"It's too bad that you can't bring Zinya's children along as well. Those poor kids don't have a father figure and with all of their friends gone, they are bound to feel lonely." Raaz said.
He had hoped that sharing such an experience would bring the two families even closer.
"Don't worry about them. After I told Vastor that Zinya's kids would remain alone, his nieces took the matter out of his hands. While I'll spend my days in the wilds, Zinya and her children will be guests in Vastor's home.
"Besides, they have little talent for magic. Seeing what I would teach Aran and Leria yet not be able to participate would be torture to them." With their red cores, there was little that Zinya's children could do, even with chore magic.
"What about Kamila?" Elina chimed in. "You would get to spend a bit of time together and experience what it means to raise children instead of just pampering them."
"Mom, I'm still young!" Lith became beet red at the thought. "I'll become nineteen in a few months and-"
"And by that age, I already had Rena, Trion, and by twenty I had Tista as well. Don't forget that twenty years of age also marks the point when a hybrid has to choose their nature and I'd like my grandkids to have a bit of the Verhen blood along with that of the Dragon, Demon, or whatever you're turning into." Elina cut him short.
"For your information, Kamila couldn't take a leave from her job and even if she could, she told me that sleeping on rocks and living with no bathroom it's not her idea of vacation." Being unable to beat the enemy in a direct confrontation, Lith could only get around it.
"And whose fault is that if that poor girl sees it as a waste of time instead of as an opportunity?" Like a purebred hound, Elina wouldn't let go of the prey once she sank her teeth into it.
"I'm not getting any younger and neither is she. Is it a crime to want a few grandkids until I have the strength to enjoy them?"
'I can't believe Mogar is such a cruel place where a woman as young as Kamila is already considered a spinster.' Solus felt much more compassion toward her after discovering that her first life had ended at 28.
If Kamila at 27 was to be considered old, then Solus who had lived 15 more years after meeting Lith would be akin to an old bat.
"Speaking of opportunities, I've reserved two suites at the Flying Griffon resort. One for you two and another for Rena." If fight and flight were both impossible, Lith could only beg for mercy.
'Now I understand how Manohar feels. Magic, swords, and even logic are powerless against my mother.' He thought.
"Young man, are you trying to bribe your way out of this conversation?" Elina tapped her foot while Raaz pretended to have heard one of his farmhands calling him.
Helping one of them meant ending up on the black book of the other, but staying neutral meant angering them both.
"Dad, help me out…" Lith said a few seconds too late to a now-empty chair.
"Nonsense! Dear, tell him…" Elina clicked her tongue at her missing husband.
"Is it hot in there?" Bromann, one of his oldest friends, asked Raaz.
"Scorching. Always remember that the only way to profit from a war is by not taking part in it." He said while getting far enough from the home to pretend he couldn't hear them calling him.
"It's not a bribe, just a way to make sure that no one can bother you during my absence. Besides, without the kids and with Zinya gone, you're bound to feel lonely. Consider it an opportunity to relax a bit before the royal gala." Lith said, making his mother's stomach churn.
Elina had never gotten used to high society and even less to meeting the Royal Family. They seemed to be nice people and the fact that they held her son in high regard was a plus, but the fear that one wrong word of hers could ruin years of Lith's hard work covered Elina in a cold sweat.
"Fine, I yield this time." Elina suddenly had no more strength to argue. "What happens if Orpal or Kamila's parents arrive after you leave or before your return?"
"Don't open the door. If it happens again, then it's no coincidence but something carefully planned. You just call me and I'll do the rest." Lith said.
He spent the rest of the day helping the kids packing and reassuring their respective parents. By carrying a Home Stone with him, they could reach the camp with the DoLorean at any time and thanks to the communication amulets, they could keep in touch.
Aside from their own Scalewalker armor, the kids had no enchanted item and Lith decided to keep things that way. They would use backpacks and needed to bring food like any normal person.
Or better, like any normal person with a magical beast for a ride since Onyx and Abominus would take part in the trip. They would lead the kids by example with magic and carry them once they got too tired to walk.
The best way to truly appreciate magic and discover its limits was to experience the need for it rather than being spoon-fed.
The following day, after an abundant breakfast and putting the saddlebags on the beasts, Lith Warped them to Derios from where they would take the Gate to the Teraka mountain range.
L.u.s.tria was mostly plains and its woods didn't differ much from Trawn to which the kids were used. Reaching the nearest mountain by Warp Steps would leave Lith exhausted to the point that even Invigoration wouldn't work anymore while using the tower warp would require to expose Solus's existence.
'I can't trust them with my secret, let alone yours.' Lith thought. 'Besides, I chose to travel in casual clothes because I want the kids to be treated like regular people, not like the relatives of an Archmage.'
Alas, everyone in Derios knew him. The guards didn't bat an eye at the magical beasts and the clerk of the Mage Association made them skip the line, drawing the disgruntled looks of many people.
"How can a peddler take precedence? I demand an explanation!" A finely dressed man with more grease in his greyed hair than brains in his head said.
"Arrest Baronet Greph for insubordination, please. Next." The clerk said with a calm, monotone voice and the guards promptly obeyed.
'F.u.c.k me sideways, my disguise doesn't work as intended. I'm receiving an apparently unfair treatment that is drawing all the wrong kinds of attention from those who failed to recognize me.' Lith inwardly griped.
"Thanks for your service, Hero of the North. Are these beautiful kids your apprentices?" A middle-aged clerk said.
He was all smiles and despite the many lines around his eyes, his voice was youthful and vibrant.
"My relatives. I trust the magical beasts didn't give you any problem." Lith knew that magical or not, animals moved through a different Gate after being searched.
"We just pointed them the way and they did the rest. I hope you won't mind if we gave them something to eat while they wait for your arrival." The clerk gave him a deep bow as if he was apologizing.
