Nyla watched Cal as he seemed to size up the other clan leaders. A shiver went down her spine when she realized the look he had on his face was the same look the Hilvorn beast had on its face as it chased her. She recognized it now as a look that loved the thrill of the hunt, a look that for all intents and purposes, signaled the end of its target.

Nyla also knew the clan leaders were acutely aware of this as they partook of the food Cal had offered them. They ate in silence. Their entourages, however, were loud and rowdy Each man and woman were taking all they could get their hands on, the strange meats Artie delivered seeming to delight them. Finally one of the clan leaders yelled. "Silence you fools!"

The groups of bodyguards and failed assassins fell silent under the glare of their leaders. Cal smiled and stood. "Who are you to presume to issue orders in my clan hall?"

The venom that dripped from his voice sent a chill down the spines of every being in the room. Even Artie had frozen midway between a serving platter and Nyla's plate as he tried to give her another slice of roast beef. Nyla looked on in terror as Cal stalked over to the table the clan leaders had chosen and sat at its head. Cal spoke again. "I asked who you think you are to give orders here? Please, go ahead, speak up."

You could not have had a more profound effect had you dropped the heads of their spouses into the laps of each clan leader. Terror seemed to emanate from every one of them, with one exception. Kreshnal, the leader of the second clan, was shaking with rage.

"Who am I?" he demanded, looking from the other leaders to Cal. "I am the leader of the second clan. Clan of the Karago'Jan, fiercest of hunters! I will not bow and kowtow to an upstart demon such as yourself! If I demand silence while I dine that it is MY business!"

"So it was you who spoke?" Cal asked.

"Yes, it was me!" Kreshnal exclaimed. "And I will not be bullied for it!"

"So tell me Kreshnal," Cal said reaching over to the plate of the clan leader next to him and taking a piece of meat from it. "What do you think so far? Can we be allies, or will I have to wipe your clan from the face of the planet?"

"You DARE!" Kreshnal screamed. "How dare you speak to me in such a way. Friends?! Why would I want to be friends with you? You are a..."

The only sound that burbled from his throat after that was the sound of Kreshnal dying as his lungs filled with blood. Kreshnal turned to see his daughter standing behind him holding the knife coated in his blood. The girl smiled with tears in her eyes as she lowered her father to the floor.

"I am sorry father, but we can not win against him. He is a beast the like of which you can not fathom. Mother always told you your attitude would get you killed. I am sorry it had to be me, but for the sake of our clan, and for my siblings, I can not let you fight this war." The girl was barely holding back sobs.

Kreshnal surprised Cal then, placing a gentle hand on his daughter's cheek and wiping the tears from her face. He smiled and let out his last breath. The girl stood, seeming to draw strength from that final act of comfort with her father. Her eyes locked with Cal's.

"My father called you a demon, and he may be right. But I know this is not a fight we can win. So, if you will have me as representative of the second clan, and if the other leaders will recognize me, I will declare the second clan as allies of the Clan of the Storm Dragon." She spoke well, even forcing out the strange words that formed the clan name Cal had come up with.

"What is your name, young lady?" Cal said, his tone holding something that Nyla could only call a regal note.

The young woman spoke. "My name is Kre'Ana in honor of my father."

Cal raised an eyebrow, and the leader of the first clan, Jurrog, stepped forward to speak. "Cal, this young woman is known to me. I will recognize her, and if you would accept it, I would grant her recommendation as an honorable and intelligent woman who would serve well as the leader of the second clan."

Cal could tell that Jurrog was saying this to vouch for the young woman, but also as a comfort for Kre'Ana's sake. She smiled in thanks to Jurrog and bowed her head slightly. Cal smiled.

Cal looked around the room, specifically making eye contact with each clan leader. "Kre'Ana has asked to be recognized by the leaders here, so what say you all?"

The room was awkward for a moment, then all at once the other leaders seemed to be scrambling over themselves to try and confirm their support of the new leader of the second clan. Cal laughed heartily, "It seems to me, Kre'Ana, that congratulations are in store. I recognize you may not be happy with how it happened, but I also understand the strength it takes to do what you did."

Kre'Ana nodded and glanced at the body of her father. Cal looked for Nyla and waved her over. Quietly and in English, Cal spoke to her. "Can the death rights of your people wait, or must they be completed tonight?"

"They can wait. It is customary to wait to gather the entire clan, and then wait one day to allow all a chance to settle their debts with the dead." Nyla explained.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Kre'Ana," Cal said, once again speaking Narvish, "if you will allow it, I will have your father's body preserved until such a time as you can gather your clan, and then it will be brought to anywhere you wish."

"I would appreciate such a gesture," Kre'Ana said, seeming almost relieved and letting tears seep from her eyes.

Cal raised his voice and spoke to all the clan leaders. "Here and now, declare your intent. Are we friends or foes?"

The vote was unanimous. With the first and second clans both in allegiance with Cal, there was almost no choice. Cal smiled at the group. "Send runners to your clan halls and summon all who can attend. Tonight we celebrate the new leader of the second clan, as well as our newfound unity!"

The day wore on with a steady trickle of Narvish arriving from the clans after the runners had been sent out. When the sun set Cal had Artie light two massive crystalline braziers in front of the hall, more food seemed to constantly appear on the tables and everyone was provided with all they could eat and drink. Nyla knew some technology was in play, probably managed by Artie, for even as fast as the AI frame was, there would be no way for Artie to keep up with it all.

When the crowd had been fed to their liking and most everyone had at least a pleasant buzz from the drinks being served, Cal rose and spoke to the crowd. "Tonight, we celebrate Kre'Ana's rise to the position of clan leader, as well as the unification of our peoples. Tonight marks the beginning of change, and it may be hard, but I can promise it will be worth it."

A cheer erupted from the crowd, and Cal waited for it to settle. "In honor of that, I will tell you, in the world where I come from, thousands of years ago, there was a group of people called the Vikings. During their time, they were warriors with almost no equals. They warred with one another, just as you do, they pillaged lesser tribes, just as you pillage the lesser clans. They were like the Narvish, thousands of years ago, and maybe in a few thousand more years, you will be telling other people how they are like you were today!"

The crowd could tell he was leading up to something, and the things of which he spoke were things they could all understand so they waited eagerly. Cal smiled and continued. "So in the honor of my ancestors, and in honor of the Narvish who are so similar to the Vikings of old. I offer heitstrengingar! In times of old, heitstrengingar was the swearing of a solemn oath. The oath I swear is to you all. So long as we are allies, I swear to defend you, your families, and everything you hold dear as if it were my own!"

The roar of approval washed over Cal and the clan leaders as Cal took an ornate drinking horn from Artie, then he pricked his finger and allowed a drop of his red blood to fall into the drinking horn. Cal raised the horn and called out at the loudest volume he could. "Heitstrengingar!"

He passed the horn to Jurrog, who understood what to do. "I too vow these things, should a call be issued, First Clan, will come and send your enemies to Zavrak! I vow this in the traditions of the ancestors of Cal. Heitstrengingar!"

Jurrog pricked his finger and allowed a drop of blood to fall into the drinking horn. Seeing what was expected, Kre'Ana followed suit. When they had all declared their support and put a drop of blood into the horn, Cal raised the horn over his head with both hands. "With this, we become one, your clan leaders and I will be bound in blood as well as oath. Heitstrengingar!"

Cal took a sip from the horn and passed it to Jurrog once more. Jurrog had paled, he knew this was a test, should he or any other clan leader refuse to drink, they would become targets for the rest. Jurrog had hoped to roll with the changes and come out on top, but it seemed Cal was several steps ahead. "Heitstrengingar." Jurrog called out, without much heart in it, and drank.

The night after the Heitstrengingar ceremony devolved into one long drinking contest. When Nyla awoke in the morning, she found herself not at the table where she remembered passing out, but in her bed, with a bowl of soup and a drink of some kind next to her. She ate the food appreciatively, her head throbbing with every bite. She drank what she thought was water and almost instantly her headache was gone. She drank more and finished the food before leaving her room and heading out into the hall.

Narvish bodies lay everywhere, passed out where they had fallen. Artie walked among them making sure none were hurt or having any difficulties breathing. He saw Nyla and gestured to the side of the high table to a small door she had not noticed before. A stairway behind it took her up to a platform on the roof, cleverly hidden from view below. On the platform, Cal sat in a chair, Nyala took the empty chair next to him.

"You are good at manipulating my people." Nyla said, thinking back on the events of the night. "I wonder how much Jurrog hates you for what you did, making him swear publicly to join you like that."

"I know how to speak to warriors," Cal said, "Your people, the Narvish, are warriors. Maybe not warriors like I am used to, but I meant what I said. Your people remind me of the Vikings from Earth."

"I think you are a warrior, I think my people are children to you. Children who know not what powers they tempt if or when they attack you." Nyla said thoughtfully. "I do not regret this, but it is what I think."

Cal laughed and smiled at her, Showing her a smile that Nyla liked to think was reserved only for her. "You might be right, but I am the result of humanity fighting for thousands of years amongst ourselves, we developed thousands of different weapons, styles, and methods for fighting during the age of the Vikings. This was when we had little more than the Narvish have now. I am, in all things, totally devoted to war. I have to be. Because of my devotion, I understand how your people think, I understand how they treat those less powerful, and I understand what they want."

Nyla was surprised, Cal was a monster when it came to combat. What little she understood of him told her that much, but the fact that he felt some kind of connection to her people was interesting, to say the least. "Well, I offer you this Cal."

Cal turned and gave her his full attention. She picked up his mug of drink and pricked her finger dropping her blood into it. "No matter what my people choose, if they elect to fight you or if they choose simply to follow you, I will be your ally. If I must, I will be your only ally. I will stand by you until you choose to send me away or until I die. This I swear, heitstrengingar."

Cal smiled, put a drop of his blood into the mug, and looked at Nyla. "To you Nyla, and only to you, I swear this, should the end come and should the greatest sacrifice be demanded, I swear it will not be you who pays it. Heitstrengingar."

Cal took a drink and handed the mug to Nyla. She took a drink and felt something deep down inside her stir uneasily. What he had sworn to her made her feel uneasy and sounded almost like a prophecy. She opened her mouth to speak, but decided that nothing she had ever heard of could harm Cal so, what was she worried about? Together the two of them watched the sunrise and light the valley.