For a long moment the forest was silent.
Thomas Shelby looked directly at Shiva.
"I'm not here to destroy your forest," he said.
"I want a partnership."
Shiva frowned.
"What kind of partnership?"
Thomas replied quietly:
"The world outside is changing."
"Empires are rising and falling."
"But power like yours…"
He pointed toward the forest.
"…could control the future."
Shiva's eyes glowed with the power of Panjurli.
"The forest is not a weapon," he said.
Thomas smiled slightly.
"We'll see."
Chapter 25 — The Warning
As the wind began to blow through the trees, Shiva stepped closer.
"You should leave this forest," he warned.
Thomas Shelby remained calm.
"In my world," he said slowly,
"power decides everything."
Shiva replied with a quiet but powerful voice.
"In this forest…"
"The spirits decide."
Suddenly thunder shook the sky.
The trees moved violently.
The forest had heard the conversation.
And it did not like what it heard.
Thomas Shelby looked up at the dark sky and smiled.
"Now this," he said,
"is going to be interesting."