Arrow Lake one breath, it'll just break

"but you must be such to see the process of waiting and biding and appearances," he delivered with a swift voice.

she asked of him an ultimatum. he did not want to give it, not because he trusted akashingo over epoch, but because she slighted him in the same manner as arsenio had done. they believed guile and cruelty of him. and logically he understood that company kept defined one but it was intolerable to the shreds of his clinging pride.

"there is no way to gain trust without proof. what have i said to you? that i would move against him if he arrived to claim some pound of flesh." she was not listening and he felt meadow sought the upper hand. "i am not asking for your trust nor your loyalty nor your alliance. i am telling you as plainly as i am able that you must have a plan. and if you will not involve me, go home and decide what you will do when he comes to your doorstep."

his gaze was almost a caress save for the thorns crowding its edges. "we are not allies, yes. how many more of epoch will suffer for it?"