?Chapter 3272 Untold Secrets (Part 1) "No!" Kamila, Salaark, and Leegaain said. The first one in embarrassment and the other two in outrage. "Just yesterday, Lith and I received a report warning me that the bounty on my head is still in place. Hence we assumed that as soon as the news of Lith going away with most of his allies spread, someone would try to kill me. It's the reason we... mixed business and pleasure." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂 "That's a self-serving way to put it, to use an understatement." Leegaain scoffed. "You two manipulated us Guardians. Plain and simple." "As much as it pains me to say this, I agree with the old lizard." Salaark grunted. "You exploited our vow to protect Lith's children and the woman who bears them to solve your problems at our expense. Shame on you, Featherling." "Couldn't you stop them?" Zinya tilted her head in confusion. "Stop a couple from expressing their love? Preposterous!" Leegaain scoffed. "Then if this situation angers you, why did you intervene?" "And let our grandchild get hurt?" The Guardians stared at Zinya as if she was the worst nutcase on Mogar. "I'd rather raze Garlen to the ground than let that happen." "Okay, you have lost me." She sighed. "You are making no sense." "Love rarely does, child." Salaark chuckled. "Wait, this is why you wanted to go to the Gardens of Saefel and pray!" Zinya said. "You didn't want the First Queen's blessing, you wanted to bait your enemy into attacking." "Actually, I wanted both." Kamila replied. "I wish that Tyris protects Lith but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope for an ambush." "This doesn't make sense." Zinya said. "If you knew there was no actual danger to you and the baby, why did you ask Kigan and me to attend your audience with the Royals?" "Because once my pregnancy is revealed, no one will dare make a move against me. Not after what happened the first time." Kamila sighed. "I had no idea the assassins would take us to an isolated place or that they would be so strong. "I assumed that Kigan would have dealt with them effortlessly and no one would have suspected I'm pregnant again. This is why no one in the Blood Desert has celebrated the event yet. "No one can know what happened here today, Zin. If anybody asks, say that Grandma assigned me a Phoenix as bodyguard and he Warped us to safety. We never met the Griffons." The two women discussed for a while, agreeing on the details of the events that had allegedly unfolded and preparing answers for the most likely questions that would follow their explanation. "There is no margin for mistakes, Zin." Kamila said after they got their stories straight. "We need to hide the involvement of Kigan and the Guardians. As long as my pregnancy remains a secret, our enemies will keep considering me Lith's weak point. "With a bit of luck, Meln might be the next to try and kill me." A quick call to the Royal Palace and Salaark guaranteeing Kamila's version of the events put an end to the emergency search and solved the mystery of the disappearance of the two women. The Griffons had done a good job covering their tracks and the Royal Guards had found no trace of the Awakened who had Warped Kamila and Zinya to the site of the ambush. Meanwhile, far away in Jiera, in the middle of a deadly battle against a lost city, the Undead King felt a shiver run down his spine. A cold sweat covered his body as death offered him an invisible cigar and patted his shoulder. "Why did you let the attack happen, Leegaain?" Kigan felt safe enough to speak his mind. "I understand that moving the fight to a secluded area favors Lith's schemes but why did you wait so long before intervening?" "I didn't wait to do Lith a favor." Leegaain snarled. "I knew you were there and that Salaark's Voidfeather armor would buy me a bit of time. Time that I used to detect the smells and energy signatures lingering on those bastards. "When we Guardians act, we are always through. Tyris annihilated Verendi's Awakened Council the moment she learned the identity of the instigator and my aim too was to understand the scope of the conspiracy. "It took me a while to extract all the information I needed. The rest my songbird will extract from the Griffons with Tyris' help after a prolonged stay in her Pits of Agony. Griffons don't share a bond as deep as Phoenixes but it's still hard for them to hide anything from their progenitor." "I see." Kigan nodded. "Can I take part in the celebrations?" "There's nothing to celebrate until Lith comes back," Kamila took her communicator amulet out to check that his rune was still on. "After that, it's not up to me." "If your associates help Lith and rescue Solus, I have no objections." Leegaain said. "I'd owe them as much." "Same." Salaark nodded. "I understand you feel little joy now, Featherling, but since Zinya knows about the baby already, I believe the rest of your family too deserves this new hope to shine some light on the darkness of this day." "You are right, Grandma. Please, take me back to the Blood Desert." Kamila replied. "One murder attempt is more than enough for today." "Have you already thought about the name for the baby?" Zinya asked. "No. We decided to make him yesterday night and conceived him soon after. The name was the last thing on our mind." On the one hand, Kamila felt guilty about the circumstances of her new pregnancy. On the other hand, she couldn't wait to hold her baby boy in her arms. "Elysia was named after Elina." Leegaain pondered out loud. "It's only fair to follow the same tradition and name the boy after his grandfather. Also, if you pick a name that starts with an L you'll honor both the grandfather and the father. Two Wyrms with one stone." "What a smartass!" Salaark slapped the back of his head. "Elysia was named after Elina so the baby boy should be named after Raaz, not you." "Yeah, right, you hypocrite." Leegaain snarled. "We both know that Elysia is the name of one of the alter egos you used back when you were still trying to find the best approach to lead your people. "You and Elina had your turn, now it's mine. I mean, mine and Raaz's, of course." Both Guardians turned to Kamila, expecting her to take their side. "I'll talk with Lith about it." It was the best she could say not to upset anyone. After all, they would protect her for the next nine months, and the baby until he came of age. Kamila owed the Guardians her life and the safety of her children. A name was a silly price to pay for their help. "Great thinking" Leegaain puffed smoke out of his nostrils and his chest out with pride. "The father should always be involved in all kinds of decisions involving a baby. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some vermin to catch." The Father of All Dragons flapped his wings and took flight. He wouldn't rest until everyone involved in the attempt on the life of the newest addition to the Verhen family was dead or a guest in Salaark's Pits of Agony.