"The ants!" He shouted. "There's something that's changed about them. They aren't responding to our influence nearly as completely as before."
"You aren't doing anything differently?" I demanded as I rushed towards him. If we had to deal with the ants as well as the Misti Hawar, I didn't see a possibility for survival. At least, not while we stayed here. It wasn't strictly necessary, but as far as I could tell, there wouldn't be a better place for us to be in the long term. I wanted to grow beyond what Tala could provide for us, and our herds already struggled enough here in the mountains—the beaches wouldn't be nearly enough to feed them enough to thrive.
"No, everything's been the same on our side. We suspect that maybe the ants' masters have come up from below to give some further amount of instruction. It might be something else entirely, but that's the only thing that we've come up with, other than them becoming less susceptible to our magic."
"I doubt it's an increase in their mental capacity." I agreed. "If there's something more intelligent or maybe just a leader that's coming up from below, then I hope we can establish some sort of a communication. If not, then we'll be in a fight on two fronts if we can't settle things with the ants quickly. Oh. Nievtala, grant us strength."
"She will." Shraal declared as he stepped from somewhere I wasn't looking. His steps were light, but I should have felt him coming through [Tremorsense]. The Kha'Tal leader of the priesthood had spent his days working on the Temple, and he enjoyed the work. Even so, as I invoked the name of our goddess, he showed that, grayscale Kha'Tal he may be, a long-since proven warrior he remained. A pair of stone daggers I hadn't seen before hung on his waist, and I quickly realized that both had two sharp heads, on each side. With a Kha'Tal's two thumbs, I supposed that wouldn't be a bad weapon for one like him.
"If there's anything you can tell me that I might not know about these enemies of ours, I'd appreciate it."
"There's nothing I know that you don't already." Shraal replied. He continued with a raised voice, "Even so, I know the Goddess will guide us to victory. Victory by fang and blood!"
"Victory by fang and blood!" A dozen voices nearby reflexively echoed.
"Yes." Shraal bowed his head as he repeated the First Phrase with reverence in his voice. "Through the flaming crucible of war are we refined, and through the quenching in the blood of our foes are we strengthened. It has been too long since we've waded through blood, and again we shall."
I flared my frills in assent, and Shraal seemed to take that as an invitation to continue. I didn't mind as he pulled all the people nearby into his speech.
"Yes, we are the blade bared at the throats of our enemies, and they have forgotten the strength and fierceness of our claws!" He pulled one of his knives out and cut a long, thin line on the back of his left hand all the way up to his elbow. His blood dripped steadily to the ground as he held his hand aloft and preached. "We must cut what stands in our way, be it ants who lay claim to our home or fools who think of us as prey. Are we prey?"
"No!" shouted the growing crowd. More and more of my people gathered to the excited speech.
"No!" Shraal agreed. "We are predators! We are conquerors! We are the chosen people of Nievtala! We have been made in her image, and we will establish her kingdom once more on this land! Do not fear, for her disciple, one who hears her voice directly, leads us. As the Zaaktif's First Claw, I can speak with Nievtala's approval. Through her, we will find victory, and if necessary, we will give our lives for that. Through the tempering of the sacrifice of our lives are we completed. Fight for survival, and if we must die, then we'll slay every creature that dares to impede the path of our Goddess!
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Conquest!"
"CONQUEST!"
"For Nievtala!"
"FOR NIEVTALA!"
The crowd went wild. Cries of challenge towards the ants and Misti Hawar were common, though some seemed to take the reminder of the Second Phrase as especially important. A couple arms with parallel cuts on them like the one Shraal had given himself were apparent in the crowd. While they still remained there, the First Claw stepped in front of me and bowed low.
"Zaaktif. Whatever your orders are, we will follow. We merely must do as you say, and we will never taste defeat."
Though I relished the praise, I also know that his faith was sorely misplaced. I wasn't the first Keel to exist, and our people had been wiped out almost to the last before, being reduced to mere animals stuck in the wilderness and hoping not to have others, stronger than them, come to exterminate them. While I contemplated responding in some way, Nievtala's voice settled over me.
Have a little faith, little fang.
I do have faith. Now, I don't want to get into an argument with the goddess in front of my people, especially Shraal.
Oh. But you won't. I'll give you enough divine guidance to not have to worry about that.
I didn't say anything, but I was sure she could hear my wordless grumbling. The tinkle of her laughter was belied by the force of her emotion bearing down on me. Even months… no, a year later, her words caused me pain. Less than before, but still, I struggled and suffered when she reached out to me for too long.
"He has received her presence and guidance!" Shraal said as I blinked and refocused on my surroundings. "Again, we see that the Zaaktif is the Goddess's chosen!"
I raised both hands, hoping to calm the frenzy. They went quiet, but only to look at me in hopes that I'd say something that would show my brilliance or Nievtala's guidance. Taking a deep breath, I used my sonilphon to carry my voice as I walked forward.
"We will survive. Even if our enemies clamor for our heads and ambush our scouts, if our flocks are killed and our eggs broken, we will survive. We will continue to grow stronger, we will continue to grow in number, and, before long, we will turn our vengeance on those who thought us so weak as to be plotted against. We will be strong together, and we will find how to find victory in the most fraught of circumstances. My people are powerful, and we are wise! With Nievtala's blessing, we will create a world that remembers and respects the Keel!"
Cheers erupted, and, as I went to leave, I raised my left hand's claws and cut a line down the back of my right arm. I needed to draw on [Quaking Claw] to do so, but as my blood mixed with Shraal's underfoot, I shouted, "Victory! Victory by fang and blood!"
Echoed cheers filled the air as they shouted and screamed their approval. My part done, I met Joral's eyes and hurried off to the hole in the center of the city.