Nua could scarcely believe it, though there was a faint shaking in the body of the woman before her, she could feel the steel in Sobella’s voice. ‘That was what she wanted with my knife?! It wasn’t to keep me from violence… it was… it was to save my life…’ Nua felt her heart tear in two as the brave demon-elf made the only threat she could, to an enemy Nua doubted very much she could defeat.

The God-Emperor’s sons were clearly filled with immediate anger as the confusion came over them, but before they could move, the ligerman moved his massive arms out from his throne to block both of their paths. “No, my sons, no. This is something new, one does not see something new in the throne room very often.”

Nua watched his face, the otherness of it made it difficult to read. However she felt a kind of keen intelligence from him, a studious, calculating look that went over the scene. ‘I might have forgiven a mere ignorant brute…’ She thought as she watched the wheels turn in sharp yellow eyes. The vertical irises stared at them both, not like simple prey, but like puzzles to be understood.

His tail curled behind a gap in the back of the throne and swished around as he thought. “You survived the arena, meat?”

“I did. I killed a lionman to do it.” Nua answered, raising her chin defiantly.

“Where is your prize?” The ligerman inquired, looking past them and sniffing the air for a third who was not there.

“I killed her before the fight began so that she could not be hurt anymore.” Nua replied, and at this the ligerman raised his brow considerably, as did his sons who had settled back into their formal posture.

“You are not afraid of me… are you, elf?” He said, changing his reference to her race.

“Your answer!” Sobella urged, drawing the tip of the knife’s tooth tighter.

“Patience is a virtue, demon-elf.” He said in a low, rumbling voice. “I am curious why you would not only die to save this one, but risk the peace your life buys.”

Sobella chose to answer, “Because she came with me…. Because she looked after me, because I could not have come this far without her. Because she endured too much to die here because of petty games of more petty people!”

“Petty games?” The ligerman’s voice rumbled.

“I am here alone because of a conspiracy.” Nua answered in her calm, even voice of command, “I am a foreigner to Pas’en, and some did not like the things I did, so to rid themselves of me, they sent me here alone, ignorant of everything that was to happen here. Simply put, God-Emperor, you were to be used as a tool to solve one of their problems. I’m sure they expected me to die in the arena, or by failing to honor a ceremony properly. But?” Nua shrugged dismissively.

The God-Emperor’s gaze darkened, his thick, heavy jaw turned down, “I have no love for your kind except raw and bloody, but I even less like games. If they wanted to kill you, they should have done it themselves.”

Nua felt her heart skip a beat, and the echo of her stated sentiment before came crashing home with its earlier implications. ‘They are just people.’ She recalled the phrase, and recognized the supreme irony of the moment, in that she found common ground with the emperor of this empire of predators. “A sentiment I share, God-Emperor of the Tlalmok. The knife she bears is my own, I have rid myself of many enemies with that blade, in fact, you can no doubt see the handle is made of bone. The bone is human, it belonged to someone who crossed me long, long ago.”

She could see the light of understanding in their eyes, and they too shared the common dismay of finding common ground with a natural enemy.

The God-Emperor raised his arm and pointed to Nua, “You, offer me a gift, something of worth, and I will honor the courage of the demon-elf on her knees, and allow you to go back alive.”

It was a subtle change in reference. ‘Had he not been born as he has been, we might have been friends.’ It was a discomfiting moment that only added to the ones before it, but at his demand, she knew precisely what to offer.

“Nua…” Sobella begged without taking her eyes from the ligerman trio or loosening her tight, tense, shaking grip on the knife handle that was still gripped hard in both hands.

“I will give you two gifts, God-Emperor of the Tlalmok.” Nua answered. “Whether you think they are valuable will depend on the kind of ruler you are… but I believe you will find a use for them.”

Unconsciously, the three leaned forward towards the two races of elves with interest.

“Knowledge is the root of power and victory, the foundation of strength, so in that spirit, I will give you information known to only a handful in the world.” Nua could barely keep the smile from her face as she spoke.

“Over twelve years ago in the Devor Empire, there was a small fort that was utterly annihilated. Every Devorian harvester was killed, cut to pieces, and the captives they took, vanished. Some, I have heard, assumed the taurian captives rebelled, but the idea didn’t fit the scene. I know the ones who did it. I have met them both in person. I worked with one of them for some years afterward.” Nua answered, the smile tracing over her face could not be denied.

“Your companion stands ready to die for you, and you betray companions of your own as a gift?” The God-Emperor was equal parts intrigued and offended, she could feel it in his voice the way it took up a slight snarl, only to cut it off when Nua’s smile broadened entirely.

“Oh no, God-Emperor, betrayal would imply that this was meant to be secret. Nothing could be further from the truth. The one responsible most of all, even left a calling card for the Devor Emperor.” Nua tried to restrain her laughter and could feel the failure coming.

“The mother of terror, the demon of the west led the raid, and with her was a single minotaur champion, Mu’Ulm. I’m sure knowledge of this would be worth something if passed to the Devor Emperor. Now would you like the second gift, oh God-Emperor?”

The God-Emperor looked at the wood elf in front of him, her equipment was impressive enough, as was her calm. The demon-elf was anxious, that was plain, but the other seemed to care nothing for her life even though she clearly wanted to keep it. ‘Knowledge like that might be worth a favor when the time comes to use it, assuming she tells the truth… but I would know if she lied. She seems to enjoy passing this on… far too much.’

“Go on.” He finally rumbled out.

Nua’s priestly voice caught its timbre and flowed like tranquil waters over her audience. “The mother of terror, the founder of my faith, is coming for you all. For twelve years she has built armies, and for eight more she will continue, till the children of terror come of age. They will ride from the empire to the west, cast down the Devor, and then east, to you and the Tlachopan which shares your borders. You have eight years, God-Emperor of the Tlalmok, to build a response to rival the will of her divine father, the unliving god. Then…?” Nua held out her open palm and blew cold breath over it that wafted to kiss their distant faces. “You will all be gone. Your one chance to save yourselves is the one thing your pride will not let you do.”

The God-Emperor’s maw parted, his sons at his left and right looked to him to see his reaction, and he began to laugh.

“Who could challenge the Tlalmok? Who in all the world could challenge the Triumvirate? The lands of east, west, and south, offer their children to save themselves. They are mere free range game that harvests itself! Centaur horsemeat, taurian cow meat, and of course the piglike flesh of the rest of you… what could ever hope to destroy us?! You have seen our might, crossed a third of the distance of our empire in a month. You truly believe that anything could best us who stand at the top of the world?!” He exclaimed the question through his laughter, and Nua’s peaceful voice answered with serene confidence.

“Twenty years ago, I would have said no, God-Emperor… but I have seen the empire west of your known west, and I have seen your east. I tell you truly, having seen both, that you are the walking dead. Prepare as best you can, God-Emperor, and tell your partners in the triple alliance of beastmen to do the same. The children of terror are coming, with forces beyond your comprehension. In ten years, this city will be a ruin. Let that warning of a war like nothing you have ever imagined, be my second gift to you.” Nua bowed her head to the Tlalmok ruler, who stared at her as if she had gone utterly mad.

“You believe every word you just said, don’t you, elf?” The ligerman on the throne asked of her, his tail swished about as thoughts rampaged through his mind. ‘How absurd, how insane, how… but she believes it. She has seen both places, or so she says, and her equipment testifies to her foreignness. Every bit of it is enchanted…’ That clinched it for him, more than her conviction, more than her almost defiantly formal posture as an escort, more than that… He flicked his eyes to the tense demon-elf who threatened to end her life to ruin the ceremony. Her equipment. ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’ His father’s expression came back to him, and he relaxed as his resolution came to him.

“Alright, elf. I will take you at your word, and accept your gift, if you accept two conditions of my own.” The ligerman rumbled to her, and Nua raised her chin expectantly.

“The first, that you remain with the tribute to the end.” He paused, waiting for her to beg off.

“I planned to be there anyway. She should not die with only hunger and her killers for her company.” Nua answered with a sharp, clear voice, not even a hint of contrary intent in an inch of her.

“The… second, is that you volunteer as tribute, in eight years.” The God-Emperor uttered the condition, and Sobella felt the urge to scream rising up, only for a confident and comforting hand to fall on her. She glanced upward through her blood red eyes, and Nua answered the ruler of the largest of the beastmen empires.

“May I have more than one escort, God-Emperor?” Nua asked with a tiny smile on her face.

The God-Emperor chuckled, “You can bring as many as you like. As many as you can convince to join you.”

“Then I accept your terms. In eight years, I will return to your empire again with all that I can convince to follow me.” Nua said in a quiet calm, her cold breath wafted over to caress their faces again, and their whiskers twitched at the curiosity.

“Then it is done, you will be permitted your return, alive, and whole.” The God-Emperor clapped his hands together as if closing a book, and ended the subject.

Sobella began to lower the knife slowly, and Nua’s hand came down and curled over the tops of her companion’s gripping fingers.

She whispered with icy breath into the warm dark purple ear, “A more noble thing has never been done with this blade, I am grateful beyond words… now you may let go.”

Sobella did as Nua said, allowing the wood elf assassin to uncurl her dark fingers, and letting the blade pass into the hands of its rightful owner.

“For now you will keep your vigil atop the great pyramid. Before night has passed, all will be done. My guards will see you to it.” The God-Emperor proclaimed as the door opened again, and the lionwomen presented themselves again.

Nua sheathed her blade with a sharp thrust, and still holding Sobella, she helped the demon-elf rise to her feet, then backed away from the throne until they were beyond the waiting guards. Only when the door closed again, did they turn around and start to walk back out of the liger’s den.