A third arrow whipped around and over a building to plunge down at his head. Arlen fell and toppled onto his back, barely covering his face again. It had to be that one for real. It struck his left forearm, making him howl in pain. It'd torn through his arm bracer but not all the way through. The dark weapon looked just like the first one that'd wounded him.

Voz had run over. "Arlen!"

"I'm all right. Protect yourself!" He had one arrow sticking out of his breastplate but not piercing, and the other one had bounced. So that was the last Black Arrow unless Thoko had also lied about the number.

Arlen used his good hand to help guide his attack, spearing yet more of Thoko's men. More arrows zipped by and one struck him on an armored leg plate. He needed time to recover! The enemy wasn't focusing just on him and most were melee fighters. They'd closed in. Men were shouting and clashing now.

Voz conjured a wall of rising wind and rain around himself and Arlen. "Quickly now, remove it."

Arlen used the moment's respite to tear open that pierced arm guard. The arrow hadn't sunk far enough for its little barb to bite. Wincing, he pulled it free and blinked away pained tears. The wound started its faint glow of regeneration but would take hours at least. For now, he could use his arm again.

The battle was in Arlen's favor. The Opaline chief had waded in with great whacking blows of a mace, rallying men to his side. Thoko's men were trying to circle them and herd them into the burning town. Now dozens more men charged down the hill seemingly from nowhere. A reserve. Thoko really was a man ahead of his time. Unfortunately for him, he was facing something like a Maxim gun.

Arlen shouted, "Thoko, come and talk!"

Thoko appeared with flames behind him, swatting a man down with a blow from his hammer. "Ruiner!" he said, shoving another man aside. He'd gotten alarmingly close while Arlen was pitying himself over arrow wounds.

Arlen readied a burst of stone but also drew his gun. Thoko's armor was askew and had a broken strap.

The high chief paused. He had blood on his face and shield and his weapon was deeply stained. His gaze fixed on the gleaming object in Arlen's hand. Around the two of them, warriors had instinctively pulled back, circling.

Thoko said, "Outsider, this is your fault!"

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"Surrender to high chief Voz, and we'll save everyone we can. I've been fixing your failures and wickedness already. Drop your weapon and the isles will be strong when more outsiders come."

"I built this land! I made people work for a better future, and you burn it!"

Voz put in, "We can still have the new tools and new strength. What's more important: that, or you being in charge?"

Thoko resented Arlen, but Voz's words and treason enraged him. Or something in their background, the years when Voz was the dissident voice telling him some of his deeds were wrong. The chieftain charged at his old adviser, hammer raised high, his whole left side exposed.

Arlen took the shot. A bullet ripped into Thoko between loose iron plates. The bang made everyone step back. Thoko's eyes widened. He stood there for a moment, then toppled face-first.

Voz ran in to try healing him. But Thoko's heart had been gashed and his lung punctured and he had still other injuries from earlier. The man who'd done more than anyone else to modernize the Echoing Isles was dead.

Arlen's revolver smoked. The battle had gone quiet and a town still burned. He said, "Enough! Voz is the high chief!"

Nobody objected further.

#

Hundreds of people were dead from swords, spears, arrows, and magic. Spells had helped to keep other wounded men alive, and the armor had helped both sides. A grim day but victorious.

Voz declared himself high chief of the Echoing Isles, in an amplified speech before the thousands of sullen people of Decim Island and the invading army. Voz stood on a platform created by Arlen. He spoke of unity and forgiveness, saying, "The world is changing quickly. The Roaring Storm is gone. We're free to explore beyond our home if we wish, but we're also vulnerable now to outsiders who might have worse plans for us than our war-chief. We must rebuild and grow so that we can protect ourselves."

He went on before a grumbling crowd. "No more hostages. No more of people being banished to Death Island. I will call it Newshore again because it won't be a place of exile and punishment, and will be tamed at our own pace by willing residents. We now have a hero among us who will make it easier!"

Arlen took his place at Voz's side. "Please listen to Voz. He is experienced and wise. We can have a high chief without him threatening and bullying us all. Thoko's ideas weren't all bad; we can keep what he did well. The spirits have blessed us both as leaders, as you've seen from our power. Have patience and end the fighting, and everyone will grow stronger and richer."

Though the residents gave a weak cheer at the end, Arlen slept that night in a building of solid stone with a barred door, just in case. The new high chief asked for the same instead of moving directly into the palace.

In the days that followed, Arlen made sure to be useful. He gave iron to the smiths and coached them in forging it, downplaying the fact that he could shape it by himself. "You might get better control and quality than I can." He made houses to replace ruined ones and upgraded the homes of the more influential people.

The Opaline army returned home... and left Voz there, in the palace, quietly panicking about vengeful loyalists. Arlen told him, "Maybe it's time to marry? Thoko has two nieces available."

"They might stab me in my sleep."

"You've got to step up. The islands need you to be strong and organized, not just smart."

Voz tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths. "I'll try to show them I'm not a tyrant."