(Thomas POV)
It was just two weeks later that I received the first meeting invitation from my dear uncle, Vyaghra. Or was it Viagra? Hard to keep it straight. {"Hah, Hard to keep it straight… Viagra. I am going to kill it with my dad jokes one day."} Rohan had informed me while I was leaning against the post of the sparring yard, watching a Crane Clan member and a Horse Clan member go at it.
To my eyes, it was like something out of a comic book: a Centaur trading blows with Hawkgirl. The first time I'd seen one of the Bird Clan in their half-form, I understood where Christianity got its idea for angels.
I snorted. "So what's changed? What's happened that my uncle, the great Tribal Leader, has finally deemed me worth talking to?"
Rohan just shrugged, "I didn't ask the messenger who passed the information to me. The meeting is for tomorrow morning, on the 3rd floor of the Pagoda. I will pick you up after breakfast."
I nodded my head in acknowledgement and went back to watching the fight, and let my mind drift over my newest idea to help me train. I had been trying to go from 0% to 50% of my shift, but it was proving challenging after I made the 0 to 25% notch on my mental dial. What if I went from 100% and tried to slowly pull back to 50%?
I spent the rest of the evening working on that and was ready the next morning when Rohan showed up to take me to the Pagoda.
"You know, Rohan. I could have found my way to the biggest building in town on my own without getting lost."
"After knowing you these last few months, I have my doubts about that. Regardless, I was instructed to bring you, so I will."
I just shook my head as we made our way to the first floor. The walls were covered with art renditions of the Clan's in all forms. I paused to look over some that looked like Egyptian Gods.
"Is this accurate? Did some of the Clan's rule Egypt and claim godhood?"
Rohan nodded his head. "There was a time that they did just that. At first, in efforts to help people, and then later generations kept it up for power. Something happened later that showed them the error of their ways, and now we live as simple Clan's in this small part of the world.
We continued up to the third floor as my mind adjusted to the information I had just learned. Rohan led me to some broad wooden doors that he knocked on and then slid open.
I entered to see my uncle sitting cross-legged on a raised platform, dressed in robes that managed to look both ceremonial and functional. His eyes tracked me the entire way across the floor. He had four people with him, two on either side.
I walked until I was about 5 feet from where he sat and waited to hear what he wanted from me. Rohan gave a bow, but I just watched, refusing to copy him.
A flash of anger came and went in my uncle's eyes.
"Thomas Raizel," Vyaghra said, his voice deep but carefully neutral. "You've caused quite the stir since your arrival."
I smirked faintly. "What can I say? My mom hit me with a spoon a lot when I was young."
One of his attendants chuckled softly, but Vyaghra didn't even smile. His gaze stayed focused on me, testing if he could intimidate me. I just stared back.
"You shifted young," he said after a pause. "Much younger than any of our clans. For us, the fire doesn't awaken until near twenty-five years of age. But you… You carried it before manhood."
I shrugged, careful to keep my tone casual. "I think it awoke when I watched my mother being killed in front of me. At least it seemed to always be there after that happened. My shift wasn't by choice either. Earlier this year, a vampire tried to use me as a chew toy. My tiger side awoke to protect me. I have been working to harness it ever since."
One of the attendants broke in at that point, "But our understanding is that you are friendly with the Empty Ones?"
I shrugged, "The Coven I know is different from most of their kind, they don't feed on innocent humans. They help me with no thought of taking advantage of me. It has made me strong, training with them."
Vyaghra studied me with his golden eyes as he leaned forward slightly. "And you want this strength to lead? Do you think strength alone is enough?"
I blinked, caught off guard by the idea. "Lead?"
"You bear the Raizel blood," he said. "My son has not yet awakened his fire. The clans wonder what that means. They whisper, and I must know if you intend to fan those whispers into flame."
So that was it. Not just curiosity, but fear. Fear for his son. Fear for his place.
I tilted my head, letting the silence stretch before answering. "I didn't come here to steal thrones or titles. I came here to learn. Your son is safe from me. Unless" I let the words hang, "you, or he decides otherwise."
Something flickered in Vyaghra's expression, but he smoothed it away quickly.
"Very well," he said, his voice once again measured. "Then let us speak of alliances. Hu Mei's clan has approached me with an offer. A marriage bond, to tie fox and tiger together."
My stomach tightened. So that was the excuse. And Hu Mei's too-smooth smile the last time we sparred suddenly made a lot more sense.
I let out a short laugh. "To what end?"
Vyaghra's golden eyes didn't blink at my response. "Fox and Tiger together would strengthen bonds. Make the Tribe stronger. A union now would settle your place in our community."
My mind raced for a moment in thought. "Would Hu Mei come to the Tiger Clan, or would I go to the Fox Clan?"
Vyaghra's eyes flashed with a cunning light. "As you said on your first day. You came with no Clan, as no Clan brought you here. So, you would go to the Fox Clan."
I gave a chuckle, "That could be a boon for the Tiger Clan, as I wouldn't be there in the coming years to challenge. And in the Fox Clan, any challenge I would make could be ignored, as two tigers can't lead different Clans at the same time. Correct?"
Vyaghra's lips curved, though it was more baring of teeth than a smile. "You are not as naïve as some hoped. Yes. In the Fox Clan, any ambitions would be contained. Your voice—so troublesome here—would be theirs to manage."
I leaned forward, meeting his gaze without flinching. "So, this isn't about strengthening the Tribe. It's about making sure I'm not a problem for you."
The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on. One of his attendants shifted uncomfortably, but Vyaghra never looked away.
"You mistake caution for fear," he said at last, voice smooth as silk stretched taut. "I do what I must to preserve balance. You being here is… unpredictable. The clan's whisper. I must answer those whispers."
I smirked. "Then let them whisper. I didn't come here to take your throne. And I sure as hell won't be traded like livestock to another Clan just so you can sleep easier at night."
For the first time, Vyaghra's mask cracked, the faintest flash of irritation crossing his face before he forced it still again.
"Be careful, nephew," he said quietly, though the weight behind the words was anything but gentle. "Defiance carries its own cost. Even for Raizel blood."
I threw a rumor I had heard recently into his face, "And just what was the worth of Raizel blood before Black blood was introduced? Stagnation only takes place in a still pond, Uncle. New streams make for cleaner water."
The room chilled in the silence that followed my words. One attendant stiffened, another drew in a sharp breath like I'd spat blasphemy. Even Rohan shifted slightly at my side, as though weighing whether to step between us before things turned violent.
Vyaghra's golden eyes narrowed to slits. His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Careful where you tread, boy. You speak of matters you don't understand. Bloodlines are not streams to be polluted at whim."
I tilted my head, letting my smirk widen just enough to make it sting. "Maybe not. But streams that never change, dry up. Maybe the whispers aren't about me being unpredictable, Uncle. Maybe they're about you being predictable."
His fist's clenched and his posture straightened before he stilled himself. The mask slid back into place, but I'd seen it — the crack, the flash of genuine fury.
Finally, he leaned back, gaze cool once more. "We will see how long your fire burns before it consumes you."
I almost laughed at that, but then he shifted tactics. "Hu Mei has shown interest in you. She is clever, beautiful, and her Clan is willing. You could find power at her side — security for yourself, for your line. A fox and a tiger would make strong heirs."
My stomach twisted. Her sly eyes, the too-smooth smile when we sparred, it all clicked now. This wasn't a proposal. It was a snare.
I kept my voice steady. "Hu Mei is cunning, I'll give her that. But she doesn't want me. She wants the weapon I carry. The fire."
{"No,"} I quickly thought to myself. {"The Fox Clan has fire. They want the Quileute blood. Right now, only the Tiger Clan has that. A child born in the next year or so would be old enough when Vyaghra steps down from leading the Tribe."}
One of the attendants frowned, but Vyaghra only arched a brow. "And what does the Hollow One want?"
For half a second, the name caught in my throat. Edythe. Her steady hand on my back when my temper raged out of control, the calm she'd given me when I thought I'd lose myself. She hadn't asked me for thrones or titles or alliances. Just me.
"She doesn't see me as anything but me," I said at last, voice flat but edged. "That's the difference."
The attendants exchanged glances at my bluntness. Vyaghra's lips curved, though it was more baring of teeth than a smile. "The Fox offers you a place among us. The Hollow One offers you exile. Choose carefully, Thomas Raizel. Fire that burns too far from the hearth leaves only ash."
I met his gaze without blinking. "Then I'll take the ash over a gilded cage."
The silence that followed was thick enough to choke on as I turned to leave, Rohan quick to follow me.