Chương 1802: [1699] – Y07.199 – Darkness on the Horizon IX

She was no Elder. Not that night. The twins cuddled against her, an arm claiming each, as as they clutched at her shirt, they sucked their thumbs silently. They were safe. Within the arms of their kako. Upon the land of the Iyr. They were safe. As Jaygak wrapped her arms around them tighter, she closed her eyes, and began to welcome the darkness of sleep. The Elder's sleep was troubled that night, for the mewling would awaken her, and as she shook the children gently, they fell back to sleep. Again. And again.

And again. It was that morning, when she saw the half elf, who eyed up his twins, with their sleepy expressions, each ready to cause him trouble, did Jaygak understand just how close the half elf was.

'I will have to ask him to remain within the Iyr for the year,' Jaygak thought, for though the Iyr would soon fall upon the land with their steel, Adam could not step out, even though, technically, they could ask him to stay, and could not force him to do so. If he went out like this, certainly he would change far too much, to the point perhaps even Vonda would not recognise him.

'To think I would finally think of you as dangerous…'

"Did you bully the Elder too much?" Jirot let out a satisfied sigh, and she smirked playfully, and returned back to her warm potato, as the boy beside her sipped away at his milk with such an innocent smile, the kind that was guilty. It was this Iyr which allowed them to trouble them so. This Iyr, in which they barrelled their way forward, the forest growing light, becoming sparse, and before them giant wall which stretched from one horizon to the next, following the curves of the hills.

The bottom of the wall was made of earth and rock, as tall as a man, at the top of each hill, a tower, covered by cloth, hiding any within. The gate itself was made of a giant slab of wood, twice as tall as a man, six times as wide, and as the slab of wood began to shift as it opened up horizontally, only to reveal another slab of wood, which was moving in the opposition direction.

The gate was about twenty to thirty paces deep, leading to the Valley of Death, a pathway which was surrounded on either side by sheer walls, and the path gently sloped upwards for roughly half a mile, towards another set of heavy gates, already open by the time they arrived. He was a silver fox of a man, as one might have expected of one of his name.

A chiselled jaw, grey hair which fell to his shoulders, and he wore upon his bare chest the blueish silver of mithril, which meant the flail at his side was not for show, and not impractical. The child leapt with a great step out of the carriages, and she greeted the Front Iyr Elder, punching her palm.

"Greetings, Front Iyr Elder!" the girl shouted, and as the seconds passed, her siblings joined her.

"I have heard you defeated a great many foes during your journey," the Front Iyr Elder said, this time not surrounded by his typical guards, but since he was who he was, and he was at least a Grandmaster, he did not require them.

"There are those who wished to trouble us, but I dealt with them well," Jirot confirmed.

"It is a good thing you dealt with them well," Elder Lykan said, and with that, he greeted the others, those who he could call his greatnieces and greatnephews, but did not, for he was still the Front Iyr Elder. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. It was here, the girl marched forward, within the Front Iyr.

Where they once could see open plains which hid mysteries, there were large walls of jagged rock, carved for their needs, and where once a sparse, expansive village of wooden cabins dotted across the land, now lay hundreds of large estates. The ground floor, hard stone, and for the few buildings with more than one story, the upper stories were made of wood, save a handful, which remained formed completely of stone.

However, Jirot stopped, turning to find the others waiting for her to return, for they were meant to go in the carriage to the village a quarter of a mile away.

'Kids these days,' she thought.

'So lazy.'

"Nobby?" Adam called, turning aside to notice the strongly built fellow.

"Executive."

"What are you doing here?"

"Escorting."

"I mean…" Adam turned to Jurot.

"Did no one…"

"…"

"My bad, Nobby."

"It's okay, Executive."

"Uh, we'll send you back later…" Adam smiled awkwardly to the fellow, who remained by his side, and once they were within the Front Iyr proper, they settled themselves.

"Hua?" came the gasp of a little girl. She blinked. She turned towards her father. Then she turned back to see the returning group.

"Ahm!"

"Ranya!"

"Ahm!"

"Jirot!" Thus, the fools embraced their nieces, lifting them up with such ease, showering them in affection.

"I'm back!" the pair declared.

"Oh my. Who is this handsome young man who has been eating so well?" Dunes asked, peeking down at little Jarot, who side eyed him as he flushed, until he was within Dunes' arms too. Dunes also smiled, not asking why they had returned so swiftly, and not asking why he had seen hundreds of Iyrmen make their way out, for considering how this group had returned, it definitely involved them.

"I missed you so much, ahm!" Jirot declared, grabbing him by his head.

"I missed you too," Dunes assured, holding the pair within his arms, letting them pin him to them, and as his eyes floated to the side, he smiled, greeting the rest, from their mother to their siblings, and finally their father, though he was a little busy.

"Noonval!" Ranya declared.

"Ah! So you are right!"

"Hot! Haa! Haa!" Ranya pretended she was thirsty.

"It is, isn't it?"

"No!" Ranya cackled, the red skinned girl clapping her hands excitedly.

"Did Ranya also get funnier while we were away?"

"Oh!" Jirot gasped.

"Ahm! My daddy, he has become so funny!"

"Oh? He has?" Dunes returned, all the while the girl pointed to her father, motioning for him to make a joke.

"Hmm, let's see…" Adam thought for a moment.

"Oh. Did you know, my grandfather isn't strong at all?" Jirot furrowed her brows for a moment, turning to Dunes.

"Never mind. I think daddy has hurt his head."

"Let me finish my joke!" Adam replied.

"Did you know, my grandfather isn't strong at all?"

"He is not?" Dunes replied.

"Even the Full Moon can make him bleed." Adam side eyed his daughter, who side eyed him in return, and the pair held one another's gaze for a long moment, before the two burst into laughter, as if sharing a joke only they understood.

"Did your babo beat up the Full Moon?" Jirot gasped.

"What! How you knew? Daddy, did you cast Sending to ahm?"

"I didn't, but…"

"I am so wise," Dunes said.

"Oh yeah…" Jirot replied, nodding her head slowly. Then she turned to look to her father, and the pair held one another's gaze for a long moment, before they burst into laughter, as if sharing a joke only they understood.

"This is why little Jarot is my favourite," Dunes said, leaning in to plant a gentle kiss on the boy's head.

"I bet you look so handsome in a shalwar and a turban too. Did you show off to your daddy?"

"How you knew, ahm? Daddy, did you cast Sending to ahm?"

"I didn't, but…" Dunes shook his head lightly.

"I am so wise."

"Oh yeah…" Jarot replied, nodding his head slowly. Then he turned to look to his father, and the pair held one another's gaze for a long moment, before they burst into laughter, as if sharing a joke only they understood. A gasp filled the air as the girl stared up at the returning group. She blinked.

"Ahm!"

"Enisa!" Thus they greeted one another, and as they began to settle down once more, Adam introduced the figures to Dunes and Amira, who had stolen away Enisa from the half elf, though she was the girl's mother, so it was not so much stealing her away.

"The Twin Steel Sabres?" Dunes replied, reaching up to his chin.

"Aren't they…"

"The Weal and Woe Sabres' apprentices?" Amira mused, eyeing up the two who were such handsome fellows.

"Also, there's ahm Vadim."

"The Chimera?" Dunes and Amira replied together.

"You know him?"

"Of course," they replied, followed by an echo of the twins.

"It is one of my niece's favourite tales."

"Since when?"

"Since last year when Chosen met them and began to speak the tale to our little niece."

"Are you telling me everyone knew about Kal Vadim other than me?" Adam asked, and as Dunes shrugged, with an innocent smile on his lips, Adam began to splutter a response. He turned towards Vadim, who remained silent as a shadow, meanwhile his eyes slowly trailed to Dunes, who held a playfulness in his eyes.

'Do they not know he is a monster?' Vadim thought.