Chapter Thirty-One

Such events were always followed by a celebration. So I wasn't surprised to find myself sitting between Vex and his father at a long table at the end of a dining hall. Several more long tables like it were lined up in front of us, the Chief's table special only in its placement. Rahu sat beside Vex. Vexen's mother, who I had been introduced to as I came out of the ring, sat on his father's right. She was a statuesque woman with light brown hair that seemed blonde among all the dark-haired Tigers. She was striking and, more importantly, kind. Not only had she kissed my cheek when she hugged me, but she also gave me her first name, along with her mate's, before she gave me the option of calling her mother. I liked the option and knowing what their names were—Anuka and Raram.

The spread of food was impressive, delicious, and unending. I gorged myself with stuffed bread, savory rice covered in curry, fragrant vegetables, and then ended it with an array of sweets decorated in gold. Yup, gold. Thin sheets of the stuff that I was assured were fine to consume. They may look like barbarians, but the Tiger Ladrin ate like royalty.

On our way to the feast, Vex had squeezed my hand as if he thought I might be torn away from him. His expression was tight, his stare shifting constantly. I knew there was nothing to worry about and so did he, but his body hadn't realized it yet. He was still in fight-mode. So, during the meal, I rubbed his thigh, his back, and his shoulders. Halfway into the meal, he finally relaxed.

That's when I leaned over and whispered to Chief Raram, “I didn't cheat.”

The Chief blinked and looked at me.

“I agreed to not use magic, and I didn't.” I smirked, then added, “But I never said I wouldn't accept help from the Elements. Frankly, I don't think I could have stopped them if I'd wanted to. I'm kinda important.” I winked at him.

Raram leaned closer, turning his back on his mate, and asked, “Are you saying that the Elements—Fire, Water, Air, and Earth—the magic itself, helped you?”

“Each element has a consciousness. They've recently introduced themselves to me and the other Wraith Lords. They're helping me train to defeat Death.”

“Wait.” He leaned back and dropped the whisper. “Death? What do you mean, defeat death? No one can defeat death.”

I glanced at Vex, who had gone still. “Sorry. I forgot that not everyone knows the intricacies of the war. I'll try to explain briefly.”

Vex leaned across me and said, “We've discovered that the Corrupter is a pawn, controlled by the Consciousness of Death. This sentient energy believes itself to be a god, but he is not. He is the counter to Spirit. He seduced the Corrupter into hosting him in his body and both Death and the Corrupter have been altered because of it. Death is behind the war. He is our true enemy. The Elements are helping Ember train to imprison Death and send him to the Goddess.”

Throughout the speech, the whole table had gone quiet, then the whole room. By the time Vex was done, everyone was staring at us.

Oddly enough, it was Rahu who spoke first, “Why the fuck didn't you tell me all that when we spoke of your mate?”

“Rahu!” Anuka said sharply.

“Forgive my coarse language, Chieftess.” Rahu bowed his head.

Anuka nodded, then looked at her son expectantly.

“It was hard enough to get you to listen to me about Ember,” Vexen said to Rahu. “Explaining the Elements was too much.”

The Chief was facing forward, his clan staring back at him. He took a deep breath and turned back to me. Me, not Vex. “You didn't cheat?”

“No, sir,” I said.

“But these conscious elements, they assisted you?”

I glanced around the room. In particular, at Bale. He was watching me sharply. “Yes, sir. I believe they, uh, magnified my attacks.”

I expected one or all of the Elements to speak up. They didn't.

Bale snorted a laugh. “That explains things.”

The Chief looked sharply at Bale, and he went still. Then he looked back at me.

“My love,” Anuka said as she laid a hand on the Chief's shoulder.

He didn't look at her. “You didn't cheat,” he said to me. “You adhered to the rules we established, but found a way around them.”

“That's how I see it. Yes,” I said.

Raram made a strange sound. Kind of a huff. Then a cough. Finally, it grew strong enough for me to recognize it as a laugh. He laughed harder and harder, turning forward to bend over with it. His braids swung into the table, bones clicking. His eyes watered. His hand slapped his thigh. And once he got going, his clan followed suit. The whole room laughed, cheered, and applauded.

It took me a second to realize that it was for me. They were applauding me.

“Well done, mate,” Vexen said to me. He lifted my hand and kissed it.