The suns shown bright, but Nala lurched on, hauling the sleeping Leveler behind them. She had to drag him on her own or the sloth would tire, leaving Indel vulnerable. Gray dirt stretched as far as the eyes could see. Food was a long way off, as was a river. With her other hand, she tugged on the reins to prompt the sloth to stop.

She’d lost count of how often she’d given Indel water. This time she didn’t bother asking; she only opened the robes and doused the crouched-up Leveler King’s naked body. She didn’t use much—she had to conserve it.

Indel awoke this time. “Now Dilen,” he insisted.

Nala wanted to refuse, to remind him that they still had far to go, and as she was a Summoner whose kind went into the forest to breed instead of caves as Levelers did, she didn’t know how far.

“Follow the suns,” Indel repeated. “But please see to Dilen. Give him extra.”

While robes shrouded Indel, Dilen only had a gunnysack keeping the suns from frying him alive.

Though reluctant, Nala obeyed.

Water pelted Dilen, drawing out a groan.

Nala’s silence prompted a rustle from the robes.

“What is it?” Indel asked.

“He...he moved,” Nala whispered. She stood from her crouch and surveyed the plush yellow grass. “I have no weapon.”

“Unhitch me,” Indel commanded.

Nala thought to protest—she should have protested. Indel couldn’t last long in the suns uncovered.

Instead, she complied.

Indel spilled out of the fabric, the rock in hand. The thing was still purple from Dilen’s blood.

Crawling on his forearms, Lynel scurried the short distance to Dilen.

“Here’s your weapon,” Indel said. He slammed the stone down onto Dilen’s leg, dragging a harrowing cry out along with it.

Indel broke the other leg.

“Bring the vines higher to secure him,” Indel suggested. He crawled toward the sloth and managed to roll himself up to the robes. That made Nala’s job easier.

The Leveler, Dilen, was awake. No matter. He couldn’t get up to launch another attack. He couldn’t get up at all now.

As Nala traveled, a ruckus behind her, two burning suns above, nothing was quite as awful as Dilen’s cries.

He cried like an infant, or like a baying newborn. He cried and cried. And when he finally ceased in crying...he spoke.

“Summoner,” Dilen sobbed. “Summoner. What is your name, Summoner? Where are you taking us? Where are you taking my king? Won’t you leave me here, as I cannot walk? I would not pursue you. I am on your side, Summoner.”

The tip of a mountain came into view. It was still a long way off. They could reach by nightfall should no other surprises arise.

Dilen gasped, spotting it as well. “No. No, you foolish thing. Don’t you understand! Don’t know you what they will do? You are a Summoner. Would your God allow murder? Are you allowed to murder? They’ll kill me when I arrive. They plan to kill me, and you’ll help them! This is murder.”

Pace slowing, Nala came to a stop.

She looked back at Dilen.

Despite the heat, his face the only thing visible behind the gunnysack, he glistened with sweat.

The fear he displayed was no farce.

Dilen calmed finally. “They’ll kill me, Summoner. But what will they do to you? What do you think Levelers would do to a Summoner? A Summoner with no tail? You have no tail! This is madness. Unhook me and leave me here. I mean you no harm.”

They locked eyes until Nala said, “You wish to kill your king. There is no greater harm.”

“You have met the king,” Dilen scoffed. “His hearts are gray and hideous as is his nature. Ridding this world of him would be nothing short of a boon.”

Had Nala kept her first impression of Indel, she might have agreed. Now she couldn’t imagine it. The same one who’d been so gentle...and patient.

“And you? What do you think they’ll do to you?”

Nala had no answer to give.

“They’ll kill you, too,” Dilen said through his sweat. “They’ll kill you.” He gestured at the sloth. “Go on, ask him. Ask that king what you’ll be good for upon your arrival.”

As Nala listened, she tried to consider the best course of action. All three of them traveling was a slow laborious thing. She thought to offer Dilen more water, but she dared not do so with the Leveler awake.

“Think for yourself, Summoner! What will become of you?”

Despite those words, Nala almost glanced back at Indel’s wrapped frame. She corrected that action, but it was too late, Dilen took note.

The Leveler studied her. “You favor him?”

Nala’s skin went dry. It took all her strength not to starch at her arms.

Even that tense reaction was telling.

“You do?” Dilen looked her up and down, more disgusted than confused. “No. You have no tail. It’s not possible to enjoy him. Any Leveler with a damaged tail loses interest in mating as the sensation dwindles.” The silence between them stretched on until he said, “And this second-stage body means even less sensation.”

Nala looked around her—not for anything in particular, just something else to focus on.

“But you.... No, you do enjoy it,” Dilen concluded. “And if it’s for no sensation, then what? What is the appeal?”

With nothing solid to hold Nala’s interest, she gripped the reins of the sloth. The truth in those words confused her. The Leveler was right—she did enjoy Indel, but...not for the physical nature of it, not at first. Not really.

“Pride,” Dilen said. “You take pride in being used in such a manner!”

Stunned, Nala regarded him. She couldn’t look away from that gaze.

“You are perverse. Body and hearts. You are perverse. And now you bring me—bring yourself to be slaughtered. Foolish, foolish, Summoner. Have you no sense left? You are naught be a linfth in our king’s eye. What do you take yourself for? Something of value? You mean no more to him than the dirt upon which you tread. Release me! Show some mercy. You follow the Earth God. Then show me mercy! You are twisted if you do not.”

“Na’am?”

Cringing, Nala remained silent.

She dragged in shallow breaths, but the air tasted bitter.

“Na’am?” Indel called again, his tone the sweetest yet.

Now when Nala heard that word, she doubted its sincerity. It was a good question; what would happen when Indel no longer had a reason to sound gentle and agreeable?

“Na’am. Unhitch me, please,” Indel begged. “Na’am?”

It took far too long for Nala to comply. After she did, in the blink of an eye, Indel jumped to his feet.

His two-toed foot over Dilen’s chest, the Leveler King swung downward in a sweeping motion.

Crack was all Nala heard.

This time when Indel backed away, he did so turned toward Dilen. The violence and suffering Indel left behind now was the least forgivable. He’d struck with such force that the bottom half of Dilen’s face sunk in. Now he couldn’t talk.

Seeing Indel struggle with this Leveler despite his own pain had been noble and brave, but this...this was only cruel.

Indel caught her gaze. Whatever he found in Nala’s eyes washed his satisfied expression away. They looked at one another, neither speaking.

“Come, Na’am,” Indel said at length. “We must go.”

“But....”

As disdainful as Dilen was, he’d been right of one thing—Nala’s Earth God forbid murder.

“What will happen to him?” Nala whispered.

Indel studied her. “You do not believe in your king, Na’am?”

But Nala did. As foolish as it was, she believed in him blindly.

Levelers and Summoners were kin. But a Leveler was a difficult thing to read. They didn’t mimic Earther habits. Nala, much like all other Summoner who valued their hides, learned early how to read an Earthman’s anger, frustration, wrath, deception, praise.... And they’d done it so long that they, too, began seeing that mimicry reflected in each other. Nala considered herself beyond it. But today, today she knew, she could not deny, the Earther sense of self-preservation above friendship came to her in waves.

And this broken Leveler—the same Indel insisted come—was hard to carry.

What were they bringing now? A weak stage three Leveler with a damaged face, and two broken legs? One leg was so dark that it was nearly black at the ankle.

A red glow blinked again and again on Dilen’s broken foot.

Something flickered at Dilen’s ankle and Nala barely caught it. There it was again.

“My king....” Nala pointed. “There is an Earther device in this Leveler. A tracking device. Smith will find us.”