Despite all the doubts Lith and Solus shared, she had recovered her Fury only because Bytra had given it to her after recognizing Solus as Elphyn Menadion. The Mouth had ended up in the hands of Jiera’s Council and they would have never heard about it, let alone retrieved it, if not for Zoreth.
Each piece of Menadion’s Set was a priceless treasure that was heavily safeguarded and whose possession was kept secret to not arouse envy and greed. Lith and Solus knew that unless a miracle happened, Zoreth and the Organization were their best bet at locating the Ears.
The Shadow Dragon wasn’t aware that Lith controlled the tower but she knew about Solus’ real identity and their bond. For over a year now Zoreth kept everything a secret even from the Master and gave them no reason to doubt her.
Trusting the Shadow Dragon with the search for the missing artifact wouldn’t endanger Lith’s and Solus’ safety any more than it already was.
Were Zoreth to spill the beans to the Organization, what Vastor might do with the Ears of Menadion would be the least of their worries.
“Finally! I was getting worried. Are you two alright?” Kamila was waiting for them on the other side of the Gate, giving Lith a kiss and a hug the moment he stepped through.
“Yes, we are fine.” Solus nodded.
“Then what took you so long?”
“That’s my bad.” Lith replied. “Solus needed a confidence booster and I brought her to Lutia’s school.”
“How can a refresher course in writing and reading improve her morale? In her shoes, I’d feel insulted.” Kamila asked in puzzlement.
Solus laughed at the misunderstanding while Lith inwardly grumbled. To keep the surprise, he had told no one about the donation of Tablets, not even to his wife. A quick mind link brought her up to speed and a smile on her face.
“I’m proud of you.” Kamila gave him a dazzling smile while caressing his face. “For once you acted from the heart instead of the wallet. A few coins make a small difference to you but they mean a lot to the kids, the school, and Solus.”
“Thanks. I guess.” Being praised like that actually made Lith feel worse since Tablets were cheap by design and he had crafted them himself, spending only the necessary to buy the raw materials.
“Now come, everyone was waiting for you for the experiment.” Kamila took them by the hands and dragged them toward the garden.
“I wouldn’t call it an experiment.” Lith said with a sigh. “It’s just a playdate.”
“Experiment is more appropriate. No playdate has ever been so dangerous. I guess.” Kamila opened the glass double door with Spirit Magic while waving at their guests.
“You took your sweet time, Archole Verhen.” Marchioness Brinja Distar stood up from her lounge chair and stood in front of Lith with her delicate fists planted on her hips in defiance.
Her long golden hair had been fixed into a tress and her sky-blue eyes looked at him coldly.
“It’s Supreme Archole Verhen for you.” Lith said with a stern face before breaking into a smile at the word she had made up about him by fusing his titles of Archmage and asshole.
Brinja had come up with it a few years back in annoyance when Lith had become an Archmage and avoided her like the plague. Now it was just an inside joke between them.
Truth to be told, Brinja had searched for a Magus equivalent, but to no avail.
The Lord of the Distar region was wearing a comfortable set comprised of a loose shirt and pants that were usually reserved to deal with paperwork in the privacy of her own home or while parenting her daughter, Milla.
The baby girl was in a playpen right near the chair, looking around in curiosity.
“And Supreme Archole it is then.” She replied with a chuckle, giving him a brief hug. “Is everything alright?” She asked, receiving a nod in answer. “What about our promise?”
“I haven’t forgotten, Brinja. When I find Meln, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Good.” She nodded. “Then we can move on to the serious stuff.”
Brinja waved at the rest of the guests: Ryssa with Dhiral Manohar the Second, Elina with Surin, Selia with Solkar, Tyris with Valeron the Second, Salaark with Shargein, and Elysia.
To avoid misunderstandings and questions about Valeron’s origin, Tyris had introduced herself as his mother while the handmaidens posed as her ladies in waiting.
Vyla and Ophya stood to the side, ready to intervene in case someone needed help. Ryla and Garrick were there as well, both excited to see so many new faces.
‘Say what you want, there’s something weird in Lutia’s water.’ Brinja stared at the rest of the women with a mix of envy and confusion. ‘Even the maids are stunning. I feel like I came to a beauty contest while wearing my pajamas.’
“You have no idea how much this means to me.” The Dryad said with a sigh. “The nobles of the Royal Court have to associate themselves with me during social events but they refuse to let their children near my son.
“Dhiral needs to learn to socialize or he’ll grow up into another Manohar. I meant his second name to be a blessing, not a curse.” In is Dryad form, the baby boy had blond hair and light green skin, making his inhuman nature apparent.
In his human form, instead, he had black hair straked silver all over, a smart gaze, and enough resemblance with the late god of healing to make people forget about his Dryad half as they ran for the hills.
Dhiral Manohar Marth was the Headmaster’s son. Marth had proved it with Blood Resonance multiple times. Yet the memory of the impossible feats performed by the late mad genius trampled both reason and everything between the nobles and the nearest exit.
“I don’t get it.” Solus said. “He’s but a child. What can he possibly do? Look at how quiet he is.”
“Not again!” Solus’ words alarmed Ryssa, who turned around and lifted the baby, discovering it was just a bundle of vine shaped to resemble Manohar. “Where has he gone?”
“Right here.” Fluffy the Byk pointed at the toddler who was tugging at his round ears.
Manohar the Second had never seen a magical beast before and he was eager to inspect the unknown, fluffy creature. When Ryssa reached them, the baby was done patting the nose of the bear-like creature and was pulling Fluffy’s lips up to inspect his teeth.
The Byk showed great patience, merely rolling his eyes at Dhiral’s antics.
“Do you see what I mean? Babies aren’t supposed to understand the concept of diversion let alone do this!” Ryssa pointed at the four long vines spurting from the baby’s back. “I can’t get him to stop and Dhiral creeps everyone out.”
The baby used the vines to move around and to explore his surroundings. They acted as extra and very nimble limbs that he also used to grab things he wanted to examine. The overall impression, however, resembled too much an overgrown spider to be anything but disturbing.
