Slowly closing the bedroom door, I smiled as I heard Cat’s snores as she fell asleep.

  She really was good at falling asleep the moment her head hit a pillow. I was a little jealous. I usually didn’t have much trouble falling asleep, but lately I’d been struggling with it.

  The reason, of course, was the lack of Vim to sleep with.

  I had assumed so, and verified it on our trip here. The moment we had left Telmik, I had once again begun to have difficulty sleeping. Although I could still sleep, it was only after I was tired enough and only if I forced myself to do so.

  Considering I had fallen asleep easily, and had even slept longer than I had planned or wanted to, after Vim had arrived at Telmik it was only telling the reason was him. Or rather his presence.

  Though if I’d ever admit to it to anyone but him was another story entirely.

  Slowly walking down the hallway to the stairwell, I tried to stay quiet. I wasn’t sure where Windle and Lilly’s bedroom was, but I had a feeling it was nearby. And as far as I was aware he was currently resting. He was trying to get as much rest as possible before Lilly and I took Cat back home, and found Saint Elaine for Vim.

  Stepping down the stairs, I noted the strange red wood this home was mostly built out of. It didn’t creak like most wood usually did, even when I tried to apply a little pressure and weight onto the boards. Plus it felt smooth as if it was covered in some kind of weird resin. It was fancy, and gleamed a little in candlelight.

  Tapping the stair’s handlebar gently as I reached the second floor, I turned and headed for the little sitting area I had recently seen Lilly in. It was near the edge of the house, with windows, and… Yes. She was still sitting there.

  I smiled at the owl, who held her baby in her arms. The baby was asleep it seemed, and Lilly was staring out one of the larger windows. One that faced the large tree nearby.

  “I like to stare at the tree,” Lilly said softly, telling me she had sensed my approach.

  “It is pretty,” I admitted as I slowly entered the room. As I did I glanced around, since I hadn’t entered this room yet before.

  It looked like a small study. There was a small square table. A few chairs, which looked comfortable with large cushions. A shelf with books and other stuff, and the big windows to stare out of while sitting and relaxing. But honestly it was a rather small room. It felt a tad crowded as I entered it.

  She had been sitting here with the baby earlier as Cat and I found the hallway where she could pick a room in. We had returned to Lilly’s home a little before sundown, after Lilly and I had went to get her, and after a few conversations… some introductions, and dinner, we eventually ended up alone. Windle had gone to rest, and Lilly had disappeared with her baby.

  Cat had simply thought everyone was tired, but I knew the truth. Lilly and Windle didn’t care much for humans. And being one, they likely hadn’t wanted to spend much time with her. They hadn’t been rude to her, at all, and had almost acted overly friendly, but I knew deep down the two had almost not wanted to even let her into their home.

  “Thank you Lilly. For overlooking Cat’s presence,” I said gently as I stepped deeper into the room tiny room. It had only taken two steps to make me stop, else I’d get a little too close to Lilly.

  I didn’t want to wake Root.

  “It’s fine, Renn. As I said you’re family. And being family means you… overlook certain things. Your friendship with humans is odd, and I won’t say I agree with it at all, but I can understand it. I can respect it,” Lilly said.

  I nodded, and felt strangely relieved to hear her be so honest and open about it. “Thank you. I promise if Cat ever does or says anything… I’ll handle her myself,” I said.

  “I’m sure you would. And if not you, then Vim would. So it’s okay,” she said with a smile.

  Ah. So that was why.

  She trusted Vim. Beyond any shadow of a doubt. So she could then trust me.

  Although a little sad to realize that her trust in me was sourced from someone else, I still felt a little happy over it.

  She was so unique. So special. There weren’t many in the Society like her, if any at all. She outright despised humans. To the point where she was practically banished from anywhere with humans in the Society. Yet…

  Yet Vim trusted her. With my life. And that was saying something.

  “Think she’d wake if I pulled a chair over?” I asked.

  “Even if she did it’s fine, Renn,” Lilly said gently.

  Was it…? I felt bad risking it, but I went ahead and did it anyway. Luckily Root didn’t wake as I sat down a few feet from her and her mother.

  “She seems like a good woman. Wasn’t bothered at all by how we live, or Root’s wings,” Lilly said as I got comfortable in the comfortable chair. The cushion felt strangely soft, yet not so soft that I sunk through it completely and flattened it. I wonder what it was made out of. I’d love some of these cushions in my own home, eventually… maybe even a whole bed made out of this stuff.

  “Cat? Yes. Vim says she’s like how the humans of old used to be,” I said as I continued to touch and mess with the cushion.

  “She does seem to be, yes. They had not found us as strange back then. Odd, yes, but not outlandish or freaks. Just a part of the world, like they are,” Lilly said.

  “Mhm,” I nodded. That was how he had explained it too, in a way.

  Wait, was the stuff in this pillow really able to return to its original form so quickly? I shifted a tad and felt the cushion actually grow larger a little. As if being inflated by air or something. It was as fascinating as it was distracting..

  Lilly giggled at me. “It’s made from goose feathers, Renn. Their down feathers are very soft.”

  “Oh…? I’ve encountered some strangely soft things since joining the Society, like the beds at the Summit or Lumen, but this wins I think. Are your beds this soft too?” I asked.

  “They are. I suggest you get at least a single night’s sleep before we leave, Renn. Just in case,” Lilly suggested.

  I nodded. I might just do so if their beds and pillows were this soft too. It almost wasn’t fair!

  “Why doesn’t everyone have such soft pillows?” I asked and wondered.

  “Expensive. It takes a lot of down feathers from special kinds of breeds of birds. Plus not every feather works. Some are also mixed with special cotton or plant fibers, too,” Lilly explained.

  “Hm…” I hummed as I stopped squeezing the cushion. I was half tempted to not sit on it anymore, and instead hug it in my arms. And Lilly would probably find that weird if I did.

  “A long time ago a certain kingdom banned soft pillows and beds. Vim found that hilarious,” Lilly said.

  “Oh…? Banned them? Why?” I asked. Was something wrong with them?

  “Some humans don’t like it when others have nice things and they don’t. They’re greedy,” Lilly said.

  Ah. Right… “I’ve come to realize that humans aren’t the only ones who do that,” I said regretfully.

  Lilly softly nodded and glanced away from me, to the window and the tree beyond it. “Yes. Our kind can be just as bad, if not worse, sometimes.”

  “I’ve never understood it. We live so long. What use is there in material things?” I said. It’d been bothering me for a while now. Why those like Brandy and the Chronicler hoarded wealth and power, when it was so easy for us to accumulate such things simply thanks to how long we lived.

  “I used to think the same. But today… I’d not share this home with anyone. I’d not give it up to others even if they needed it more. Not anymore,” Lilly said.

  Oh…? “I’d not ask you to share it, Lilly,” I said softly. Had she interpreted my words in such a way?

  She giggled at me. “No. I know. I just… I mean I can understand being selfish, now. After having lost so much, I now understand why some of our people are so callous. So cruel,” Lilly said.

  My tail twitched, and I felt it sink into the cushion a little more. I tried to ignore its softness as I studied the owl who looked almost as if she was about to cry.

  Had given birth recently made her emotional…? Or had she always been like this? I had thought Lilly to be a little more stoic from my previous conversations with her.

  “What does Vim think of this vote?” Lilly then asked.

  I perked up a little, sitting up straighter, and wondered if she had just tossed aside our previous topic or if this was a part of it too. “He uh… he’s offended. But he doesn’t show it or let anyone know. He, being his usual self, believes it’s their right to question him. To doubt him. To make him play by their rules. I think there’s even a part of him that had expected this to happen from the beginning, so he’s a little relieved it’s finally happened… if that makes sense,” I said as I assessed the man I loved.

  Lilly nodded slowly. “Randle says the same,” she said.

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  Oh…? I glanced to the table and realized I had not noticed some papers upon it. Near a small platter with a couple cups.

  Randle’s letter was opened and she had read it.

  “Randle seemed very worried over it. He… fears those coming. Celine’s daughter and the group around her. Landi’s sister is amongst them too, I guess?” I said.

  Lilly nodded. “Yes. Landi’s sister is a troublesome pest. She’s not as strong as Landi, but what she lacks in strength she makes up for it in blind faith and a wicked mind. Half the wars had been won by her scheming. And Celine’s daughter…” Lilly went quiet for a moment and she glanced down at her daughter. Root didn’t wake, but she did shift her a little all the same, as if to start rocking her gently if she needed to. “Celine’s daughter is an anomaly. I had only met her a few times. And as far as I’m aware so too has Vim. Celine kept the girl at a distance from us, though we never figured out why… or at least I didn’t,” Lilly said.

  That was interesting to hear. Particularly about Landi’s sister. But my mind focused on something else instead.

  “Uh… is she actually Celine’s daughter? Vim spoke of her as if she was… well…” I hesitated as I realized she had likely heard my true question.

  “She’s not Vim’s daughter, Renn,” Lilly said with a smirk at me.

  “It was that obvious, wasn’t it?” I asked with a smile back.

  She nodded happily. “Yes! That had been a very nice tone. Full of worry, yet love. Strangely heartwarming. But no, she is not even Celine’s child. Celine had found her somewhere, adopted her. I had been told Celine found her interesting because she had been completely unable to see her in her dreams. Her prophecies. She could see Light in her dreams, concerning other people like Vim or something, but never she herself. For some reason that made her feel like Light was special. Special enough to be declared her daughter,” Lilly explained.

  “Is she a saint?” I asked.

  “I think she is. But her eyes hadn’t glowed when I saw her. But Vim one time told me that a very powerful saint could hide their glowing eyes somehow, though it was hard and not something they could do for long,” Lilly said.

  Oh my! That was very interesting to hear. “That’s uh… interesting.”

  “Very. I don’t know about you Renn, but I agree with Vim’s perspective,” she said.

  “Perspective?” I asked. What did she mean?

  “Saints aren’t to be trusted. They may not destroy without reason like monarchs do, but they can be just as cruel and evil. Just as wrong. Don’t trust them,” she warned me.

  I slowly nodded, and for some reason fully agreed with her.

  Did she know about Narli? Likely not.

  “Vim did seem worried over what they’re all planning,” I said gently as I glanced at the opened letter. I almost wished to read it.

  “Him worrying over it is normal. He always worries for our people. But Randle worrying over it is troubling,” Lilly said.

  “Which means I should worry over it too,” I said with a sigh.

  Lilly nodded. “Yes. Since Vim won’t. Not properly, at least.”

  Right. Of course.

  “Can I... say something that might be taken wrongly?” I asked her.

  “Hm?” Lilly tilted her head at me, and I gulped.

  Should I say it? I needed to. I needed to talk about this. And although I’ve not spent much time with Lilly, compared to most, I knew one thing for certain about her that I was not sure about others.

  I could trust her. Because Vim did.

  “What is it?” Lilly asked gently with a smile.

  Still I hesitated. If I said it aloud and Lilly took it the wrong way then… well…

  But no. I needed to say it. To vocalize it. Else I’d end up stressing terribly over it.

  “A part of me hopes they banish him. To free him,” I dared to whisper.

  Lilly blinked, and then her smile grew wider. “Why Renn, that was beautiful,” she said without any hesitation.

  “No it isn’t. Wasn’t. If Vim gets banished he’ll honor that vote, and then who knows how many will die because of it… and...!”

  Lilly shook her head. “No. Or well, yes. Some will die. But people die anyway. It’s kind of what we do, you know. We live, and then we die. But no… you have every right to say such a thing. I too agree with you. So many in the Society are so foolish. If they’re stupid enough to push aside the only thing keeping most of them alive, then let them. Plus it would free Vim from those terrible shackles too,” Lilly said.

  I blinked. “You believe his agreements, like that contract with Celine, are wrong too?” I asked.

  “Of course I do? Celine lied to him. She cheated. She manipulated him. She used his fear of her prophecies against him, and backed him into a corner,” Lilly said, her voice growing louder as she spoke.

  I gulped and shivered. “So that was true,” I whispered. Vim had hinted at it all this time, that she had used him. But he had also phrased it in a way that he had used her too. That he had allowed it, and known about it the whole time.

  But that was his personality. His way of living.

  He didn’t force his will. So he bent his own will to adapt and change to the wills around him.

  What if to him, bending and allowing Celine to lock him into servitude of the Society was what he had wanted at the time? His way of allowing himself to…

  “Vim saw nothing wrong with it. Still might not. But yes. Celine had tricked him. Manipulated him. She had told him, threatened him, with prophecies of chaos and world-ending scenarios. I don’t believe those dreams were ever real in the first place,” Lilly said.

  “Wait…!” I stood, and in doing so woke up Root.

  For a few moments my heart thumped harshly in my chest, both in shock and worry. I had just woken a sleeping baby. How rude of me.

  Yet although woken up with a startle, Root didn’t cry out. Instead she simply yawned, and then reached out to touch her mother’s face. She grabbed at Lilly’s lips for a moment, and then giggled and cooed.

  Awake but not upset.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Lilly giggled. “You act as if waking a baby is some terrible deed. Really Renn, it’s okay,” Lilly said to me as she smiled at her baby.

  Well… it was, but wasn’t. But I nodded all the same, accepting her way of accepting my apology.

  “I don’t know the whole story, Renn. I joined the Society a little before Vim did. But basically joined the same time. And I did so while young. A child. It was many years before I started to notice the schemes and sickness within Celine and those around her. By the time I noticed it was too late,” Lilly said as Root made small noises.

  Watching the baby stare lovingly up at her mother, I felt strangely tired all of a sudden. “Vim’s not stupid. Why had he allowed such things?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Vim sometimes is… neglectful. Or doesn’t notice certain things. A part of being who he is. What he is. He simply is so great, so old, he doesn’t even notice things around him half the time. Look at Merit. That stupid fish had tried to catch his eye for years before he even realized she had feelings at all,” Lilly said with a smirk, remembering what was likely many neat memories.

  “I’ve… heard of that. I feel bad about it,” I said softly.

  “Why?”

  “Merit’s my friend,” I said.

  Lilly blinked at me, and ignored Root’s attempts at grabbing her hair as she studied me. “I see. I shouldn’t be surprised. Merit would indeed have liked you. Had you and Vim been a pair when you met her?” she asked.

  I slowly shook my head. “Not really. Though I had been trying to. Or it had started, I think. So yes and no.”

  “That must have hurt. You’re right you should feel bad. But don’t let it bother you. It’s Merit’s fault, Renn. She knew from the beginning he had not loved her. Not like that anyway. And she knew he never would. It’s her fault for not accepting that fact and finding someone else,” Lilly said.

  “You knew her well?” I asked. Merit had never even mentioned her as far as I could tell.

  Lilly grinned at me. “I was with Vim when we found her. She and her family were terrorizing a village of ducks. Vim rescued her, and she followed him around for a few decades until she realized she wanted to see the world. It took her a long time to officially join the Society, but in our eyes she had been a member from the beginning too,” she said.

  Huh…!

  I felt giddy all of a sudden, no longer tired. “I have so much to ask…” I said as I realized my mind was full of questions. Hundreds of them, about so many topics.

  “I’m sure. For now though would you mind holding her? I’d like to go get her some food,” Lilly stood and held out Root.

  I accepted the child without any hesitation, and held her close to my breasts. She wasn’t wrapped in as big or as thick of a blanket as usual, likely thanks to the light rainstorm. It kept the world a little warmer than usual.

  Careful to mind her wings, I shifted Root until I was staring down into her huge eyes. I gave her a huge smile, which kind of happened on its own without me even thinking about it, and I fluttered my ears a little.

  She noticed the movement above my head, and laughed and giggled at them as she reached out, as if to grab my ears.

  I had no plans to allow her to do so, since she was strong. Even for a baby. But I still lowered my head and continued to flutter and move them around, keeping her distracted as her mother left the room.

  Lilly headed down the hallway, and I heard her walk down the nearby stairwell. To head for the kitchen.

  I debated just following her, but decided against it for a moment. This tiny room suddenly felt huge as I once again held little Root in my arms.

  Slowly sitting down, I felt a little silly as my eyes welled with tears. Little Root didn’t even notice, or care, that I had begun to silently weep. She just kept giggling and happily trying to reach for my ears.

  How lovely. How absolutely endearing and uplifting.

  “Grow strong little owl. Grow and stand tall,” I whispered to her.

  I needed her to. Since it was those like her this was all for. All the drama. All the suffering. All the pain and chaos.

  Plus…

  Lowering my face as Root grabbed at my chin and cheeks, I smiled and allowed her to squeeze and prod at me. Her tiny hands felt warm, even though she already had fingernails and they were slightly sharp.

  Closing my eyes, I sat there. Listening to Root. Her giggles. Her noises. Her heartbeat. I cared not for the sounds of the world around me, but I listened to them too.

  The light rain on the window and distant roof a few floors above me. The muddled sound of Lilly in the kitchen beneath us. Cat’s snores from the floor above, and down the hall.

  I listened to the whole world around me… for any sign of danger.

  I’d not let anyone or anything harm this child. And I’d never even give the world a chance to think about it.

  No wonder Vim tried to leave after babies were born. Otherwise you’d never leave. You’d stick around until they were fully grown… then you’d stick around longer, worrying for them all the more after you fell even deeper into love with them.

  No wonder Vim kept a distance.

  Taking a small breath, I sighed softly and forgave him. For being so callous sometimes. For keeping his distance.

  I understood it now, somehow, all of a sudden.

  He did it out of necessity. Because he was too kind and gentle to do aught else.

  But he was only able to do such a thing because of how strong he was. He was strong enough to put a baby down into its crib, and walk away. Leaving it to its own family.

  Like Hark at the Nation of Stone. Like Lomi or Fly. They had not been babies but they may have well been, for us.

  Vim did not do it maliciously. But he did it all the same.

  “I’m not as strong,” I whispered.

  So hopefully he showed up soon. So he could be the strength I needed. The strength I didn’t have.

  Else I’ll end up living here with Lilly forever.

  Which somehow might end up being something I’d prefer anyway.

  And for as much as Vim seemed to like and trust Lilly… I sincerely doubted he wanted that.

  I bet Vim wouldn’t like that at all.

  And that put a wry smile on my face, which made Root giggle and laugh at it.

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