ch 39

I stand there--frozen, jaw hanging open. My brain refuses to catch up. Words exist. I know they do. But right now? Blank.

Mischief nudged my arm. I have to shout in my head Layton snap out of it! 

“Oh—yeah! Uh—hi! Wait, no, I already said hi—uh…”

Mischief sighs and flicks his tail.

I clear my throat, pulling myself together.

“Yes. I’m the leader.” I exhale. Okay. Better. “Wow. I was not prepared for this. Usually things don’t get this far before heads start rolling.”

Ellison’s brows raises slightly.

Wincing I try and salvage my last comment I raise my heads defensively “Not that I want heads to roll. That’s not a threat. It’s just—you’re the first group that hasn’t immediately tried to kill us. That’s… new.”

I have to pause, and take another breath. Good job, Layton. First potential alien diplomacy in human history, and you’re rambling like a lunatic.

Ellison studied me with a neutral expression before responding. “We wondered where the previous occupants had gone. Are you the faction that was first here?”

It was a fair question. They were probably shocked when they arrived expecting a fight and found none. But the other huge question was HOW ON EARTH WERE WE TALKING?

I made my best effort to compose myself and not look more like a fool. “Those people with me on the hill, this was their territory.” I point using my head. “I must seem like a fool, it’s just I haven’t been able to communicate with anyone since our world changed. How are we understanding each other?”

Ellison’s gaze drifted to the hill, his eyes narrowing as he studied Alex and the others. His mannerisms despite looking like a deer seem so human. He studies me a bit more before speaking. 

“You seem young, and your surprise is certainly justified. As for how we understand one another—upon completing the third wave, I was granted the ‘Gift of Tongues.’ A true blessing.”

Layton blinked. Well, that explained a lot. Was that similar to what Mischief had earned? 

Ellison spoke slowly, carefully. “At the risk of being too forward—if you were capable of completing the raid objectives, why did you abandon your territory and its defenses?”

I considered the question. I could lie. Be cautious.

But—that wasn’t really who I was. My dad had always told me, men that lie or don’t speak directly are hiding something. I had nothing to hide.

Besides, if this did go sideways, deer heads would roll. Might as well shoot straight.

“Well, like I said—the people behind me were the original owners here.” I watch Ellison looking for a reaction to them being the original owners. His face is stone. 

“There was an internal conflict and their group were forced to abandon this territory. They stumbled into my territory and chose to stay.” He exhaled. “We knew someone new would take their place. And since you were upfront with me, I’ll be upfront with you—”

I locked eyes with Ellison.

“We’re here to see if you’re a threat.”

I scanned the group behind Ellison, especially the big boy to gauge their reactions. 

It seemed only Ellison could understand him. The others shifted uneasily, some gripping their weapons tighter but they watched their leader. They trusted Ellison. 

The big club-wielding deer-man looked especially restless.

Ellison nodded slowly. “It was kind of you to accept their people as your own.” He paused. “Truly, you must be a benevolent leader.”

I wasn’t sure if that was flattery or sarcasm. For now I would take it as genuine. 

Ellison continued, “But I am curious. If you came here to assess a threat—”

He motioned toward the group standing on the hill behind Layton.

“Why bring the ones who ran, instead of your own warriors?”

Ahh, you wily old deer-man. Ellison wasn’t outright asking about my faction’s strength—he was fishing for weaknesses. Trying to understand the extent of our forces. 

I could tell already—he was a diplomat. A leader in his own right. More careful than me. More calculating.

But I wasn’t one for word games.

“Ellison, no games. Ask me anything, and I’ll answer straight. Let’s cut the pretense.”

His expression didn’t shift, but I caught the slight widening of his eyes.

“You’re looking at our warriors.” I gestured up the hill. “That’s it. Those few people, plus the wolf. The rest back in our territory are all non-combatants.”

I let that sink in before continuing.

“You outnumber us three to one. If you’re trying to gauge whether you could win a fight?” I met his eyes, steady and unyielding. “That would be a mistake. Not a threat—just reality.”

Ellison wasn’t expecting that level of bluntness.

At first, he looked caught off guard. But as I spoke, I saw something shift in him. Not fear, not anger—something closer to relief.

“It seems you saw through my subtle attempts to learn more about your people.” A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “It wasn’t my intention to offend you. In truth, I find your honesty… refreshing.”

He fell silent, wrestling with a decision. I let him take his time. Finally, he spoke.

“I will extend the same honesty to you.”

The air between us felt charged.

“My people and I come from a world where only the rare few are allowed to progress.” His voice was steady, but I could hear the weight behind his words. “The rest of us—people like me—were left to live with less than table scraps.”

His people stirred uneasily at his words, shifting in place.

“We came here expecting to raid. We viewed it as our chance at something new. A future.” Ellison turned and gave his people a look of pride before turning back to me. “We will fight and die for that chance.”

He inhaled sharply. “That said, I would rather not fight you. We only want the opportunity to grow.”

Then, his gaze locked onto mine. “Do you see any possible way for us to co-exist?”

Damn it. I liked Ellison.

Aside from his earlier probing, he was genuine. Open about his intentions. And I couldn’t even blame him for wanting to assess the risk we posed.

But there was one massive problem.

How could I just let a foreign power grow unchecked right on my doorstep?

Even if Ellison was sincere—what about his successors? What about the next generation of his people?

Would they still see us as allies? Or would they see us as competition? That risk put my people in danger.

And that would not do.

I sighed. “That’s a tough question, Ellison.”

He watched me carefully.

“On one hand, I get it. Your people got screwed over.” I started pacing slowly.

“If I’m understanding right, you’re from a world where some people basically became gods, while you had the potential—but never had the chance.”

Ellison nodded. “That is an accurate summary.”

 It was hard for me to imagine living in a world like that. 

“Alright. So here’s my problem.” I folded my arms. “What would you do if you were in my position? A foreign group, strong and growing, settling right next to your people? They seem different but you don’t know them.”

“Would you just let them grow unchecked?” I stop my pacing and wait for Ellison to answer.

He doesn’t answer. Silence stretches between us, heavy and unyielding. He considers my words—really considers them.

Then, he exhales. “If I were you… I would eliminate the threat.”

His eyes flicked toward Mischief. A silent acknowledgement.

He may not completely understand exactly how outmatched they were, but he seems to have an idea. 

I nodded slowly. “That’s one way to do it. But it screws us both.”

Ellison raised an eyebrow. “What alternative do you propose?”

“What if we grew together?”

I saw the shift.

The subtle tightening of his shoulders. The slight narrowing of his eyes.

His people behind him—especially the big one—saw it too he stirred restlessly. I see a single finger twitch on his bloody stump of a club.

“How would that help anything?” Ellison’s voice held a sharper edge now. “We would still be a threat to your people. Not only that, but we refuse to go back to being second-class citizens.”

I caught the tension spreading through his group. Even though they didn’t understand our words, they understood his tone.

I met Ellison’s gaze. “And I wouldn’t expect you to.”

He didn’t answer.

I continued. “Look. We’re building something new here. We’ve barely started.” I glance at the poorly constructed defenses.

“Hell, I don’t even fully understand how half of this works.” I gestured broadly around me. “But here’s what I do know—growth benefits us both. I don’t want to stop you from progressing. In fact, we need more fighters.”

I saw his expression shift slightly at that. Barely anything. 

A crack. A sliver of something beyond suspicion. Hope.

“And?” He asked carefully.

“And if we work together, you’d even get representation in our leadership. You’d have land of your own.”

That made him pause.

“If we fight?” I continued. “Even if you somehow win against us—do you think the rest of Earth’s population will leave you alone? This world is new, but I guarantee you—our people will keep coming.”

I let that sink in. Ellison exhaled sharply. He covered his furred face with his hand. The human gesture encouraged me that I was on the right track.

“This is more than I was expecting from our conversation.” He spoke with his head still in his hand. His polished diplomatic demeanor had crumbled. “Will you allow me time to counsel with my people?”

I nodded. “Of course.”