"Deirus wants us to experience the loss of a child just like he did with Yurial. On top of that, I find it strange that your family received no card just like it makes no sense that no Future card has been sent." Jirni said.
"If Deirus is not involved, then who's behind this?" Lith asked.
"Assuming that you really are at the center of this conspiracy, then I can't rule out Night's involvement since she already played the Balkor charade." Jirni said.
"That doesn't make sense. She didn't attack my allies, she focused on my family and on Kamila. Neither of them has received any card." Lith said.
"I know, but they call her the Horseman of Chaos for a good reason. That said, I can't rule out the Undead Courts nor Thrud either. You've made too many enemies in your short life and all those I've mentioned could use taking out the people who received the cards.
"Without them, the Royals would lose the pillars that keep the Kingdom stable. Such a sudden power vacuum would plunge the country into chaos, allowing the Undead Courts to win the war or to Thrud to seize the power and being acclaimed as a savior."
Jirni's words made the room fell into silence for about five seconds. Then, the door opened and closed apparently on its own.
"I said that I didn't want to be disturbed." She stood up to check who dared to defy her orders, just to see a flaming red mass of fur sneak behind the sofas.
"Since when do you know how to open doors?"
"It's not that hard to do with air magic, especially when I'm hungry." Lucky, the family dog now evolved into a Ry, said.
The last time Lith had seen him, Lucky was the size of a pony but he seemed to have gained in height what he had lost in weight. His flabby belly that once wobbled at each step of the canine was gone, replaced by solid muscles.
"You're always hungry." Phloria said with a sigh, taking a mental note that soon he would grow big enough for her to ride on him as she did back when she was still a small girl and Lucky a mastiff.
"Help me, brother. They are starving me for months here!" Lucky rolled on his belly at Lith's feet in the hope to garner sympathy and more importantly, tasty snacks.
Too bad that with his size and wolfish appearance, that attitude made him look more creepy than cute.
"You're not starving. You are simply on a diet!" Orion rebuked Lucky for the umpteenth time. "Your family is under attack and you're not a pet dog anymore. You are a magical beast, a warrior."
"I'd liked being a pet better." Lucky w.h.i.n.ed. "No training, no diet. Just eat and play."
"If you practice magic enough, you might get a shot at evolving further. You would live longer and get more powerful." Lith tried his best pitch.
"Curse evolution!" The Ry sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "Once I was a happy creature who spent his days in joy with his friends. It's been years since the last time I mated. Do you know how hard it is to drag a Ry here?
"On top of that, even when Dad manages to find some, the females treat me with disdain. They call me a wimp."
Lith couldn't blame them for that. Lucky was a big puppy trapped inside the body of a war machine. Female Rys looked solely for partners that could give birth to a strong offspring, they didn't care for cuteness.
"Quylla, do you mind if we talk for a bit?" At those words, the Ernas sisters stood up, but Lith stopped them.
"Sorry, I just need Quylla. It's a private matter." He wanted to share his theory about the violet core with her and check if their respective issues matched.
Since such knowledge might put her life at risk, it was better if no one else listened so that she could make her mind without being pressured by her sisters.
"First, you dragged Phloria very far from here. Then you holed up with Friya for a week and now Quylla? You're taking the Ernas name lightly, young man." Jirni clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"Mom!" The three girls said in unison with various degrees of embarrassment.
"It was just work, Jirni. A mage's work progresses much slower if they don't interact with other talented mages." Lith had no time to waste with allegations and walked straight towards Quylla's private chambers.
Much to everyone surprise, especially Orion, Jirni smiled instead of getting angry. Lying was second nature for people like her and Lith, but the same couldn't be said about her daughters.
All she needed to know the truth was to ask the right question at the right moment.
"I've got private matters to attend as well. Remember what we said today and never ever lower your guard." Jirni said before walking out of the room.
"What is this DoLorean like?" Orion asked while taking note of her daughters' request for their new equipment. The more they fought the more they learned about themselves and their respective weak points that only artifacts could cover.
"Why do you ask?" Friya said, placing several orders at the same time.
"Because I'm the one who is going to decide whether to ban it or not."
Meanwhile, in her private chambers, Jirni used the special amulet that Orion had made for her to check with the members of her personal squad.
"How is our project going, Vastor?" She asked the moment the Professor's hologram appeared.
"So far so good. Everything should be ready according to schedule. I don't get why you asked for my help when you can have Manohar." Despite his newfound talents and powers, the Master's voice still held more than a tinge of envy.
"He can't be trusted to keep a secret that doesn't involve him and you know how bad he is with deadlines. If Manohar runs away, no one would be able to continue his project whereas you are reliable." Jirni replied.
"Thanks, I guess. Did you really fail to find more about Meln?" Vastor tapped his finger on the thin folder she had given him back when he was still recovering from his wounds.
Archon Ernas making a poor job was unprecedented, his Abominations faring no better was beyond unsettling.
"My guess is that he has changed his name every time he moved to a different city to start anew. Do you have any idea how many screwups the Kingdom has and how hard is to track them all?" Jirni said.
"I've tried the criminal database and his face popped up several times with different aliases. Aside from the crimes he had been charged with and how long he served his sentences, they don't tell me much.
"Why are you so interested in a non-magical runt?" Jirni wouldn't give Orpal so much time of her day if not for her deal with Vastor.
Once her contacts in the law enforcement, the underworld, and even the beasts' community had confirmed him being a nobody, Jirni had lost interest in his past and focused more on finding out who was pulling his strings.
