Supreme Magus

"Mommy is back and will stay home with you. Most of the time." Even Jirni didn’t have the heart to lie to her daughter like that, knowing that Dripha might remember and her tiny heart would be scarred once Jirni went back on her word.

"Yay!" Dripha didn’t understand much of what Jirni said, but she understood enough. "Mama ’tay. ’tay." Finally at peace, Dripha fell asleep, and the Rune Stores fell to the ground.

"What’s going on, Mom?" Friya asked in confusion.

"Dripha thinks that your father and I abandoned her because of these stupid things, and that we’ve returned for the same reason." Jirni emitted the softest snarl her daughters had ever heard. "I’m going to kill someone for this."

Lith could only imagine the fury seething below Jirni’s stoic expression, so he decided to give her some privacy and conduct his business elsewhere. He moved to the master bedroom and pressed Baron Wyalon’s rune.

"Nice to see you again, Lith." The Baron smiled. "I heard you’ve made a killing again. Both literally and metaphorically." He laughed at his own joke.

"It’s nice seeing you too, Eiros." Lith replied. "How are you doing? How is winter in the north treating you?"

"Like usual." The Baron shrugged. "Freezing temperatures, long snowstorms, and of course, plenty of stupid criminals and monsters. Same old, same old."

"Didn’t you hear about what happened in Distar?" Lith asked.

"I did." Wyalon replied. "It was all over the news, and I even got a vague royal proclamation ordering me to stay on guard against an even vaguer impending crisis. Why?"

"Please, keep what I’m about to tell you between us." Lith said, and the Baron nodded for him to continue. "The issue with those Isharas might not be limited to the Distar region.

"The Kellar region might be in the same situation, if not even worse. Soon an official investigation will start, and the Royals will send you a Constable to help you deal with the problem."

"I see." Wyalon nodded. "You were afraid Jambel might be facing more than its fair share of bandits and that your silver might have been stolen. Am I right?"

"Yes, sorry." Lith sighed. "Well? Am I right as well?"

"Not even close." The Baron replied. "Nothing weird happened. Our bandits were the usual cream of the crap you can find around these parts, and not a single crate of your silver has been reported stolen."

"Seriously?" Lith furrowed his brows. "This is great news. I’m very happy for you. I was about to offer you my help and come there to help with the investigation."

"Your presence is always welcome. You don’t need to wait for a crisis to come visit me, you know?" Wyalon folded his arms.

"Yes, and I’m sorry, but life is a bit hectic here. How are Mirias and your kids?" Lith asked.

"Mirias still has her fainting problem." The Baron referred to the panic attacks that his social blunders gave his wife. "As for my kids, well, they’re not kids anymore. Kotu is engaged to a nice young lady now."

"A noble?" Lith asked.

"No, she’s a teacher." Wyalon replied. "She seems nice. I will tell you more once I complete her background check and have a full picture of her family and friends."

"That’s... thoughtful." Lith said. "Maybe a tad too much?"

"Too much?" The Baron snorted. "My son is the future Baron of Jambel, and this is his first relationship. What would you do if this was about Ral or Ely?"

Lith opened his mouth to reply, and his mind went over several scenarios involving his Demons following his children’s alleged suitor wherever they went for months. Maybe even Jirni having a private chat with them.

"I see your point." Lith raised his hands in surrender.

"Good." The Baron nodded. "You can come to pick up your silver anytime you want. I could use a bit of shadow tailing, and your kids would love the snow."

"I’ll think about it. Have a nice day, Wyalon. Lith out." He hung up the call and pressed Zolgrish’s rune next.

’There is no way the Isharas didn’t harass at least him.’ Lith thought. ’He’s no Awakened, and almost half that comes out of my silver mines ends up in his pockets. I can’t stand that idiot, but I need him to run the mining operations.’

The Lich didn’t reply, but even Lith’s paranoia found that normal. Unless Zolgrish needed to talk with Lith, it could take a few hundred calls until he finally picked up his amulet.

"Who are you and how did you get my rune, sugar lips?" Zolgrish said when the hologram of the rotten ruin of his face finally appeared.

"That’s Scourge, Master." Ratpack, his undead chimera assistant, groaned. "He male."

"Really?" Zolgrish gasped. "Then why does he have long silver hair and wear makeup?"

Ratpack sighed in exasperation, using his enchanted feather duster to remove the spiderwebs, insects, and dirt filling his master’s empty eye sockets.

"This is amazing! It’s like a thick fog has finally lifted from my eyes. Have you studied Healing magic without my knowledge, Ratpack?"

"No."

"Zolgrish. I’m still here." The conversation had barely started, and Lith could already feel a massive headache coming.

"Who are you and how did you get my rune, stranger?" Zolgrish yelped in surprise and turned to face the source of the unknown voice.

"That’s Scourge, Master." Ratpack emitted a high-pitched whine. "Same call as before."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ratpack." The Lich replied. "What do you want, Starch? I’m busy!"

Lith briefly explained the problem with the Isharas, certain that Zolgrish had no idea what had happened outside his lab since the last time he had left it to buy more ingredients.

"Isharas? Bandits?" He asked in confusion. "Do we have those, Ratpack?"

"No and yes." The small undead replied. "Plenty of bandits every year, Master. Mediocre specimens, but still specimens. Your words."

"No more than usual, Ratpack?" Lith asked, receiving a no in reply. "This is nice to hear, but how is this possible? Faluel asking them to stay away from Lustria is one thing, but why would Inxialot do the same?"

"Good question, Seth." Zolgrish nodded. "If they steered clear of your lands both in Distar and Kellar, it would mean they have avoided you on purpose. That the Ismaels wanted to escape your detection in preparation for some bigger, nefarious plan."

"My thought exactly." The Lich’s brilliant intuition surprised Lith. "Is there a way to check how things played out?"

"Of course! I just need to call my master." Zolgrish pressed Inxialot’s rune and added him to the call.

"This is Inxialot the Lich’s house. Who am I talking to?" A deep tenor voice came from off-screen.

"It’s me, Inxi! Zogh-zogh!" Zolgrish replied.

"Oh, that moron." The voice replied with what Lith recognized as a low growl. "One moment, please."

Lith heard a soft thud, and then a small black cat bolted across the floor and out of the door.

"That was rude!" Zolgrish grunted. "Ratpack is a moron, but I don’t say that to his face."

"I’m right here, Master." The small undead sighed.

"Most of the times." Zolgrish shrugged.

"Who are you, and how did you get my rune, you undead piece of trash?" Inxialot snarled, his eyes burning with the red light of undeath.

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