Holding Light's letter over the candle, I waited until it caught afla… and waited so more until the parchnt really began burning. Once it was on fire I stepped away from Windle's desk and over to the fireplace. I waited until the letter was mostly burnt before bending down and sticking it into the lit fire, and I held it in the flas to ensure the rest of it burnt away properly. I waited until I felt the heat burning my hand stop burning, telling my body had adapted to the fire, and then once the letter I held was just a tiny piece of leftover charred remains, I released it and pulled my hand out of the fire.
"All that over a single sentence," Windle said simply from his desk.
"It makes feel better," I said as I watched the tiny pieces of the letter crumple and burn away in the fire. It was honestly a tad too warm for such a fire right now, especially in Windle's office, but he had been willing to kindly let use it. We had only lit a small log anyway, so it'd not burn for much longer. Half an hour at most.
Still… Windle hadn't been wrong.
She had only written a few words. But they had been heavy ones. Telling. Foreboding.
And I knew they were just the beginning.
I stayed kneeled before the fireplace, and its warm fire, as I wondered how bad it would get. Should I try to beco more preemptive in containing the issues? But if I do, where do I begin and how far can I take it before it causes more harm than good?
Did I need to go kill Bray too? What of the other monarchs I've left alive? There were a handful, and so of them like my tortoise friend, were so dangerous that killing them would cause massive damage to the natural world. Plus what if doing so was wrong? Most monarchs could get affected by a god's power, but only the ones who created them could actually influence them and…
"Oh shit," I whispered as I realized sothing terrifying.
"Hm? Vim?" Windle sounded suddenly alard. He spoke so loud I knew others had likely heard him, but for a tiny mont I ignored him as I sorted through what I had just realized.
Who had made the bears? The shadow bear, the original one? The monarch…? Which god had it been…?
I couldn't rember.
But… that would explain the descendants going weird…
The god, who had made them or at least their ancestors, was active again. Doing… whatever, wherever, and thus had inadvertently disturbed them.
"Vim…? What's wrong? Should you not have burnt it after all?" Windle asked, and I turned a bit and realized he had stood from his desk. He was now standing nearby, giving a worried look.
"No… I just realized sothing that I should have imdiately, before this. I wonder if I'm getting stupid?" I wondered as I stood up.
"Hard to know unless you tell what it is you should have realized," Windle said with a faint smile. He was obviously still unsure if he should be concerned or not yet.
The man had gotten a lot better over the years, but he was still a coward. Deep down, at least.
Tapping my thigh with a hard fist, I frowned as I debated killing the cubs.
Lilly and her family had modified the barn, one they rarely if ever used, for the cubs. They were willing, and wanted, to try to raise at least one in hopes of keeping the darkness around their ho… The entire reason I had brought them back was for that hope. To keep the darkness at bay, and ensure the longevity and safety of the owls… and the newer mbers of their parliant. But…
If the god which created their ancestor did indeed still exist, and thus was the reason their mother had acted out, then there was more to consider.
Like their mother, particularly the one that made Renn and Sap tingle, would also be in danger of being afflicted by the mana coming from said god. Which ant the already dangerous creatures, what with their sharp claws and great size, would beco even more dangerous by even further irrational behavior.
That being said, there was a positive to this scenario. Even if the god which had made their bloodline was indeed still alive.
"What's he brooding about now?"
I turned and frowned at Lilly who had just stepped into the room. "You heard your husband's worry but Renn didn't?" I asked. Windle had been a bit loud earlier, so I had expected soone to show up. I felt her below, not far from , so she should have heard it too. Especially since her hearing was getting so bloody acute.
"Renn's in the barn, Vim. With everyone else," Lilly said with a chuckle as she stepped deeper into the office.
"Root too…?" I asked carefully.
Lilly nodded. "I've made it clear they're not to let her too close to them. She'll be fine."
My frown deepened at that as Windle coughed. "Maybe we shouldn't risk such a thing, anyway, Lilly? It won't be long now until our adorable little bird begins to hop around. Last thing we need is for her to feel comfortable sneaking off into such danger behind our wings," Windle warned.
"For once I agree," I said as I stepped away from the fireplace and over to the nearby window. Windle's office didn't overlook the barn, but it did overlook the rest of the area. I spent a mont to make sure no one, and nothing, was out there… and was glad to see the wall of darkness still beyond the pasture. It looked fine still.
If it did dissipate with the bear's death, it won't take long to start seeing signs. The sunlight would start to tear into the darkness, thinning it like old cloth. At the mont though I saw no sign of such a thing.
"A few scars wouldn't hurt her, Windle," Lilly said with a chuckle.
"Rather, worse yet, I'd worry about the bears imprinting on her or sothing," I added.
The two owls were quiet for a mont as I watched a small squirrel run across the yard and towards the tree. There weren't many creatures here, but they did show up occasionally. Their increased presence, if they started becoming more common, would be another sign to look for concerning the darkness.
"Do bears imprint? Birds do, but bears?" Lilly asked her husband.
"No. But… they're not normal bears," Windle said simply.
"No matter. Take care to be mindful of them, if at any point you feel they're acting odd I suggest putting them down," I said, choosing to ignore that my light joke had been completely misunderstood.
"Their whole existence is odd, Vim. But yes, we will be mindful," Lilly said.
Hmph.
"If anything it has given everyone sothing to focus on. Crown hasn't been out of the house this much since she's arrived," Windle comnted.
Lilly nodded, rather briskly. "Yes. I'm thankful for that, especially since it seems Vim is stealing Renn from us," she said.
I frowned at that. "I'd leave her if I could…" I said, trying to defend myself.
"And risk who knows what? Please, Vim," Windle said.
I sighed. "If people weren't so willing to break the natural order of the world I'd not need help in dealing with such things, so bla those like Light not ," I said.
The two obviously didn't seem to agree. But that was fine; it had been a sad excuse even to my ears.
"Do you mind if we ask of that, Vim…? Since you so willingly brought it up?" Windle then asked, a tad bravely.
"Hm… I'd like to say no, but go ahead. Maybe I can at least answer a bit for you," I said. I did owe them that much, I suppose.
Plus it'd be good practice. Since I knew Renn would likely try to ask a lot of questions too once we left and headed south, as to confront Tor and handle his supposed betrayal.
Windle glanced at his wife and as if for support he waited until she nodded at him before looking back my way. "A monarch hasn't betrayed us in how long…?" he asked.
"The last one had been Tipp. If you can classify that as a betrayal," I said. That had not been a true betrayal in my opinion. They had simply been forced to make a decision, one that had resulted in being forced to make one myself. Faulting them for choosing their own children over strangers was not sothing I could genuinely do, even if I had been the one to punish them in the end.
Windle nodded. "And before him… who?"
I frowned as I glanced at Lilly, and didn't like how I could see on her expression that she knew where her husband was going. Because I wasn't sure myself. Was he trying to say how rare it was…? If so that was stupid, because it wasn't rare at all.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
There was a reason I had slaughtered them back then. Without hesitation. "Well… Before Tipp there had been a couple that had been to be slain back before the wars started," I said.
Windle nodded once more. "And what happened to each location those monarchs guarded? After their deaths?"
Oh. Right. "Well…" I sighed as I nodded. "Only a few still exist," I admitted. Of all locations guarded by monarchs, only six still existed. Tor's location was one of them, and the Keep was another.
"Stop beating around the bush, Windle," Lilly said.
The tall owl's eyes narrowed. "I just worry… Tor's location has been a safe-haven for a long ti. There are hundreds of people there," he said.
"And I'm sure Light has taken this all into account. Her sending such a ssage is rather blatant, and as such I'm sure she has already gone into motion to ensure such issues are promptly handled," I said.
"Or they're already dead," Lilly said simply.
Windle's already narrowed eyes closed further, almost shutting close completely, but he said nothing. He had not wanted that to be said aloud.
"I had been told recently that they had been planning to send quite a few of the returning mbers there. I find it hard to believe that Light would…" I stopped talking as Lilly started to chuckle, and Windle sighed and shook his head at . "At least let pretend to believe in those who lead us, damn it," I complained.
Lilly's chuckling turned into actual laughter as Windle sighed and stepped away. He went over to the fireplace, bent down and went to moving the little bit of the firewood that was nearly about to burn out. He wasn't ssing with it as to give the fire new life, but instead making sure the fire died down properly.
Had they just given up on ? Seed like it.
"You two act as if I was in support of giving monarchs such responsibilities…" I said as I debated sitting down or going downstairs to find Renn. If I was going to be looked at with eyes of disappointnt then I at least wanted those eyes to be Renn's, so at least I could enjoy sothing about it.
"May I ask why you haven't left already, Vim? Typically in these scenarios you run off before anyone can even blink," Lilly then asked.
"I firmly believe nothing has happened yet. Light's letter would have not been phrased to imply it was to happen, otherwise," I said.
"So…? That's still not a good reason," Lilly argued.
Well… "I do actually plan to leave shortly. I figured we'd leave after dinner," I said. It was almost that ti, and I was sure Renn would enjoy it if we waited at least until after that.
Lilly sighed at . "Still aren't answering the question…" she mumbled as she turned to watch her husband step away from the fireplace and over to his desk.
What…? I wanted to make sure they were, and would be, fine. I wanted to make sure there was no other factor at play here, and that the shadow bear cubs would be sothing they could actually handle. I had originally planned to leave shortly after killing the shadow bear, the mother, but after finding the cubs that plan had changed a little. But I knew if I said that was the real reason, all of them would be upset with . Even Renn, who would find my concern for Lilly and her family lovely, would be upset with for favoring them over others.
And they were right to think such a thing. As Windle had said, a lot of people lived under Tor's watchful eye. Two hundred and so, including humans. Maybe more by now, if they'd already sent those from the other continent their way. That was a lot of souls to compare a handful with. Many would argue the scales were not balanced between them at all.
Yet still… that wasn't all they were asking, was it?
Studying Lilly and Windle, and the way the forr was gazing at the one now busying himself with so papers at his desk, I wondered what mother would say here.
Would she tell them not to worry? Or would she warn them of the threats beyond their understanding, even if they couldn't comprehend them or do anything about them? Would she lie as to keep the peace or would she just… tell them the truth?
It was the right thing to do… but if I told them, what stopped from telling everyone else?
What of Renn…? I kept secrets from her, and I had even promised to stop doing so. It was such a struggle because each ti I felt ready and able to tell her about sothing, another event occurred that made even more cautious…
And if I started to just… talk about all the stuff happening, open and freely, then didn't I also need to start addressing and talking about prophecies? After all they were entwined. If I could talk of one side of the coin, then talking about the other side was to be expected.
"Well…" Lilly sighed softly, and it seed she had abandoned the idea of trying to get to say anything more. I had been quiet too long. "Fly doesn't seem to like them much," she said, changing topics.
Feeling useless, I nodded. "They remind her of her old masters, likely," I said.
"Can't bla the bird, it's best to have soone leery of them also," Windle added.
Lilly nodded. "Especially since the others find them so adorable. I'm surprised even Seed and Trunk find them interesting," Lilly said.
"They're gentle creatures, Lilly," Windle pointed out.
"Gentle…? They're babies yet already able to gut one of us with a single swipe if they wanted to," Lilly said.
Windle sighed at her. "I ant our owlets, honey."
Lilly blinked and frowned. "Ah…" she nodded after a mont, realizing what he had ant. He was just saying that her… gentler children, the ones more like him than her, were the kind to take preference to young babies. Even ones that would grow into a dangerous creature.
"Let us just be thankful. Not only do they give us a chance to keep that which guards our ho, but they might have also given us a chance to nd our children's angst," Windle added.
Angst? That was one way to put it, I guess.
"Personally I think we should kill the two that have no divinity," I said, again.
And again the two owls glanced at each other because of my comnts. I waited a mont as the two silently spoke to one another with their eyes, then they both looked back at . "Why is it you can now so openly share such opinions but won't speak of other, lesser, things?" Lilly asked .
I shifted since I had just gotten called out rather blatantly. "I'll have you know I've been trying my best here…"
"In a sense he has been. We just don't feel he's doing so quickly enough," Windle said.
"I'd bla Renn if not for the fact she's been complaining over it too," Lilly said.
Oh…? It hurt a little to hear that she's been actively, and vocally, doing so. Even if just to those she truly trusted like Lilly and rit.
I gestured lightly at Lilly, wanting to sigh as I did. I kept it in though. "I suppose one could argue keeping the ones without divinity alive is also a positive. Since they might one day give birth to ones that do," I said.
Lilly studied for a mont and then sighed for , shaking her head at . "He missed the point entirely, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Windle said as he went to writing on a fresh piece of parchnt.
No. I hadn't. I just didn't want to let them slide back into the conversation about things I didn't want to talk about.
"Everyone sure has gotten real snippy lately," I said with a huff.
"Says you, Vim?" Renn said as she stepped into the room. She was carrying Root, who made happy giggles at the sight of her mother.
Lilly broke out into a lovely smile as she stepped over to take Root from Renn. I watched intently for a mont as my wife handed off the child to its actual mother, and wondered why Renn always looked as if she was about to weep as she did so. I'd think it was the simple fact that she loved Root that much but I had seen similar expressions on her face when she had handled other babies, even the human ones in Lun.
She hated giving them up, even if they weren't hers. It made wonder what she'd be like once she had her own. Would she not allow others to hold them? So won were like that, especially predators… but it was hard to imagine Renn being amongst that small crowd.
Usually mothers longed for soone to take up the burden, even if for a short while. It was an odd trait.
Renn's sad, almost pained smile, turned back into a normal and happy one as Root went to making noise at her mother. Renn gently patted one of Root's wings as she stepped away from Lilly and over to , and that happy smile finally ca my way. "Don't feel bad, you two. The reason he's not talking about anything too dire is not because he doesn't trust you but rather the opposite. He's scared of relying on you too deeply," Renn said, all the while grinning at .
My eyes narrowed at her as I shifted ever so slightly. She looked as if she was teasing … but anyone could have heard the truth of her tone.
She had been absolutely serious.
Lilly and Windle didn't say anything as they stared at us, and I tried to ignore their big eyes that dug into . Tried and failed.
"We're going to need to talk about you listening in to all my private conversations," I said carefully.
Renn's grin turned into a wry smirk as her ears fluttered. "You're never going to be able to have them again, Vim!" she said happily.
No. Likely not. Her hearing was getting better. Quickly too. It was… strange. Hearts did amplify ones senses, but usually the increase in ability didn't keep happening after a certain point. The hearts she's absorbed have all settled, long settled even, so… why was she still getting stronger?
"He says that, but he had been expecting you to hear him and show up earlier," Windle said as he returned to writing whatever it was he was focused on.
Renn giggled at that and nodded in a way that told she had indeed heard it earlier. My comnt about Lilly showing up and not her from earlier.
Really… what was I going to do with her? I honestly didn't mind her listening into things I said, but such good hearing was eventually going to cause her problems.
Sotis it was better to not hear certain things. And I didn't just an the whispers people exchanged in private.
After a long mont… I realized Renn was still grinning at , and yet hadn't said anything more.
I blinked at her, and got an ear flutter back.
Oh.
Great.
I coughed and glanced away from her eyes full of expectations, and I looked to Lilly first. She was smiling at as Root grabbed at her ear, tugging on it as if annoyed her mother was ignoring her. Windle was still writing, but occasionally his eyes glanced upward at and away from his pen.
Right…
"Now it's just awkward," I said stiffly.
"Even better, then. Go on, say it," Renn urged.
"Hm?" Lilly tilted her head at , and Windle stopped writing… as Root noticed the odd air in the room and glanced around. She looked annoyed, likely because she had realized sothing indeed was keeping her mother's attention away from her. Hopefully she didn't realize it was .
"Do I have to say the obvious…?" I asked Renn.
She nodded gently.
"They surely know," I said.
"Undoubtedly, but still," she furthered.
I glared at her for a mont… and then thought of my mother. She would likely have said sothing similar. That was annoying, how was Renn so… well…
Herself?
Taking in a small breath, I sighed as I looked to Lilly first… and then Windle.
Then, after a small mont of enduring all of their odd looks I went ahead and said it.
I told them how much I cherished them. And the real reason I had wanted to linger a bit longer. To make sure they were fine. Basically admitting that I had broken one of not just the Society's rules, but one of my own. That I had favored them over others.
And like I had expected, they had not been happy with .
But still it felt good to say it.
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