“You only say that because you fear to take the post yourself,” someone shouted out.
“I fear nothing,” Reddix growled. “I say what I say because Saber is my friend and my commander, and I believe as he and Lissa believe—the old ways are over. It is time for a new order.”
“Are all the younger generation corrupted?” one of the older chiefs demanded.
“All of those that would lead us, it seems,” retorted another.
There was a babble of voices.
“Heresy.”
“Disgusting.”
“Not right.”
“Forbidden.”
Nina felt her heart sink. Just as Reddix had predicted, the crowd was getting ugly and restless. Still, she was determined not to leave without him.
“How can you not see that this is wrong?” one of the older chief’s demanded, rising to address Saber.
“How can you not see that the old ways are outdated?”
Nina stared in surprise. The speaker was one of the younger clan chiefs which she had thought looked about Saber’s age.
“What?” The older chief looked surprised. “What did you say, Yarren?”
“You heard me.” The young chief rose. “I, Yarren, chief of the Moon Clan, wish to publicly declare my loyalty for Saber. When he serves as OverChief, I will be honored to serve under him.”
“What are you saying?” demanded another of the chiefs.
Saber’s father rose, the rich goldish-blue chain around his neck clinking importantly. “I think a better question, is why is he saying it?” he said. “Yarren, why do you speak so in support of my son?”
“A fair question—one I’m finally willing to answer.” The young chief, Yarren bowed his head respectfully to the OverChief and then looked up. “Only recently have I ascended as the chief of the Moon Clan, and many wondered why I chose to fill the position alone rather than take a bride.” He took a deep breath. “It is because I, too, am in love with my amalla.”
“What?” an older man who sat nearby him demanded. “How dare you say this, Yarren? I would never have stepped down and allowed you to take over as Chief if I had known.”
“I know, father,” the young chief said calmly. “But I love her, and I cannot be silent about it any longer.” He looked around the room. “Tamara—come to me.”
A slender girl with big brown eyes and long chestnut hair rose from the crowd at the back of the auditorium and made her way forward. Nina noticed that some people spat at her and made what she assumed were rude hand gestures as she passed. But others—mostly the younger people—looked at her with understanding and admiration in their eyes.
When the girl reached Yarren’s side, he took her hand and kissed her—gently but firmly—on the mouth. There was a long moment of silence, as though everyone in the auditorium was holding their breath. Then a young Kindred warrior in the crowd stood up and shouted,
“I love my amalla too!”
“I, as well,” shouted another.
Suddenly, the whole huge room erupted with shouts and declarations of love. The older chieftains looked around, plainly bewildered. Nina almost felt sorry for them, they looked so confused and upset.
Finally, Saber was able to restore order by shouting for silence.
“Yarren,” he said, addressing the young chief formally. “I thank you, my brother, for standing by me and for coming forward with your love. I know it isn’t an easy thing to admit. For any of you,” he added, addressing the other young couples in the crowd who were now standing side-by-side.
“Saber and I thought we stood alone in this,” Lissa said, smiling at Tamara and the other girls who were standing in the crowd. “Never did we dream our love was echoed by others.”
“But…I don’t understand.” Saber’s father was on his feet, staring around the room in bewilderment. “How could this be? What has happened to our young people?”
“As to that, OverChief, we do have a theory,” Yarren said, bowing his head respectfully to the older man. “I have long known that some of my Kindred brothers—all of us around the same age—dared to love outside the bounds of convention. My Tamara is a genetic analyst,” he said, smiling proudly at his female. “After doing some research, she has concluded that kinship compound we were all injected with as babies was corrupted in some way.”
“Yarren is right,” Tamara said calmly. “In fact, if my findings are correct, the compound we were given would make us more likely to fall in love with a member of our own clan rather than less. But I can promise you that no one had fallen in love with their brother or sister by blood.”