Flying-blade cannot meet my eyes, though I sense how that fact frustrates her immensely.

  Only those who refused to surrender to me! And as if you have done no less! she accuses me in a wild attempt to justify her own intentions, her head whipping from one side to another. As if you have not done worse! You have bound so many of my sisters to yourself with evil soul bonds! I can feel one wrapped around me right now! She shivers, her deep fear given a moment to briefly emerge before it’s wrapped in fiery anger and suppressed once more. You have found one of the artifacts, admit it! It must be hidden beneath your false scales even now!

  I don’t answer immediately, taking a moment to breathe through the wave of horror followed by almost incandescent rage that goes through me at the realisation of what might have happened if I had been delayed any longer. Flying-blade has abruptly taken an equal position with the shaman in my ‘most hated people’ list. It’s hard to know just what punishment to levy on her – death is too quick, and I’m not going to torture her – that would hurt me more than her. Well, no, probably not, but it’s a line I refuse to cross just for her. Yet can I afford to keep her around to work for the village she tried to enslave when this was her plan? I know that my Bonds are not infallible.

  Still trying to calm myself, I take a look around me to see how others have taken the accusation Flying-blade has thrown at me. I’m not entirely reassured by the expressions on the faces of the samurans around me, the fear in their spikes. Even some of those who have one of my Bonds are emanating a sense of tentative doubt, though thankfully those closest to me don’t seem to be wavering in the slightest. Several are glaring at Flying-blade and River is actually scoffing.

  Markus? An evil soul-binder? Her mind has already joined the ancestors – great cycles too early. And I can say for certain that he has no hidden artifact on him. I have seen him without his armour often enough to say that for sure.

  Out of everyone, she should know best, and it seems that enough people realise that to be reassured. Her immediate defence of me warms me in a different way from rage. I decide not to mention the fact that as a Flesh-Shaper, I could probably easily conceal a number of things within my body, indetectable to anything but x-rays or a healer’s magic. It’s irrelevant to the situation and would just serve to muddy the waters.

  It’s true, I use no artifact to create my Bonds, I confirm, ostensibly speaking to Flying-blade, judging that it’s a decent time to speak and that I’m finally capable of doing so relatively calmly. The Pathwalker looks briefly uncertain, and then anger clouds her expression once more.

  Then, even worse, you are a new abomination which must be wiped out before you can reach the next Evolution! Sisters, brothers, I cannot act with this evil binding holding me so tightly, but those of you who can, destroy this thing before it seeks to destroy us all!

  I tense, outrage going through me, but no one moves. The invaders are the first I look at, but apart from a few members who are under the watchful gaze of some of my closest Bound, they’re still either bound with plant roots, or mostly buried underground. And the Pathwalkers are still under the influence of mana inhibitors. So they aren’t likely to be able to do anything.

  As for my own people, I notice some shifting uneasily, but no one moves to do anything drastic. My Bonds don’t reveal any build up of intention, and among the Unevolved, those who are technically free to act, I see nothing that might indicate an imminent revolution. I suppose this is a testament to my efforts over the last few months – almost everyone has benefited from something in my new set-up. And that appears to have earned me some loyalty. And hearing that Flying-blade intended on using the artifact on anyone who didn’t bow to her probably helps them reject her call to action too.

  The almost-complete silence which has followed her demand for action seems to have discomforted Flying-blade, if the increasingly desperate turns of her head are anything to go by. My remaining anger ebbs as my satisfaction at Flying-blade’s failure to drum up support among my people replaces it.

  Sisters! she beseeches, looking particularly at the older Pathwalkers, the ones she’s probably more familiar with. Do our histories not warn of the dangers of such a power? Can you not feel the taint spreading across your souls, consuming you little by little? And can’t you see that this is the fate which awaits all of the People unless we act now?

  I stay silent, willing to let my Bound consider the matter freely – now that I’m calmer, it would only play into Flying-blade’s claws if I appear to be trying to shut down reasonable discussion. I hadn’t known about this story before now – in fact, I’m a little surprised that no one has raised it until now. I would have thought Windy would be the first to try to accuse me of being a second-coming of this apparent bogeyman. Then again, she’s always erred on the side of downplaying my capabilities – to her detriment. Perhaps drawing similarities between me and this long-dead Enlightened samuran would have been giving me too much credit in her eyes.

  I’m not sure if it’s a good thing that this whole story has been brought out into the open in such a…dramatic way. Then again, I suppose that this way any concerns will be dealt with and then dismissed openly, not becoming gossip whispered about in dark corners without the opportunity of rebuttal. Especially since there’s no basis to Flying-blade’s accusations. At least, I hope not. I mean, like this long-dead samuran, I am capable of binding sapient beings with Bonds which hold their souls. Does that mean there are any other similarities?

  I push the doubt away. I’m pretty sure that I’m not somehow…tainting, or consuming their souls as a result. If that had been the case, I reckon that Kalanthia wouldn’t have accepted the Bond I have with Lathani even to the extent that she has. And since she’s personally familiar with human tamers and the effects we have on those we Bind, I have to guess that her knowledge about the long-term consequences of such are more accurate than a story passed through oral tradition might be.

  My Pathwalkers and Warriors exchange glances with each other. No one seems to want to be the first to break the silence.

  I do not feel any sort of taint, Yells offers doubtfully, turning her head to one side and then the other, looking carefully at each of her clawed hands as if they would show some sort of sign if a taint was present.

  Of course not, River scoffs. It is a ridiculous notion. To think that Markus is some sort of…soul-eater? I can’t believe that any of you are even considering it.

  I send her a flicker of gratitude down our link. She responds with a fierce appreciation.

  You’ve done too much good for our village for me to ever see you like that monster of legend, she tells me forcefully and I sense that she’s projecting the words only to me.

  It happened once before; it could happen again, responds Tarra to River’s defence, though she seems doubtful. The Warriors appear willing to let the Pathwalkers talk it out amongst themselves – old habits die hard and traditionally the Pathwalkers are the ones to decide the village’s ideological directions. A few months of being part of a council is clearly not enough time to break the habits of a lifetime.

  Well, I for one do not believe it, Happy states, crossing arms and glaring at the Pathwalker lying at my feet. Especially not coming from a red tribe member who brought her army to invade our village and kill our people!

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  The story is true as far as we know it, Flower counsels cautiously. Flying-blade is right to be wary.

  I’m not debating the truth of the story you have retold, Happy argues. I am disagreeing that Markus could be a second coming of its source. Just look at what he’s done for our village; for us! She gestures at all those who have Evolved since I arrived. Tell me that you would have all become Pathwalkers without his Bond? Yells and Dusty look away from her in shame while River and Hunter hold her gaze boldly.

  Not to mention that the source of this accusation is a Pathwalker who has admitted that she would herself have used the awful device we know is a threat to our very souls – if we refused to surrender, Hunter breaks in, her voice very matter-of-fact. For all we know, she would have used Weaver as a hostage to force us out of our shelter if our leader had been much longer in coming to our aid.

  We don’t know that, Sticks ventures hesitantly.

  Of course we do, River scoffs. She admitted that she intended to use it on us herself! Flying-blade doesn’t have a leg to stand on with her so-called attempt to save us all from one who has brought nothing but good to our village as a whole – no matter how many scales he has disordered in doing so.

  If you think that her stated motivations are truly the reason for her invasion, you are a fool, Grower. Surprisingly, it’s Windy who speaks next, pulling the discussion back to the previous point.

  I didn’t say that– Flower tries to interject but Windy just keeps talking straight over her.

  Anyone who isn’t an idiot can see that Flying-blade has come for me!

  Silence falls abruptly and I notice that I’m not the only one looking askance at Windy for that particular suggestion. I’m almost amused by the fact that Flying-blade is among that number, shocked out of her own rage by the simply ridiculous assertion. Obliviously, the samuran in question continues her explanation.

  The loss in the Hunt and shame which followed it should have been enough to have sent Flying-blade running with her tail flat behind her. Not only did the village she attempted to shame win, but it was due to her own ignorance in agreeing with terms which advantaged her opponent. That she lost to a – she catches my eye and I sense her modulate what she was about to say – honorary member of the People rather than a true member makes the situation even more humiliating. We shouldn’t have seen spike nor tail tip of her for several Festivals yet – long enough for this shameful defeat to be forgotten.

  But instead, she has attacked us. And why? Because I managed to turn the fight which netted us the winning prize into an Evolution which sets me far above any other member of the People. It is unsurprising that she felt threatened by my ascension and sought to destroy my home base. Perhaps she even hoped that by capturing my sisters, she would be able to force my surrender as well, netting herself an Enlightened samuran as a secondary member of her village. This story of her trying to ‘save’ us all from the ‘evil soul-eater’ is clearly just a cover for her real reason!

  Silence ensues after this passionate declaration.

  Wow, I can’t help commenting to River. I never realised that someone could be that self-absorbed.

  I hate to say it, the Pathwalker replies a moment later, but her theory actually wouldn’t be that unbelievable, if not for how much Flying-blade has focussed only on you ever since the battle ended.

  I focus again on the situation, more thoughtful than I was before. I hadn’t considered how suddenly having a Tier three samuran as part of my village might attract negative attention as well as the positive it’s had so far. I should have – thinking about it, everything I’ve heard about interactions between samuran villages and tribes indicates that no single village is allowed to get too big for its boots. Even the lead villages are kept in check by each other.

  Though I agree with River that it’s unlikely Flying-blade’s clear passion-fueled attack is to do with Windy, it’s clear that I’ll need to be aware that the next one might be.

  Deciding that now is a good time to pull this conversation back on track, I cross my arms and look around the group of my Bound samurans.

  “So, just to be clear, none of you are worried that I’m actually consuming your souls in any sort of way.” There are a few more glances, but no one steps forward to contradict me. “And none of you are worried that I’m about to embark on a journey of slaughter, conquering every village I encounter and forcing them to feed their souls to me?”

  That one makes more than a handful of samurans chuckle, and not just my Bound either – even a couple of the Unevolved who I’ve had more contact with seem to find that idea amusing.

  Of course not, Hunter answers immediately. No one who knows you would consider you being some sort of…conquerer.

  Well, he conquered our village, Yells points out. And the other one we’ve just visited. So in a way he is a kind of conqueror.

  He only did that because of what Shaman was doing, River responds heatedly. And he only took over the other village because they had taken part in this attempt to invade us. That’s hardly the same as someone sweeping through the forest and killing or converting every village she encountered.

  Reducer has a point, Tarra acknowledges briskly. I, for one, have not been displeased with Tamer’s guidance. We are very different from the village we used to be, but we need only look at how many more Warriors and Pathwalkers we have to know that the changes have been positive.

  Even if we do keep tripping over the hatchlings at all times of the day and night, grumbles Windy, though the fact that she doesn’t say anything more indicates her tacit agreement with Tarra’s words.

  I agree with my sisters, Flower says, her eyes fixed on mine, her spikes flickering with several different colours, though I see the bronze of determination strongly present. You are not the conqueror of legend, even if there are similarities. Your commands do not consume our souls; your orders are of growing things and healing people, not of conquest. We have expanded our understandings of ourselves and the world and are better for it. I feel for my sister who is so deluded, but hope that by spending time in our village she will be brought to understand reality: that what she feared would never have come to pass.

  And that because of her fear, she hurt her own brothers and sisters, even killing one of her sisters, snaps Happy, not showing any signs of her namesake right now. Her spikes are flush with the red of anger and the black of grief. I’m not surprised – out of all the Pathwalkers, she was the closest with Flicks. It’s unsurprising given that the samuran who Evolved to become Fire-whisperer had started as one of her assistants in the forge. You can’t honestly expect Markus to allow Flying-blade to live, let alone join us in our village.

  She’s our sister! argues Flower, anger creeping into her spikes too.

  She killed our sister! Happy fires back.

  Everyone, stop, I interrupt firmly as the two Pathwalkers seem likely to come to blows. I will decide what to do with Flying-blade later. For now, any fighting amongst ourselves only plays to her advantage.

  The two Pathwalkers subside at my reminder and all attention returns to the samurans who have invaded our village.

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