"You brought me back into my own body while I slept?" Nelson said hoarsely.
"Yes," said Kree. "The force of the ancients stunned you in sleep so that you did not wake."
Nelson sat up. He felt strong, rested, fresh-and realized it was because his human body had lain here in coma for so long. Yet his human body now felt strange. He felt blinded and deafened by his loss of scent, felt slow, clumsy, awkward.
He sat up and saw that Nsharra stood at the foot of his cot. And that the four leaders of the great Clans were here — Tark and Hatha, the tiger and Ei. They were watching him.
"Death and danger walk toward Vruun on swift feet of flame," Kree was saying somberly. "Little time was left to give Asha back his body and return you to your body for judgment."
For judgment? That was why they had returned him to his humanity as doom drew close to Vrunn? Then the time had come.
Nelson stood up and faced them all. "I am ready," he said heavily.
"Tark and Ei have told us how you fought to save Barin — how you fought your friends," said Kree.
"They were not my friends, save one who is dead now," Nelson answered heavily. "I did not know, though, they were butchers."
"It seems you have learned much you did not know, outlander," said Kree. "You know now what it will be like for the Clans if the Humanites break the Brotherhood."