The beast laughed,

a hollow, sixfold malevolence.

“You’re bluffing, Horse King.

You lack Tahj’s flair for cruelty.

I have a better bargain.

Stay here with me, alone, unarmed,

and I will surrender one playmate

for each hour’s entertainment.”

Xau weighed it up, wary of trickery:

faster, surer to sacrifice the hostages,

to order his men to riddle

the beast with arrows.

End this now.

Expedient, effective, easy

to give that order.

That did not make it right.

The risk in accepting

the beast’s bargain low—

nowhere left for the beast to hide—

none of its soldiers left—

no matter what happened to Xau himself,

his men could kill the beast.

The risk in accepting low.

The cost high.

Xau looked at the women, the children,

balanced their lives

against his,

nodded to the beast.

“If you free both children first,

then we will send our men away,

stay here alone with you—”

“No!” Li shouted,

stepped between Xau and the beast,

set his hands on Xau’s shoulders,

a shield, an anchor.

“Xau—you cannot trust it.

The beast would torture you,

try to make you its puppet—”

“We know. We see no other way

to save the hostages.”

Xau took a breath.

He knew what he must say next,

yet the saying of it hard.

“Li, afterward, if I am alive,

but not myself,

kill me.”

Denial, desolation in Li’s face,

Li’s hands holding Xau back.

Xau reached for words,

for explanation, apology, solace.

Found none.

Slowly, Li let go of Xau,

bowed very low.

Xau bowed back, equally deep,

turned to the beast.

“Let the children go,

and we will stay with you.

At the end of each hour,

you will free one of the women.

If not, our soldiers will kill you.”

That sixfold inhuman laugh. Callous. Cruel.

“You expect the children as a gift?

That isn’t the deal I offered, Horse King.

But close enough.

Agreed.”

5. Torment.

Three of the women stripped Xau,

tied him spread-eagled

to an iron frame.

The beast extended a suckered tentacle,

touched Xau. “Join me, Horse King.”

The beast’s thoughts tore into Xau,

bared every hurt he’d ever borne,

the girl plunging the dagger in her belly,

the horse rolling, Atun underneath,

Shazia dying, cradling their son—

Gloating, the beast flaunted its plan:

Xau would tell his soldiers he’d persuaded

the beast to mend its ways—

Xau’s men would seize any justification

to have their king safe—

with Xau subverted,

the beast would be unstoppable—

“No!”

Xau battled,

beat back the beast’s thoughts

as he’d fought to free its victims,

the three children, Gul,

back and back to Enlai and further,

fought as he had once defied a demon

though it borrowed his brother’s voice—

The beast screamed then,

a cacophonous sixfold screech,

snatched its tentacle away,

retreated from his mind.

“Very well,” hissed the beast.

“I will persuade you.”

One of the women selected

a metal instrument,

inserted the tip

under Xau’s left thumbnail,

pushed.

Xau stifled a scream

as the nail separated,