“What do you mean, Lith’s tribulations affect Solus as well?” Faluel asked.
“It’s still a baseless theory so I don’t want to get your hopes up. Besides, to share it with you, I would be forced to violate his privacy and reveal some of the secrets Lith keeps for himself.” Leegaain said.
“Then I don’t want to know.” Faluel’s curiosity was strong, but not enough to betray her disciples’ trust. “Are you going straight back home or will you stay for tea?”
“Neither. We’re going to the Flying Griffon resort and get my blood samples. I swear that if I receive another damn cigar or a blue ribbon, I’ll wage a war so bloody that the undead will be forced to migrate again!”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t leave Lutia.” Faluel shook her head. “I promised Lith to protect the village and I’m not letting him down again.”
“Nonsense! No one of his family is here at the moment so there’s no one to protect. On the contrary, if you follow me to the Flying Griffon, you will be able to keep an eye on Elina, Raaz, and Rena while also enjoying a nice vacation. My treat.”
Leegaain needed Faluel to introduce him, or he would never be able to approach Lith’s parents without the Queen’s Corps busting his scaly ass into jail, let alone ask them a sample of their blood.
He could easily fend the security detail off and take what he wanted by force, but that would mean angering Lith again and possibly triggering Tyris even more. She was already pissed off with Leegaain and attacking her people on her own turf would have made Fenagar’s transgression look like a joke between friends.
“I’m sorry but no. Selia is still here with my goddaughter Fenrir and I won’t risk their lives nor the safety of Lutia for your sake. Everything Lith’s parents have is here. If the village is reduced to a crater, all of my disciples and their families will suffer.”
“Very well, I’ll provide you with an excellent stand-in to ease your worries.” Leegaain sighed while activating his mind link. “I never took you for such a mother hen. You Hydras have taken too much from my side of the family.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Faluel said with a thankful nod of the head.
“What are you doing on Tyris’s turf, old lizard? I hope you two are not having fun without me.” Salaark looked away from the mountain of paperwork in front of her and turned towards the Kingdom, where the link pinpointed Leegaain.
It was still dawn in the Desert and she usually spent the time until noon dealing with her duties of Overlord, yet Salaark would gladly postpone them for a Guardian party.
“We wouldn’t dare. I’m just working to get rid of those rumors about Lith being a Dragon. I need someone to keep an eye on Lutia while my granddaughter is away or she won’t leave her lair. Without her help, I’ve got no chance of success.” He replied.
“You have hundreds of powerful children and most of them love you. Why do you need mine?”
“Because I’m trying to clear the rumors, not to confirm them. If a few Dragons start to keep Lith’s family safe, not even Blood Resonance will ever convince the Council that we are not related.” Leegaain said.
“True, but what’s in it for me?” She said, hoping to get something juicy in return.
“I don’t know, maybe I could give you the information about that lost temple you asked me about instead of it casually getting lost in the mail. Or maybe, if you don’t help me, the next time you ask me to create a spell for you, I might put your request on the bottom of my to-do list by mistake.” Leegaain snarled.
Even for a Guardian, a day would still have only 24 hours. Salaark spent his mornings nurturing her people, the afternoons researching Forgemastering techniques and practicing martial arts, and the nights by hanging out with her friends, her offspring, or her lovers.
Unlike Tyris who lived at the fringes of her own Kingdom, interacting only with her bloodline, and unlike Leegaain who never left his lab unless Milea asked for his help or company, Salaark was an integral part of the daily life in the Blood Desert.
Seeing her empire thrive, providing talented people with the knowledge and equipment they needed while also never losing touch with those she loved, were all priceless things for Salaark.
For everything else, there was Leegaain.
The Father of all Dragons only needed to be pointed in the direction of an interesting line of research to disappear for days in his lab until he got the answer. He had become the Lord of Wisdom thanks to his shut-in nature, just like Salaark was the Lord of War because of the amount of time she had spent in actual fights.
Guardians had a symbiotic relationship that allowed them to take care of everything in the time they had. Leegaain was the to-go guy when you needed knowledge just like Salaark was in charge of major ass-kicking.
“Fine, I’ll send one of the members of my nest, but if this starts new rumors that claim I’m the mother, then you’ll have to explain to Tyris why I snatched Lith for my Desert.” Salaark said with an opportunistic smirk on her face that sent shivers down Leegaain’s spine.
Yet she already knew she had no blood relationship with Lith. No one of her children had ever given up on their Phoenix nature and his parents were normal humans.
A few minutes after the call ended, someone knocked on Faluel’s door.
“Sorry I’m late but moving without a Warp makes everything slow.” The man in front of Faluel looked to be in his early thirties, about 1.9 meters (6’3″) tall, with black hair and a short beard.
He had emerald green eyes and the light bronze skin typical of the Blood Desert. He wore an ample white robe, a red mantle, and a small white turban with a Phoenix-shaped ruby in the middle.
Two finely crafted scimitars hung on his hip. Even their scabbards had several different colored mana crystals and the powerful aura they exuded made Faluel feel like a complete beginner in the Forgemastering arts.
On top of that, ever since his arrival, the sun seemed to have gotten hotter while the shadows of the woods seemed to have grown colder.
“Who are you supposed to be?” She asked.
“It seems I’ve left my manners home in a rush. My name is Crevan Gershal, at your service.” He gave her a deep bow, putting her status of Lord of the region and host above seniority.
“Sorry, Grampa. I can’t leave like this. He’s good, but not good enough.” Faluel shook her head.
“I beg your pardon?” Crevan felt insulted by those words. “I’m a full-fledged member of the nest. It means that I’ve got a bright violet core, more than one thousand years of battle experience, and equipment forged by my mother. How can I not be good enough?”
“Can you take a Horseman on your own?”
“Of course I can. I-”
“While protecting an entire village, its people, and my apprentices’ families? If Night comes back with another army, how do you stop them all at the same time?” Faluel cut him short.
