Aurora Emberlyn, the granddaughter of Eamon Emberlyn.

  The last time Somnu had seen her, things had quickly spiraled out of control. Until now, he hadn’t had much time to consider what he would do or say after meeting her again.

  Somehow, deep within him, that brief crush of his, he hadn’t seen it as such an important ordeal anymore. There were far more pressing matters in front of him now.

  Life or death kind of matters.

  He shook his head sideways before rushing up the stairway.

  The most important thing on his mind now was to get the Fortmaster on his side without using lies or trickery, following Mathros’ advice. Having the leader be an accomplice in the upcoming conflict would make things go much smoother.

  Only after that could he worry about meeting Aurora and his siblings again.

  ‘Naga, make sure to behave.’

  ‘What do you mean, master? I always do and you are yet to praise me for it!’

  Somnu let out a long sigh and passed the last step of the long staircase, immediately using his stick to navigate his surroundings.

  The sudden bright lights overwhelmed Naga’s thermal vision, making her look away.

  “Your great reverence, a new visitor is here to see you.” A calm, soft voice resounded from a ways away.

  “Oh, sheep balls! I was just about to stretch my neck!” The medium pitch voice huffed not far from the previous one.

  “No complaining, your great reverence. Besides, the saying goes ‘stretching one’s legs’, not neck.”

  “Oh, pish posh! Always so serious!” The medium pitched voice cleared their throat for a moment. “Well, who’s the returning little lamb this time? Introduce yourself, my boy!”

  Somnu continued to navigate the colorless world with his stick, stopping shortly after a couple of steps in order to keep a decent distance from whoever was in front of him. From what his perception told him, there were just two more entities in the room beside him and Naga.

  “Well, my name is-”

  “Ah! It is you again, my boy! Welcome back!”

  “Actually, I have-”

  “Yes, yes! You have missed us dearly, old sheep news! What brings you here, my blind boy?”

  “...” Somnu inhaled deeply and tried to contain his emotions. Must be the Fortmaster, another Luscairna like Broski… They really are… different? Eccentric? Special? Yes, let’s go with special.

  “Bree’Niu, we have a problem! A big sheep problem!”

  “What is it, great reverence?”

  “Sheep balls! The boy must be mute, or I deaf!”

  “You just heard him speak. You simply didn’t let him finish.”

  “Aha! What a blunder! Excuse me, my blind boy! Go ahead!”

  Is this how all of Luscairna are? The other voice seems more mature though… Somnu thought to himself, realizing the other voice might be of the same race from the name alone. Let’s just get this over with…

  “My name is Somnu, I know Mathros, and I’ve got important things to talk about.”

  “Aha! I knew it-”

  “Also, I’d appreciate it if you stopped interrupting, great reverence. I’d rather not drag this out longer than it needs to.” Somnu cut him off, firing his words without stopping. At the same time, he hoped Naga’s vision would recover faster.

  “...”

  A moment of silence followed, making Somnu wonder if he had stepped out of line.

  “Aha! I knew it! Somnu, my boy! Welcome back to our humble fort!”

  … This is hopeless. Somnu hunched his back and let out a long sigh.

  Getting used to these Luscairna might require some more effort and patience than he would have liked.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “You look rather different, but I, the great reverence, Fortmaster of the Mirewalker Fort, could recognize you immediately!”

  “It’s only natural for someone of such great wisdom!” Somnu tried to clap while still holding his stick.

  “Fiddleflick! Somnu, my blind boy, you’re making me blush!”

  ‘Can I eat him, master?’

  ‘... maybe later, Naga.’

  At that time, Naga’s vision finally recovered, making her slowly survey her surroundings to help Somnu understand where he was.

  It was a small room, as far as throne rooms usually went for. There were intricate pillars, archways and banners scattered around, all riddled with violet spiral-like patterns. Multiple windows spread on each side, showing nothing but a bright emerald moonlight.

  In the middle, following the long purple drapes from the floor up, a throne sat atop a row of circled steps, an imposing seat of intricate black ironwork and deep sapphire upholstery. At the top, a spiral spider net was embroidered on the fabric itself, looking almost identical to a dream catcher design.

  And below said pattern sat…

  “Oh, sheep balls! Where are my manners?” The Fortmaster stroked his chin fur. “My great name is Evu’Dral, but you may call me father if you so wish.”

  “Great reverence, this is not your son.”

  “Blubbersticks! Who do you take me for? I know that. The boy simply looks like me!”

  I most definitely do not! Somnu resisted the urge to slap his own face.

  Evu'Dral was unlike anything Somnu had seen before, at least, personally. When it came to fantasy, the Luscairna weren’t that unfamiliar of a sight.

  The Fortmaster was of similar height and body form to Broski, likely the average for Luscairna. However, unlike Broski, this particular entity was covered in fur. A faint purple mane was well-contained around his head. The top of it almost formed a crown, while the thick white whiskers reached his long ears. Although the nose seemed closer to a sheep, his blue eyes moved with perfect sentience.

  He wore a tight wardrobe that showed his regality and status, dripped in purple with intricate golden embroidery. On the right side of his chest, the same spiral pattern appeared.

  “Perhaps you should move the conversation along if you want to rest, great reverence.”

  Next to him on one of the steps surrounding the much too big throne for this race, Bree'Niu stood with a composed expression. She had some white covering her body, but a faint blue mostly made out her skin. Big golden eyes sat behind a row of glasses, while her white hair was tied neatly into a ponytail.

  She held an open book between her hands, as a long dark blue cloak covered her body. If Somnu had to guess, she was acting as some sort of mage secretary, but he moved on to more important topics.

  The rest of the room had bookshelves, trophies and other random decorations, but the only thing that really stood out was a bathtub to a far corner. That too, Somnu decided to ignore.

  “Indeed, you have mentioned my boy Mathros.” Evu'Dral finally adopted a more serious look, or at least, tried to. “What has become of him and his party, do tell?”

  “He asked me to relay a message first.” Somnu fixed his posture and relaxed his breathing. “He apologizes for taking too long, and for losing both Benji and Almon…”

  “Sheep balls, so they are gone, are they…?”

  “Mathros and Lulu will remain close by, and although this is weird coming from me…” Somnu scratched his cheek. “He asked that you trust me. I’m here to find the murderer who’s killing Sleepers.”

  “Jolly?!”

  “!”

  Both Luscairna shuddered in place at his words.

  “I have no proof yet, but we expect that his name is John Doe. He’s someone I’m personally after, and he was responsible for the death of Benji and Almon.” Somnu paused for a moment, clenching his right fist unintentionally. “My siblings, Mo and Leyna, should be here now, so I’ll do everything in my power to rid this place of that monster.”

  “Ah!” The Fortmaster opened his eyes wide. “Somnu! Indeed, my boy Mo and little missy Leyna have been looking for you! Yes, yes! What a joyful moment!”

  A faint smile appeared on Somnu’s face. He took the reaction as confirmation that his siblings were currently safe.

  “Alas!”

  “?!”

  “My boy Mo has not come back either.” Evu'Dral’s face suddenly twisted into a frown, stroking his chin fur again. “How long has it been now? The last time we discussed sheep wool together must have been a year ago…”

  “What?!”

  “Great reverence, it has not been longer than two days.” Bree'Niu said coldly, keeping her eyes on the book between her hands. “Not to mention, you have never discussed sheep wool with anyone ever before.”

  “Wogglepants! That simply won’t do!” Evu'Dral stood up suddenly. “Somnu, my blind boy, we have urgent and life-staking matters to discuss!”

  “Yes, we do! So, let’s get right to them-”

  “Sheep! Goats! Tis a major crisis! What say you, we eliminate them entirely?!” The Fortmaster raised a fist in the air.

  Is this code for something?! Should I play along?! This is a waste of time… Somnu hunched his back again. Mo isn’t here, but I should at least go see Leyna and Aurora…

  The fastest way to get out of this situation was perhaps to play along and find an escape route. Mathros was adamant to recruit the Fortmaster to the plan, but Somnu couldn’t see him being of much help whatsoever.

  “You may be right, great reverence.” Somnu let out while attempting to clap again. “Sheeps, goats, they just might be our greatest enemy yet! Perhaps, we should rest and gather our full force at dawn?”

  “Aha! A joke! Somnu, my boy! You are funny!”

  “Huh?!”

  “Oh no…” Bree'Niu raised her shivering gaze and took a few steps back.

  “Ahahaha!” Evu'Dral’s laughter bellowed in the room.

  What the hell is going on?!

  “Ahahaha! Laugh my boy! Laughter is the best medicine!”

  “Ha… haha… hahaha…” Somnu started, but quickly caught himself. However, it was already too late. He was already on his knees, holding his aching stomach. Wait… Is this why they told me not to laugh?!

  Perhaps he should have taken his friends’ warning more seriously.