Chapter 15

Eliam Talks with his Sister
Shera's heart beats furiously. Having not seen her brother in what feels like ages, she approaches the Shippin' Lad holding onto the faint hope that he may actually have returned home. Her pace quickens despite her best intentions as she approaches the establishment. She pushes the door open and steps in.

She freezes upon seeing Eliam in the bar. She takes two slow steps toward him before running and leaping at him, appearances be damned. She hugs him as she says, "You're alive! You're okay!"

"I am!” He says happily, hugging her back. “I'm... it's been so long. I'm sorry."

She pulls back and swats his arm. "Should be! I've missed you. The house has been too quiet. ...Dad misses you, too, even if he won't admit it."

Eliam grins. "Yeah, sure. I bet he's bored with no trouble happening. But how are you? How have you been?"

She grins back and pulls up a chair to a nearby seat. "I'm fine. A little bored, but fine. Dad's been a little more watchful over all of us since you left. Wanted to make sure we didn't follow the path you were blazing. Where have you been?"

"That's probably for the best, honestly,” Eliam nods, taking a seat next to her. “I... you wouldn't even believe me if I tried to explain, but I mean, well... let's just say I'm sort of a legendary hero now. But, er..." He looks behind her at the door. "Where's Oren?"

She looks skeptical. "A... legendary hero. Right. Your friend is at the house, studying in the library. And you... hit your head or something, I guess?"

"Oh, the scar? No way, that was from a fight. It was amazing! Some person attacked us, and we defended ourselves valiantly; I took a devastating blow while saving all my friends... but no matter. And no, really! I guess Arlan hasn't told you yet, but..."

Eliam takes hers arm and stops time around them both. She gasps as she notes the bartender pouring a drink with the alcohol suspending in midair. She recoils and jerks away from Eliam. The time stop breaks as she falls away.

There is a pause as she looks at Eliam with an expression he has never seen her direct toward him before. She trembles slightly and says, "Wh-what are you? Who are you?"

"I'm... it's me. Sorry. I just... I thought it would be cool to show you what I can do, as the Child of Aether." He smiles at her, somewhat confused by her reaction.

Shera steps away. "Eliam...?"

She turns away and takes a few paces slowly. "No, my... my..." She wheels around with blazing eyes and fixes him with a worried glare. "How are you doing this? My brother wasn't some... magical god. Who are you?"

"I... what? I mean, I've always been good at magic, I just... learned some new spells, is all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you. I won't show off any more spells, okay?" He lowers his hood and motions at the chair for her to sit, trying to sound comforting.

Shera shakes her head slowly. "Eliam is my best friend. And he knew some magic, sure, but he wasn't... whatever godly level this has to be to stop time, itself. And he... he was boastful, sure, but he was smarter than to pretend to be some Maker's god. Whatever sacrilegious power you have, just... leave me out of it." She gasps suddenly. "And your... friend. Your accomplice. He's alone in the house. What can he do?"

"I mean... it's not... Arlan said it was just a parlor trick,” Eliam protests. “It's not... it's not sacrilegious. Oren can't do anything, he's just my friend. I don't... okay, I guess I shouldn't have opened with this, but I mean, I thought you'd think it was amazing. And for the Maker's sake, I'm Eliam."

"Eliam. If that is you, then tell me something. Be honest with me." She steps away from him, eyeing the door.

"Okay. Well... I almost burned the house down when we were kids, remember? And you suggested we let some horses free once to get back at a rude merchant, even though I ended up taking most of the blame for it."

She turns to him. The memories hit her as well. "You... You could have taken those stories from Eliam. ...No matter what else has happened, we've always loved our family. We've always taken care of our family. Looked out for each other. I need to know: the man in our house right now. Is he like you?"

"Sort of... it's a long story,” Eliam sighs. “But he's not going to hurt anyone, if that's what you're trying to get at. I trust him with my life."

She seems unconvinced. "Has he ever hurt anyone? Killed anyone?"

"We've survived a lot, on our travels. Which is kind of my whole reason for coming here, beyond just letting you know I'm still okay. We're sort of... I don't know if word of what happened in Tezef or Siraj has reached here yet, but we're going to fight that... thing. And save everyone. So I wanted to make sure at least this time, we could talk before I leave."

"...So yes.".

"Only ever to make sure we made it here unharmed,” Eliam protests quickly.

She seems to be conflicted. "I... I know it's not an ideal world. I know bad things happen. And if it is you... and you needed to murder one or two people in self-defense to survive... I can accept that."

She steps forward and makes direct eye contact. "How many?" she asks. "How many have you and he killed?"

"I mean... why do you even want to know that?" He says, taken aback.

"Because he's alone with our family and I don't know the kind of people you've been traveling with. You fell in with murderers! How can I not be concerned?" she questions. "How deep have you been pulled in? How many?!"

"I promise, you never need to worry about him. He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. And one of the most responsible. He's looked out for me for as long as I've known him; he's helped me with everything without even asking anything in return, and I mean..." Eliam sighs, thinking. "One or two, probably. But you have no idea what you're even talking about here. We never instigated anything; we did what we had to."

She steps forward slowly. She raises her hand and extends a finger to poke Eliam's shoulder. "Is it... really you? For real?"

"For the last time, yes."

She slowly steps into him and puts her arms around him, warmly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. None of this makes any sense. How did you even...?"

"I told you!” Eliam says, smiling as he pulls away from the hug. “So, it started when I was going back to Ushad..."

---

The pub begins to get more and more crowded as night falls and people steadily find tables. Eliam tells her the tale of their adventure, with a few key points changed and exaggerated.

"I... I can't believe all that happened to you. I'm so sorry for your friends. And that poor lizard! He sounded so sweet...” she sighs.

Eliam nods, finishing the last of his beer. "He really was. It was... well, it was more excitement than I ever thought I'd see. ...I guess... we should head back, huh? I mean, someone's bound to notice you're gone and get worried. And Oren would probably just sit there and read until dawn if no one went in to stop him."

She smiles sadly. "So soon? I feel like I only just got here an hour ago... Do you think you're ready to see Dad?"

Eliams smile falters slightly. "I er... I'm not sure they'd let me in, it sounded like. But I wrote letters! I was hoping maybe you could give them to everyone when you see them?"

"I can do that, yes. You're sure?"

"Yeah... Arlan said to wait. And I mean... I figure the stuff in Siraj won't take long. We'll take care of that, and then I'll return. I mean, he can't very well turn away a hero at the door, can he? I'll walk you as far as I can, though, of course.” He stands, putting on Oren's cloak once more. “Now, you have to tell me everything that's happened since I've been away."

"Things have been pretty same old... Elyde raise taxes, Dad turns- you know that one shade of purple his face gets?- he turns that. It feels like they're really putting the screws to him," she begins, as they walk together down the road.

---

Time passes, and eventually, a large house appears down the road. "Mom's missed you a lot. I catch her near your room every so often, just... looking at some of the stuff you left behind." She bites her lip. "Are you sure you won't sneak in? Try and see her?" There's a twinkle in her eye.

Eliam sighs, considering it. "I mean... I guess it wouldn't be too hard to pull off. But I don't want to just get permanently banned from ever coming back, either."

"Can you, like... move around when you stop time?" she asks. "Couldn't you just freeze time if you think someone other than mom is coming and bail?"

"I mean, of course. But just... Arlan warned against it specifically. And I'll be back soon enough. So... maybe not, okay?"

"Hmm..." she thinks. "Okay. I'll take these letters in, then," she says. "For what it's worth... I think you've grown up a lot. Dad might be impressed with you sooner than you think."

"Hey... thanks," Eliam says, hugging her goodbye. "I'll be back before you know it. Don't worry. And I'll come back with even more stories."

"Okay," she says, returning the hug. "You'd better!"

She looks at him again, as though trying to figure out what to say, before retreating to sneak back into the house.

---

Shera returns to the library to find Oren studying away. "Hey. How's your reading going?"

"Uh, good. How was your outing?" He asks, packing up the books he had spent the night copying.

"It was amazing. I missed him so much, it was great to catch up. He, uh... he told me everything about your adventures," she says softly. "You've done so much."

"Good, I'm glad he got to see you,” Oren smiles. “I should probably go find him so we can go."

"Um, before you go..." she says, taking him by the arm. "Eliam is... he's my best friend. He's the nicest person I've ever known. I know about the... the killing. The murders you both had to do. Please... if you can... don't let him do that again. Taking a life, it... it damages you. It breaks you a little, I think. I'm worried about how it might affect him to kill more than the... was it one or two people you've had to kill?" she asks.

"To be honest he probably hasn't killed anyone himself, he's more of a healer, and uses his magic to make other people stronger. He's not really into killing.  And we only fought Orcs and monsters, so don't worry about it."

"You mustn't think like that," she says. "Orcs are the closest things to monsters we can find, but they're sentient. And as much as we may despise them, we may need to make peace with them one day."

"I used to think that, but it's not possible,” Oren explains. “I tried speaking to one and he attacked me. You can't reason with them.”

She looks away, but nods. "I am... relieved to think that he has been a healer first and foremost, though. It is good to think his kind heart remains."

"He is the only one of my friends who is nice all the time. He's definitely a good person, don't worry."

Her shoulders relax a little, revealing just how tense she had become. "That's... that's good. This is good. Thank you, sir," she says.

She leads Oren toward the door and wishes him a good night as he leaves.

---

"How'd it go?" Oren asks, meeting Eliam outside the home where the guards can't see them.

"Good, I think... bit of a rough start; she sort of... didn't believe I was me? I really shouldn't have lead with telling her I was a Child, probably. But it worked out. How was the library? Did you find anything good?"

"Yes, your family has a lot of books. Your house is very nice, by the way,” he adds politely, setting off for the inn.

"Yeah! I'd really forgotten how big it was, honestly. I wish I could have shown you around, but well... it seemed like a bad idea to try to walk in. Maybe someday I can, though. And you could use the library whenever you want then, though I'm sure you could find a lot of those books back in the tower anyways."

"Most of them, but some were rare. With Fallowfield destroyed I think a lot of books will be more valuable than they once were."

"Yeah... though maybe some of the books survived? Who knows,” Eliam shrugs.

"Maybe. Gwen said she would check. I hope so,” Oren smiles.

They stay at the inn together one last night, then pay their way onto a boat to Ushad.

Oren and Eliam take a Boat to Saloria
The boat pulls into port at Ushad. The orcs at the docks request a silver coin each before allowing them to pass. They pay the toll, and immediately upon stepping off the boat, Oren pulls Eliam by the arm to a quiet corner and casts bloodhound.

He senses Eliam's bow next to him, but other than that, he senses nothing.

"I can't find Minerva's necklace."

"Your spell does cover the whole city, right?" Eliam asks.

"I think so. Most of it,” Oren says, grabbing his arm and dragging him quickly down the streets.

"Okay, well... maybe they ignored what I said, and went ahead to the tower?” Eliam suggests, trying to hide his concern. “We'll check, just in case"

Oren and Eliam rush to the Lyriad HQ. They manage to find Linea quickly.

Oren smiles when he sees her, greeting her with a hug. “Hi!”

Linea looks somewhat taken aback but returns the affection warmly. "You've returned. How was your trip?"

"Good. Where's Minerva?" Oren asks.

Linea hands him a letter. "I was asked to give you this when you returned," she says. "I believe this will answer your questions."

He opens it quickly, and Eliam moves behind him to read it. You're not wrong. Sorry. You're wrong now. You weren't before. This is my tenth draft of this letter. That was the clearest opening I wrote. I'm not rewriting it again. When we traveled together, for the first few weeks, I didn't know what to make of you. I thought you were cruel sometimes, like how you wanted to leave Elise behind somewhere. But then I learned you were really just pragmatic, and were thinking about her in your own way. I thought you were reckless, like our plan at Asle Lenor, but then I realized I participated in that plan as much as you did. I thought you were a friend. A powerful friend who could help my aims as head of the Lyriad. But then I realized how shallow that was. You went out of your way to do things for me. You helped save me from the painting trap. You made me food I hadn't tasted since childhood out of the kindness of your heart to cheer me up. You care about me, and I care about you. I had hoped to be here when you returned, but circumstances have changed. I know you remember that we saw my father in Fallowfield before we left to Thirshalon. Reports from travelers on the western roads are suggesting that some... undead beings are beginning to appear in Saloria. Whether that's a natural consequence of what we caused, or Hiram is still around and his rogue Lyriad chapter is doing... something unnatural, I have to find out. I've left for Saloria to try to sort out details. I'm going alone, but don't worry. I'm used to flying solo and sneaking around. I'll be back before you know it. I hope you found what you were looking for while you were gone. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. You'll be alone for a while; Gwen took Elise with her to Fallowfield. Keep an eye on things for me, would you? "Yours,""Minerva""PS" Tá mo chroí istigh ionat. “I guess we're going to Saloria then,” Eliam says.

"Why the hell would she leave?" Oren asks frantically, looking up at Linea accusingly.

Linea sighs. "She believes things are wrong, and it's her responsibility to set them right. Have you ever managed to convince her of something when her heart is set?"

Oren shakes his head. "She's too impulsive. When did she leave? How is she going to get there?"

"How long are Gwendolyn and Elise planning to be away? Did they say?" Eliam adds.

"Forever, probably. Who just runs off to Saloria at the drop of a hat?” Oren continues. “Now we have to go after her and make sure she's alright..."

Linea shakes her head. "One at a time, one at a time. She left yesterday. She took a horse."

"Why didn't she wait until we were back?" Eliam sighs.

"I"m not certain of Gwen and Elise,” Linea continues. “They didn't mention the length of their trip. Minerva seemed to think it would be better if she went alone. She mentioned you," she says, gesturing at Oren, "and said you might want time apart from her. Did something happen?"

"What? No, I don't want to be apart,” Oren says quickly. "Can we take a boat? That way we can beat her there."

"I can't believe she'd try to go alone, especially now with everything that's happening,” Eliam says as Oren grabs his arm to leave. "Can you write Gwen and Elise a letter real quick? In case they come back? I would write one, but... I think more letters from me would make things worse."

"Linea can talk to them,” Oren shakes his head. "Besides they hate me as much as you."

"Okay yeah, good point,” Eliam sighs.

"What would you like me to tell them?" Linea asks.

"Where we went, I suppose,” Oren answers.

"And to wait for us here, ideally,” Eliam adds.

"Very well," she says. "Best of luck to you."

Oren nods, and pulls Eliam through the door to run for the docks.

---

They arrive at the docks to find the ships are in port. None appear to be offering rides at the moment.

Oren walks quickly along, looking for a smaller boat to take them. There's a tiny boat, almost a dinghy, at the end of the docks. A man is sitting in it, reading.

"Excuse me, could we hire you to take us somewhere?" Oren calls out as they get close, dragging Eliam impatiently by the arm.

The man looks up from his book and runs his hand over a couple days' worth of stubble as he looks them both over. "Where, exactly?"

"Saloria.”

He looks back down at his novel. "No town called that. Not anymore."

"What used to be Saloria, then,” Eliam says. “We can pay."

He scoffs. "We'll all pay if we head there."

"Well... would you be willing to let us rent the boat, then?" Eliam offers.

He puts his book back down on his knee and looks up at you. "All I have, I have on this boat. Where it goes, I go."

Oren smiles and hops on, messing with the ropes. "Good, don't worry, it won't take long."

He jolts up, "What are you doing, boy?!" He steps forward boldly and stands between Oren and the ropes. "I didn't say we're going anywhere. Put those ropes down."

"We're sort of... mercenaries, after a fashion, and it's an emergency,” Eliam explains. “I assure you we'll be safe. We just need to get close; we don't actually need to go to the ruins themselves."

"Will you take us to Siraj?" Oren tries desperately. He takes out the letter and holds it out to him, pointing to the last part. "Look, it's an emergency. She needs our help."

He reads the letter, then looks back at his novel.

He steps away and looks at Oren. "Loose the ropes, boy. You," he says to Eliam, "permission granted to come aboard. Be quick about it."

Eliam grins, and steps onto the boat.

He takes to the rudder. "Boy, unfurl the sail when the ropes are loose. We make good time tonight."

Eliam and Oren see to the boat, and the trio set sail down the Sages' River.

"Eliam, by the way. What's your name?"

"Hm? Louis," he says. "Captain Louis. And him?" he asks quietly, jerking a thumb toward Oren who can't hear him.

"Oh, his name is Oren. Sorry, he's... a bit distracted right now. But he means well."

"I hope he fights as well as he means," Louis says. "We'll not last long in Saloria otherwise."

"Don't worry! We're probably the best fighters around,” Eliam explains cheerfully. “We don't need to touch down in Saloria though, at least. Our friend is likely just camped along the way. Actually...” he turns and calls out to Oren, “How far do you think she got? Based on when she left?"

Oren ignores him, putting his hands in the water. He looks away as his eyes glow blue, and the boat immediately starts accelerating quickly.

Louis looks over at the shore and then back at the water. His eyes widen and he starts to worry. "You!" he shouts at Eliam. "Grab the anchor, toss it overboard!"

Eliam looks at Oren, and smiles comfortingly at Louis. "It's fine! He has it under control. He's a mage who specializes in this sort of thing."

---

The boat arrives outside Saloria at dawn. Louis looks around. "Amazin'. Don't suppose you want to make a living on the river."

"Maybe,” Oren answers distractedly as he casts bloodhound. He looks anxiously to the northwest.

"Thank you for your help. How much for the trip?" Eliam asks.

He sits down with his book. "Depends on if you need a return trip or not."

"Go wait out in the river and use your anchor, don't stay close to land,” Oren directs. “There are walking corpses around and monsters. We'll be back soon."

Oren touches the water, his eyes glowing blue. Ice begins to form on the surface, and within seconds, a bridge connects the boat to the shore. He takes Eliam's hand and pulls him across, racing into the withered forest.

Louis stares at it for a moment, then goes back to his book.

Oren, Eliam, and Minerva Go to Saloria
Saloria is no longer the warm and living place it once was. The plants have browned and withered. There is a stillness that has descended upon it.

"... How far do you think this will spread?" Eliam asks, as they wander through the desiccated trees.

Oren shrugs, pulling him towards Minerva. His spell leads them to a grove of withered, dead trees. He looks around anxiously knowing she should be there in front of him.

"...Oren?"

He looks up. Minerva hides in the branches of the tree, among the browned leaves. Oren smiles when he sees her.

She climbs down slowly. "What... are you doing here?"

"We came to get you,” he explains.

She lands on the ground. "I... um... I got your letter. Did you...?"

Oren thinks about it, and nods.

She hugs him, and he hugs her back. "Thank you."

"Why would you try to come here alone?” Eliam asks, looking around. “It looks like it's... gotten worse, to say the least."

Oren nods. "And why were you in a tree?" He slinks his arm behind her back, under her cloak, and pushes her gently in the direction of the river.

She resists, patting his hand warmly. "We started getting reports of some sort of undead out this way. Corpses rising and walking again. I needed to know if this was something happening as a result of the wellspring we destroyed, or if it was Hiram's doing... or both," she says. "It seems like the trip agreed with you, Oren, certainly. You're, um..." She reddens. "You're looking quite well."

Oren smiles, blushing slightly. "Where is Hiram?"

"I checked out the building we had spoken to him in last time we were here, but it was empty. I've been searching for possible glyph locations. Nothing yet. And to answer your question, I was in a tree sleeping; it's safer to rest hidden in the leaves than exposed on the ground."

Oren nods. "Do you want to sleep more? We can go back to the boat and rest there."

"No, it's morning. I'm happy to be up. Let's get to work," she says.

"Hiram was pretty bad, but... do you think he'd intentionally try to summon undead, somehow?" Eliam asks, as she begins to lead them through the forest.

She shrugs. "If he learned how to do it? I think he'd see it as a way to sustain an army against the Elyde."

"We found a guy who gave us a boat ride here... if we're going to search the town, we might want to send him back to Ushad,” Eliam suggests. “I'd rather not just leave him to the wolves."

"Did you find the Glyph in his house?” Oren asks. “The one he went through before?"

"Possibly. I was hoping to find others since that entry seemed a little obvious," she admits. "I might not have a choice, though. Oh," she says to Eliam, "so that's how you got here so quickly. I'm assuming you got into Ushad within the last day or two?"

Eliam nods. "I can go send him back then, if we expect to be here for a while."

"We really only need a day, now that I know where an entrance is," she says. "If he'll wait, so much the better."

"Works for me, then,” Eliam shrugs. “Let's go find Hiram. Did you get my letter, by the way?"

"Yeah, Heather handed it to me," she says. "Something about a plan? I take it your trip to the tower went well?"

Eliam nods. "We met the wizard. Not a huge fan of how he treated Oren, but oh well. We visited my home on the way back, too, which went good. But uh... the important thing is that he wants to make Gwen into a Child, and knows a way to do so. Which is... well, you can see why I didn't want to send that in writing."

She blinks. "Gwen... into a Child? Is that possible?"

"I hope not,” Oren says, “But he seems to think so."

"It'd... make things complicated,” Eliam sighs. “For me at least. But he claims it's necessary to rebuild the wellspring and seal away Choozy. But he was... I'm really not completely sure we can trust him."

“Why not?" Oren asks, confused.

"I mean, the first thing he did was throw you around with magic. You looked terrified.”

"Oh, yeah. It wasn't that bad,” Oren says defensively.

"He threw you?" Minerva asks, temper rising slightly.

"N-not really,” Oren shrugs.

"What else do you call that, then?" Eliam asks.

"I don't know. I mean he's not like that, he's not really violent. He's never hit me or anything, you know?"

"He never hit you, he just used his magic on you, so that's okay?" Minerva growls.

"No, not really, he just.. sort of pushed me onto a couch, and I was only scared because I thought he was mad at me. I don't know if he was, really. Eliam's just being dramatic, it wasn't that bad."

Minerva's expression softens, though only slightly. "Better not be, for his sake," she grumbles. “Should we check out the glyph?"

Oren nods.

"You'll meet him soon enough, I guess, once we go back. If we do, anyways,” Eliam adds. “And sure."

They hike onwards, eventually arriving in the ruins of Saloria. Minerva leads them to the mayor's house. She walks around with her necklace for a while, and eventually finds the glyph off the living room. She turns back and says, "Not sure what's down there, but this is strictly recon, okay? Look, learn, leave."

Eliam closes his eyes. “It's not trapped, at least.”

"Last time he had a bunch of guards in there,” Oren points out, looking around. He wanders into the kitchen, and finds a scrap of paper with a sketch on it. It's some sort of logo: a circle with a letter V inside it. The vertex of the V, as well as its two opposite ends, touch the circle.

He opens a cupboard, finding a familiar-looking bottle of ale. He recognizes it as a bottle of the ale that they once stole, that forces the victim to tell the truth. It has half a mouthful left, perhaps enough to have one or two questions answered truthfully. He slips the bottle into his bag.

"Hey, what are you doing over there? We're going in,” Minerva calls.

"Never know what he might have hidden around the house,” Eliam shrugs. “Never hurts to look, I guess."

"Eliam, can you tell where the glyph goes?" Oren asks, and he shakes his head. "Then let's go see."

The three step onto the glyph, and vanish. ---

They reappear in a dimly lit room. It is silent.

Eliam flourishes and his arcane lantern flares to life dramatically. Minerva whistles. "Damn, Eliam. It's just us!"

"Maybe you should ask him to teach you that,” Oren suggests.

"I don't mind teaching you at all. Could be kind of fun,” Eliam smiles. Minerva laughs slightly, and leads them onward through the room.

The room is empty of people. There is a table against one wall, but nothing is on it. There's a door about fifteen feet away that is closed.

"Do you think there's a trap?" Oren asks.

Eliam closes his eyes briefly, sensing the aether. "I think it's safe."

"Is it locked?" Oren asks, trying the handle. It opens easily. He pushes the door open, and Eliam steps through, illuminating the room.

They arrive in what appears to be some sort of lab. There are a few bones scattered about but no flesh, limbs, or corpses. A few of the tables have traces or drops or unidentified liquid.

Oren pokes around a table, shifting empty vials. He lifts a scrap of paper in his hand. On it is a logo with a circled V. He hands it to Minerva, and continues searching.

"Do any of these liquids look familiar to either of you?" Eliam asks, poking at some of the vials.

Minerva frowns at them. "I have no idea. I never inherited Mom's particular talent for these kind of things..."

Oren examines the vials closely before nodding. "Ok, so... they were making zombies as well. Why is everyone making zombies?" He gathers some of the vials, putting them into his pack with some of the bones. "Maybe we should stop by that bar, to see if your friend's still there,” he suggests to Eliam.

"My friend?" Eliam asks, confused.

Oren smiles. "The bartender."

"I uh... I'm not sure I'd call her a friend,” Eliam laughs awkwardly. “Surely the town is all evacuated by now anyways?"

Oren shrugs. "She was in the Lyriad too, right?"

"I mean, theoretically,” Eliam says. “But she was one of the ones in Hiram's group, then."

"Right, she might know where he is,” Oren smiles. "I mean, he's not exactly our enemy... though she probably doesn't like you."

"I guess it can't hurt,” Eliam sighs. “I'll just... wait outside while you talk to her."

"Let's see if we can track her down, then..." Minerva says.

The group withdraws back through the glyph. Minerva leads them toward the bar where the bartender once worked.

Eliam leans against the outside wall, and Oren gives him the evidence they gathered to look after.

Oren leads Minerva inside, and finds the bar is empty. He searches each of the rooms, before returning to the main floor. All of them are empty; the till, he finds, is empty too. Oren pulls down a crate, putting the best liquors and wines he can find into it.

"I guess she's not here?"

Minerva folds her arms. "I guess not. They must have gone off somewhere together."

Oren sets down the bottles, and pulls her into an embrace. "I missed you"

"I missed you, too," she says. "I, uh... I'm sorry. For making you feel the way you wrote about in your letter."

He shakes his head. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Blushing, he kisses her on the cheek.

She smirks. "Come on. Be brave." She kisses him on the lips, and he smiles.

A few minutes later, she smiles and leads him to the door. "My room. Ushad," she says, before rejoining Eliam.

"What?" He says awkwardly, blushing furiously. He joins them outside, and Eliam raises an eyebrow.

"Any luck?"

"Uh, what?" Oren asks.

"You know. With finding that barmaid,” Eliam grins at him.

"No. There's no money, so she probably took it and left. We should go,” Oren says. “I mean, if you're ready..."

"Yeah, that's fine. It looks like no one's here anymore, really,” Eliam shrugs.

"Let's go,” Oren nods, and looks at Minerva. "...to Ushad."

She grins.

"... It looked like that room had been used recently, but I guess it couldn't hurt to ask Linea for help and supplies, maybe?" Eliam suggests, as they begin to return to the boat.

---

Minerva and Oren ride the horse home while Eliam sails.

As night begins to fall, Minerva ties the horse up to a tree and walks back to Oren. She leads him beyond a small ridge so as to be out of sight of the horse. "I changed my mind. Ushad seems too far away,” she says lowly, pulling him towards her.

---

Louis' rugged hands grip the rudder firmly as he sails with Eliam. He glances at Eliam periodically. He looks Eliam up and down every so often.

Eliam smiles at him charmingly. "You don't look so bad yourself."

The boat rocks violently. "Shoot," Louis says as the water splashes over him from the side of the craft. He grabs the rudder and stabilizes the ship. "My hand slipped." He looks down at his chest, now soaking. "Well, that's gotta dry now." He removes his shirt and lets it drop to the ground at Eliam's feet. His wet torso glistens in the sunlight.

Eliam laughs, taking out the wine that Oren looted.

Two days pass, and Eliam learns more about him.

Louis is a 24-year-old man who presents himself as far older and more world-weary than his age suggests, perhaps owing to the same great loss that has caused him to reject the land and live most of his life on the water. He hails from Tezef, and lost his family to orcs in the Elyde takeover years prior. He was taken in by a neighbour, but lost, them, too, two years prior. He carries a love of reading romantic fiction as an escapist fantasy and spends his days sailing the river up and down, meeting people and learning new stories.

He shaves with his father's razor which he keeps sharp by grinding it against riverstones. He looks into the river for his reflection, thus why his shave is never perfect and he seems always to have some stubble across his face.

Years on the water in the sun have tanned him, and living constantly at the rudder have toned his physique.

---

Time passes. Eliam and Louis arrive in Ushad. Louis gives Eliam a slap on the rear as he departs the boat.

"I'll be in town for a while. Maybe I'll see you again?" Eliam says.

Louis sits down on his boat and takes out his book. "Fine with me. I didn't really want to leave the ship anyway. Come back soon, you hear?"

Minerva and Oren arrive back in town the following day.

Oren pours over the cookbook taken from Minerva's home, in what little time he has away from her. He discovers that the knockout powder has only two further ingredients, and that one them is crushed malangia nuts. He also discovers that the crafting process will involve both the application of heat and a cooling down time where the substance is undisturbed.

Gwen and Elise Explore Fallowfield
The road to Fallowfield is peaceful, and long. Elise hums softly to herself as Gwen steers the vehicle forward. Some segments of the trip have been quiet, others marked by casual conversation. This proves to be the latter.

"Hey, Elise...I was wondering,” Gwen says. “I know it's been awhile since the wellspring, but how are you feeling? No kind of symptoms of the curse coming back?"

She smiles. "Thank you for your concern, but I feel great. I haven't felt this at peace for a long time."

Gwen smiles back. "That's good. I was worried the memories might be haunting you, but you've always seemed to have a strength that no one gives you credit for."

She smiles. "No, I'm nothing special. I... I am the weakest out of everyone. But I'm trying hard. I hope that counts for something in the end."

"I disagree. Between the curse, and the prison, you've shown an admirable strength of will. You're also an incredibly gifted healer. You also helped me start a new path. I think before this is done, everyone will recognize how strong you actually are."

Elise offers Gwen a warm grin as she says, "I... thank you. It's really only been Minerva and my sister that have believed in me before."

"I'm glad Minerva does, at least. It must've been hard traveling with people who don't, when you're on the same quest. I'm still not sure what happened before I met everyone, but you've been a vital part that I've seen. I don't know why the boys don't see that."

"I've been unfair to them, too," she admits. "The... the Noctyr hunger was... impossible."

"You can't be blamed for that,” Gwen shakes her head. “You or Minerva. Just like Oren can't be blamed for Kunalchusi."

She sighs. "I know. That... thing. Maker, how are we to stop it?"

"I'm not sure. It talks about the Maker like it knows Him, so maybe we'll get lucky and find some information in Fallowfield. Maybe not everything was destroyed. We just need to believe there's a way. If there is something that can defeat it, we'll find it. I promise."

She nods. "I hope so."

The wagon continues on. Minor chats continue as they travel toward the ruins of Fallowfield. Eventually, Gwen asks another important question...

"How do you feel about the Elyde?"

"I never thought about them, really," she says. "I never really knew life before them. I guess things were better before they came into power. Certainly anything would be better than the Rorgh."

Gwen nods. "I grew up sheltered from it all, believing that the Elyde were just. My family's prestige kept us safe from the Rorgh, somehow. Eliam mentioned there was a plan to overthrow the Elyde, but sometimes I wonder if if it's not just the Rorgh running amok."

"What do you mean?"

"I just wonder how much control the Elyde really has over the Rorgh. The orcs seem barbaric enough that, now that they're more organized, might refuse to take orders. I'm not really sure, though. Do you think there's a peaceful way for this to end? For the orcs to join normal society? I'm not sure I would want them to, after Fallowfield, but..." Gwen sighs, shaking her head.

"I don't think I'm the person to speak to," she says. "I can't say knowledge of the orcs is my forte."

"I feel that you four will have a say in how the world is shaped, though. You saw in Tezef, the people cheering for everyone. I'm sure whoever the new leaders will be will look to you all for advice. I don't think Minerva or the boys will have any trouble wiping out any remaining orcs, that might have been innocent from the Rorgh. Do you feel the same?"

"Do you think they'll go that far? To purge them all, even the ones that had nothing to do with it?" she asks.

"I can't say. I don't know Minerva well enough, but I believe Oren would do what she wanted him to. And I think that without intervention, the people might demand it, afraid of something like the Rorgh happening again."

She considers this, thinking deeply. After moments in silence, she says, "Perhaps we will have to lead in more ways than one."

"I think so,” Gwen nods again. “Your fight won't end after Kunalchusi. I think it might only just begin. Being a child...you'll have to bear the responsibility for your whole life."

"You are probably right. I hope I can count on your support for that," she says hopefully.

"Of course. I'll help in any way I can. Have you thought much, about the future?"

"Not really," she says. "This whole thing has been so fast, I honestly have just been thinking one day at a time."

"Did you have any plans, before all this?"

"To be honest, I thought I would just be a healer back home in Saloria. I would live on the outskirts of the village to find some quiet and venture into town whenever anyone was hurt."

"I'm sure that'd still be possible if you wanted. Well, maybe not the quiet. I could see people traveling just to be healed by a Child of Destiny."

"Hm. Perhaps I should change my name once all is said and done. Start a quiet life?" she says. It is unclear if she is joking or not.

"Because there's so many women with silver hair,” Gwen says teasingly. "I think you're stuck with us, Elise."

She smiles and leans back against the side of the wagon. "Sounds pretty good to me."

"You mentioned that Minerva believed in you. Are you two close? When we first met, it seemed like there was some conflict, but it was hard to say. She's always been very hard to read for me."

"Minerva is like... well, she started to feel like another sister when we were traveling together. She's amazing. I don't know how she keeps herself together so well," she replies earnestly.

"She seems very adaptable to everything. I'm not sure if she's putting up a front, but she seems rather resilient."

"To have lost both her parents and take over a secret underground resistance? You'd have to be..."

"Do you know much about the Lyriad?" Gwen asks.

She shrugs. "I know they're fighting to help people and stop orcs from hurting people."

"A good cause. Though maybe now that it's backed by the Children, going more public with their efforts might bring hope to the people. I could be wrong, though, but I've never liked working in the shadows. It reminds me too much of home."

"Perhaps. They're so small, it might just make them easier to crush," Elise says.

"Maybe before... now, maybe not."

"You think our difference is that great?"

"I saw the aftermath of Asle Lenor. We defeated a kingdom. I think, together, the Children are nigh unstoppable. Oren mentioned that the Rorgh had some sort of unliving beings, but I'm not even sure that has any sort of chance. The books always told of great power that was possessed by the Children, but actually seeing it...it's almost frightening."

"You think that's frightening," Elise says dryly. "Imagine holding that power within you. I feel like I could shatter the sky if I weren't careful. It's too much power for any one person."

"I can't imagine having that much power. Do you think anything can match the power you wield, you all wield?"

"Match?" she muses. "Perhaps not. Exceed? Kunalchusi, for one."

"Well, it's not like the Elyde would have it on their side.” She pauses, then looks concerned. "...Right?"

"No, but in a way that actually helps us. Enemy of my enemy, you know? And at the very least, they may weaken each other."

"That's true,” Gwen nods.

They ride on for some time in comfortable silence. Eventually, Gwen looks back at Elise. "How do you feel about Oren and Eliam? Before everything that happened in Ushad, I was trying to get them to treat you better, but I'm not sure how much of that stuck..."

"Eliam is nice," she says. "He's a little spacey sometimes. I'm not sure how much of his braggadocio is genuine or feigned. Oren is... I thought he was mean at first but he's nice, deep down. He just has a hard time showing it."

"I think a lot is feigned. Not that that's inherently bad, but when I talked to him privately he was always more... serious. And sometimes very insecure."

"That makes sense,” Elise nods. “He's been through a lot as well."

"We all have."

Elise agrees silently.

---

The days pass easily. Gwendolyn trains Elise in their downtime in swordsmanship, and guides her in horseback riding when the road is easy enough to allow it.

One night, during watch, Gwendolyn eyes the golden orb from Fallowfield warily. She reaches out to touch it, but her fingers stop just short. Something within her warns her away.

---

Eventually, Gwen and Elise arrive at Fallowfield. The once-grand castle stands tall on the cliff overlooking the sea, but crumbling stone dots the fields in front of it. Black marks mar the stones that cling to the remains of the wooden beams that once supported the grand entrance and elaborate stained glass work. In the distance, the wind pushes ashes around the ruins of a lively village; an inn's sign hangs askew from a metal beam, and some remnants of the people that lived here not so long ago remain scattered about within the grass.

A small, handmade memorial marks the destruction that happened here. Simple stones mark several graves in front of where the entrance once stood. In the center between them is a larger, collapsed stone with numbers carefully etched into the center; the date the ancient fortress fell.

Elise spots the memorial and offers a prayer at it, as Gwen ties the horses down. She watches as the girl pays her respects, and leads her into the remains of Fallowfield. She pauses at the entrance, warily grabbing Elise's shoulder to prevent her from going too far ahead.

"...Do you hear anything?"

"No, nothing. I'm sorry," Elise says somberly.

"At least we won't be interrupted by the Rorgh, then,” Gwen says quietly, leading her down what is left of the familiar halls. She guides her to a small, modest room; though much was taken, what is left indicates it was once Prilla's room and office.

Gwendolyn bows her head in respect, and runs her finger on the desk in the center of the room. The dust layered over the desk is pushed aside onto the remains of some charred, tattered pages. Though nothing immediately seems retrievable, she notices something strange where once a chair would sit. A small lever is attached to the underside of the desk; though easily obscured, with the chair overturned, it is much more easily noticeable. Gwen attempts to pull it, to no avail.

She crouches down to inspect it, but can not find obvious proof it is broken in any way. She pulls again, harder this time, and the lever creaks ever so slowly and edges forward until it jerks suddenly and smoothly releases. A trapdoor slides away beneath a slap of stone under the desk. A ladder leads down.

Gwendolyn looks at Elise, shocked. "This... this is new. ...Do you happen to have any light magic?"

"N-yes," she says. She walks over to the wall and grabs a torch. She lights it with some nearby tools and says, "Akalazoo! Ta-dah. Light magic." She giggles.

Gwendolyn laughs, and smiles warmly. "See, I told you you were an impressive mage."

Elise hands her the torch, and follows her down the ladder. After a few feet, Gwendolyn reaches the bottom. She hold up the torch to guide Elise's way, and together they find a long, stone tunnel. The walls are laid with heavy stone brick. The only steps in the dirt on the floor are theirs; the area seems untouched.

Gwendolyn starts cautiously down the tunnel, leading the way. The walls are bare and unadorned, and the tunnel continues on, seemingly without end.

Time passes, and Elise squints into the darkness. "I think it's getting lighter... Do you smell something?"

Gwendolyn sniffs at the air. "I think so... is that... the ocean?"

Confused, she presses onward, leading Elise through. Minutes more of walking see the stone brick give way to plain unrefined stone wall, as a cave. They emerge in a cove at sea level. There is a boat tethered to a small dock, bobbing with the waves.

Gwendolyn steps forward, holding out the torch to examine the boat. She sees nothing that would indicate the boat is in anything but working order.

"What is this?" Elise whispers.

"I'm...I'm not sure. At all,” Gwen whispers back. “Prilla never mentioned anything like this but... it's obvious it was in use. The boat isn't run down at all."

She douses the torch in the water, and places it on the ground. Carefully, she climbs onto the boat, and helps Elise up with her.

Elise looks around, and finds a small drawer near the front of the boat. She tugs at it and lifts out a pair of books: The Maker's Plan and Seat of the Sea.

Gwendolyn pulls out the Seat of the Sea, flipping through it quickly. "It looks like this was supposed to be an escape route... it's a shame she didn't get to use it."

"I was there... She could have. She made the choice not to. She held the orcs up at the gates as long as she could so we could escape." She sniffles and her eyes mist over.

She lowers the book, and places her hand comfortingly on Elise's shoulder. "She always believed fully in the Children. I guess she was ready to sacrifice everything to protect you all."

Elise runs her hand along the rail. "Should we use it? Her boat, I mean?"

Gwen nods. "We can always come back if we don't find anything."

Elise wonders about the horses. "Should I go set them free? There's no dock for us to be able to get them on the boat..."

"We'll still need a way back, won't we? I don't trust in my skills to bring us back to Ushad by boat."

"Oh, I thought you meant to take it back to Ushad. Yeah, going out for a ride for fun would be amazing, too," Elise says.

Gwen and Elise sail the boat out of the cove and into the open water. In advancing and looking back, they realize they are sailing in the southern sea.

Looking back to the shore, they see Fallowfield from the rear, a view at a distance neither of them had ever imagined of seeing before. The sun reflects off the water; the castle stands, the image both majestic and bittersweet.

"I wish we could've seen this before. But still...what a sight."

"I wish Prilla could have seen it," Elise adds.

Gwen nods, and silently looks at the castle. After some time, Gwendolyn turns the boat around, bringing it back into the cove. She reties the boat, carefully replacing the books into the drawer they were found in.

Elise says, "I don't know that there was much about Kunalchusi, but... I think this was a worthwhile trip."

"Maybe you're right. It was nice just... getting away."

"It was nice to get to know you a little more, too," she says. "Do you think... you're ready to face the other Children again?"

Gwen sighs. "Maybe...I don't know. It's complicated."

They return to Prilla's office in silence, closing the trap door behind them. Gwendolyn leads her through the ruined castle, peering hopefully into the library. The remains of books are scattered on the floor with little regard. What remains behind is charred beyond repair or readability, and she sighs in disappointment.

"We might as well stay the night nearby. No reason to set off this close to evening."

"That sounds reasonable," Elise says.

Camp is set up, and Elise and Gwen prepare to depart the following morning.

The trip back is about four days. Gwen and Elise arrive two days after Minerva and Oren. Elise touches base and looks to arrange a sit-down meeting with everyone to decide their next steps.

Anna Attacks in Ushad
A couple of orcs lumber down the street. They snort at passerby in their own style of keeping them in line.

They pass an alleyway and continue to walk on, paying it no mind. A girl with black hair steps from the shadows and watches them pass before stepping back into cover.

Anna shakes one of her pistols loose under her cloak and slowly begins to follow the orcs from a safe distance. She flips open one of the pouches on her bandolier, waiting for the right moment when no one else is around.

Anna attempts to keep the orcs within her sights as she slips from shadow to shadow, but fails to mind her surroundings. The orcs slip out of sight around a corner. As she moves up a side alley to keep pace with them, she nearly walks into a third orc, out of sight of the others, who is standing at the edge of the building.

Anna rolls a smoke bomb silently along the ground just behind the orc's legs. It quietly begins to spew a thick obfuscating cloud. The orc wheels around but sees nothing but grey fog in the darkness.

She darts around, avoiding his gaze, and fires her first pistol.

The orc staggers as the first shot strikes his cheek and jolts his head back.

The orc steps into the smoke and begins swinging his massive fists, but connects with nothing.

Anna begins cackling madly, still hidden by the fog. "I saw how you treated those people! You'll pay!"

The orc begins to panic slightly. "Where are you? Show me!"

The orc spins around in the cloud still, completely blind and furious.

She laughs again, and fires her second pistol.

The bullet tears through the orc's skull, leaving a round hole which is quickly filled by a rush of fog. The orc's body slumps to the ground.

Slipping only slightly, Anna scampers up the side of the building, leaving behind yet another mystery for the orcs -- and citizenry -- of Ushad. She pauses on the roof and dramatically yells into the streets, “Thus is the fate of all who challenge the Terror of Ushad!”

The Group Plans in Ushad
The new morning dawns. Minerva sits across from Oren at the large meeting table, talking amicably as they wait. Gwendolyn and Elise arrive soon after, taking a seat and joining them. Eliam walks in soon after, looking nervously at Gwen before taking a seat away from her, leaving Oren between them.

Minerva smiles warmly at the group, happy at their reunion. "It's great to have everyone back. Um... is ... everyone okay?" She senses a little tension.

"I'm fine," Gwen answers, sipping at a cup of tea. "How was your date?"

Minerva flushes. "Ah... um..."

Oren looks up from his book awkwardly, then quickly looks back down at it, unwilling to answer.

"It was... pleasant. Thank you," Minerva stammers finally. "Are we... good to figure out our next steps?" she asks.

Eliam nods, careful to avoid looking at Gwen. "Yes, I think so. If everyone else is ready."

"Did you discover anything important at the tower?" Minerva asks Oren and Eliam.

Oren shrugs. "We discovered... um... we need to all go there. With Gwen!"

"Why is that?" Elise asks.

"Yes, the...letter didn't really say,” Gwen says nervously.

"We met with Oren's master, Adani,” Eliam explain. “He was... I'm not certain we can trust him; he was somewhat violent towards Oren, and he had knowledge of things like Thirshalon, and their set of Children. It was... suspicious, to say the least. But he claims he knows magic that can turn Lady Gwendolyn into the Child of Earth." "Gwen is fine,” she says quietly, avoiding his gaze. He nods awkwardly in return, glancing briefly at her before returning to looking straight ahead.

Oren nods. "Well, it's.. we need all five children to capture Choozy. So, without Votig we can just... have Gwen be a proxy. Do you still have the orb?" He asks, before glancing between them.

Gwen frowns. "That doesn't seem likely. I still have the orb, but, magic that can replicate The Maker?" "Well, you do that all the time, you heal and repel monsters,” Oren points out. “You just need to get the power from inside the orb and use it on the demon. And fix the wellspring, hopefully."

Oren sips at his own tea, finishing the cup. He stands to go to the kitchen to retrieve more for the table, but as he reaches the doorway, Linea appears, blocking him. "Ah, hello,” she greets him.

He waves a little, and smiles awkwardly as he tries to find a way around her.

She smiles back. "I am sorry to interrupt you, but I have a rather pressing issue to speak with you about. May I interrupt you for a few minutes?"

Minerva shrugs. "Is it okay?" she asks the table.

"I don't mind,” Eliam shrugs. Gwen nods.

She moves toward the table and sits in the seat Oren left vacant, and Oren finally goes into the kitchen, relieved. He brings back toast and more tea, and claims the vacant seat by Minerva, pulling his book over to his new seat.

Linea says, "We've been getting some rather strange reports." She puts out a series of sketches. "It seems someone in Ushad is running around shooting orcs and setting off smokebombs."

"Someone new?" Minerva asks.

Nodding, Linea answers, "Yes. Someone brave enough to stand up against them, but also someone who may not realize how much danger they're in if they persist alone."

Oren passes a piece of toast to Elise.

She takes the toast gratefully and munches slowly. "You believe we have an ally?"

"Perhaps," Linea says. "I'm more concerned about their safety first... then, yes, an ally second."

Oren smiles and offers Gwendolyn a piece as well.

She smiles and takes it. "Thank you."

Oren smiles as Eliam helps himself as well, and inches the plate with what's left slightly closer to Minerva, before politely pouring her some tea.

"I imagine there's plenty of people out there, like that. Minerva, have you ever considered going more... public, with the Lyriad? It's only a matter of time before the rumors of the children spread more. It'd be nice to give the people hope."

Minerva picks up a piece of toast and smiles. To Gwen, she answers, "It may be the time to do that, soon, if more people like this... whoever he is show up."

"Or she," Elise points out.

Linea says, "Whichever, can I leave it to you to attempt to find them?"

Minerva nods. "I think we're setting other plans, but maybe we can try to do something tonight before we leave? That is, if we're still planning on going to the tower? Gwen, what do you think?"

Gwendolyn looks away uncomfortably. "Maybe... I'd at least like to hear his plans. But he doesn't sound like someone we should put all our trust in, if what Eliam says is true."

Minerva nods. "Let's be careful, then, but plan to leave for the tower tomorrow. Linea, what else can you tell us about this... person?"

She shrugs slightly. "There's been a slight increase in assaults and vandalism with an anti-Rorgh leaning in the last few days, always at night. I would watch the orcs and see what they do."

Elise tilts her head slightly. "Do you expect a response?"

Linea looks back grimly. "An orc is dead. I expect a large one."

"Do you think we should kill all the orcs?" Oren asks, tilting his head at Linea and smiling.

"All? No, certainly not. I have never shared Hiram's... particular methodology. But certain if they cross the line, meeting their force is acceptable," she answers.

"Are there any who don't cross the line?” He continues. “Have you met any like that?"

Linea says, "I am certain there are... no things are universal."

"I don't know, we went to Thirshalon and the orcs there were pretty awful,” Oren shrugs. “We could kill all the orcs here and nobody would mind."

"Speaking of... I am concerned about Hiram, still,” Eliam interjects. “The tower is important, of course, but I'm not sure we should just let him do... whatever's he doing without trying to stop him." "Hiram?" Gwen asks.

"When we got back, Minerva was trying to track down a rogue Lyriad member, Hiram Roze,” Eliam explains. “Reportedly he's in Saloria, making more undead creatures. We found his lab and some strange symbols there, but no sign of the man himself."

Elise shivers.

"Undead creatures... like the ones you mentioned were in The Rorgh?” Gwen asks. “Someone from the Lyriad has fallen that far?"

"I don't think we should worry about him. Stopping Kunalchusi is more important than anything, and then fixing the wellspring,” Oren adds. “Stopping the Elyde and Rorgh is next. Hiram has that goal too, so why should we waste our time worrying about him? If we're successful he'll stop and the Lyriad won't be needed anymore.  There's no reason to have another enemy just because he gave Minerva some truth serum."

Minerva offers him a sideways glance but holds her tongue, and Oren pats her back.

"If he is making undead...That's reason enough, I feel,” Gwen says. “We shouldn't allow ourselves to be tainted just because it's easier."

"It's still not as important as stopping the Elyde and fixing everything else. Maybe we can just talk to him and see what he's doing?" Oren asks.

"And if he's calling his own people the Lyriad, it would make it harder for us to gain true supporters if there's rumors around,” Gwen points out. "I agree. It might not be neccessary to act against him, but we should still look in to it, just in case."

Oren nods, and looks at Minerva. "What do you think we should do?"

Gwen nods at her as well. "You are the leader of the Lyriad, right? It should be your call." She pauses, looking slightly confused. "Wait, are we all Lyriad?"

"I think so,” Oren answers. “We have necklaces, that makes us official members of the cult. But I think it means we have to do what Minerva says." He pulls out his green teleportation necklace, playing with it.

Minerva sits back straight in her chair. "I see only one real option. We don't know where Hiram is right now. We could track him down but it may take ages. I think it makes more sense to travel to the tower and look into making Gwen a child and keep an ear out for Hiram while we go."

Eliam nods. "Makes sense. Though I do think we should track down this mystery orc-killer while we're here. And Lady... er, Gwen has a good point. Are we Lyriad now? I've never been in a cult before, but it could be kind of fun."

Minerva glares daggers at him in response.

"Oh, right, Gwen are you pregnant or not?” Oren asks, glancing pointedly at her tea. “You should probably know by now, huh? I got some of that tea if you want it."

Eliam looks at him, taken aback, as Gwendolyn begins choking on her tea.

"Of course we're members,” Oren smiles in answer to their question. I mean, you have a necklace now too I think before only I was."

"That's rather... personal,” Gwen tells him, looking away and blushing. “And not really relevant for the immediate plans."

“Oh, alright,” he smiles warmly at her. He stands up, quickly retrieving the box of items retrieved from Hiram's lab, and hands it to Linea. He sits back down in his seat, and puts his arm around Minerva's shoulder.

Minerva smiles. "You're members if you want to be. If not, you're certainly allies. There's no formal ceremony. It's your choice."

"I'll be a member then,” Oren says happily. “I mean I thought I was."

She quietly says, "I did, too."

Eliam shrugs. "I will be too then, I guess. Why not?"

"So, Linea, we found all of this in Hiram's basement,” Oren explains to her as she confusedly lifts up one of the bones. He points out the symbol. "Do you know what this is?"

Linea checks the notes. "Sylenna plants... yes, something that Cerena was all too familiar with."

"Did Hiram know her?" Oren asks.

"Cerena? Certainly," she answers. "We were all good friends, once. Your parents, Minerva, and Hiram, Trelor, myself... Oh, we had dreams, once."

He looks confused. "Who is Trelor?"

"The Lyriad were founded by four people, united in a dream of freeing the people of Iquai," Linea explains. "Myself, Hiram Roze, Samson Cosette, and Trelor Hanbeck. Trelor was a... well, a soldier, really, but a good man, and one taken before his time.

"Cerena, Samson's wife, was involved almost from the start once she knew what Samson was up to. She tended to the wounded whenever she could. Eventually she produced powders that were almost as effective as magic. They were the most useful compounds you could imagine. We tried to learn how to make them from her, but... she kept them a closely guarded secret. Always worried the orcs would get the recipes to the Elyde.

"She was an apothecary of sorts, and knew the properties and effects of a variety of plants and powders... and knew what would happen when they were combined, as well," Linea explained. "Sylenna plants were a useful healing substance as they kept rot away from damaged tissue."

"Do you think Hiram used her powders to create zombies? The way the Elyde did?" Oren asks.

"What happened to cause him to split away?" Gwen asks, intrigued.

"Hiram? He... tried to trick us into drinking truth serum, and asked Minerva some questions,” Oren tells her. “He was kind of weird, but really I don't think he wanted to hurt us. I mean, we didn't spend a lot of time with him. Elise, did you know him? He was the mayor of your town."

"No, not really," she says. "I'm sorry. I didn't spend a lot of time with, you know... people."

"It's okay.”

"He may have," Linea says. "Hiram... lost much to the orcs. He was the most... vocal about being proactive in attacking and killing orcs. My goals and his were very different. I wanted the Lyriad to heal those whom they had hurt. Hiram wanted to hurt them first. Samson wavered between our two viewpoints... until Trelor died.

"Trelor's death put a wedge in our group. Hiram left with a small band to found the Saloria chapter of the Lyriad, while Samson and I remained her. Hiram never fully left, though... Ever since he departed and Trelor died, Samson slowly took up his mantle. He saw too many friends die, too many innocents hurt. And I... let him slide. I'm sorry, Minerva," she says sadly.

Oren listens intently, refilling Eliam's cup with tea. He nods in thanks, drinking it and continuing to listen to her story.

Minerva lowers her head. "His death wasn't on you. He made his own choices, and fought to give us a better world. That's okay with me."

Linea begins to stand. "Is there anything else?" she asks.

"Do you think we should go stop him? I mean, I know he's trying to fight the Elyde, same as us, but..." Eliam trails off.

Minerva speaks before Linea. "No. Not yet."

Linea looks at her with surprise. Minerva says, "I know what he's doing. I know what's he done. I know how it felt to see... to see Dad like that. But the world comes first, and him causing trouble makes it easier for us to move around and try to stop Kunalchusi. I think we leave him on the board for now."

Oren nods, and whispers loudly to Minerva. "You're totally right, mo ghrá"

"One last thing then, if you don't mind,” Eliam continues. “Have you had any news about the gold we gave you to be melted down? The trip was... a little more than I expected it to be."

Oren nods. "That innkeeper charged us 2 gold a night. Glenhaven is expensive!"

"Ah! Yes," she says. "Our smithy managed to melt the gold down into small bars. You should be able to take it to a bank for cash."

Linea goes to leave. "Will that be all?"

"I think so. Thank you,” Eliam smiles at her.

Gwen nods at her as well. "Yes, thank you."

"Should we go find that orc murderer?" Oren asks, smiling and moving his arm around Minerva's waist.

Minerva nods. "I think so. For their own sake."

Gwen and Eliam Chat After the Meeting
As the meeting comes to a close, Gwendolyn finally catches Eliam's eye. He looks away awkwardly, and Gwen sighs to herself, finishing her tea quickly before standing up. “Eliam... do you have a minute?”

"Oh, um..." He looks to Oren to save him, but he ignores him, nodding enthusiastically at Minerva while she talks. He sighs, and nods at Gwen without looking at her. "Yes... Gwen. Of course." He stands, and she leads him into a small side room, shutting the door behind him as he enters. She takes a seat as a small desk, looking conflicted as she carefully chooses her words.

"I...I got your letter."

Eliam remains standing, and nervously nods at her, looking at her for the first time. "I... I'm sorry. For what I did. I shouldn't have said that to you. Or... left, I think, but I didn't know what to do. But I, um... I mean, I meant what I wrote. And what you said when you slapped me, you... I think in a way you were right." He touches his cheek gingerly, nervously continuing to talk. "But a kid might not even be so bad, really! I... I'm sure we can figure something out. If you want. I mean, I can help you do whatever you want with this."

Gwendolyn shakes her head. "No...I'm the one who should be sorry. Quite frankly, you reacted in what I think was a fairly normal way... shocked at surprising news. Mine was more... I think, a projection of my own insecurities,” she sighs. "I don't believe I've been fully honest with you, but the lies I told I feel were also lies to myself, that I wanted to believe. And so I did; it was easy, living in the intoxicated haze that I had been. I think it was that moment that kind of woke me up, to make me realize that I have a problem. And I couldn't handle that, so instead I took it out on you, knowing full well that I was equally at fault for our lack of safety. But... I'm not actually pregnant."

"I... Okay. I mean, right now, that's probably for the best." He takes the seat across from her, and smiles comfortingly. "But... really, you don't have to apologize. What do you mean, lies to yourself? And what problem?"

"...What do you mean, right now?" She asks, looking confused.

"I mean... if you were with child, it wouldn't really... we certainly couldn't let you fight Kunalchusi," he explains.

"Oh, you're right. That would have been poorly timed,” she smiles sadly. "I think our plan, and everything surrounding it, was kind of... a sham. I told myself, and you, that it was for the good of Iquai, but really I think I just wanted to run from my own problems. I was afraid to return to Fallowfield, carrying the responsibility of returning it to its former glory. Even now after going back, I can't take up the mantle of what Prilla was. And even more than that... I dreaded going home. I haven't actually spoken or written to my family in the entire time I've been gone. I can't imagine they would actually have supported our plan. Being queen would have given me a new path away from those, a structured, confined goal that would ultimately keep from having to decide my own fate. I've never really... had freedom to choose.

"As for my problem...well, after Fallowfield, I was unable to cope. I lost someone very important to me, and staying even slightly sober was misery. So I turned to you, I think, since you seemed interested. I don't think that, without wine, anything would have ever happened between us... You're handsome, and charming, but I don't love you. Or, honestly, even like you. In that way, at least. I still think of you as a friend."

Eliam nods. "That's quite a long time to be gone from home, honestly... but you're a good person. I'm sure that if you went back to them, they would welcome you. To be honest... having gone back, I don't think I could have gotten support, either. And I mean, now you know me pretty well. Can you imagine making me king?" He laughs awkwardly. "Why did you leave home, anyways?

"And I'm... very sorry to hear you lost someone. I am interested in you, for what it's worth. But... as a friend, yes. I think that's the better option for both of us."

She smiles, shaking her head a little. "No, I don't think I could imagine that. I don't think either of us should ever be leading people... And thank you. It's hard, accepting that she's gone, but I feel like I'm in a spot now I can start to move on. It's nice knowing I have a friend I can turn to if I need. As for why I left... there's a reason my family was allowed to keep their titles, after the Elyde took over."

Eliam waits quietly as she closes her eyes, gathering her strength to continue.

"The Oberle Estate is...its a labor camp. The Elyde sends my father dissidents to work in the fields."

He raises an eyebrow, looking concerned. "And they were just... okay with this? They allowed it?"

She nods. "It was either that, or lose their title. Their status. Maybe not fine with it, but... They definitely accepted it."

"Okay,” He rests his head on his hand, thinking. “...We could talk to them, if you want. I mean... we can't allow that sort of thing to continue. Even if we don't rule, we're the Children. And you will be one too, soon. if you want. But I think fixing things like that is a part of helping Iquai."

"They...need to answer for what they've allowed to be done. There needs to be some sort of justice. They can't be shown any sort of favortism just because I might become one of the Children. I'm just not sure I'm strong enough to see that happen."

Eliam smiles. "Well, that's what we're all here for, right? You won't have to do it alone. ... Do you think you will? Become one of the Children?"

"Yeah...you're right. It's nice to have people I can count on. Thanks, Eliam." She smiles back, shaking her head. "I don't know. I know I should, if I can, for Iquai. But...did it change you? Did it hurt?" She looks at him, worried.

He closes his eyes, thinking. "It didn't... change us, I don't think. Not really. I mean, we have these powers now, which are... getting a little ridiculous, if I'm being completely honest about it. But it didn't change us as people. As for it hurting... I don't know about the wizard's magic, or what he's planning to do. But what we did with the wellspring didn't hurt. It didn't really feel like anything, to be honest. But from what Adani said about Oren, I get the impression that maybe we just always had these powers, and never realized it... I don't know."

"So, then...We don't really know what he intends to do, or what his magic will do to me,” Gwen says evenly. “Elise told me before we left for Fallowfield that she believed the powers of earth had started to accept me, but...on the trip there, I tried to touch the orb. And I couldn't. It felt...wrong, dangerous. And I don't know what will happen if Adani tries to force this power on to me."

"It is... an uncomfortable situation, yes,” he agrees. “For what it's worth, if you choose not do to it, I won't push you to. I do think you having those powers would be useful... and the orb did let you travel to Thirshalon to find us. But Adani... I don't know. I don't think I could trust him fully. But he does seem impossibly good at magic."

"I suppose we can only go there and see what he has planned. As good at magic as he may be, I don't think he could force me if you all are there."

"Of course not,” Eliam says, standing to leave. “I'm... really glad we can still be friends, by the way. We can bring up the matter of your family with everyone, and I'm sure they'll be happy to help. Are you ready to go back?"

"I'm glad, too." Gwen nods, and stands up with him. "We should at least wait until tomorrow. I don't want to distract anyone from tonight's mission." She heads to the door, placing her hand on the knob, and pauses. "Eliam."

She looks at him, but blushes. "...Um. Never mind."

She opens the door, leaving. He watches her as she goes, confused, but follows.

The Battle at the Grainhouse
Evening begins to fall.

Anna prowls the rooftops, watching orc movements as the shadows deepen. She arrives atop the Grainhouse as night falls at last.

[A trio of orcs are standing in front of the pub.

One of them looks uncharacteristically jumpy and is looking over his shoulder sporadically. Anna throws a rock. It lands with an audible thud in the dirt, kicking up soil around it. Two of the orcs look around; the nervous orc visibly flinches.

A minute passes.

She throws another rock. It flies true and hard and lands loudly in the dirt behind the orc, who jumps. He wheels around, but Anna is hidden perfectly.

The nervous orc seems embarassed. He turns and faces Anna's direction.

He lumbers toward the wall closest to him. He is soon out of Anna's line of sight.

Anna sneaks to the edge of the roof, undetected. When she is a foot away, there is a thundering wham that shakes the wall.

The two orcs are grinning.

Anna turns away from the edge of the roof and begins to move to a new location. Wham.

Anna advances to a nearby rooftop. Wham. Thud. She crawls forward to its front edge, which protrudes beyond the front wall of the Grainhouse. She peers down.

The orc is standing over the still body of a boy who looks to be fourteen or fifteen years old. There's a red stain on the wall around 5 feet off the ground. The orc is looking down with disgust. "Throw rocks at Rorgh, but can't handle punishment? Weak."

Almost without thinking, Anna draws her gun and fires. The sound echoes through the night as the shot careens forward at the orc. The impact staggers him and causes him to fall back against an awning support beam that covers the front door of the Grainhouse.

The other two orcs point upward and scream. "Up there!" one shouts.

One shouts, "Go!" The other begins to take off down the street. He's running away from Anna is a zigzagging pattern.

The one who is remaining is running toward the building she's standing on top of.

---

The group wanders the streets, looking for anything out of he ordinariy. After a short time of walking, they begin to notice some activity within the numbers of the orcs.

A number of orcs seem to be advancing quickly toward the Grainhouse.

Minerva is watching their movements with curiosity. "That's... odd."

"Should we see what's happening?" Eliam asks.

“We should,” she answers.

Oren turns to Elise, adjusting her scarf. "Thank you," she says. "I think it's okay, though... am I doing it wrong?"

"It's fine, it looks good, it just has to cover your hair anyway." He gives it one last look, mussing her hair slightly.

"Let's go,” Gwen says, leading them forward.

The party follows the orcs. They arrive to see what looks like two dozen orcs surrounding the grainhouse and its neighbouring building. The windows of the neighbouring building are shattered. There is a figure atop the roof.

Gwendolyn draws her sword and yells. "All of you, for one person? How cowardly."

While the orcs look at her, distracted, Oren sneaks forward. Oren attempts to cast Blood Wound. The magic gathers around him, and the orcs feel the pressure of his gathering aether. A group of the orcs advance on the party.

The orcs charge the party, splitting them as the enemy rushes into melee range. At the same time, an authoritative voice shouts, "We've got 'er for sure. Light the trap!"

A conflagration roars to life around the buildings. It encloses the road and blazes directly through the party. The party steps aside, but splits.

Gwen launches herself into the fray, charging down the nearest Orc Officer and striking him with a flurry of attacks. He stumbles over his own feet.

Anna attacks the nearest orc, firing her pistols. The Orc Brutalizer collapses to the ground from the repeated assault, but pushes himself to his feet. He will continue on.

Gwen launches a mighty blow on the Orcish Officer, slamming him against the ground with furious force. As he lays on the ground, she attempts to cleave him with a downward strike, but he catches the blow with his own blade and rolls away.

The Orcish Sage targets Oren.

The sage's magics reach out to Oren, but he nimbly steps aside.

The mage targets Anna.

A purple flame erupts into the night and arcs onto the roof, exploding on contact. The lethal blow is devastating as a massive fireball consumes the top of the building.

A faint black-purple aura lingers on Anna.

The captain begins to scale the building to reach Anna.

Rapier drawn, the Terror of Iquai leaps off the rooftop, sailing through the air at the Brutalizer, point first. She impales him through the heart with her blade. With massive momentum, she lets go of the hilt of her rapier and grabs the orc's shoulders as her feet impact the orc's chest. The orc falls backwards with her above him. Anna flips forward in midair, like so many prior practiced routines, and rolls the Brutalizer overtop her in the air. At the last moment, with the orc above her, she releases his shoulders and grabs the hilt of her rapier as the orc flies away from her.

Anna tumbles gracefully on the ground to break the rest of her momentum as the Brutalizer flies, lifeless, through the air, landing with a sickening crunch.

The Officer attacks Gwen, but fails to hit her.

The Restorer moves to the Officer and lays hands on him. Several of the Officer's wounds disappear.

The Lieutenant attempts to attack Gwen and fails.

Blood Wound erupts through the orcs. They collapse to their knees and howl as the blindingly painful assault cripples them.

The Officer collapses to the ground and is still.

The Captain falls off the building to the ground and suffers minor fall damage.

Gwen's sword slashes across the Lieutenant, who stumbles slightly.

The Sage attacks Eliam.

The Sage's magic pours into the ground; for a moment, Eliam is uncertain what has happened. Then magic erupts from the ground around Eliam's feet and envelops him, passing through him. The sinks back into the earth and, seconds later, returns to the sage.

The Mage attacks Oren but fails to hit him.

The Captain locks eyes on Oren.

The Captain launches forward in a flash, his blade singing in the air behind him. The sword seems to leave behind a melody of some sort, and its sound seems to invigorate the orcs.

The Captain's Lethal Blow crashes into Oren.

The Captain's Orcish Hymn increases the orc's battle prowess!

Anna kneels, checking to see if the child the orcs attacked is alright.The kid is still; there is no breath, nor pulse. He has passed.

Anna charges the Captain. Her rapier catches the Captain's sword and sends it flying away form him. As he recovers from the shock of seeing it fly, she spins and catches him directly beneath the chin with the hilt of her sword. His jaw snaps back and he falls against the ground prone.

The Restorer moves to the captain and heals him for moderate damage.

Oren manipulates the blood around you to create a gap in the flame wall. It is now possible to pass through to Minerva and Elise.

Oren runs through, joining them. Gwen moves forward to block any orcs from trying to pursue him.

Eliam glows grey, his eyes turning almost translucent. His power overflows so furiously that a faint, high-pitched whistle can be heard as aether overwhelms the area. The magic surrounds the Restorer. The Restorer looks at Eliam with helpless eyes for the briefest of moments, but his whole body begins to slow. Gradually he moves slower... slower... and at the moment he would stop, he disappears. The Restorer is peeled from reality.

Gwen's sword strikes the Sage.

Eliam, shocked by his sudden proficiency in literally deleting people from existence, begins to study magic with renewed vigor, starting on the path to becoming a literal wizard

The Sage attacks Gwen and fails to hit.

The Mage attacks Gwen and fails to hit.

The Captain struggles to his feet. Elise looks like she has taken a hit or two, but Minerva is right in her element. She's moving in and out of the orcs, extending the flame wall at unexpected moments and burning officers who are unprepared for it.

"Are you alright?" Oren asks, going to her side and tending to her wounds.

She sighs as the healing works on her. "I'm fine now. Thanks, Oren."

He moves protectively in front of her, smiling gleefully at Minerva's relentless assault against the orcs.

The Lieutenant targets Eliam.

The Lieutenant prepares a lightning attack, dashing at Eliam with furious speed.

Minerva uses the flame wall to drop another of the orcs on the left.

The Sage looks to land one final attack on Anna.

The Sage's magic erupts from underground beneath Anna and envelopes her. It passes through her and retreats into the soil. It rejoins with the Sage.

Looking through the firewall gap to see where to aim, the Mage launches a purple flame over the firewall, which crashes down on top of Oren.

It explodes in a black-purple conflagration.

Oren is afflicted by a black-purple aura.

The Captain stumbles over to his sword and picks it up.

Anna rushes forward. The rapier slips through the captain's neck. He drops, gurgling and spilling blood onto the ground.

Oren's magic falters on all the orcs except the Lieutenant. Oren begins pulling the Lieutenant into the fire.

The Lieutenant is pulled halfway to the fire before breaking free.

The Lieutenant puts his focus on Oren.

The Lieutenant fails to knock Gwen out of the way.

Gwen's sword flashes through the night as it runs through the sage, dropping him for keeps.

Minerva drops an orc on the left side with the help of the wall.

There are two orcs remaining on either side, down from the original dozen.

They begin to look worried and may be about to flee.

The Mage holds his action, shrinking away.

Anna's furious assault is overwhelming. Her rapier moves through the air blindingly quick; the mage is defenseless, and falls still.

The Lieutenant alone remains.

The flame blast knocks the lieutenant to the ground... permanently.

The orcs on the right are defeated.

Minerva shouts, "Hey! I think it's about time to get out of here before any others show up, don't you?"

"Why? We should just let them keep coming,” Oren says happily. “This is easy."

"Umm...I'm running low on bullets,” Anna says. “While I really appreciate the help, I'm all for dissapearing for now."

"Can you put out the fire?" Oren asks Minerva.

She looks at Anna, her eyes lighting up. "Hey. You. You did great out there. But it's going to be dangerous if you head off right now. So, listen: two choices. You can go off alone, get caught, and probably die... or you can come with us if you want to live."

Oren looks annoyed. "Do you just.. say that to people all the time? It sort of sounds like a threat."

Minerva handwaves him to be quiet and hisses, "This is like the one time i get to be all cool!"

"Maybe,” Oren nods, “but the city will burn down if the fire spreads..."

"Uhh... I mean I think I've been looking for you anyway. Fire...weird blood magic, a knight and...whatever the cute one did. Also, living is great, let's do that one."

"The name is Eliam, by the way,” he laughs. “Do you want some healing for that?" He points at the wound on her arm.

Gwen sighs, and reaches out to heal her. A bright light engulfs her hands, and Anna's wound disappears.

Minerva steps forward and puts a hand into the flame and inhales. The flame begins to flicker with her breathing and she begins to put it out.

"Can we... take that guy's body? Give him a burial? I... think I might have gotten him killed,” Anna says.

"Oh... yeah. I mean... do we have time?" Eliam asks, looking at the others.

Minerva's eyes soften immediately.

Elise steps forward and puts a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Hi, I'm Elise."

"Oh, um, hello. I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Anna! But maybe we need to go somewhere quieter? And also what about...that?" Anna gestures to the orcs held in place by Oren's magic.

"I think it's really great that you want to do that.That's very kind of you,” Elise says. “But if we stay and try to carry that body with us, we might get caught, and then it might be one of our bodies, too. Are you comfortable making that choice?"

"My name's Gwen. I can carry him. He deserves that, at least."

Oren moves his hand upwards, and one of the orc's bodies follows, lifting gently into the air. Oren smiles, and with a swift downwards movement, the orc falls to the ground with a sickening crunch, his neck snapped.

Anna looks startled, and then shrugs.

"What should we do with the other one?" Oren asks.

"Maybe he'll know something,” Gwen suggests. “Have you ever had a prisoner, Minerva?"

Minerva shrugs. "Occasionally, but very infrequently. Might be worth it."

Eliam picks up the captain's sword tentatively, but sighs and drops it back to the ground. He stands back up, and excitedly races back to Oren's side. "Oren, did you see that? In the fight, I don't know what happened, but I just sort of... that healer just stopped existing. I have no idea what I did."

The kid is laying face up. Gwen goes to pick him up, and in turning him, she realizes that the back of his head is caved in, crumpled, and exposed. Shards of skull and brain tissue crumble to the ground.

Gwendolyn rips off some of her tabard, wrapping it around his head to hide the worst of his injury. She lifts him into her arms, carrying him to the others.

Minerva steps forward to Anna. "I'm Minerva. It's good to have you with us, Anna. Shall we be off?"

"Where are we heading?" She asks curiously.

Minerva half-smiles. "Home."

---

The group continues on the path leading to the Lyriad glyph, unnoticed and unbothered. Oren's eyes glow blue as he controls the blood in the orc's veins, compelling him forward alongside them. Eliam tells him excitedly about their side of the fight, buffing him occasionally to ensure his control doesn't waver.

Anna leans over to Gwen, unnerved. "Is that...okay?"

"The mages here are... a little eccentric,” she answers uncomfortably. “You get used to it. But the cute one, as you said?" She half-smiles. "Be careful."

Anna looks away, speaking so everyone can hear. "So who are you guys?"

"Well... I suppose you did see us fight, so no sense hiding it. We're sort of the Children of Destiny,” Eliam announces proudly. "And uh... what was that about the cute one, earlier?"

Anna goes red, but pushes past it. "Children of Destiny... like... the fairy tale? That's... so... cool!"

"Well... yes. But, real! We can prove it,” Eliam grins.

"Wait so which one are you?" Anna points to Minerva "You must be fire!  But the rest... I can't tell."

"I'm the Child of Aether,” Eliam explains. “Oren there," he points, "Is the Child of Water. Elise is the Child of Air," he motions to her, "And Gwen is a Paladin, who's sort of our protector."

"This is amazing! I can't believe it's really all of you - there have been a lot of weird rumors, but you're here! Are you going to deliver us from the Rorgh?"

"It's one of the many plans we have,” Gwen smiles.

The Group Meets Anna
Gwendolyn stops them to make a small grave for the boy, marking the spot to inform the family of in the morning. They press on, finally arriving. Minerva and Oren secure the orc in a room, carefully locking the door behind them. Minerva leaves to inform Linea of what happened, Elise following closely at her heels.

“So you must be the er... 'Terror of Iquai' that everyone's talking about?" Eliam asks, as they settle in to the main room.

"Just the Terror of Ushad for now... but maybe one day!" Anna answers happily. "Though I guess they caught on to me...that seemed like a trap through and through. If you all hadn't show up I don't know what would have happened... thank you." She nods to Gwen "And thank you for healing me. You fought brilliantly."

"As did you. That jump off the building was very impressive."

"Thanks. I spent a few years in the circus. Learned a lot about that kind of thing there."

"That sounds like an interesting life. I never got to see it, myself,” Gwen smiles.

"I...you most likely won't. The Rorgh... broke up the circus. Out of spite. Not everyone made it out."

"That's a shame. I'm sorry for your friends,” Gwen says sadly.

"Why didn't you take the sword?" Oren asks, looking at Eliam.

He shrugs. "When I picked it up, it was just a normal sword. Nothing special about it."

"That's weird. Too bad... Gwen could have used it."

"Have either of you ever tried enchanting weapons?” Gwen asks. “We could maybe replicate it... or, honestly, you both are better mages than those orcs. You could probably make something better."

Oren shakes his head. "I'm not really a mage, I mean not like that. He can probably do it, though."

“I could give it a try,” Eliam shrugs.

Oren nods, and looks at Anna. "What's a circus?"

She gives him a funny look. "A circus. Like with clowns, and trapeze artists and animals! Lights and shows! You've never heard of it?"

He shakes his head.

"He had sort of a... weird childhood; didn't get outside much,” Eliam explains. “Or leave his town at all, really."

Oren looks at him, annoyed. "Gwen just said she'd never been either."

"Oh... sorry, yeah. That's true,” Eliam smiles. “To be honest, I never did either."

Oren gives him an exasperated look, and Anna smiles at him. "Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed.  Maybe one day someone will revive it." She pauses, looks around the room. "So...where exactly are we? I thought I heard someone say Lyriad, and you're the Children... is it a religious group of some kind?"

Oren nods. "Yes, rebelling against the Elyde and their blasphemous ways."

"I don't think it started as one,” Gwen explains. “But the Maker has a lot of influence, I feel, in our lives. Fighting the Elyde's ways, cleansing the cursed land of Thirshalon. I believe it comes hand in hand with being blessed by Him."

"They... we, I guess, mostly do things like you do. Just, as a group,” Eliam explains. “Trying to stop the Rorgh from terrorizing everyone and all that."

"We're going to kill aaalll the orcs,” Oren smiles brightly.

"Are you recruiting? Doing it alone has been a bit rough. I can contribute!” Anna says excitedly. “I can scout and shoot and fight! And make bombs!" "The way she acted earlier, Minerva is probably going to end up begging you to join up,” Eliam laughs.

"Yes, I think so,” Oren nods. “Anyone who wants to be a member can be. There's..no official... something..."

"Ceremony,” Gwen offers helpfully.

"Yes. that's what she said,” Oren smiles. "I mean, we can have our own ceremony if you want. Maybe Gwen can, you know, tap your shoulders with her sword."

"I...what? Why would I do that?" She asks, confused.

"To induct her into the cult officially."

"The circus was never really big on religion or anything, but I'd be glad to join up even if someone had to tap me on th... cult?" Anna asks, concerned.

"It's not... I mean, we're pretty sure it's not actually a cult,” Eliam reassured her. “Just, we got involved in sort of a weird way, and kind of... made some assumptions. That still bother Minerva. It's a little funny to say it in front of her, honestly."

"As long as I don't have to do anything weird, I'm onboard if we're fighting the Rorgh,” Anna nods. “So, you're Gwen, Eliam, and Oren? And the others were Minerva and Elise? How big is this group? And is there a child of Earth?"

"Votig,” Oren nods, looking away distraught.

"We... lost him, unfortunately,” Eliam explains sadly.

"Oh...I'm sorry,” Anna says.

Oren looks at both of them in turn, and hooks Eliam's arm, pulling him away out of earshot. When they are far enough, he whispers, "Don't sleep with her."

"I won't,” Eliam sighs. “I don't want to have what happened happen again."

"Good. Don't do it, don't let her seduce you, don't flirt, don't get drunk. if you do, you'll just make her hate you too. Remember, you make women go crazy.."

He nods. "Alright, alright. I won't. I promise."

Oren gives him a look. “Really?”

"Yes, really. And I spoke with Gwen. We're... I think we're okay, now. So that's good."

"Gwen is usually so sensible but you made her go crazy, and that bartender, well, she was already crazy, and that slutty orc. And you made Brie act crazy too. You're bad for women, I think,” Oren frowns. “It's a good thing you like men too."

"It... wow, it sounds bad when you list it out like that. But men are still okay for me to flirt with, then?"

Oren shrugs. "I suppose. You flirted with me and I never went crazy. ...I mean...” he pauses, looking around anxiously. “Not...

"I... yeah, it's okay, I know what you mean,” Eliam laughs quietly. “That's good news though, cause I don't know if you remember that guy who lent us the boat, but..."

Oren blushes as Eliam tells him the details, then smiles. “Well, that's good. He seemed really nice. …And I doubt he's expecting marriage like the women were. And,” his smile broadens, “he can't get pregnant!”

"I... yes, that's true," Eliam laughs awkwardly. "I... guess we should go join the others, though?"

Oren hesitates, and drops his voice to a low whisper. "So, Minerva and I are, um... we're sort of... like, ...sweethearts? I don't know, I think she's my girlfriend. I don't know if I'm supposed to call her that,” he looks around nervously. "But she definitely likes me."

Eliam pauses for a moment, then smiles. "That's really great! I'm glad she wasn't mad about the letter. I mean if anything, it seemed to actually make you two closer, somehow."

Oren smiles back at him. "I guess so. I mean, it's nice to be sure she likes me. Thanks for telling me to make sure. You're the best."

"That really wasn't what I... well, it's alright. It worked out in the end. Just... make sure you don't make her go crazy too. That's probably a good rule for both of us. But so far you two seem to be working out well."

Oren smiles proudly. "She won't go crazy, because if she wants to get married, I'll do it. And I think things are working out. She's been really nice to me.” His voice drops to a low whisper. “And I've seen her naked so that's pretty great too."

"So she finally figured out how to get you to sleep with her, huh?" Eliam grins. "So how did that go?"

Oren blushes, looking embarrassed, and scampers back to the other conversation.

---

"So, Anna. Are you from Ushad?" Gwen asks.

"A town called Tilnea, near here. Mostly with the Circus for the last few years, all around Iquai, wherever the shows were."

"Tilnea... can't say I've ever been there. Was it nice?"

"Nice enough for a farming town,” Anna smiles. “Quiet. It was just a little boring, to tell the truth. What about you; where are you from?"

"I'm...from Hadleigh, originally,” she looks away awkwardly. "But I've been living at the abbey in Fallowfield until recently."

Anna's eyes widen a bit. "Wow. We went near Hadleigh once. Didn't seem like we were too welcome so we pushed past." She coughs, embarrassed. "Not to say that everyone there was mean! It was just not our normal clientele... ah, I mean... oh... sorry."

"Yes...there was a reason I never was able to go. My father wouldn't allow it,” Gwen smiles.

"How did you come to join the children?" Anna asks, changing the subject.

"You heard about the attack on Fallowfield, right?"

"I did. Another crime for which the Rorgh haven't been held responsible."

Gwen nods in agreement. "I was working with Holy Seat Prilla to try and find the Children. There was rumors of them in Saloria, so she sent me there to look in to it. I only just got there when I heard of the Rorgh marching on the church. I rushed back as quick as I could, but I was too late. Prilla, everyone I was close to... they were all killed." She shakes her head, sighing. "But it seemed the Children managed to escape... to Thirshalon. I managed to follow them, and eventually met up with them to kind of help guide them back and keep them safe."

Oren joins them, nodding as he listens to Gwen's story, and Eliam follows.

"Oh, Gwen, I am so sorry,” Anna says. “That must have been horrifying."

"Gwen is very helpful, she's a good person,” Oren nods. “Which is really useful, we need a voice of reason."

"Thank you. It... it was. I'm sure losing your friends at the circus was very similar. We can only move forward, and do what we can so that one day, no one will experience the loss we have.” She smiles sadly at Oren. “I don't think I've been... very reasonable, lately. I'm sorry. But thank you."

He shrugs. "It's not your fault.” He points at her stomach, whispering loudly. “It's the hormones.”

Anna gives a determined nod. "I agree. Justice, revenge, whatever this ends up being. We'll get it in the end."

“What's a... clown?” Oren asks her curiously.

"Uhhh. Hmm. Well, a clown... they're like people who wear make up and do silly tricks. They're funny!"

"What was your... job...?" Oren asks, listening intently.

"I did a little bit of everything. Mostly, I was the head alchemist and brewer.  But I would do some trapeze tricks or fake fencing on the stage sometimes to fill in."

Oren takes her hands excitedly. "Wait, you're an alchemist? And a brewer? That's perfect. You're coming with us to Westbridge, right? I need you to do something and there's a lab there."

"Um, if you'll have me I'll join you wherever you're going,” Anna smiles. “I could look at something in a lab if you needed, I think. What is it?"

"It's a.. well, it's alcohol but it has alchemical properties like a potion. I want to make more of it,” Oren explains.

"Brewer? What did you brew?" Gwen asks, intrigued.

"Cheap alcohol, mostly. The occasional draught to cure upset stomachs or headaches."

"And we'd be more than happy to have you, of course. Any help you could offer would be more than welcome. And I mean, the more the merrier,” Eliam smiles.

"Gwen knows how to make wine. You two have a lot to talk about,” Oren says, letting go of her hands.

"If you have the time, I'd be interested in seeing the alcohol side of it,” Gwen smiles. “I have experience in winemaking, but nothing with spirits or ale."

"I'd like that!” Anna smiles. “Wine was hard to make on the road, so I never really got the chance. It'd be great to learn from each other."

"It would,” Gwendolyn smiles at her.

"I helped make ale and poitín a few times but I don't really remember the recipe,” Oren adds. “But it's really interesting, it's sort of like making potions just... takes... longer. The apothecary room in the tower we're going to is really nice, there's everything you could ever need to make medicine or potions, or whatever you want."

He looks at them both in turn, and takes Gwen's arm, pulling her aside. Gwen looks at him, surprised, but follows him away. As she leaves, she gives Eliam a warning look.

"I really did bring some tea back, in case you need it... did you want any?” Oren asks once they're alone. “You seemed to imply you didn't but then Eliam, well.. you know what he's like. But I think he really will marry you if you make him. He's just freaking out right now."

Gwen shakes her head. "No, I don't need it. It's not an issue anymore. And... I don't believe we're going to get married, but that's okay. We talked it out earlier. I think we're fine. I was kind of freaking out too... I was in a bad spot, honestly."

"Oh... okay, good. I mean, not good that you're not getting... married... exactly... Although that might be for the best too. Really I think he just didn't want to be king. It wasn't about you, he just isn't really suited for that sort of job."

"I don't think I would have been suited to be queen, either,” Gwen smiles sadly. “But that's okay."

"We'll go live somewhere normal, he wants to be a healer.. and he wants me to help him. You can come too, if you want,” Oren offers.

"I appreciate that, but...I don't know. I guess it depends on what happens after the Elyde. I still want to try and help people where I can. That probably means traveling a lot..."

Oren nods.

Gwen looks at him, considering her words. "Is what Eliam said about your master true?"

"What do you mean?"

“That he's not trustworthy.”

Oren shakes his head. “I trust him... he's nice to me, I... he's very um... strict. And I think Eliam just isn't used to that. He was spoiled by his parents. Not that my master is my parent or anything... you know what I mean."

Gwen nods. "I kind of was, too. He didn't have the benefit of time in Fallowfield like I did. I was just like him... or maybe worse, and still it feels like some of my decisions are brought on by that."

Oren shrugs. "I guess I'm lucky I wasn't treated like that. Though it sounds pretty nice"

"It's nice... until you start expecting the world to work the way you want it to, just because you have the money. It leads to a depressing lifestyle.” Gwendolyn looks at him nervously. “Does Adani really have the kind of magic that could turn me in to the Child of Earth?"

Oren shrugs. "He can do anything, probably."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... with magic. He's really good at it. I think. You'll see what I mean when you see the tower. Even Eliam was impressed, and his family is incredibly rich. Probably the richest in Iquai... their house was enormous, like that hotel we stayed at in Thirshalon."

"...The Westmontes, the richest?” Gwen smiles despite herself. “Is that what Eliam said? ...I suppose if he taught you though, he must be great with magic."

Oren thinks for a moment. "Eliam didn't say that, he's actually very humble about it. He told me his house wasn't much bigger than Minerva's... I knew it would be nice but I had no idea. And... my master taught me a lot about things, how to read and how to use divination and manners and all of that but he never taught me magic. Not real magic. That's something you sort of need to figure out on your own, I suppose... Only special people can access the aether and use it to channel real spells from the arcana.

“Oh, right, you didn't see Minerva's house,” he adds. “Well, it was nice. There was a garden and a tree, and a house just for the chickens. But it wasn't a mansion or anything. I mean, I haven't seen many houses like that... where people like you live... but, her family was clearly well off. But I suppose they were still middle class compared to you and Eliam."

"It's good he didn't say that... because quite frankly, there are many families in Iquai wealthier,” Gwen explains. “Not to diminish his family as they are well off, I'm just glad he wasn't trying to lie. ...I see. So you learned your magic on your own? Hmm. Magic is still very foreign to me, I'm sorry."

Oren shakes his head, and Gwen waits awkwardly for him to explain.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable,” she says.

Oren shrugs. "It's not your fault."

"Oh. I heard you talking to Minerva earlier... you speak Sliabh?" Gwen asks.

"Some,” Oren nods. “I don't know it all. Um... do you... speak it?"

Gwen shakes her head. "I understand a little. But I found a letter addressed to me in Fallowfield. I was hoping you could help translate it."

She pulls out the letter hesitantly from her pouch, and Oren takes it and reads it. She waits awkwardly.

"Well... A ghrá means 'my love,'” Oren says, pointing at the bottom. He looks at it some more, and shrugs. "I can't really understand this part, but there's a dictionary in my master's library we can use. I'll help you translate it if you want,” he says, handing it back.

"I knew that part,” Gwen blushes. “Thank you, I'd like that."

"You found that in Fallowfield?"

Gwen nods. "The night before we left."

"Did you know them?"

"Yes. Abigail was the first person I met when I traveled to Fallowfield. She helped me acclimate. We... were very close,” she looks away, turning a deeper shade of red.

Oren smiles. "That's nice, I'm sorry she died. Was she a priestess? Who was the letter for? I thought they couldn't get married"

"It was for me. And they can't... which is why we never did. Though we were taking about leaving the church, eventually."

"Oh,” Oren smiles, and nods again. "That's nice"

"It was... Thanks again for offering to help."

"Uh... yeah, I don't mind. Hopefully it's something good... So, girls can be in love too?” He thinks for a moment. “That's nice. You know, Eliam said boys can be in love, and then we met an orc in Thirshalon who was married to another man, so I think he might be right."

"Yea. In fact it was fairly common in the nobility... at least from the circles I was in. There was always gossip of who was with who, and no one seemed to ever pay it any mind. I don't really know about the boys but I don't see why it wasn't similar."

Oren nods. "Thanks for the advice about... um.. Minerva... by the way... I guess it worked."

"Oh, I'm glad. It sounded like she enjoyed the date,” Gwen smiles. “What did you do?"

Oren looks off into the distance, struggling to think of what to say. "...We... uh..." He looks around nervously. “We... just sort of... hung out. Um. I don't know.”

"Hung out? That's... not really a date,” she says. “Why not something romantic? I could help you plan."

"I don't know, maybe,” he says quietly. "I don't really know what people like to do. Maybe when we get to the tower I can show her the window, she might like that"

"The... window?"

He nods. "You can see for miles, it's really nice. It's the best thing to do there, really... but there's a lot of weird things to see I guess, I don't know."

"I'm sure that's a nice view that she'd like but...you like reading, right?" Gwen smiles.

Oren shrugs. "I guess so. It's useful..."

Gwendolyn rummages in her bag, taking out a worn novel, Voyages in Velvet. "Here. This might help out a little with learning romance."

Oren takes it, turning it awkwardly in his hands. "I already read a book about, um... hysteria, but I guess more knowledge is always useful." He opens it to a random page, scanning the words. "Oh, is this a novel?" He asks, blushing as he reads further.

"Hysteria?" Gwen asks, confused. "Yes it is. Do you not like novels? It should at least give a few ideas on little romantic gestures she might like."

"Novels are alright, I like them. I'll read it. Thank you,” he says, closing it. "Hysteria is... Eliam has it, the book I mean. Um, he may have brought it..." he trails off, leading Gwen back into the main room.

Eliam tells Anna Their Story
"That Oren fellow is a bit strange, but he seems kind enough.

"Oh! Yeah. He's really nice, once you get to know him. He's probably my best friend,” Eliam smiles

"As long as you all trust him I don't mind. I hope I didn't offend him earlier, I was just surprised he hadn't heard of the circus before.

"Oh! No, he's not offended. I probably offended him more than you did... I'm just, sort of used to answering for him, I guess,” Eliam laughs awkwardly. "That must have been a fun job, though. You must have been almost everywhere in Iquai!"

"Yeah! We never stayed in one place long, but it was great,” Anna explains. “Mostly, people enjoyed having us there, and the shows were always fun."

"Mostly? That's surprising, it sounds like it was a fun show. I wish I could have gone. But what did the circus need alchemy for, anyway?"

"Usually, fireworks, sometimes tricks with smoke or light. Any little things that could awe a crowd.  That and the alcohol of course.  Are you from Ushad yourself?"

"Fireworks! That sounds amazing!” Eliam smiles. “Oh... no. I'm from Glenhaven. It's a small town up north, near the mountains. Did you ever pass by?"

Anna closes her eyes, trying to remember. "On the river...shipbuilders there? We did! How did you and the rest of the children encounter each other, if you don't mind me asking. Seems like you were scattered across Iquai."

"Oh, now that's a great story. Funny coincidence actually; we all happened to be at that same pub, the Grainhouse. Some orcs came by and hurt some man... our friend, Votig, went out to stop them, and we all got in a bit of a fight. Then Minerva brought us here to the Lyriad."

"That story sounds...eerily familiar,” Anna pauses to think. “Maybe it's fate."

Eliam nods, grinning. "That's a good way to look at it, I think. But anyways... the full story."

Anna leans forward on the table, excited

"So we met, of course, at The Grainhouse. The fight was magnificent! Nearly twenty orcs swarmed the room, looking for anyone to cause trouble, and cause trouble we did. Votig- the Child of Earth, though we didn't know at the time- bravely ambled out, drunk out of his gourd, and confronted them directly.

"They rushed us all, and we reacted instantly! Oren manipulated the shadows themselves, creating weapons from thin air, Votig launched a fury of punches at whoever was near, and I sent flames at the orcs. At the end, they fell, and we stood victorious; ready to start the celebrations since we were, and are, heroes, of course.”

"Wow! Flames and Shadows? That's incredible!"

Eliam grins, enjoying the audience. "But then, in the doorway, Minerva arrived, standing in the moonlight. She put up a dramatic front, saying something about 'come with me if you want to live-' her catchphrase, I'm starting to think, given it's what she said to you. She rushed us here, to the Lyriad headquarters, and introduced us to her father. He took us on a mission, where we accosted some orcs who were undoubtedly about to commit some dastardly deeds... unfortunately, he fell in battle, Maker rest his soul. But Minerva's taken it well.

"We went forward to more adventures, on behalf of the Lyriad. We'd heard that yet more cruel orcs were going to attack the wellspring itself! We rushed to Saloria, ready to end their scheme. Sure enough, they were there... and one of them pushed Minerva into the wellspring itself."

"What happened to her?" Anna asks.

"Well, we were terrified; we'd assumed she'd died, for as you know, the aether destroys all it touches. But minutes later, she sprang from the waters, bathed in flames, and took down at least four orcs alone in the aftermath. It was magnificent! She bade us do the same, and Oren bravely ran into the spring, to test it. Sure enough, he emerged as well, pulling water from the very air!

"That's how you became the Children? Wow..."

"The battle ended, and as the chaos died down, I followed suit myself, with the same reaction. And so did Votig... but one of the orcs had lived. He snuck around the edge of the treeline, and as we were marvelling over our new abilities, he broke apart the wellspring. The stones collapsed, and the aether spilled into the ground... the trees sprung alive with growth, and he stood there, grinning over his handiwork. We stopped him permanently for his crime, but... alas, the deed was done.”

"Orcs destroyed the wellspring? How horrible!" Anna gasps.

Eliam nods. "It was horrible... we returned to the town, praying for the best, but expecting the worst. And the worst is what we found. Terrible monsters poured forth from the forest that night, threatening to overrun the town. We gathered what aid we could, and fought to repel them. Votig actually used his newfound powers to tame one of the creatures, a monstrous lizard with three rows of teeth! It actually became our ally, under his command; we named him Chompy."

Anna shifts to the edge of her seat, captivated.

"We returned to the town, vowing to understand what happened. We agreed to go forth to Fallowfield and entreat the priests there, for knowledge. But first, we decided to evacuate the town. We went to the mayor himself, to explain what happened... but there, we discovered a dastardly plot.

"The mayor was a member of The Lyriad! But though we thought that made him an ally, he poisoned dear Minerva, with an ale enchanted to make the drinker tell the truth of whatever was asked. He tried to take our secrets, but we outsmarted him and left. We could do little, expecting him to send his minions after us; but Votig recruited a young woman to leave with us, Heather.”

Anna covers her mouth in horror at the betrayal.

"We made to leave, and she arrived... with her sister, Elise. She was a strange one, and we soon learned that she had once been to the wellspring, alone. We were suspicious, of course, but fate had brought us together, you see; she was one of the Children, just like us!

"Of course, as you've noticed, she's... well, we assumed her just a child. We tried to protect her, but she insisted she follow us to Fallowfield. We allowed it, assuming we could protect her well enough, and surely destiny would want all five Children together. It just made sense. So we arrived, and if you can believe it, the Holy Seat herself invited us in.

"She used an ancient, holy test to confirm our suspicions: five orbs, imbued with the powers of the Maker, that only we could touch without harm. We passed her test, and the look on her face! She was overjoyed... but before we could discuss the matter, the Orcs made their move. An army of thousands stood at the door; not just of orcs, but they had managed to raise the dead to bolster their numbers. And at the front of their army stood the body of Samson, Minerva's father.”

"Those monsters!"

"We held her back, though her instincts told her to end this heretical display. Prilla shouted at us to run, giving Oren a mysterious locket and sending us to the library. We followed her instructions as orcs poured through the window, threatening to stop our escape. We stopped them easily, however, and continued on, but alas, we were trapped, with an army behind us and a hundred feet between us and the ground.

"But in the library, Prilla's final gift to us began to glow. The locket awoke a glyph, hidden cleverly behind a bookcase. We didn't know what would happen when we stepped upon it, but bravely, we did... and when we awoke, we awoke in Thirshalon.

"Thirshalon is...real?"

Eliam nods, leaning forward. "It sounds incredible, and it was! But I promise you, this tale is true. We didn't believe it ourselves at first, but the old library had a book on it, and the map aligned with what we saw. We wandered a bit, but to be honest, chivalry lead Elise to be our first concern. With her youth and relative weakness, we were worried for her safety in this mysterious, hostile land. So we discussed taking her, perhaps, to an inn, and finding some kindly stranger to watch after her while we learned how to get home.

"But she reacted, violently. You see, the wellspring had given her powers we could never hope to expect: she can hear every conversation around her, ours included. And she heard our plans. And in what I assume was her stressed, confused state, she began yelling at us that she could take care of herself, and she would prove it. She stormed away into the wilderness, and Minerva left quickly after her, to make sure she didn't get into too much trouble.

"That sweet girl I met today acted like that?"

Elise steps into the room, leaning against the doorframe. She wears a wounded expression, directed at Eliam.

He looks over her, a guilty smile on his face. "Oh... er, hello."

"Sorry," she says. "I didn't mean to overhear... Just, you know. Powers born of being stressed and confused, I guess." She sighs. “Anna, please take everything he tells you with a grain of salt. He exaggerates sometimes."

He looks at her, dramatically hurt. "You wound me, Elise."

"Eliam," she says, "if you're going to tell the whole story, make sure you don't leave out the part about sleeping with my sister." She walks out of the room.

Anna giggles. "Oh really? Heather, was it?"

She pokes her head back in. "Oh. And Gwen."

Anna stops giggling and looks embarrassed.

"That's not... I mean, Elise,” Eliam frowns at her. “Is this necessary."

She softens. Her mouth opens and closes for a moment as the heat dissipates from her face before she sheepishly says, "No. No, it's probably not.

Anna looks awkward. "Uhm, sorry, I didn't mean to... maybe you could just tell me what happened next? I really would like to know..."

"But if you're telling the tale, make sure you're not embellishing us," Elise adds. "We're all flawed and mistaken and imperfect. And yes, maybe me most of all. Anna deserves to know that before she follows us anywhere."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. You're not so bad," Eliam sighs, standing up and mussing her hair. "Why don't you tell the next bit, then? What you and Minerva got up to after you left?"

She sits down and draws a deep breath before addressing Anna. "The land of Thirshalon was entirely orcish, but there was a... a race of people within them. The Noctyr. Monsters that preyed on the blood of the living. Some of them could even infect others and turn them Noctyr as well.

"When Minerva and I went out on our own, we were bitten and... turned. Don't worry, we're better now. But for a while we were... monstrous. We needed to attack and feed on others to survive. When we tried to resist it, the hunger grew... blinding."

"Oh, Elise. I am so sorry..." Anna says sympathetically.

"We tried to feed on animals... horses or other beasts that we found, and though it would sustain us, it didn't stop the feeling of hunger. It just grew worse and worse. Suffice to say we... managed the solution." She looks at Eliam and then remembers what she just said about being open, good and bad. She sighs. "Minerva lured individual orcs to quiet places where we would kill and feed on them. She tried to only take those who were being arrested and punished for crimes, but... I guess it's impossible to say whether she succeeded or not.

"We shacked up at a small inn near a place called Asle Lenor, where we subsisted on orcish blood for a while. Eventually, the others found us again... and Eliam can take up the story from there."

"Right! But first, Elise, can I speak to you alone for a moment?" Eliam says, placing his hand on her shoulder. He smiles at Anna, and guides her out of the room.

"Elise, I... how did you even know about Gwen?” He asks, and sighs. “I mean, I guess it doesn't matter much at this point, but... You can't just... okay. She's from a very good family. Better than mine.

"Women in her position of society, aren't... supposed to do what we did,” he explains. “And if people find out, there's usually consequences. I'll cover for you if you want here, but... don't tell people that happened again, okay?"

Elise reddens. "I--" she stops. She tries to speak but finds no words. "J-just tell Anna I lied," she says.

She runs to the door and says, "Anna, I-I'm sorry. I was just... trying to embarrass Eliam. He didn't sleep with anyone but my sister." She leaves before Anna has the chance to reply, and dashes away once she's out of sight.

Eliam awkwardly returns to his seat, clearing his throat. "Right, well... anyway. Where were we?"

"Um...you had recently arrived in Thirshalon?” Anna says. “I guess I'd need to you what you were doing while they were away..."

"Ah... right. Well. We continued down the road in the other way, assuming they'd rejoin us that day; though sadly, they didn't. We found a kindly merchant who drove us to the nearest town, and went to resupply. But the merchant actually cheated us of our coin! Oren went to confront him, and regain what the merchant had unfairly taken. But he refused to be dignified on the matter, and a fight broke out. We left for the docks, to make our escape, and rejoin the girls in the town we assumed they'd gone to.

"But at the docks, a mysterious, hooded man tried to stop us, for no reason. We tried to continue onwards, but he summoned horrific demons at us! A monstrous, ambling creature, and a giant, shadowy cat. It was the fiercest opponent of them all, diving directly at my face, and giving me this memento of my time there,” he rubs idly at the scar on his cheek. "Though I've grown a bit attached to it. We prevailed, and left to find a boat, but well... three bloodied men skulking down a docks does attract attention.”

He leans forward, getting back into the story. "The guards captured us, nearly killing poor Votig in the process. Worse yet, this time, our many fights and heroic acts of valor left us able to finally be caught by them. They loaded us into a barbaric cart, and shipped us across Thirshalon to The Judgment. A horrific arena where accused criminals are made to fight to the death, with no trial or appeal."

"Oh no..."

"Exhausted though we were, we made to accept our fate and fight for our lives. But before the sun rose, a mysterious figure found us in the arena, and called out... 'come with me, if you want to live.'"

"She really does like that line."

"No kidding,” Eliam laughs. “I think she may have been practising it for when she saw us again. But yes, Minerva had found us! Though in retrospect, I suppose she was only there to look for some unwilling victims... but no matter. She claimed to have made a secret tunnel in the arena's walls, where we could make our escape. We made haste to follow of course... both of us, except for Votig."

"The orcs had taken something precious from him, I assume. We never learned what it was, but... he refused to leave. The winner of this fight, you see, would be saved and given their things, and given that he was the Child of Earth, well, he was confident he could win. And who could blame him? But I confess, though I'm sure he could, well... we wanted to stack the deck in his favor, if he insisted on fighting.

"Oren came up with a plan: as the Child of Water, he'd control the waters, and drown his competitors. Brilliant, right? He's sort of our tactician; he's amazing with that stuff... but anyway, we made the plan, and we only needed to warn Votig. We all had a role to play. Oren wrote a warning on a playing card; Elise would use the winds to send it to him; I would increase her power, to make sure it landed where it needed, and Minerva used her flames to weaken the outer wall, to let Oren send the waters in.

"Unfortunately... destiny had other ideas. It all went flawlessly, but... the winds went awry. The warning was sent not to Votig, but to the leader of all the orcs of Thirshalon: the Patriarch. He reacted, ordering that everyone in the fight pile on him, and his murderer would be given rich rewards. And as if things couldn't get worse, the river broke through of its own accord."

"No..."

"Oren did his best to hold the waters back, to give us time to save Votig, but... it was no use. He perished, despite our best efforts. We escaped, but as we left, Oren decided to take revenge on those who had hurt us so dearly. Driven by grief, he pulled the entire river into the arena. Higher and higher, the waters rose, engulfing all of those within. At the end, those who hurt us, who hurt Votig, were gone. All but the Patriarch himself, who used his magics to escape"

"By the Maker...he truly has that power?” Anna gasps. “You all do?"

Eliam nods. "Perhaps the Maker himself lent us His aid, that he could accomplish such a feat... We left to the inn, to grieve and discuss what came next. We were lost, unsure. But then, Lady Gwendolyn Oberle arrived, searching for the Children to lend them her sword. By coincidence, destiny brought her to us, and we found an ally."

Anna frowns. "Oberle? Like the winery?"

"Oh! Er... yes,” Eliam says, looking somewhat confused. "But... anyways, it was then that Elise and Minerva divulged their... condition, to us. Of course, we were driven to help. You see, the powers of the wellspring had given them the ability to resist their curse. And they believed that by finding a wellspring in Thirshalon, they could be cured for good. Oren believed there was one to the far north, so we found a boat, and set off to their aid."

"How could he know?"

"When we were on the road, before the Judgment, a mysterious woman appeared and spoke to us. She said that to the far north, there were legends of a magical fountain of the purest water, around which rare flowers bloom. And as we got closer, well... I can sense such things, if I concentrate. Large concentrations of aether tend to stand out, especially the closer we get. The story sounded promising enough; it seemed a good enough lead.

"Mysterious women, incredible power - your story is like an adventure novel! What happened next?"

"We sailed for some days, and finally pulled into a city, to continue our trek by land. But there, we were stopped once more. Some orcs took us in for questioning about the events of the Judgment... and they revealed that in Thirshalon, they are the Children. I don't know how, but apparently, they had their own group who had acquired the Maker's power."

"Orc Children?” Anna frowns. “That's a scary thought."

"Indeed! I have to admit, when I left home I never expected quite this much adventure. Well, we made it through their questions... all except for Elise. She had accidentally revealed her ability to hear things, and well... they were suspicious. They believed only a Child could control the river and cause such a calamity in the first place, and her command over the wind only fuelled the fires of their suspicions.

"They took her captive, to test her. They told us she would be well taken care of, but with the curse... we thought it prudent to rescue her quickly. And thank the Maker we did, because they had lied. Her conditions were deplorable, worse than any prison I've heard of, and for a girl so small and harmless! It was horrifying. Their Child of Water tried to say it was necessary that she be treated so, but... her excuses were weak. And worse, when we expressed this, she attacked us.

"We fended her off while rescuing poor Elise, trying to leave without bloodshed. But her allies followed, and immediately drew their weapons. We had no choice but to fight the Children of Thirshalon."

"That must have been an incredible fight! Children of Destiny facing off across worlds - what a story!"

"Indeed! It was a majestic fight; they used our own powers against us, but in the end, we were victorious. We left as soon as we could, Elise in tow. Rescued and ready, we bravely continued forward, to the north. To the wellspring.

"The days passed quietly as we drew ever forward. Now I must confess... it was all going too well, from this point. We had a deep sense of foreboding, but we pressed forward, for the girls' sakes. We arrived at a cave, and proceeded inside. There sat a fount of pure aether, surrounded with plants... hundreds of flowers, growing quietly, peacefully, fed somehow by magic.

"We approached, ready to cure Minerva and Elise... but somehow, our presence caused something horrible to happen. One of the magical flowers there sprung to life, and an ancient, horrible evil arose from the earth. The monster that today hangs over Siraj."

"That...thing, it came from Thirshalon? What is it?"

Eliam nods. "We didn't, couldn't have known what would happen. But we vowed to stop that thing, no matter what it took, on our position as the Children of Destiny. As for what it is... I can't say for sure. It claims only to be the sworn enemy of the Maker.

"We helped Minerva and Elise to the wellspring, and sure enough, the Maker's grace cured them. They were safe, but our trial was not yet over. We went to leave, to stop that abomination as well as we could. The aether gave us a vision to follow: another glyph, like that of Prilla's, hidden deep within the evil Patriarch's fortress.

"We continued on, and found our boat, mercifully untouched. We sailed away to the town he presided over: the dread Ilemashi.

"We made our plans to infiltrate the fortress, and to finally return home. All the pieces were in place. And sure enough, under the cover of night... we found him."

"The Patriarch?"

"The Patriarch. He sat upon his throne, surrounded by retainers armed to the teeth; a veritable army, tucked away to wait for our arrival. He grinned at us a cruel, toothy grin, and told us he knew who we were, what we were, and he did not fear us. I could sense it though, behind him: the glyph that would let us return to Iquai. He pointed and cried an order, and his men advanced."

"How many were there?"

"Hundreds, easily! The Patriarch waved an arm, and yet more were summoned from glyphs edged deep within the marble floors. But they were no match for the Maker's Chosen. The five of us fought bravely through the swarming orcs, until finally, we were mere yards away from him, from home. He stood from his cursed seat; though he played the part of an old, decrepit man, this was but a ruse. With a wave of his arm, magic filled the room, and our true fight began."

"He summoned beasts too terrible to describe; wraiths of purest aether filled the halls, reaching desperately to steal away our wills and make us mere puppets. But Lady Gwen raised her shield, and the Maker's will protected us all from them, repelling their evils. The Patriarch himself moved through the aether as though it were nothing, appearing and reappearing wherever he pleased! I used my powers to break his connection to the aether itself, and before us, he was powerless."

"As though it were nothing, Oren controlled the very blood within his veins. He could no longer move, no longer cast magic; his reign of horror was nearly at an end. Minerva rushed forward against him, her daggers blazing, literally! Elise, an adept healer in her own right, made sure we were recovered as we dealt the final blow. It was over. We had survived Thirshalon, and we were going home."

"We looked behind his dread throne, a horrific iron affair that spoke much to the terrors he must have subjected so many to. And there, on the floor, burned a familiar looking glyph. Oh, we recognized it- so similar to the one hidden in the Holy Seat's library. We crossed once more the divide... and awoke within the bramble.

"Dazed, battered, but victorious, we wandered through the trees. But to our great surprise, arrows flew to us. The elves had found us. Have you ever seen one?"

"No... I grew up near the Bramble, but we could never get close. It was terror, and mystery embodied."

Eliam nods. "Indeed. The elves are fearsome creatures, but beautiful, in a strange, alien way. I'd never seen one before. But when they realized who we were, and how we arrived there, they begged our help. They bid us repair the wellspring of Saloria the orcs had so cruelly broken, and save their forest.

"We agreed, of course, and continued to Tezef. There, however, was a gruesome sight: the town was aflame! Oren made a bridge of ice across the river, and we rushed forward to save the town. Working together, we created rain from thin air, dousing the flames. We proceeded into the town square..."

"Tezef on fire...that's terrifying. All those people..."

"Yes... but don't fear. Working together, we saved them all. But as we raced into the square, we saw a fearsome serpent, wreathed in flowers and leaves. Kunalchusi. The enemy of the Maker, who had risen from his prison in Thirshalon to stand against all that was good. We tried to stop him, but he laughed at us, and created horrible minions to slow us down. He rose into the sky as we destroyed them, saying we would find him in Siraj, where we intend to make our stand."

"What a horrible creature."

"We returned to Ushad, to plan, study, and learn whatever we can to find his weakness. Though I have no doubt we can stand against him ourselves... I certainly can't turn down any sort of aid that will help us. This quest is too important, to grand to risk rushing in. And so you find us here, preparing to save Iquai."

"That story was INCREDIBLE. Thirshalon? Demons, Orcs, Wellsprings! You really are the heroes we've waited for."

Elise Apologizes to Gwen
After she leaves, Elise's feet move quickly along the stone hallway. She checks door after door, face white, half-panicked.

Her eyes are close to tears as she travels.

Open door. Check. Nope. Close. Open door. Check. Nope. Close. Open door. Check. Nope. Close.

Finally she locates the right door, and Elise bursts in on Gwen and Oren. She is clearly distraught. "G-Gwen. I-I...

"I'm so sorry." She pulls the scarf closer around her head.

Gwen tilts her head slightly, confused. "Elise? What's wrong?"

She tries to draw deep, steadying breaths but her gasps are shallow. "I-I overheard Eliam talking... I got upset and I... I don't know. I tried to warn Anna? Or tried to embarrass him? I wasn't... thinking."

Oren hands Gwen back the letter, looking concerned.

"I told her that he slept with my sister...” Elise continues. “And then that he slept with you. And that wasn't my secret to tell and now what if she thinks of you less or you hate me or people learn about it and you didn't want them to I just amsosorryIknowyouhatemenow." She speaks very quickly and then freezes, completely white, as if awaiting judgment.

Oren rubs her back comfortingly. "Don't worry, Anna doesn't matter..."

Elise whimpers, "Gwen does."

"Oren...can you please give us a minute?" Gwendolyn asks stiffly, folding the letter neatly and setting it aside. Oren sighs and leaves, waiting by the door after he closes it behind him.

Gwen sighs deeply. "Why would you try to embarrass him? What was he saying that was so upsetting?"

"H...he said I was young and weak... He made it sound like I wasn't valuable and needed to be protected. He made it sound like I was easily confused and mentally unwell. I... I felt like he was making it clear to Anna that I wasn't important and that I didn't really belong. And I just wanted to hurt him so much that I... I stopped thinking, and I hurt you because of it."

She frowns. "Well, I guess you proved him right, if you so easily decided to air my personal business to someone we've known for an hour." Gwendolyn turns away, refusing to meet her gaze. "Elise, I told you that in confidence, at one of the lowest points of my life...There is nothing that went on between Eliam and I that could effect him, or even hurt him, but it could ruin me if it got out. I thought we were friends."

"I-I know," Elise says. "I'm not... good at friends, I guess. I... I told Anna after that I was lying. If it comes up again, you should tell her that too. I'd rather she thinks I'm a liar than think something bad about you."

"You're as good a liar as you are at keeping secrets, Elise. Just...go. There's nothing you can say that can undo how much you've hurt me. I expected better from you."

Her mouth works wordlessly for a moment. She squeaks out an "I'm sorry" before running out the door.

As she leaves, Oren smiles at her. "Are you okay?"

She runs past without answering.

Oren rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically as he re-enters the room with Gwen. "What's her problem?"

"Keeping friends, I suppose,” Gwen says sharply. “It's no wonder you and Eliam never trusted her."

"I guess," Oren shrugs, and raises an eyebrow. "Um... what did she do? Just tell Anna that you slept with Eliam? Don't worry, ordinary people don't care about all that. And it's not like you're some slut, you thought he would marry you. It's for him to be embarrassed, not you."

Oren moves closer and gently pats her arm. "Tomorrow we'll go to Westbridge and get that letter translated, then you'll forget all about this."

"It's not her business to tell, especially when we don't know who Anna knows, and I sincerely doubt Eliam could be embarrassed by that."Gwen pulls away, shaking her head. "I won't forget so quickly. Goodnight, Oren."

She leaves quickly for her room, leaving Oren to rejoin the others

Anna Tells her Story
Oren stands by the door, listening quietly. Eliam catches his eye, smiles, and motions for him to join

"Thank you Eliam,” Anna says. “It's amazing to hear all of this. I hope I can help you all in some way. If there's anything I can do, please ask.  A cause.... a real cause that means something

"I do have one question... what happened to that lizard?” She asks. “I know you said Votig tamed it..."

Oren looks slightly nervous

"But of course, Anna. We would welcome all the help we can possibly get, if you're truly willing to help us. I can't promise it will be safe, or easy... but we can be the heroes Iquai deserves. Oh... poor Chompy!” Eliam exclaims dramatically. “I wish I could promise you a happy ending, but... he was our stalwart ally through this perilous new land. But the orcs of Thirshalon were merciless. He fell into the river, bravely trying to save Votig as we fought for our freedom... and unfortunately, we never found him again."

"Thank you for telling me. Oh! Hello, Oren. Eliam just finished telling me the story of your adventure. It's incredible!"

"So what about you, Anna?” Eliam turns to her. “How did you become this 'Terror of Ushad'?"

"That is a story, though maybe less of a dramatic one. I guess it starts with the circus...

"I joined when I was fourteen. I guess I ran away from home, truly, though not for any reason other than to find adventure.  When the circus came to my small town I knew I had to join.  I actually stowed away, but when I was found by Hugo, the strongman, he took  pity on me.  We were already days from my home."

"Hugo took me to Adolphus, the ringmaster. At the time, I was terrified of him - I didn't know him for the kind showman that I'd meet later on. I begged for a chance to do something, anything.  Eventually he agreed, and I started working for Brewess, the Circus Alchemist.  She taught me to make fireworks, bombs, alcohol, and some basic mixtures.  Eventually I wormed my way into a lot of the other acts.  The circus became my family, truly.

"We...well, we always avoided the big cities if we could. It just never gave us the right kind of attention.  But we were running low on coin, and Adolphus took us closer to Ushad, to try and score a big show.

"At first, it worked. Our crowds were like those we hadn't seen in over two years.  Townsfolk were much freer with coin than farmers and small town villagers.  We were making enough money to keep us afloat for at least a year...until the Rorgh came.

Eliam nods, listening with rapt attention.

"I remember it... clearly,” Anna continues. “Our second night near Ushad. A huge crowd, cheering, happy. Adolphus had taken the stage, getting ready to introduce the trick shooting - I was to be the opening act.  As he stood center stage the tent parted and a group of a dozen Orcs walked in."

"Their leader was a huge brute, scarred and terrifying. He stomped up to Adolphus and demanded we shut down immediately.  That we were 'disturbing the peace.'”

"The townsfolk began to flee - they knew, perhaps better than we did - what was coming. But Adolphus, well...he was kind.  But he was also proud.  He stood his ground and began to curse the orc captain, going as far as to disparage the Elyde, the Rorgh, and the entire system that had sprung up around them.  That went over poorly.

Oren nods.

"The captain slammed his fist into Adolphus. He was not a young man any longer; he crumpled to the ground immediately...I was at the edge of the tent when it happened. I was so _angry_.  So I did the only thing I could think to do; I drew a pistol and fired at the captain.  Hit him too, right in his eye." Anna looks a bit smug before falling back into concentration. "I was blinded by rage. The captain sent his men after me and I drew my sword - not that I had a chance to fight them all, but it was all I could think to do.  Hugo, however...he grabbed me.  And ran.  I struggled to get away from him, to go back and fight, but he wouldn't let me.  He saved my life.

"We fled into Ushad, but we were pursued, Hugo carrying me the entire time. We became trapped in an alleyway.  Hugo he...he tossed me over the wall, yelling at me to flee." Anna looks embarassed, sad. She pauses for a moment, tapping a small stain on the table before continuing. "I did. I was terrified. Maybe I could have helped him...maybe I should have.  I don't know.  But I fled into the city.

"I laid low for a few days. I found some members of the circus who had fled but they all were so afraid!  None wanted to do anything but hide, or find a new life.  Some offered me help, but none had the call to action.  But all I could think of was Adolphus crumbling to the ground, of Hugo yelling for me to flee.  I found a sword, new pistols.  Materials to make bombs.  I didn't really have a plan, I just wanted to hurt something.  So I did.  Not sure I did much other than annoy some guards, but it felt like more than what I had done before.  I kept escalating until, well, until they finally got tired of me and set a trap.  Which is where I met all of you.

"Thank you, again, for your help. I had heard there was a group of people fighting back.  Of the battle in the Grainhouse, the alleyway.  I never imagined it'd be the actual Children of Destiny.

"Anna... if you'd like, we'd be happy to help you, any way we can,” Eliam tells her. “The Lyriad has a lot of resources. I'm sure we can use them to find him."

Oren shakes his head. "We should probably hurry... we've already taken a lot of time to do other things."

"That's kind of you, truly. If we do find him, I'd move against him immediately. But I won't delay your work for me.  Really.  At the end of the day, the world is more important.  Anyway," she grins, her hand falling casually to her side, near her weapons, "I heard the gift I left him gives him horrible headaches, maybe even driving him to madness. I wouldn't want his suffering cut too short."

Oren rests his cheek on his hand, thinking. "I bet that orc we captured knows something. He was there trying to capture her. That trap was elaborate, they must have really planned it. Maybe her target is looking for her too. In which case the one we took will know where he is, right?"

"That makes sense to me,” Anna nods.

"It's too bad orcs are impossible to talk to,” Oren sighs. “He'll probably die before telling us anything. But maybe we can give him some truth serum. Then he'd have to talk."

"You have some?" Eliam asks.

Oren nods. “I have a little, but not enough to get what we need. We'll need the alchemy lab at my master's tower, but I think we can try to figure out the recipe and make more. Then we'll have as much as we want."

"I may actually be able to help with that,” Anna suggests. “I don't have any experience with truth serum, but I've been practicing alchemy for a few years."

"That would be really helpful,” Oren smiles.

Anna smiles back, and leaves to find her room, waving as she leaves.

Eliam gives Oren Dating Advice
Eliam smiles at Oren after she leaves. "That went well. And hey, I'm... sorry I said that stuff about Adani, earlier. I'm just... worried about you, I guess."

Oren shakes his head. "It's alright. She should know by now you're a bad judge of character."

"I... What? No I'm not, I'm a great judge of character,” Eliam insists.

Oren smiles. "You trusted that bartender. And the water orc. And... well, lots of people."

"I mean... okay, I had one or two mishaps,” Eliam says, raising an eyebrow. “But I am a good judge of character! I mean, I trusted you, and you got us out of Thirshalon alive.”

Oren looks at him, incredulous. They sit together in silence for a few moments, and Eliam leans back, sighing.

"To be honest... I am worried that Elise is too quick to overshare things. She should never have told a stranger those things. She just walked in and told everyone what happened with the vampires, and with Gwen."

Oren nods. "Well she did that in Thirshalon. She told them all sorts of stuff she shouldn't. What do you mean, what happened with Gwen?"

"Well... You know. Her... What happened with us. Er, don't tell Elise I told you, though,” he says, peering back anxiously at the door to make sure it's closed.

"Oh, that you slept together?" Oren whispers.

Eliam nods, sighing. "I'll ask Gwen to speak to her in the morning, I think. I think Elise still hates us a bit."

"Probably. I'm not sure why,” Oren shrugs. “Wait, don't tell Elise what? That you slept with Gwen? Or that you told me that she told Anna that you.. I mean, I never speak to her anyway. She almost always avoids me and acts cold and unfriendly. I'm not sure why."

"Oh... That I told you she talked about it,” Eliam explains. “I told her I'd cover for her. But honestly, I never know what she's thinking. Every time I think we're on good terms she ignores me or pulls some stunt like that."

Oren nods.

"But well... that's a problem to worry about tomorrow. More importantly, how was your ride back with Minerva?" Eliam smiles at him.

Oren looks around, considering his words. After a moment he leans in closely, cupping his hand to whisper. "We rode all day and then we stopped, and she made a fire, and we ate and talked and then she said Ushad was too far... So she tied up the horse behind a ridge so it wouldn't watch.. Then she came over to me and [description of Minerva removing her clothes, with comments on her appearance] and she [far too explicit telling of how the sex was initiated] and I just let her [obscene act] until she stopped, but then she said [direct obscene quote from Minerva] and I agreed so we tried [list of sexual acts] and I guess we both [explanation of preferences] so that's lucky, unfortunately it had been like a year since [inappropriate use of medical terms] so [medical terms] but I was pretty tired anyway, so... Then we went to sleep!"

He sits back, smiling cheerfully at Eliam.

He blinks at him, somewhat surprised, and laughs. "Wow... I never even considered you could do [inappropriate act poor Minerva would never want shared.] And Minerva did that?"

Oren nods. "Yeah, she was really enthusiastic. ...So Gwen said I should take her on a date. Minerva, I mean. But I don't know what to do.."

"I mean... It sounds like you don't even need to,” Eliam shrugs. “But I guess it could be nice, yeah... You just have to take her somewhere with alcohol, buy her dinner, and be really nice to her. Just make sure you take her somewhere nice; we have money now, so that shouldn't be a problem. She'll be happy and impressed you're willing to spend that much on her."

Oren nods. "That's a great idea, I don't want to waste money but... I guess it's important to show her I can provide for her after we get married. Except I didn't earn this money... Shouldn't I wait until we have jobs?"

"I... You're already planning the wedding?" Eliam gives him a disbelieving half-smile. "But no. I mean, the Lyriad is our job right now, right? It's more about just impressing her a lot, really."

"Well... I'm not planning it but isn't that what's supposed to happen?” Oren explains. “I don't really know what she wants, but I think that's the point of the date, right? I mean, she's already sleeping with me..."

Eliam nods. "Yeah... You kind of already accomplished the whole point of a date. Maybe you don't really have to do anything now."

"Maybe I should just take her to a hotel,” Oren shrugs. “That way she won't have to worry about anyone overhearing. ...like Elise or Linea, they might not approve. I doubt she'd want people to know, right? So maybe I'll pretend we're doing some Lyriad spy mission or something and just take her to a hotel to get away from everyone. Gwen said something like that."

"That's not a bad idea, actually,” Eliam smiles. “I mean, having Elise around is definitely a little... uncomfortable, where that stuff is concerned. And Gwen would know. You should do it!"

"Well, seeing the tower is going to be pretty impressive anyway so I'll probably wait until we have some time... I wish I'd thought of that yesterday,” Oren sighs. “I just have to avoid making her change her mind about me until we get back."

"Oh, yeah! The tower is amazing. She'll be really impressed by that,” Eliam grins. “And if we're all staying there... Yeah, she might want to be away with you."

"Well, there are plenty of rooms... And since it's magic you can't hear through the door. Even Elise won't be able to hear in there. There's no wind, right?" Oren smiles. "Maybe she'll like it but it's not that impressive, really. None of it is mine, and I didn't earn it. It doesn't reflect on me at all, so it doesn't show that I'm able to provide for her. Maybe I should just buy a house. How much are houses?"

"That's... A good question. I never had to buy one,” Eliam shrugs. “But if you don't have enough money... Maybe you could buy her something else? Jewelry or something? We know she likes necklaces."

"She already has a necklace, though..." Oren trails off, thinking.

"Maybe something to go with it?” He suggests. “Earrings?"

"I have a pair of earrings that we took off of that other water child, but I don't think she'd want those."

Eliam nods. "I doubt Westbridge has any jewelry shops, but... Maybe the tower has something? Maybe you could find her a pair of magic earrings! Now that would be impressive."

"Well, the ones Elise has are magic. Maybe we can enchant them ourselves. She liked that belt... Maybe another belt? She can always wear more belts,” Oren nods. “Or, maybe we can enchant her daggers? They're already really nice but if we can put spells on them to improve them, that would be pretty great. She'd really like that."

Eliam shrugs. "I was going to try to do that for everyone anyway, though. But it's not a bad idea."

"Perfect, she won't mind if you give everyone a present too." Oren thinks about this for a moment, then looks up at him. "W-wait, if you give her something will that make her like you?"

"I mean, I hope so. Er, as a friend, anyway,” Eliam clarifies. “But... It'd definitely make it less special if she just got a gift with everyone else. And it wouldn't really be from you."

"Yea..." Oren makes a face. "I'll get her something else, but you should do that. She ought to like you if we're all going to live together."

"Maybe you could ask Gwen? She'd know best what girls like." Eliam looks at him, slightly confused. "I mean... We're living in the same town, right? Not actually together."

Oren shrugs. "Whatever you want. You don't want to live with us? I guess that makes sense. I'll still see you every day, right?"

"Of course! I mean, I still want to become a healer with you."

"Good. That'll be a good life, I think,” Oren nods. “People like healers usually. And you can run a business well, probably. I can't do that part. I hated coming up with fees, and people would just give me things and think they were tricking me... Sometimes I was tricked I mean but, customers like to think they're fooling you, and it's embarrassing to call them out on it and demand real money... But you won't mind doing that. You can make sure people really pay."

Oren nods, and they continue talking through the night.

Chapter 16