The air around Emily thickened under the weight of countless gazes from the sidelines. To reach Kael's side, she had stepped down into the dust pit, and now, on the surrounding walkways, people crowded in, eager to witness the unfolding scene.

Emily and Kael stood at the forefront of the Wandering Fangs, while Hermes stood on the opposite side. The Chief positioned himself in front of the woman, a silent but unmistakable refusal to let her stand as his equal.

Between the two groups, Alex knelt, his fate teetering like a scale on the verge of settling.

"What right do I have to take your beast, you ask?" Hermes intoned.

"My right was earned long ago. And I do not desire the Miragesalker as my own. I wish it to be slain. Those creatures are dangerous and certainly not something that should be allowed within the city walls. My man was only carrying out my intentions."

Emily pursed her lips. She'd thought she'd be able to throw him, but he was used to controlling the narrative.

To make matters worse, he was skilled enough to notice what she was trying to do and counter it. He'd even steered the conversation away from his underling by taking the blame.

This was going to be much harder than she thought.

Kael must have realized this, too, because he pivoted.

"If that's the case, Alex had a right to fight for the beast's continued existence. What proof do you have that Alex cheated? All I heard from you men were allegations."

Hermes's eyes lingered on Kael for a second, and Emily was certain she could see something rising out of those pools of grey apathy.

Disgust, annoyance? Probably both.

Still, he nodded as though he expected Kael's rebuttal.

"Proof is simple. I alone witnessed their fight from the lookout platform," he said as he pointed up to the overhanging structure. Emily noted with a glance that several other men and women stared down from on high, probably other Chiefs.

Emily was interested but had to refocus on Hermes as he continued.

"And it was a good fight, but on the last attack, the little beast interfered and distracted my warrior. This gave the outsider the chance to strike in his blind spot," he shouted. By the end of the sentence, he'd raised his voice so that the whole square could hear.

Emily glanced at Alex and saw a discontented look on his face, as though he disagreed. But he also didn't speak out, clearly already knowledgeable of their ways.

The surrounding crowds ate it up as a series of cheers echoed out around them.

Only their few from the Wandering Fangs didn't cheer, along with Teo, Mo, and Ra.

Kael's face was filled with barely restrained rage, but Emily could see he couldn't refute him.

The reason was simple.

Alex might or might not have cheated, but it was almost impossible to tell. Illusions were indistinguishable from reality unless one had a high-ranking title or skill for discerning them.

Hermes said he saw through it, but essentially, this was a case of his word against Alex's, or more importantly, Kael's.

As Teo had explained to Emily on his way there, Kael had no voice right now to call out Hermes. If he had no voice, he had no word to refute him; at least, that was how the Ashvali saw it.

Emily could see the foul look on Kael's face as he watched Hermes. The blank-faced man met his gaze, his expression unreadable, yet there was a silent challenge in the way he stared, as if daring Kael to act.

Kael held his ground, his posture tense, but he didn't take a step forward. At this, Hermes shifted his attention to Alex.

"This will be your punishment," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "The beast will be slaughtered for my evening meal. For your deceit, I will cripple one of your arms—beyond even the Hearthspeaker's ability to mend. And finally, Kaelan, if your men are this treacherous, then there is no need for me to entertain a challenge from you."

The cheering voices hushed in anticipation as all eyes turned to look at Alex with warped glee.

Emily had to give Alex credit where it was due; even under all those glares and the threat of mutilation, he didn't bow or back down. He held Hermes stare without fear, still clutching the little fox under his arm and raising his blade to defend himself.

Now, even if Emily was being reserved in her estimation, Alex was an incredible fighter. His skill in battle even allowed him to take on people he shouldn't be able to handle just yet, but this guy was different.

Hermes was not someone either of them could fight alone. The only person who had any chance right now was Kael, and he was remaining stubbornly quiet.

Hermes closed the distance between them in two steps and reached down to Alex in one swift motion.

This was it; he'd made his verdict and was about to hand out his punishment all in one breath.

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Emily knew it was a mistake; she knew it was better to just let this all blow over. She could heal Alex afterward… But if there was even a chance that he could be crippled or worse die in this process she couldn't allow this to go on.

Ignoring the consequences, she took a step out in front of Kael.

Because the area was so quiet, and everyone was waiting for the sentence to be carried out, her single motion was visible to all.

Hermes paused just before Alex, his eyes narrowing on her. As if to rise to meet his challenge, she spoke.

"That's all very convenient, that only you saw it happen. But you wouldn't have lied, would you? Not when this was the chance to get rid of your competition's right to challenge you?" she said.

Kael's shoulders slumped.

Emily!? He growled, pulling her back.

For the first time since Emily had laid eyes on the Chief, his expression shifted, cold indifference giving way to bitter rage.

"Now I know you're lost to us, Kaelan, letting someone insignificant challenge my verdict," he snapped.

Emily was just as furious and made no effort to hold back her next words.

"Why not? As you say, I'm an outsider—not even a Shaman yet. If I were, you wouldn't be able to use this as an excuse. Everyone can see you're just running away."

Hermes moved just as soon as the words left her mouth. His spear was off his back and slicing toward her throat before she had time to react.

Kael moved in the same moment and drew his weapon a hair's breadth before Hermes's attack arrived.

There was a catastrophic clang of metal on metal right next to Emily's ear as she took a step back, her robes fluttering.

There was a moment where everything froze, but then the spectators let out collective gasps and hisses of disapproval. Some were focused on her, but there were a good many who were focused on Hermes himself.

Emily's breathing was erratic as she looked at the keen edge of his spear, which was so close to her face. True, she had provoked him, but she hadn't dreamed he'd react like this.

She could use this.

The reason the people around them were shocked was simple. Emily had learned from Teo that Shamans took on a more spiritual role in the Ashvali tribe. As such, they weren't fighters. They focused more on healing and enhancing their allies. This had created an unspoken rule that a warrior was not to physically harm a Shaman, even in extreme disputes.

Hermes didn't think of her as one of his tribe, so he attacked without concern for this rule.

However, Emily wasn't about to let her advantage slip. She could even see the moment realization appeared in his eyes as he backed off, disengaging from Kael.

"How dare you attack a Shaman in training!?" she said, raising her voice.

"You are no Shaman wench, and what use are you if you cannot fight?" he shot back.

Emily narrowed her eyes at this; something was off here.

The Shaman behind Hermes frowned and stepped forward, resting a gentle hand on his back in a caring gesture. But this only agitated him more.

"Enough, woman," he said as he slapped her arm aside. His gaze locked on Emily. But she was too busy watching the woman beside him.

Normally, warriors had a decent amount of respect for their Shaman, but something was off here. He seemed almost dismissive of his. He had neither asked her opinion nor even looked at her once throughout this entire ordeal.

On her side, she took a step back so as not to bother him. There was something strange going on here.

However, Kael stepped forward now.

"You attacked my Shaman! What gives you the right? I demand the roots convene! Did you forget their strength is not in battle!" Kael yelled.

"Battle is all that matters!" Hermes shouted back.

Emily watched the man closely as cracks appeared in his mask; he was losing it. All she needed to do was press the right spot now.

"Agreed, battle is all that matters, but even in that, I have a feeling you would fall short," Emily said.

Ripples spread out through the crowd, and Kael glanced back at Emily.

"What are you doing!" he hissed.

Emily shrugged at him and turned back to the seething Chief.

"The way I see it, you look down on all Shamans. How about we fight to settle this, Kael and myself against you and your Shaman."

Alex glanced back at Emily with a worried look on his face as the challenge went out.

This only made Kael grunt, but then Emily saw Hermes' reaction.

His anger faded and was replaced by contented violence. At the mention of battle, he seemed to regain his head.

"Very well, but I don't need a Shaman in battle. She will only hold me back. She will bless me, and I will take on both of you. Prepare yourselves. Clear the space, all of you!" Hermes shouted.

Emily could tell his confidence was well-earned as he was strong. Even with both of them working together, there was still only a small chance they would come out on top. Emily had felt it when he had attacked. Kael had blocked his strike, but she knew he had to use everything he had to stay the man's hand.

This was a death match in the guest sense; if Emily was hit even once, she would die.

"Enough." A powerful voice said, freezing everyone in place.

The word rushed into their surroundings as though resonating from the tree itself.

Everyone flinched as a dry heat spread into the area, coalescing behind them.

Turning around, Emily saw Teo standing there with golden flames lapping over his form.

The order had come from him, but something was off. His eyes had taken on a similar golden hue as the flames, but Emily could tell by his demeanor that this was not Teo.

Behind him, Mo and Ra stood quietly, watching everything.

To Emily's surprise, the people around him started to kneel in respect. Emily wasn't sure how, but the Hearthspeaker was here, possessing Teo's body.

Emily kneeled in time with Kael to avoid causing more of a stir.

However, Hermes didn't lower himself. In fact, almost half of the spectators refused to kneel. That was when Emily realized something was going on with the Chiefs and the Shamans.

"I have seen all that has transpired here today. Both parties were wrong, but I will forgive this for now. Instead, I must insist that you hold this battle after Emily undergoes the trial of the storm. Only then will the roots condone this as an honorable fight."

Dissatisfied groans issued from the men behind Hermes as they glared at Kael and Emily.

Hermes ground his teeth.

"And if I do not?"

Teo's brow rose.

"Then your title is forfeit and will be offered up to the next in line," he said.

Hermes let a breath out through his nose and nodded his head towards Alex.

"And what of him? His actions are a personal affront to my honor."

Teo paused as though contemplating.

"He will be held captive in the roots until such time that you either win or lose your fight. After which he will be yours to do with what you will."

Emily's eye twitched as Alex was picked up off the ground, fox and all, and dragged over to Mo by the bystanders.

With those words spoken, it seemed that all of this was over, and people began dispersing. Hermes glared at Kael for a second longer and then turned on his heel and stalked towards the stairs while his Shaman watched Emily for a couple of seconds longer. She looked scared, but then she turned around and fled towards her Chief.

Emily turned to Teo and moved over to him.

"What was that all about?" she asked

Teo's eye began to flicker as the gold faded, and he cleared his throat.

"Come back to the roots. We have much to speak about. Your journey into the storm has just been moved forward."

Blood points: 633

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