2685 The Art of Conversation (Part 1)

"Think of the kids, dammit!" Lith blushed harder.

They met Elina and Raaz along the way and reached the dining room together. The rest of the family and their guests were already assembled, including the magical beasts.

Fluffy the Byk had grown bigger, stronger, and fatter than his clanmates thanks to the hearty regular meals. He had quickly adjusted to his new condition of pet/steed/friend and was amiably conversing with Garrik in between asking for seconds.

The meal was pleasant for the adults and lively for the kids. Garrik showed off his powers while Aran and Leria taught him their favorite magic tricks.

Despite Leria's claims, Rena's cooking was excellent, just not up to Lith's or Elina's standards.

Rena noticed during breakfast that Ryla tried her best to act normal but she couldn't help sighing at staring from time to time. At first, Rena thought Ryla was looking at Senton in a way more affectionate than it was proper.

After a while, however, Rena noticed that the Fomor looked at her the same way.

Once the breakfast was over and Ryla was helping Rena clean up everything, Rena decided to use that moment when they were alone to understand what was bothering their guest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare." Ryla flushed a little while wringing her hands. "I'm just curious and envious of you two."

"What do you mean?" Rena had always felt like the less special member of her family.

Even Elina had seen more action than her, dealing with Guardians and Royals before the presence of such powerful beings became a common occurrence in the Verhen family. On top of that, Ryla was gorgeous, tall, and powerful.

'What can she be possibly envious of me? I've always been good-looking, but compared to her I'm nothing special.' She thought.

"I've never lay with a man I loved." Ryla's words hit Rena like a bomb. "Glemos just used me and that was it. I'm curious about how it feels to have someone who cares for you and defends you.

"I'm envious of your beautiful family and how your children are so lucky that they can afford to talk to you like that. Glemos enforced a strict discipline and Garrik was alone so often that his joy from my mere presence always breaks my heart."

"Gods, I'm so sorry!" Suddenly Rena felt like the most special and luckiest woman on Mogar.

"Why? You didn't play any role in our captivity, did you?" Ryla tilted her head to the side in confusion.

The prolonged isolation in Zelex and her former role as high priestess made her oblivious to social cues.

"Of course I didn't!" Rena was flabbergasted. "I meant that I'm sorry you had to go through so much and that you could use a friend."

"Like who?" The Fomor blinked her six eyes in puzzlement.

"Like me. Gods, this will take a while." Rena chuckled and invited Ryla for a walk.

Meanwhile, in the external garden, Kamila was watching Lith teaching magic to the kids that they would practice during their next game when Zoreth appeared out of nowhere and gave her a tackle-like hug.

"Kami! Thank the gods you are alright. I've been so worried that I've been patrolling the Mansion the whole night."

"What, why?"

"Forgive her, Kamila." Bytra appeared a moment later, needing sheer strength to pry Kamila free from the embrace. "After Zor heard from Zyn about the death threats, it was impossible to keep her away from you."

Kamila had told everything to her sister the previous night in order to vent her feelings before going to sleep, failing to take into account the reaction to the news of Elysia's godmother.

"Thanks, Zoreth, but there's no need for that." Kamila patted the Shadow Dragon's back. "As long as Elysia is in my womb, the Guardians protect me as well. I know you are powerful, but I doubt you can do any better.

"Don't worry about me. There's still time before I give birth."

"You are right." Zoreth jumped up to her feet. "I'm wasting my and your time here instead of using it to do the right thing."

"What right thing?" The Shadow Dragon ignored her and took her communication amulet out of her pocket dimension. "Abthot, I want you to comb search the criminal underworld for any hit placed against Kamila Verhen.

"Find everyone who posted the jobs, anyone who took them, and bring them to me alive. 1 want it done for yesterday!"

Abthot was an Eldritch-Ogre hybrid more ancient and now also more powerful than Xenagrosh, but her position in the Organization's totem pole was way lower. The Master didn't trust her as much and had already expressed his intention to get rid of her at the first hint of insubordination.

To make matters worse, angering Xenagrosh also meant antagonizing Bytra and ending up on the bottom of her to-do list. Abthot knew how serious Xenagrosh was about her role as godmother and that there was only one answer that wouldn't make her equipment delayed until never o'clock.

"On it, boss." The ogre-Eldritch alerted the other members of the Organization, giving the mission maximum priority,.

***

Weghan Region, lair of Ajatar the Drake.

"Why are you still here?" He asked his unwelcome guest. "Don't you have a palace or something?"

"I'm sorry, master Ajatar, but I need a place where to crash for a few days." Morok tidied up the guest room he had slept in with the methodical discipline the army had engrained into him.

"A few days?! I mean, why?" Ajatar rolled his eyes.

"I can get Quylla hiding things from me while we were dating, especially family stuff. But that was a huge secret. I mean a mage tower-sized secret!"

"I think you are overreacting." The Drake shrugged. "A mage tower is something akin to my Spirit Fusion or Faluel's Domination. You don't show it to just anyone and it wasn't Quylla's secret either."

"Yeah, right." Morok snorted. "Yet I'm the only one who missed the cool trips to the moon, the spa days in the Desert, and the list goes on!"

"Are you telling me you resent her for having fun without you?" Ajatar was flabbergasted.

"Of course!" Morok looked at the Drake as if he was insane. "She cut me out from some of the most beautiful first experiences in her life that we were supposed to share. I was her fiancé for the gods' sake.

"A simple sorry doesn't solve anything. I need to put my foot down and set some boundaries.

I'm okay with my wife being friends with another man but I'm not okay with her prioritizing him over me.

"I told her this yesterday and that until she finds a way to make it up to me, I'm not going back home."

"And how should she do that?" Ajatar asked.

"Not my problem. I'm the victim here." Morok shrugged.

The Drake felt a whole new level of respect for his disciple and decided to let him stay for as long as Morok needed.

***

A few weeks passed, Kamila entered the third trimester, and many events came to pass.

Rena started to spend more and more time in the Verhen Mansion with Ryla, creating a bond of friendship between the two women.