Chapter 434 (2/2)

Ellie returned froainst the archway “So, you’re all definitely going to Alarcya then?”

“Our first point of business is to rescue Seris,” Regis said, sitting up and looking serious “If there is anything of her little rebellion left to save”

“We are, but we can’t just run off Caera needs ti the progress of a powerful aura approaching us “There is still a lot I need to wrapthe continent until I know certain wheels are in randfather will be furious that you didn’t bring ed, already heading toward the door “I don’t think trying to ingratiate ourselves with Kezess is a winning strategy in any situation,” I said overthe door, I looked out into the hallway just as Wren Kain floated around the corner on his stone chair The titan alore a look of fused irritation and disappointment, but now he displayed both in abundance

“Yeah, that’s about how , too,” I said, co with Wren Kain’sforced to train an idiot lesser child,” he snapped, pulling up short in his floating throne, which took up most of the hall’s width His eyes narrowed “I can see you have so?”

Chul appeared behind ainst his chest in a kind of solute “Elder Wren Kain, fourth of your nae, claustrophobic abode of Clan Leywin There will be a great s here for you to coet things done,” Wren countered, leaning back farther into his throne

“If you really wanted to help, you would join us in crushi+ng the Vritra,” Chul went on “Aldir said you can control an entire arolerona’s forces”

“If Arthur was eager for help in coreatest warriors,” Wren shot back, the ely raw and visceral

“I didn’t,” I answered quietly It was one thing to keep up the lie for Mordain and an audience of phoenixes, but an entirely other thing to continue lying to Wren, especially considering what I needed to ask higestion that I use his ‘death’ to earn accolades from both Kezess and the people of Dicathen”

“Wha—”

Wren cut hi at me “Your story stinks more than titan bear shi+t Why would Aldir do that?” The asura huffed before I could answer, then said, “Ah, that damned pantheon and his sense of honor Of course he did” He looked rimace “I was stupid to believe that you’d somehow killed Aldir anyway”

“Thanks,” I said, one brow raised slightly “I’m sorry I had to lie to you, Wren I wasn’t sure if I could trust everyone in the Hearth”

“Bah!” Chul burst out, crossing his massive ar None of them would have interfered either way They see themselves as separate from the world And perhaps they are, because they have beenin here The Hearth ht as well be locked in time Once the last of the djinn faded…”

Chul trailed off, then snorted and returned back to my family’s rooms

“Listen, Wren, I need to speak to you Would you colad to have cleared the air between us so that I could speak y brows rose, and he leaned forward in his seat “So, you do have so on your ht to Regis and Sylvie

Regis groaned directly into ht have ruptured soht where I’m at, thanks’

‘I want to speak er to learn more about her spellfor Wren deeper into the institute's winding passages

We hadn’t gone far before a bestial snuffling noise broughtthe hallway, so broad he took up nearly the entire width

“Boo, I ondering where you’d been,” I said, standing aside to let the guardian bear pass

He snorted and grunted before stopping to sniff at Wren, who made his throne shrink in order to clear the way

“Windo appraisingly at Boo “He seee human”

Boo let out a huff that blew Wren’s hair back, then continued down the hallway, his bulk shi+fting from side to side with each step

I considered what Wren had said It was easy to forget that Windsoed since then, it was difficult to think that Windso but my enemy

“So what’s your plan exactly?” Wren asked a es of the Earthborn Institute

I had to think about this before I could respond I’d expected to spend soons e was still fresh in my mind, and I needed to know the people of the continent were safe Finding Caera in Vildorial had shi+fted my priorities, however

“I need to knohat’s happening in Alacrya”

“So you’ll go yourself” Wren picked at the ends of his htfully “You’ll need eyes and ears here in Dicathen, though Who do you trust?”

This question also required soht “Virion Eralith He’s dealt with asura before; even Aldir never cowed hiroup ere pretty self-absorbed and insufficient during the war, but I’ve seen how ed I can’t see any of the subservient to an asura like Vajrakor”

“Is that it?” Wren asked, derision dripping from the words “I’d expected better of you”

“In less dire circumstances, I would say there are ainst…” I let the state in the air, then continued “I need your mind, Wren I don’t think I can do this without you”

“Intriguing Do go on”

“Once I’ve introduced you to your new team”

A few round laboratories within the Earthborn Institute The room we entered was more cluttered than the last time I’d visited, with stacks of parchment spread over every surface Several ht in, and a wide variety of hand-drawn diagrain to take it all in

Emily Watsken, her curly hair pulled into a messy knot at the back of her head, looked up from her work, and her eyes went so wide they nearly eclipsed the thick, round glasses she wore “Arthur!”

Her shout iainst so hard, which was followed closely by a pained curse and then an explosion Parchan to fill with sh the haze, his eyebrows s parchment rained around him “Well, if it isn’t the bane of my existence Where did you vanish to this tiical talking leh, that’s the third time I’ve transcribed those notes!” Ery buzz, and the smoke was pulled to one corner The room quickly cleared, and I realized an artifact in the corner had drawn in all the s it with ed with dark stains “Don’t take it personally, Arthur He’s glad to see you In fact, he’s been practically distraught at your absence, as its—”

“Oh, be quiet, Watsken,” Gideon snapped, scowling at his pupil “Anyway, now that you’re back, there are several things to discuss First, though, who is this?” He looked suspiciously at Wren

Wren was inspecting a nearby diagram “Huh, this isn’t the worst A little rudimentary in its use of mana, but the idea itself is almost clever”

“Gideon, this is Wrain Kain IV He’s—”

“An asura, obviously,” Gideon interrupted waspishly “What do you mean, rudimentary?”

I stepped in between the the size of your beakers Have the dragons interfered at all with your work?”

Gideon ed to look both insulted and self-satisfied “No, I’ve kept our pri the fire salt-iate, since he knew me fro the ons of yours have much respect for us lessers”

“Weapons?” Wren turned away froenuinely interested “What’s this about then?”

I explained e’d already developed Gideon put in technical details here and there, and Emily ons’ arrival has es is important, but they make up only one percent of Dicathen’s population Weapons alone aren’t going to be enough, not really”

Thinking it through even as I attempted to explain it, I laid out my idea The others only interrupted to ask a question or point out some contradiction as I circled around my purpose, but confusion and skepticism quickly transformed into interest and then, dare I say it, even exciteicless lesser stand up against an Indrath Clan warrior,” Wren said after the entire idea had been laid out “But it would make Dicathen less dependent on old Kezess”

“And less subject to his threats to abandon us,” I finished “Can you handle this? It’ll need to be kept quiet froons, of course”

Wren and Gideon exchanged a look that sent a shi+ver of pure horror down ht on the world by introducing the two

Es, and she mouthed the words, “What have you done?”

“I’ve been forging weapons since before this continent had a naly “Whelps like Vajrakor and the rest of these baby dragons don’t scare ht e Or blow up half of Vildorial in the process Noe should really talk about—”

“No tiet back”

“You just got back,” Gideon gru up his hands

“Well, bye then,” E weakly

I raised esture of farewell, then was out in the hall and already hurrying back tothat needed to be done, I felt a sense of peace I could see it all laid out in front of n’s Quarrel board and, at least for the moment, I knehat move came next