“What are you doing?” Adam asked, staring at Shikan. “He’s Dunes’ dad.”

  “We must first speak with Duo firm whether or not it is the truth,” Shikan said. “It is not our pce to inform them before it is pletely firmed.”

  “Dunes is my friend. I o tell him that his dad is here.”

  “Is Ashmir his father? How do you know?”

  “His name is Morn and he’s a Priest,” Adam replied. “What do you mean? This ’t be a ce.”

  “ces happen all the time, Adam,” Shikan said.

  “Yes, but arouhey’re usually more than just ces!” Adam stated. “Look, let me talk to Dunes and see if that’s the truth.”

  “You ot inform him that Ashmir is his father, and you ot inform Ashmir that Dunes is his son,” Shikan said.

  “What’s the worst that could happen?” Adam asked. “Look, we just tell Duhat Ashmir is here and what he told me. We have them meet, and then that’s that.”

  “This is more plicated than that, Adam,” Shikan said. “You have to uand how messy the situation is. If Ashmir bees an Iyrman, that means Dunes will also bee an Iyrman.”

  “Great!” Adam said. “Why does that sound bad to you?”

  “It sounds bad because Dunes may not wish to be an Iyrman.”

  “So? Then he doesn’t have to be an Iyrman?”

  “It more plicated than that.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yes.”

  Adam sighed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his wrists. “Okay, look. Let me speak to Dunes and I’ll… I don’t know. Let me just talk to him.”

  “Please, Adam.” Shikan pced his hands on Adam’s shoulders. “This matter must be dealt with properly.”

  “Trust me,” Adam replied.

  Adam had not expected that in the first versation with Ashmir that he’d find out that Dunes was his son. It wasn’t firmed, but Adam had a feeling. ‘What was the quote? One in a million ces happen imes out of ten? Crazy.’

  Dunes bit into a salya, which held the same taste as a banana, but was straight and came in more hairy and hard shell. He looked up at Adam, who was smiling quite wide.

  “Dunes!” Adam called. “Morn Dunes, ain’t that right?”

  “Yes?” Dunes replied. “What’s the matter?”

  Adam sat down beside him. “You know, Dunes. I was thinking. Where did you get your name from?”

  “Morn, as in m. Dunes, as in where I was born. My mave birth on the open sand, and passed away. I was found by some travellers, and they took me to the temple.”

  “Oh,” Adam said, frowning. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “She wao leave me at the temple so they could raise me. She had left a letter which stated so, hence why the travellers took me to the temple. It’s bad luot to take someoo a temple when they were meant to be sent there.”

  “Ah.” Adam suddenly felt awkward. “What did you know about your mother?”

  “She left me a neckce,” Dunes said. “I left it back at the temple. It had her name, Munya, which also means M.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head. “What about your father?”

  Dunes shrugged. “I don’t know anything about him. The letter mentiohat my father did . sidering what I know about baby making, I do not believe that is the case.”

  Adam smiled, nodding his head. “So, uh. Your mother’s name was Munya?”

  “Yes?”

  “Cool, orn Dunes. Munya.”

  “You’re asking a lot of questions about my past. What of yours, Adam?”

  “My past is… plicated.”

  “plicated how?”

  “The pce I was born, the people I grew up with. You won’t be able to find them on this nd, or any nd on this world.” Adam looked up towards the sky. “They’re gone.”

  “Gone?”

  “Gone,” Adam replied, quietly. “I ’t see them again.”

  “I’m sorry, Adam.” Dunes pced a hand on his babsp;

  “My mother and father were pretty average, you know?” Adam sighed. “They were my mother and father, though. Mum and dad, you know?”

  “I didn’t grow up with parents, so I don’t.”

  Adam looked to Dunes. “If you had the eet your mother and father, would you take it?”

  Dunes smiled. “What would I tell my mother? You’ve lost weight since I st saw you?”

  Adam raised his brow, fused.

  “She would be a skeleton,” Dunes expined.

  Adam coughed, trying not to ugh. “Well, maybe. You’d have to say she was beautiful, she was your mother.”

  “She died giving birth to me, I would at least do that much,” Dunes said. “My father? I don’t know. Who is he? What did he do? Why did he not e seare? If he doesn’t use a sword, then is he really my father?”

  Adam tried to recall what on Ashmir used. He smiled. “You know, Dunes…” Adam paused. ‘What do I say? Do I tell him? Though, I’m not one hundred pert sure that they’re father and son.’

  “Yes?”

  “I’ll be ba a bit,” Adam said, standing, before quickly making his way to the Mir family.

  “Where are you going?” Shikan asked.

  “To speak with Ashmir.”

  “Why?”

  “I o ask him a question.”

  “Which is?”

  “What was the name of your son’s mother?” Adam said.

  “I will ask.”

  “I’ll do it,” Adam said.

  Shikan stared at him. “You ot.”

  “Why not? Dunes is my friend. I’m the one whht him here.”

  “You were lucky.”

  “It was Fate.”

  Shikan narrowed his eyes. ‘Fate?’ The word had triggered something inside Shikan’s mind. ‘Is it true?’ “Fine.”

  Adam smiled, before saluting at his Uncle, and slipping away to find the Mir family estate. Unfortunately for him, he had no idea where it was, having followed Shikan the way there, so asked multiple people for dires, before he finally arrived at the estate.

  “Hey,” Adam said, seeing Ashmir reading his book. He was much further in this time.

  “Adam?”

  “We were interrupted st time, but I had a few questions about your past.”

  “What is it?”

  “What was the name of the your child’s mother?” Adam asked, being careful not to say son.

  “Munya,” he said. “For M.”

  Adam smiled. “That’s rather romantiany years ago was it?”

  “It was half my life time ago. Twenty five years or so?”

  “How old are you?”

  “Fifty.”

  ‘Dunes is twenty five, right? Roughly?’ Adam slowly nodded his head. “Do you think of them?”

  “Rarely,” he admitted. “Munya and I had a secret retionship. We…” He shook his head. “She had to leave when she found out she regnant.”

  “Do you know what happeo her?”

  “No. She said she was going to take our child to a temple. It would have been the best life for them.”

  ‘They should call me a detective,’ Adam thought. “Do you want to meet them again?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t there for them, and other than our blood e, we have nothing to do with one another.”

  “What if they took after their mother?”

  Ashmir smiled. “Munya and I weren’t the most successful people.”

  Adam raised his brow.

  “What I mean by that is, I was a sve for my entire life. She was…” He frowned. “She wouldn’t tell me what she was. She sponsored my fights for a short while, and that’s how we became close. We became even closer because she was beautiful, and fiery.” He chuckled.

  Adam smiled. “I, uh…” His throat became dry. ‘Hold on. Isn’t this a terrible idea? No, no. I have to tell them. At least, I o let them meet, let them figure it out themselves.’

  “What would you say to them? Your son, your daughter, whatever they may be?”

  “I don’t know,” Ashmir admitted. “Perhaps, once I bee an Iyrman, they will be able to have a better life. Though, if they grew up a Priest, then their life would be fairly good already.”

  Adam slowly nodded his head. “If you ever want to chat or anything, and you want to get out of the Mir family estate for a little while, swing by the shared family estate of the Rot family. I’m sure the kids will love it. I have a few friends who would love to meet you too.”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  Adam made his way back to the shared family estate, with some help from the nearby Iyrmen. He walked back to the group, sitting beside Dunes, wordless.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know,” Adam said, catg Shikan’s eyes. “Before we go, remihat I have something I o show you.”

  “Okay?” Dunes replied.

  Adam wasn’t sure what to feel. He knew something that Dunes didn’t. As the seds passed, it was time that Dunes wouldn’t get back. Though, could he really do that? Could he bring together twers who were apparently reted? Wouldn’t their lives be different? Forever ged. All because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut?

  “Dunes.”

  “Yes?”

  “We’re friends, right?”

  “I would hope so,” Dunes said. “Otherwise I will die and you will have three hundred gold weighing you down.”

  Adam smiled. “Is that all I am to you?”

  “No,” Dunes said. “You’re also the oo give me magical ons for free.” Dunes smiled.

  Adam chuckled. “Right.”

  ‘What the hell am I meant to do?’

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