able to talk, and my eyes are vulnerable too – I did consider making a pair of safety glasses, but experimentation proved that I would impede my own vision too much to make it worth the effort.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  As protected as reasonably possible, I hail the samuran force.

  “Tree-whisperer! You have entered my territory with an invasion-level force! This is your last chance to turn back or face the consequences.”

  Interestingly enough, the samurans hadn’t spotted me, so my voice sends them all looking wildly around to try to find the source. The word is quick to spread, though, when one sees me and it’s not long before my air cocoon proves itself when several darts and arrows come my way. The dense air deflects the most poorly-aimed ones off to the side or below, and slows the better-aimed ones enough for me to dodge out of the way. Only a couple get through, but I’m pleased when they are indeed stopped by my armour: one is deflected off the chitin; the other sticks in the hide but doesn’t pierce it enough to prick my skin. I pluck it off my armour and stick it in my Inventory – waste not, want not.

  Seeing the failure of their initial salvo, the samuran who I could easily identify as the red leader just by her air of command holds up her hand to stop any further attacks.

  “Why should we turn back? If you are too weak to face our invasion force, you and your village deserve to be overcome.”

  I shrug even though I know that they probably won’t correctly interpret the gesture. Hopefully my nonchalance will come through my words instead.

  “I offer this for you to avoid losing too many of your people. Just as I offer you the opportunity to ransom back your two lost Pathwalkers and leave in peace.” I say, indicating the two samurans who they can’t have missed.

  I feel Water-former’s increased tension and feel the desperate hope within her. Healer is a lot more mixed, different types of hope apparently warring with each other. I briefly wonder whether she’s hoping more that Tree-whisperer will ransom her back…or that she won’t.

  Tree-whisperer’s eyes rest for a moment on each of the two Pathwalkers and then move to meet mine again.

  “Your demand for ransom is unreasonable,” she states levelly. “Release them to me now and perhaps we won’t slaughter your Pathwalkers when we take over your village.”

  I can’t help but laugh at the brazen impudence of that.

  “You offer me something that you intend to do anyway! Why would you kill all the Pathwalkers when you can take them for your own village?”

  Amusement flickers through Tree-whisperer’s spikes.

  “Prey does not negotiate with predators,” she tells me with that same amusement still present. “Prey who has tugged the tail of the predator one too many times does its best to flee the predator’s bite – or failing that, submits to the predator in the hope of leniency. Give me my Pathwalkers and yield your village to me. Perhaps I will not kill you in repayment for the damage and insults you have thrown at my tribe.”

  It’s my turn to show amusement, though my laugh has little true humour to it.

  “I have thrown nothing at your tribe members that they have not thrown at me first. Flying-blade is the one who challenged me to a Hunt and then didn’t consider her wording carefully enough. She’s the one who invaded my village and killed my people. That she lost the fight should be enough proof of her incompetence even for you. No. My ransom stands. Their weight in Energy-Hearts and your peaceful retreat or no deal.”

  The tension in Water-former’s body ratchets up even further – I didn’t think it was possible. The moment seems to hang in the air as if in imitation of my own hovering. The red leader eyes me calculatingly.

  “No deal,” she says finally. A despairing cry emerges from Water-former’s throat even as Healer sags against my body, relief mixed with disappointment going through her. Interestingly, I see and sense a hint of uncertainty ripple through the forces around Tree-whisperer.

  Perhaps she realises that her own people are questioning her too, as she continues speaking. “You and your village are a threat to our very way of life. This ends here and now with this perverted village being brought back to the way it should be. Besides, if you were planning on killing my Pathwalkers, you would have already done so. That you haven’t shows that you know the folly of inciting even more of my wrath for you and your village. We will retrieve our sisters when we beat your fighters and take your head. But I am a magnanimous leader; I’ll give you a final chance. Throw yourself upon your knees and beg for my mercy and I will allow you to live in service to my village.”

  She looks at me expectantly, as if she actually thinks that I’ll suddenly submit to her willingly. She’s not the only one – the uncertainty in her people seems to have settled into confidence and multiple eyes look at me speculatively, as if asking whether I’ll have the sense to do as Tree-whisperer demands.

  “It seems we have come to an impasse,” I respond with some disappointment myself. Clearly it was a vain hope that the red leader might see sense. But she’s evidently convinced in her own martial superiority – enough that she is willing even to leave her people in my hands for a bit longer. Though I still think it’s a bit callous of her – even if I was truly worried about losing the battle, I might still choose to kill them out of spite. As it is, I’ll definitely be using Healer’s abilities to help my people. And I’ll use Water-former’s abilities too, if I can give her the right commands with the Bond.

  At least the red leader’s short-sighted decision has denied her two more Pathwalkers to fight on her side – and given them to me instead. It’s a little foolish of her to not realise that she could have paid the ransom of Cores and then turned around and gone against her word to retreat, instead attacking us anew only with two extra Pathwalkers. Of course, I would have ensured that we had an Alliance which actually imposed real penalties if she broke her word, but she doesn’t know about that. Maybe it’s that we’ve been public enough that if she agreed to my ransom and then went against it, she’d meet with disapproval from her own forces.

  “Then there is nothing more for us to speak about other than this: if you continue moving forwards, we will not hold back. We will work to injure, maim, and kill,” I warn them steadily. “Withdraw now and earn our forbearance. But advance and pay the price.”

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