---
"It looks like he intends to throw himself at you personally," he said. "Or you at him. Men like that get itchy if they have to watch other people do all the interesting dying."
Akayoroi stepped up to Kai's other side, antennae angled forward. Her eyes took in the set of Vorak's shoulders, the spacing of his feet, the calm around his mouth.
"He is not here to posture," she said quietly. "I think he is here to offer a contract."
The horn blew again, a shorter note.
Vorak lifted his spear, not in threat but in salute. His voice carried up the slope with the help of a small amplifier stone at his throat, its tuned echo flattening the distance.
"Kai of the white hair," he called. "Lord of the hive that insists on being a mountain. Will you listen."
Kai stepped to the lip, keeping his expression neutral.
"I am tired of listening to you trying to kill me and my people," he said back, loud enough to carry without a stone. "But I will listen to your words. For a moment."
