She ale, time f rivers of wrinkles upon her face. Her modesti covered her from head to toe, even her hands were hidden away from his sight. An amulet of Life’s Rose y against her front, not betraying the true rank she held within the Order.

  “I wele your return,” Mother Priest said, p the Iyrman a cup of tea. She reised the Iyrman from the previous year, when he had escorted Mother Florend the Seventh Hope back to Life’s Rose after Ray Vonda’s marriage. She recalled what Mother Florence had informed her of, ahe Seventh Hope. Seeing the darkness within the Iyrman’s eyes, she realised whatever they thought of Shikan was true.

  “I have e with a donation to the temple, and a note from my nephew,” Shikan said, reag into his tunic, causing the nearby Priests to stir, each reag up for their amulets.

  They sat within the small, bare room, a pair of Priests on duty at the door, while Mother Priest and Shikan sat opposite one another around a small table. They sat upon plush cushions, which y on the floor.

  The Iyrmahe note upoable, and Mother Priest picked it up, to the Priests’ chagrin, and unfurled it. Her tentative eyes sed across the note, reading the half elf’s words, before g the note shut. Silence apahem.

  “It is a lot of gold, but we ot accept money marked for death,” Mother Priest said.

  Shikan reached into his tunid pced down another note, watg as the old woman read it, taking great care for these particur words. The old woman inhaled deeply, letting out a long exhale. She thought over the words. The words of Adam’s apology, and the words of Vonda’s plea.

  “I prayed for them,” Mother Priest said. “I prayed to the Mother to watch over the two children, who were so i. Our Ray was far more i, and I never would have thought she would have had to deal with…”

  “The Mother tests us all,” Shikan said.

  “ you stop him?”

  “I would not.”

  Mother Priest slowly nodded her head, uanding that it was a near impossible task to stop the half elf who spoke so much of his children. “Are they Iyrmen children?”

  “Yes.”

  Mother Priest inhaled sharply, as almost all hope gave away. “If he kills them, the Orders will not stand for it.”

  “Okay.”

  “He is your nephew,” she urged.

  “He is a father.”

  Mother Priest bowed her head gently. “I will recall the Sed Hope and the Rays we sent.”

  “Their lives will be guaranteed,” Shikan assured.

  “Would you kill them?”

  “If they tried to stop us.”

  Mother Priest stared into Shikan’s eyes for a long while, before bowing her head, dismissing him. The silver was ohing, but the Mother appreciated that Adam had sent two shields. She couldn’t help but think on the significe of sending two shields. Was it about his children, or the lives he was about to take?

  Shikan made his way out as quickly as he had arrived, heading out of the Order and to the carriage, and the Mother who had waited for him so patiently.

  “Is the matter dealt with?” Mother Florence asked.

  “It will be.”

  Mother Florence frowned. “Will you tell me now?”

  “Three children were attacked, and two were killed,” Shikan said, fighting his throat from closing.

  Mother Florence’s expressio from slightly warm to full of shock, her eyes glued to the Iyrman. “Which children?”

  “Larot and Jarot were killed, Jirot was injured,” Shikan expined.

  Florence’s eyes remained glued to the Iyrman’s, her heart rag, her mind bnk. “Mother save us.”

  Shikan reached into his tunid held out a small b. “Adam wished for me to pass this to you. His brother carved it.”

  “A b?”

  “He thought you might like it,” Shikan said, allowing the woman to take the b, noting her eyes were still full of shock. He still wasn’t sure what she thought of the situation, but Vonda was almost like a daughter to her, and to Vonda, the children were her own. “They were i children who wanted for nothing but love. Those children, who will on their foreheads tattoos of their family.”

  Flore his eyes once more, holding the b, still stunned. She remaiunned even as Shikan excused himself, the Iyrmen taking their carriage over the bridge of light, heading out into the town to find an inn. She remained frozen for a long while, her mind still, quiet.

  ‘The children?’ Floreually mao think, the fshes of little Lar at the world filling her mind, as well as the shy amber eyes of both Jirot and Jarot, who always treated her with such politeness. Her eyes fell down to the b.

  ‘Adam… and Vonda’s children?’ She thought of the scared little girl who she had raised, the girl’s burnt face she had applied lotion to daily. She who had worked so diligently for the Order, she who had mao gaile of one of the you Rays to date.

  She did not have such memories of Adam, but she recalled the first time they had met, when Adam came to blows with a pair of Hopes.

  Mother Priest and Mother Floreh uood the camity which would soon befall the nd.

  It began to rain that evening, a rain which soon bhe Iyr at night.

  An Iyrman cut through the rain with his bde, pleting his family’s exercises with his bde. Even so, he stood within the rain, his hair stuck to his forehead, the rain against his skiurowards his panion, also drenched from his head to his boots.

  “You may train under a tarp,” Mosen said, his lips f a wide grin, p the cups of wine, c them with his hand to protect their drinks from the rain.

  “It is too noisy.” Tonagek limped over to his friend, and sat beside him, unstrapping his shield, before accepting the cup of wihe pair drank together, feeling the pitter patter of rain against their skin, and the silen their hearts.

  “I saw your oday. I brought Chiseo py with her cousins, and her nieces and nephews. I saw him in his room. He was so… pale. I could see his veins. So dark. So…” He tio sip his wine slowly, p more for each of them. “Before he noticed me, I could see it in his eyes.”

  “What did you see?” Tonagek asked. After a long moment of sileouro see Mosen in thought, his facial expression pensive, and full of apprehension.

  The days passed.

  It was raining that m. Adam finished his hot bath, and shaved, though he didn’t o shave much si was not yet nightval. The half elf slipped upon the yers of clothes, barely able to feel them against his skin. His eyes were still dark, his body still lean, having lose quite some weight throughout the seasons si happened.

  Vonda folded his colr and pressed against it, before meeting his eyes. The pair hugged one aight, and Adam felt just how tightly his wife clutched at him, the half elf clutg her back just as tight.

  He stepped into the shared estate, feeling the light pitter patter of rain upon his armour, meeting the gazes of all the children, who had found out just then. Their father was leaving.

  “Daddy? Yoing?” Jirot asked, her mouth open in shock.

  “I o go,” Adam replied, his voice strained. “Daddy is going to get rid of the bad people.”

  “Bad people?” Jirot asked.

  “The people who hurt my children, I’m going to get rid of them, ahem to Baktu,” Adam said, dropping down to his ko pull Jirot and Jarot close, sm them with his affe. “You have to pray to Baktu for daddy, and Karot, you o pray to Mahtu, okay?”

  “Daddy…” Jirot pouted up at her father. “Daddy, you ot go.”

  “We must go,” Jurot said.

  “No?” Jirot replied, furrowing her brows.

  “We must,” called the old, gruff voice of the Mad Dog, who had remained with them that m.

  “Babo? Yoing too?” Jirot asked, reag out a hand to her babo.

  “I must,” Jarot said, holding the girl’s small hand within her own, the old Iyrman grinning wide. “I will make sure to kill them well before I return.”

  “Babo! You are so old! You ot go! I take care of you, babo! You must tell daddy!” Jired, clutg his hand with both hands, smiling slightly as the old man ughed.

  Old Jarot lifted his greatdaughter up and pulled her to his chest, pnting a kiss against her cheek, before brushing his cheek against hers. “I will return soon.”

  Little Jarot pouted, until the older Jarot also pulled him close, the old man upon a knee as he held the boy close. The pair hugged tight, while Jirot clutched at the old man’s sleeve.

  “My bones have grown so cold, my Jirot, my Jarot,” the old Jarot whispered. “I must warm up before I return.”

  “No…” Jirot’s lips trembled and the girl started to cry, her screeches filling the air.

  Adam dropped to his ko scoop up his triplets, kissing each of their foreheads one by one. “You must all behave for mummy and nana, okay?”

  “Okay…” The triplets held their father, who basked in their adoration. Their tails swayed from side to side, though they sehere was something off about the situation. This wasn’t how their father left the Iyr. It felt so different. So… unknown.

  Once Jirot had calmed down, Adam embraced all six of his older children, even pulling Larot in close, pnting a kiss on his forehead.

  “I want you to all remember this ohing before I go. Daddy loves you all, so, so much. I love you. Okay?”

  “Okay…” The response came back jumbled, almost fused.

  “Virot and Xarot, they’re too young. They won’t be able to remember what I said, so when I e back, I’ll tell them too, but while I’m gone, you make sure you tell them, every single day, that their father loves them, okay?”

  “Okay!” Jirot’s voice cut through the jumble of noise.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise!” came the fident response from his children.

  Adam held them close for a long moment, closing his eyes, before letting them go, and quickly snatg Virot to shower her with his affe before she pined for her mother, reag out for her, babbling away wildly. Adam tickled Xarot’s he boy twitg and kig out a leg, before staring up at the block of purple. Adam took in his sight, as well as Damrot, brushing the boy’s hair tenderly, and finally Monarot, tig her oo, the girl beginning to cry until she was soothed by her father’s hug.

  Adam go the rest of the children, from Taygak to Inakan. He could see the expectations within their eyes, that the half elf would say his goodbyes one by one, but Adam uood if he did that, he may not return.

  “You all stay in school, and don’t ds, okay?”

  “Okay?” they all mumbled in response.

  Mirot wasn’t sure what Adam was doing, sidering she had requested some additional time for the children that m in order for him to say goodbye.

  Adam lifted Lanarot up, holding her close, feeding her a bit of bread. “I suppose I should leave you all here to finish your breakfast.”

  “We must go with you, cousin Adam,” Katool said.

  “No,” Adam said. “I’ll be ba a few weeks, so it’s okay.”

  Sonarot noted all the looks she was getting, the woman falling into thought for a moment. “Okay.”

  Turot gave his aunt a curious look, for this was not done, but as he gnced around, he noted none of the adults pined. “Cousin Adam?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you use Strong Shield?”

  “I will. I’ll use Strong Shield, and then I’ll e back, and I’ll tell you the story of what happened. Will you gift it to Asorot?”

  “Okay,” Turot replied with a proud smile, though he gnced around to the adults, noting their apprehension. Could he not give it to his brother?

  “Huu!” Jirot sniffled, though Gangak wiped her face, kissing her cheek.

  “You’re always so good at taking care of the children,” Adam said. “Will you stay to watch over them?”

  Gangak inhaled sharply, her brows raised towards the half elf, who smiled ily, though was overwhelmed by the guilt. “Today, I will remain. Iure, I will not.”

  “Jirot. You have my permission to bully nano Gangak and nano Otkan until I e back, okay?”

  “I will not bully nano, silly daddy,” Jirot replied, pg her hands upon her hips, gring at her father.

  “Just a little bit?” Adam asked.

  “Just a little bit,” Jirot firmed.

  Adam smiled, reag down to trail her hair with a finger, before tig her ear, doing the same to Jarot. Adam held the boy’s gaze, seeing the sadness within the, i, amber eyes. He tickled Jarot’s ears with both of his fingers, causing the boy to giggle, before he ruffled Larot’s hair, and made his way to his wife. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, fshing a small smile towards her.

  “I hope to see you soon, darling,” Vonda said, reag up to pce her hand upon his.

  “Me too.” Adam winked, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

  “I will return soon,” Jurot said.

  “Okay,” Pam replied, squeezing his hand. She could feel hh they were today, the fresh marks against his skin coarse, like iron.

  Jurot g Adam, and for half a moment thought about kissing his wife’s cheek, but decided it would be best for him to kiss her upon his return. His ears burned a deep red.

  The pair stepped out, strapped with their packs and long cloaks, making their way to a nearby shared estate. Adam stopped before entering it.

  ‘Should I go bad do it properly?’ Adam thought. ‘No. No. I gotta e bad do it properly then.’

  “Are you ready?” Tonagek asked, adorned in his full pte, wearing his bde at his side, and his shield upon his back, over his pack.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, letting go of his cousins’ small chubby hands. “I’m ready.”

  The group made their way out of the Iyr, heading to the Front Iyr. They sat within the carriage, pulled along by a magical steed. Adam looked around, noting the four of them. ‘I feel like we’re missing a few people…’

  It's happening!