“If you would have told me that cuddling my daughter would have been this painful, I would have called you a liar,” Adam said, his voice hoarse. He y upon his bed, his skin pale as milk, his veins like rivers of bck.

  Vonda sat beside him, holding the back of his hand, feeling how cold her husband had bee. She brushed along the back of his knuckles as the half elf stared at the ceiling, his eyes half gzed over with exhaustion.

  “I was warhat it was going to be rough,” Adam admitted, closing his eyes. “It doesn’t matter, though.”

  "You promised to take Lanarot to py with the pups,” Vonda said.

  “I’ll take her… at the end of the month?” Adam replied, hoping his body would heal up.

  A scramble at the door revealed who the childrerying to enter into the room. The pair of children, with grass green skin, and eyes like amber, cackled mischievously as they charged into the room to cause trouble, only to stop upon seeing their father.

  “Daddy!” the pair called out, their eyes darting towards their mother for support.

  “Daddy is feeling a little sick after teag Konarot,” Vonda said.

  “Daddy, how you be sick?” Jirot asked, climbing onto the bed, only to be pulled away by her mother, who pulled the twins onto her p.

  “You’re right. How this silly daddy of yet so sick?” Adam smiled slightly, gng aside to his daughter, his smile slowly fading. “Are you sad?”

  “Daddy…” Jirot’s lower lip trembled, the girl’s leaf shaped ears drooping.

  “Don’t be sad, my precious little babbies. Daddy is going to be sick just for a few days, but then…” Adam inhaled deeply, mustering up his strength. “You’re all going to have such special abilities, just like daddy!”

  “Huu! Daddy!” Jirot sniffled.

  “Do you know what kind of abilities you’ll have?” Adam asked.

  “Magic?” Jirot asked.

  “That’s right,” Adam replied, smiling towards his daughter and his son, reag out to trail a finger along a strand of their hair. “Yoing to know magic.”

  It was during this time, Chief Iromin sat silently, allowing the Great Elders to interrogate him. He couldn’t bme them, since he had made a decision about the half elf uniterally, without inf them. Though it was within his powers, it was just not dohe vention was that he should at least hold some de, some decy.

  “Chief Iromin,” Elder Gold finally called, having allowed the others to criticize him so brutally. “The Rot family of this geion possess too much.”

  Elder Forest reached up to her . It was awkward for the reat Elder to mention that, si was teically under her purview, and she hadn’t mentio. “I agree with Elder Gold. If the Rot family hold too much, the sequences could be disastrous.”

  “Though it is a travesty as to what happeo the Rot family, one family ot hold that much power,” Elder Wrath agreed.

  “It is not that they are monopolising such a boon, and though they will lose much of the boon shortly, it is four Rot children who will i such stranger, powerful, and dare I remind you of these times when I use the word, chaotic, magid enting. Adam has helped many families, and for that, we are thankful, but we must be careful.” Elder Teacher smiled sadly, having not wished to speak the words.

  The only peace Iromin knew was the fact that Elder Peace was still at the fort. He uood the criticism of each of the Great Elders. Even now, he could envision a future in which Adam turned upon them, and thanks to his favour, the Iyr was ill prepared. He trusted Adam’s words, assuming Adam spoke the truth, but if what Adam said wasn’t the eruth, then he was too terrifying of aeo leave alive. Except, even if all the Great Elders were agreed, they would still o face against the Minor Elder of the shared estates, and the Family Elder and Family Head of the Rot family, perhaps even the Family Heads and Family Elders of other families, not just those of the shared estate.

  “I uand,” Iromin assured, taking a moment to think deeply oter. The Great Elders allowed him to do so, for they had already spoken of the broader issues which they were used to dealing with. Even if the Reavers were a greater threat than Adam, they were more prepared for the Reavers than something like Adam. “I will speak with him.”

  It was the st day of the month when the Chief finally approached the half elf, who watched as his sister squealed with delight, riding the wolf. He had regained most of his colour, but the Chief noticed the half elf required more bed rest. sidering how busy he ying with all the children, the Chief decided against mentioning anything.

  “Personally, I am of the thought the name Azure is a bit gauche,” Adam said, speaking in a tone Iromin wasn’t used to. “Still, Lanababy seems to like it, and that’s all that matters.”

  “I will pick the best of the litter,” Iromin promised.

  Adam smiled slightly. “I haven’t seen him since he was a wee pup. He’s grown so much. You know, maybe I regret it a little that I allowed you to steal them away from me.”

  “I will sider it, sihe Great Elders are displeased.”

  “What did I do this time?” Adam asked, as though he had no clue, though the smirk on his lips revealed whose father he was.

  “They believe the Rot family holds too many treasures. The artefacts, the magics, it is too much for one family.” Iromin had thought Adam he plural when he mentiohe artefacts, but quickly realised Adam’s fusion was more like bewilderment. The half elf was stunned, as though the words had spped him across the face.

  “What?” Adam asked, raising his brow towards the Chief incredulously, with a look that struck at the Great Elder’s pride.

  “The Great Elders believe that the Rot family has gaioo many boons this geion.”

  Adam looked back towards his sister and the wolf, with the wolf’s handler following them, even their cold exterior melting from the girl’s joy. Then he looked back to the Chief once more, his eyes fluttering, his mind rag, stopping, and rag once more.

  “Okay,” Adam finally said, this okay said ione of someone who was still utterly baffled. “I’ll listen to the Great Elder’s pints, but I’d like someoh me.”

  “Who?”

  Later that evening the Great Elders gathered together. It was also that evening when the Great Elders realised just how scary Adam could be. The half elf allowed his cousin to sit first within the gazebo, opposite the Great Elders, before he took his pce beside her.

  “fy seats, eh, Taygak?” Adam asked, speaking in the Iyr’s tongue, as though he hadn’t just decred war against the Great Elders.

  “The seats are fortable,” Taygak agreed, sitting tall and proud. She did not wear any armour, but the young Iyrman was no doubt excited at the bde at her side, crafted by the hands of a particur Emperor, fed out of a dragon’s Spark. It was sidered one of the best ons within the Iyr, both in terms of its story, and its abilities, even though much of each were still widely unknown.

  An awkwardook the air as the Great Elders eyed up the pair, the Nephew of the Rot family, whose children were now sidered Iyrmen in the eyes of the Iyr, and the other an Iyrman who had been born in the Iyr, knowing only a life as an Iyrman.

  It was then the Great Elders uood Zijin’s o them. The note had been only two words long, and they realised it had been written full of mercy.

  How shameless.

  “So…” Adam began, the anger in his eyes kept at bay by the mischief that revealed he was close to Jaygak. “What is it that you wao speak to me about?”

  The Great Elders remained silent, unsure if they could speak up, especially not because of the young Iyrman before them. It was ohing for Adam t along Stormdrake, the on he had won from the Emperor, but had gifted away to the Gak family since he hew of the Rot family. It was a a Gak.

  It wasn’t just that Adam had gifted such a grand on to the Gak family, but it was that of all the children he had brought along, it was Taygak.

  Taygak, daughter of Kaygak.

  Taygak, the grandniece of Gangak.

  Taygak, the cousin of Jaygak.

  How shameless.

  The half elf wahem to firm whether the Elder’s words were true, and if they would dare to speak the words in front of a Gak.

  “It is our mistake,” Elder Gold said, bowing her head.

  That's messed up, Great Elders.