“Tell those idiots that if they stay out of my hair, I’ll stay out of theirs. If they really want to meet me, we’ll do it on my conditions, and only after I’ve received proper compensation for all the troubles their incompetence has caused me.”
Lith let her go since killing her was pointless. The Council might always send someone else and the woman was nothing more than a messenger. He had made his point, any more would only anger the power backing her.
Someone capable of making a blue cored Awakened move at their whims was a force to be reckoned with. It was better to speak softly and let them play by his rules. As long as Lith could prepare the field in advance, he was certain to have the upper hand.
Athung recovered her strength the moment she was capable of breathing again. She stepped back slowly, using Life Vision to confirm that Lith wasn’t conjuring more mana for some sick cat and mouse game.
Athung got out of Silverwing’s array and Blinked away, eager to tell Raagu that she had done her part and that she wanted nothing more to do with Lith Verhen.
‘I don’t believe he’s had no master. His abilities don’t make sense. Someone must have helped him along the way. That or he Awakened in the crib.’ She thought.
It was just an idiom that the Awakened community used to describe an unbelievable event, except this time it was actually a precise description of the truth.
Lith cast the Life Detection array, to make sure that no one, not even the members of the Queen corps were near enough to have bore witness to the events.
Spending his first night out in a month with his family was already bad. Being forced to kill the very same people who had loyally protected his beloved ones would have been the icing on the crap.
For once luck was by his side. Or to be more precise, it was Athung’s doing. To be able to freely speak with Lith, she had organized a small distraction that had actually worked against her.
“Thanks for your help, Reaper.” Lith said turning towards a secular oak. Back when Kamila had confirmed with Lith that Athung wasn’t their guest, he had used air magic to alert his allies with the magical equivalent of an ultrasonic whistle.
“Please, we just answered your call, Scourge.” Reaper the Manticore, the king in the south of the Trawn woods stepped out of the shadows. He had the body and the head of a lion, with quills like those of a porcupine protruding from most of his body.
Reaper also had black feathered wings on his back, horns like an ibex on his head, and the tip of his tail was a mass of spikes. Each one was infused with a different element and ready to be thrown at the enemy.
“Who was that puny female?” The Manticore was so tall that he needed to slightly tilt his head up to look into Lith’s eyes.
“Troubles. Is Lifebringer with you?” Lith asked while checking on Reaper’s equipment.
The cloaking ring on his tail reduced his signature to that of a big animal to anyone who wasn’t Lith while the metal claws he had made for the Manticore made the creature even more lethal.
“Yes, and so is Sentinel. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to set the Hexagram up so fast.” The other two Emperor Beasts, respectively a Kirin and a Garmr, joined them as soon as they were certain that the coast was clear.
They each wore equipment similar to Reaper’s that Lith had crafted for them before leaving for Kulah.
“Why didn’t you let us simply turn her into our dinner?” Sentinel asked. She once was the Ry that had taken Protector’s place as pack leader and king.
“Because with an unknown enemy, one has to be careful. The cloaking rings coupled with your stealth abilities make you invisible even to Awakened ones.
“This way, she thought I was some kind of monster whereas if she learned about you, the next time she could stage attacks on your packs to keep you busy and prevent you from helping me.” Lith replied.
“How are things going with the woods?”
“Strangely.” Lifebringer replied. “Several men had come to your house during the last months, all came through our forest to avoid the human guards.”
The members of the Queen’s corps were nigh invisible, but since everyone knew they were protecting Lith’s house, the only way to launch a surprise attack without being spotted from a distance was to use the cover of the trees.
“Mages?” Lith asked. His duty as a Ranger had pissed off quite a lot of people, so it was nothing unexpected.
“Some, mostly soldiers of some kind.”
“Awakened?”
“None. That female was the only one we ever saw, except for your sister, of course.” Reaper replied, quelling Lith’s only real worry.
“Good to know. Now, if things go as I expect, Athung will return and the next time, she will not be alone. Have you practiced with the arrays and your equipment as I instructed?”
The Emperor Beasts nodded.
“Excellent. Now that you know her smell, I want you to keep watch in case she returns. Do not attack unless she tries to harm one of my pack. By the way, I need you to add this one to the people you have to protect.”
Lith took a lock of Kamila’s hair out of his pocket dimension, letting his allies memorize her scent. He kept it on himself as a good luck charm and because if something happened to her, any of his Emperor Beast friends could help him to track her down thanks to their sense of smell.
“The female you were with earlier?” Reaper asked while sniffing Kamila’s scent that emanated from Lith’s clothes. “We always considered her a member of your pack, so we’ve been also taking care of her small herd of weaklings.”
“Meaning?” Lith asked before remembering that Zinya and her children were now his neighbors. He still hadn’t wrapped his head around the idea. It was both flattering and disturbing at the same time.
“The female…”
“Kamila.” Lith pointed out. The term ‘female’, whenever they referred to her, irked him to no end.
“Kamila always had your scent on her and has come often visiting your pack along with her own. We guessed you were on friendly terms and extended our protection to them.”
“Thanks. I don’t need more distractions. I’ve got a lot on my plate already.”
“No need to thank us.” Lifebringer snorted. “We’re friends and you’ve given us many gifts. It is only natural for us to return all the good you have done for our tribes.”
Their equipment was actually the means necessary for the Emperor Beasts to do their job. Without proper schooling or tools, the kings of the Trawn woods could have been easily overpowered by a well-prepared opponent and Lith only played worst-case scenarios in his mind.
Lith would have loved to thank them again and explain at least a few of his contingency plans to them, but according to Solus, if he delayed any longer Kamila, his mother, or both might sound the alarm.
He set up an appointment with them before entering his own home. Or at least trying to since the door was blocked from the inside. Even his attempt to Warp in was blocked by the array surrounding the place.
Clearly his paranoia had rubbed off on his family to the point that they weren’t willing to take chances.
