“Didn’t you hear the news? Magus Verhen had a child.”
“Hear? We felt that.” The girl and the Horseman shuddered at the memory of the wave of life force that Lith had unleashed during that day.
“Then you must know that no matter the reason, you don’t get between a Dragon and his egg.” Milea replied.
“She’s not an egg. She’s a baby. Probably she won’t even remember that her father left for a while once she grows up.” Kelia shrugged.
“Child, have you ever heard, even as boasting, about someone having a pet Dragon or having eaten a Dragon’s egg?” The Empress took a deep breath trying to calm down.
“No, but we live in the Empire. Dragons are sacred to us. It would be weird otherwise.”
“Point taken, but that’s not the issue.” Milea nodded. “A Dragon never gets away from their treasure and a hatchling is their crown jewel. Even one stupid rumor gets their attention and you don’t want that.
“Fell one Dragon and dozens come. Fell two, and the next day your country will burn. And if they really find an egg or a hatchling…” Milea shuddered at the thought. “Well, you don’t want to know the rest.”
‘Dusk?’ Kelia asked.
‘You really don’t want to know.’ He replied, sharing with her only a memory of dozens of scaled Divine Beasts, all lined up and exuding Dragon Fear in unison.
In the vision, the living died of terror while the undead died in a torrent of white flames. After that, the memory faded but she had seen enough to guess the rest.
“After my fourth year it is.” Kelia nodded. “What then?”
“Let me worry about that. You should worry about ‘what now’ instead”. Milea replied.
“What do you mean?”
“As I said, it’s going to take a while until the baby grows enough to quell the Dragon’s protective instinct and allow Verhen to move.” Milea replied. “The Royals won’t ask him anything before that because if he’s anything like Leegaain, Verhen would rather defect than abandon his daughter.
“That or trigger a war. According to my spies, the Kingdom intends to use that time to let the monsters of Zelex multiply and to send as many diplomatic envoys as possible to other Fringes to recruit more elves.
“The Empire can’t remain idle or we’ll go from equal partners to a silent one. That’s why I’m going to offer my support to Setraliie’s elves in traveling to the Fringes in the Empire and get the opportunity to negotiate with their kin first.
“Also, I’m allocating resources to the Eclipsed Lands to allow them to gather undead refuges from Jiera, feed them, and offer them a ticket back home. The Magic Council was against it at first but then I reminded them that this way, we lose a little in the short term and earn a lot in the long term.
“It will swell the numbers of our invading army and give us an unstoppable elite force at night so that our contribution to the colonization will be no less than the Kingdom’s.
“Also, by offering our aid, we are rounding up undead and sending them away in one fell swoop. I’m turning a problem into fuel for our expansion. Two birds with one stone.”
“It’s indeed a brilliant plan.” Kelia nodded. “But we see two flaws in it. One, you want to send me there, but I only have a bright green core which makes me a liability. Two, you mentioned Life Maelstrom, but we don’t have access to it.
“That’s one of Dusk’s powers and they are still sealed.”
“Again, I have a solution that solves two problems at once.” Milea stood up. “I’ll use the methods Leegaain used with me to speed up your core development and together we’ll look into those seals.
“After all, during the War of the Griffons, you managed to override them thanks to Dawn’s help, correct?” The Empress received a nod in reply. “Remember that feeling. Recall everything you can and we’ll start working from there.
“In case that fails, we can always ask Dawn for help. And one more thing.
“During your stay on the Train, you two must exploit every opportunity you can to steal its secrets. Don’t do anything rash, colonization comes first and we can’t afford to break our alliance with the Kingdom before having established a Warp Gate in Jiera.
“I’m just saying that the trip will be long and boring. Use that time wisely to befriend Verhen and his partner, Solus. The four of you have a lot in common and you two can learn from them. Go for the Train’s power core only if the coast is clear.
“It’s a prototype so it should be poorly shielded but in case it’s not, it’s not worth the hassle. Once Trains become widespread in the Kingdom, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to study them.”
“So, colonization first, Verhen second, Trains third?” Kelia asked.
“Exactly. Now let’s discuss your training program, daughter.”
***
Verhen Mansion, at the same time.
The Guardians’ dimensional magic could have easily expanded Lith’s home in Lutia endlessly but it couldn’t bring the mana geyser in the Trawn woods any closer.
After Solus’ breakthrough, she started to feel weak so the party had to be moved to the Mansion where its geyser would hasten the rebuilding of the tower and help Solus to fill her now bright blue core with mana.
Kamila woke up after less than half an hour, her weakness mostly a product of the backlash from losing the extra power that Elysia had granted her until that day. Invigoration had fully restored her strength, but she still felt heavy, slow, and feeble.
She had gotten so used to her baby-boosted physical and magical prowess that now her flesh seemed made of lead and her mana watered down.
Kamila smiled from the heart only while holding Elysia. The rest of the time her smile was stretched and it didn’t extend to her eyes.
“Why doesn’t she have seven eyes?” Garrik asked while waiting for his turn to hold the baby. “Even I was born with six.”
“Because you took more from me, dear.” Ryla replied. “Other species, like Tyrants, Hydras, and apparently also Tiamats, develop their extra organs with age and power.”
“Does this mean I could get twelve eyes?” He asked with such a bright smile that she couldn’t find the strength to be honest.
“It’s possible” The Fomor nodded.
‘It’s very unlikely.’ She actually thought.
“I can’t believe I’m finally an aunt.” Leria sobbed a little while holding Elysia who slept through everything without a care in the word.
“Me too.” Filia was envious of the baby’s multiple streaks and the power she exuded but most of all, she was moved by the arrival of the new member of the family.
Due to Fallmug, she had never been able to be a big sister and she believed to have failed to protect Frey. This was her chance to redeem herself and spend time with her beloved aunt.
“Same here!” Frey said, jumping on the spot in anticipation.
“You’re an uncle, like me. Not an aunt!” Aran said with a solemn voice.
