“What would you like me to buy?” Adam asked, upon one knee in front of the boy, whose skin was tanned by the the thousands of yellows of the sun. He was finally filling out with more meat on his bones.

  The boy held up his hands together, parting them open in front of him.

  “A book?”

  The boy nodded, his long dark hair boung.

  “A book to read or a book to write?”

  The boy held up his fist and scribbled in the air, as though carving with a dagger.

  “Alright, o threaten me, sheesh,” Adam replied, reag towards his side, where the dagger had once slipped through the k within his armour.

  The boy turned red as the chill filled him, aared down at the floor, frozen in shame.

  “It’s alright,” Adam said, patting the boy’s shoulder, before pulling back before he gave the boy a deeper fright. He stepped aside towards Fred, leaning in slightly. “I’ll leave him in your care.”

  “Yes, Executive,” Fred replied, standing a little taller.

  “Keep an eye on him. If he shows i in anything, let me know.”

  “Yes, Executive.”

  “You don’t o reply like that every time, just the first time or so, or if we have some hoity toity noble about.”

  Fred’s eyes gowards the rge, coal skinned fellow, with the fiery red beard. “Yes, Executive.”

  “He’s one of the good ones.” Adam fshed a smile, before stepping away, slipping out his book before writing in it.

  ‘G-Books.’

  “Mister Amokan, you have to fight good, okay?” Jack said, the boy beaming up towards the handsome Iyrman.

  “I will do my best.”

  “You’ve got to fight good too, mister Timojin,” Jimmy said, also beaming up towards the Iyrman, whose hair fell down to his shoulders, his thick beard braided with all manner of beads gifted to him by his younger siblings.

  “Okay,” Timojin replied with a nod of his head.

  Lucy’s heart ached, none of the children walking up to her to wish her well. ‘I miss you two already.’

  Mara remai her side. ‘Should I speak with some of the children?’ Her eyes darted to the parents, some of whom were warily eyeing them up.

  “No need for porters, mister?” Remy asked.

  “Not this time,” Adam replied, gng between the cousins who looked more like twins. “How are your families settling here?”

  “Well,” Remy replied, tipping his helmet.

  “Alright, well, if you have any issues, let us know.”

  “There’s, uh…” Remy gnced aside towards Jeremy, ahe eyes of the others upon him. “Well, you see.”

  Rick cleared his throat, stepping forward. He rubbed along his beard, scratg against it. “It’s a little difficult to to keep up some of our habits from the town.”

  “Like what?”

  “Games and toys for the children, razors for us, aain drinks and foods. We know it’s not all practiseful.” Rick paused. “Practical?” Upon seeing Adam’s nod, he tinued. “We’re hoping that some of our duties have us head to Red Oak to buy those sorts of things.”

  “Funny you should mention that. Manager Dunes’ll let you know soon, but that’ll be easily done. I’ll let him know that some of the misc budget be used for that.” Adam motioned his head to have Rick walk with him to the side. “It’s going to eat my heart if I don’t tell you this, but right now the business’ money is tied up in magical ons.”

  “Tied up?”

  “The business has a lot of money, but right now it’s not in s, it’s in magical ons. In a few months, once everything’s aued off, we’ll have enough to deal with yes. If there are any merts or anything, let the Manager know what you want, and the business will pay for it, and then ohe wages e in properly, you have the business order things on your behalf, and we should be able to procure things cheaper for you.”

  Riodded his head slowly, barely uanding Adam’s words. “The business has money, just in magical ons. Business’ll pay for things from merts for now, until it pay es. We ask the busio buy for things on our behalf for a cheaper price, and we pay the business?”

  “Basically.”

  “Okay, mister.” He gnced back over his shoulder towards the other farmers eyeing him up. “If there is a o pay the wages, we’ve got some money ourselves. If it es to it, we’ll let the Manager know that we bring some money from Red Oak.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t e to that, but I appreciate your words. We’ll be sure to pay you back properly too, and with a bonus.”

  Rick cleared his throat again, gng over his shoulder again, noting the expet looks of the farmers and porters, before his eyes darted towards the Ray. He scratched his beard again. “If you could let the Enter know we’re eager to help…”

  Adam smiled. “I’ll be sure to do just that.”

  Adam made the rounds, cheg in on Jonn and Nobby, leaving them with his expectations, before the group met together at the front.

  “We’re leaving the wolves?” Adam asked, reag out to brush along the direwolves’ fur, embrag the pair, nuzzling against their heads, while Kit’a and Jay’a rubbed their heads against Adam’s.

  “It would be best,” Jurot said.

  “Oh, how they do this to me? Kit’a, Jay’a, if anyone bullies you, you have to tell me.” Adam owards the awakened wolves. “Just do as you’ve been doing, and if the Iyr needs you, go ahem. Kit’a and Jay’a should stay here and defend the nds, though.”

  “Okay,” Sky replied, exging a look with Jurot, who nodded.

  “Ready?” Jaygak asked, having double checked the cart and the magical steed pulling it.

  “Yeah. Lord Morkarai, sorry our cart isn’t up to snuff, but you ride it if you want.”

  “I should stretch my legs,” the fire giant replied.

  “Alright, but you’ll o get in the cart once we’re he towns at least, otherwise what will they say about our business?”

  “I will do that much.” Morkarai chuckled.

  Adam threw a look to Vonda.

  “I wish to walk too.”

  “Alright, but once we get to the towns…”

  “Okay,” Vonda replied, smiling warmly towards him.

  Lucy took her pce within the cart, cuddling up against the boxes full of their supplies, while Mara took her pce opposite. Adam walked beside Zeus, snapping his fingers as an owl emerged from nothingness, flying up ahead.

  Korin stared out towards the group as they made their way to the vilge and through it. “Do you not want to go?”

  “I shouldn’t leave Amira all aloer we just married,” Dunes replied.

  “Jurot left his wife.”

  “She is within the Iyr.”

  “Amira would be within the business.”

  Dunes narrowed his eyes towards Korin. “I would not pare the two.”

  Korin thought back to all the Iyrmen he had met in the past few years, even in the past few months. “You’re right.”

  The vilgers watched as the group left, waving and cheering them off. The older Merl watched the group with eyes full of awe, w what kind of stories they would bring back. She eyed up each Iyrman, each of whom held great stories within their families, and each with their ow goals, other than the pair of women. However, sidering one of them had pced sed in the first tour she fought in, a tour in which they had all fought within, and she had beatewo aiming to bee the Chief of the Iyr, she could only wonder what the st Iyrman was capable of.

  Jaygak’s eyes fell across the expansive sky.

  ‘Sister, you must bring back a good story!’ Raygak had urged, his eyes full of pride.

  ‘Should I fight in the noonval tour again?’ Jaygak rested her arm between the handle of her magical bde and her side. ‘If there are no Noskans or e Dancers, I could pce well.’ She let out a long, defeated sigh. ‘No, I should hope to fight all the Rage Dancers.’

  “What are your pns anyhow?” Adam asked.

  “We will advehrough the nd,” Amokan replied, as though that was all he had pnned.

  “That’s it?”

  “If we hunt dragons, that would be best,” Timojin admitted.

  “Yeah, we’re aiming to hunt a dragon too.”

  “Which dragon do you wish to hunt?”

  “A dragon which could…” Adam could feel his wife’s gaze right behind him. “We won’t kill the dragon, you know, just fight it. I ’t go around killing things.”

  Timojin’s eyes fell down to Adam’s amulet, which had been fed by Lord Baktu himself, or so they assumed. “You will not kill?”

  “I’m a married man, you know, I ’t go around killing things any more.”

  Timojin decided against saying more, since Adam was always a little queer.

  “I will kill on Adam’s behalf,” Jurot said.

  “I don’t think that kind of loophole works.”

  “Loophole?”

  “It means going around the problem against its spirit, kind of?”

  “If you say you will not kill, but I kill on your behalf, it is still a death?”

  “Something like that.”

  Jurot bowed his head. “We should kill much since we are married.”

  “Let’s kill an appropriate amount.”

  “Okay,” Jurot said.

  ‘He agreed way too easily,’ Adam thought. ‘That’s why my brother is the best.’

  Vonda could uand Adam’s thoughts even without seeing his face. ‘An appropriate amount for an Iyrman is very different, Adam…’

  The trio of new panions blihey stared at the towers which had formed from nothingness in particur.

  “Adam?” Morkarai began, his mind rag. He was already impressed by the swiftness at which the Iyrmen moved, f a small outpost within an hour at most, but…

  “Yeah?”

  “…” Morkarai furrowed his brows. He had heard of Adam’s tales plenty of times, but it was only now he just realised. “Nothing.”

  “You sure?”

  Morkarai nodded his head slowly, his eyes going to the towers and the the outside of the fence. Whereas the Iyrmen had formed the fences around the camp, it was Adam who had formed the mound of their camp, and the ditch around the fehin the span of minutes. ‘I thought you were a Priest?’

  “Even though Korin isn’t with us anymore,” Adam said, holding back a tear, “we at least enjoy our baths, you know?”

  “Baths?” Morkarai asked.

  “Baths,” Lucy firmed.

  “We’ll go st, so you guys go on ahead and enjoy yourselves. I’ll the water between everyooo, so don’t be too shy.”

  Amokan and Timojin exged gnces between one another.

  “You are enjoying baths daily?” Amokan asked in the Iyr’s tongue, his eyes glued to Jurot.

  Jaygak smirked, reag over to pat Adam’s back. “Adam, wheurn, remio praise you to Kavgak and Maygak.”

  “I will,” Adam stated, his eyes full of delight.

  “When I return, I will speak of this to Inakan,” Amokan replied, feeling the annoyance build within him.

  “By the time you return, I will have already stolen Inakan away.”

  Amokan’s body fshed red hot with annoyance. ‘Should I beat him?’

  “We o set up a watch too. Sihere are a bunch of us, and we have Zeus and Hades, we set up either four sets of two hours, with a pair on watch at all times, ht sets of one hour, and we’ll have Lord Morkarai-,”

  “Prihe Iyrmen corrected almost simultaneously.

  “ht. I mean, yeah, Prince Morkarai, and Ray Vonda, they stay in for the night.”

  “I will take the same watch as you,” Vonda said.

  “You ’t seduce me like this while we’re on the road.”

  Vonda turned beet red, raising her brows towards Adam.

  “What am I saying, of course you seduce me whenever you want.”

  Jurot wasn’t sure when Adam had gained so much ce.

  “If you keep flirting like this, I won’t praise you in front of Kavgak and Maygak,” Jaygak warned.

  “What? You ’t do this to me! Jirot and Jarot already stole Vonda away from me all this time, I should be able to flirt now!”

  ‘Is he an idienius?’ Morkarai wondered.

  The first night on the road passed by ufully, but upon their sed day, the howling in the distance began, and grew louder every few minutes.

  Mnced around towards the eager Iyrmen, and decided against drawing his bde.

  “I’ll do my best not to kill them,” Adam assured his wife, who drew her own mace, feeling it tingle against her hand.

  “I know.” Vonda smiled warmly behind her helmet.

  ‘I’m going to be the best husband ever, just you watch,’ Adam thought, drawing his Wraith with a bloodlust that wasn’t lustful for blood, but for his wife.

  The wood rustled about them as shadows darted from the trees.

  “Finally!” Lucy shouted, the fsh e filling her body. ‘You damn Iyrmen! Finally I get to fight!’ The demon stuttered with her steps, the hesitation filling her for a moment.

  Is this the quickest they left the Iyr?