Gilbert swung the staff in front of him, practising uhe stars. Dunes and Korin practised nearby too, eapleting their evening prayers through their swordpy. Jasmiched the men as they trained in the evening, w if she should start w on her own swordpy. She gnced aside towards her panion, who was dressed head to toe, not allowing ao see any part of him through his clothing and the metal he wore beh, like skin.

  “Their sword swings are beautiful,” Morkarai said. “As one might expect from those trained by the oldest temple of Lady Arya.”

  “The oldest temple?” Jasmine asked, raising her brows towards the Prince.

  Morkarai chuckled, raising his cup of wihe oldest tinuous temple solely dedicated to the Lady.”

  “Where have you been walking off to?” Jasmine asked.

  “I was requested to assist with something important.”

  “…” Jasmine decided against prodding for more.

  Bil stalked nearby, listening to their versations. He watched the pair’s routioo, though he, uhe others, uood how deadly a bde from Bck Mountain was, even a bde like Korin. Various, unseen scars, throbbed.

  As the rest headed to bed, Gilbert leaned against the wall, staring out to the stars. Then he heard them, the quick sharp breaths he had bee familiar with during the nightly hours of this month, of a particur Iyrman swinging her sword. She had goo sleep earlier in the night, but had woken up once almost everyone else had goo sleep. He watched her bde move through the air, her bde work simir to the Bck Mountain members, though it was slightly different.

  Dunes was first and foremost a Priest, so his swordpy was fairly basic, but allowed for easy spellcasting. Korin used his bde with less of an emphasis on easy spellcasting, though he still worried with the o cast spells, so his bde, like Dune’s bde, returo him to allow for the casting of spells. No, perhaps it wasn’t just for their use of magic.

  Jaygak’s bde did not return to her.

  Her swordpy was simple too, basiot bad, but there were no fancy flourishes, just refined bdework. Except, Gilbert had spotted a very stark differen one way. Jaygak had no spells, yes, but her bdework was simir in a way to how several others fought, even though they wielded different ons.

  Jurot. Kitool. Jaygak.

  Each of them fought and practised in the way of the Iyrmen. While Dunes and Korin worried about how to survive until the fight, the Iyrmen…

  Gilbert recalled another phrase that the Executive’s cousin had taught him.

  ‘How do you kill a dragon?’ Laygak had asked. ‘One swing at a time.’

  Gilbert had eventually realised the true meaning behind the statement. It wasn’t that one o keep swinging, to not rush in a fight, and that eventually the dragon would fall o enough. The true meaning behind the statement was what it didn’t say.

  It didn’t tell Laygak to run and to live to fight another day.

  Gilbert thought of his siblings, not just the young children he had followed to the business, but of Viper, Cobra, Python, Julia, and Shannon. Viper, Cobra, and Python, they fought to live for another day. Any time there roblem, any time they were hungry, they would always be there. What would have happened if any of them had died because they didn’t live to fight another day?

  Thehought about it. The differeween Cobra and Kitool. They weren’t that different, really, in terms of strength. Yet no one would bet on Cobra. Not even he would bet on Cobra.

  ‘Is that the difference?’ Gilbert thought. ‘Do I have to be crazy enough to want to die to be that strong?’

  Gilbert had been there. The hydras had e so quickly. The Order of Life’s Rose had been there, not just any old members either, but Rays, and even a Hope! A Hope!

  Yet, which group was the most successful? The Order of Life’s Rose? The Golden Savages, who fought with near wild abando?

  No.

  It had been them.

  ‘Those crazy fug bastards,’ Gilbert thought, eyes glued to the woman sidered the weakest of them all, a could cut him in half as if he were made of pe. Every time she swung her bde, he could see the way she was cutting someoo kill them.

  Gilbert thought of the stro member of the group. The one who arently strohahree Iyrmen. ‘Yeah, he’s the…’

  That was when he recalled the one old man who had beaten the craziest one of the group, and the niame he possessed. Gilbert was gd that old man had disappeared back to the Iyr.

  Bil, too, watched from the darkness. He remained focused on the young woman, whose bdework could be described exactly like the Iyrmen themselves.

  ‘Effit. Deadly.’

  The days tio pass, the business’ coffers slowly draining as Adam ented.

  ‘Weren’t the Iyrme to train us?’ Theo thought, following Fred’s guidance.

  ‘How am I meant to teach them?’ Fred thought, swinging the sword in front of him, trying to recall how the Aswadians and Iyrmen practised by themselves, and how they had trained him. ‘Are there any bears around we …’ He eyed up the men and women around him. ‘They probably won’t survive?’

  During the time Adam spent enting, there were many who worked hard. There were some who worked harder than others.

  “Mummy!” Jirot called, holding up a gss of water she had carried teo her mother. She had held it as though it recious treasure, aeps had been careful and cautious, not spilling even a single drop.

  “Thank you,” Vonda said, sipping the water, before rubbing the girl’s head.

  Karot finished his drawing, showing his mother the giant blob of purple, which could have been the night sky.

  “Shall we give it a gift during Gift Giving?” Vonda asked.

  Karot blinked, smiling shyly. “Okay.”

  Meanwhile, those at the fort had no idea of the storm brewing within the Iyr.

  “You ot,” Dogek said, sitting to the side with his nephew, out of the rain.

  “Why I not?” Tonagek replied. “He is my son.”

  “He is still young, he should remain to see his family.”

  “He is still young, but what I do, when his aunt remains at the fort?” Tonagek replied.

  “Do you think I do not know what you are doing?” Dogek accused.

  The rain tio pour down onto the Iyr, drowning out their voices from the rest of the estate, which had fortunately already goo sleep.

  “If you know, then you should accept it.”

  “Those childre of the Iyr.”

  “Even though your niece has accepted them as her own?”

  Dogek paused a beat. “Even if you have accepted them, I, as the Family Elder, must remain focused on the rules of the Iyr.”

  Tonagek had felt it too. The beat. Though it had sted a moment, it was almost ay to him. It was due to that beat, he showed mercy. “I will take him with me.” Toood, grabbing his sword, before he limped away from his uncle.

  Dogek watched as Tonagek disappeared into the rain, the heavy rain blog the man’s sight. He reached for the sword at his side, holding it between his hands. “…” ‘I am the Family Elder, Tonagek. What else would you expee?’

  Tonagek cut through the rain with his bde, his entire body wet from the heavy rain. ‘You o accept them, uncle. If it is you, if it is Duteous Dogek, then what worries will sister and I have?’

  Mosen held his bde out in front of him, watg the rain bounce off the edge of his sword, waiting for Too notice him. ‘It has been some time sihey st argued. Should I be gd uncle Shasen and I are in agreement?’

  It was he end of the month when it happened.

  “How this be?” Adam asked, lifting the girl up. “Is it my Inakan who has e to see me?”

  “Kaza Adam,” the girl said.

  “Oh! Here I was w so much about what to get you for your birthday, but you’ve e to me on your own?” Adam peppered kisses over her face, before holding up a small gem of obsidian.

  ‘He’s giving her so much money?’ Freddie thought, surprised his monthly sary being hao a tiny girl who had no idea its worth.

  ‘He is giving her so little?’ Shikan thought, surprised Adam was holding bauch.

  Even as Maygak and Faygak appeared a few days ter, Adam remained moderate, though he did end up hugging them and kisses their faces all over, but he still only handed over an obsidian gem each.

  ‘He isn’t going to threaten the world for them?’ Lucy thought, w why Adam was being so well behaved. Not only was he still w on the days they arrived, even after assuming they would e, but he also only handed over a single obsidian? She gowards the pregnant Vonda and her eyes fell to the floor. ‘He’s not g anything…’

  Adam wasn’t surprised by Mokan’s arrival, since if Inakan, Maygak, and Faygak had e, then Mokan was sure to e, but he was surprised when a tiny ky boy appeared, led against his father.

  Adam held Dagek awkwardly, the young boy barely gng up towards Adam, before making to cry, until he was within his father’s arms. ‘Eh?’ Adam thought, gng between everyone. ‘Are they letting me meet everyone before killing me? No, they wouldn’t kill me before my kid was born. So…’

  Adam was certain there was something wrong, but he wasn’t sure what. Them bringing the children over, one by one, only for their birthday, just to meet him…

  ‘Is something going on in the Iyr?’

  “No,” Sonarot replied, ter in the evening. “The children miss you, but we them often to the fort, so you must promise to see them only on their birthdays.”

  ‘Should I stop enting then?’ Adam thought.

  “You should keep w as you have,” Sonarot said, reading the look on his face. “They only arrive a short while before you finish.”

  “Right…”

  Sonarot didn’t lie to Adam. Nothing was going on in the Iyr. This was the choice the families had made, to send a message, so that it was indisputable.

  “You all should be gd you came on my day off,” Adam said, pig up Alykan, Minool, and Jazool, before letting them down. He was more awkward, however, with a particur child.

  “Hello… Rowajin, was it?” Adam said, pretending as though he didn’t know the boy’s name, even though he had definitely spoiled him before.

  “Grandfather says you should spoil his grandchildren too,” Uwajin said.

  “Well…” Adam began, standing there awkwardly.

  Uwajin, half asleep, tilted her head slightly. “You did not prepare a gift for our Rowajin?”

  “It’s not that, it’s just… I’m thinking about how much trouble I want to be in.”

  ‘He is thinking of the trouble he causes?’ Uwajin thought, suddenly wide awake.

  Jazool sat beside Larot, yawning slightly, but she reached out to hold his hand. “Okay?”

  Larot slowly nodded his head, before the girl brushed his hair, returning back to doing nothing in particur. His eyes fell to the half elf and the Iyrman to the side.

  “What is this?” Uwajin asked, feeling the tingling of magic within the bde.

  “What do you mean, what is it?” Adam replied. “It’s a magical greatsword.”

  Uwajin waited.

  “Didn’t you say something about spoiling his grandkids?”

  “You wish to give him a magical on?”

  “No, this is a gift for you.

  “Thank you.”

  “I should be the ohanking you.”

  “For what?”

  “If you keep bullying me, I’m going to tell Jirot.”

  Uwajin blinked. ‘Why does he o thank me?’

  Uwajin remaihe day, when Tinajin, Timojin’s sister, was brought along with Murot. She blinked, holding aical greatsword in her hands, feeling the tingle of magic which was identical to the bde which had been gifted to her yesterday. Except, she was certain, positive, that bde had bee back to the Main Iyr, ahis one had appeared again from within the fort.

  “Why did you send the other one back?” Adam pined. “That one was for you, this one is for yrandfather. You have this one instead, and you should keep it on you, it’ll be a waste if it gathers dust in your family’s treasury.”

  “You already gifted us magical ons?”

  “If I didn’t do at least this much, that old geezer would pin,” Adam said.

  ‘…’

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I o go spoil my ky cousin.”

  ‘At least he didn’t hand over the on to the children…’ Duhought, letting out a rexed sigh.

  You know what, Dunes? I wouldn't put it past him.