The figure stood up, his white scales illuminated for a moment by the fsh of lightning, the opening of the sky and the return.

  “I have kept my end of the deal, Iyrmen,” the white scaled drakken said, causing his watchers to approabsp;

  “We will call for Elder Lykan,” one of his watchers informed, before swiftly leaving to retrieve the Front Iyr Elder.

  The silver fox of a man wore his chiselled jaw as well as his long grey hair, which fell below the shoulders. He wore a fil at his side, but more impressively, the blueish silver of mithril hung around his neck, revealing his rank during his adventuring days.

  “I hope you clear the debts quickly, Iyrman,” the white scaled figure stated calmly, still feeling the attention of the strange figures of the Iyr, those who wreaked with the stench of death.

  “The debts have been cleared,” Elder Lykan assured, fshing a charming smile.

  Grimraith turned a, escorted by his watchers. He made no move to say goodbye to the other Lord here, for they were too busy drinking, watg from atop a nearby hill top.

  ‘I’m so gd he’s gohe bronze scaled drakken thought. The snow had ihe Front Iyr for well over a year, even burying the various effects of his own influence, as well as the influence of his panion. ‘Wingburg must be gd too.’

  ‘The old man is finally leaving?’ Wingburg, the bck scaled drakken, thought. She could feel the presence of the old man make its way towards the gates of the Front Iyr, with various, strange figures following after him. She remaiense, just like Burgwing, the pair still on duty.

  Even if it erhaps the most foolish idea one could have, Grimraith could still attack the Iyr. Why Grimraith would do it now the Iyr had regais two missing Great Elders, while also being watched over by the Lord of Earth, no one would ever be able to uand. However, the Iyr took such thoughts into sideration, for how else could they have survived this long?

  ‘If he attacks, we’ll have to act too…’ Burgwi out a sigh. Even if the Lord of Earth would assist them, it was still a difficult task to beat the likes of someone who could cim the title of Lord of Ibsp;

  Lykan approached Burgwing’s estate along with his own escorts, those tasked with assisting the Front Iyr Elder. “Your assistance has been appreciated.”

  “Do you no longer require my service?” Burgwing asked, yawning as he leaned against the doorway casually. ‘It would be good to get back to the desert.’

  “We wish to extend our request until the end of dawnval,” Lykan informed, while a group of Iyrmen brought rge wooden cases and a crate, each made of Iyr oak. Lykan opened one of the crates, revealing the rge number of books stacked ly within, motioning a hand towards them.

  Burgwing picked up one of the books, feeling its fresh pages, noting how retly it had been inked. He spoke the title, written in Old Aswadian, brushing a hand along the page’s edge tenderly, as though it was his own child. His eyes then darted to the other boxes.

  “We believed you would have wao read the books without worry for destroying the inal copies,” Lykan stated.

  “Who, but the Iyr, care for me so?” Burgwing asked, his lips f a wide grin. “Al Kaim’s stories may have fallen out of favour from most of Aswadasad over the st few turies, but I ot help but adore them.”

  Lykan reached into his tunic, pulling out a smaller wooden box, no more than a finger long, and half as wide as his strong hand. “For the payment of staying until the end of dawnval.”

  Burgwing opehe small wooden box carefully, eyeing up its tents, smelling its magic. “A quill?”

  “One of the quills of Ibrahim.”

  “Ibrahim?”

  “The icler.”

  Burgwing’s brows shot up, uo tain his surprise. “How did the Iyr e across one of Ibrahim’s quills?” The sho his voice barely tained as Burgwing quickly closed the box, clutg it tight in his hand.

  “He once made his way from Old Barad to Old Kimar, wishing to take notes of the old ceremonies which the peoples still practised. He almost perished due to a sandstorm which kept him pinned within a cave for a month. Kamwuk and Shamwuk found him and assisted him. He thahem by-,”

  “Aowledging them in the ninth volume of The Histories of the Bck Lions Dynasty, yes. They were written as Kumwook and Shumwook, but I do recall the names.”

  “He gifted us a copy of each of the pleted twenty seven volumes, and a quill he had used to write eae. This is the quill of the ninth volume.”

  “You would gift me a quill used by the hands of the icler?” Burgwing whispered.

  “Please remain until the end of dawnval,” Elder Lykan stated.

  ‘They possess the inal copies of the The Histories of the Bck Lion Dynasty?’ Burgwing thought. “Do you also possess the other pens and volumes?”

  “Yes.”

  Burgwing tilted his head, uo tain his shock. He had heard the Iyr’s taloended far and wide, but it was ahing for the Iyr to also possess so many cultural artefacts.

  “Iure, should we o t on your support, we will surely reward you well.”

  “You may always call of me, Iyrmen,” Burgwing assured, feeling the electricity of excitement, and the taste of future rewards. He would never have left his ir behind for more than a year, but for the inal copies of Al Kaim? How could he not? And a pen used by the one known as The icler?

  “To think I would be able to possess such grand items…” Burgwi out a long, satisfied sigh. “The two were poraries of one ahough the pair spent twenty years within the Grand Library, and mostly within the same se, it was se and vast, her met one another in all their days. If only I could have been born in such a time, drinking wine from while overlooking the Pearl River…”

  Lykahe bronze scaled drakken to wallow in his imagination, stepping away towards Wingburg’s small estate, which had been built nearby.

  “You’ve brought my payment?” Burgwing asked, the bck scaled woman asked, having hey had visited her panion first. She was gd they had silenced each courtyard so she wouldn’t hear about that damn Al Kaim again.

  “Ten ons from the Fifty Red Bdes,” Lykan firmed, while the Iyrmen brought ten rge cases, er than any other.

  Wingburg’s lips twitched into a smile, cheg each of the ons. Though they had been well preserved, sidering they were roughly a thousand years old, she would o spend time rest them. “If you ever e across any more, I am more than willing to lend my support to the Iyr.”

  “We thank you again for your support,” Lykan replied, before motioning a hand for another aide to approach. “Please stay until the end of dawnval.”

  “The end of dawnval?” Wingburg asked, frowning slightly. She had spent too long away from her s and could already feel the sleepiness set within her. “What is that?” She eyed up the bde, which was almost pure white, including the steel. The hilt at the tip of the bde was of an older drakken design, those seen in the north. However, the colour bination, or the ck thereof, was not like any other bde of the region. It had beeaken care of, sidering it was much older thaher ten ons she had been gifted, even though they had e several hundred years ter.

  “A bde which beloo the White Dragon, or as he was more only known as, Lord Jorn, Third Grand ander of the White Dragon Knights.”

  “A Grand ander who wielded a mundane bde?”

  “It was a bde he wielded when he was still young, one which he gave up when he was defeated by Shikan, who became Chief of the Iyr during the Third Grand ander’s time.”

  Wingburg remained silent for a long while, staring at the bde. She had heard of the Third Grand ander vaguely, a half spawn of one of the Talia family members. ‘What a sick turn of events, the order whice was anded by a Talia would then turn their bdes on Antalia the Silver, which eventually caused their demise.’ The bde’s significe did not just e from the fact it was wielded by a grand ander, but the fact that the Talia family would also be ied in it.

  ‘Goreburg will be so jealous,’ Wingburg thought, almost smiling at the thought of possessing the bde. “Very well, I at least remain until the end of the season.”

  “Thank you.” Lykahe bde with her before the Iyrmehe state, making their way back to his owe. “Will Lord Stokmar remain within the Iyr?”

  “The answer remains vague,” an aide replied.

  Lykan sighed, expeg the answer. Lord Stokmar worked on their own time and had their own pns. Thankfully, they had not caused any trouble during the Year of Silence, and sidering they were one of the very few figures in the world which could cause a mess within the Iyr and then leave without much trouble, Elder Lykan’s shoulders remained heavy with ay.

  ‘I would rather deal with the dragons,’ the Front Iyr Elder thought.

  Side character development that won't pay off in the 1000 chapters is my bread and butter.