Finally, it was Lord Doveling who broke the staring contest, and not because he blinked—he simply looked away. "It was she who came to us by herself. We did not force her, and so she will speak with you. If she does not want to follow you, we will not let her go."
Galthor's face hardened immediately, and his voice turned flat. "She's a barbarian. She will do as her chief commands."
If the Xyrrh were silent before, now they went entirely still, and dozens of cold, unblinking eyes fixed on them. Even the humans turned their heads without moving their bodies to stare at Galthor and Karathra.
Galthor briefly wondered if he should have brought the other masters, but even then, his face was hard and his eyes flat as he stared back at the Xyrrh.
"Chief Galthor," Lord Doveling said, and he did not hide the threat in his voice at all. "When we accepted her, Drakira, she became part of the colony. You cannot take her away from us by force. Know this."
