Omen: 6, 16

  The group readied themselves to leave, with Adam cheg up on the Goblin babes, who were as tiny as ever. They had awoken several times in the night, but the Iyrmen had taken shifts in taking care of them, as they had when they were on wat the middle of the wilderness.

  Adam pat Zeus’ head. “Thank you for all you’ve done, Zeus.”

  The giant elk bowed his head, and Adam took the saddlebags, carrying them personally. They had carried most of their food stuffs, but had been repced by other items they had procured as they jourhough they had little time to buy much of anything.

  Except for that, of course.

  “It feels like a waste to dismiss you…” Adam threw a look to the Chief, who was currently speaking with Rasam.

  “What is it?” Young Merl asked.

  “I was just w if you he help of a magical giant elk,” Adam said.

  Merl looked at Zeus. “We ’t trol something like that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Aren’t you the oo trol it?”

  “I could tell Zeus to listen and obey the Chief. I’ll tell him not to fight anything, not uhe Chief asks for it, and to hold baot to kill anything. He’s useful, and carry more than typical mule.”

  Merl stared at the giant elk still, the suspi in her eyes slowly flowing away as reason filled them. ‘It would be useful…’

  “Just give him a day off per week, otherwise I’ll feel bad,” Adam said, rubbing Zeus’ back. “He doesn’t o anything, but talk with him sometimes, and praise him when he does well. If he tells me you’ve beeing him bad, I’ll be thinking twice about ing around here and helping about.”

  “We always treat our animals right,” Merl replied, her lips pulled taut.

  Adam smiled. “I’m you Zeus for free, for now. I might ge that, ter. Ah, well, we could sider it a trade for the gate fee?”

  Merl looked at Zeus, and sidering his size and strength, it was a good deal. Sometimes they needed more strength around the pce, and a magical elk which was intelligent, well that was quite something. “I’ll speak with grandmother.”

  Adam nodded. “Jonn, have you dismissed your elk yet?” Adam called.

  “No,” Jonn said, before trating.

  “No, wait!” Adam shouted, but it was too te, the giant elk disappeared. “Resummon it a work in the vilge.”

  Jonn stared at Adam. ‘That’s a good idea.’ The thought surprised him, si was about Adam having good ideas.

  Adam narrowed his eyes, sensing the Half Elf’s thoughts. He turo Merl. “Sorry about him, he’s not all there in his head. It’s the Elf in him.”

  Merl smiled slightly. “I’m sure.”

  “I’ll leave Hades behind too, to keep a around the pce. Please let the vilgers know not to shoot him, otherwise I’ll be annoyed. He’s quite the expetle owl, and though he does, he has high standards for everything else, including lodging.”

  Merl wasn’t sure how to take that information, so remained silent.

  The group eventually made their way into the Iyr’s nds, over the bridge to the Iyr’s nds. The hills wele the group, though the hills were not kind to Adam as he carried the various bags.

  Adam threw a look over his shoulder towards the old man, who had decided to e with them. “What’s your business with the Iyr, anyhow?”

  “I wao see it,” Asa replied, simply. His eyes sed across the hills, noting there were a rge number of structures nearby, each of them hidden. He also he appearance of the other Iyrmen, each of whom were carefully eyeing him up. There were at least six of them, and at least two of them were det in strength.

  The group stopped to deal with the Goblins, though they quickly found themselves surrounded by six Iyrmen.

  “Damn it,” Adam said. “Every time.”

  Shaool smiled at Adam, though she was mostly focused oranger. He was definitely strong, that was what her body told her, and if he had e alone, she would have tried to deal with him quickly. However, there was another matter to attend to.

  “I see you have brought muests,” Shaool said.

  “Well, I mean, he just followed us,” Adam said.

  “I meant the Goblins,” Shaool said, staring down at the babies, who were staring up at the world, though they could not see too well still.

  “Oh.”

  There was another Iyrman, one Adam reised from the first time he had appeared within the Iyr. She was a scruffier woman, a woman who embodied the wildness whie believed the Iyrmen possessed. She wore the skull of a silverdeer as a mask, antler and all, with curly bck hair which fell back across her shoulders. The skull was carved in such a way which revealed her tattoo, a bck tilted cross, with several eight poiars flowing out. Thick furs fell across her entire form, hiding the rest of her body, coloured a tannish grey. Grasped tightly within her hands were a pair of shortswords, made of boh intricate carvings, designs of the Iyr, which the Iyrmen uood.

  Thirst for Blood.

  Jurot’s heart pouhe appearance of this particur Iyrman stated the Iyrme business. Last time, they had been tasked with cheg after Balrog, but Balrog was mortal, and he wasn’t as powerful as Asa, that was for certain.

  “It seems there is anuest,” Shaool said, staring at Asa. “May I ask for your name and business, stranger?”

  “I’m just here to visit the Iyr, and I will be gone soon,” Asa assured.

  Shaool wasn’t sure if she should accept the figure, especially not since everything which was happening, but sidering that the Front Iyr was already full of so many great figures…

  “Then allow me to escort you all,” she finally said.

  The Iyrman in the skull took the pair of baby Goblins from Okvar, before she withdrew with two Iyrmen. Shaool and two other Iyrmen remained, and began to lead the group forward to the Front Iyr.

  “Jurot?” Adam asked, his eyes sing the Front Iyr.

  “Yes?”

  “This is the Iyr, right?”

  Jurot eyed up the area around them. He wasirely sure. They had walked through the rge gates, which Asa had taken a moment to admire, and they had stepped into the area known as Front Iyr.

  The Front Iyr had been renovated for some time, but they had e across something else entirely. The vilge was more like a fortress, with a rge number of Iyrmen moving about, carrying all manner of earth, wood, and stohe area around the Front Iyr, which had been quite ft, was now walled, and the walls around the area were half made of mountain which seemed to have appeared from nowhere, and half made from thick stone which had been in together with t.

  There were small towers, each spread out about a hundred paces from one another, and they tinued around, walling the front of the Front Iyr, but Adam he walls tio the side, blog even the rolling pins.

  Iyrmen marched through the front Iyr, carrying all manner of materials, from earth and stoo ore and wood. Some were also pulling rickshaws full of sacks and barrels stuffed with food, wheat and oats, Adam assumed. He had once carried the food around, and the sacks and barrels used were simir in colour and size.

  “You have returned?” called a familiar voice, and a tall, dark skinned man with fiery red hair asked.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, nodding his head to Morkarai. “It’s good to see you, Lord Morkarai.”

  “You as well,” the Giant replied, before looking to the rest of the party. “I see you’ve all had a tough time.”

  “You tell?”

  Morkarai nodded.

  “What’s all this?” Adam asked, motioning his head to the walls, which had seemingly appeared within the span of a couple of months. Half the walls were made of rock, like those whigulfed the Main Iyr, mountains which the Iyr had built itself into. Yet, Adam was fairly certain the earth around here was mostly hills for a few miles.

  Morkarai looked to the mountainous walls, and then looked back to Adam. “The Front Iyr.”

  Adam bli the Fire Giant. “Yeah.”

  “Did y me back a gift?” Morkarai asked.

  “Oh. Uh…” Adam threw a look towards the drink which Morkarai had offered them. They hadn’t drunk muot after what happened he start of their journey. Adam held out the axe he had bought. “As a Nephew of the Rot family, I value axes. You have this one.”

  Mowards Adam’s hand, taking the axe from him. “Where is your other axe?”

  “I lost it.”

  Morkarai remained silent for a long while. He turhrowing a look over his shoulder, thinking deeply. ‘It couldn’t be…’

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  What happeo the Iyr?