Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(59)
“I am Batuk, the Kujoo warlord. My men and I are willing to lay down our lives to make the Beladors pay for murdering our families and raiding our lands. We will not stop until every one of them lies dead.”
Vyan felt encouraged at the slight catch of interest in Tristan’s eyes when Batuk mentioned warring with the Beladors.
“You have yet to answer my question, warlord.” Tristan shifted, his bored stance reinforcing a lack of patience.
“Release us so we may talk as men. I have proven I am not your enemy by the form you have right now.”
Tristan tossed his head to one side, as if silently ordering someone to leave. The vines unwrapped from Vyan’s body and snaked away to nearby trees. The witch had warned that this part of the jungle was entirely under Tristan’s rule and power, but it was also his prison. The two-kilometer-square area had been shrouded in a spell that prevented him from leaving.
Once the men were freed, Batuk stepped closer to him. “I have sworn revenge on the Beladors for murdering our people and causing us to lose favor with our god Shiva. My men escaped through a portal we’ve opened between the two worlds. I am willing to help you obtain what you want if you will in turn help me obtain what I need.”
“What exactly do you need?”
Batuk hesitated just long enough for Vyan not to trust his warlord’s answer. “To free my people from imprisonment beneath Mount Meru, but I feel certain we will encounter the Beladors before this is accomplished. If so, we will need your help to defeat them, as our god forbids us from warring with the Beladors. You can fight them. We cannot.”
Tristan chuckled, a derisive sound meant to mock. “You do realize the Beladors who live today are a bunch self-righteous pansies, right? That bitch Macha protects them as long as they uphold an oath of honor.”
Batuk curled his lip. “I care not about their oath, and neither should you.” His righteousness swelled with each boom of his deep voice. “I was told how Brina denied you your birthright. That she caged you here, refusing to let you leave without her permission. Do you not yearn for revenge for being cast away as unworthy?”
“You know nothing about me, only rumors and stories traded by Nightstalkers and black witches,” Tristan shot back. “I have no reason to believe you. Leave now while I’m feeling relaxed. Or I might choose one of you to take back to my cave and show you how I’ve entertained others who ventured into my space.” His eyebrows lifted with the grin that appeared on his too-pretty face.
Vyan touched the handle of his sword.
Tristan’s gaze slashed at him with eyes that blazed hot as the setting sun and could have cooked the monkey Vyan had wanted for dinner. A bolt of fiery light shot from his gaze to the ground at Vyan’s feet, close enough to smoke the toes of his boots.
In return, Vyan quirked an unimpressed look at Tristan that said, Is that all you got, an amusing phrase he’d heard from the street kids in Atlanta. Tightening his fingers on the hilt of his sword, he considered using his majik to answer the insult, but he would not risk injuring the other soldiers.
He didn’t miss the fact that Batuk failed to address the insult.
“I know this.” Batuk drew Tristan’s attention back to him. “No man would continue to live as a beast when he could walk this land freely in the body you own at this minute. If you agree to my offer, I have a key that will unlock this cursed existence forever.”
Tristan made a noise in his throat that dismissed Batuk’s offer. “Listen closely, warlord. A local witch doctor came here out of curiosity. I held him captive for a month and gave him every opportunity to work his voodoo to cure me. Didn’t happen. In fact, he tried to kill me for my blood. His skull now decorates the entrance to my cave. I’ll give you one minute to convince me why I shouldn’t use your head to make a matched set.”
Batuk smiled confidently. “The serum I gifted you with was brewed by our witch who knows much about Alterants. My men and I all bled into the mixture to share our powers with you, but the witch warns this will not last long. She says you will be able to escape this prison while you are in human form this time, but it will only last for three days. Before then, if you join my army, we will locate the Ngak Stone, which has the power to break your curse forever.”
Now Vyan understood the rush.
Three days to find the stone and gain control? They were destined to die in this time. Legend held that the stone had always chosen a powerful being in the past. What were the chances they could find the stone’s new master or that Tristan as Batuk’s envoy could take possession of the stone in so little time? How could they trust Tristan to keep his word if he did agree?
Would have been nice to have known everything before Vyan traveled here and risked his life for nothing.
Tristan narrowed his gaze on Batuk. “What are you not telling me?”
“That we cannot battle the Beladors without drawing the attention of the gods. We do not have our Shiva’s support, so I need you to …”
There was that hesitation again, making Vyan wonder what game Batuk played.
“… agree to stand with us should we face the Beladors before leaving this world. Second, the Ngak Stone has chosen a new master. Shiva would know immediately if one of us gained control of the Ngak Stone, or I would have gone after it myself by now. I need someone with your power and lack of ties to any entity to take possession and wield the stone for us. The Beladors infest the earth now and will no doubt also learn the stone has taken a master.”