“e,” little Jarot called, reag out a hand to Larot.

  Larot stared at his elder brother, whose hands were slightly chubbier than his own. The boy looked away.

  Jarot frowned, sitting down beside the boy. “I am y papa. You must listen.”

  ‘…’

  Jarot hugged the boy. “Smelly boy.” He reached up to his brother’s hair, rubbing it, before he kissed the boy’s cheek.

  “Jarot!” Jirot called, holding out her hand. “e.”

  Jarot stood, but looked back to his younger brother. “Larot is ing?”

  “Larot, e,” Jirot called.

  Larot sighed, hoisting himself up, while the twins assisted him, and they each took a hand. ‘…’

  “We are go bully babo, okay?” Jirot said, inf her you sibling. “No, we ot bully babo.” The girl smirked, cag lightly, before the trio stormed their way to cause trouble.

  The old man stared out towards the sky. He stared at the storm that had long passed.

  It was raining that day.

  Jarht the cup to his lips, but paused, hearing the squealing that brought him back to the present. “Have you e to py with your babo?”

  “No!” Jirot decred, cag.

  While the mencholy broke within the Iyr, miles away, the fire basked the area in warmth, flickering as it swallowed the body whole. The crackle of the pyre burning couldn’t drown out the quiet weeping and sobbing. One of the party members stood tall, hands crossed in front of him, his eyes glued to the fire. He stared into the fire, looking through it to a camp fire the group had shared during one of their first adventures, when they had mao take down a small bck bear in the forest.

  ‘Hah! You see that? Right between the ribs!’ John had said, stabbing an invisible sword through the air.

  ‘You idiot, I told you to wait for me,’ Ruben had replied, his voice low and calm, even if he had been annoyed by John.

  ‘Wait for you? I’ll wait for you when I’m dead, you pidgeon.’

  Ruben reached into his pouch, feeling for a copper , before he tossed it over onto the fire. “Brother?” A moment ter, Ruben cleared his throat. “Brother half elf?”

  “Huh?” Adam replied, gng to his side. “Yeah?”

  “I know of The Divine, but, uh…” Ruben swallowed. “I know Lord Musa, but there’s what’s the name of the Divine who guides the souls?”

  “Lord Zadhin, right?”

  “You’re the Priest.”

  “I know Mother Soza, Lord Sozain, Lady Eveil, Lady Arya, and that’s about it.”

  “Lady Fae, too?”

  “There’s a Lady Fae?” Adam asked.

  “Patron Divine of the Fae, who are named after her…”

  “Jurot?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Lord Zadhin, right? Lord of Souls?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you,” Ruben replied, before crossing his hands together in front of him, praying quietly to himself. It wasn’t an official prayer, but a prayer that he spoke from the heart, begging the Divio take John’s soul to the life.

  Adam tossed a copper too, before doing the same, praying to Lord Zadhin. ‘Hey, Lord Zadhin. I, uh, hope you guide him well. Thanks.’

  “I’m sorry about John, Brother. I’m sorry about Hallie, too. She didn’t mean to attack a Brother like you, she was just…”

  Adam waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t o apologise on behalf of dead men, or someone whose mind was clouded by grief. Make sure she’s okay, and that she doesn’t do anything drastic to herself.”

  Ruben raised his brows, taken aback by Adam’s words. “I’ll keep an eye on her. About the diamond, Brother. If it’s alright with you, we’ll pay you back at aime, if it doesn’t displease me.”

  “It would displease me if you pay me baow or ter. I’m not so poor that I o charge you for something I did for myself.” Adam turned, stepping away from Ruben, not wanting to tihe awkward versation.

  “Thank you, Brother.”

  “Yeah.” Adam walked over to his panions, sitting down beside Jaygak, kig up some dirt to get rid of some of his ay.

  “Okay?” Jaygak asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, his tone suggesting he wasn’t.

  Jaygak sat beside the half elf, remaining silent for a long while. “Adam, do you remember Tagak?”

  “Who?”

  “You fought his little sister, Rigak, and she defeated you.”

  “I vaguely remember, yeah,” Adam replied, a small smile appearing across his lips.

  “We sometimes fought when we were younger,” Jaygak said. “I wasn’t able to defeat him. Sometimes, but he would win, six to four, if I was lucky. We didn’t like each other, but… at some point, we stopped disliking each other. I don’t remember when, but I remember disliking him when I was younger, but we were fier. Sometimes I wonder, why did we dislike each other? We were children. We had no reason to dislike each other.”

  “It’s just that way sometimes.”

  Jaygak nodded her head gently, and she gnced down towards her waterskin. She sipped it lightly. “Adam?”

  “Yeah?”

  Jaygak turo face Adam, taking in the sight of his face for a moment, before she looked back down. “That neancer, did he scare you too?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jaygak slowly nodded her head, ahe versation there, sipping her water. She thought back to the fire that had taken Adam from them. It was the first time she had somehow mao outfight even Adam. Jaygak had never been drunk on success, but she knew Adam had been that way. He had been so drunk on success, until the Lord of Fmes pletely defeated the stro of Fate’s Golden. He had done so after already dealing with Okvar, and Rasam, the Rasam, who was already ridiculously strong even for an Iyrman.

  ‘Why am I even adventuring?’ Jaygak thought.

  “Jaygak?”

  “Yes?”

  “If we ever get into a fight that’s too much, make sure you get back alive so you tell the kids how cool I am,” Adam said.

  “You’ll have to do it yourself, Adam.”

  “I’m just saying, if things ever-,”

  “Adam,” Jaygak said, reag out to pce a hand on the half elf’s knee. “You know I ’t.”

  “You have to.”

  “You know I ’t.”

  Adam fell silent.

  “Do you trust me that little?”

  “You know it’s not like that.”

  “Then why did you ask me?”

  “One of us has to live, and you’re the best.”

  “I ’t.”

  “It has to be you.”

  “Why?”

  “For Taygak and Raygak, you ’t be the oo die.”

  “For Taygak and Raygak, I ’t run.”

  “…” Adam looked down towards the earth.

  “You should be the oo go back.”

  “I’m not going to leave you.”

  “It has to be you.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re not an Iyrman, Adam,” Jaygak said, her voice clear and firm. “I am an Iyrman. If I die, it brings hope. If you die, it will not.”

  ‘Damn it,’ Adam thought, reag up to his forehead, rubbing his pounding temples. ‘How did she turn it back around me?’ “If I have a silver tongue, you definitely have a golden tongue.”

  “I may not be a golden child, but in this way, I’m definitely better than the rest,” Jaygak joked, patting Adam’s shoulder, trying not to be too hurt by his words.

  “Tomorrow, let’s buy some nice shields for the girls,” Adam said.

  “Okay.”

  Ruben remained watg the fmes until they finally disappeared, taking with them his friend. He gathered his group and followed the Priest and his panions to Ever Green. The journey back was silent, each lost within the darkness of their thoughts.

  The walls of Ever Greeed them, and a few hours ter, they stepped through the gates, the guards remaining quiet, sensing the darkness in the air.

  “Adam, e,” Jurot said.

  “Sure.”

  “Brother Adam,” Ruben called. “Thank you again.”

  Adam waved his hand. “Yeah. Any time.” Adam tapped his helmet with a quick double finger salute, and turo follow his brother.

  They made their way to a particur inn, to a particur se of the town, though Adam hadn’t uood the differeween the districts yet. They approached a small shop, one which provided seats only for a handful of people at a time, whose cheapest items started at a silver piece. The building was wooden, as one might have expected, with a guard wearing light at the entrance, arms crossed, a bde at her side.

  “Steak. Eggs. One baked potato, no salt, no butter.” Jurot pced down three silver s above three copper s. He looked to his brother.

  “I’ll have what he’s having.”

  “Steak,” Jurot said.

  “Steak,” Adam began, following his brother, before pg down the s, realising Jurot had pced them in a certain way, so the half elf copied him.

  The food was brought not long ter, and though the potato in, Adam was certain his twins would appreciate it regardless si tasted almost buttery by itself. Adam ate quietly beside his brother, almost like a mouse. He had wao pliment the cook, but Jurot remained silent, focused on his meal.

  ‘Bit thirsty, though.’

  “Peach wine,” Jurot said, pg down two silver s, gng to his brother, who repeated the a.

  Ohe peach wine was brought, Jurot took a moment, staring at the peach wine. He poured the wine on the floor, almost offended. Adam, who had picked up the wine, furrowed his brows, and Jurot slowly bowed his head, and he did the same.

  “The wine is no good,” Jurot said, his brother eg his words.

  The guard gnced back to see the trouble, reag for her bde.

  “I apologise,” the worker replied, an older man, and he bowed his head lightly. He smiled nervously. “Please, allow me to make it up to you.” The worker motions a hand back to the guard, before leading them deeper into the shop, taking them down a set of steps to an underground room, where the worker opehe door and allowed the pair in.

  Jurot waited, ting in his mind. “We are safe now. No one is listening. No one scry.”

  “Right?”

  “Do you have Sending prepared?” Jurot asked, as though he didn’t know the answer.

  “Yeah.”

  “Please send word to the Chief. I will tell you the words.”

  Many miles away, in the Iyr, the Chief drank his tea, eyeing up the notes. It was obvious that the Mad Dog would behave like this after what happened. He was just gd the crippled Iyrman hadn’t pushed for much more, sidering how much the Rot family could have asked for. However, he read the warning from the Family Elder of the Rot family, who was the childrens’ greatmother.

  ‘A Lich awoken,’ came the familiar voice, whily troubled the Chief more. ‘After our time. Before Demonic Devastation. Wields green orb. Five a guards protectors. Fifth Gate spells. Dangerous.’

  The Chief realised they were not Adam’s words, since he would have been too shy to group himself among the Iyrmen, and the words carried Iyrmen efficy. He didn’t check his o see if he had written them correctly since Adam had taken quite some time to send the message.

  “Thank you. I will inform the Great Elders. I hope you are all safe.”

  ‘We’re safe, Chief. I hope everything’s good in the Iyr, and don’t spoil my children too much.’

  “Everything is well in the Iyr,” the Chief assured. “I make no promises not to spoil your children too much.”

  A long moment passed, and the Chief wondered if Adam would reply bao, it was foolish to wonder of such.

  ‘I’ll five you since you’re spoiling my kids.’

  Chief Iromin smiled. He stood up, cheg his notes, before making his way out. He walked towards the meeting pce of the Great Elders, the estate which had been designed for them to all meet, aed Elder Teacher was already there, his arms crossed, taking a nap from w so hard. The Great Elder awoke, his eyes falling on the Chief.

  “Meeting?” Elder Teacher asked.

  “Meeting.”

  “How many?”

  “Everyone.”

  “Okay,” Elder Teacher replied, w why the Chief o call a meeting with everyone.

  “I apologise in advance for the work you will o do,” the Chief said, knowing how difficult it had been for Elder Teacher to overhaul the children’s teag, only for him to be forced to overhaul it again.

  Hours ter, ohe meeting was dohe Great Elders left Elder Teacher be, to allow him to sleep in peace, praying for his sanity.

  Poor Elder Teacher.