Meridian might have been aglow with the touch of the sun during the day but at night, it was festooned with many lanterns and torches. Kotallo, Kira and Catra followed their Carja escort to the bridge that would take them across the abyss to the smaller mesa where the palace of the Sun King rested. Despite the hour and the sun having set an hour before, Kotallo and the other Tenakth had no problem at all seeing where they were going. And when they reached the palace, it was even more excessively adorned with golden light.

Avad had recovered from his emotional shock, and the horror of a close call assassination attempt and was resplendent in his robes, the machine parts that adorned his body polished to perfection and his eyes carefully lined with black.

In comparison, Kotallo felt rather plain but happily so.

While he sensed disdain on the expression of some of the Carja that they passed, Avad didn’t exude one drop of superiority.

Kotallo half wished he was a bastard.

But the Sun King was not arrogant, superior or unpleasant.

They reclined on cushions around a table laid with sumptuous food. During the course of the feast, Kotallo suspect he and his fellow tribesmen made several errors when it came to manners and etiquette but Avad said nothing. Kotallo did see his eyes widen when he looked at Kotallo from the side and the warrior Tenakth wondered what had caught his attention.

He was surprised Avad could notice anything other than Jira who seemed to be exuding a seductive aroma from her body. The way she ate, leaning forward provocatively to reach for a morsel and how she reclined on the cushions made Kotallo suspect that she was doing everything she could to get Avad’s attention.

And in part, it seemed to be working.

Kotallo could understand why. Jira was very beautiful. Perhaps she wasn’t ‘Carja’ in her dress but she had taken a great deal of care with her appearance, her black hair braided lightly yet with long, soft tresses that hung across her bare, tanned shoulders.

But for all her efforts, she and Catra left the feast after two hours, Avad choosing to spend more time with Kotallo. Only Avad’s bodyguards remained, stalwart and silent in the background, eyes fixed on Kotallo. Despite his thwarting of the assassination attempt earlier, Kotallo knew he was under suspicion but suspected that everyone, even Blameless Marad, would be watched with equal paranoia.

“How did you find the meal, Marshal Kotallo?” Avad asked.

“Different to Tenakth food,” that was honest for Kotallo had grown up on plainly cooked foods and the Carja seemed intent to smother, adorn and dress their foods up so that Kotallo couldn’t tell what it was to begin with, “but still delicious.”

“And the wine?” Avad gestured to it.

“Better than Oseram ale.” Kotallo said before he could stop himself.

Unfortunately that was more than the truth. Oseram ale kicked and fought its way down Kotallo’s throat, much like Tenakth brew. Carja wine slid down and soaked him from the inside out.

Thank goodness he had a Tenakth’s constitution!

“Allow me.” Avad poured the wine into the goblet, waving back the servant that had darted forward, alarmed that her monarch was serving his guest. “I hope you don’t mind…but I wanted a less public word with you, Marshal Kotallo.”

“Just Kotallo.”

Avad nodded. “Very well. I see that you are wearing a FOCUS,” ah…so that was what he’d been staring at, “as of a few months ago, I only knew of one other person who wore a FOCUS.”

“You speak of Aloy.”

“Yes,” Avad brightened and Kotallo’s heart sank, “you know Aloy?”

Kotallo was relieved his Tenakth paint was fresh and opaque to cover the flush of pleasure when he recalled just how well he ‘knew’ Aloy…or at least, he had.

“She is my commander,” Kotallo said, “I was wounded in the ambush of Barren Light by Regalla,” he gestured to his missing arm, “and thought my life was over…but Hekarro partnered me with Aloy to bring about Tenakth unity and in doing so…I was compelled to join her cause.”

Avad leaned back, goblet in hand and shook his head. “Ah…the freedom to be able to do so. I confess, I have lost many hours dreaming about running away from my Sun King responsibilities and joining Aloy on her adventures.”

Adventures? Did Avad truly not realise the danger Aloy put herself in? Of the danger the whole earth was in?

“Do you know Erend?”

“Yes.” Kotallo nodded. “Is he here?”

“He returned from an extended period of time in the west, wearing a FOCUS and with an extraordinary tale of a menace from the stars…”

“You speak of Nemesis.”

Avad nodded and Kotallo suspected he had just passed a subtle test to see if he was truly part of Aloy’s squad.

Avad looked up at the stars. “It all seems so peaceful…strange to imagine that there is something streaking through the darkness, intent on killing us all.”

Kotallo leaned forward. “What do you intend to do about it?”

Avad shook his head. “What can be done?”

Kotallo was aghast. “You stand and fight!”

“Against a foe that has no form to kill?” Avad sighed. “I have seen Aloy go up against Death Bringers, HADES in its metal brain and heard of her exploits in the west…but this…I wonder if it’s all too much.”

Kotallo leaned forward, sensing the bodyguards tensing as his jaw tightened. “There is nothing Aloy cannot accomplish. I have faith in her.”

Avad’s eyes creased lightly as he looked at him. “I see…” Kotallo’s breath stalled. Had he given himself away? “Erend’s message was to rally Carja who are willing to learn and to listen, to fight for this world. I have already tasked Talanah of the Hunter’s Lodge with seeking out warriors and sent word for those whose reputation tends to favour the unusual and the brilliant.”

“Where is Erend now?”

“After delivering his message, he travelled to the Claim to bring the message there before heading east to the Sacred Lands of the Nora.” Avad paused. “He was travelling with a Utaru of all things…”

So…Zo and Erend were still able to get along. Kotallo wondered how long their resolve would last for. The only reason they put up with each other before was because of Varl. And now they were endeared to each other because of Varl’s death. Would it be enough to keep them from trying to kill each other?

“Shall we walk about the gardens?” Avad stood up and Kotallo recognised it was less a question than an order. “I find the fresh air helps to clear my mind after all that wine.”

It was a stone on stone city, an impossible feat yet constructed none the less. Kotallo walked with Avad out of his chamber to a set of steps and went down them, coming out from between the two walls to a balcony where the view from the mesa, during daylight hours, would have been impressive. At night, Kotallo was aware of how dark and far away the ground appeared.

“I wanted to thank you,” Avad said quietly and only for Kotallo’s ears, “for bringing me a remnant of my cousin.”

Kotallo realised that the conversation was private, even to avoid being overheard by the bodyguards. That’s why they were strolling, innocently, around the balconies of the palace.

“I…miss his council.”

Kotallo felt a small smile tug on his lips. “Chief Hekarro feels the same way.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“To have received word that he was alive only to lose him on the threshold of returning home…” Avad sighed. “I wish I could have done more.”

Kotallo considered the manner in which Fashav had been killed. “There was nothing more you could have done in accordance with the rules of the embassy laid out by the Tenakth.” He admitted. “We would not have permitted any more military personnel out of Barren Light…”

“Yes but if I had been braver sooner…” Avad put his hands on the balcony’s edge and leaned his head down. “If I had opposed my father’s blood lust…”

“You would have been dead in the Sun Ring and the Red Raids would still continue.” Kotallo said bluntly. “Wallowing in the past will not honour the future…or the memory of those who fell. Regalla was not your responsibility though she was of Carja make.”

Avad nodded and lifted his head to look at him. “I hear Fashav in your words at times. In a strange way, I think you knew him better than I.”

Kotallo shook his head, walking to the edge of the balcony and gazing at the stars. “Marshals of Hekarro rarely spent long periods of time together. We travel the length and breadth of Tenakth territory as representatives of Hekarro’s will.”

“That was something I picked up from Fashav’s writings,” Avad turned and leaned his back against the balcony’s edge, his arms folded, “you are judge, jury and executioner.”

“The latter is only if the former has not been successful.” Kotallo insisted.

Avad sighed softly. “How strange…that Fashav would have discovered his true calling in a foreign tribe, at the tip of a blade, dispensing justice amongst people who despised him. He was always softly spoken yet physically absolute.”

Kotallo allowed himself to smile. “Yes, that describes Fashav accurately.” He paused, wondering if Avad wanted to hear the truth. “I know…he wrestled internally about returning to Meridian. Not that he didn’t want to come home…”

“He had a new home,” Avad said, showing that he understood, “a new family…a new tribe.” He grimaced. “Perhaps I should not have insisted upon his return. I thought him to be a prisoner, not a Marshal and, by the Kulrut rite, a Tenakth…”

Kotallo had thought this himself. If the Carja hadn’t insisted upon Fashav’s restoration to the tribe of his birth, he wouldn’t have been at Barren Light. Regalla would still have attacked but Fashav wouldn’t have been slaughtered. He might have survived…

…and yet Fashav’s conviction ran deep as to what he wanted to do with his life.

“I know that Fashav’s greatest wish was that the Carja might come to understand and respect the Tenakth,” Kotallo’s words were quiet, hoping to do his deceased friend justice, “he spoke once of taking what he had learned and sharing his admiration for my tribe…that we might be at peace.”

Kotallo gazed at the stars, wishing that Fashav was alive just as much as the man standing next to him. Meridian would not seem so alien and lonely if a single friend was in it.

“Despite his death, I believe Fashav’s final wish is being honoured,” Avad turned to Kotallo, “I am Carja. You are Tenakth. Perhaps, between us and others like us…we can make his dream a reality.” Kotallo nodded and clasped Avad’s arm. There was a pause of quiet strength and solemnity before they let go, a mutual respect established in silence. “I understand you would want to return to the west as soon as possible,” Avad cleared his throat and they continued to walk, “but is there anywhere or anything you would like to see before leaving? After coming all this way, I should like to be a generous and accommodating host.”

Kotallo paused, thinking this over, a black pillar standing out against the dark blue and star studded backdrop.

“I should like to visit the Spire.” He said.

“Granted.” Avad nodded. “Perhaps I can escort you tomorrow, through lower Meridian and up the mesa myself?”

Kotallo turned to him and bowed. “Agreed.”

“I shall have Blameless Marad set it up and will send word in the morning.”

With that, the evening meal was concluded. Kotallo made his way back to his accommodations, feeling a little unsettled at Avad’s well spoken demeanour and poise. In comparison, Kotallo did feel somewhat…unrefined.

Not that he could ever bring himself to wear what a Carja did. It was too fine, too pretty and impractical. Despite the presence of machine parts and decorations on Avad’s outfit, Kotallo doubted that it would provide any kind of protection whatsoever.

Yet, in a way, that said more about the Carja than any boast could. Hekarro would be able to defend himself in an instant regardless of his ‘kingly’ role as Chief of the Tenakth, yet Avad would be incapable and required protecting. Had Virek raised his hand against Hekarro or anyone tried to assassinate him, the steel attitude and ingrained reflexes of Kotallo’s Chief would have seen it thwarted without bodyguards or outside help.

Avad’s impractical outfit was not only Carja elegant but also made a statement.

It said, ‘I am Carja…and I have no reason to fear anyone’.

For even in the moment that Virek leapt at Avad, Kotallo defended him.

Other tribesmen also defended the Sun King.

It gnawed on his conscience as he walked through Meridian, guided by a scuttling servant who seemed as frightened of his own shadow as he was of Kotallo. Without him, Kotallo doubted he would have found his way through the labyrinth to their accommodation.

As he entered he found Catra sitting on a stool, checking his gear.

“Jira and I will bunk down here,” he said quietly, “the bed upstairs is yours.” Kotallo nodded and headed for the stairs. “Marshal Kotallo?” He turned to see Catra put his work down, his expression troubled. “Virek…was I so foolish that I didn’t see it?”

Kotallo understood what Catra was saying. “No. I did not see it either.”

“We marched all this way in each other’s company…I thought I knew him…”

“Not only by our words, but by our deeds will we be known.” Kotallo quoted Hekarro and Catra nodded. “Get some sleep. We’re going to tour Lower Meridian and the Spire tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.”

Kotallo climbed the stairs, feeling the press of the walls around him. Only in the metal ruins of the old ones had he ever known such lifelessness. There was no breeze and he couldn’t tell if it was hot or cold outside. The Carja’s buildings separated themselves from the rest of the world.

And Kotallo had lived his life feeling the seasons against his skin and the taste of the air on his tongue. Within the Carja walls, he felt disconnected and imprisoned.

He pushed aside his unease, removing his Tenakth armour so that he could lie on the bed which was softer than anything he’d slept on before. With his eyes open he could see evidence of the stone around him, even in the ceiling so he closed them, warm from the wine and unsettled in his heart.

Avad…he had almost proposed to Aloy.

Kotallo knew it shouldn’t bother him.

After all, if he was in love with her, how could he blame others for being so?

And for a time, a brief, glorious couple of weeks, Kotallo had thought that she loved him.

If he had only known, that day on the beach…when she had given him one final goodbye in the form of mind blowing love making in the surf…

His fingers twitched as he recalled her beautiful form standing in the water and remembered thinking at the time how he couldn’t understand what she saw in him…

…and now his quandary seemed to have come true.

Yet he ached endlessly.

Even now, weighed down with wine and overly prepared food, saturated in too many flavours for his Tenakth palate to appreciate, Kotallo yearned for her.

If only he could replace his heart with one of metal like he had his lost arm.

Surely it would not hurt as much to recall her face, her eyes…her lips as they softly moved up his neck, the heat of her body blending with his…the silky slide of her hands moving up his chest and…

Kotallo’s eyes tore open from the doze he’d fallen into, suddenly aware that memories were not supposed to be so real! He sat up so violently the woman on top of him was dislodged and she half fell onto the floor, her dark hair tousled and wild.

“Jira?” He rasped. “What in the name of the Ten are you playing at?”

She lifted her gaze, burning hot and her intent, unmistakable. “It is not a game,” she whispered heatedly, “not when it comes to you…not since I saw you in Thornmarsh…and desire was birthed in my heart.”

Kotallo rubbed his one hand over his face. “Jira…this is not appropriate!”

“And yet if I didn’t try, I would always regret it!” She cried softly. “So reject me now and I will bleed, scar and survive…or take me in your arms.”

Kotallo gazed at her, his body screaming for physical passionate release. She was lovely and clever and Tenakth like himself…

…and Kotallo was unattached, both publicly and secretly.

Yet the mark on his chest was seared not only on his skin, but on his heart.

Even if Aloy had never welcomed his embrace and regardless of her choice to end it, Kotallo would never stop loving her.

“My heart,” he croaked painfully, “belongs to another.”

Jira closed her eyes and looked away. Kotallo wanted to comfort her somehow but didn’t trust his lustful need.

“Now I can truly put you behind me…and do as my father instructed.”

“Your father?” Kotallo frowned, her words returning to him. “You said he died in the clan wars…not long before Hekarro took the Grove…”

Jira’s expression faltered. “I…”

Kotallo closed his eyes and slapped his forehead. “How could I be so blind! Hekarro and Atekka…both of the Lowland Clan, separated by responsibilities to their posts…and you…”

“Hush.” Jira put her fingers to his lips. “No one can know.”

Kotallo removed her hand and gently pushed her back, allowing some cool air to come between them. “Did you always know?”

“No,” Jira insisted, “it was only when Hekarro agreed that I was worth to be the Lowland representative at this Embassy that he told me.”

“I am surprised he did. Would it not cast dispersions on the reason for his choice?”

“That is the reason no one else knows.” Jira explained. “Hekarro and Atekka did not want me growing up with the expectations of others…or of revenge.”

“Regalla.”

“Yes,” Jira nodded, “Atekka was with child when Hekarro attacked the Grove. When he became Chieftain, they put their love aside for the good of the tribe.”

Kotallo was unsurprised. Atekka and Hekarro both possessed strength of will rarely seen. “What has Hekarro instructed you to do?”

Jira swallowed and sat on the bed, the passionate moment over. “He said, peace between the Tenakth and the Carja would be more swiftly and firmly established…if Avad took a Tenakth bride.”

Kotallo’s eyes widened. “He wants you to seduce Avad? He would use his own daughter?”

Jira shook her head. “Only if Avad was interested…and only if I found him attractive.”

Kotallo closed his eyes. “And you ended up on this journey with me.”

“Which is why I did what I did tonight.” Jira explained. “I could not entice Avad fully without first knowing the pain of a blocked advance.” Her head lowered, her black braids spilling forwards.

Kotallo studied her, feeling protective and proud. “The Carja would do well to have such a fine woman as yourself as Queen…but Jira,” he touched her chin, raising her face up, “make sure it is not just what you or Hekarro want.”

“For the good of the tribe, I want it.” Jira insisted.

Kotallo sighed and nodded. “You are the best of both your parents. Go back to your bed and sleep.”

Jira rose and headed for the stairs. She turned towards him, licking her lips. “Marshal? If your heart was not already someone else’s…”

Kotallo felt a wry smile tug at his lips. “Then you and I would not be speaking right now.”

Jira smiled and half bowed before darting down the stairs. Kotallo breathed out and lay back on the bed and willed sleep to come.