Adam had decided against using his rolls or Omens during enting, not wishing to tempt Fate any more than he had. If his Omens could really shift Fate in the world, he didn’t want to end up causing any civil wars, or worse, cause any illo befall his children as he had dohe previous year.

  His m began with a light workout, a bath, and then breakfast. He read to his children after breakfast, a single chapter of one of the many stories of the Rot family, befoing off to ent. He ented from te m to the early evening.

  He returo py with the children, before eating with the group. He spent his evenings then reading to the children again, before spending time with his own children. He spent the early nights with his friends and family, just chatting away, before they would o turn in to the night.

  However, he was not the only one hard at work. Jonn tio train Brittany, fog on her agility and her skill. Nobby assisted the Iyr with his might, for strong bodies were always wele in the Iyr. Fred also assisted the Iyr, wanting to keep his body moving, and his mind occupied.

  Kitool had chosen to begiudies into the way of the Iyrmen. Jurot tio assist the Iyr as he usually did, though worked a few hours less than typical. His mother saw him spend more time with the youth, speaking of their tales, as well as generally assisting the parents with the young children.

  “Ji?” Jirot asked, looking up towards her uncle’s face. She sat on his p, beside her brother, who also looked up at Jurot.

  “Yes,” Jurot firmed. “You were named after Ji of the Rot family, Jirot.”

  “Oooh,” Jirot replied, as though she uood. “Ji?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oooh.” The girl stared down at the book, before pg her hand on the page. “Wead.”

  “Okay.”

  The pair of Goblins stared down at his finger as he tio read, following along. In the back of Jurot’s head, he thought about how distant the triplets remained. Konarot was currently whispering to a bird, while her younger siblings pyed nearby.

  Jaygak assisted the Iyr with whatever matters they required, trying to keep her body busy as she thought about what she wao do.

  ‘I have pte mail now, but they don’t need me,’ she thought. ‘I should retire now that I am an Expert.’ Yet, Elder Zijin’s words pgued her mind. She sighed, staring at the lumber that was to head to ste.

  Wheurned back to the shared estate during the evening, she saw Raygak sitting beside Kavgak, reading to her. Kavgak was not quite as, to borrow the phrase which Adam often used, ky as Gurot, but she was still rather tall and broad for her age. She sat up straight, and Jaygak could have sworn the girl was more like Taygak than herself.

  “Look,” Taygak said, holding up Tavgak, her own younger sibling, towards her cousin. “Poop.”

  “She soiled herself?”

  “Yes,” Taygak said. “Big poop.”

  “I will go her.”

  “Taygak help,” Taygak said, before following Jaygak to up her sister.

  Jaygak returned with a sleepy Tavgak, who had also decided to pee all over the older pair, before finally yawning and making to sleep. Jaygak pced her aside with the other children who were also sleeping, and she returned back to see Maygak sug oeet of their mother.

  Maygak, who was so young, and had yet to hear of her elder sister’s tales. Raygak sat nearby, his hands csped together, the boy deep in thought.

  “What are you thinking about?” Jaygak asked, reag down to rub the boy’s head.

  Raygak winced, expeg her to rub his head much harder, but as Jaygak showed him mercy, he looked up at her. “Kavgak was as small as Maygak, but now she is so big.”

  “Yes.”

  “So does that mean Maygak will be as big as Kavgak year?”

  “As big as Kavgak? She is bigger thaher children, but Maygak may grow almost as big.”

  Raygak fell silent again, thinking about this newfound knowledge. “Cousin Lanarot has also grown big.”

  “Yes.”

  Raygak slowly nodded his head, as though uanding the profound nature of such words. Jaygak thought about tugging his hair, but instead, she pulled her hand away, allowing her little brother to think. She sighed, w if she should really abandak and the others like this. ‘Laygak will do well, especially with Adam’s help…’

  Meanwhile, Mara asked for an audieh the Chief. It wouldn’t have been such a great deal, but Iromin chose to speak with her almost immediately. The Demon sat opposite the Chief, sitting upright. She, for the moment, ighe Chief’s offers for snacks, though sipped the juice he offered.

  “You wish to speak with me as a representative of the Demon Lord?” Chief Iromin replied.

  “The Demon Lord would like to inform you of her iions to it herself to the Iyr.”

  “What need of the Iyr of a Demon Lord?” Iromin replied, as politely as one could.

  “A Demon Lord possesses great strength at their peak,” Mara replied, as politely as one could. “It is never a bad idea to gain the support of a great figure.”

  “The Iyr is not oo sharpen a bde which may spill Iyrman blood.”

  “Then why have you not killed Adam?” Mara asked, speaking of the one figure that caused her worry.

  “We have many sheaths for the bde known as Adam,” Iromin replied, sipping more of his freshly squeezed juibsp;

  “The Demon Lord promises to bee a staunch ally.”

  Iromin reached for the snacks and fell quiet for a long moment. Mara, too, decided to bite into the fried dough snacks Iromin would ofte.

  “Ohousand years ago, the Demonic Devastatio across these nds,” Iromin informed, speaking of the tale of old. “It is the reason why Demons are so hated across the entire nd. It is already a miracle you have not been killed. You were apanied by Iyrmen and Sir Vonda, which has assisted in keeping you alive.”

  “I have heard many of the tales of the Demonic Devastation,” Mara firmed. “The Rot family gained great honour during the wars. It was unfortunate what happeo the Gak family.”

  “Treachery from the Aldishmen,” Iromin firmed. “They have never fotten.”

  “I have heard the Iyr never fets.”

  “We do not,” Iromin stated, firmly. He caught Mara’s eyes, and though the young woman held a great presence, one of a woman who had known war feions at least, Iromin, too, knew what it meant to fight for his life. A wound throbbed at his side, the same wound he had received from the hydra he had killed when he was young.

  “We are not the same Demons.”

  “No,” Iromin admitted. “It is why you have been allowed to walk the Iyr as freely as you have.”

  Mara nodded. “We have made our iions known.”

  “We will sider them,” Iromin assured. He waited for a long while, and seeing that she had no more to say, he raised his hand to dismiss her.

  Mara stood. “I appreciate that you met with me so soon.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Iromin replied, watg as she stepped away. “Do you know the story of Jirot?”

  “The Jirot of the Demonic Devastation?” Mara replied.

  “Yes.”

  “I do.”

  “A tale as sad as time,” Iromin said. “She orusted the A Dragon, the Demon General Bakazor, only to e to blow many years ter. She fell, allowing Jurot to save the child.”

  “Jurot has spoken of the tale to the elder twin.”

  Iromin nodded.

  “I am fond of the girl,” Mara said.

  “So was Bakazor,” Iromin replied.

  “…” Mara uood the threat behind Iromin’s words. “She is no Iyrman.”

  “Whether she is an Iyrman or not,” Iromin began, his voice remainiral, “she carries the name of Rot. You may not know of this, but her greatfather was wild in his youth.”

  “I have heard the tales.”

  “No,” Iromin said. “You have not. If you knew of the tales, you would never have mentiohat the girl was no Iyrman.”

  “I am merely stating facts.”

  “The Iyr has many rules,” Iromin said, holding the woman’s gaze. “Even I, the Chief of the Iyr, find it difficult to keep track. However, every rule derives from one singur rule, or as you might call it, the first w. Every time we Iyrmen wake up to wele the day, the sun’s ray’s greeting us in the m. Every time we Iyrmen reach for our ons, ready to wet the steel with our enemy’s blood. We do it for the sake of the first w. Do you know of it?”

  “I do.”

  “It is a rule which we have engraved into this nd, by blood and steel,” Iromin said, recalling the st time it happened. “We Iyrmen never fet. One year. Ten. One hundred. Ohousand. It does not matter. We Iyrmen never fet. Where you are from Aldnd. Whether you are from Aswadasad. Whether you are from this realm. Whether you are from outside our realm. It does not matter. We Iyrmen never fet.”

  “I shall take your words to the Demon Lord.”

  “Adam has offered us a great many boons,” Iromin said. “We will repay him in kind. It does not matter whether you are an Elf, full blooded or otherwise, or a Demon. We Iyrmen never fet.”

  Yeah if anything happens to our little Jirot I'm sure the old man Jarot will do something.

  Oh...