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Roluk was still delirious as he was dragged along through a weathered stone corridor. Support columns alongside him provided a balconied view below to the rocky outcropping he'd been brought to. Never in a thousand years would he have believed the savages of Sumai desert to be remotely hospitable. Even still, he couldn't believe it. Perhaps he was already dead and this was merely a test of his faith. He clenched his mandibles weakly.

No, he thought. Had it been just himself the savages would have killed him. They had all stopped when Veylee was visible. The ghosts had circled and strafed around him like a pack animal, their riders hoisting blade tipped spears at the ready above their heads. They had encircled him at an effective range outside his rifle, and were merely waiting for him to grant an opening. And then Veylee had stirred, pulling herself from the makeshift sled. It was almost instantaneous. The riders disengaged upon sighting her.

The act had caught him and blindsided him completely. Could it have possibly been that they shared the very same ancient code of honor as he himself? Could savages possibly hold more honor than that of Thel Vadam's soldiers? Roluk was about to learn the truth. The end of the corridor arrived in the form of a large chamber.

In its center, a gentle waterfall ebbed and collected in a pool consisting of ringed layers, seeping deeper into the dark rock no doubt. Ancient inscriptions in Sanghelian dialect lined the walls and floor. And among everything, the leader of the savages presented himself as he walked in slow arcs around the pool and trickling waterfall. Roluk was dropped to the floor and left in the presence of the leader. He was too weak to be of harm, that he knew himself. It would be foolish to act. A gentle and piercing voice spoke an insistent command.

"Stand."

Roluk blinked. The room was dark, but it was unmistakable now. The voice belonged to a female. Her commanding tone hit him again like a slap.

"Sand does not cloud your hearing, that much I am sure. Stand."

Roluk huffed in effort, pushing himself onto his knees and then upright, standing to his full height which imposed himself over the female as she walked closer to him in very graceful steps. Her garb was simple. Red cloth wrapped across her chest and hung over her shoulder. Her waist was also entwined in the same material, draping in a long weave that hung down to her knees. It bore hints of golden and deliberate threads to etch a simple design. Her wrists and neck bore gold rings that only accentuated her darker brownish skin. She appraised Roluk, undaunted by his height. One look into her eyes and Roluk could see the fire in them. She spoke once more.

"Kneel."

Roluk's mandibles clenched and he found his voice, somewhat ragged.

"A Kaidon does not kneel."

The female tilted her sleek head, walking in slow circles around Roluk.

"Titles will do you no good here. In this place, we are all as one. It is how we survive."

Roluk snarled.

"Then what is your position as leader? Clearly I would not have been brought to this place if you weren't."

The female's mandibles tightened into a smile as she nodded.

"I was not elected, I am merely an advisor to peace. Make no mistake Kaidon. I have the will to enforce it. Kneel or I will kill you."

Roluk's fingers twitched and his mandibles tightened. He refrained from action.

"And what of the female alongside me?"

The red garbed female circled around to his back.

"She will be taken care of to the best of our ability. When she awakes, we shall offer her the same choice."

Roluk closed his eyes, breathing heavily. Veylee was always of a practical mind, he found. Perhaps somewhat dangerously so. She was bound to honor as he was, but her sharp mind on occasion would pierce through any notion of honor. If she were him at this moment, what would she do? Of course. Veylee would bow. And he knew why. If she had the chance to save him, Roluk knew that Veylee would do anything. So Roluk bowed. The female circled to face him, her lithe form stooping down until her face was close to his, fiery yellow eyes watching him intently.

"The others wish to call me Matriarch Soove. I insist that I am Soove and nothing more. Act accordingly and you will be welcome to our home. Your name, Kaidon?"

Her slender hand outstretched to him.

"Roluk Sumai."

Roluk grasped the slender thing with a firm grip as he pulled himself up to his feet quickly. It was then that he found the strength to move again, attempting aggressive footwork that would twist Soove's arm and grant him leverage over her. Soove reacted with the speed of a master, sweeping Roluk's feet out from under him by simply tripping him with an outstretched foot with grace.

Roluk's grip held her hand and pulled her down with him. She was fast but not nearly heavy enough to match his weight. Once more however, Soove acted stunningly, using the momentum Roluk had pulled her down with to launch herself on one outstretched palm against the stone floor in an arc as her body twisted in a graceful flip over him. Now it was her hand that refused to break its grip, pulling on Roluk's arm past his head and twisting as she sprawled onto the floor. Roluk tapped his free hand onto the stone floor once, and Soove relented, releasing her deceptive grip. She stood with the grace of a practiced dancer, and held her hand out to him once more with a smile.

"Is this proof enough Kaidon Roluk that I am the leader of these lands?"

Roluk clasped her smooth hand, helped up to his feet. He bowed his head in admittance. Soove's eyes watched him fixatedly as she smiled.

"Then all is well. Come with me and we may find you a place of rest."