Supreme Magus

Chapter 4198: Trust Issues (Part 1)

"Thank you, Quylla, but you didn’t have to." Elina stared at the steaming feast that covered the entire length of the dining table in amazement. "You are still recovering yourself."

"Don’t mention it, Elina." Quylla replied. "Also, you don’t need to worry. I’ve always liked to cook, and magic makes preparing a huge meal faster and easier. After the twins were born, I got serious about it.

"I needed practice to get used to my normal strength and become able to feed my babies without relying on the house staff. I’m not at Lith’s level, but my dishes should still taste good."

"It tastes amazing, Auntie." Aran gobbled his food.

"Better than Mom’s." Leria nodded.

"Hey!" Rena said. "I resent that."

Lilia, Leran, and Fenrir wolfed down everything to show their appreciation.

"Gods, I hate you, sis." Friya stabbed her soup with a spoon. "I had almost forgotten how good a cook you are. This makes me the only one in the family who can’t prepare a delicious meal."

"Yep." Quylla nodded.

"It sure does." Jirni replied.

"No argument there." Nalrond said, making Friya snarl.

"It was fine until it was just the two of us." She said with a cold voice. "Now that I’m pregnant, I’ll have to learn to cook for our twins. I don’t want them to think they’ve gotten the short end of the stick in the parents’ lottery."

"Don’t worry, we’ll learn together." Nalrond said.

"Sure, dear." Friya exchanged a quick look with Selia, who shook her head. "You’ll be great at cutting vegetables."

"Hey, just because once I burned a salad, it doesn’t mean I can’t cook!" Nalrond snorted, making everyone laugh at the memory of the accident. "Fine. Challenge accepted. I’ll become a great cook.

"And if that turns out to be impossible, I’ll be at least better than Friya."

"Dream on, pretty boy." She chuckled.

***

With Raldarak’s birth, Lith became once more unable to get far from his children for more than a few minutes. His homing instinct perceived the baby boy as a beacon from any distance, and Raldarak’s voice was a siren Lith couldn’t resist.

The baby boy grew bigger and stronger by the day, getting his feathers for his Tiamat form two weeks after he was born. Just as Leegaain had predicted, Raldarak quickly learned the Dragontongue word for dad, making Lith very happy.

Everyone doted on the baby boy, and life was peaceful until it wasn’t.

It all started with a harmless call from Erghak, the Patriarch of the Fire Dragons.

"The six months are up, Lady Nyka." He said with the somber tone one would associate with a loss in the family. "I’ll return the Eyes to your mother and entrust the Ears to her. Feel free to come here with Lith at your earliest convenience."

"Thanks, Patriarch Erghak, but why do you need my mother and me for the exchange?" The young vampire asked. "Can’t Lith deal with it like the last time?"

"I’d rather not." The Fire Dragon replied. "Unlike your mother, I’m not going to undo the imprint on the Ears, so I need to meet anyone your mother needs to include in her research to grant them access to the artifact."

"I see." She nodded. "We’ll get there soon."

Kalla reacted to the news as anyone could have expected, and so did Lith.

"Yes! I can work again. Sweet freedom, here I come!" Thanks to regular training and the practice of Accumulation, Kalla had reached the bright blue core and was ready to move on to the violet as soon as she gained enlightenment.

"Right now? Can’t this wait a few months?" Lith snarled.

"Mom, as far as I know, you’re not a prisoner, and spending time with us isn’t torture!" Nok grunted.

"Big bro is right!" Nyka glared at her mother before turning to Lith. "Also, no, this can’t wait. You are the one who made the deal with the Fire Dragons, and they trust only you with the Ears.

"On top of that, as much as I want to spend time with Mom, I’d never hurt her on purpose. Her research means a lot to her. I can wait six more months to spend a bit more time with her."

"Fine." Lith sighed. "Let’s be quick."

"Why don’t you just bring Ral along in a baby carrier?" Nyka asked, noticing his distress.

"Because the rest of Mogar won’t see Ral before Elysia’s birthday. If I bring him with us, the Fire Dragons might brag about meeting Ral first and put me in trouble. Others might come to see him, and I couldn’t refuse without creating animosities.

"On top of that, where Ral goes, so do Kami, Solus, Ely, and Val. This is supposed to be a business deal, not a family trip."

Lith brought everyone to the tower and wasn’t surprised when Solus chose to stay behind. A Tower Warp brought them near the Valley of Life in the Empire, and from there, Lith only had to call Erghak to gain access to the underground domain of the Fire Dragons.

As always, the arrays that covered the area brought the guests inside so quickly that they had no idea how deep or far from their starting point they were.

"Dear Lith, it’s so good to see you again." Erghak patted the Tiamat’s shoulder. "How are you doing? How are your Hatchlings?"

"It’s nice to see you too, Erghak." Lith replied, his eyes already twitching from the effort to stay calm. "They are doing great. Ely, Val, and Ral grow by the day and couldn’t be happier.

"I, on the other hand, am quite tense. I don’t like being away from them."

"I know, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience." The Fire Dragon Patriarch gave him a shallow bow. "Will my clan be invited to the gala this year?"

"Yes. Since I’m already here, this is your invitation." Lith offered an enchanted envelope that Erghak accepted with both hands.

"Thanks. I can’t wait to meet your little miracle." Erghak said, and he was being literal. "Glad to finally meet you, Lady Kalla. Are you sure that you and your daughter are the only ones who are going to use the Ears?"

"Yes, Patriarch." Kalla nodded. "My son isn’t even Awakened and can’t use most elements. Aside from him and my daughter, I trust no one with my research."

"So be it." The Fire Dragon closed his eyes for a second and then handed the Ears to the Wight. "Here. Give it a try. Take it easy. Using the Ears can be a painful experience until you get used to reading multiple mana currents."

"Tell me about it." Kalla had already had plenty of practice with the Master Ears in Mogar’s Garden and was quite skilled with the artifact.

She just quickly checked all the nearby rooms and their occupants before passing it to Nyka.

"I beg your pardon?" Erghak asked in confusion. "Isn’t this the first time you use the Ears of Menadion?"

"Of course!" Kalla was glad to have no facial muscles when she realized her blunder. "I was referring to the Eyes. You have no idea how many headaches it gave me when I unlocked the full scan."

"Believe me, I know." Erghak groaned. "I puked so often that I had a drain built in my lab."