"So, what convinced you to become a priest? You seemed pretty resistant to the idea earlier,” Zhulong asked Shrike as they made their way to the temple.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

After a night of pondering, Shrike was certain that Zhulong was not deliberately trying to indoctrinate her. He was a terrible, callous, selfish being, but he wasn’t a manipulator. In some respects, he was perhaps the most honest person she had ever encountered. Although he frequently lied, he didn't conceal his overarching intents. Zhulong wielded deception in the same manner a duelist would employ a feint. He aimed to trick his opponents into making the wrong move, but he never pretended that he wasn’t trying to stab them.

Still, unintentional, or not, Shrike could not stand the prospect of being brainwashed, even if the changes were something as minute as the one Thrugg underwent. In some ways, the idea of being subtly altered over time was more frightening than an instantaneous change. If Zhulong turned her into a mindless pawn overnight, at least the other zeraphs would realize that something foul was afoot. But if her mind was gradually compromised, any change in her behavior could be easily mistaken as a natural development.

To her relief, the pseudowyrm decided not to pry into her business. Unfortunately, his consideration didn’t extend to her physical boundaries. She squirmed in place when he began pawing at her hair in cat-like fashion.

Her love of wyverns grew when Pathogen brought them to their destination at record speeds. She flinched when Zhulong offered a hand to help her down. He did not miss her reaction.

“Don’t worry, I washed my hands. Probably. Maybe. I definitely did, but I might have scratched my armpit a few minutes ago. What’s got you so twitchy lately?”

“I might meet one of my gods today,” Shrike muttered. “Pardon me if I am nervous.”

Satisfied with that explanation, Zhulong shrugged off her jumpy behavior. Recent events may have burned their bridge, but Shrike was glad that they were still on the same page when it came to Brantus. They both bit back a scowl when the wizened man came out to greet them.

“Greetings, great shenlong! I thank you for gracing us with your presence! May I ask what brings you here?”

“We’re here to see if daddy big boss will make Shrike here a priest.”

It was Brantus’ turn to swallow his gorge.

“I see. It is certainly unorthodox to grant such a privilege to someone so young, but who am I to question your judgment?”

“Kind of sounds like you’re doing that right now.”

“Er, I meant no disrespect!”

Zhulong just brushed past him. “Bored now. We’re heading inside.”

She could tell the other chieftains also took issue with Shrike’s nomination, but no one else voiced their dissenting opinions aloud.

Shrike nervously approached the sacred censure. Part of her still wondered if she was worthy of this honor. Another part of her wondered whether this would be an honor at all. She shook her head to clear away those heretical thoughts and carefully placed a scroll filled with soul stones into the censure’s mouth. She steeled herself when Kanghui’s effigy consumed her offerings.

Shrike didn’t even have time to gasp before she was engulfed in flame. When she opened her eyes, the temple was gone, its resplendent chambers replaced by an endless void. A ring of azure fire spiraled around her. Off in the distance, hundreds of stars blazed across the white void.

The stars coalesced as they neared her until they formed an immense serpentine specter. Shrike tried to kneel, but maintaining that pose proved somewhat awkward when she was suspended in the air.

“Welcome honored daughter,”

Shrike resisted the urge to shield her face. The light emanating from the astral serpent was almost blinding.

“Are you Kanghui?” she asked. To her relief, the serpent's body dimmed. She felt a surge of disappointment when she saw the spectral reptile’s barbels. It was one of his apostles, not the knowledge serpent himself.

“I am Chengzong, the second king of the western provinces.”

Shrike lowered her head again. “I am humbled to be in your presence. Tell me, lord, what must I do to be inducted into Kanghui’s clergy?”

“There is no need for any tests. You are already worthy of being an exarch.”

Shrike’s eyes widened. Traditionally, one had to pass a rigorous exam or complete a daunting quest to form a covenant with Kanghui. The elders claimed there were cases where those prerequisites were waived, but only the most exceptional individuals received that treatment, and only up to a priesthood.

Exarch were figures that blurred the lines between mortals and gods. Each carried a fragment of a god’s or an apostle’s soul and even the most powerful deities only had a handful serving them at one time.

“Your magnanimity knows no bounds, lord. But do I truly deserve this honor?”

“You do. Though the world itself tested your faith, your devotion to our progenitor remained intact.”

Joy, unlike anything she had ever felt welled up inside her. Shrike dabbed at her eyes and heaped thanks upon the shenlong apostle for providing her the validation she sought her entire life.

“You deserve more time to receive the praise and love owed to you, but alas, mortals cannot linger in this space for long,” Chengzong said, cutting her fawning short. “Tell me, honored daughter, are you prepared to bind yourself to our covenant?”

A month ago, Shrike would have accepted the deal without a second thought. Her father’s memories and her experience at Parabellum taught her to rein herself in.

“What does this covenant entail, lord?”

Chengzong seemed slightly taken aback that she didn’t immediately accept his offer, but he told her, “Once my essence is bound to you, your mind will become a treasure trove of knowledge. Trees will wither before you develop a single wrinkle. With a single word, you’ll be able to channel a portion of my powers. Dozens of different incantations will be at your disposal. As with any other priest, you will be able to fashion talismans including scrolls of vocation—divine items that can instantly transform an unskilled laborer into a master craftsman. You will be responsible for keeping track of candidates that deserve our blessings and administering exams that will determine whether applicants are worthy of receiving a scroll of higher knowledge.”

Shrike nodded. Those benefits were even more potent than she expected. ‘But the gods always expect something in return,’ her father’s recollections reminded her.

“Will I be required to give anything in return for these generous boons, lord?”

Her blood went cold when he answered, “To be ordained, you must share all your knowledge with us.”

She swallowed nervously. “All my knowledge, lord? As in every memory that I can recall?”

Chengzong nodded.

A flicker of anger accompanied her growing anxiety. “Does that include memories that I have inherited?”

“If you are afraid that we will witness your sire’s indiscretions, fear not. Kanghui has already pardoned him and will continue to show him clemency regardless of what your meld will reveal to us.”

That assurance gave Shrike some comfort, but they both knew that wasn’t the only issue.

She bowed low to hide the fire in her eyes. Of course, Kanghui wasn’t interested in her. If she hadn’t met Zhulong, the god serpent wouldn’t give her the time of day. Even now, he chose to communicate with her through an intermediary rather than speak to her directly.

Shrike cursed herself. How many times would she have to make a fool out of herself before she discovered wisdom? In her desperation to step out of Zhulong’s shadow, she had just handed her strings to another marionette.

Perhaps it was best if she just shed any notion of independence and accepted Chengzong’s offer. As Thrugg said, what had pride done for anyone? What had she ever accomplished on her two feet? She bit her lip to banish those depressing thoughts.

“Are you prepared?” Chengzong gently asked again.

Shrike did not lift her head.

Which serpent to choose? The snake that bared its fangs for all to see, or the one that spread its venom through honeyed words?

“Lord Chengzong, I beg your forgiveness! Upon further reflection, I do not believe that I am worthy of these gifts!” Shrike declared.

If her decision disappointed the apostle, he did not show it. “You undervalue your worth, dear daughter. But it is not our way to nudge a chick off its nest before it is ready to fly.” The fiery twister that had been whipping around Shrike slowed to a crawl. “When you are ready to feel the wind beneath your wings, come back to us,” Chengzong whispered. As his luminous form sputtered out, there was another blinding flash of light.

“So, did it work?” Zhulong asked.

“I was not prepared for such a heavy responsibility,” Shrike answered.

“Oh ok. That’s fine. I am sure those neanderthals we messily murdered will be very grateful that we essentially flushed their souls down a toilet. It’s not like we could have used them for other things like producing more biofuel for the climate regulators. You know what? Passive aggressiveness doesn’t suit me. Tyto, it’s your turn. Grab these heart stones and waltz over there before I ascend to a new level of bitchy.

******

Tyto changed.

Shrike wasn't familiar with the chieftain, but his mental metamorphosis was obvious. Moments after being ordained, t4he newly minted exarch decreed he was needed at Parabellum. On their way back, he lectured Zhulong on how he could improve Parabellum’s infrastructure, prattling on about stability, rigidity, suspension, heat retention, water pressure, drainage, and an assortment of other topics. Overwhelmed, Zhulong passed the pontificating man over to Sarin, but the conjuror was no engineer and summoned Aldrin. The surly transmuter initially dismissed Tyto as an arrogant savage, but his rants tapered off when the exarch sketched several blueprints. Shrike could have sworn Sarin’s eye twitched when Aldrin requested her to translate Tyto’s stream of jargon.

His newfound intellect frightened Shrike. Had Kanghui merely raised his intelligence or had Chengzong taken control of his mind? She doubted she would ever know.

“Excuse me,” an elegant voice chimed in Lunarian.

When Shrike glanced over her shoulder, she saw an elegant sleeve. She had to tilt her head upwards to meet Natsume’s gaze.

“You are Shrike, correct?” She smiled when Shrike nodded. “Do you mind if my friends and I had a little chat with you?” she asked, her necking craning towards the ophidian and monofu beside her.

“I don’t see why not.”

Their introductions were short and sweet. Sessa, the ophidian, had the distinction of being the coalition’s highest ranking channeler as well as its oldest. Sessa’s shoulder companion, Cocopo, boasted she was even. By the moth’s reckoning, she was over forty years old and hatched years before the devourers appeared on Tannin. She was also quite possibly the most adorable thing Shrike had ever seen.

Cocopo tittered when she noticed Shrike’s stare. “You may pet me. I know that I am impossible to resist.”

Shrike gingerly stroked the top of the moth’s head. She was as fluffy as she looked.

Natsume steered the discussion towards heavier topics ten minutes into the conversation. “I have always been a busy woman. Raising beasts is a time-consuming affair. I spent what little free time I had on artistic endeavors or with Zhuzhu.” She took a long frustrated drag on an elegant tobacco pipe when she mentioned the pseudowyrm. “Now that I have more than I know what to do with, I’ve developed a budding interest in philosophy. Naturally, free will has been at the forefront of my mind.”

Shrike bit her lip nervously. She kicked herself for not being more discreet when speaking with Thrugg. The lamia gently grabbed Shrike’s sleeve before she could consider leaving. “Calm yourself. No one is going to harm you. It’s only natural someone in your position would ask questions. A word of advice, though, eyes are always on that drunkard.”

“Noted,” Shrike bit off sourly.

Natsume’s voice developed an acerbic tone. “Since I am just a biological machine that is apparently incapable of going against Zhuzhu’s programming, I thought it would be enlightening if I got the perspective of free folk such as yourselves.”

Cocopo was the first to share her input.

“Truthfully, I have never been free. My kind were all but defenseless against the tribals of Tannin. When we were not being massacred, we were being subjugated. I was born with especially productive silk glands, so I was treated better than most, but I watched many of my nest mates get cut down during skirmishes over us. I wish the black lords afforded us more freedoms, but my people have benefited from the stability they brought.”

“I am also doing well for myself here,” Sessa grunted. When Natsume gestured for her to continue, she admitted, “Still, I would spark up next to a sack of gunpowder before I let anyone turn me into a zealot.”

“I appreciate your input. Rest assured, anything you say here stays here. What Cocopo said was rather illuminating. If you think about it, no one is truly free. We all must capitulate to the laws of nature and the limitations of our bodies. One cannot choose to stop eating without starving. One is not free to wander into a wasteland if they wish to remain amongst the living.”

“I feel you are misconstruing freedom with actions and consequences,” Sessa argued. Choosing to walk into a desert or refusing to eat would be foolish and fatal decisions, but they are still decisions. A slave or prisoner wouldn’t even be at liberty to make those choices.”

“Perhaps that was a poor analogy,” Natsume admitted. “Still, I think you can see my point. The realities of life prevent us from doing whatever we wish. Your kind, for instance, are usually confined to warm climates because of your cold-blooded physiology.”

“Freedom is not an all-or-nothing issue. Even if absolute freedom is impossible to achieve, it still exists in degrees. We can still take steps to mitigate the hardships and limitations that life throws our way. If the climate is too cold, we can try to adapt to it. If the lands are hostile, we can try to tame them. Just because we all must make compromises or concessions doesn’t mean that freedom doesn’t exist.”

“Yet, the most important event in everyone’s life—our births—occurs without our input or consent. So, on a fundamental level, to exist is to be subjected to the whims of another.”

Sessa was about to compose a retort but held her tongue when Natsume pointed her pipe at Shrike.

“Tell us, what are your thoughts?”

Shrike rubbed her head, unsure of what to say. She certainly cherished freedom and detested the idea that she was a slave to fate or circumstance. But she had to admit, she didn’t feel very free. She didn’t decide to be born in the Fringe; she didn’t get to pick her name, and she certainly never agreed to be dealt such a harsh hand.

She was still pondering the matter when Zhulong called out to her, “Yo, Shrike, I heard you were in the area. Figured I’d let you know that—'' The pseudowyrm clamped his jaws shut when Natsume entered his line of sight. “Ah, hey. How are you guys all doing?” he mumbled, pointedly avoiding the lamia's gaze.

“I could be better,” Natsume answered. She blew a large smoke ring at him.

Zhu looked up at her then. “You really should quit that habit.”

“You know full well that this is a rare indulgence. Besides, I believe you told me I was free to do whatever I choose. Oh wait, I just remembered. You never told me that at all! I had to hear it from Velvet because you were too much of a coward to speak to me.”

“I am not forcing you to do anything. In a way, I am glad that you’re telling me no. Just wish you’d adopt a healthier hobby. Don’t want you coughing your lungs out.”

Natsume continued to puff on her pipe.

Zhulong scratched his head and signed. “Look, once I got less on my plate, we’ll clear the air. Promise.”

“It’ll happen much sooner than you think,” Natsume asserted. “But until then, I’ll keep treating myself to tobacco.”

That comment put a grin on Zhulong’s face. “Hah, now that’s underhanded! Seriously though, cut the habit for your own sake. Shrike, get over here before you get addicted to that stuff too.”

Shrike reluctantly left her seat. “It was nice to meet you all,” she said awkwardly before trailing after Zhulong. “Where are we going?”

“To the western walls. That titan’s going to be on our doorsteps in an hour or so. Figured, you’d want to be there when we blow a bunch of holes in it.”

She looked up at him steely eyed. “Yes, I would.”

“Say, when we touched brains, did you pick up fun facts about cigarettes and other tobacco products?” He asked. Shrike simply shook her head. By now, she was accustomed to his habit of wildly changing the subject. “Not surprised. I never touched the stuff or thought about it that much. It’s a pretty fiendish drug. It will tar up your lungs, yet the nicotine in it will keep you hooked. Convince your brain that you need more of it. The stuff’s so bad you can develop some nasty side effects just by hanging around smokers.” He shot her a significant look when he uttered that last sentence. “Guess it’s a bit like me in that regard, huh?”

Shrike said nothing. If Natsume knew what she and Thrugg had spoken about, it was only natural that it had gotten back to him too. She gave the pseudowyrm a questioning look when he handed her a journal.

“Been playing Conquest since I was fourteen. Being a subjugator, I had to spend a ridiculous amount of time humming lullabies to tames and NPCs. One thing I did to keep myself sane was jot my thoughts down in a fruity ass diary. Wanted to see if I was changing over time. Whenever my birthday hit, I was convinced that I was the same guy I always was, then I’d peek at what my past self wrote and wonder how the hell I was related to that idiotic pussy. You’re a bit further along into puberty than I was, but maybe you could use it to catch any irregularities.”

Shrike accepted the journal without comment. They didn’t exchange any words as they waited for Kaaslithe’s arrival.

Her hackles rose when its looming form came over the horizon. The titan’s footfalls were eerily silent as always, yet the world seemed to shake. A huge hand clapped her over the shoulder.

“You ready, partner?”

Shrike looked up at Zhu and nodded.