The Soul of a Warrior

"That doesn't have to mean anything," Rlei said uncertainly.

In response, the Bigmouth kicked forward something Rlei haven't noticed before. It was a sack, and when it fell, a dozen iron handles scattered on the ground. Swords, realized Rlei. And not the crescent trvuxam blades, made for cutting, but the long, straight swords, made for killing. If that wasn't enough, the Bigmouth took out a pouch and opened it, presenting a fine blue powder. Rlei's eyes widened. Blue was the rarest color in Xzsin Nyeotl; anything that could produce it was extremely valuable. The content of that pouch was worth more than everything in Rlei's village.

And the iron swords... They could be junk in Tarviss, but here in Xzsin Nyeotl there was barely any iron. All the weapons, armors and tools had to be made of bronze or horn. The blades brought over by the Tarvissi were priceless here, for prestige if not utility.

"No one carries such wealth without a purpose," said Xzreba, the village chief. She was an old woman, her skin almost as orange as her eyes, but her mind was still bright. "He had a deal with the Barvai."

"You think the Barvai invitation was a trap?" asked Rlei. Thousands of thought raced through his mind. The war between their tribes had lasted for cycles and took many lives. The Vrzwah were exhausted and willing to put aside their typical Xzsim blood-thirst for a bit of peace. It seemed like the Barvai had finally reached the same conclusion.

Except they hadn't.

The old woman nodded solemnly. "Probably."

"If the Tarvissi deal with Barvai, they must know the path to Dahls leads through our lands," remarked Zshill.

"We have to account for such a possibility, yes."

"We'll crush the traitorous bastards," growled Hzrimr. Xzreba looked at him with disdain.

"We've been trying for the last five hundred cycles," remarked Rlei dryly. Hzrimr opened his mouth to reply, but the chief spoke before he could.

"First, we need to learn what exactly they've done and what their plans are." She drew her gaze over the gathered warriors. "Now, get your mothers here. Rvulhah, thank you for your help."

The Bigmouth nodded again.

"Do you want me to thtay and thpeak with him?" he asked, nudging the captive with his leg.

"We'll manage." Xzreba's gaze fell on the man. He was looking back at her, his face reddening and his eyes narrowing and hardening.

"I won't tell you anything," he snapped suddenly and Rlei was surprised to hear he spoke pretty passable eksham. "I'm not afraid of you, sissies!"

Before any of them had a chance to reply, Rvulhah did just one simple thing.

He yawned.

And in this moment, his whole body seemed to disappear: heavy muscles, sandy fur, dark mane, powerful hands and even his tail, all swallowed by that big, all-encompassing maw. His lips drew back, presenting rows of scimitar-like teeth, his triangular tongue rolled and smacked.

Rlei was so transfixed that he barely noticed the yelp from the prisoner. Only when the Bigmouth closed his mouth, revealing the kas'sham behind it, did Rlei snap his eyes back. The strong, acrid smell of urine reached his nose and he scrunched it in disgust. He looked at the man who'd been so brave a moment ago: now he was shivering, torn between trying to crawl away and shrinking into invisibility. Rlei smiled.

In the end, Rvulhah stayed, while the women of the tribe gathered in the Big House. Men were usually not allowed in such meetings, but he was a guest, and Rlei was above gender roles, so he was invited too.

They interrogated the captive who was very willing to talk when faced with teeth longer than his hand and they were quick to reach a conclusion.

"If what this man says is true, then I see no way to seek peace with Barvai," admitted Xzreba gloomily. Rleis fingers clenched the handle of his trvuxam. "We'll tell Hzrimr to prepare the warriors."

Him?! Rlei opened his mouth to protest, but the old woman gave him one of those looks that automatically made them snap shut.

"You will have a different task, child."

Rlei already knew he was going to hate it.

"You have to go to Dahls and warn our allies of the danger."

"Ask for reinforcements," suggested another woman. "It should be their business to guard their own borders."

"Can't we send someone else?" protested Rlei weakly, but Xzreba eyes hardened at that.

"You have a special position, child. And that stems from your special responsibilities. Do you want to forfeit them?"

Rlei clenched his teeth. It was true: those like him, people who were neither men nor women, were considered exceptional, because they were thought to have a special insight into the minds of both genders. That's why it fell on them to perform all negotiations.

And he didn't mind doing it, most of the time. The problem was when he had to deal with the outworlders, those who lacked understanding of Xzsim culture and customs. Although the Dahlsi were more civilized than the Tarvissi, they were also very hardheaded and had trouble catching nuances. Most insisted on addressing him as her, and only the most tolerant advised he alter his body with magic.

Rlei considered that. He wondered how it would feel to have the body of a real man. To have a flat chest that fit perfectly under his armor, to fill up the gap between his legs with something he felt should have always been there.

He wondered if they could make him a real father.

But he quickly pushed those thoughts away. Xurzshmah gave him one body and although people had many ways of worshiping Xat, all of them pretty much agreed that changing it—especially in such an extreme way—would be a blasphemy.

So Rlei clenched his teeth, wrapped his breasts and gently corrected anyone trying to call him 'madam'.

But as he was packing his things, he couldn't shake off his mother's words. To take a husband of his own. Bear his own children. The sheer thought made him feel wrong, even slightly disgusted. And yet...

Would it be worth it, he wondered, placing a hand on his stomach. A little sacrifice, to keep the bloodline alive. It wouldn't have to be permanent, he could just... Get it done and get back to living with Hvma, as a man, as a father to their children. He wouldn't even have to look far; he could probably use Zhemr, although the thought of laying with the man made Rlei want to carve his womb out.

Still, a little sacrifice...

He shook his head. In any case, there was no time for it now. He had a mission and with the threat of war with Barvai lasting Xurzshmah knows how long, he couldn't afford to be tied to the village. After that, Hvma would have her own child and they would all have to take care of that and then after that...

After that, who knows?