A harsh chorus of screeches suddenly echoed down from above.
Kael and Eya looked up together.
A dozen great birds burst through the opening where the waterfall plunged into the cavern. Their eyes glowed blood-red. Their hooked beaks flashed crimson as they wheeled through the mist.
Kael's face lit at once.
"Those look like the Ember-Shrikes!"
Eya nodded quickly and wiped the tears from her cheeks before anyone could notice.
"Our people."
"We're down here!" Kael shouted, waving both arms.
The flock spiraled lower and lower.
For several moments they circled overhead.
Then they finally spotted the pair.
The birds folded their wings and dove.
As they approached, Kael made out the riders perched atop the leading three Ember-Shrikes.
Violet.
Azure.
And the ice-clad woman he'd met before.
Lyria.
The three women leapt from their mounts before the birds had fully landed.
Azure reached them first.
"What happened? Are you two hurt?"
Kael spread his arms with a grin.
"Not a scratch."
The three women barely heard him.
Their eyes had already drifted past him.
Toward the corpse.
The split trunk.
The shattered mountain-sized remains.
The countless severed limbs dangling from the cavern ceiling like dead serpents.
All three froze.
The color drained from their faces.
"That..." Azure whispered.
"You tell me." Kael smiled.
Lyria stared at the colossal remains.
Her lips parted.
"The Thousand-Armed Ancient?"
Kael nodded.
The silence that followed lasted several heartbeats.
"You killed it?" Violet blurted.
Her mouth hung open.
"How could you possibly kill it?"
Kael merely folded his arms and looked smug.
"Someone explain this!" Azure grabbed Eya's sleeve and shook it. "What happened down here?"
Eya looked toward Kael.
The fragile grief that had broken her moments ago was gone.
The last survivor of the Verdant Artificers stood tall once more.
Her eyes shone with fierce pride.
"Him."
She pointed at Kael.
"He killed it."
Three pairs of eyes immediately swung toward him.
Disbelief filled every face.
Kael coughed.
"Not entirely. The final strike was Eya's."
The modest act fooled nobody.
Azure continued staring.
"That monster devoured countless sacred trees and spirit groves across the ages..."
Her voice grew quieter.
The look in her eyes was dangerously close to worship.
Violet studied him from head to toe.
"What are you, exactly?"
Kael lifted his chin.
"Hmph."
His gaze drifted skyward.
"Funny. I seem to remember somebody trying to rob me not long ago."
The butterfly sisters instantly flushed.
Violet looked away.
Azure suddenly found the cavern floor fascinating.
"Fine!" Violet huffed. "We were stupid! Reckless! Completely overmatched! Happy now?"
"Very."
Kael grinned.
"You were definitely stupid."
His smile widened.
"But kind of adorable about it."
Violet's cheeks turned crimson.
"Now you're getting carried away!"
She swung a fist toward his shoulder.
The punch lacked any force whatsoever.
Her smile betrayed her.
Lyria ignored the exchange.
She was studying the corpse.
"I thought the Thousand-Armed Ancient had already left the Vale."
Eya shook her head.
"Maybe it returned."
"Maybe it never left."
Her eyes moved toward the sealed ley-well.
"It could have hidden inside the Jadebelt Ley-Vein this entire time."
Lyria nodded slowly.
Then her gaze dropped to the small jade knife in Eya's hand.
"The Wood-Release Token really can suppress something like that?"
"It can."
Eya's fingers tightened around the artifact.
"Good thing we had it."
Lyria exhaled.
"No wonder so many people covet that treasure."
Her expression shifted slightly.
"The matter with Crown Prince Aldas..."
She hesitated.
"You should be careful. Perhaps he—"
"That's not why he's interested."
Eya's voice turned cold.
Expressionless.
Lyria snorted softly.
"Maybe."
"I still don't trust him."
Eya cut the discussion short.
"What about outside?"
Lyria immediately grew serious.
"The fighting is brutal."
"The defenses of Verdant Keep are every bit as terrifying as the stories claim."
She folded her arms.
"But our numbers are overwhelming."
"We've already broken several sectors."
Her eyes brightened slightly.
"Lord Voss's second son has been fighting like a madman."
Kael immediately straightened.
"He took several wounds and kept charging."
"When I left, he'd already reached the center of the fortress."
Lyria frowned.
"Though he was tied down by a group of Dread-Feet."
Kael's heart clenched.
"Stone Voss is hurt?"
"How badly?"
Lyria shrugged.
"Hard to tell."
"He was covered in blood."
"Still, he didn't seem slowed down."
"He's probably fine."
"Probably?" Kael repeated.
His voice rose.
"Those Dread-Feet are monsters!"
The four women stared at him.
Confusion filled their faces.
None of them knew that Kael had already promoted General Stone Voss to the rank of future brother-in-law inside his own head.
Eya reached into the small satchel at her waist.
She removed a yellow earthen ward-script.
"I'm sealing the Jadebelt Ley-Vein now."
"Once it's closed, Verdant Keep's defenses will weaken dramatically."
Kael barely heard her.
His mind was already racing.
If something happened to Stone...
How would he explain it to Sel?
"I'll head outside first."
Eya blinked.
"What?"
"I said I'll go help."
"There's no need." She frowned. "Wait a moment. I'll finish sealing this place and then we'll leave together."
Kael was already backing away.
What if something happened to Selene's brother?
What if he arrived too late?
The thought refused to leave him.
He turned toward the butterfly sisters.
"Stay here."
"Protect Eya."
"I'm going to find General Stone."
Before anyone could answer, he launched into the air.
A streak of motion.
A burst of wind.
Gone.
"Kael!" Eya shouted.
Her foot stamped the ground.
"It'll only take a moment!"
But he was already racing upward beside the waterfall.
Only his fading silhouette remained.
Violet blinked.
"He knows the general?"
Eya shook her head.
"No."
Which only made the situation stranger.
---
Kael flew alongside the waterfall.
Mist blasted against his face.
Within moments he shot through the enormous opening above.
The battlefield stretched beyond.
He paused.
Unsure where to search.
Then he heard familiar shrieks.
A voice called from behind him.
"Wait!"
Kael turned.
Lyria was approaching atop an Ember-Shrike.
More than a dozen birds followed her.
"Sister Lyria?"
"You want to find General Stone?"
"Yes."
"Do you know where he is?"
Kael hesitated.
Then shook his head.
Lyria patted the empty space behind her.
"Get on."
"I'll take you."
Relief flooded him.
He immediately jumped onto the Ember-Shrike.
"Thank you."
The great bird surged forward.
Wind roared around them.
After a short silence, Lyria reached into her sleeve.
She withdrew a familiar object.
A jade knife.
The Wood-Release Token.
Kael stared.
"What?"
"Why do you have that?"
"Eya gave it to me."
Lyria held it out.
"She wanted you to carry it."
Kael accepted the artifact automatically.
For several moments he simply stared at it.
Lyria watched him with amusement.
"Interesting."
"What is?"
"The fact that Eya trusts you enough to hand over something like this."
Kael nearly choked.
"That's not—"
He struggled for words.
"The fortress is filled with wood-aligned creatures and mechanisms."
"She just thought it might help."
Lyria smiled knowingly.
"Of course."
"I wasn't asking for an explanation."
Kael felt heat spreading across his face.
Lyria glanced sideways.
"As far as I know, she's never lent that blade to anyone before."
That did not help.
At all.
Eya's face immediately surfaced in his thoughts.
Her smile.
Her tears.
The warmth of her body against his.
His chest suddenly felt very light.
Lyria interrupted the dangerous line of thinking.
"By the way."
"What is your real name?"
Kael froze.
"What?"
"The butterfly sisters call you Cairn White."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Kael needed a moment.
Then understanding dawned.
"Oh."
He cleared his throat.
"That's just a nickname."
Lyria nodded.
Apparently satisfied.
In the distance, battle cries drifted across the sky.
The Ember-Shrikes banked around a cluster of floating pavilions.
The battlefield finally came into view.
An enormous arched bridge spanned a bottomless abyss.
Hundreds of monsters fought across it.
Steel flashed.
Spears rose and fell.
The clash of weapons echoed endlessly.
Several dozen Dread-Feet blocked the bridge.
Against them surged hundreds of attackers.
Among the foremost ranks marched dozens of pale stone lions.
Kael's eyes immediately sharpened.
Stone Voss was here.
Without hesitation he rose from the bird's back.
His Vitae moved before conscious thought.
He launched himself into the air.
A streak of fire rushing toward the bridge.
---
The battle was savage.
The attackers held overwhelming numbers.
Yet only a few possessed the ability to fly.
Most remained trapped on the bridge itself.
The Dread-Feet exploited that limitation mercilessly.
Their hooked legs swept outward.
Some monsters were hurled screaming from the bridge.
Others were pinned directly to the stone.
Kael reached the battlefield.
He quickly spotted Stone Voss among the stone lions.
The general was impossible to miss.
He charged at the front of the formation.
Blood covered his armor.
Yet he looked unstoppable.
A massive spiked mace blazed with emerald light in his hands.
One Dread-Foot lunged.
Stone met it head-on.
The impact exploded like thunder.
The gigantic construct staggered backward several steps.
Then disaster struck nearby.
A stone lion was suddenly skewered by multiple hooked legs.
The beast was lifted screaming into the air.
Then hurled from the bridge.
It vanished into the abyss below.
Stone Voss roared.
Rage erupted across his face.
Green fire burst from his mace.
He swung.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A Dread-Foot lost half its head.
Yet enemy blades carved across his armor.
Fresh blood poured from newly opened wounds.
Kael cursed.
Then acted.
His sleeve snapped outward.
The Flame Dragon Whip burst free.
A river of fire tore across the bridge.
Several Dread-Feet blocking Stone's advance were dragged violently aside.
The formation collapsed.
Stone seized the opportunity.
With a roar he charged forward.
His mace struck one staggering construct.
The impact launched it clear off the bridge.
"General!"
Kael shouted.
"Fall back!"
"I'll handle this!"
His feet touched the bridge railing.
The whip danced.
The Flame Dragon Whip became a living serpent of fire.
It ripped through enemy ranks.
Dread-Feet stumbled in every direction.
Suddenly the fiery coils tightened.
A construct larger than a wagon was lifted bodily into the air.
Cheers exploded behind them.
Hundreds of monsters cried out in amazement.
"Excellent!"
Stone bellowed.
His spirit visibly surged.
The green light around his mace burned brighter.
He drove his stone lion forward.
No trace of retreat appeared in him.
"General!"
Kael shouted again.
"You're wounded!"
Another lash of the whip tore a Dread-Foot off the bridge.
Stone laughed.
"This?"
He spat blood.
"This is nothing!"
"Forward!"
His roar shook the bridge.
Man and lion leapt together.
The mace descended like a thunderbolt.
A Dread-Foot collapsed beneath the strike.
Legs shattered.
Back split open.
Kael couldn't help admiring it.
The man fought like a war god.
There was no chance he would retreat.
So Kael stopped arguing.
He simply advanced beside him.
The two became twin points of destruction.
Kael's strength had grown enormously.
Stone's courage bordered on insanity.
Together they smashed through the Dread-Feet.
One fell.
Then another.
Then ten more.
The attackers behind them surged forward.
What had been a stalemate rapidly became a rout.
The bridge was nearly won.
Then a voice echoed from ahead.
A cruel laugh.
Cold.
Mocking.
"Looks like I'll have to do it myself."
Kael looked up.
A figure stood at the far end of the bridge.
Broad face.
White beard.
Eyes sharp as lightning.
A dazzling green rattle hung in one hand.
A spear rested in the other.
Kael recognized him instantly.
The steward he had encountered when first entering the Vale.
Steward Mordwin.
Stone leaned closer.
"I think he's controlling these constructs."
"We rush him together."
Kael stepped forward.
His eyes burned.
"Steward Mordwin!"
His voice thundered across the bridge.
"You were part of the attack on Verdant Keep, weren't you?"
The old man grinned.
A monstrous grin.
"Indeed."
His tongue slid across his lips.
"The Verdant Artificers tasted exquisite."
Rage exploded through Kael.
The steward hung the Shimmering Green Rattle at his waist.
Then he drove the spear into the stone.
The bridge trembled.
Kael launched forward instantly.
"Die!"
Mordwin roared.
His armor shattered.
His clothing burst apart.
Then his body began to swell.
Grow.
Expand.
Three mottled heads emerged from his shoulders.
Dozens of gigantic limbs erupted from his sides.
A nearby Dread-Foot was swatted away like an insect.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"So you're one of those ancient trees too."
The transformation completed.
Though smaller than the Thousand-Armed Saint, the creature still towered five or six stories high.
Its massive form blocked the bridge.
Hundreds of warriors froze.
Even Stone Voss halted his charge.
Only Kael continued forward.
Fear never touched his face.
Behind him, voices shouted warnings.
"Careful!"
Lyria.
Stone.
Others.
The transformed tree-spirit threw back all three heads.
Dozens of monstrous limbs rose.
Then descended together.
A flood of destruction racing toward Kael.
Kael crossed his arm.
The Flame Dragon Whip lashed outward.
Heat erupted.
Fire spread across the sky.
A burning sea descended over the battlefield.
The signature strike of the Sundering Flame path.
Heavenly Fire, Burning Wastes.
The monstrous limbs reached him.
Then struck the flames.
The result was immediate.
They were blasted backward.
Some ignited outright.
The tree-spirit recoiled in shock.
Its limbs whipped forward again.
Then something green flashed inside the inferno.
A tiny jade knife.
The Wood-Release Token.
The creature saw it.
And screamed.
"Wood-Release!"
Terror filled all three faces.
The giant body retreated desperately.
Dozens of limbs crossed together in defense.
Too late.
Every limb touched by the green light was severed instantly.
Frozen.
Rendered lifeless.
One head spun into the air.
Kael emerged from the flames.
He was already in front of the monster.
His left hand flashed.
The remaining heads exploded into pieces.
Then he reversed the jade blade.
And drove it downward.
The Wood-Release Token became a brilliant emerald arc.
It carved from the creature's throat all the way to its roots.
The gigantic body split open.
Every monstrous limb convulsed wildly.
Then the severed branches began falling from the sky.
Kael withdrew the jade blade with a cold snap of his wrist.
The Wood-Release Token slid back into its sheath.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the colossal trunk of the Thousand-Armed Ancient split neatly down the middle.
A crack like thunder rolled through the cavern.
The two halves peeled apart.
Wood the size of fortress towers groaned and shattered. Countless severed limbs crashed from the air. Rot-black sap sprayed across the battlefield. The corpse toppled in opposite directions, smashing into the ruined earth with enough force to shake the entire chamber.
Silence followed.
Absolute silence.
Kael stood alone amid drifting embers.
His Flame Dragon Whip lashed outward.
The coil wrapped around the shimmering green rattle hanging from Steward Mordwin's body.
A tug.
The treasure flew into his hand.
Only then did the battlefield awaken.
Cheers exploded from every direction.
Monster-kings, spirit chiefs, surviving warriors, artificers, and beast-folk roared until the cavern walls trembled.
The sound was deafening.
The tyrant that had ruled their nightmares was dead.
Their vengeance was complete.
---
Much later.
High atop Verdant Keep, a great hall blazed with lantern-light.
The celebration had already lasted for hours.
Long tables overflowed with roasted meats, exotic fruits, casks of wine, and delicacies gathered from every corner of the Great Verdant Vale.
Dozens of monster-kings raised their cups.
"Congratulations to the Palace Mistress for slaying her mortal enemy and reclaiming the Vale!"
The hall erupted with approval.
Eya rose from her seat.
The exhaustion of battle remained visible around her eyes, but tonight joy burned brighter than grief.
"Thank you all for your aid," she said warmly. "Tonight nobody leaves sober. Drink!"
She lifted her cup and drained it in one swallow.
The hall answered with thunderous laughter.
"Drink!"
"Drink!"
Cups crashed together.
Wine flowed like rivers.
Kael sat beside Eya at the head table.
He tilted back a large cup.
The wine burned pleasantly down his throat.
His eyes widened.
"Good wine! By the gods, that's good wine!"
Eya smiled and immediately filled his cup again.
"The Vale has far more treasures than wine."
"It certainly does."
Kael emptied the fresh cup.
Then another.
"This place is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful."
Eya continued pouring for him.
The smile on her lips softened.
Her eyes lingered on his face.
"Then..."
She glanced sideways.
"Would you like to stay here longer?"
Kael blinked.
"Sure."
His answer came instantly.
"If you don't chase me away, I won't leave."
He meant it.
He currently had no home worth returning to.
Enemies hunted him from every direction.
The Great Verdant Vale felt safer than most places in the world.
"Really?"
The delight on Eya's face was impossible to hide.
"You like the Artificer's Art, don't you?"
"I do."
"Then stay. I'll show you wonders my people built. Things nobody outside the Vale has ever seen."
Kael nearly jumped from his chair.
"Now that's a tempting offer."
Suddenly he remembered something.
He muttered a restriction phrase beneath his breath.
A flash appeared.
The Wardian Satchel opened.
A jade-green rattle emerged in his hand.
Grinning, he held it up.
"Take a look."
Eya stared.
Then her breath caught.
"The Wood-Warden Token!"
"Found it on Mordwin."
Kael chuckled.
"Turns out he was one of those ancient tree spirits too."
Eya accepted the jade rattle with trembling hands.
The artifact rested against her chest.
For a long moment she simply stared at it.
The Wood-Warden Token.
The Wood-Release Token.
Only one treasure remained elsewhere.
The three great treasures of her people were finally gathered once more.
Memories flooded her eyes.
Faces.
Voices.
A vanished civilization.
Her throat tightened.
Tears threatened to spill.
Kael immediately noticed.
"Hey."
He leaned closer.
"This is supposed to be a happy moment."
"I am happy."
Her voice wavered.
She looked at him gratefully.
"Kael... you're very good to me."
The sincerity nearly made him uncomfortable.
He scratched his cheek.
Then grinned.
"So how are you going to thank me?"
Eya froze.
Color flooded her face.
A faint blush spread across her pale cheeks.
"What... exactly... did you have in mind?"
Her voice dropped almost to a whisper.
The lantern-light reflected in her eyes.
Gentle.
Affectionate.
Dangerously beautiful.
Kael suddenly became aware of how close she was sitting.
His heart skipped.
Eya bit her lower lip.
Waiting.
Watching.
Kael hesitated.
His gaze wandered.
His thoughts immediately headed somewhere very different from hers.
Eya's cheeks grew redder.
And redder.
And redder.
Finally her patience snapped.
"If you don't want anything, forget it!"
"Wait!"
Kael hurriedly raised both hands.
"Wait, wait!"
"What?"
"Could you give me two Dread-Feet and a Mantis Craftsman?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Eya stared.
The hall noise seemed to vanish.
Several moments passed.
Then several more.
At last she recovered.
"You..."
Her eye twitched.
"Fine. Deal."
"If that's too much," Kael said generously, "one Dread-Foot is fine too. You promised before."
"Idiot."
Eya practically hissed the word.
Kael frowned.
What was her problem?
He drained another large cup.
Such a miser.
---
A figure approached the table.
"Little brother."
A cup appeared before Kael.
"This king offers a toast."
Kael looked up.
It was the Shadowstride King.
He immediately stood.
"Thank you, thank you! Drink!"
Both men emptied their cups.
The Shadowstride King nodded approvingly.
"I never learned your name."
Kael hesitated.
For a moment.
Then caution prevailed.
Too many people wanted him dead.
"My name is..."
He almost said it.
"...Cairn White."
Eya glanced sideways.
The Shadowstride King laughed.
"Your skills are extraordinary. That move on the bridge today was unforgettable."
He leaned closer.
"Where do you come from? Which Order trained you?"
Kael's eyes rolled thoughtfully.
"I live overseas."
That part was vague enough.
"As for my Order..."
He improvised.
"I'm from the Carefree Order."
The name came from Vane's Summit.
Simple.
Convenient.
Entirely fabricated.
The Shadowstride King frowned.
"The Carefree Order? I've never heard of it."
"Small Order."
Kael waved casually.
"Far away. Not surprising."
The king suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Wait."
"I remember now."
Kael's smile froze.
"There is an Order on the Eastern Coast called the Carefree Gate."
The king pointed excitedly.
"That's who you mean, isn't it?"
Kael immediately nodded.
"Exactly."
Eya nearly choked.
"I knew it."
The Shadowstride King grinned.
"Carefree Gate adepts keep to themselves, but their young heir has become famous these past two years."
Kael's stomach sank.
"Oh?"
"They call him the Carefree Young Lord."
The king laughed.
"Handsome. Talented. Surrounded by beautiful women. Uses a long cord weapon."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Could that be you?"
Kael blinked.
"Well... mine is technically a whip."
"Rumors always change details."
The king laughed louder.
"You don't need to hide it from me."
Kael considered denying everything.
That would require explanations.
Explanations led to questions.
Questions led to trouble.
So he simply laughed.
"You have sharp eyes, Your Majesty."
The king roared with delight.
"So it is you!"
More wine appeared.
Another toast followed.
Only after several cups did the Shadowstride King finally leave.
Before departing, he glanced between Kael and Eya.
His grin became distinctly strange.
Eya's face immediately turned scarlet.
The moment he left, she rounded on Kael.
"What nonsense were you saying?"
Kael blinked.
"What?"
"Are you Kael Ashvane or Cairn White?"
"Well..."
He hesitated.
Eya folded her arms.
"I'll ask directly."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Are you afraid people will learn you spend time with monsters?"
"No!"
Kael shook his head immediately.
"Absolutely not."
"You are a proper adept from a respectable Order."
Eya sounded irritated.
"Even if you worried about that, I'd understand."
She pointed accusingly.
"But why impersonate someone from that Carefree Gate?"
Kael stared.
"What's wrong with them?"
"You don't know?"
"No."
Eya looked genuinely exasperated.
"Do you know what kind of shameless degenerates that Order is famous for?"
Kael nearly fell out of his chair.
"I made it up!"
He sounded wounded.
"How was I supposed to know they really existed?"
Eya opened her mouth to continue.
A new arrival interrupted her.
General Stone Voss approached carrying a cup.
His broad shoulders seemed even larger in the lantern-light.
"Young hero."
He saluted respectfully.
"A toast."
Kael practically leapt to his feet.
"General, you're embarrassing me."
He hurriedly raised his own cup.
"Your courage today was incredible."
The general smiled.
"Drink."
They drank.
Then General Stone Voss turned toward Eya.
"The Palace Mistress truly gathers remarkable people."
His eyes drifted toward Kael.
"I envy such talent."
Eya smiled politely.
"General, compared to Lord Voss, my little court is insignificant."
Stone Voss laughed.
"The battle here is finished."
His expression became serious.
"I leave for Driftmarch tomorrow morning."
Eya nodded.
"Don't worry. I remember our agreement."
She gestured reassuringly.
"Part of the supplies will be ready by dawn. The rest will follow once I've stabilized the situation here."
The general's face brightened immediately.
"My thanks."
He bowed deeply.
Then departed.
Kael watched him go.
A trace of reluctance stirred inside him.
Selene's family.
Her brother.
Well... half-brother.
Still.
He almost followed to share another drink.
Unfortunately two more figures arrived first.
The Mountainbreaker King.
And the Sunpecker King.
Both looked delighted.
"We just heard the news!"
The Sunpecker King laughed loudly.
"So you're the famous Carefree Young Lord!"
Kael nearly groaned.
"Pleasure."
"Drink!"
"Drink!"
Three cups emptied.
The Mountainbreaker King slapped the table.
"I've admired your reputation for years."
The grin spreading across his face made Kael nervous.
"We've long hoped to meet."
The Sunpecker King leaned forward.
"We may be rough mountain folk, but we appreciate alchemy..."
His smile became filthy.
"...and certain cultivation arts."
Kael suddenly understood why Eya had become angry earlier.
His expression froze.
The Mountainbreaker King continued cheerfully.
"I hear beautiful women surround you day and night."
He looked around dramatically.
"Where are they tonight?"
Kael swallowed.
"Well... I arrived in a hurry..."
His voice trailed off.
Then he noticed Eya glaring at him from across the table.
The warning in her eyes was unmistakable.
The two kings immediately exchanged knowing looks.
"Oh."
"We understand."
Their grins widened.
Eya looked ready to die.
The Sunpecker King chuckled.
"The Palace Mistress normally treats men very differently—"
Eya's eyebrow rose.
The killing intent behind it was immediate.
The king nearly dropped his cup.
The Mountainbreaker King quickly hooked an arm around Kael's shoulders.
"Come."
He dragged him away.
"Drink at our table."
"Gladly!"
Kael escaped before Eya could murder anyone.
---
Several cups later, the conversation became far more dangerous.
The Sunpecker King lowered his voice.
"I've heard interesting rumors."
Kael instantly became alert.
"The Warding Sanctum's Unsullied Fairy."
"The Jade-Dew Lady of Violetmist Isle."
"And the Ninth Dragon Princess of the Western Sea."
His grin widened.
"People say their disappearances have something to do with you."
Kael nearly spat out his wine.
"No!"
He shook his head violently.
"Nothing to do with me."
The Sunpecker King laughed.
"Relax."
His tone became brotherly.
"What kind of people do you think we are?"
The Mountainbreaker King nodded.
"If you really managed those feats, it only proves your abilities."
Both kings looked genuinely impressed.
"The beauty of those women is legendary."
"Countless men dream about them."
Cold sweat appeared on Kael's neck.
The questions only grew worse.
"I heard the first two cultivated purity arts."
The Mountainbreaker King's smile turned vulgar.
"They say their Lunar Essence remained untouched."
The Sunpecker King eagerly continued.
"And the Dragon Princess supposedly carries some priceless treasure."
"They say she'd make the perfect Furnace-Cauldron."
He leaned closer.
"You must have enjoyed yourself immensely."
Kael felt his scalp go numb.
Words failed him completely.
The Sunpecker King's smile faded.
"You don't trust us?"
The Mountainbreaker King also looked displeased.
Kael immediately forced a laugh.
"Perhaps..."
He coughed.
"...this isn't the best place for such discussions."
The two kings stared.
Then instantly understood.
Both burst out laughing.
"Fair enough!"
The Sunpecker King slapped the table.
"You must visit our territory someday."
"We'll exchange experiences properly."
The Mountainbreaker King nodded enthusiastically.
"We even have several unusual Furnace-Cauldrons in our collection."
"Perhaps you could help evaluate them."
Kael wanted to run.
Instead he smiled politely.
"Of course. If I ever have the chance."
More drinking followed.
Eventually Kael escaped.
He practically fled back to Eya's side.
---
Eya narrowed her eyes immediately.
"What were those two scheming about?"
Kael almost told the truth.
Then decided survival was preferable.
"Nothing."
He smiled innocently.
"Just drinking and bragging."
Eya looked unconvinced.
Very unconvinced.
Before she could press further, a female guard hurried into the hall.
She dropped to one knee beside Eya.
"Palace Mistress."
The guard lowered her voice.
"The Crown Prince Aldas has arrived."
Eya froze.
The warmth vanished from her expression.
"Him?"
Her face changed immediately.
A shadow crossed her eyes.
"What is he doing here?"