"Baby Scourge said my name!" Phillard looked at the baby as if she had turned night into day. "I’ve changed my mind. Some babies are noisy, dirty, and smelly. Yours is very cute." He waved a clawed finger in front of Elysia who sniffed it first and then bit it with all her strength. "You’re a warrior already!" The Lindwurm laughed, he couldn’t even feel a pinch from the small fangs. Elysia shapeshifted her onesie into a fluffy replica of the Voidwalker armor and a toy War flew into her hand. "You’re not just a warrior. You’re a knight!" Phillard said and Elysia made her best impression of her father. "A knight needs a steed. I bet Big Scourge is too proud to do something like this for you, little one." The Lindwurm put Elysia on his back and slithered around the house as fast as a horse. The baby girl clung to the spikes along his spine and giggled in excitement. She loved speed and had never experienced something like that. "Who is he?" Valeron walked through the door and hid behind Lith’s legs after hearing Elysia’s happy laugh. Valeron too shapeshifted into his Divine Beast form to feel safer. "He’s a… newfound business associate." Lith said, waiting for the end of the lap to do the introductions. "Valeron, this is Phillard. Phillard, this is-" "Valeron the Second!" When the Lindwurm recognized Valeron’s emerald scales and golden feathers he stopped so abruptly that Elysia was almost sent flying. She dug her tiny claws deep into Phillard’s scales but he barely noticed. "Yes." Lith didn’t miss the shock in the Lindwurm’s voice and prepared a Hush spell. "He’s-" "The Mad Prince! The Forbidden Son! Arthan’s Heir!" Phillard cut Lith short again and was Hushed for it. "How did he get here?" "I adopted him." Lith entrusted the babies to Tyris before resuming the conversation. "Why?" "Why?" The Guardian was still there but her presence wasn’t enough to contain the Lindwurm’s outrage. "Because he’s the reason for the War of the Griffons, that’s why! Do you have any idea how many people died because of him? "How many Lesser Divine Beasts have been sacrificed and experimented upon to allow him to merge his life forces like you did?" "I fought in the War of the Griffons. I know those numbers." Lith’s voice became cold. "Just like I know Valeron is just a baby. He has no idea what his mother has done and is not responsible for Thrud’s crimes." "That’s nice of you to say, but I don’t think many people in the Council share your point of view, especially among the Lesser Divine Beasts." Phillard replied. "I thought Leegaain had taken Valeron with him. We all did." "And you were right." Lith replied. "I took Valeron in months after the end of the War. Do you have a problem with that?" "I don’t." Phillard shook his head. "But I know many who would, if they were to learn about this." "If this is a threat or an attempt to raise your price, it’s not working." Lith’s eyes narrowed and his voice went cold. "I’m not threatening you. I’m warning you." The Lindwurm shook his head again. "Most of the people in the Council are still angry at the Mad Queen. They say she died too quickly and would give an arm and a leg to have a pound of her flesh. "The only reason no one made a move against the boy until this moment is that everyone thinks Leegaain has Valeron and no one is so stupid that they would challenge a Guardian inside their home. You, however, are a different story." "I’m no Guardian, but I’m no pushover either." Lith replied. "Indeed, but you should be more careful." Phillard said. "Don’t let Valeron shapeshift in public. Let everyone think he’s a human baby, that you had him with your mistress, anything but the truth. "Otherwise, you’ll get in trouble much worse than the Menadion thing. "Awakened like this jackass just want leverage and need you alive to get Master Menadion to work for them." Phillard pointed at the two hogtied men. "Those after Valeron want him dead." "Thanks for the warning." Lith nodded. "If there’s nothing else, you can leave." "Remember my words. No shapeshifting." The Lindwurm opened a Warp Steps and disappeared from sight. "What was that all about?" Elina had missed the conversation and noticed only the prisoners at Lith’s feet. "I’ve good news and I’ve bad news, Mom." Lith told her about his deal with Phillard and the warning about Valeron. "These people were after me and now even the poor Valeron is not safe anymore?" Elina was horrified at the thought. "How can those people blame a child for someone else’s actions? Why won’t they leave me alone?" "It’s not your fault, Elina. It’s mine." Menadion sighed. "I’m sorry for putting your family in danger." Tista was not a target solely because she was also a violet-cored Divine Beast and taking her alive was hundreds of times harder than killing her. Raaz was always careful when he left the safety of his house. His previous kidnapping had made him paranoid and hypervigilant. He forwarded his route to the Queen’s Corps in advance and rarely strayed from it. As for Rena, between helping Senton with his family’s business and her children, she had no time for traveling unless it was a family trip. Elina was the main target because she traveled often and because the events of Vinea had proven how much Lith cared about her. "It’s no one’s fault." Lith replied. "Even if you never came back, Ripha, and I hadn’t adopted Valeron, there would still be Meln, the enemies I’ve made during my life, and all those who want to steal my research. "You can’t reach a high position without lots of people wanting to push you down to take your place. Think of Zogar’s family or the Royals’. They too are always at risk and need constant protection. "The only way to be safe is to be a nobody with nothing to lose. A life that no one wants for himself." "Still, it’s my fault if these people are after me and you have to constantly worry about me." Elina wrung her hands. "Maybe, if I weren’t so clingy in public and didn’t follow you around so much-" "So you’re blaming yourself for loving me?" Lith raised an eyebrow. "No, I mean, maybe if I acted more distant-" "Since when being a good mother is a flaw?" Lith refused to let her finish the phrase. "That’s not what I mean." Elina sighed. "I feel guilty for putting you under such pressure and I wish there was something I could do to help you. Anything, really." "Mom, do you remember the conversation we had in the city of Valeron after the play?" Lith asked. "Yes." She replied after a moment of hesitation. "Why?" "Because there’s something that I wanted to tell you since that night." Lith wrapped her in an embrace and his wings clung to her as well. "Thank you for being my mother." *** After reassuring Elina and making sure there was no picture of Valeron in his Bahamut form on the Web, Lith brought Sigmur Blackhand and Ekair Marav to the Blood Desert.