“Sorry,” little Jarot said that m as his father ged him, out of the ruined shirt he had thrown up upon, and his clothy.

  “It’s okay,” Adam whispered, pnting a kiss on his son’s cheek, washing the boy . “You smel-, silly boy, you don’t o apologise for this.” Adam tensed up once more, the ache of his words spreading from his heart.

  Jirot pouted slightly, but her father quickly distracted her with her ow of kisses against her cheek and forehead, helping the pair to wash their hands. Ohe pair were adorned in their clothies once more, with little Jarot having chewed his teethleaf, Adam held their hands, leading them back to the courtyard of the shared estate. The older children had already left for their schooling that day, but they were still surrounded by their grandaunts, granduncles, and more.

  “Babo!” Jirot poiowards Malfev, but remained holding her father’s hand, allowing her father to escort her to him.

  “My greatniece,” Malfev called, before his eyes fell upon his greathe old man smiled, patting his p, but rather than leaping onto him, the pair remained glued to their father. He reached out to ruffle their hair, his heart pained due to the reason of their refusal rather than the refusal itself. ‘To calm this raging storm within, I will o give up my position.’

  “Daddy?” Jirot called. “Where is Lucy?”

  “Lucy is w,” Adam replied.

  “W?” Jirot’s lower lip quivered. “She is ing home soon?”

  Adam shut his eyes tight once more, feeling them grow hot a once more. His daughter, who had been so predictably troublesome, had bee so shy. “I’ll tell her to e home quickly after her work, okay?”

  “Okay.” The girl gnced down, before her greatfather quickly distracted her by brushing her hair, the girl smiling.

  Mana: 25 -> 22Spell: Sending

  “plete your tasks as quickly as you aurn back soon, Jirot, and Jarot, miss you so much.”

  ‘Adam!’ Lucy’s voied within his mind, full of shock, and relief. ‘You’re such a sve driver! Why ’t we rest up?’

  Adam stepped away, but he heard Jirot and Jarot whine behind him. “I just need a sed to tell Lue home quickly, because she’s bullying daddy, I’ll be ba just a bit!” Adam smiled towards his children, though the wrinkles around his eyes and the tense jaw revealed how little joy the half elf possessed.

  Mana: 22 -> 19Spell: Sending

  “Jarot and Larot were killed. The Iyr brought them back. Jirot was hurt too. She wants to see you.”

  ‘Adam!’ The voice was full of anger and shock, and had e out too quickly for the young woman to process what he had said. A long moment of silence passed as Lupted how much of a fool Adam truly was. ‘Okay.’

  Adam remained outside for a moment, brag himself, before returning back to the shared estate. Virot crawled towards her mother, clutg at her trouser, the girl babbling to cuddle up to her mother. Adam closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, before lifting the girl up, sitting down beside his wife, Virot upon his p. The half elf poked her nose, pnting a firm kiss on her forehead, before brushing back her hair. The girl radiated warmth, her i eyes staring up towards her father, her smile melting away at his cooled heart.

  “Did you want to surprise your daddy by learning to crawl?” Adam asked, his voice low, and though he smiled, his eyes remaiired. He pulled her up to his chest, allowio y upon his chest, the girl babbling away slightly, before sug her hand.

  “I’m sorry, Vonda,” Adam eventually whispered.

  “Did you tempt Fate?” Vonda asked.

  “No.”

  “Even if you did, you would have no reason to apologise,” Vonda said, g his hand in her own, brushing along the back of his knuckles with her thumb gently.

  Adam gnced aside towards his wife, who smiled warmly towards him, but he could see that the light within her eyes was forced. He smiled iurn, frowning a moment ter, before leaning down to press his head against her neuzzling against it. He pulled away slightly, tilting his head slightly, and she pced her head against his shoulder and neck, her breath tig against his skin.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Adam said. “Everything is going to be okay.”

  “Okay.”

  “Just…”

  “I know.”

  Adam inhaled deeply. He couldn’t think of it now. He had to make sure Vonda was okay, and that the child would be fine. If no one had said anything to him, it meant that Vonda and the child were safe, or perhaps Vonda wasn’t safe, but she was keeping it a secret. It ached his heart, and though he wished to ask, he pced his faith in his wife. There was a reason she could py him like a fiddle.

  His eyes remained upon his son, who sat within his greatfather’s p, listening to his greatuales. Malfev offered the boy cut pieces of fruit to eat from his fingers, but the boy tio hide against his greatfather’s chest.

  As the day passed, various Iyrmen approached the shared estate, most in their middle age, many older. It hadn’t taken long for Adam to realise they were the Heads and Family Elders, mostly because they introduced themselves as such.

  “Do you remember who I am?” The man wore lighter attire for noonval, and a wide hat to provide shade from its heat. The bottom half of a blue semi circle was fnked by green hollowed squares oher side, the same as the bald Iyrman nearby who had remai the shared estate for too long.

  “Mm,” little Jarot replied, nodding his head lightly, smiling shyly.

  “You are nano’s nephew,” Jirot said, acg him with a finger, before retreating back to her babo’s chest.

  “You are right!” The Iyrman ughed, reag down to ruffle their hair gently. “Do you remember my name?”

  “Gofev!”

  “Haha! I am Tamfev, but you remembered me, yes?”

  “Yes,” Jirot replied, though her lips curled into a pout.

  “I have brought gifts for you, would you like to see them?”

  “Gifts?”

  The Iyrmen eared throughout the day each brought pliments and gifts for the children, each speaking of how adorable, cute, smart, wise, brave, the children were, though mostly spoke of how adorable they were. The gifts ranged from tea cups and bowls, while other Iyrmen brought shields and axes their families did not use, but held value with their stories. Some remai the shared estate, greeting the others about, and spoke their tales to the young children, while the old Jarot allowed a few others to e and speak with him, speaking of how he had beaten, or had beeen, by either the Family Elder themselves, or their retives.

  Jirot and Jarot remained within their babo’s chest, though listened ily to the words of the Iyrmen, each figure exuding an aura of Iyrmen. What they didn’t sense was the intense killing ihey gave off ohey left, before the Iyrmen soothed themselves.

  Adam had ted the number of families, but once he reached fifty, he stopped. There were many others after, and the half elf he number surpassed a hundred. Each Head and Elder was also not like the average Iyrman, each more like Sonarot and Jarot, that was to say, they were once sidered great warriors for their age, and though they had settled down, the Heads were greater than Experts, nearing Masters, and the Elders were greater than Masters, nearing Grandmasters.

  “It was yreatfather who almost took my ear,” the woman said, pointing towards her mangled ear, which was more like a half torn leaf. “I still hear, for he missed within, but he had almost cut into it. Had I not mao force his axe away with my bde, I would have-,”

  “Ha!” Jarot growled, grinning wide. “I was so wild when I was young!”

  The woman flushed slightly, gng down towards the boy. She smiled, reag down to ruffle his hair. “I should leave, for the others wish to spoil you too. How adorable you are, will you join our-,”

  “Hmph!” Jarot began to growl. “Leave, before their babo beats you again! Do you see? Your babo will not let aake you from his arms!”

  “Mummy?” Jirot asked.

  The old Jarot pulled back slightly, gng to the side. “Is your mother anyone? Your mother is your mother! Do you wish to leave your babo’s arm for your mother?”

  “I want mummy,” Jirot said, her amber eyes staring deep into her babo’s eyes, breaking through his defences with ease.

  As Jarot hoisted himself up, eyes fell to the new Iyrman who stepped into the shared estate. The Iyrman’s eyes sed across all the Iyrmen about, the dozen or so Elders, each who had e to greet the children, before they met Jarot’s, only for a moment, aepped forward.

  Zijin stepped before Larot, who sat beside Jazool, the girl staring up at the Elder. Zijin smiled, reag down to rub both of their heads gently, before brushing a hand along the boy’s cheek, who allowed him to do so, before he drew his hand away.

  Zijin reached out and pced a hand upon little Jarot’s head, smiling towards the boy. “If they bully you, you must tell me.”

  Little Jarot clutched his babo’s shirt, trying to hide from the Elder, while Jirot also did the same once he had finished brushing her hair.

  “I have e to speak with your father, little Jirot. I will tell him he ot work, and that he must py with you for the rest of the week, but I must speak with him of another matter. May I?”

  “No work?”

  “He ot work this entire week, I will not allow it,” Zijin promised.

  “You must tell daddy,” Jirot said, reag out to pat the Elder’s shoulder. “You must tell daddy off, he does not listen to me.”

  The ughter burst through the estate, causing the children to gnce around, though the Iyrmen took great care in ruffling their hair, to make sure they were nhtened by the noises.

  “I will tell him,” Zijin assured, before nodding his head to Adam, who stood. The Elder then brought his attention to Vonda. He held out his hands, and the young woman reached out to hold them. “If you have any requests, please make them freely, I will hahe matters personally.”

  “You have already done so much, Elder, I have need for little.”

  “Little or much, speak your requests, and they will be dealt with.”

  “Thank you.”

  Zijin led Adam out of the estate, towards the tral estate that Zijin called his own. The Elder stepped towards the desk, but stopped, causing Adam to stop behind him. The half elf he Elder’s back, which was wide and strong, like that of a Jin.

  “There are few Iyrmen who have not lost a child,” Zijin said. “Yet, few know the grief of losing a child who had not yet grown.”

  “…”

  “I, too, have lost a child, but she was older,” Zijin said, bowing his head lightly, the Elder shutting his eyes tight. “After the previous year, I should have deed your requests. I should have left more Iyrmehe business. I am sorry, Adam.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Elder.”

  “You uand why I bme myself,” the Elder stated, more an accusation against the half elf.

  “…”

  “You are not to work for the rest of this week, I have disallowed it.”

  “Okay.”

  “You should remain with your son, and assist in his feeding. When you are ready, return to me, and I will have prepared you the steel,” Zijin said, still uo face the half elf. He was one of the few Iyrmen who uood Adam, for the half elf had trusted him that much. He uood not just what Adam was, but who he was, for the half elf had trusted him that much.

  Zijin uood.

  Zijin uood it wasn’t a matter of if, but when.

  “Okay.”

  It wasn’t a matter of if, but when.