Omen: 13, 19

  “Oh,” Adam said, looking upon the isle between the rivers, where roughly a hundred Iyrmen were beginning to outlihe walls, using various poles and strings to measure the walls. ‘Right, they said it was going to be done around noonval so I guess they would start pretty soon. A fort in four and a half months? That’s pretty cool.’

  They approached the small fenced vilge across the river, the vilgers nearby noting the arrival of the Iyrman and the queer half elf in the Iyrman’s purple steel. An older proached to greet the group. She was short, barely reag Adam’s chest with the top of her head. She wore thick furs around her body, as well as a set of scale around her chest, which also fell down her waist, and a belt ed around her front to keep her armour pio her. An axe hung against her belt, though she wielded her trusty spear in hand.

  “I see you’ve decided to e out of hiding,” Chief Merl said, fshing a smile towards the group.

  “I never said I was a smart man, chief,” Adam replied, fshing his own smile back towards her. “How have you been?”

  “Well, thank you. The Iyr has sent so many warriors to protect us during the st few months. I thought the closed gates would have caused us to worry, but the Iyr has always watched over us.” She motioned a hand for them to ehe vilge.

  Adam reached into his pouch, but Merl reached for his hand, spping it away from his pouch. “What? My leaf ear no lood enough for you?”

  Merl tightened her hand on her spear. “Stop it, you!” She raised her brows in shock, but they shifted, as though daring him to tinue.

  “I’ll just have Nobby slip a gem to yranddaughter, surely she won’t refuse the gem from her future husband.”

  “They should have married st year so I see my great grandchildren,” Merl stated, nodding her head as she led the group towards the tre of the vilge. Though the vilge held the same popution as the Iyr, the air was so different. The wooden fehe onfolk w lightly in the fields and their gardens, with very few rushing to anywhere in particur.

  “Does Merl still want to marry Nobby?” Adam asked.

  “That was the deal she made.”

  “I’m not oo enforce that sort of deal,” Adam replied, clearing his throat. “If she has someone else in mind, she shouldn’t be forced into marrying Nobby.”

  “She’ll be quite lucky to marry Nobby.”

  “That she is,” Adam replied. “That she is.”

  “Are you taking him out to make him a Master?” Merl asked, her eyes pyfully teasing the half elf.

  “That’s harder to do in a single year,” Adam admitted. “I’m not even a Master yet, even I I probably take one in a fight.”

  Merl tio smile, though it faltered for a moment, realising Adam robably serious about the statement. Who else but Adam could say something that ridiculous and mean it? “You lost against the King’s Sword’s daughter, didn’t you?”

  “I surrendered after I beat her up, yeah,” Adam corrected, smirking slightly.

  “…” Merl had heard the tale a few times, at least ten times i month sidering the arrival of those Iyrmen. Her eyes fell to the other subject of their tale, Jurot, the one who had pced first within the Noonval Tour. Then it fshed between Kitool, who had pced sed, and Nobby, who pced first in anment. ‘…’

  “So this is where you’ll all been hanging out,” Adam said upon seeing the group of Iyrmen. “This eime your…” Adam’s eyes theo Bavin. “Hey, Bavin.”

  “Hello,” the Iyrman replied.

  Adam could barely reise the young Iyrman, who had short dark hair, and carried a his side, the Vin family on. Adam swore the young man had grown at least an inch, and his body was thicker with muscle. He was no Nobby, even if the pair were nearly identical in their meekness.

  “I didn’t expect…” Adam smiled warmly, patting his shoulder gently. “I’m gd to see you, Bavin.”

  “Okay.”

  Adam chuckled, befreeting the rest of the Iyrmen, shaking their forearms. “The same rules apply this year.”

  “Lanarot is Cutest In The Whole World,” Nirot said.

  “Ne,” Naqokan stated.

  “Make sure to listen,” Faool said, bowing his head lightly.

  “No dying without your permission,” Laygak added.

  After a long pause, Uwajin spoke up. “Be kind to one another.”

  “Man, I’m so good at rules,” Adam whispered, nodding his head. “We’re getting rid of rule number one because we o ge it, but it’ll bee way too long.”

  “Adam?” Jaygak asked, pg a hand on his forehead.

  “Jaygak, if you want to fight, just say so.”

  She replied with the most i smile while Lucy stifled a ugh. “Why do you always resort to violence?”

  “I don’t want to hear that from an Iyrman.”

  “We don’t always fight.”

  “Sure, but that’s ly your preferred setting.”

  “There are times we should not fight,” Jurot said.

  “Jurot?” Adam asked, pg a hand on his forehead.

  “I’m not going to berate you for stealing my joke si was a good joke,” Jaygak said, smirking slightly.

  “I never said it was a bad joke, I’m just looking for any excuse to beat you up.”

  “Kitool will not allow you to beat me up.”

  “Why do you always have to hide behind Kitool?”

  “Why do you always have to threaten me?”

  Adam flushed slightly, his smile faltering for a moment. “You know I’m just joking, right?”

  “Are you?”

  “You know I am, because I said something stupid even for me.”

  Korin leaned in to Dunes, whispering quietly. “It still surprises me he is our leader…”

  Dunes smiled in respo said no more, since he had long learned what the Iyrmen had uood when it came to Adam.

  “Anyway, I heard you guys and the wolves have been having fun without us,” Adam said, eyeing up the younger Iyrmen, who were oeens under his employ. “I hope you got the fighting out of you because other than the beasts we e across, I don’t io start fights with anyone.”

  Adam frowned, noting the doubt within their eyes.

  “You will not fight with the nobles?” Nirot asked.

  Adam inhaled deeply before looking to Jurot for support. “Jurot, how she say that to me?”

  “Adam will try,” Jurot replied, though he said no more about the topibsp;

  “I’m o nobles,” Adam stated, as though it were true. “Sometimes. I mean, I treat Sir Vonda nicely, most of the time.”

  “It is true,” Vonda said, smiling from behind her scarf.

  “See?”

  “Sir Vonda does not t, since she is a member of the Order of Life’s Rose,” Jaygak said. “Who is not o such a figure?”

  “What about Lady Sara?” Adam asked, throwing a look to the Aswadian devilkin, who had a gem embedded within her forehead. “I’m o you, aren’t I?”

  “Adam is right,” Lady Sara replied. “One might wonder why he only behaves politely with young, beautiful, single noblewomen, but that is not the point.”

  “Hey!” Adam replied, flushing slightly redder. “Just because that’s true, it doesn’t mean there’s anything to it. I’ve been o noblemen too. I mean, think about…” Adam thought to the nobles he olite to, a slim list, and then the nobles who were men. “Sir Landon?”

  “You’ve threatened him several times.”

  “Only now and again,” Adam replied. “Just a bit of bahat’s all. Well, what about Lord Strom?”

  “He doesn’t t, since he had given up his title at the time,” Jaygak said.

  “Okay, well, Lord Morkarai?”

  “You beat him.”

  “Yeah, but he’s my friend.”

  “Is he?”

  “That’s why he gave us that really nice shield he made yesterday,” Adam retorted. “Anyway, anyway, look. Enough messing around. I ’t help but be ge if yoing to amplify it.”

  Amira exged a look with Dunes. She had spent the least amount of time with the half elf, though they did meet when he had spent several thousand gold freeing her from w in the mines.

  Dunes merely replied with the same smile.

  Ohe group had gathered in the tre, the Iyrmen began to speak of a tale, while Adam rexed he fire, drinking his grain wine mixed with fruit juice. He gnced between his panions, from the demons, to the Aldishmen, to the Iyrmen, to the Aswadians.

  ‘Right, I should probably equip them all in pte mail when I have the ce. I have enough gold for it now. Why didn’t I do that before we left?’ The young half elf pulled out a book from within his robe, writing dowe to himself for the future.

  ‘I o make a deal with Chief Merl too…’ Adam swallowed, thinking about his future workers. ‘I ’t just let them all starve to death. Need some drinks for them all too. Won’t they need eaioo?’ Adam let out a long sigh. ‘Why did I decide to be in charge? Damn it…’

  I will not promise Adam will bee less ge this year, but I promise he will try.