Chương 20

"We were just talking about sending someone to look for you," Thala said as they came in through the front door early the following morning.

"How was your date?" The sight that greeted him was enough to make Noah sweat, even though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong. Arranged around the kitchen table were all four of Ciri's parents, each dressed in pajamas and clutching mugs of something steaming. Thankfully, his Fae girlfriend spoke before he could put his foot in his mouth.

"It was an educational experience," Ciri said evenly as she took off her boots and coat.

"It was wonderful," Noah added warmly.

"I hope we didn't worry you too much."

"Worry us?" Vela replied from beside her fellow wife.

"Hardly. The beach is safe. Make us curious as to what kept our Ciri out all night for the first time in her life? Very."

"I have stayed out all night before, mother," Ciri countered.

"Reading until dawn in the archives doesn't count," Vela said with a grin. The couple quickly joined her parents at the table, only then noticing the stack of familiar files next to Ken.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Ken nodded sombrely, the teasing mood sinking into something more serious.

"These confirm what the guard in the forest said: Lord Malrec is working with Ferrum Vale to uncover new spells. It's veiled by innuendo and codewords, but the themes are there—if someone can tell the story properly."

"Ferrum Vale…" Noah repeated, furrowing his brow.

"Those are the humans who live on the continent to the northeast, right?"

"Exactly." Ciri nodded, proud that he'd retained some of her teachings.

"And I'm guessing, based on everyone's expressions, that them partnering is a bad thing."

"Very," Ken agreed.

"Before this we were content to let Dôn weave as she would. Now though, it is time to step in."

"If I can ask a dumb question…why?" The Fae around the table shared dark glances before Aelya answered.

"They are virulently anti-Fae. It's the only place in Tenebrae where Fae do not live." Her words triggered a memory of the guard in the forest.

"Their leader—the Iron Lord?"

"No. The Iron Lord does not lead Ferrum Vale." Ken shook his head.

"Their leader is a man named Alaric Vaelthorne, but he is known as the Iron Chancellor. The Iron Lord is his enforcer, general, and second-in-command."

"The Iron Chancellor? These guys really have a thing for iron." The room went silent before Thala spoke.

"We should tell him. He can be trusted." Shoulders slumping, Aelya nodded.

"There is a specific kind of iron that can be mined only in Ferrum Vale. It is toxic to all Fae. Even a slight cut from it can be fatal if not treated immediately. We call it blood iron." Noah shook his head.

"Hang on. If this thing is so toxic to Fae, why haven't you stopped these assholes from mining it?"

"We tried," Ken said, his voice hollow.

"Or at least, the Summer and Winter Fae courts tried. For one of the few times since they were established, they put aside their petty differences and united against Ferrum Vale soon after they started to mine the blood iron eighty years ago."

"Two against one?" Noah asked.

"It should have been a crushing victory," Aelya said, anger seeping into her voice.

"But a human soldier rose through the ranks through cunning and bravery and skill. He adapted the blood iron into weapons and used them to great effect—attacking supply lines, ambushing camps and patrols in the darkness. He gained quite a following from the populace." Guerrilla tactics, Noah thought, nodding.

"He made it too expensive to justify the cost of the war."

"Precisely." Ken nodded, looking over at him.

"I thought you said you were not an expert in military means?"

"It's a common human tactic, in my world. It's called unconventional warfare, I think." He shook his head before looking back at Aelya.

"So the Fae retreated?"

"They signed an armistice first," she said.

"Though there has been understandable animosity between the nations since. Even all the way out here, we know of it. Ferrum Vale continues to mine blood iron, making most of the island toxic for Fae to even set foot on."

"That's a long time to hold a grudge, for both sides," Noah replied.

"Given that the Fae tried to take Ferrum Vale from the Iron Chancellor and the Iron Lord was the one who led its defence, I doubt either of them is likely to forgive and move on," Ken said. Noah blinked.

"That would make them…what, a hundred years old each? Maybe more?"

"Alaric Vaelthorne founded Ferrum Vale over two hundred years ago. Records of the Iron Lord's birth are understandably difficult to come by, but he is believed to be approximately one hundred," Ciri answered before looking at him.

"Why?"

"That's…impossible. Humans can't live to be two hundred. Very few of them even make it past one hundred." Vela smiled and shook her head.

"Magic, dear. With enough of it, we can effectively extend lives—both Fae and human—indefinitely." Noah reeled at the revelation.

"Woah. Okay, that's…a bit of a revelation to drop on me so casually."

"I did not realize that you did not know," Ciri said softly. How old are they? Noah thought as he looked at the Fae around him. Ciri could be double my age. Even more. And Ken could be ancient. Or is he? Is it a choice to look ancient, or is he just that old? Realizing the table had gone silent around him, he shoved his thoughts aside.

"Topic for another time, I guess. So what are we doing with this stuff? Taking it to the king and queen so they can stop Malrec?"

"As I said, the evidence is there but shrouded," Ken replied.

"But if someone can properly explain and articulate it…and navigate the politics of human courts…and ensure that it doesn't get intercepted by someone sympathetic to Lord Malrec…then it would be enough to justify a royal investigation, at the very least." Noah arched one eyebrow.

"I'm not your guy for that. I'm not a lawyer, and as much as I want to help I haven't got the faintest idea of how to—" If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"He was talking about himself," Aelya interjected, glaring at her husband.

"Yes," Ken confirmed.

"We spoke about it at length last night. My wives agreed that I should be the one to go while they remain here." Both Ciri and Noah looked at him with wide eyes.

"But…but…" she stammered. Noah looked between the father and daughter, confused.

"Wouldn't it be safer if all four of you went? Like how we did in the forest?"

"We considered it. But the tribe must come first, and it requires leadership. This requires a trip to Crownspire, which is a several-day journey by boat, assuming good weather. We cannot leave our people alone for that long," Aelya said.

"Especially given how dangerous things have become of late." Vela nodded in agreement before looking at Ken.

"Though I would feel better if one of us stayed by your side to protect you."

"I can handle myself," he assured her. Understatement of the fucking year, Noah thought.

"Not against magic," Vela countered.

"We made the decision already," Thala reminded them.

"Let us not spend time bickering over it. We will wait for Hænnaethrýael to return with her ship, then secure transit for you to Crownspire." The name made Noah furrow his brow.

"Wait, hang on. That's the trader I'm waiting for too, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ciri replied. He looked over at Ken.

"I've got no idea where she took my brother, but if it's along the way to Crownspire I'm happy to join you for as long as it makes sense. I might not be as good with a knife as you are, but the two of us will probably be safer together than apart." Ken nodded.

"I was hoping you would say that."

"By that logic, three of us would be safer than two," Ciri chimed in. The table looked at her for a long moment before Aelya spoke up.

"Are you suggesting—""Yes." She cut in.

"I will go with Father and Noah."

"The trip to Crownspire can be dangerous. I don't—" the green-haired Fae began.

"Were you not the one boasting of how I killed a Corrupted and an enemy conduit?" she pressed, before looking at Vela.

"And were you not the one saying that you would feel better if he had someone who could perform magic with him?" There was a long silence in the room before Ken spoke again.

"It would be good for her to get out and see the world. Especially the human courts."

"And it would keep you better protected," Vela admitted.

"But…" She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

"Some more practical experience might not hurt either," Aelya finished. Thala smiled warmly, a tear in her eye.

"Our little girl is growing up."

"Mother, I am not a little girl," Ciri replied. Sensing the impending argument, Noah jumped in to play peacemaker.

"So it's agreed. Ciri, Ken, and I will go together. I'll accompany them as far as I can before our paths diverge."

"Then we will take the evidence to the king and queen," Ken nodded.

"And we will resolve this matter for good." The finality of his statement caused the table to go silent for a long moment, after which Vela awkwardly spoke up.

"There is one other matter…"

"Ah." Ken nodded as he reached into his pocket.

"Yes." He produced the black stone Noah had left in his room and set it on the table. For a moment, Noah considered asking why he'd felt the need to rifle through his bags to find it, but given his lack of knowledge of Fae customs around privacy, he elected to stay silent. Instead, he glanced between the softly shimmering object and the Fae man, waiting for some sort of explanation.

"We found this on the floor in the hallway," Thala began. Noah tilted his head in confusion.

"That… shouldn't be right. I put it on top of the bed before leaving."

"I know," Thala said.

"That is the source of our concern." He chuckled.

"You're not suggesting the rock moved on its own, are you?" As if to deny him, the perfectly round stone twitched, drawing every eye toward it. Noah watched it in silence for almost long enough to convince himself it was a trick of the light, but before he could say as much, it twitched again. This time it began to roll toward the edge of the table, and he caught it at the last moment between his hands. He looked between the Fae gathered around the table.

"What… is it?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Ken said. Ciri launched into an explanation of how they'd found it while Noah continued to turn the stone over in his hand, examining it. It seemed to have stopped moving for the moment, but he eyed it suspiciously, as if it might leap from his grasp at any second. He half-listened to Ciri's story as he replayed the events of that night in his mind, searching for any clue that might indicate what the strange, apparently magical stone truly was.

"It's an egg," he blurted.

"How do you know?" Ciri asked.

"I took care of a parrot at the shelter once. It laid a round egg, just like this. Except it was white." Vela arched one eyebrow.

"I don't know what a parrot is, but it sounds like this is not one of their eggs."

"Then what kind of egg is it?" Thala asked.

"Not a wyrm, wyvern, or drake. Their eggs have spines." Ciri processed aloud. Those are real? Noah thought, eyes going wide. Before he could ask though, she continued.

"Basilisk eggs are black, but they would not survive this far north of the desert. A cockatrice or hippogriff is possible, but unlikely. Manticores, hydras, and chimeras give birth to live young, so it would not be any of those." Noah's head spun but he couldn't get in a word edgewise before Aelya jumped in.

"How about a thunderbird?"

"Their eggs are yellow, and the humans would likely have harvested them if that were the case." Ciri countered.

"Perhaps a Vælorin, Quorveith, or Velæthar though…" She trailed off.

"Dumb question." Noah interjected finally, raising his hand.

"What about a dragon?" The four elder Fae chuckled while Ciri shook her head.

"That would be exceedingly unlikely. The last dragon sighting was several hundred years ago."

"But they do exist?"

"They did." Ken corrected him.

"There may or may not be more." The conversation resumed after, with each of them working through several more possibilities of creatures he'd never heard of. Rather than try to interrupt the conversation he sat back and listened, his analytical mind cataloging and filing away information about each magical beast as fast as Ciri could list them. Eventually it became too much and he gave up, making a mental note to ask Ciri about borrowing a book from the archives about Tenebraean zoology.

Probably going to need her help reading it too, he thought. The only creature I know the Fae word for is- His eyes widened as the realization hit.

"It's a griffon egg," he blurted.

"A griffon egg?" Ciri repeated, stopping her stream-of-consciousness mid-sentence.

"Think about it: the guard said they had to destroy a griffon nest, right? That explains the branches and bushes scattered around the camp."

"Yes. We saw the heads of the dead griffons," Aelya said with a nod.

"But griffon eggs are white, and far larger. This one is small and black." He furrowed his brow before another idea occurred to him.

"There's a phenomenon among animals in my world. Maybe you have it here too. Sometimes an offspring is born smaller and weaker than its siblings. We call it a runt, and the parents usually kick it out of the nest while it's very young so they can focus on raising the healthier offspring."

"Yes, this behaviour is well documented," Ciri agreed.

"What if this is a griffon runt? It would explain the smaller size, and why the guards missed it when they destroyed the nest—the parents would have tossed it out long before the guards got there." The room fell silent again as everyone watched the egg with wary eyes.

"If that is the case, we should destroy it now," Aelya said in a low voice. Noah drew the egg closer and turned his body away from her.

"Uh… no. We're not doing infanticide, thank you."

"You of all people know how vicious griffons can be," Ken warned.

"That was one griffon," Noah countered." And I felt badly enough hurting it. This one is defenceless. I'm sorry, but I refuse to allow anyone to kill it."

"If you are correct that it is a griffon egg… and if we allow you to keep it… what exactly is your plan?" Aelya asked, her voice still edged with menace.

"I'll keep it safe until it hatches," Noah replied.

"Then I'll release it into the wild, somewhere far enough away that it won't come back."

"And if we disagree with your plan?" Ken asked.

"I'd ask you to reconsider," he said, his shoulders slumping.

"Please. I know this is your home and I don't really have any right to ask this of you—especially not after everything you've done for me—but I feel strongly about not killing baby animals." He struggled for words as he looked at Ken.

"I won't pretend to know much about your religion, but wouldn't Danu, Dôn, and Anu have something to say about killing a defenceless creature?" Ken arched a single eyebrow before cracking a smile.

"You have a spine, referencing our gods. And you are correct." Vela rolled her eyes and looked at Ciri.

"Would you talk some sense into your man, please?" Ciri studied the egg for a long moment, head tilted in curiosity.

"If that is truly what it is, this would be an excellent opportunity to study the griffon reproductive cycle…"

"See? Ciri is on board," Noah said, smiling. Aelya huffed.

"Very well. But the moment it hatches, you are to take it far away and release it. Or else I will deal with it myself."

"Thank you." He beamed at her as he slipped the egg into his pocket.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

"Don't make me regret it." Aelya replied.