Book Four: Chapter 160

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Kisa nearly tripped over herself when the music came to a stop, then almost panicked when she saw the sudden looks of intensity on the faces of the centaurs. Thinking something bad had happened, she scrambled onto a nearby table and saw that a centaur woman was now speaking. She was adorned in a collection of feathers and beads, and the pouches slung across her hips made Kisa think that she was the shaman that had been mentioned by others throughout the night.

“We have gathered here on this momentous occasion to celebrate the ascension of the new chief,” she began. A small group of centaurs now gathered at the base of the hill, their eyes turned outward toward the others. “Assembled before me is the leadership of the tribe. If there are any who would lay claim to the title of chieftain among them, speak now, that you may be heard.”

One by one, each of the centaurs pivoted in a circle to face the shaman. None of them said a word, and the shaman nodded.

“