Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
He stares at me, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I haven't worked out the logistics, but what if we faked your death? What happens to the metlak army if the chosen one is dead and gone?"
Corvak considers this. "They would disperse?"
I shrug. "That's the hope, anyhow. They're banding together because of you, because they think the skies told them that your arrival was foretold in the carvings. If you're not here, they've got no one to follow, right?"
"The metlak are idiots. Those aren't even their carvings," Valmir scoffs, waving a hand and dismissing my words. "Those are from the Ancestors. The ones that live below the mountain. Not a bunch of smelly metlaks."
He's missing the point. "It doesn't matter who made the carvings. All that matters is that they think Corvak is their Great One, so they're massing to worship him. But if he's gone…" I spread my hands. "No Great One, no problem."
"I see a problem," Corvak says. His hand rests over mine, tightening. "If they think I am dead, they will no longer follow me, but it does not solve the problem for you or Valmir. They are hungry and angry, and if I am dead, they will still be hungry and angry. They will attack you and I will not be able to help."
He's not wrong. "We're still workshopping our plan."
"Workchop as much as you like, but I will not put you in danger," Corvak murmurs, leaning closer to me. "That I will never allow."
I nod, because I know this. And as much as Valmir irritates me, I wouldn't endanger him any more than I would endanger Pinkie or her son. "We need a way to extricate ourselves from the situation before things go down."
Valmir points at Corvak. "Couldn't you just shake a fist and demand that they leave us alone?"
"If it were that easy, do you think I would let my woman get harmed?" Corvak grits out.
"I don't know, would you?" sneers Valmir.
"Boys. This is not helpful." I raise my voice, even as I link my fingers with Corvak. I've eaten my root, but I've noticed he's only taken a bite of his. He's probably going to offer it to me later, because he's sweet and thoughtful like that, and it makes my heart ache. Love doesn't have to be grand gestures—it can be little things that show your partner is considerate, and I know Corvak is always thinking of me, always trying to figure out how to keep me safe and happy. "Valmir, the problem with the snow-people—"
Valmir shakes his head. "The metlaks—"
"Whatever," I snap. God, he's obnoxious. "The problem is that they lack impulse control. There's no switch in their heads that tells them to stop and think. They're all action and no forethought. That's why they're impossible to teach. So Corvak could tell them to leave us alone until he's blue in the face and the moment they see us, they'll do whatever they like because they don't think before they react."
He grunts.
Then smirks. "Blue in the face, huh? As opposed to gray?"
"It's a human expression. Can you fucking focus, please?" Now I'm the one losing control. "Our lives are at stake here, and my language is full of all kinds of phrases you've never heard before, and if we're going to get anywhere, can you quit being a dick for five minutes and offer some helpful suggestions? If you don't have any, shut the fuck up. Please."
Valmir shrugs. "If you want a suggestion, then mine is to disguise your smell."
"What?" I'm so fired up I can't think straight.
"Your scent. Not everyone has a dead nose like you." He taps his more feline one, his whiskers twitching. "Even if you got away from this cave, your scent would tell them where you went if they have any sense of smell at all."
"Oh. Okay. That's a decent suggestion. Thank you." Now I feel a bit like a jerk for yelling at him but…he still kinda deserved it.
"I think we should all consider scent masking as part of our plan," Corvak agrees. He traces little circles on my hand with his thumb, a constant reminder that he's at my side, here with me. "Perhaps you two scent mask while I lead them away from the cave. When I am gone with them, it is your opportunity to slip away."
"Good idea," Valmir states.
I don't know if I'm as on board with this plan. "Okay, you might lead them away, but that doesn't explain how you come back to us safely, Corvak. I need you to come with us too or I'm not going."
"We workchop one piece at a time," he tells me. "Scents is a good idea. If there is a way to cover yourself in metlak scent, that seems the easiest way to disguise. They will not notice another metlak or two in all the metlak scents in the valley, but they will pick up a human and a praxiian easily."