Chapter 439
With my elites all standing before me, I finally felt like I was home. Shemira was the first to speak. “Welcome home! Have you comforted your mate enough to finally give us the time we want?”
“She’s been given an opportunity to rest for the rest of the day,” I replied. “I don’t mind giving her an occasional opportunity to stop taking care of the greater majority of the minutia involved in running a country and establishing an Empire. Regardless, it’s my time to speak with all of you, as I’ve been told there are needs that require my attention. First, you, Shemira, speak.”
“As you command, Zaaktif. The Kha have generally become more obedient and pliable. However, they struggle to live in this confined space without constantly injuring each other.”
“And that’s a problem?” I asked.
“In general, no. I wanted your input before I made any decision. If the Kha and Khatif wish to throw themselves at each other until the hierarchy is fully established, let it happen. The issue is what I can foresee. If they’re constantly vying for position, then they’ll be unwilling to obey in times of combat while these hierarchies are in a flux. With the war, the Kha and Khatif need to be entirely obedient. There cannot be unrest as the battles begin, however unlikely that may be.”
I flared my frills, and my immediate reaction was to say that it wasn’t a worry, given that the war wasn’t going to start back up until the next winter, but there needed to be some measure of order to the opportunities presented to challenge superiors. Otherwise, with all of the hatchlings that I was planning to add to my armies, there would be no order to be found when the war began, because very few would be willing to accept leadership as they were in their most impetuous and impulsive ages. Another option would be to take that path of advancement from my people, but I’d never so cheapen my people’s instincts.
“We have time to sort this out, but what have you found as possible solutions thus far, and what is your plan to keep this from happening moving forward?”
“The current plan is to set aside several days every season to allow for the ambitious and confident to approach their betters and fight for the position of leadership.” Shemira replied without delay.
“Not several days.” I interjected. “A single day. If they can’t make it work on that day, they can wait until the next. Any of my people incapable of making the time to issue the challenge or waiting for the next opportunity to do so don’t deserve leadership anyways. I wasn’t the only Alpha in my brood, then I wasn’t the only Alpha in the swarm, and I didn’t challenge Redael, he challenged me. Patience to strike when opportune it necessary, as you yourself know, Shemira.” She ducked her head in acknowledgement of the playful jab. “There’s a single day per season, once in the winter, once in the spring, once in the fall, and once in the summer, four times in a year, and if they cannot find an opportunity to challenge their superiors in that time, then they will not lead.”