Omen: 1, 20
‘Is this a sign?’ Adam thought, having decided to check his Omens that day on a whim. His Omens, which could shift Fate to allow him an opportunity to repce a roll. Life was full of fortune and misfortuhough it was Adam who held a deeper e than any other with such a system.
“No!” Jirot cried aloud. “No! Daddy, no!”
“It’s going to be okay,” Adam said, realising he probably should have told the girl the previous day, though he hadn’t expected they were going to leave the first thi m.
“No! Nana! Daddy is not good!” Jirot decred, motioning to her father with a fihough it was almost a bde with the way she was ready to use it.
“We must go,” Sonarot said. “We are all going. Babos and nanos too.”
“Babo? Nano?” The girl blihe tears already threatening to spill out. “Nana, you ing too?”
“I am.”
“Nana?” Jirot looked to Mirot.
“I am ing too,” Mirot assured, wiping the girl’s face with a cloth.
The one armed Jarot ruffled the girl’s hair. “Why are y?”
“Fort is not good!” Jirot said, hugging the old man’s good leg, hiding her face within it.
“Are you… afraid?” The old man stretched out his neck, feeling the itch of his rage tickle against the back of it.
“I am not afraid!” The girl tio hide against her greatfather’s leg, the old man ruffling her hair, while little Jarot was too shy to sob, the boy’s tears gently slipping down his fabsp;
“I should stay with Virot and Xarot,” Vonda said.
“Virot should e too," Jurot said. “I am taking Damrot.”
“It’s a bit awkward, but… I don’t think Virot will be happy with that,” Adam admitted.
“I will watch over her,” Sonarot assured, lifting up the girl, who smiled with such delight at her grandmother.
“Nana!” Virot giggled wildly and cpped her hands. She grabbed her grandmother’s fad kissed her cheek, babbliedly.
‘I should watch over you more often,’ Sonarot thought, ping the girl’s nose before the pair exged ad smiles.
As the Iyrmen prepared the carriages for the children, the Elder, the Family Heads, and the Iyr making the arras within minutes of Zijin thinking of the idea, the rest of the Iyrmen gathered together to assist with the children. With all the children who were ing along, at least an Expert from the families came to escort them, including for Adam’s children. However, the half elf didn’t expeany of the older Iyrmen, from the likes of the Bearded Dragon Rajin, to Bloodbde Shasen, and even Bck Shark Baztam.
‘Damn. I guess the Reavers are around the er, so…’
The carriages began to lead the group out, with Adam holding onto Larot, while Jirot and Jarot remained with Jarot and Gangak. The other children also sat along with their siblings and cousins, who kept them pany the entire ride to the Front Iyr.
“The Iyr has big walls, but the business walls are smaller,” Lanarot informed her brother, staring out the window, pointing out to the rge walls.
“Yes,” Jurot agreed.
“Stachoos,” Kavgak called out, gng towards her sister as she pointed out the six statues which guarded the main gate of the Iyr, the gate closing behind them.
“They are,” Jaygak said, holding her sister upon her p, feeling how heavy she had bee, already like a five or six year old, even though she wasn’t even half way through four.
Beside her, Jogak, her father, held Maygak, who was only three and a half. The girl was quiet as always, but she yawned, looking up at her father, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“The river is so big, papa,” Inakan said, noting the way the water sprayed around the robsp;
“Yes,” Amokan replied. “We catch the fish often within this river.”
“You find fish in rivers, and the kes, and the seas, and the os.”
“Do you know the differeween seas and os?” Amokan asked.
“Os are bigger.”
Amokan smiled, before his eyes darted down towards his you brother. “Mokan, do you know the differeween seas and os?”
“I see it,” Mokan said. “Look! Papa! Hills!”
“I see them.” Amokan smiled, w if the hills looked as big to his younger brother as they did to a young Amokan. His eyes darted towards the hills, the trees keeping much of them hidden from sight, but he thought back to when he was a boy and took a carriage out of the Main Iyr. The hills of the Iyr seemed almost as boundless as the o, but he khe hills stopped ohey reached the o. Yet, though he knew more about the hills, they only seemed greater than when he was a child.
Malfev was gd to see Jirot and Jarot were not quite as upset as they had beeepping within the carriage. They listened ily to their greatfather’s tales, Jirot answering all the questions her greatfather asked.
“I know it! It was a wyvern!” Jirot grinned wide, revealing her eight es treatfather as she giggled.
“My greatdaughter, you are too smart!” Jarot tickled her cheek with a finger.
“Babo kill so many wyverns…” little Jarot said, his amber eyes staring up with the awe of a child.
“I only killed…” Jarot thought back to his stories. He thought about the fights he had with great names most of the young folk had fotten, and every so often, he recalled fag a wyvern. ‘I killed so many wyverns.’
Malfev cleared his throat. “I also slew so many wyverns.”
“I know! I know! Babo, you always kill so many!”
“How do you know?” Malfev asked, raising his brows.
“Nano tell me your stories.”
Malfev’s eyes darted to Mulrot, who go the side, avoiding his gaze. “Has my sister told you her tales?”
“I know!” Jirot called, before beginning to ramble about her greatmother’s tales.
Meanwhile, within one carriage, the triplets pyed dragonchess against their baba, their granduonagek, while Damrot clutched at Adam’s colr, the boy listening to Adam’s tale.
“Damrot?”
Damrot bliowards the half elf. “Papo?”
“How you be so cute?” Adam leaned in to nuzzle the boy’s nose. “Even if you are my son, I don’t think I five it!”
“He is not your son,” Shagek said, the Silver Sword of the Wastes.
Bloodbde Shasen remained silent as his cousin fell into Adam’s trap.
“What? Damrot! How he say this? Whose son are you if not mine?” Adam peppered the boy’s forehead with plentiful kisses, brushing the boy’s cheek. “Is he going to say you’re Jurot’s son? See! Jurot is always trying to steal you away from me! No one steal my son from me!” Adam blew a raspberry against the boy’s neck, causing him to squeal and cackle with joy.
Shagek hadn’t gotteo Adam’s antics as of yet, the Iyrman’s eyes darting to Shasen, who only shook his head. There articur saying that came to his mind.
Adam is Adam.
The Front Iyr weled the carriages, with the elderly Iyrman noting the rge number of childreering from the Main Iyr. The group quickly settled themselves within the empty estates, while a figure approached. He was a silver fox of a man, chiselled jaw, grey hair which fell down his shoulders, the handsome Iyrman wearing a fil at his side. The glint of the blueish silver of mithril at his chest revealed his rank at the Adventurer’s Guild by the time he had retired, and was undoubtedly one of the reasons he had cimed the title of the Front Iyr Elder.
“Good afternoon,” Elder Lykan called, greeting the newers to the Front Iyr. He then spoke with Mirot, Sonarot, and Mulrot for a short while, as they were sidered to be in charge of the trip to the United Kindom. As the Elder made to leave, he stopped, his eyes falling onto Inakan, who cackled and ughed at her elder brother’s jokes. Then his eyes darted to Adam. “…”
“Elder Lykan?” Adam greeted, reag out to shake the Front Iyr Elder’s forearm, his eyes full of curiosity. “ I help you?”
“I wished to greet the children,” Elder Lykan admitted.
“Of course! Everyone, look who it is!”
“Elder Lykan!” Jirot answered, a wide smile upon her lips.
“Yes,” Elder Lykan replied, before smiling towards the girl, reag out a hand to shake each of the children’s forearms, while they ended up shaking his wrist. Lykan thought to ask about their trip to the business, but he remembered reading the distress the twins showed upon hearing the news. “I was told you read very well.”
“I am so good at reading,” Jirot firmed, nodding her head, with so much emphasis her hair bounced.
“Will you read to me today?”
The girl gasped, her head darting to her father, the girl’s lips f a small circle of shock. “I do it!”
Adam smiled, gng aside to meet Elder Lykan’s gaze, but the Elder was busy beaming down towards the twins and their younger brother. ‘He… didn’t want to speak with me?’
As evening came to the Iyr, and the children were whisked away to bed, various figures made their way to speak with the Front Iyr Elder. Shikan, Inakan’s father, sat opposite the Iyrman.
“They still have nightmares?” Lykan asked.
“They do,” Shikan replied.
Lykan slowly nodded his head. He let out a sharp breath, calming himself.
“Thank you.” Shikan held Lykan’s gaze.
Lykan bowed his head. As Shikan made his way to leave, Lykan cleared his throat. “You must kill one for me.”
Shikan gnced back towards Lykan. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but slowly bowed his head. The Elder’s words had all but firmed it was happening soon. Shikan had thought there was something, sihere were so many great old warriors who were esc them orip to the business. If it was just a simple trip, they would have sent only Experts, not the likes of Shagek or Baztam. He had thought the Iyr was beiive due to the deaths of the children, but after his cousin’s words, he was certain of it.
Tarukan watched from the side as his nephew informed the rest of the adults, making their preparations for the time to e. The older Iyrmen sat to one side, sipping at their tea, eating their fruit.
“Did they just figure it out?” Baztam asked. “How could you raise your children like this?”
“They know what is expected of them,” Tarukan replied, sipping his milk.
“Hah!” Baztam shook his head, leaning ba his chair. “They should have uood.”
“Does it matter?”
“Does it not?”
“We will go to the business. If we are asked to draw our bdes, we will draw our bdes. Do you o think so much before you draw your bde?”
“I must think as the Chief’s aide.”
“How did you bee an aide?”
“What I do, when Iromin ot sharpen his own bde?”
“…”
Baztam cackled at the Iyrman, his eyes full of mischief. He poured himself a small cup of wine, doing the same for the other elderly Iyrman around him.
“Baztam,” Malfev finally called.
“Malfev?”
“Why did you gift such treasures to the triplets?”
“ I not?” Baztam replied, staring into Malfev’s gre. “Do you think it was an inappropriate gift?”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“At this time, it was inappropriate.”
“Why?”
“…”
“Speak the words, Family Elder Malfev,” Baztam teased.
“You had other treasures,” Malfev stated calmly. “You should not have gifted those.”
Baztam sipped his wine, finishing the cup. “Do you know what they call my nephew?”
Malfev remained silent.
“They call him baba. Not dado, baba.” Baztam held Malfev’s gaze. “They do not call the dead Dragon Empress their nana.”
“It was nht.”
“It is within my right to gift them what I please, and it is their right to accept the gift, for they are Iyrmen.”
“Their position is special.”
“Their position is like any other child of the Iyr. They are Iyrmen. That is it. That is where the matter begins. That is where the matter rests.”
Malfev sipped his wine, falling silent. He still didn’t like how Baztam had gifted such troublesome gifts, but what else could he say? After all, Baztam had e along with them, and he would draw his bde.
Baztam does a little trolling.