“What’s the matter, Dad?” Lith turned to his father, his eyes ever so slightly warm. “Do you want me to congratulate Trion for doing the right thing for once? Do you want me to forgive him just because he did the bare minimum after abandoning you for years?
“That’s a lot to ask. Forgiveness can be asked, but receiving it is another question entirely. Tista can do what she wants. As for my forgiveness, it must be earned. Words are cheap and so far, Trion only did what he had to do to keep living as one of my Demons.”
“Lith!” Kamila met his eyes and said nothing more.
She knew how complicated family relationships were and asking him to forgive his brother would have been like him asking her to forgive her parents. Yet she could see the pain in Elina’s and Raaz’s eyes and it hurt her deeply.
They were the parents she had always dreamed of having and Lith’s demeanor was ruining the joy from Elysia’s birth even more than losing her powers had already done for her.
“No, he’s right.” Trion stood up slowly, giving everyone a bow in apology. “Once again, I’ve been thinking solely of myself, spoiling the fun for everyone. Today is about Elysia Verhen, not me. I apologize for my rudeness.”
Trion tried to disappear into the shadows but Lith’s willpower held him in place.
“Running away after making a mess. How do you expect me to believe that you’ve changed if you keep behaving the same way you did your whole life?” Lith clicked his tongue in disgust.
Between his tone and words, Elina would have stepped between the two brothers to defend Trion, if not for what Lith actually did.
He took Elysia from Elina and gave the baby back to Trion.
“The problems you have with me are just between us.” Lith said. “You can still be a good brother to Aran and a good uncle to my daughter. Don’t be sorry, be better. Prove to me that you have changed and then we’ll talk again.”
Then, he turned around and walked away without waiting for a reply.
***
Ernas Household, the day after.
‘That was a nice save on Lith’s side.’ Jirni thought. ‘After his parents and brother cried, everyone thought that Lith was leaving the door of reconciliation open and that was enough to restore the good mood of the party.
‘What he actually did was give his parents and wife peace of mind while also putting Trion to the test. It was harsh, manipulative, but fair.’
The Lady of House Ernas would have loved to stay in the Mansion along with her daughters. Elysia was a sight to behold and Jirni would hate to miss Surin’s birth as well.
The problem was that with Kamila on maternity leave, she had one person less she trusted and more work to do. No matter the joy that a new life brought and the peace that the relatives wished to have in order to savor the happy event, Mogar kept turning.
Their enemies kept plotting and Jirni had to keep up with them to not let everything she had built so far be swept away.
“I was really surprised when your daughter delivered me your invitation, granddaughter.” Jiza Gernoff walked through the double doors leading to Jirni’s private quarters before Dyta could announce her.
“The last time we met, you said very colorful things about me and swore that the next time we met would be when you spat on my grave.”
Jiza was actually Jirni’s ancestor and there were many grand- before the word daughter. Even though Jiza Gernoff looked to be in her early forties, she was an Awakened and an Elder of the human Council.
Her real age was 585 years old and she called Jirni granddaughter just for brevity, like Leegaain did for young Dragons.
“You can’t expect a mother in distress to keep her cool. Especially when those who are supposed to help her turn their back on her and her daughter.” Jirni replied without turning toward her guest, keeping her eyes on the window facing the inner garden.
“You are family, yet you refused to help me and because of that, my daughter died.” Her voice was calm but she needed a few moments to collect herself and not let her anger transpire.
Jirni considered feelings to be a burden while doing business and she prided herself in never letting her emotions give an edge to her competition. Once she turned around, she had suppressed her grudge against the Gernoffs and the hormones from the pregnancy.
“Phloria’s death, the untimely passing of the most promising Ernas since Juria is on you. Because of your choice, the Myrok Household and in turn the Gernoff too have lost a priceless asset to their bloodline.”
Jirni looked at Jiza with a sad smile on her face. There was no trace of anger in her eyes and her voice was filled with grief. Yet it was just a mask she wore to probe her opponent.
Jiza looked down in shame, needing a second to collect herself before replying.
“I know. Your daughter’s death was a tragedy. If only you weren’t so blind, Phloria would still be alive.”
“Excuse me?” Jirni’s eyes steeled for a second, letting the sting wash over her to not let it affect her judgment.
“After Verhen killed Jormun, you should have known that Thrud would seek revenge. Your daughter’s sword and her friendship with Verhen made her the perfect candidate. Yet you failed to protect Phloria because you trusted her Awakened friends too much.”
Jiza glared at Jirni with icy eyes, looking down at her. The Gernoff was 1.62 meters (5’4″) tall whereas Jirni was shorter, barely 1.52 cm (5′) tall. Both women had long blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes, making them look like sisters.
“I didn’t trust anyone. I knew something like that might happen so I deployed the best units the Ernas had to spare. We were at war and Phloria was dating a Griffon. It was supposed to be enough. What’s your excuse?” Jirni’s reply took Jiza by surprise, something that hadn’t happened in centuries.
Her lips curled up in annoyance but for such a short time that only Jirni noticed it and only because her Awakened senses managed to keep up with Jiza’s lightning-fast reflexes.
Both of them showed emotions only if they decided so and someone succeeding in putting a crack in their mask only made them respect their opponent more. Things like pride or humiliation didn’t exist in their vocabulary.
A step back was only a way to collect more data.
“I too assigned the best forces the Gernoff had to spare but they failed as well.” Jiza admitted, making Jirni open her eyes wide in surprise. “I failed to predict that Thrud would send her Generals.
“My troops were ill-equipped to face Divine Beasts. I failed as well so I guess Phloria’s death is also on me. Now, if we are done with recriminations, I’d like to know why you invited me here.”
“To ask for your help again.” Jirni replied. “I hope that this time you’ve learned your lesson and that your answer will be different.”
