Marmak prain wio Jarot’s cup, who sipped it lightly. The old Iyrman sipped away at his own grain wioo, letting out a soft sigh.

  “Did you see?” Jarot asked.

  Marmak replied with a questioning grunt.

  “Did you see how my greatdaughter causes trouble?” His lips formed a small smirk, his eyes full of pride.

  “She is yreatdaughter.”

  “Yes!” Jarot cackled with ughter, finishing his grain wine before p them eaother cup. “She will grow up well, and the mess she will cause, it will be written within our books.”

  “If she causes half the trouble you have, it will be too much.”

  “These new geions are too orderly. In eion, how much chaos did we create? What of the geions before us?” Jarot thought of a particur Iyrman who had beaten him so viciously even after he had made a name for himself, his eyes falling towards Sonarot.

  “There is still time. Two a empires of old have broken. The Aldish have id cim to newly found isnds, which provide great resources. A evils still y dormant, and may awaken soon. The Iyr closed its gates.”

  The pair fell silent as the words left Marmak’s lips.

  “The winds of our time had long grown stale, but the winds now…” Jarot leaned bad ihe air. “The winds are fresh.”

  “You feel it too?”

  “I am no longer young. These old bones of mihey feel the ge within the wind.”

  “The children will grow up with these winds.”

  “Great winds threaten to uproot trees, but which winds uproot sprouts of we Iyrmen?”

  Marmak remained silent, his eyes slowly falling towards the young half elf and his children. The thoughts remained within his mind. The children did not look like any other children withi family. However, they did wear the Rot family clothing, as if they were truly members of the family.

  “Why are you two sighing so much?” Gangak asked, bringing a gourd with her, pg it before the pair.

  “We were reminisg.”

  “Why reminisce of your youth?”

  “We have suinisce about,” Marmak retorted.

  “You should have worked harder to be forced away from the nd,” Gangak replied pyfully, p him the fruit wine she had brought.

  Marmak’s lips twitched. “Your words are as fiery as ever, Fme Brand.”

  “I will not step back even for you, Butcher.”

  Marmak sipped his wine slowly. “You are close with the twins?”

  “They adore me so much.”

  Jarot snorted slightly. “I am still their favourite.”

  “You are their favourite babo, but I am their favourite nano.”

  Jarot decided against ret, relenting to the woman who had done so much for the children. “I will not give them to you.”

  “Should I take them?”

  “ you take them from me?”

  Gangak and Jarot both gred between one another, before they returo sipping their wine slowly.

  “The Iyr pced you here?” Gangak asked.

  “They did.”

  Gangak gowards the Aswadians. She noted Sara’s eyes upon the group of them. The young woman’s eyes took in the sight of the three figures.

  ‘Mad Dog. Fme Brand. Butcher…’

  Sara was used to knowing legendary figures. She had grown up within the Order of the Bck Mountain, which possessed some of the greatest warriors across all the nd. The Six Bdes aeehs were each great warriors, like the Seven Rays and Forty Nine Hopes. Each of the Bdes were like the Hopes, save for the fact that the weakest of the Bdes could no doubt defeat Sir Thomas. To bee a Bde, one must be sidered a Grandmaster, and to be sidered a Sheath, one must be a Master, unlike in the Order of Life’s Rose.

  However…

  The tales of Mad Dog were well known to the Aldishmen, and though they had passed through to Aswadasad, there were few within the nd who were experts with his story. When oioned Jarot, it was always the a hero who had liberated the Devilkin from the Blue Dragons. Fme Brand’s tales weren’t widespread, though the orders spoke of her tale sihey were instrumental t her out, and thus the knowledge had passed down to her.

  Butcher Marmak.

  Sara felt Marmak’s gaze upon her and almost immediately she turned away, feeling her entire body fill with a chill. Her eyes darted against her Aswadian panions. ‘They have not yet reised him…’

  “Yrandson is not yet married?” Marmak asked.

  “Not yet,” Jarot replied, his eyes meeting Marmak’s.

  “My granddaughter, Karmak, is unmarried.”

  “Karmak…” Jarot replied, narrowing his eyes at the name. ‘Would she be suitable.’ Though he recalled little of the young woman, there was some sideration to be had since she had been named after the previous Chief.

  “Will he marry into the Mak family?”

  “He is a Rot.”

  “Would Karrot be the mother of Karot?”

  “Who else would be his mother?” Jarot’s voice yful, but his eyes seemed almost threatening.

  Marmak smiled iurn, sipping his fruit wine. “I will inform my granddaughter.”

  “You should speak with my grandson.”

  “It is not Adam who you will o vince, but my Jirot,” Gangak said.

  “Your Jirot?” Jarot replied.

  Gangak ighe Iyrman’s gre. “Yranddaughter will not be able to marry unless Jirot is vinced.”

  Jarot’s lips twitched. “It is how it should be!”

  Rick ate his food silently, dipping his bread into the meaty stew, tasting the fvours of the gentle spice along his tongue. His thoughts remained focused on what he had learnt that day. ‘Goblins?’ He was fairly certaiwins weren’t horcs, sihey had no tusks. ‘Half dragons and goblins… and a demon…’

  “Did you know?” Jeremy asked the rge form of Nobby.

  “Yes.”

  “…”

  “…”

  Remy pat the boy’s back. “Why didn’t you mention it to us?”

  “I had to?”

  “No, you didn’t, but…”

  “It would have been o know.”

  “I am the number one enforcer,” Nobby replied.

  “Right…” Jeremy slowly nodded his head aurned back to his food. “Suppose we shouldn’t know what we shouldn’t know.”

  “Aye,” Remy added, slowly sipping his water. ‘He’s right.’

  Nobby returo his thoughts after a short while, nibbling away at his food. ‘Number one.’

  Fred gnced around towards the rest of the figures. He sipped his water slowly, before his attention fell onto Gee, who kept gng towards Adam and his children.

  “Shouldn’t stare so much, your eyes’ll fall out.”

  Gee replied with an incredulous gnce, before his eyes fshed with worry. ‘Ain’t nothin’ like that happenin’ to me…’

  “What are you looking at anyhow?”

  Gee raised his brows in response.

  “It’s too early to be surprised by Adam.”

  Geowards the half elf once more, who wiped his daughter’s face , the tiny goblin girl cag at her father, before rushing away towards the older devilkin Iyrman. He had yet to see Adam adore the goblins as much as his half dragon children.

  ‘ I be a Team Leader too?’ Brittany thought. Her eyes fell to the bow at her side. She reached out to brush along the smooth wood with her pinky finger. ‘I’ll o be stronger.’

  Jonn remained silent as he sat in the er, eating his meal silently. ‘Am I a Team Leader?’ He still wasn’t sure if he was ected to the business, or if he ecifically Adam’s servant. ‘Servant?’

  “We pn ourning to Aswadasad soon,” Korin admitted.

  “Who?” Adam asked, almost smirking knowingly.

  “Lady Sara, myself, and Amira…”

  “Amira too?”

  Korin’s lips twitched slightly. “Perhaps.”

  “What a shame…”

  “We io stay until the end of this year at least, but year we should return. Until we return, we are able to assist you with your business for free.”

  “Free? Who do you think I am? I’ll pay you properly, though the pay might not be that great. Still, you had a share of all the loot when we were travelling, I’m sure that retty det pay. Maybe not, sidering how rich you all are.”

  “Much of our will return to the order, where it will be better used, but the we earned whilst with you wasn’t terrible.”

  “I suppose money isn’t the most important thing in the world once you have all the basics?”

  Korin bowed his head.

  “Just let me know a month before you leave so I prepare your pensation, and any ifts are for you.”

  “Do you o hand us gifts?”

  “Aren’t we friends?’

  Korin fshed a smile. “As you say.”

  “I hope Amira ends up staying.”

  “It is my hope too.”

  “…”

  “…”

  The pair smiled between one another before a shadow loomed over Adam. Adam gnced back towards Marmak, whose eyes remained focused upon Adam.

  “Yes?” Adam asked.

  “You are the Nephew of the Rot family?”

  “Yes…”

  “I am Marmak,” the Iyrman replied, noting how the Aswadian beside the half elf tensed up, his eyes shooting up towards the older Iyrman.

  ‘Marmak?’ Korin thought.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “I have heard of your tales. I have e to speak with you of a matter.”

  “What matter is that?”

  Marmak remained silent for a moment. “Let us fight.”

  Korin’s eyes widened further.

  chapter might fuse you. Don't say I didn't warn you.