It was dark when Sybil shook me awake. My belly rumbling, I languidly stretched and looked over to my mate who stood nearby. The darkness wasn’t that of predawn, but full night, and I could hear the swarm beginning to complain themselves to wakefulness around me. A large part of me wanted to switch over to my thermal vision, but I consciously held myself back from it, promising myself that I would go for the next seventeen days until I acquired the next level of improved vision.

“Why now? It’s full dark.”

“The Bloodprieshtessh,” the title came out slowly, yet still chewed and mangled in Sybil’s unaccustomed mouth, “Was asking for you, and none of us can understand this language. I figured it best for us to follow your lead, since you speak the language.” There was a hint of reproach in her words, and Sybil, in her subtle way, shook her head disapprovingly.

I chuckled, and without thought pulled her hands down and towards me. She stood firm, and I reluctantly stood as I nuzzled into her neck sleepily. Sybil initially stiffened then relaxed into me, nipping gently at my neck while her tail lightly tapped on my leg before pulling away. My inner khatif demanded that I sate my hunger for her much louder than I’d ever felt before, but I was thankfully able to quickly tamp down that desire. Sybil laughed quietly at my brief, heavy breath and began to walk away. I followed, my steps lengthening until we walked side by side.

“How is the swarm doing?”

“Nobody died earlier, it did get a little close for Joral, but he’s been patched up enough to be out of any real danger. There were two deaths on their side, both of broken necks. Looks like they were trampled just a little too much. Vefir and Second were both working for a while on healing up whoever needed it but ran out of power. They’re both still resting, and will be the last ones to be woken.”

“Good to hear… And the children?”

Sybil chuckled, seemingly despite herself. “The girls are maintaining that we wouldn’t be where we are without them, and Iituli has grudgingly admitted that. He has, however, insisted that the only reason Ishtar could abandon the front line was because of his ‘flamewall’, as he calls it, and the girls have similarly grudgingly given him that. All in all, they’re doing well, and getting along better than before. All three are talking about how ‘awesome’ you were in the battle, and seem to be bonding over seeing you in action. The Bloodpriestess has them, and everyone else for that matter, a bit nervous, since apparently we couldn’t do anything to her even with our greatest fighters.”

“I bet Wisterl could hold her… could have held her own against the Bloodpriestess. Especially with Rulac at her side.”

“Probably.” Sybil paused for a moment, then, “But, they’re dead. Our enemies and nature itself took no prisoners, and they are casualties of our survival. I’m sure both relished the chance to give their lives honorably and meaningfully. As true Alqat… for the one who will be Zaaktif.” Sybil’s voice dropped at the end, almost reverently, and I saw the trust there.

Trust had finally begun to supersede, or maybe just cohabitate with, Sybil’s analytical rationale. Here I saw an emotion begin to shape her viewpoint. I gently bunted my head against hers as we approached Bloodpriestess Ana.

“Did you have a good rest, fahvalo?”

“I did. Thank you for allowing it to me.”

“I have only done what is honorable, there is no need to thank me.” Bloodpriestess Ana shook her head and smiled at me. “If I were a guest to your hospitality I would expect the same to operate as your thanks.”

I nodded as I asked, “What should I call you? Fahvalo Ana? Bloodpriestess Ana?”

“In an informal setting such as this, Ana will do. In front of our peoples, Bloodpriestess Ana, and in a formal setting, Fahvalo Bloodpriestess Ana. I don’t think you will ever need to go quite so far, but you might someday.” Ana’s face settled into an easy grin as she spoke, “It has been a long while since I have had to begin to push myself in a battle like today. It is refreshing to loosen the body against opponents such as yourself. I imagine that once you mature fully we will be more evenly matched. Thank you for the experience.” The smile Ana gave was genuine, and for a moment her eyes regained that mystical, enamoring quality from that afternoon.

“You have a strong mind for one untrained. The sooth-sight is unclear on you, but I suspect you have experienced more than your body has.”

I startled but tried to hide it. Obviously not very well as Ana suppressed a tittering giggle as I attempted to cover it up but eventually decided against it. “Simply said, yes. How do you know? What is this ‘sooth-sight’?”

Ana spread her hands before me, immensely long fingers curling disturbingly as she moved them one by one from the thumb to her fifth finger as she spoke. “Narsha’at’s phrases are six, one for each finger, ever escalating in importance from thumb to fifth finger, Narsha’at’s blade. As a Moonchild grows in power, they can speak the next Phrase and receive Narsha’at’s blessing. Each finger in turn is changed to a divine form, as you see here, but there are six Phrases. The sixth is to Open your eyes to See. I have spoken the Sixth phrase and received the third baptism, and I See more than most.”

“... And what do you See?”

“What others seek to hide.” Ana’s voice and face could have been carved from stone with all the information they were giving me.

“I won’t get much more than that out of you, will I?”

“I do cherish your directness. No, you won’t.”

I sighed. “So, why have you called me here?”

“It is night and the Moon smiles down on us. You need passage to a safe border, and I intend to begin our journey this night. You and your kin are nearly as well developed as our own when it comes to nighttime activity, so we intend to travel during the nights and allow you the privilege of the hunt just before dawn each day. I swear to permit you as much succor as you need, so long as you conduct yourselves with honor.”

I felt the rhythm of solemnity settle over Ana as she spoke, and felt the need to reply more formally, “I swear that me and mine will conduct ourselves as fahvalo, every one of us, so long as we remain in your lands.”

An approving nod. “It should be ten days to Dunbach, where we will rest for a day and have you escorted to the other border by a different group from there. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Yes, Bloodpriestess Ana.”

“You honor your title with your words. Now do so with your actions.”

“I fully intend to. In that same line, I have a question–would you happen to know where I could find a nest of my fellow, less intelligent counterparts? My swarm could use a bolstering of numbers.”

A lot of talking again. How do you feel about the pacing in these last chapters? Do you want more action, more talking/worldbuilding, or do you like how it is right now?