Lykan stared at the boy. He was the seost troublesome visitor they had received, outside of Tariel.

  The boy stared up at the Elder, his eyes full of defianbsp;

  “You are now a member of the Ool family,” Lykan said. “You will remain with them.”

  “You will not help me?” the boy asked, gring up at Lykan.

  “They will keep you safe.”

  The boy frowned. It was not what he wao hear. He was happy to pretend to be an Ool, but this was something else. “What about my home?”

  “We will keep you safe within the Iyr. One day, perhaps you may be able to view it as your home.”

  The boy’s lip quivered and he held onto his knees, g at them. “What of my uncle? He…” He swallowed. “’t you kill him?”

  “We ,” Lykan stated, matter of factly. “We will not.”

  “Why not?” the boy snapped. “He killed my mother and father! My brother and sister too! He killed them!” Tears welled in the boy’s eyes.

  “We Iyrmen keep our word,” Lykan stated. “Stay within the Iyr. We will protect you. No one, not even the King of Aldnd, will be able to hurt you. That is all that we offer you.”

  The boy, who had lived through the assassination of his father and mother, of his entire family, who had starved oreet for a year, finally wept.

  “I want to kill him! He! How could he? He sits where my father sat! It is not his thro’s not his! It’s not mi’s fathers!” The boy tio weep.

  Lykan pced a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It must have been difficult for you. I ot tell you tet ye, or your thirst for vengeance, but I also ot promise that we assist you in this matter. Not while the treaty is in effect.”

  The boy shook and cried, all the while Elder Lykan squeezed his shoulder. “You must never speak of it again. Keep it in your heart, but do not fet. For now, you are an Iyrman, and we of the Iyr never fet.”

  During this time, there were also other royalty who were staying within the Iyr.

  “Ah!” Strom sighed with joy. “Firewine, oh firewine! How you sing to me, to me!”

  Morkarai remained heavy with stress as he shared his firewih Strom. He hadn’t expected to meet with His Excellency, for he exuded such a great presence, even though Morkarai had a one in ten ce of getting lucky and perhaps bringing the old man down to a knee.

  “You were just a wee babe when I saw you st, but look at how you’ve grown,” Strom said. “That may have bee time I had drunk your firewine. I drunk it at the start of your life, and y it to me at the end of my own.”

  Morkarai winced. Hearing that someone like Strom was dying brought a great darko his mind. He, who had only ever known the world with Strom alive, couldn’t imagine a world without the man. “I am sorry to hear it, Yrace.”

  Strom clicked his teeth. “What did I say?”

  “Five me, Lord Strom.”

  Strom narrowed his eyes.

  Morkarai smiled nervously.

  “I heard your father has grown ill retly,” Strom said. Retly had meant i decade to Strom, who worked on a time scale different to even the Giants. “I brought over a treasure of mine.” He revealed a pulsing gem, darkly coloured, with swirled of pure white within it.

  “A Heart of Lorkim?” Masped. First Stormdrake, and now a Heart of Lorkim?

  Strom tossed it to Morkarai, who quickly snatched it out of the air, his heart pounding wildly in shobsp;

  “Is this for my father?”

  “Why else did you think I asked the Iyr to call in their Edict?” Strom grumbled. “Even if your old man and I don’t like one another, I think he should at least see you grow up properly.”

  Morkarai was shocked. Strom had called in the Edict? He wasly sure of the e between Strom and the Iyr, but it seemed that even the Iyr respected Strom. “Th-thank you, Yra-,”

  “Strom,” the old man corrected. “Don’t fet to leave Stormdrake behind, it doesn’t belong to you.” His eyes narrowed towards the Giant once more.

  “I will make sure to leave it here, Sir Strom,” Morkarai managed. “I wouldn’t dare to keep it.”

  “I’ll be handing over Thunderwyrm’s Lament, so don’t get too greedy,” Strom said.

  Morkarai raised his brows in shock. He hadn’t expected that Strom would have given him a Heart of Lorkim and Thunderwyrm’s Lament, two great treasures, though the Heart of Lorkim was far more brilliant.

  “Thank you…”

  “I didn’t expect you to e so soon,” Strom admitted. “I know how long you and yours take making decisions.”

  “I wished to e. I may be the you, aainly not the stro if you pare me to my siblings, I am the best crafter from them all. My smithing and enting is unmatched in my geion.”

  “Why did y that old relic?” Strom asked. “You should have brought something you made.”

  “I am still in the process of learning from it, and I am close.”

  “Oh?” Strom said, intrigued. “At ye?”

  Morkarai smiled slightly. “I hope that with Stormdrake, it will speed up the process.”

  “Take it as yood fortuhen.” Strom wondered if this erhaps the ws of someone greater. “Well, if you use the heart of your brother, perhaps you make something as good as Stormdrake.”

  Morkarai chuckled nervously, swallowing. He had heard how Stormdrake had been made. “Are you… really dying?”

  “Yes.”

  “I heard many tales when I was a boy. Your story was always my favourite. I heard tales of yhts. What you had doo stabilise the Upper Realms. You, and the ends, which kept the world tied together. Without you…”

  “Well, I’ve given you a Heart of Lorkim and Thunderwyrm’s Lament. It’s all up to you now. I’ve worked so hard, and now that I’m quitting, that rat bastard has gotten a me. I kept the Order for two millennia, and I’m about to be repaid with a sword through my gut!” Strom snarled. “That’s why you ’t trust the Gods.”

  Morkarai frowhe Gods were important to them all, but the Dragons, they did not hold much care for the Gods. “It won’t be the same without you…”

  Strom smiled, a warm, grandfatherly smile. “I have faith in you. I have faith that you, all of you, will be able to ha. I hope that, if my empire crumbles, that you, and your family, will support that little boy I pced ohrone.”

  “I will send your words bay father.”

  Strom nodded. “If only I could see old Fmes again. I bet he’d be so angry seeing me like this. A wisp of my former self. Damn it! I want to see the face he’d make so bad!” Strom howled with ughter, as though he had told the fu joke.

  “You’re speaking of…”

  Strom nodded. “Right. I fot you all don’t really like him. He may even start trouble with you once I’m gone, but I don’t thihat stupid.”

  Morkarai sighed. Strom was bringing him so much stress. His death would bring a darkness across the nd. Perhaps nht away, but not long after. ‘It should be fine, as long as the ends haven’t died.’

  “Ah, right. You’ve met that boy, haven’t you? Adam?”

  “I have,” Morkarai said, eyes snapping to meet Strom’s.

  Strom grinned. “What do you think of him?”

  “He’s certainly iing,” Morkarai said, carefully. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression to Strom, who seemed to take a liking to the boy. After all, he had lost his sword to the young man, and there was no way he’d have lost his sword unless he wahe boy to have it.

  At least, that was what he thought.

  “You should get on his good side. He’s got quite the story to tell, though I don’t think it should be told.”

  “His story?” Morkarai asked, intrigued.

  Strom thought for a long moment. “It’s not my tale to say, but I hope you’ll send your father another message.”

  “What is it?”

  “Tell him he o prepare for a threat which shouldn’t e to pass,” Strom said, his voice deep and clear.

  Morkarai swallowed, not liking the serious tone of voice that Strom had taken. He bowed his head, though he wasn’t sure what it truly meant.

  “He may not believe you, but pass my words along. Tell him they’re my st piece of advi, from…” Strom sipped the firewine. “From a tired old man to a King.”

  Morkarai bowed his head. “I will.”

  Strom sighed, before smiling. “That Adam is quite the crazy young man. He might even be crazier than me.” He howled with ughter again.

  Morkarai wondered how that could be true. “Do you have any advie on how to grow closer to him?”

  Strom nodded. “It’s simple. Py with his little sister.”

  ‘What?’

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  What's this? A sed chapter? Is this a triple chapter day? Yes. Yes it is!