“Grandaunt Gangak is the only Gak in geions who has formed a name for herself, but the Seventh Hope spoke so poorly of her. The Gak family has yet to recover from the betrayal of the East Aldish during the Demonic Devastation, and it is the East Aldish have spoken poorly of my grandaunt? She who fought while they were in no danger, for who attacks the Order of Life’s Rose upotlefield? You remain safe within your medical tents, your symbol embzoned for all to see, and all to avoid.”

  “What did the East Aldish do to the Gak family during the Demonic Devastation?” Mother Priest asked.

  “Hmph! While the Order of Life’s Rose remained away from the battlefield when they were needed most, it was Jogak the Firestorm who fought upotlefield, sying demon after demon. It was only after he was bloody and half dead, when the Order of Life’s Rose should have helped him, it was then the Duke and the Aldishmen around him acted no different to demons. A bde struck through the chest, and ahrough the throat. His cousins, Gingak the Inferno, and Gangak the Bde, who slew not one, but two generals, were sughtered with not the bdes of demons, but the bdes of the Aldish.”

  ‘Damn,’ Adam thought, seeing how Jaygak of all Iyrmen utting the ire into Iyrman.

  “How many years does one have to go back to find a Gak who has done as well as my grandaunt? How mauries? The Rot family has so many names, one does not o even stray away from those named Jarot. Jarot the Mad Dog, but before him there was another Jarot, he who had defeated Zander of the Wastes, and what of the Jarot who became a warlord in Aswadasad? Or the Jarot whht bae of the Fifty Red Bdes back to the Iyr, only to find awo in his future adventures? I do not eveo mention the most famous of all, he whht my aors to the nd, freeing us from the clutches of the blue tyrants!”

  Jurot slowly nodded his head, for he, as a member of the Rot family, had learnt about the tales of all the Jarots, while being responsible for telling Jaygak the tales as they grew.

  “How many Kans have bee Chiefs? It is even expected of Amokan to bee a Chief, and if not a Chief, one of the aides of the Chief, for there are many Jins who have bee Chiefs too. Even Kitool, yrandaunt is one of few Iymen who have reached the level of Paragon, that which puts her name along the King’s Sword, the Grand ander of the Thousand Hunts.”

  The words rippled through the air, for the knowledge that Kitool was reted to a Paragon was not something which was secret, but it wasn’t quite so eagerly stated, not unless it was relevant to the situation. There were many Paragons in the Iyr, but it was often not said so loudly, not quite so obviously.

  “Before yrandaunt, it was only a handful of geions before her that we have another Ool, that of Jinool, whose only loss was to that age’s King’s Sword. What of the Gaks of that time? Our metals are those of Steel and Silver, not the Mithril and Gold that you know.”

  Kitool bowed her head lightly, reag out to pce a hand against her friend’s thigh gently.

  “Even Bavin who has joined us, his grandfather was the previous Elder Wrath,” Jaygak said. “What shame he know when his grandfather is spoken so poorly of? The only shame he knows is that he barely keep his mouth shut, lest the ughter pours out like the blood his grandfather has spilled to earn his pce.”

  Mother Priest’s eyes fell to Bavin, who nodded his head slowly, sitting up taller with pride. The boy had been so quiet, like a looming oak tree, and had seem so docile, but upon hearing his grandfather’s title, he sat up taller, and his eyes were no doubt the eyes of an Iyrman.

  “No. None of you know the shame that only a Gak know. Nirot does not o look towards her grandfather, she look beside me. Her cousin fought in his first tour and earned first pce, only barely defeating the one who Faool look towards. What of Laygak? Who he look at, if not Fme Brand? You of the Rot family, you of the Kan family, you of the Ool family, you do not know.”

  Her eyes so the Seventh Hope, who stood awkwardly. “Look at the Aldishman. He sees me speaking, his eyes full of pt. Do you know why they look at me like that? They do not see my tattoos, they see my red skin, my horns. They do not think we are Iyrmen, they do not even look at Uwajin the same way, with her grey skiusks. No, they see savages of the Iyr, but when they look at me, they see devilkin. A devilkin who dares not accept their empty apology.”

  “I mean what I said, miss Jaygak.”

  “Kah!” Jaygak snarled. “I know you meant what you said. You believe my grandaunt to be a crippled elder who should not have fought. You have no idea who my grandmother is, for she fought in Aswadasad. She fought so viciously and fervently, various orders had to join together to force her out.”

  “…”

  “Do you see his eyes? This East Aldishman? He does not believe my words. Grandaunt, if she stepped here, not the Seventh, not the Sixth, not even the Fifth Hope could fell her. I will allow the Fourth and Third to cim they could not be easily beaten, but it is only the First Hope and the Sed Hope who could dare to even suggest they could defeat her. My grandaunt who fought against a foe which was so terrifying, no members of your order dared to step close, not until the war was over, a I had to hear of your snder of my grandaunt?”

  “You have made your point, Iyrman,” Hope Robert said.

  “No,” Jaygak said, standing, her eyes gring into the First Hope’s eyes. “You have nhts to end my words. You, who tried to deflect justiy grandaunt. You who cim darkness withiemple to Mahtu. You who see my friends with only wiess where there is none.”

  Adam stood up a little straighter, for Jaygak’s words swallowed the people around.

  “Even when we allowed you to save face, allowing the Marshal of the East to leave. Even when you denied me my story, for I had to step back from fag Sir Ivy to appease yo, you on your steed, believing yourself to have ended a fight. Then you dare to suggest we should pay for the deaths you denied us? It was we, Baktu’s chosen, who had spilled blood. It was Adam, chosen by Lord Sozain himself, who sanctified the death.”

  Adam reached up to his amulet, feeling the ess against his fingers.

  “Yet, we gave you your honour. We disarmed ourselves, at the request of our cousin, and you grow your ce to speak ill of we Iyrmen? You dare ask for for the lives you denied us? Where was such when we were armed? Where as such when my grandaunt risked her life to protect the people of this nd?”

  Jaygak’s eyes so the rest of the Hopes and Rays around. “Forty Nine Rays and Seven Hopes. I t fifty six, barely half what the Iyr sends to assist the Aldishmen. Each of those Iyrmen could sughter any of your Rays, for though we sent only the old and crippled, those are enough to deal with you Aldishmen.”

  “Enough, Iyrman,” Hope Robert called out. “You have made your point.”

  Jaygak’s eyes gred towards the Hope once more. “What will you do if I keep speaking of your cowardice?”

  “I ask merely for your uanding.”

  “Uanding?” Adam asked, his face darkening. “Uanding. The Gak family are nothing but uanding. It was the Gak family, my grandaunt, the very same who had been sndered, ted my children with her whole heart. She accepted them, evehers viewed them as uable.”

  Jurot felt a ti the back of his head, and no longer did he sit so tall and proud, with Nirot’s shoulders also defting. Dunes crossed his arms, his eyes falling to the floor, his thoughts silent. Amira reached out to rub his arm gently.

  “Even now, Executive Jaygak has shown more uanding to all of you than you have shown to me, First Hope.” Adam tio gre at the First Hope.

  “All I hear is that your order was so great upotlefield, safe within your tents,” Jaygak tinued, her eyes narrowing. “I hear how great you were mediatiweewo sides, but who was it who escorted King Merryweather back to Floria with guarantees for his life? Was it the Order of Life’s Rose, but that of the Iyr’s Great Elder, Elder Peace, who you would call a devilkin?”

  “It was not just the Iyr which assisted in the war,” Hope Robert said. “The appropriate dues have been paid.”

  “No,” Jaygak said. “Like how the Gak family must work twice as hard to earn half the reition, it is the Iyr which works twice as hard as the order, and receives but half the reition as the order.”

  First Hope Robert narrowed his eyes. “I will sider it your youth which has you speaking so viciously.”

  “Hah!” Jaygak’s lips formed a smile. “When it is the Order of Life’s Rose which speaks so poorly, it is the recklessness of the young, but when it is the Iyr, it is the viciousness of the young.”

  “You speak to me viciously, and so I will reply that you have spoken viciously.”

  “The only thing which is vicious, is the audacity of your East Aldish,” Jaygak said, before pointing at the older man. “Heed my words, Order of Life’s Rose. Though I, Jaygak, am young and vicious, it is nothing pared to those who will e after me. My cousin, Laygak, fights well. My cousin, Taygak, grows well in the Iyr. My brother, Raygak, though he may not be as smart as I, or as charming as I, possess all he o make a name for himself.”

  Jaygak raised her hand so it was at head level, so the First Hope could undoubtedly know who she eaking to specifically. “It may not be this year, it may not be this decade, but heed my words, Order of Life’s Rose. Within this geion, a Gak will e. It may even be my cousin Laygak, who sits so politely before you all, lest you call him vicious for sitting peacefully. A Gak will e. They will e, and even the First Hope will swallow his ce before them, as you have when we Iyrmen take to the fields, as you do when we carry our bdes and wear our armour, as you will wheive Adam beats your First Hope.”

  Adam raised his brows in surprise, standing still half undressed of puthral.

  “The business will offer you yold for the lives you denied us, but you will earn it. We will offer an additional thousand gold for your cowardly coffers, two thousand gold total, and if you beat our Executive, we will increase it to four thousand. If we win, we will ask nothing of you, for what do we need from the order we Iyrmen ot take for ourselves?”

  ‘Jaygak…’ Adam could feel her fury even from where he stood.

  “As for your apology, you may keep it where you keep your honour and your pride, irines,” Jaygak snarled. “Where you East Aldishmen remain while we Iyrmen, even we Gaks, sughter our way through the nd, while the Order of Life’s Rose looks upon the river, w when the fish will crawl for them.”

  The First Hope closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. The words she had spoken in the Holy Temple of reat Mother, had been too much. He could not step baow, not that he wao, not when the wicked fool was still there.

  “You have retly fought Hope Thomas,” Robert said, his voice cold, but even. “You may rest for the night, and we will duel upon the m, lest they say we have treated you unfairly.”

  “No,” came the response.

  Mana: 21 -> 18Wraith: 0 -> 3

  “There’s no need for me to rest.”

  Robert turned his head, staring at the young half elf, whose lips were painted in the most smug smile.

  Did he really io face two Hopes oer another?

  Robert’s eyes remained focused on Adam’s eyes, which were so hungry.

  ‘No,’ Vonda thought, her heart pounding wildly within her chest with the stress.

  Adam inteo beat two Hopes oer another.

  LET'S GO!