Nina took a closer look. She recognized a few of the elders, but the rest were unfamiliar.
"Lady Nina, Young Master Idir." The beastmen bowed to Idir and the others.
"Vair, what do you want?" Idir asked indifferently.
"Young Master, we are your late father's old subordinates," Vair said. "Now that the old City Lord is gone, we want to continue serving you. And..." Vair and the others stole a cautious glance at Nina. "...and your female master. The management of Serpent City is a mess right now. Those elders are forming factions, scheming, and constantly fighting for power. We don't want to follow the current City Lord anymore."
Instead of living in fear every day, it made more sense to pledge their loyalty to a stronger beastman—especially one whose city lord could heal their relatives.
"You want to follow Nina?" Idir asked. It felt to him like they wanted to follow her more than they wanted to follow him.
