Chapter Sixty-TwoWih the refreshments had been Harmony’s idea and now she regretted it. It made Len more of a babbler. “I think we should all bos, offensive or defehey are invisible and reform if dispelled or destroyed.” This was the third time he’d mentiohis as the group poured over the text. It slowly became clear that while they were okay with Harmony being a neahey didn’t want to be seen as possibly having the css.

  “That would be ideal. But that’s not how Thorne described how it would work. We’ll draw in potentials based on who we are.” Tyler corrected. But he at least was more ied in the unique oddities listed in the book.

  “We’ll have Harmony. She’s a neancer and vihem.” Lens speech slurred a little at the end.

  Of all the members of this little group, Len was the least expected to have this prejudice. What made it worse was that this was aype of bond that had potential and she was denied. “You know I have no experience dealing with indepe spirits. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. When I first met Old Bones I fainted.” Apparently, uning with spirits was io being a neancer, but in Hazeldown Haz'el Ri was the only free spirit around and forced all others to flee to keep their dungeon spirit position. Simirly, in Naewauld they were forced to flee the overly abundant lifeforce. That interse of those two domains created the Deadwoods.

  “But..” Len tinued.

  “You heard the dy. She said no!” Max gruffly interrupted him.

  Harmony checked the oath. Since his css and profession ge, and all of the trouble around that, she’d been able to se easier. The defensive o protect was rising up. Max had also gone a little heavy on the wine, probably to attempt muting the oath. Inebriation would not help this situation, as that seemed to have backfired. Time to ge the topic.

  “Len, we look at the creatures lio chaos? I’d like us to knotions fit Maxwell's new profession.”

  "We should always strive to find bonds that match our csses and professions." He answered as the other members of the room turned quiet. Len opened Spirits, Geists, and Oddities of the Woods and started flipping pages quickly until he slowed to a stop and froze quietly with the rest of the group. It was like someone cast silence over the group.

  Rose broke the silence. “Your new profession?!”

  Len and Tyler stared at Maxwell in shock who was flushing as pink as his beard.

  “You didn’t tell them?” Harmony asked her agent.

  “I didn’t feel like they o know,” Max answered.

  “I bet you have a new css too. You evolved, right?” Len asked.

  “No… no… no… My aunt would have annouhis. That side of the family sends letters every time something big happens. Right cousin?” Tyler asked.

  “They don’t know. No one o know until the Asdant Games.” Max responded, getting a little frantic.

  “How bad was your choice that you o hide it?” Tyler pressed with a wicked gleam in his eye.

  Ashes. Their rivalry. They were w together even if a little dysfunally, making it slip Harmony’s mind. “Hey! If Max wants to keep his evolutio you should let him. Don’t make me tell Thorne you need more team-building exercises.”

  Lord Tyler waved that away. He’d been drinking too. “He’s your knight of course you'd… Wait… he’s not a Knight anymore is he?“ Tyler snapped his attention all towards Max. “What are you?”

  “Do you really o know?” Harmony asked.

  “Well, you know,” Rose answered a little coldly. “And I think Thorne would want us to know for the team.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell you but then it doesn’t leave this room.” Max responded.

  Harmony did her best not to look at the multiple servants and bodyguards in the room. Most of them, probably all of them already khat was one reason she didn’t know it was a rotti, as it's not like she was alone when he spilled his guts about it.

  Max, Rose, and Len all nodded eagerly.

  “My css is singurly sworn and my profession is agent of chaos.”

  Not the full profession's name, but Harmony wasn’t pining about bei out.

  “Wait… wait… wait… sworn are religious fanatics. When did you joiemples?” Len asked.

  “A chaos profession. Your mom is going to faint. I knew you took that skill, but several csses and professions use chaos without it being their main thing.” Tyler finished with a drunken chuckle.

  “I don’t get why you wouldn’t tell us. I suppose no longer being a knight made it necessary to tell Harmony. After you’ve sworn an oath it is almost impossible to get a non-knight css.” Rose mused. Outside of Harmony, she drank the least. “Wait... No?”

  [Poise and Bearing] helped keep Harmony’s face calm. The princess has figured it out.

  “What?” Lord Tyler asked.

  ”Oh.” Le out. Drunk as he was, he was still smart.

  “What?” Tyler asked again.

  “Our former knight here isn’t sworn to any temple, god, or spirit. No, he's sworn for Lady White here, because having my brother as a pet wasn’t enough.” Rose hissed.

  Less wihan Harmony wasn’t hat cra posure revealed a bit of bitter anger. Adriot enough? She hadn’t asked for Adriax. And if Princess Rosaline had wao visit during all those months they were struggling in Hazeldown she could have. [Poise and Bearing] kept Harmony's cool rather than initiating a csh she wasn’t in the mood to have.

  “I didn’t ask for any of this. Maxwell picked the best he could. That is all any of us do when making a difficult decision.”

  “Then release him from his oath.” Rose challenged.

  Maxwell's heart stopped. Through the oath to her, she felt his panic reign. To his credit, the sworn showed none of it on his face, but he also wasn’t breathing. It wasn’t like she hadn’t sidered that. But she also wasn’t stupid.

  “I would never do that to Max.” He inhaled and his heart started up again. “He’s a sworn. That would probably kill him. Why do you think he doesn’t want to tell anyone? If I die there is a good ce he’ll die too on some crazed mission of vengeance. Adric probably would have the same issue. There is always a ce his evolution or mine will ge his fate a him out of this mess.”

  Hyath, Adrid Max, now there were three lives that relied oo evolve and survive. Dropping [Poise and Bearing] it was time to let them see how this made her feel. Her lip quivered and the tears she’d held back started to flow a little.

  “I didn’t..” Rose started finally seeing it.

  “You lucky bastard. You’re doing this just to torture me. You know I…” Lord Tyler didn’t see Harmony at all with his eyes angrily focused on Max.

  Harmony smmed her skill-enforced mask bato pce. “Some have already used the fact he is sworn to me to take advantage of him. Imagine someone lied to him and said I was in trouble. Or told him the queen wanted me dead. He’s still not under trol of his impulses around me so please keep this a secret.“

  “Don’t swet their powers from their gods?” Len asked.

  That started a whole bunch of new questions. “I’ll tell you when I’m ready. I’m still figuring it out and have only had one css and profession choice since evolving.”

  “They haven’t told me the details of their skills and I’m not going to ask because I respect Max’s privacy,” Harmony responded with support. She was curious but wasn’t going to press when these fools were around.

  That shut dowhering. Lord Tyler stormed off first, and everyone could see he was quite upset by how Max’s new evolutiht him closer to Harmony. Max hesitated a moment theo chase after him. Len did start to research the chaos-based entries in the book, but no one was in the mood to talk about it.

  “Rose. you wait up? I’d like to talk for a minute in private. If that’s okay Len.”

  “What, Oh? Iing as always Harmony. Have a good night.” Len responded, pig up the request quickly.

  The princess didn’t respond but stood there waiting for Len to leave.

  Prepared speech time. “Princess Rose, I know we’ve been at odds since I’ve arrived at Naewauld. Your letter and w with the others have showhat maybe we’re not too far apart. We might disagree on how to keep your brother safe, but we both want him that way. I’m hoping…”

  “How do you do it?”

  That hint of authority mixed with frustration in Rose's voice caused a slight ti the maid she used to be. But it was weak. Less than what Harmony could access with her skills or at the tip of her tongue.

  “Bringing Adric back was an act. As for Max, chaos, his oath, and evolution were messy. He made his choice.”

  “Not that. I need an evolved guard at minimum to help me climb the garden. I thought that Adric was assisting. As a fighter he’s petent. But he’s not. Then what you left at the Grave Society. You’re on the fifth floor already?”

  This wasn’t in the pn. Not like what she was doing was impossible. “Tourists climb the tower alurly.”

  “They send their best with their best equipment to chase after a stupid title, and a third of them end up dying or failing by evolving before they plete the dungeon. How are you doing it?”

  Title? None of the guides listed a title. Evolved weren’t talking about why they did what they did. “I’m doing it because I have to. If I don’t evolve quiough I’ll die. And if I die I don’t know what will happen to Adrid now Max. My hope in talking to you tonight is to get your support so that doesn’t happen. I have a letter for you to give to tess Maye. I’m hoping you will help me figure out a way to resolve our flict.”

  Bates moved up, the letter prepared on a tray. Sihey had no official sigil like some lords and dies had, they’d sealed it with a bck toad on white wax.

  Rose snatched the letter off of the tray a bit roughly. “You’re impossible!” The princess yelled and stomped out of the room.

  “That went well,” Bates said dryly, filling the silenbsp;

  Harmony stuck out her tongue and blew him a raspberry.