I scoffed at his assertion. “That’s preposterous! If Dad were excommunicated she’d…” Realization dawned upon me. “She’d be first in line for clan head, sonofabitch. Is she going to try and challenge Gramps for his position?”

  Thorin shook his head. “From what I’ve been able to glean–using my, admittedly rusty, scouting Skills–she seems content to learn from him, but she has a hatred for you and Neil I don’t understand. Ever since she got here six weeks ago, she’s been spending more and more time with the elders and they’re slated to vote on the matter regarding you and Neil in six days.”

  I groaned, frustrated beyond words at the present situation. And to think I’d been excited to even meet Anya, let alone get to know her, and now she was trying to get me and Dad kicked out of the family.

  “Does Dad know?”

  I had a feeling he didn’t, but had to ask. Dad didn’t have many blindspots, but Anya was definitely one of them given what Uncle Galloway told me about how her mom died and her reaction to my mom entering the picture.

  “The elders ordered a communication blackout concerning this situation.” Thorin tugged on his beard. “I’d have sent word anyway, but the only person I know with a communication Skill with long enough range to reach Wyrm’s Rest is on the council of elders so I was stuck.”

  “That should not be a problem.” Glyph stared Thorin down and the dwarf shuddered. “Artie has access to [Sending] and has been in contact with him recently. I have drafted a message I think would explain the situation well if he would like to send it.”

  “What?!” He stared at me with wide eyes. “You learned [Sending] so young? Did you use a Skill Scroll for it? Those go for thousands of gold!”

  I nearly had a heart attack right there. “They do?!” Raiju looked concerned and I did my best to calm myself down. “I honestly had no idea they were so expensive. It was given to me as a good faith offering, I had no idea how good that faith was at the time. The person in question’s actions make more sense knowing that though.”

  Damnit Gabby! I had no idea that [Sending] Scroll was so expensive… wait a second. She didn’t say it was a [Sending] Skill Scroll, it was just a [Sending] Scroll. A one use version of the Skill. How did I just now realize it!? I don’t need expensive Skill Scrolls, I can just buy single use Scrolls and get mastery linked to wherever [Skill Dominance] is at that point.

  My mind continued to race as I considered how stacked I was going to be in the Skill department when I made it to Sunhome. During that time, Glyph, Raiju, and Thorin worked together to tune the [Sending] message for Dad, though I had no intention of sending it that evening. Tomorrow would have to be good enough, I’d hate for him to have issues sleeping because I decided to drop this [Fireball] on his head before he went to bed.

  I glanced at the piece of paper Thorin handed me, but didn’t spend much time on it. “I’ll send it in the morning, before breakfast, but I think it’s time for us to turn in. We fought our way through the pass on the way in and I’m beat.”

  I rolled backward off of the club chair and walked over to offer Raiju a hand up. A blush crept across her cheeks as she accepted my hand, then rose gracefully to her feet, her grip light as a feather.

  Taking the hint, Thorin rose to his feet as well. He looked at the spread on the table and left it there. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He bowed slightly. “Head-in-waiting.” A portal of shadow appeared beneath his feet and he fell straight in without a word.

  Since [Skill Dominance] didn’t trigger, I assumed it was a usage of [Darkway] and pushed the thought of it aside. Turning to Raiju as I held her hand, I smiled.

  “Please, eat. I know you must be starving at this point.” I rubbed the back of her hand. “Just leave me a cup of soup and I’ll make a sandwich before you tear into the platter.”

  She blinked a few times before blushing even harder. “Are you sure?”

  I released her hand and quickly put a sandwich together. Just some carved [Cave Boar], cheese, butter, and bread. “Go for it. I’m good.” I chomped down on the sandwich in the same chair I’d occupied a few minutes before as she absolutely demolished the spread in front of me. Less than five minutes later, all the food was gone and I just barely got my cup of soup before Raiju downed the jug.

  When we finished eating, we parted ways for the night, with Raiju taking the room to the left of the room Ylsa let me know was for me. It was connected to hers, in an obvious bodyguard/charge situation. It took me a bit to get used to the room, but ten minutes later I was tranced and remained that way until Raiju snuck into my room half an hour later.

  She was incredibly stealthy, but it was hard to ignore a person climbing into bed next to you when you were sitting cross legged on it. Still, I let her do as she wished as she curled up around my back and sides before sighing contentedly. I fell back into my trance while tracing her lupine ears with the fingers of my right hand.

  ***

  When Raiju stirred the following morning, I took that as a signal and got up as well. Sitting at a desk next to a huge mural depicting what I assumed was the view of the valley through the wall it was on, I pulled out the message I was going to send Dad and read it once more before sighing and sending it, with a few modifications, before I could reconsider…again.

  [Anya at Ironhold, working with council to excommunicate you and I. What should I do? Thorin and Gramps stand against her. Also, she hates us.]

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Before I could even stand, I got a response.

  [Mom and I are on our way. Should be there in half a week, tops. Do not engage Anya in combat. I will handle her.]

  “Shit. That didn’t go how I expected.”

  Dad’s going to be here in five or less days, how’s that going to go? The vote is in six days, so he’s going to be cutting it close.

  From the bed, Raiju peeked her head out of the covers, her ears down in embarrassment. “So…I didn’t mean to–”

  “I always rest better with you around, so I want you to consider this our room.” I walked over and ruffled the hair between her ears. “Everyone who matters is used to it at this point, so why deny it?”

  Color flooded her cheeks and a second later she bolted off the bed, but I caught a glimpse of her grinning from ear to ear as she streaked out the door and around toward the room she’d started the night in.

  From the bodyguard door between our rooms, Ylsa whistled. “Smooth.”

  “Good morning to you too.” I strode for the exit and she fell in behind me as we left my bedchamber.

  Out in the common room, I spotted Glyph talking with Mindy while Volta was sitting on a couch reading a book I didn’t recognize. Gabby left her room at nearly the exact same time I did, almost as if she’d planned it that way, but it kind of made sense. Almost all elves tranced on the same schedule after spending enough time together and we’d spent the past few months in close proximity.

  A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door and when Ylsa answered it, Uncle Thorin’s son, Durvin was revealed. He was significantly older than me but–unlike Derrick–was always kind, if a bit stuffy. He was nearly a carbon-copy of Gramps, though his beard was only to his knees, though I knew he was more like his father in receiving a Class related to Darkness. He was a [Shadowblight], an A-Ranked Rare Class perfectly suited to our family’s role as royal assassins and spies for the king of Ironhold with its nearly imperceptible necrotic Skills.

  He bowed slightly. “The family awaits your presence in the clan hall for breakfast.” He addressed me past Ylsa before locking eyes with her. “You and your fellows are welcome as well, apologies for my rudeness.”

  I could have sworn I saw a hint of a blush in his cheeks as he looked more closely at Ylsa’s toned physique, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. Filing that away for later, I got my friends moving toward the clan hall. Ten years ago, when I last visited Ironhold, the idea of a big family meal had sounded amazing.

  I was wrong.

  Of all the families making up the core of the Ironwind clan, only two were understanding of Dad remarrying. Gramps and Gran were incredibly supportive from what I saw, he even went so far as to hug Mom and welcome her to the family despite most of his descendants being assholes about it. The other was Uncle Thorin’s family, taking Gramps’ decision as official and making it known where they stood when asked even if they weren’t overly affectionate toward us.

  Everyone else? Some combination of disdain, disgust, and outright anger. More than a few times Mom escorted me away from Dad as he argued with one family member or another, not thinking anything of it. A few years later, I learned each of those times Dad had been forced into a trial by combat and won, usually quite handily. Thinking about that, I had a gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach.

  This isn’t going to be just another breakfast, it’s a battlefield and I’m not allowed to strike at the general. I rubbed my temples as we entered the room and I spotted Anya sitting opposite the long table from Gramps, glaring at me already. I hate being right sometimes.

  Uncle Thorin made to lead us over to sit near his family, up by the head of the table, but before he could take even a few steps, Anya rose from her seat.

  “Arthur,” she put on a fake smile, “please, come sit with me and my friends. We have so much to discuss.” Her words may have sounded kind, but her intentions were anything but.

  Eyes flicking from her back to Uncle Thorin, I sighed and gave him a shallow bow before speaking quietly. “Into the [Cave Behemoth]’s den we go.” I flashed him what I hoped was an encouraging smile and turned to my half-sister. “We’d be delighted.”

  She blinked a few times before putting that same fake smile on. “Of course, you’re all welcome.”

  A few of her hangers on got the hint when they realized I wasn’t going to enter the monster’s den alone, making room for my friends to join me, though not right next to where a place was obviously prepared at Anya’s left hand.

  Family politics suck, but I guess this is as good of a chance to sus out what’s going on between us as I’m likely to get here. I know she probably hates me because of Mom and Dad getting together after Maddie died, but I need to know for sure.

  I flashed her a wide grin as I took the seat diagonal from her on the bench, Raiju settling in right next to me, comfortably, in the dwarf-sized seat they left open. Dwarves were short compared to most of the intelligent races, but that didn’t stop them from being the widest in the same size category.

  Anya’s smile cracked for a second as raw hatred flowed out for a moment before she tamped it down. “Arthur, it is too good to see you so early. I hope your accommodations are suitable?” She fanned her face in a false display of modesty. “When I arrived they insisted I stay in Father’s old chambers and I just couldn’t say no.” Her voice dripped with venom at the mention of Dad, but otherwise her shell of a modest young dwarven woman stayed intact.

  Not one to be outdone, I went even sweeter than she’d attempted. “Dearest sister, you have nothing to worry about!” I clutched at my chest with the hand bearing both my visible signet rings, one for The Dominion and the other for the Needle Spire. “My friends and I were treated like visiting royalty and were offered the finest accommodations the Needle Spire has to offer. Frankly?” I leaned in conspiratorially. “I think they might have given us too nice a suite, but you know Uncle Thorin, generous to a fault.”

  That was bullshit, Uncle Thorin was known as the most stingy armory attendant and quartermaster in the last nine hundred years of the Needle Spire’s history. He wasn’t afraid to repossess items regardless of the family members’ position, even going so far as to reclaim an enchanted leatherworking chisel from Gramps when he forgot to return it one day, years before. However, to Dad’s little family? He treated us like gold, precious and malleable, as he showed us around everywhere the last time I’d visited. He even gave Mom a gold bracer he crafted as a gift before she left and she still wore it when leaving the house given the defensive ability it had to create a shell of earthen material when she was attacked while surprised.

  Suffice to say, I’m pretty sure I saw Anya’s eye twitch at the mention of Uncle Thorin’s generosity.

  “In that case, let’s talk about why you’re here.” She put on her best curious face, despite obviously holding back her rage. “It’s not like we’re anywhere near Wyrm’s Rest.”

  Raiju laid her hand on my thigh beneath the table, lending me her non-vocal support. Over my shoulder, Glyph floated watching the interaction between Anya and I with his usual curiosity.

  Grabbing Anya’s hand, quick as a viper, I held it tenderly. “Dear sister, we’re here to visit you of course.” I lied my ass off and she practically exploded.