Maslakhat listened to the girl’s wistful appreciation of his knowledge about her lineage, his dark eyes studying her as her own gaze grew heavy with disappointment at mention of her father and his lack of accountability. Sensing her unrest, a glimmer of opportunity flicked across his face.
“Bahadir has always been flighty,” he offered, partly in consolation and partly because he detested the simple fact that the son of Orhan and A’idah was a disappointing creature in more ways than one. Instead of fighting Cain for the right to rule over the land of his birth and restoring any kind of honor to his line, he flitted around Salem and claimed whichever empty space seemed easiest to hold onto. He fathered children left and right with whoever captured his attention, without giving any thought to their futures. It was no wonder that Scorpio here had taken to wandering, seeing if she could find a purpose for herself among the trying nature of these sands.
“Scorpio,” he tested her name on his tongue, finding it satisfying enough to suit her. “I am glad you have come back.” He turned to face the rolling dunes that lay before them as she did, feeling the duty of preservation filling his chest once more. Perhaps he could be the architect of her future then, if her sire could not. There was value in having her aligned with him, if she desired it, that could benefit the whole of Salem.
“I am Maslakhat,” he offered in return, twisting his narrow nose back to face her. “And as the guardian of these Dunes, it would be my honor to offer you a place here, should you wish it.”
He paused a moment, gauging her reaction to see if this offer was something of interest to her. “Salem has a complicated past, and it’s only right that those who understand it continue to reside here and possess an interest in preserving its future.” With a flick of his dark tail, the golden bay Akhal-Teke continued. “Are you up to such a task?”
MASLAKHAT
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