Adam rubbed his forehead, thinking about Lud Mara. Jurot noted how the half elf was deep in thought, a him to them. They followed the path the parting trees had revealed, moving swiftly through the forest.

  ‘To think my first meeting with Mara would be marred like this,’ he thought, trying to keep the other, much darker thoughts at bay. Lucy’s friend, who was definitely more than just a simple friend, was now a battery for the forest. ‘How depressing.’

  Yet, before he could think too deeply, they stepped out of the tree lio see an army of many hundreds, perhaps a thousand, soldiers. Each were adorned in mail, with spears and bdes, ready for war. Many were setting up their camp, but there were a few dozen on guard, keeping a.

  The pair stared at the soldiers, and the soldiers who were on duty, stared at them.

  One soldier quickly stepped forward, inhaling deeply. “Halt! This territory has been cimed by King Justinian Bckwater!” Her voied through the entire area, causing the other soldiers within the camp to quickly scramble into formation.

  “This forest has already been cimed by the Iyr!” Jurot excimed back, proudly. He wasn’t going to let the Kingdom cim something which the Iyrmen had already cimed.

  The soldier remained silent for a moment, ruminating on his words. She motioo another soldier, nodding her head, and the other soldier quickly left to one of the tents which had already bee up.

  A familiar figure appeared, in his armour of white and gold pte mail. His hair was sun kissed, and his eyes were o blue. The sword at his side was beautiful, the pommel shaped into the head of a lion.

  “If it isn’t the Iyrman and the elf,” the Duke said, staring at the pair of them. His eyes remained focused on the elf, and at the mention of Adam’s race, the soldiers tensed up, readied to fight.

  “I beg your pardon, Duke Lio, but I am a half elf,” Adam corrected, fshing a sweet smile. ‘What the hell is the Duke doing here?’ Suddenly, this situation had bee so much more difficult.

  “I have heard that you are staking your cim for this forest on behalf of the Iyr,” Duke Lio said.

  “The forest has already been cimed by the Iyr,” Jurot repeated, his voice clear.

  The Duke gnced between the pair. “We should discuss this. Why don’t you e into our tent and we talk?” The Duke extended a hand back towards the tent, inviting them to follow. It iece of advice, but could easily be seen as a threat.

  “The Chief will e to speak with you, Duke Lio,” Jurot said, his voice even. It iece of advice, but could easily be seen as a threat.

  “That is good news,” the Duke replied. ‘Of course it wouldn’t be so easy,’ he thought. He had andeered these soldiers in his name from the South Fort. “The cims seem to have been made at the same time.”

  “sidering that we were here before you, and were almost the forest’s fuel, that seems unlikely,” Adam said, daring to speak up. ‘I really shouldn’t get on the Duke’s radar, but the faeed to be established now, in front of all the soldiers. Though, I probably should have said it respectfully. Damn it, I really should have kept my mouth shut.’

  “Such a matter will be discussed soon,” the Duke said, smiling. With that, he turned and marched back to the tent.

  Adam pced a hand on Jurot’s shoulder. “e, let’s return bap,” he said, turning and leaving. Ohey were far enough away, he rubbed his forehead. “I fucked up.”

  Jurot g the half elf. “What do you mean?”

  “I think we might be in for a bad time,” Adam admitted. “I don’t trust my lue bit. Mara turned into fuel for the forest, and now that Duke bastard state a half truth that the Iyrmen cimed the forest alongside an elf blooded bastard.” He tio rub his forehead.

  “Politics,” Jurot said, his lips f a frown. “That’s no good.”

  “Yeah, you aren’t kidding…” Adam shook his head. His broulsing from the stress of everything. “Jurot, be real with me for a moment.”

  “I am always real,” Jurot said, raising a hand, wiggling his fingers, double cheg his statement.

  “I meant, be serious with me for a moment.”

  Jurot nodded his head. ‘I am serious…’

  “If the Kingdom and the Iyr truly go to war…” Adam sighed, having wished he hadn’t said it and raised the fg. “Who would win?”

  “The Iyr would not lose,” Jurot replied after a long moment of thought.

  “It wouldn’t lose, but would it win?” Adam asked, raising his brow.

  “It would not lose,” Jurot repeated. “We may not win, but we would not lose.”

  “I’ve never heard an Iyrman speak in circles before.”

  “The Iyr may not be able to defeat the Kingdom’s armies, perhaps there are too many of them, and perhaps we are uo destroy every city. However, the Kingdom will be uo defeat the Iyr, we would push them back at our border, and they would be uo step into Main Iyr.” Jurot, for once, spoke with a thoughtful tone.

  “What if the Iyr didn’t have a fortified position? Say, down south, a forest which the Iyr promised to protect…”

  Jurot blinked, uanding what Adam was referring to. He gnced around at the forest, and fell into deep thought for once. “It would be difficult, but not impossible.”

  “If the Iyr decides to make a fort here, the King may use it as justification against the Iyr ter. The Iyr has promised to defend it only for a decade, so there’s no need for you to push in too many resources.”

  “The forest defend us well,” Jurot said. “It is a fortress, even without the walls you have seen in the Iyr. We of the Iyr are well versed in using the forest to our advantage, especially if we are defending within it.”

  Adam nodded his head, sighing in relief. “That’s good.”

  Jurot wasn’t sure hoeople would e to defend the forest. “We will send many pao the forest to defend it.”

  “The King may end up destroying the forest instead. He may be the type who will destroy something if he ’t have it.”

  “The Iyr has defeself for turies, defending something for ten years is a much simpler matter,” Jurot said.

  “Why does the King want this forest anyway?” Adam asked. “You only cimed it so it would bee a sanctuary for the Iyrmen.”

  “A new forest, awakened in such a way, will be abundant in resources, and will have a Guardian. A new Guardian be easily brought under heel, as those with well established Guardians are difficult to deal with. It is why the Kingdom, though rge and expansive, only defend its main roads and cities, and some vilges.” Jurot recalled how it had been expio him as a child. “Most of the Kingdom’s nd is not uhe King’s rule.”

  “Oh,” Adam said. “So why does the Guardian only want to be safe for ten years?”

  “In ten years time, the Guardian will have gained enough strength that it will be able to rule within the forest with a greater power.”

  “So the Iyrmen are going to protect a burgeoning threat to the Kingdom’s south.” Adam sighed. “The King definitely won’t like that.”

  “It would be difficult for the King to war with us,” Jurot said. “The price would be too high, especially for a simple awakened forest.”

  “It would be difficult, but not impossible.” Adam quoted Jurot. He thought about his previous life and suddenly found that he wasn’t as reassured as he’d like to be. “There’s no price high enough for a man’s ego.”

  Jurot did not refute the statement. After all, that was one of the many things taught by the tale of the Bckwater Crisis.

  “If the Iyr goes to war, I’ll be there,” Adam said. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to your mother, or to Lanarot.”

  Jurot stared at Adam for a moment. “I believe you Adam, but why would you fight for us?”

  “Aren’t I your brother?” Adam chuckled. “I’ll expin it properly once we’re back at the Iyr, alright? After meeting with a Demon Lord, I think it’s time.”

  Jurot nodded his head, leaving Adam in peace.

  “Don’t you think it’s been a little too long?” Adam asked, as he stepped bato the grove, where Lucy y unscious beside Mara. “Nevermind.” Adam walked over to the Demon Lord and squatted down beside her. “Did you beat her up again?”

  “Yes,” the tree said, sitting on the opposite side, away from the demon women.

  “Well, I don’t think you bme her, you?” Adam said, pg a b under Lucy’s head.

  “She is weak for now, but she will soon bee a threat. I will not be so lehen.”

  “Don’t show up in front of her, or have me by your side,” Adam said, not accepting that it might hurt her again.

  “You speak with a light tone,” it said, staring at Adam. “Is it because you are a stranger in this world, like her?”

  “You tell?” Adam asked, gng towards the tree.

  “I ,” it replied, simply, refusing to eborate on how it knew.

  “Something like that,” Adam said, staring back at the unscious demon girl. “I was alone. I had been torn away from my family and friends, all due to the maations of the gods. Well, one in specific.” Adam tio stare at the demon girl, and then to Mara, her friend.

  Jurot paid close attention to Adam’s words, pieg them together within his mind, the puzzle almost solved.

  “I’m a little jealous, though,” the half elf admitted. “Lucy came with someone. Mara, her closest panion, had somehow e into this world with her.” He sighed. “Then, soon after, Mara was torn away from her. She’s dying, right in front of her eyes, and she ’t do anything to help.” Adam threw a go Jurot for a moment, before staring back at the girl, brushing her hair. “That feeling of helplessness. I’ve felt it before.”

  Jurot could hear the raw emotion the half elf’s voioting the look in Adam’s eyes. It was lonely.

  “That’s why, even if she keeps spping you, you better take it.” Adam inhaled deeply. “I’ll tell you this, Guardian. In ten years time, you’ll be strong.” He tio brush her hair with his finger. “In ten years time, I’ll be stronger.”

  “I have taken your words to heart,” it said.

  “Good, because she’s my friend.” Adam threw a nod to Jurot. “So is Jurot, and I’m not in the business of letting people bully my friends for free. You paid the price f to kill us, but I was nice, and gave it to you cheaply. Don’t think it’ll be so cheap ime.”

  “You should be careful threatening me in my home,” it said.

  Adam smiled. “Right now, Jurot is beside me. I don’t think he’ll let you kill me. If you kill any of us, well, you better pray you find ahousand Guardians somewhere, because the Iyr does not fuck around.”

  It remained silent.

  Adam exhaled, sitting beside the unmoving tree beside him. He wasn’t sure if it was a normal tree, or a tree which could move. He leaned back against it, rexing. ‘I really shouldn’t talk so much smack to the tree…’

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