Chapter 90: A Gate!
Night twelve, they camped in basalt ruins of some forgotten scorpion clan. The stone pillars were half-buried. Fires hid behind rock to mask glow from raiders. There is a legend that the scorpion clan was wiped out by a powerful human.
Few hundred years ago they were one of the strongest clans of the desert. But they were destroyed in a single night. No one believes that a human would dare to come into zoology territory. It became a legend and with time the scorpion clan became a joke and forgotten.
Kai sat on a ledge, rolling a Shade core between claws. He considered devouring but aura toxin from these beasts known to cause hallucinations if unpurified. He pocketed it for later distillation.
Footsteps came, Shale lowered himself beside Kai. The big ant gazed at constellations. "Good call today."
Kai shrugged. "Lucky dune."
"Luck is a flower that blooms where warriors bleed," Shale rumbled, quoting old ant poem. He added softer, "I was among those doubters who almost followed Thea. Won’t doubt Mia again."
Kai met his gaze and he saw earnest respect. He nodded. They shared a canteen sip in silence.
Pre-dawn briefing, Needle (now patched) revealed updated maps. Thea’s Coatl had detoured north, likely seeking another crack into Ruler trenches. Mia aimed to reach the canyon ring first via a secret basalt underpass given by Oasis nomads.
Kai’s spear unit would scout choke points; Shale’s heavies hold the rear. Mender Lylac to triage on move, no full stops until noon.