Naidra was rather surprised and a bit worried when she looked to Dan. Her mouth nearly dropped open whenever she noticed Dan's energy fluctuate and the potion began to boil rapidly. For an instant it seemed Maria had spoiled the potion by distracting him then suddenly the boiling stopped and she watched the color quickly soften. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination but it was a big and sudden step in the right direction. “Well that was impressive.”

“Joseph stop trying to fix everything that might go wrong and let it play out a bit! I swear if you acted that way when we made love you'd never get me off!” Maria gave a slight giggle whenever she noticed a change in Joseph's potion she was a bit alarmed though whenever she noticed a red hue developing in the potion. “Did I just cause him to slip up?”

“No!” Naidra gave a slight chuckle. “How did you do that?”

“Oh I just know Joseph. He get's so busy worrying about what might go wrong at times that he ends up solving a problem that never comes to pass or tries to. I'm just glad they're enough real problems for him to work on that it keeps him busy. I think it has even rubbed off on me as I find myself worrying about what he's going to do whenever he can't think of any real problems to solve. The ones he might end up imagining could be rather crazy. Okay now.”

There wasn't time for Maria to speak as Alaina stepped into the room. After seeing how Dan and Joseph responded to her there was no way she was going to let her take care of Ridon. That was her job. Part of her was amazed though. The protectors had known it was best to keep quiet and let them focus on the task at hand. Then Maria had started shouting and suddenly their performance had improved. “Ridon you can't be lead to an answer you have to forge your own path to it.” Alaina couldn't help but giggle as she placed a hand on Maria's shoulder. A nervous feeling swelled up within her as she watched Ridon beginning to struggle with his flask. She knew that Ridon wasn't the alchemist Joseph and Dan were but they weren't the mage he was either.

Maria couldn't help but smile as she looked at Naidra. “There is a difference between being annoying and encouraging.  I wish we had Mina in here I'm sure she'd know exactly what buttons to push to bring out Dan's best.”

For a moment Naidra said nothing but then gave her head a slight nod. Quietly supporting their creators had been their rolls for so long. Had this been a mistake? Some Luvarians would ask them for feedback from time to time. Perhaps they should have been more forthcoming with their input or even some quiet words of encouragement. “You have a point.”

***********************************************************************************

“Ouch.” Was all Dan could manage as Mina removed the cup from his mouth. It had been a long time since he'd last used alchemy like that. It had been during a war when the demand for healing potions had been very high. He had been working for extended hours to meet demand to make potion after potion. The energy constantly running through his body having to be shaped took its toll on him. Working on the exalted will potion had taken a heavy toll on him. He doubted that he could make two in a single day with his current abilities. It was nice to have his head laying against Mina's  leg though and he smiled up at her whenever he opened his eyes.

“It was that difficult huh?” As she spoke Mina reached out and picked up the potion Dan had been working on. It was a soft purple rather then the far darker color it had held before. At least that is what she had been told. Mina had still been told not to let anyone drink it. The protectors believed that Dan might want to take a moment to look at his handiwork once he felt up to the task. She didn't think he was ready for that just yet as his eyes closed.

“It's far harder to make that then I imagined it was.” They were potions to bolster ones strength, endurance and even intelligence for a short time. The exalted will was a bit different as if done right it was meant to bolster everything about a person's being. It could even amplify ones ability to cast magic spells for a short time. Normally such a powerful potion would be more likely to kill anyone drinking it then help them. It had to be carefully refined so that it would be taken into the drinkers body as if it had always been a part of them. It had to be able to mix almost perfectly with the mystic energies of nearly anyone who drank it. It had to be dynamic. The potion was well beyond anything that Dan had ever made or could have made before.

“It looks pretty tasty! I asked Naidra if I could have a sip and she told me no.”

“Did she say it was dangerous?” Dan could remember Maria offering him advice. He had tried to take it though it had been difficult. He wasn't surprised to hear things hadn't worked out despite his efforts. It was his first time working with this level of alchemy. The notion that it could be harmful to something as well built as a faelom especially to someone as well built as Mina was rather surprising though. If one of them couldn't drink it safely he knew that a human couldn't handle it.

“Actually she said you should examine it once you're feeling better and compared it to the standard.”

“So she didn't tell you what we needed to work on?”

“No. But don't worry. I like the color of the one you made more then the one she did.” As she spoke Mina slipped her hands underneath Dan and lifted him slightly so she could bend down and place a kiss upon his lips. It was something of a surprise whenever he set up after being placed on the ground again.

“She made one of them?” Dan didn't need to look around. He noticed Joseph was setting a ways off with Maria and didn't seem to be doing any better then he was. After a moment though he noticed there was a flask setting upon his glyph. While it wasn't a detailed examination the coloration seemed to be perfect. There was also a similar flask on Joseph and Ridon's glyphs. “Hey so we made the glyphs right at least!”

“You were worried about that to?” Joseph had a grin on his face as Maria carried him over to Dan and Mina. He actually felt like he could walk but Maria wasn't going to allow it. Unlike Dan he was holding his results in his hands.

“Yeah. So how did yours turn out?”

“Well it's quite a bit redder then I expected it to be.”

“Given that it wasn't suppose to be the least bit red how red is that exactly?”

In response to Dan's question Joseph held the flask up for him to see. While the potion was nearly the same color as the one Naidra had made there was a red fog that drifted around it. In a few places the fog would part and you could see the color of the majority of the potion but for the most part the fog was there. “I'm guessing that fog isn't a good thing. Maria did Naidra give you any idea as to what influence these would have?”

To this Maria gave a nod. “ Yeah she told me. Dan apparently yours is a bit of an emotional amplifier. Let's say for example. You were feeling scared or desperate whenever you drank your potion. That feeling of fear and desperation would become even worse. So despite your increased abilities you could end up using them to flee the location. Joseph Naidra said you made a very nice blood eater. The potion would apparently consume some of the person's life energy in order to extend its own duration and make it stronger.” Maria had a wide grin on her face as the two men looked at one another.

Dan. “I don't believe I'll be using mine.”

Joseph, “Yeah.”

Mina, “I'm glad you settled on that. Now let's get these put away and you can study them later. Maria I'll grab the one Naidra made for Ridon as well and put it away. We need to get these two somewhere that they can relax. I hope Dremera doesn't over react whenever she sees you Dan.” Mina could hear the change in Dan's heart rate and knew he was worried as well. For her part Mina didn't like seeing Dan in such poor condition but understood that he was safe. If he wanted to push himself this hard she didn't mind as long as he didn't do it more then twice a week. She would not tolerate him constantly straining his body.

***********************************************************************************

Fera felt rather awkward as she set within her room. The old Luvarian storage area seemed like it had shrunk based on how close her head was to the ceiling. There was still room enough for her but that wasn't why she felt strange. Her plan to move to the waterfront hadn't gone as she had planned. She had been confronted by several of the guardians who wanted to know what she was doing. When she told them she had been practically ordered back to her room to unpack. The vote for what they should do with those who exceeded twenty meters tall had not even happened yet. Until then they wanted as many faelom as possible there to debate the issue and come up with the best possible solution. Their argument had made sense so she had complied. Besides technically a few dozen guardians had the authority to even tell a matron what to do as long as it didn't violate other guidelines.

“So I heard you tried to skip out on us.”

“Hey Sora. I was just trying to do what was necessary.” Fera was one of the few faelom that didn't need Sora to make herself visible to see her. She was a bit surprised whenever Sora did so anyway and unwrapped her tail. She had been concealing Mirin's presence.

“Good evening Fera. So did you see me?”

For a moment Fera said nothing. She was actually rather surprised to realize Sora had been carrying Mirin. “Hey Mirin. I didn't even see you there. So what brings both of you to see me. If you're going to try to talk me into staying and waiting for an official decision don't worry about it. I'll wait.”

Mirin gave a slight nod. “That's good to hear but that's not the only reason. Sora wanted to see if she could walk around and keep me hidden as well now even from your eyes. Well that and I wanted to talk to you about your plans once you reach the waterfront.”

“Well you have your answer to the first question.” For a moment Fera said nothing. “Currently my plan is to make myself a home on the beach. I don't believe I'm large enough to make use of an island. Then I'm going to start taking some swimming lessons and try my hand at fishing. I figure these eyes of mine can see fine underwater so I should be able to find some nice catches. I'll also be able to protect the waterfront village though with Zarena living there I doubt that will be needed.”

“I see. Well Jess and Lenard said not to take off before they have a chance to speak with you as well. They apparently have some intentions of her own.”

Fera felt rather strange as she heard the name of two of her more intimate friends. She slept with both of them from time to time and they were both close to her. She wouldn't have called either of them her mate but they were most assuredly friends. “Blast it. I didn't even stop to talk to them whenever I planned to move. I guess I forgot that whenever I move I'm going to be leaving more things behind then my room.”

“Well I believe it's more like you need to think of things you're going to be taking with you.”

“Huh?”

Sora gave a slight chuckle. “They want to talk about making a major effort to build a new research facility on the waterfront. Actually they had a lot to say about being left out of the loop. Don't you believe that some of us would prefer to live close to you? These types of decision aren't just about you after all. We have a lot of time and energy invested into these relationships and don't want to see them just end like that either. Well they said something like that. In truth I believe they were both pretty mad whenever they learned you'd planned just to walk out.”

For a moment Fera said nothing but then gave a slight chuckle. “Lenard is going to yell at me.”

Sora, “Huh? Soft spoken Lenard?”

“Get him upset over something he really cares about and see how soft spoken he is.” Fera continued to grin as she remembered her friend. “Yeah I should have told them my plans instead of just preparing to leave like that. Mirin how could they talk about building a new research facility on the waterfront though? From what I've been told you've closed ranks on what projects are currently being worked on.”

To this Mirin gave a nod. “We have. We've had to. After all they're some things that just need to be completed now. With the faelom planning to spread out we have to make sure that we can still supply you. This includes designing the planned roads for easy transportation. That said necessary facilities at these new locations are part of that plan. When Sora said they want to talk about a major effort to build a research facility she perhaps didn't use the best words. We're planning and designing certain structures to be build at the waterfront and trade towns. Those two are wanting to make sure there is going to be a new laboratory built there. After all. We've studied how all the alchemical plants in the forest have influenced the water and the fish that swim in them. What about how the runoff has influenced the ocean dwelling life forms?”

Sora could see Fera giving a slight shrug and gave her friend a smile. “He gets like that at time. Don't worry he's not actually asking you a question he's just saying that there is a good argument for researching it. I believe Jeff and Lenard also want to talk to you about living accommodations. It's something of a concern really. What happens if a lot of the brothers want to move with their lovers and especially their mates. You know Dan and Joseph would move if Mina and Maria had to.”

Mirin, “I'll also be going with you Sora whenever you leave even if transportation isn't possible yet.”

Sora, “Mirin we've had that conversation. Even if we have to be apart for a time it's best that you stay and continue your work.”

“I'm not going to be any good at my work without you near by.”

“Ah that's sweet! But you're being difficult.” Sora gave Mirin a kiss on the head despite her words. “I believe we forgot that our moving affects more then just us.”

“Yeah that's true.” A sigh escaped Fera as she shook her head. “What a mess we're walking into. Can't we just use the design from the first laboratory we built?”

Mirin, “With everything we've learned from the citadel! No! No. Nooooo.” As he spoke Mirin shook his head and his hands as if to make his point extra clear. “That would just be a huge waste of resources.

Fera gave a slight giggle as she watched Mirin. “Well okay but keep in mind we're all on a deadline.”

“Yeah. I swear have you noticed that the better things become for us the more rushed we are? The slow pace of centuries past is just gone.”

***********************************************************************************

“Dremera daddy isn't going anywhere. You can go play with your toys and I'll still be here when you get back.” Dan gave a sigh as his daughter continued to set and watch him. She had become quite alarmed whenever Mina had brought him in and tried to share her food and drink with him several times. He was glad she had only tried to share those things that were safe for a brother to eat. Apparently she had already learned that her father had a very selective diet. She had even brought him the treat candies that he made for her. He wasn't hungry though he just needed to rest.

There was no move on Dremera's part to leave as she continued to lay by her father. She wasn't certain what had injured him but she could easily hear that his body wasn't performing like it was suppose to. His voice was also weak. She would have to learn how her mother convinced him to eat whenever she brought him a bowl of soup. Perhaps it had something to do with the soup itself. In his weakened conditioned her father might have trouble chewing or digesting solid food. That or perhaps her mother simply would have forced him to eat and her father knew that so he didn't resist. Dremera wasn't certain what one it was but she felt better after her father had eaten.

“Dan are you certain that you shouldn't just drink a potion to remove toxins from your body and then a restorative? I hate to see you like this and it would get you back on your feet faster.” Mina knew that Dan hated to waste resources. Using such potions to heal something that would be recovered from by a few hours of laying and just relaxing wasn't in his nature. 

“I'm sure Mina.” Dan was about to continue whenever he felt Dremera placing her arms around him and settling her head on his chest. For a moment he just lay there before placing his hand on her head. “You know Dremera even daddy is going to get hurt every once in a while. At times some injuries are a good thing.” Dan tried to convey what he was saying through his tone of voice. Dremera was learning at a remarkable rate. She had picked up on the meaning of certain words though she wasn't able to understand full sentences yet. It was remarkable.

“I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a little longer before you can explain that to her.” Mina didn't bother asking Dan if he wanted her to refill his cup. Even if he didn't want to make use of a potion clean water was a good way to help flush toxins from his body. So will making more of those potions really help you develop I guess you might say more mystic muscles?”

“It will but well it's more an issue of knowledge then anything else. I wouldn't have had to push myself so hard if I actually knew what I was doing. It's like being thrown into a pond but you're not quite certain how to swim. You put a lot more energy in keeping yourself afloat then you really need to and tire yourself quickly. In this case I managed to madly flail about until I reached my target.” A sigh escaped Dan as he set up and took another drink of water. Fortunately Dremera was being cooperative as far as that went. “I had seen the correct form but I wasn't quite able to duplicate it.”

“I can understand that. As my body became heavier I had to work out new ways of swimming.” Mina chose to settle down just behind her daughter and placed a hand upon her back. Dremera responded well to this. “What did you learn from this attempt at swimming?”

“I'm pushing too hard. I end up pushing too hard then I have to pull back and that waste even more energy. I need to be a bit gentle in my approach but I can't be too gentle. They're a lot of reactions going on in that flask at the same time and I need to insure some of them finish before others do.”

“Any good comparisons you'd make to that?”

“Dancing. I need to complete my moves while making sure my partner completes her moves or has the freedom to do so. At the same time they're dozens of dancers all around us and we all have to make sure we're moving in unison to avoid stepping on anyone's toes. I believe playing music with others would be a fair comparison as well.” As Dan rubbed Dremera's head he lightly tickled the tip of her ear. He didn't want his daughter to feel she needed to stay with him the entire time. He didn't want her feeling sad either. It was nice whenever she gave a slight giggle and tried to shake his hand off though she didn't try very hard. “That's my girl.”

“Maria told me about offering you, Joseph and Ridon some encouragement from the sidelines. Did you hear her?”

“Yes and it really helped. Wasn't Alaina the one that helped Ridon though?

“Whoops that's right.”

“I guess playing with Dremera helped me out quite a bit. I know I can't put all my energy into the game or I'll just end up burning out. I just need to put enough energy into it to insure she's engaged in the game and no more. That lets me make sure we can have fun for a long time.”

“I can think of something else that requires careful control of how much you exert yourself.” As she looked over her daughter at her husband Mina gave Dan a rather large grin.

“Very true! But I'm rather glad Maria didn't use that example. It could have been more distracting then helpful.”

“You're probably right.”

***********************************************************************************

Zarena watched the ship carefully for any sign that it might be sinking. Currently Nathan was on the ship but that wasn't really why she was watching it so carefully. She didn't want them to have to wait for the ship to empty out of water because it sunk again. Instead of loading the ship with cargo they had a few faelom riding to provide some additional weight but it was weight that could carry itself if need be. This also provided an added level of safety if the ship should come under attack though Zarena couldn't imagine that happening especially with her standing in the water near it. “How are things going?”

Currently Daniel was at the ships helm. It wasn't his first time but it wasn't an experience he was use to. He had always been told a captain needed to be able to drive the ship with his feet. Unfortunately he wasn't that proficient at feeling the ships movements yet and it had been years since he'd been on one. “I believe that the waters are too calm. We're not going to get a good test in with oceans like this.”

“I thought the whole point was to test the ship in calm waters.”

“There is calm and there is this. It's a bit much. Do you believe you could create some waves for us Zarena?”

It hadn't taken long for Daniel to become comfortable around Zarena. She imagined it had a lot to do with his experience as a claimed then his decision to stay behind and learn. She was glad he hadn't been injured in the escape attempt of several years back. “Okay let me know when the waves are right.” Zarena had to bend down a bit to lower herself in the water. Currently the depth was only forty meters so they ship didn't have too far to sink if it did go under. Placing her arms under the water Zarena pushed outward creating a gentle swell that rocked the ships.

“Yeah that's good! Just stay around there.”

“Okay. Hey Nathan how are you doing?”

Nathan's response was rather slow in coming. While to Daniel the ship had been nice and calm Nathan didn't share in that belief. The slight rocking of the waves was unsettling to him and in truth he was becoming rather sick. He had been so excited whenever the ship had just pushed into the water and he felt the gentle rocking. Soon after the excitement had began to fade though he had began feeling sick and he had only been feeling sicker and sicker with every passing minute. Now with the ship openly rocking with the waves he was having trouble not leaning over the guard rial. “I'm doing fine Zarena!”

That was a lie. Zarena could tell that Nathan's passion for sailing was rapidly vanishing. “Are you sure? You're looking a little green.”

Daniel, “Not everyone is cut out for sailing. I don't know what it is but some of the toughest people I know just get sick whenever they feel the ship rocking and rolling underneath them. How are you ladies doing anyway?”

Kersara, “We're good! I think!” For a moment Kersara went silent and looked around at her fellow faelom in the cargo hold. They looked at one another then looked back at her each giving a slight shrug. Even she wasn't certain what they should say about this. In truth she was rather board. They couldn't see the ocean and the light rocking of the ship didn't seem like anything to get excited about. “Okay we're board.”

“Well. I believe that's natural for cargo.”

Nathan had to take a moment to steady himself and just close his eyes. He didn't want to admit it but he felt sick. Riding a ship was clearly very difference from being carried by Zarena. Even in the open ocean Zarena was simply more stable then the ship was and the vessel didn't offer the same feeling of security she did. “Okay Zarena I believe I'm ready to get off.”

Zarena, “Oh don't give up yet! I'm sure you'll get used to it. Right Daniel?”

“Um well in a few days or weeks maybe. Typically if you can tough it out you adapt. If you are getting off I believe you should do so now though.”

Nathan, “Yeah. Zarena pick me up. I'm ready to get off.”

That was a bit disappointing. Nathan had been so excited to be one of the first brothers to go sailing before. She hated to see him give up on that because of some sea sickness. At least he could say that he was one of the first brothers to learn he became sea sick on a ship. She wondered how many of the brothers would be similar. “Well okay.”

***********************************************************************************

It had actually alarmed Durin whenever he'd been confronted by several faelom. Granted whenever he entered their forest they always came out to meet him. This time they seemed more numerous but that could just be because they were much larger then he remembered them. That was painfully obvious. They didn't look angry though which was always a good sign. He didn't seem to be the only one that was nervous though as he noted his animals responding to their increased size as well as his workers. “Greetings lassies.”

Alexa, “Welcome back Durin! It's been a long while since we last saw you.”

“Ah yes. There have been some wee issues in the great houses as of late. Some questions about where my goods come from and what has happened to some of the competition. It's all very distracting. Mighten I know what has been happening since my last visit?”

“Oh lots of things! Well first I should say. Relax! We're very glad to see you and don't mean you any harm. We do need to talk to you about a little something. Well we've been talking with everyone that has a trade agreement with us about future plans.” Alexa could understand Durin being nervous. For the most part the faelom did not change. With so many drastic changes happening so quickly though it was natural that some would be nervous. 

For a moment Durin did nothing but then he gave a laugh. “It was that obvious we were a bit on edge?”

“Yes. Hey Durin you've met us before is there something we don't know about going on in the outside world?”

“Aye there is lassie. There have been talk about you leaving your forest and even about you working on some ships with the orcs. It has some people on edge. There are even stories about one of you swimming around in the ocean just as big as an entire fleet by herself.” Durin had lived as one of the claimed he knew how the faelom could grow. The notion of one of them as large as an entire fleet of ships seemed silly even after everything he had seen. He also knew how carefully they managed their growth. Whenever he considered how large Alexa was part of him had to wonder about that old assumption.

“Oh Zarena! Well she is big but I wouldn't say as big as an entire fleet of ships. I guess people like to exaggerate a bit. The ship we built is actually a bit longer then she is tall after all.” It was clear to Alexa that Durin was surprised. “Come on Durin you learned about the sleepers whenever you were with us.”

“Indeed I did and I also learned about what it took to awaken one of them. What's going on?” Durin was actually rather worried. He had three good reasons to be. He was in the forest right now and he didn't know if it was safe, one of his best trade partners could be in great danger and he still had rather fond feelings for the faelom despite having been a claimed. If they were in trouble he would need to help how he was able.

“We had an internal problem with a rogue spirit. Don't worry that entire mess has been taken care of. We just decided to keep Zarena awake due to some new mystic knowledge we've came into. Well we've come into a lot of things really. Okay now it's my turn. Durin we need to talk to you about our trade agreement and how things are going to be changing. Those stories about us leaving the forest are true. We're going to be setting up some trade settlements soon or we hope to. They're a few things that still need worked out. Namely we need to buy the land and we want you to help in that.” Alexa wasn't surprised whenever Durin didn't respond immediately. She could tell he was thinking as the dwarf began to stroke his beard.

“You want me to buy the land for you. Then turn the land over to you. I am assuming that I'm not suppose to make a fuss whenever you take the land. You know Alexa that would make it very clear that I have a working relationship with you.” Durin chose not to mention the danger that would put him in. He was certain that they already realized how dangerous such a move could be.

“We're aware of that and it's why we're prepared to talk price. How much would it cost to make it worth the danger. Well the danger and the possible need to relocate. We understand that after revealing such a thing you might not be welcome in your home anymore.”

“Indeed that is true but first Lass. Let's talk a little about these towns of yours and then we can discuss price.”

***********************************************************************************

“So he wants a home in the northern settlement with business rights in the northern and ocean front town.” It was Julia who spoke but several brothers were rather surprised by Alexa's news. Currently a small numbers of keepers and higher ranked faelom were gathered within one of the citadel's meeting rooms. Each one of them knew of the protectors secret. Each one of them was rather well respected and had a lot of influence in the community.

“That's right Sis. He said that he wanted to invest in our community. Durin apparently thinks it could be quite profitable to him. I was rather shocked to. Oh he also wanted to talk about the mystic training we're providing to former claimed who agree to stay. I don't believe he's interested in it for his own sake but apparently he has some ideas in mind. That and he wants to talk to us about charging a rate for training in magecraft, alchemy and well several other things. He's of the opinion we're sharing our knowledge too freely.” As she finished speaking Alexa gave a slight shrug. She felt rather strange about the entire situation. Durin wasn't one of the claimed anymore and he wasn't a brother but he was talking very similar to how brothers did.

Nathan, “I see. So where is Durin now?”

“We brought him into the village. He seemed a little surprised to see how it'd grown. You should have seen Nora whenever she spotted him. I guess she was more fond of him then even she realized from the way she hugged him. Well actually a few of the other faelom seemed eager to greet him.”

Julia, “I guess that shouldn't be surprising. He was a claimed that could have became a brother but chose to leave. How often do they actually return to the village for a visit?”

“That is true. Plus he's always trading with us. I guess they're going to bias towards someone that brings them good things instead of constantly taking from the forest. Even if it was through trade.”

To this Mirin gave a nod. “”Well it isn't like we would have trouble meeting his request. Plus his help in buying the land would be significant. I never thought about not allowing others to create businesses within our communities if they could afford the land and a shop though. From the way Durin is talking it seems he believes they'll be restrictions.”

Alexa, “I told him that! Then he said that there will be restrictions. Even if we don't believe there will be someone will do something stupid or a group of merchants will begin fighting with one another and we'll have to make restrictions. Apparently he's very confident that general foolishness will force our hands.”

It was impossible for Mina to keep from laughing. “That sounds like Durin. Someone is going to get caught in those gears. I don't care how obvious they are someone is not going to be paying attention and they're going to get caught.”

Joseph, “Was he right about that?”

Alexa, “Yes! He was very right about that. Fortunately Stella was close by and managed to stop them before the claimed was killed but she ended up breaking the gears in the process. Whenever they were rebuilt we had them covered to prevent future mistakes.”

Mirin gave a sigh and closed his eyes while leaning his head back. “That is rather depressing to be honest with you. Joseph what are your thoughts on this?”

“I was never really part of the entire merchant ordeal. I know that cities did have restrictions on who could open up businesses there. Often the fees were quite high. It was all a matter of limited space, the shop owners wanting to keep competition down and well you had to be worried about people's intentions whenever they opened a store as well. A lot more could happen inside of a shop then simply exchange of goods.”

Dan, “That's true. Giving people good prices can do a lot to get them on your side which helps with making other changes. You may think that it's just a business but then you find out they're making some deals as well. In the outside world money and goods are a form of power all by themselves.”

Mirin, “I see. Yet more things to consider. Well I believe this is a decision we're capable of making ourselves. Still, let's go speak with Durin about his actual plans. We also need to know what he believes the cost of the land is going to be.”

***********************************************************************************

“So how long do I have?” Maria had a wide smile on her face as Lestel examined her stomach. Due to her body being larger then what faelom had in generations it was hard for other faelom to be certain of how far into her pregnancy she was. The protectors were a more reliable source of information.

“Well I don't want you leaving the citadel anymore if that tells you anything. I believe you may begin birthing anytime within the next three weeks.”

“Three weeks? You can't narrow it down anymore then that?”

“The first week is highly unlikely. The second week is extremely likely and the third is highly unlikely but almost guaranteed if things reach that point. Is that a better answer for you?” Lestel gave Maria a wide grin. She knew that Maria wanted an exact day answer but that wasn't something Lestel was prepared to give her whenever it came to such matters. The rather annoyed look Maria gave her only served to make the situation more amusing.

“Well if that's the best answer you can give. Lestel I'm going to have my own little boy to raise soon! I can't weight to hold him in my hands.” As she spoke Maria placed her hands on her stomach. “I'm going through a lot for you. I hope you know that and know that I love you. I know it's a bit early but I still haven't decided if I want him to be an alchemist like his father or if I want him to learn to use magic. I believe Joseph already is planning for him to become an alchemist.”

“Don't you believe that should be left up to Ethan? After all forcing your brothers or in your case son into a roll seems like past behavior.”

“Well he's going to have a say in it of course. Still we can get him started on the right path. Now one thing we both agree on is he's going to have to learn to read and channel mystic energies. After all alchemy and magecraft both require those skills. He's going to need mathematics of course and he's going to need to learn his people's history. I bet he won't believe me whenever I first tell him there was a time whenever few faelom were allowed to grow to four meters tall. The time of hunger is just going to be a story to him.”

“What are you going to do whenever he tells you that he wants to be with a woman he can protect?” Lestel wasn't surprised whenever she heard Maria's heart rate speed up. Naturally she would think of her son being with another faelom whenever she imagined him in a relationship. “You know with the society opening up to the outside world some may choose they would rather to be with a more delicate lady they can protect then a faelom.”

For a moment Maria said nothing. Unlike with another faelom she didn't have the speed advantage she did over the protectors. So she knew Lestel would notice the pause. That didn't matter though as she carefully considered the question. “I will be sure to teach him the best way to protect something is to strengthen it. So if he wants to protect his lady he should help to make her stronger. That doesn't mean he can't become stronger as well and the best way for him to grow stronger is to learn to tap into his spiritual strength either through magecraft or alchemy.” Maria gave Lestel a rather large grin.

“Oh so you've considered that question before! What if he wants a lady he's more powerful then though?”

“Well then rather then looking for a weak woman I would suggest he gets his rear in gear and develops some power himself. After all eventually our bodies will be a reflection of our spiritual strength. After all you said it. Our bodies can sense the energy our spirit should be able to provide them with and that's what it seeks to achieve. Well it will be more difficult but there is no reason my son can't learn to achieve his maximum potential either and unlike a faelom he has some real choice in how he does that. Now don't you even suggest that my son is going to be weak of spirit either.” This time as she spoke Maria pointed her right index finger at Lestel. She might not be able to take a protector yet but she wasn't going to have one speaking ill of her son.

Now Lestel gave a slight chuckle. She didn't mind that Maria was defending her son. So far her answers had been quite good and more then a little amusing to the protector. They were other things to consider of course. “You really want your son to pick from among the faelom?”

“Of course! Any children of his will be a faelom if they're female. It would be more then a little difficult to find a human female that's capable of carrying one of them. He would at least need to be with one of the orcs if that was going to be the case.”

“You make a very good point. So would you be happy with his mate if she could carry a faelom to term?”

“If she can comfortably carry a daughter to term and raise her then I would have no complaints. If his mate is a faelom or not his daughters are going to be one of us and that will add to our numbers. I just want to make sure that he's with someone that can keep him safe or at least not be a burden. If he's going to to mate with someone that's weaker then a faelom though he had better be sure he's strong enough to protect himself and her.” By now Maria had once again taken on a relaxed seating position feeling comfortable with her responses. She couldn't help but wonder how Joseph would respond to these questions. What kind of mate did he want for their son?

After a moment Lestel settled down next to Maria. “I believe you're going to be a superb mother.”

“I hope so. I know my mom was so I've got a lot to live up to.”

***********************************************************************************

“Well that didn't take long!” Kelah didn't even try to hide her amusement as she looked at the foundation Zarena had dug out for the latest building project. It was going to be a joint effort between the orcs and Luvarians. A sort of magic and spirit research hall, storehouse and library. Once the location had been chosen Zarena had offered to clear it and dig down to the required depth for the foundation. It had taken her roughly ten minutes and that was only because she was being careful.

“I know! I had hoped it would take a little longer.” A sigh escaped Zarena but she continued to smile. She had come to like the orcs though she had never been hostile towards them. Kelah she saw more like a sister. This actually caused problems at times whenever Kelah would talk about her dealings with Nightfang. Part of Zarena wanted to snatch her up and take her to the citadel to see if there was a way to undo and replace her contract. She didn't like the idea that one of her sisters were bound to some external power. Kelah would often mention that it was a contract and Nightfang had responsibilities to her as well but Zarena still didn't like it at times.

“So what are you going to do now? I'm guessing you're going to retrieve the stone.”

“No. Nathans wants to try growing the stone.”

“Grow stone?” Due to her relationship with the spirits Kelah had no trouble thinking of the ground as alive or at least part of a living being. Despite that at times the things the Luvarians would say were extremely strange. Now the notion of growing stone seemed even more unusual then normal. “What do you mean by grow stone?”

“You've been told about the citadel. Well the entire structure is made from a sort of living stone. It literally heals itself after it has been damaged and can feel. Those who are in tune with the citadel can actually feel what it feels. It can even adapt. You know how your skin will grow thicker and tougher on your hands if you regularly do hard work.” Zarena wasn't actually certain that was a good comparison. She had seen such things with brothers. Those brothers who began training with melee weapons and the spirit hunters being trained by Julia now. The orcs were used to rough treatment though.

“Yeah. Like whenever I first began to learn to use my axes.” For a moment Kelah said nothing but looked down at her hands opening and closing them a few times. “I swear after the first week of training with them I worried that I wouldn't be able to dip them in water without washing a layer of skin away.”

“Really? I didn't expect that. You always struck me as always well built.”

“I was! These things take an extra toll on the user though.” As she spoke Kelah grabbed both of the bone axes by the hilt. “They're sharper then any of our other weapons but they're heavier to. So using them properly required me to develop my upper body strength even beyond what it was. I also have to make sure I can stop myself and redirect my swings and that's when they really begin to take the hide of your hands. Now getting back to something important. So they're really growing the stone. How does that work? Can you tell the difference between this grown stone and natural stone?”

“All I can say is alchemy and magic. From what I was told. Mind you I wasn't there for the actual meeting. They talked about taking some stone from the citadel and growing it but realized that wouldn't work. Stone of that quality is beyond our ability to make. So they're working with a simpler solution.”

“In that case where are they growing it and can I see it? I mean are they going to bring some stone seeds here and just plant them in the hole you dug?”

For a moment Zarena opened her mouth to respond but then closed it. “I have no idea! I didn't think to actually ask about it. I'm guessing they're having to grow them in some alchemical solution but are they going to send sections down here as its grown?” Zarena gave a slight giggle as she realized how many questions she hadn't bothered to ask Nathan. “Sorry Kelah you're going to have to grab one of the mages if you want a more detailed answer and I'm not sure if they would be able to provide one.”

“Well that gives me something to talk about later. So when is Fera going to get here? I mean to stay. I noticed her visiting a few times.”

“She's ready to make the move except she has to wait until our laboratory is ready. They're a few brothers that want to make the move with her and they can't until it's ready so they won't be abandoning their work. Kelah I've asked a few of them but I want to ask you. How do the orcs feel about living among us like this?”

“They're fine with it. Being on friendly terms with you is better then having you watch us from the shadows judging us.” Kelah gave a slight chuckle when Zarena didn't show the usual surprise most faelom would. Zarena had always seen them as respectable beings it seemed but simply done what she believed was necessary. At times the other faelom tended to see them more like animals then fellow sentient beings. “They're eager to learn more of your knowledge.”

“We're eager to benefit from yours as well. Are any concerned about us opening up trade again with the outside world?”

“Some of us are. It's kind of funny. Several of us are rather worried about you showing favoritism or the new comers invading our territory.”

“Well if they do invade orc territory you know you can do with them as you see fit. We require you to take care of the sections of forest that you use but otherwise they're yours to do with as you will.” Zarena hoped the orcs wouldn't become uncomfortable about defending their lands. If the humans managed to make their way past the faelom and tried to take from the orcs she had no issue with them defending themselves and their land. Hopefully no humans would be foolish enough to leave whatever regions were assigned for their use.

“I know. It's just after finally managing to really better our relationship we're worried how outsiders might influence it. Well they're other things to. I mean. Did you know my tribe hasn't had any encounters with orcs that weren't born within the forest in over eight hundred years? Even those we did interact with before were very limited. The last ones were a group of orc children that you brought to us.”

For a moment Zarena went silent and began to tap her forehead. “I'm afraid I don't remember that event.”

“Well it wasn't you exactly the Luvarians. I'm not sure about the details but somehow you ended up with some orc children. From what the history says we actually had to argue with the faelom of the time for quite a while in order to get the children. The faelom that were taking care of them had became very attached to them and fully intended to raise them as their own.”

“How did you convince them to let you have the children! I know what my sisters are like and once one of them decides that a child is hers she does not part with that child easily. Typically death is the only thing that will convince her to do so or the child reaching adulthood.”

“Apparently they argued the nature of the orcs. They argued that they had raised human children before and children of their own kind. However, while we are all three intelligent species we don't have the same natures. They argued your society wasn't suited to an orcs happiness and they would always feel like an outsider. I don't know the fine details but that is the major points.” Kelah was actually surprised to see a thoughtful look on Zarena's face. Whenever she didn't say anything Kelah had to speak up. “What?”

“I don't mean to insult your historians Kelah but I don't believe that. I can see your points but that isn't the type of reasoning that would convince us of much especially to give up a child. I can't help but believe more was going on at the time. I wonder what that was.” As Zarena looked down at her tiny friend she couldn't help but wonder. What would have the orcs said to convince the faelom to hand over a child? One possibility was that the child would have already been relatively old. They could have argued the culture of the orcs would be more natural to them. It was quite likely that the faelom who had taken the children as their own would have believed they could watch the children and insure they grew up happy. “Well anyway. What was the differences between your people and these outsider orcs?”

“Well for one thing they were much older then we believed them to be. It was the first time we realized that those of us born in the forest grew much larger then those that live outside of it. They were also. Hey! Did your ancestors think we'd just give them back whenever we realized how much weaker then us they are!” Kelah couldn't help the energy in her voice. Suddenly she felt very offended and more then a little ready to hit someone. If one of those ancient faelom had been standing before her she probably would have.

Zarena tensed up for a moment. She could hear the anger in Kelah's voice and could understand it. “Well first of all. They're not my ancestors. I predate them. I was just asleep during that time. As for if they expected you to give the children back. That could have been it. They may have even wanted the young orcs to see what living with you was like. Perhaps they believed the children would be unhappy with you and gladly return to them. If they didn't give them this chance they might have feared the children would resent them for it. That does sound more like the sisters I know.”  Zarena could tell Kelah was actually annoyed by this but she wasn't going to lie about the situation. She couldn't be certain either way but if she had to make a guess the faelom would have expected the children to want to return to them. The fact that they didn't spoke well of how the orcs treated the newcomers.

“Well we showed them! They stayed with us and even now traces of those outsiders can still be found in our community.” Kelah gave Zarena a wide smile as she considered that the orc children had chosen to remain with them even when the faelom had expected them to be unhappy. While Kelah didn't know every detail the history she did know said they grew up to be happy among the forest orcs.

“How so?”

“Well for a while one way you could determine if someone had descended from one of those outside orcs was their size and strength. That doesn't work anymore these days. One clear determining factor though is if you have gray skin or a patch of gray skin. Now not all those that descend from the outsiders have gray skin but if you do then you clearly do.”

“I see! I noticed some of you weren't all green but I never thought to ask why. What about you Kelah?” As she spoke Zarena began to settle down. She had no intention of going anywhere or doing anything and it seemed like this conversation would go on for quite some. So she settled down and let her elbows sink into the earth as well as her breasts.

With Zarena settling down Kelah took on a seated position. It made it easier to look up at the massive faelom. “I don't have any outsider blood in me. Not that having outsider blood in you is considered well anything. It's an area of light conversation. Oh you have a patch of gray skin you must descend from the last outsiders. That's pretty much the extent of the conversations when it comes to such things. They've been combining their blood with ours for so long that I'm surprised any gray skin even remains.”

“It must be a dominant trait in order to remain for so long. Well that's what I'm guessing. I'm certain that one of the Luvarians can tell you what it is. Oh that feels so strange!” Zarena arched her back for a moment pressing her breasts more firmly into the earth. She felt the ground shift and yield to her chest while she stretched and looked up at the sky. “I never thought I would end up calling our brothers Luvarians.”

“You think it's strange to you? We always called you the beast people. The name change was a surprise. We learn that the females are known as faelom so we start calling you faelom and humans. Then your entire group just takes the name Luvarian which I later learn is the name of your original creators. What's with the sudden changes?”

“I believe it has something to do with us returning to the citadel in numbers and finally feeling like we may be worthy of that name again. Our knowledge has increased a great deal over the last decade. I wish that I had been able to watch it from the beginning. I'm certain that it would have been very interesting. The fact that it was an outsider which brought the catalyst for such change and a sister that was made to sleep so that she could decrease her size makes it even more amusing. The only thing that would make it even stranger is if she had been a distrusted.” A slight giggle escaped Zarena as she imagined such a situation. Had Joseph met one of the distrusted he might have been killed and he most assuredly would have had a far more negative view of the society.

“I can see where that would be quite a shocker. So is he still leading the way now?”

“In a sense but I believe the others are starting to catch up to him. Have you met him? His name is Joseph and he's the mate of Maria. I know you've met her.”

“Her I have met. She's pretty much a blur whenever she's moving. Last I heard the reason she hasn't been coming around anymore is she's pregnant. I imagine she'll be giving birth very soon.”

“Yes on on every account.”

“I've never seen Joseph though. I'm guessing he doesn't leave the village very often.”

“No. His work keeps him pretty busy. Right now Dan is the current project leader and it looks like this one is going to take some time. Julia has apparently been able to make use of some of their findings already in the development of our spirit hunters. Hey when are some of your orcs going to join them?”

“One already has but.” Kelah had to take in a deep breath. “We're a bit worried that these new methods will offend the spirits rather then help our relationships with them. A lot of our shaman are reluctant to try these new methods and risk damaging ancient and strong alliances.” Kelah hoped that Zarena wouldn't take the orcs caution as an insult. Thanks to the entire Amalgam event the spirits of the forest were a bit on edge.

“I see. What about you Kelah?” Zarena hoped that Kelah would at least try learning the ways of a spirit hunter. She believed the orc could benefit a great deal from the training and would have a lot to teach.

“I have responsibilities that prevent me from going and learning. I have to wait until the lessons come here.” The disappointment on Zarena's face would have been clear even if she wasn't so massive. “What's wrong?”

“I really hoped that you could go learn the ways of a spirit hunter I'm sure you would benefit. Can't you ask for someone to take over your roll for a while? I can promise to do my best to protect your people while you're away.” Zarena had long ago resolved that she would protect the ocean front village and that included the orcs that lived there as well. She had actually helped to resolve some issues between a few faelom and the orcs. She had no doubt the faelom could easily kill the orcs in question but that wasn't the result she wanted. She had come to see the orcs much like the apprentices. Even the females could be considered in such a light given that most of them seemed capable of carrying a faelom in her womb. They could make good mates for biological brothers.

A low whistle came from Kelah as she considered the offer. The more powerful she became the easier it was to negotiate with Nightfang. As the leader of her pack she had to be strong. “I can't just think of me Zarena. Sure I might benefit but what about the other orcs?”

“I bet they would benefit to. Once they saw you training as a spirit hunter more of them would be comfortable doing so. You are the pack leader after all and it's your job to take down prey. Well prey nourishes the pack and don't you believe this knowledge could be quite a kill?” The orcs put a lot of value on hunting and while the faelom were often solo hunters instead of pack hunters they could talk in similar terms. Zarena hoped that by putting it in such terms she could convince Kelah to undergo the training.

“That is an interesting way of putting it. Huh. Let me speak with some of the others and see what they think. I'll also want to speak with Nightfang and see if I can find someone to take over for me while I'm away. Well it's not like it's hunting season anyway.”

To this Zarena gave a nod and began to set up. As she rose up she glanced down at the impression she had left behind. Zarena had actually began taking a slight thrill from leaving such impression behind though she preferred to leave them in ground that would hold the shape better. One particular area of interest was how well the outline of her nipple had been captured. This could be extremely amusing as it could serve as a clear indicator of how excited she was at the moment. At the moment she was relaxed so there wasn't much of an impression. This was a bit of a disappointment. Zarena always liked the impression that she left behind whenever she was teasing Nathan. “That sounds good. I'm sure you'll get along with Julia.”

***********************************************************************************

“I believe Dremera knows.” Dan couldn't help but grin as he noticed Dremera looking at Maria. The young girl was clearly focused on her stomach.

Joseph, “Are you certain she knows or has she simply noticed how protective Maria is being of her stomach?” Maria, Mina and Dremera had all three came to visit Joseph and Dan while they were taking their lunch. Currently the two men set on chairs while the women set on the ground with the exception of Dremera. She was also seated so that she could comfortably reach the table. Naidra had offered Mina and Dremera some pillows to set upon but they had refused them.

For a moment Mina said nothing but looked to her daughter and then Joseph. “I'm pretty sure she knows. Dremera gets curious about things when they're being protected but food and her father are also in the room. If she was just curious that wouldn't be enough. Besides she isn't trying to poke Maria in the stomach.”

Joseph, “Then do you think she's understood some of what we've been saying?”

Dan, “I think she has a sixth sense.”

“Dan she doesn't have any mutations to my knowledge and that type of ability tends to take years of study to obtain.”

“Hey some kids just seem to have it naturally. What is intuition after all?”

Joseph couldn't help but roll his eyes. He respected Dan but he didn't believe in intuition. Some people had a natural affinity for magic that let them get a feel for what was going to happen. Some people were observant enough and experienced enough to have a natural feel for what was going to happen based on previous events. Then there was random chance. The notion of a sense that wasn't magical in nature yet somehow beyond the natural realm of experience wasn't something he was ready to put faith in. “I believe it's more likely that she knows a faelom wouldn't show that kind of loving attention to her stomach if there wasn't something special about it.”

Dan, “Well perhaps. Still they're realms of magic that are outside our experience. They're outside of even the Luvarian's experience. I believe you're a bit too quick to dismiss intuition.” Dan had been quite surprised to learn Joseph didn't believe in such things. Dan didn't put any trust in them but he was open to the idea. Given Joseph's usual way of thinking he wondered why he was so doubtful of such things. Granted one didn't mix alchemical potions based on intuition unless very desperate and limited in time but that wasn't a reason to dismiss it. It was a sense that simply hadn't been developed enough to be relied upon.

While the men talked Maria and Mina had mostly been focused on Dremera. At last Maria had to ask. “Dremera would you like to feel my stomach and see if you can feel Ethan kicking?”

Mina, “Maria. I believe you're the only one that can feel Ethan kicking and even then you're not certain.”

“Ah well. My mom says she can.”

“Well maybe she can. After all she has a lot more experience feeling for such things then we do. Without similar experience though I don't believe we can hope to do the same.” Mina had her doubts. Flora could be a tease at times and she was so excited by the idea of having a grandson she might have been either fooling herself or playing with Maria. Yet Flora had surprised Mina in the past so it was possible that after having two daughters she knew how to feel for such things.

“Mina do you really believe that?” Maria couldn't help but grin at Mina's attempt to explain the situation. Maria didn't like to doubt her mother either but it was hard to believe. Even Maria couldn't be certain if she felt Ethan moving in her womb.

“I have no idea. I do have to worry though. What are we going to do in the future? If we can't feel it whenever we're pregnant even at the later stages how are we going to insure we don't end up killing one of our children?”  For a moment Mina couldn't help but look to Joseph and Dan. They had given them a lot of answers recently. She quickly turned her attention back to Maria though. “I believe we should ask the protectors about that actually.”

“I agree. Can you imagine how the others are going to respond whenever we bring up another issue with our new size at the next meeting?” Maria couldn't help but laugh. There were several faelom that were already talking about how troublesome growing so large could be. Those faelom that didn't have to worry about exceeding the twenty meter limit didn't seem as worried as those that might grow larger. “Well I believe the problem is mostly mine to deal with. Can you imagine a human infant inside the womb of a faelom when she's twenty meters tall?”

“He would have quite a bit of protection. Ah Dremera are you trying to feel Ethan?” As they had been speaking Dremera had walked over to Maria and began to feel her stomach. Mina made no move to pick her daughter up and Maria seemed to think it was cute as well.

“What about you Dremera? Can you feel Ethan kicking?”

Both sisters gave Dremera a few moments of silence before Mina spoke up again. “Hey Maria can you imagine if Nathan managed to impregnate Zarena?”

“Even if they had a daughter I don't know if she would notice. Still. I hope they manage to succeed. I bet Zarena would go in shock if she learned that she was going to be a mother despite her size.” While Maria was speaking lightly the thought of Zarena having a child was actually rather warming to her. She doubted that it was likely especially given how intense the magic running through Zarena was but she could hope. “Hold on! Can you imagine the child that Zarena was pregnant with?”

“That. Well that would take some serious spiritual strength.”

“Yeah! Still it would be something to see. I'd be willing to bet that if the child was human he would be a natural mage. One of the ones you read about being able to create fire while they're just an infant.”

“Can you imagine trying to take care of such a child though? I mean. A fragile human body and an infant at that but already being able to play with such dangerous magic. I'd be terrified that he would kill himself. I don't believe I could relax unless I had a protector living with me to keep a constant eye on him.” Mina actually gave a slight cringe. As wonderful as it would be to have such an exceptional child the complications were quite frightening as well. “Hey Maria. Just because you're not like Zarena doesn't mean that your son won't be on such a level. What will you do?”

“Be very glad I kept my size down so I can continue living in the citadel.” Maria couldn't help give Mina a large grin. A grin that said she already had that problem defeated so there was no way to scare her with it.

After a moment of silence Mina couldn't help but chuckle. “Keeping your size down really is letting you avoid a lot of problem isn't it?”

“Yep and in a bit over a decade I'll be ready for Dan's finished project and it'll all pay off. I admit I'm a little scared though.”

“Scared of what?” Mina actually had a good idea of what Maria would be scared of. Faelom put great importance on being able to protect their mates. By staying at such a reduced size Maria was hindering her ability to do so.

“What happens if a threat arises that I can't handle because I chose to stay small?”

“In that case we'll work together to deal with it. I'm staying small with you as well. By the makers! We're calling this small now!”

Maria grinned at first whenever Mina burst into laughter but after a few moments she had to join her. With all the rapid changes the idea of what was small and what was large had changed so quickly. They had quickly adapted but whenever Maria compared it to the past it did seem silly. “True! It's not that we can't grow more powerful while we're here anyway. They are no restrictions whenever it comes to training in combat or training our muscles. This is the only place in existence I know of where you can train your muscles.”

“That's true. Are you prepared to resume your more intensive lessons once Ethan is born?”

Maria actually gave a slight groan as she turned her head to the side. “Not really but I'm going to d it anyway. If one path to power has to be closed to me for the time being I'm going to begin walking down another. How has your training been going?”

“It feels wonderful to have someone to truly spar with again! I thought it would become old after a while but I continue to enjoy it. Dremera has stopped trying to defend me from Naidra as well.” Mina took a moment to glance down at her daughter who had wondered away from Maria a short while ago and over to Joseph and her father. The little girl seemed to be listening to their conversation now though Mina believed she just liked the sound of her father's voice.

“I wish they would let us use something to help control the energy other then the glyph. When I have to really push the potion I can feel my veins burning. I'm an alchemist I'm not used to dumping this much energy into my body. I didn't even know I could!” Dan gave a slight sigh as he lightly petted his daughter on the head. She had actually chosen to set on the floor so that he could do that and remain seated. In a few years or perhaps sooner that wouldn't be happening. Would she set him on her shoulder then or would she be past such behavior?

“I agree but when I asked Lestel said that if we can't handle this level of energy there is no way we're going to be able to complete Azon's work. Apparently he did use items to help him and he still had a command of magic beyond what we're using. Dan I'm thinking before this is over they're going to turn us into mages. It may be the only way to develop the command of magic we're going to need.” The idea wasn't unpleasant to Joseph but it was hard to imagine. To become an alchemist you had to learn some magecraft to become a mage you had to learn some alchemy. Being both a mage and an alchemist at the same time though was extremely difficult. Acquiring all the knowledge alone was a very difficult task and developing the skills was even harder. The real issue though was the conflicts in the rules.

“Do you believe we can learn to work around the disagreements?”

Mina, “What kind of disagreements?”

Dan had been so wrapped up in his and Joseph's conversation that he had almost forgotten Mina and Maria were having one. Her words made him jump a bit but he quickly turned to look at her. “They're quite a few but well one example is the disagreement of combining elements. Alchemy says that if you combine mystic energy born of heat and fluids the resulting creature or enchantment becomes more energetic. Think of a construct like a slime which is based mostly on water. Now imagine that the slime is hot to the touch like a boiling pot of water or even worse and not only that but it moves more quickly and is harder to freeze in place. That's alchemy. Magecraft on the other hand says if you combine the same energies they diminish one another. Like throwing water on a fire. Instead of a more powerful spell you get a small puff of steam and some lukewarm water.”

To this Joseph gave a nod. “Even those who are both mage and alchemist never seem to be able to compensate for these disagreements or bring them into agreement. They just learn to shift between what state of thinking they're on. Well most of the time. At times someone will try casting a spell while thinking like an alchemist and the results tend to be quite lacking.” Joseph couldn't help but chuckle as he imagined a mage's firespell fizzling and dieing in an instant. “I wonder if the protectors might have some understanding of this divide that would let them offer some advice.”

Maria, “So a mage can't cast a spell using boiling water?”

Joseph, “They can but it would be a huge waste of energy unlike the case with alchemy. If you're going to create boiling water using magic you might as well just use fire or super heated air or sand.”

Dan, “Ouch! You're talking about the mages of the red sand desert right? I've heard of what they can do.”

“So have I. Never met one.”

Mina had been listening as well as Maria. “Well is trying to tackle such a divide something you should be working on now? I swear. I wish the protectors were better mentors or considered themselves better mentors. Part of me wants to say trust them to guide you through what you want to learn. Actually Dan Joseph you've both said that you're working with your current skill set until you feel ready to move on but you're waiting for approval from the protects. Isn't that a mistake from their own admission?”

Both men went silent and took a moment to look at one another. It was Dan who found his voice first. “I didn't think of that Mina. Well I believe they're right about us not moving on for the moment until we refine our skills more. At least we need to refine them enough that we can produce results that wouldn't end up killing us.”

Mina, “Ah! Yeah that is a good point. So once you can make those potions you're working on without producing potentially lethal results you'll continue your studies?”

Dan, “I believe that would be a good point to continue yes.”

***********************************************************************************

When a human gave birth it was pretty obvious she was prepared to do so. When a faelom gave birth to something as small as a human infant it was far less certain. Joseph currently found himself setting with Naidra watching Maria who was in a birthing position. Except Maria didn't seem to be in any pain. If it hadn't been for the release of fluids there wouldn't have even been any indicator that she was about to give birth. Naidra had even had to reassure him that the birthing process had began. When Flora entered the room he felt a bit better much to his surprise considering that Maria wasn't showing any stress. “I'm glad you could make it Flora.”

“I was worried I wouldn't!” A sigh escaped Flora as she wiped some sweat from her forehead. She had been forced to make quite a run in order to get back in time.

“Why didn't you ask Alaina to carry you?”

“I.” Flora took in a deep breath and took a moment to steady herself. “That is a very good question. Well I'm here now. So Maria how are you doing?”

“Good I think.” Maria actually felt rather awkward whenever Flora knelt between her legs and even more so whenever she parted her vagina. Maria knew what she was doing but being examined by her mother felt strange just the same. “Mom I would prefer if you let one of the protectors do that!”

“Then have they already inspected you?”

“Well no. They don't need to.”

“If they're not being as thorough as they can be when dealing with the birth of a brother then they're not doing what they need to.” Flora shot Naidra and Alaina a rather annoyed look as she continued to examine her daughter.

Alaina, “We thought it was best not to agitate her so early on.”

“She'll get over it.”

In truth Alaina and the other protectors didn't believe the level of care Flora was showing was needed. It would agitate Maria but that wouldn't harm the child. It might bring her some comfort as well. After all the more she knew about when her child was going to be born the better. Yet even that wouldn’t truly change the situation. If it made Flora happy though there was no harm in letting her perform her own examination. “Ethan will be born into the world in the next few hours of that we're certain.”

A very large smile formed on Maria's face despite the irritation of only moments past. She only had a few hours until she was going to be a mother. “So has Ethan began to leave my womb yet?”

Alaina, “Not yet. Whenever he leaves your womb the process will be quite swift. You may not be as large as the faelom of old but you're quite large compared to your child.”

To this Maria gave a nod. “So you can't use one of those lens to see how things are going?”

“No. I'm afraid the lens of life is only good for locating a shift in a faelom spiritual presence that might indicate she's with child.” The lens was a quick and in many ways limited mechanism to determine if a faelom was pregnant without the aid of a protector. It wasn't the solution Maria had asked them for but it was a start. The lens let someone see the spiritual presence of a faelom but required you to know how she appeared previously if you were to note a shift in it. A shift could indicate a faelom was pregnant or several other things thus its limited use. A better solution would be developed by the apprentices later.

Mina, “Maria! Isn't this exciting!” Mina had a huge smile on her face as she entered into the room while packing both Dremera and Dan. She would have to make sure Dremera kept her distance but she wanted her to see a brother whenever he was born. Dremera for her part didn't have any idea of what was going on but could tell her mother was excited so she was excited. She did notice Maria was laying in a rather strange way and they were many others around her. There was also a new scent in the air. It was someone she hadn't met before but she couldn't see anyone else in the room. Dremera had noticed earlier that she could only smell people who were in the room with her when at the citadel. So it was fairly clear to her that something was going to happen to Maria but she wasn't certain what.

“Hey Mina did you see Mira while you were coming?”

“I'm afraid not. If I recall she had something important to handle on the waterfront so she might not be able to make it back in time. I'm certain she'll try.”

Naidra, “Zarena is carrying her here now.”

Everyone in the room looked towards Naidra for a moment then offered a few quick nods. Apparently Lestel had told both of them what was going to happen. Maria was grateful that her sibling would be arriving soon but there was one thing she couldn't help but feel disappointed over. “It's a shame Zarena can't be in here to see Ethan.”

Flora, “You're not going to make her wait are you?”

“Well if I don't I would have to take him outside as soon as he's born.”

Naidra, “That will be fine. Judging by the changes in your own life energies and his development time Ethan will have a very healthy birth. A few moments exposure to the outside in order to allow Zarena to see the child would be safe. Even if he was to pick up some contagions we would be able to treat them.”

After a moment of silence Maria gave a nod. “Thanks Naidra. Sure we can take him outside to see Zarena and the.” Maria went silent as she felt a slight shift within her being. It was subtle and she wasn't certain if it happened. “I think I felt something?”

Flora, “Just let it happen naturally. You need to relax and let your body do its job don't try to force things to happen.”

As Joseph listened to Flora that was another key difference between humans and faelom. The faelom didn't need to push to help in the birthing process. Part of him feared it was more likely she would crush their son inside of her then help him to be born if she was to do so. As Dan came to set besides him Joseph had to say. “I believe I may finally know how you felt whenever Dremera was being born.”

“Actually I believe you have it worse then me. We both know how much more delicate humans are then faelom.”

“True but it was Mina giving birth and we've both seen how powerful those muscles are.”

After a moment of silence Dan gave a nod. “That is true. I guess I was pretty much in your shoes then. I'm glad I'm not there now though.”

As Joseph looked around at the faelom and protectors he wasn't truly fearful for Ethan's safety. He had a lot in the room to insure that he was born safely. Joseph felt strange. Normally a mother that could afford it would be using medicine to take away the pain of birth and perhaps even help in the process. Maria didn't need any of those things but was waiting patiently. Joseph actually leaped out of his seat along with Dan when the door suddenly opened.

“Please tell me that I'm not too late!” It was hard for a faelom to be winded. Mira had been pushing her body as hard as she could as she dashed through the citadel though and actually needed to take two deep breaths to steady herself. She kept moving though as she walked over to her sister and looked around. “Oh thank the makers! I thought I was going to miss his arrival.”

“Nope! I believe I felt something shift within me though so it should be soon. How is Zarena doing?”

“She's hoping that you'll bring him out afterword to let her see him. She's eager to see the first brother born into this new age. She even suggested that whenever he's a bit older we should have a painting done with Dremera and Ethan. The first children of the hungerless age.” Mira couldn't help but grin at that thought. “Isn't it neat Maria? Your son is going to be the first brother to grow up and not hear us grumble about how much we'd like to eat.”

A slight giggle escaped Maria after a moment. “That is true. I'm willing to bet we find something new to complain about though.”

“Yeah but it's still wonderful!”

“I know!” Maria placed both her hands on her stomach and lightly petted it as she looked down at herself. “Come on Ethan. Everyone is here to see you arrive now. Come on now. It's time to come greet the world.” As she spoke Maria could swear she felt another shift in her being as if her body was preparing for something. For a moment she turned towards Joseph and gave him a large grin. “I can feel something happening within me I know it.”

For a moment it looked like Naidra and Flora might have some kind of disagreement as they remained close to Maria. Yet Naidra smoothly moved to the side and allowed Flora to take up her position. To Joseph it looked like Naidra was willing to supervise but it also seemed she wanted to be the first to hold the new baby. Flora seemed to have the same desire though and she was Maria's mother. Joseph had no doubt that if it did come down to an argument Maria would side with her mother and so would he. Naidra likely realized this and chose to politely back down rather than to make an issue of it. He could swear he saw Maria's pelvis moving slightly and her lower body muscles working. “Maria is he coming?”

“I can't be sure but I think.” Maria's face seemed to light up. “I'm sure of it now.”

Flora was always amazed by how small brothers were when they were born. Even though she knew that she had grown that didn't change how delicate Ethan looked whenever his head began to poke through. Reaching into Maria Flora placed two hands on either side of Ethan and began to carefully remove him from within her daughter. As his head was removed from within Maria she heard some gasp but continued her efforts.

Dremera was amazed by the strength of the new scent for a moment. Someone seemed to have come out of nowhere. Her ears directed her to the newcomer before her nose could as she heard Ethan burst into a fit of crying. While the young faelom had seen brothers before this was the first time she had seen an infant and immediately she felt rather surprised. She watched as Flora's claws easily cut through a fleshy tube before the child was handed to Maria. She didn't watch Flora as she cleaned Maria. Instead she turned her attention to the screaming Ethan. Fortunately her mother was standing and as she was being held she had a very good view. Without thinking or meaning to a sharp meow escaped Dremera as she felt rather uncertain about the entire situation.

“That's right Dremera! Isn't our new brother cute.” As she spoke Mina held Dremera a little closer so that she could seen Ethan better. Her heart rate had sped up a bit while happiness seemed to flow throughout her being. Yet her ears were made to perk up. The site of a new apprentice and the knowledge of how delicate his body was began to push her protective instincts even further. They weren't as dominant as they had been when she'd been caring Dremera. She didn't feel the urge to establish a territory but perhaps to keep an eye out for possible threats.

With Ethan's screams rapidly dieing down Maria held her son against her while Joseph quickly moved to get a better look. She could feel her heart rate speeding up even more as she looked at Ethan and felt a wide smile on her face. “Hello there and I'm glad you finally made it out!” Maria couldn't help but giggle as Ethan gave a sharp cry before calming down again. “How is he Naidra?” As she spoke Maria gently ran her left index finger against Ethan's chin marveling at how soft the infant's skin was. Yet despite the joy she was feeling her ears began to twitch about much like Mina and Flora's. The three faelom's protective instincts were still working despite their joy. Maria's were working a bit less intensively as she held Ethan against her.

“I'm pretty sure you can hear how he's doing but because you want me to say it. He's quite healthy.” Naidra had been certain Ethan would be healthy even before he'd been born. Every indicator had told her this would be a good birth. While his life force was weak due to his delicate body she could also see a good deal of spiritual energy coming from the child. Maria would soon feel the shift in her being. Yet would she have more energy or less? Maria's body would have been feeding on the energy Ethan gave off yet her body had to feed his body. If she ate like most faelom Naidra would have felt certain she would feel a loss in energy but in this rare case she might benefit.

Mira couldn't help but chuckle as she reached out and took hold of Ethan's foot. She felt him give it a slight pull though nowhere near enough to free his limb. “I'll say. Did you get a lot of exercise kicking on the insides of your mommy so she would feel you? Did you? Maria he smells a lot like Joseph.”

“I know. It really surprised me. Are you going to take after your daddy?” Maria had already offered the tip of her tail to Ethan. The new born had proven he had healthy lunges in the beginning but she could tell he was already winding down. That was fine with Maria as she wrapped her arms around him in order to help keep him warm. She remembered what Mira had said about Zarena but she couldn't help but worry. “Are you certain it's safe for me to take him out to see Zarena?”

Alaina, “I'll be there with you.”

“Okay but first. I believe we should stop crowding out Dan and Joseph.”

Joseph had a wide grin on his face. With Mira, Flora, Naidra and Mina all surrounding Maria there wasn't room for two brothers to get in or even one. The women looked rather sheepish for a moment and backed away so they could approach. Joseph received a sharp push from Dan which he didn't protest and walked over to Maria with Dan a few steps behind him. “Hey there son. We're glad that you could finally make it. Maria he's wonderful and quite a healthy set of lunges.”

Before Maria could comment she heard a squeal from Dremera who seemed to want closer to Ethan. “Sorry Dremera but for now its adults only around Ethan. Yeah he has a nice set. Do you want to hold him?” Even as she asked the question Maria hoped that the answer would be no. Maria trusted Joseph with her life but just the notion of letting go of Ethan now that she had him in her arms was hard to imagine. She wasn't certain that she could force her body to comply if he said yes.

It was true Joseph wanted to hold their son for a moment but he could see in Maria's body language she didn't want to give him up. He wasn't offended by this but continued to smile. “Sure but later. Let's not keep Zarena waiting longer then we have time. From the way people were talking earlier she hurried over as well. It wouldn't be right to leave her out.”

Maria gave her head a slight nod and carefully stood up making certain to keep the trip smooth for Ethan. “Okay Ethan let's go let Zarena have a look at you then we can lay back down and have some cuddle time. Ah are you yawning! I hope you can save one of those for Zarena to see.”

Mina, “Don't worry Dremera I'm sure Maria will let you play with Ethan later. I bet you and he are going to be great friends whenever he's old enough to play.” As she spoke Mina could tell that Dremera wanted to have a closer look at Ethan. While Mina had come to trust her daughter with her father she wasn't prepared to trust her with a newborn brother. As delicate as the adults were she didn't want to risk an accident with one of the children. “Be sure to take it slow Maria.”

“Yeah. I don't know if we're going to make it before he falls asleep though.” Ethan had already began to settle against her soft fur. The birthing experience had apparently been quite draining on him. “Joseph we need to make sure that we have some milk prepared for him when he gets hungry. I don't believe I can breast feed him at this size.” It was something they had been talking about and playing at for quite some time. Now that Ethan was hear though Maria didn't like the idea of him being hungry and her not being able to feed him.

It felt kind of odd whenever Maria began to walk but didn't lift him up. Joseph liked it when he could walk around on his own but he had become used to Maria packing him on some level as well. “Sure. Do you want to do it after we let Zarena see him or would you prefer if I made some formula?” As Joseph spoke he wondered if he should slip a bit of a stamina booster into Ethan's food. Right now his body was so delicate and a bit of a booster would help him to resist any sickness that came upon him. How strong of a potion could an infant's body handle? He wanted to help him resist sickness not poison him after all.

Once they made it far enough out Naidra wouldn't be able to speak and she would need to remain hidden. The fact that Ethan would be outside of her reach for a bit as would Dremera was actually a bit upsetting to her despite being the one to say it would safe to let Zarena see Ethan. “We can take care of that. We have a variety of formulas suited to taking care of infants.”

***********************************************************************************

Currently Joseph found himself watching Maria as she exercised with Alaina and a few other faelom. It was obvious that Alaina was pushing her far harder then she had been pushed in a long time. What made it even stranger was Maria was the one that asked for it. He didn't believe that Maria had the same feelings now as she did forty minutes ago. There was only one thing to do. “Do you see mommy Ethan? She's really working hard to make sure she can keep you safe isn't she?” As he spoke Joseph lightly rocked Ethan in his portable bed. Ethan opened his eyes for a moment and quickly closed them. Joseph knew that he was only responding to the sound and not actually understanding him but it seemed to work.

Maria had been talking about finding other things she could develop her abilities in while restricting her diet for a while now. Developing her combat skills and training her muscles was fairly obvious. Currently they were working on training her muscles. This was achieved by the use of mystic weights and having Maria exercise within Joseph's glyph. She was trying to keep pace with Alaina who was exercising alongside of her. What Alaina found encouraging is that whenever Joseph began speaking with Ethan Maria began to match her pace again. “That's it Maria! Your son is watching. Now how do you feel?”

“Hungry!” Maria couldn't help but laugh despite herself. She could feel the sweat rolling off her body and knew she'd have to clean her fur out once she was done exercising. She didn't want to stink. Ethan wasn't the only encouragement Maria had though.

Flora, “I agree! This new diet you have me on is just horrible honey.” Flora gave an amused laugh as her daughter gave her a rather annoyed look. It had been Flora's choice to follow her daughter's life style. It helped whenever family could support you and they had more then family. Mina was doing the same. Yet Mina wasn't the only one. As Flora looked around she found that five other faelom had joined them. “Alaina I just had a thought. How much longer are we going to keep this slow introduction up? The secret is becoming very wide spread as is.”

“You make a good point Flora. We're debating that amongst ourselves at the moment. We believe a mass reveal while most faelom are still trying to catch a glimpse of Ethan would be suitable. Okay we're done with the warm up now. We're going to move onto strikes. I want you to be careful to follow my movements as later we're going to practice these in combat if you choose to learn fighting from us. Anyone who pulls a muscle or hurts a joint should take three minutes to set outside the glyph and let their body heal.”

“You have got to be kidding me!”

Alaina couldn't help but smile at the new comer. “No. Elly you once told a claimed that he needed to trust you because you could understand his body better then he could. Well I can understand your body better then you can so you need to trust me.”

“That's fair. I'll never say those words to another claimed or apprentice again though!”

There was some slight laughter from those who could spare the breath. Maria risked a glance over towards Joseph, Ethan and Dan who had decided to take their lunch break in the training room to offer encouragement. She wondered if the smell of their food was helping things. She was happy to see Ethan though. Her view shifted a bit as she glanced over at Dremera who was actually setting within the glyph playing with a few toys. “Mina Dremera seems to be doing fine to me.”

To this Mina gave a nod. “I'm surprised she hasn't slowed down in the least. I'm not even certain if she realizes she's setting in anything strange.” Mina glanced over at her daughter for a moment. Dremera was currently fussing with a puzzle that she had already broken three times in the past. Unfortunately she seemed to have reached the conclusion that breaking the puzzle and removing the ring counted as solving it. In order to prevent this they had to strengthen the puzzle repeatedly until finally they'd asked Naidra to take care of it. Naidra had abandoned the original puzzle much to Mina surprised and just made a new one that could endure Dremera's attention for now.

With all the talking Alaina couldn't help but look over at Dremera. She could see the glyph having its influence on her. Dremera's energies were being drained. She was resisting the influence but it was happening on a more instinctive level. The young faelom hadn't yet learned to ignore her body's impulses so she went along with them easily. “Don't worry Mina Dremera is still doing fine. If her energy fades too much I'll remove her from the glyph.” There was some danger to Dremera being within the glyph especially regularly being within its confines. As unpleasant as an adult faelom found their hunger to be a starving child was even worse.

To this Mina gave a nod. “Thanks. Honestly I thought she'd leave the glyph the moment she moved into it.”

Maria, “I believe she's too busy trying to break her toy to notice the drain. That is something though whenever I first stood within one of these things I had to struggle to make myself stay.”

Flora, “Her mind is more open to new experiences then ours are. Well that and she's allowed to freely eat as she wants. Alaina you did mention that Dremera would get hungry sooner if she chose to remain in here.”

“Yes and honestly. We're not entirely comfortable with her being within the glyph right now.” Alaina hadn't mentioned it but there was another protector watching Dremera. At this early of a development stage this wasn't the time to put her in stressful situations. She had expected the discomfort of the glyph would chase the young faelom out of it. It was clear that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. If there wasn't another protector available to watch her Alaina would have removed her.

“So you haven't changed your mind about that?”

“We're interested to see what will happen but we're keeping a close eye on her as well. It's similar to exposing a human child to intense mystic energies. They're some who believe that by flooding the child's still developing bodies with mystic energies they can transform it into a superior tool for the future. They learn magic easier and find manipulating mystic energies easier as well. There are others that worry the child's organs won't form properly and their abilities will be reduced or they'll be killed.”

Maria, “Weren't the Luvarians the type to test that theory?”

“Yes and the final discovery was that it depends on a lot of things that are hard to track. The only safe way to handle such procedures is either not to do them or to watch the person very carefully. We are currently operating under the very careful method.”

Mina, “Then if it works directing mystic energies.” Mina actually found herself going silent for a moment as she felt very light headed. She had to take in a few breaths of air as the exercise caught up to her.

“We hope that Dremera will learn these techniques naturally or at least have an easier time learning them whenever she becomes older.” After a moment of watching Dremera herself Alaina turned her attention towards Ethan. He was doing exactly what she expected him to be doing at this early stage of life. He was sleeping while only opening his eyes every once in a while to see what was going on. Some protectors wondered if they should begin introducing Ethan to mystic energies at such an early stage. Given his parents and his environment they believed that would happen anyway so there was no need to push the issue.

Maria, “Do you have any information about that? I would like to do my best for Ethan after all.”

“Just let him play with the toys we provided whenever he's ready.”

“You believe that is the best?”

“Faelom and humans can tolerate different levels of error. Even with our efforts at times things went wrong for the human children and well less resilient species. The problems didn't always show up whenever they were children either. Perhaps back when this building had several full Luvarians housed within we would have tried such things but not now. They were children that lost their ability to use one type of magic or the other or in some cases children that became very resistant to magic. The second served some purpose but not anymore.”

“The toys you gave us to let Ethan play with never caused such problems right?”

“Never. There is a vast difference between submerging someone's body into foreign mystic energies and helping their own develop. Well there was no mistakes outside of what you might expect. A five year old that knows how to create lightning requires special attention.”

Maria didn't respond right away but took a moment to catch her breath. Unlike Mina her lunges were used to working at extreme speeds. This was proving a factor with all the other faelom though Maria hadn't noticed it. She was the only one still matching Alaina's moves. “I thought you said the spells the toys taught were safer then that.”

“His father kept him in the room were he practiced magic. He let his son watch and well the kid picked up on a few things.”

“Ah! You hear that Joseph? Know doing any alchemy around Ethan that you wouldn't want him figuring out how to do at the moment.”

For a moment Joseph put down his food and cleared his throat. “I'll be sure of that. Why what did Alaina tell you?”

“One of the Luvarians accidentally taught his son how to cast lightning.”

“Impressive the kid must have been really talented to learn that by accident!”

Alaina, “He was! That's why the father thought it would be a good idea to let him watch the more advanced spells even if he wasn't ready to cast them yet. He wanted his son to have a head start on what he considered the good spells.”

Joseph listened to Maria and the other faelom for a short while before turning his attention back towards Ethan, Dan and his meal. “So Dremera has been trying to track Ethan down? Well that's what you believe at least.”

“You should have seen her. Whenever we went back to our rooms after Maria and Ethan had settled down Dremera starts wondering around. We didn't have to worry about her wondering off before so long as Mina and I were in the room. A few minutes later Naidra comes back packing Dremera who's still sniffing around. I don't believe she actually found his scent. I haven't met a faelom that could track anyone in the citadel by their scent yet. Well we can't be sure that she was hunting for your son but this is the first time she's done that.” Dan had to take a moment to look over at Dremera. Currently she was slamming her new puzzle against the floor.

“That is a funny thought. I guess she's upset that she didn't get to see him up close. Why isn't she coming over here now though?”

“I believe she knows that her mother and Maria wouldn't let her near Ethan. She knows that if she's going to get close to him they can't be around.” Dan couldn't help but laugh as Dremera was becoming increasingly frustrated with how her original solution wasn't working. He had seen how intelligent his daughter was numerous times and knew she would change methods soon enough. Yet her old method had worked on three puzzles.  It wasn't surprising that she didn't try anything new immediately.

“She is very smart. Do you believe she'll be able to play with Ethan when he's ready to?”

For a moment Dan said nothing but then gave a sigh. “I don't know. She's never handled anything as delicate as a baby. We play games were she has to be careful but. You know we should ask Stella about Pera and Allen. I can't think of anyone that is more careful with their child and she did let her play with Allen. They began playing together at a very early age actually.”

“That is a good point and kind of funny whenever you think about it. Now Dan I've noticed that you've been getting a bit better results then me. Would you mind telling me what's going on?” Currently two thirds of Dan's potions had been usable while Joseph was only managing two out of five. According to Naidra this was far from horrible but they would need at least a ninety percent success rate to continue onward safely. At least that was her estimation Joseph had considered moving on despite her warnings. His better judgment told him that would be a mistake. When it came to safety the protectors did seem to know what they were talking about.

“I don't know what to tell you Joseph. I'm not doing that much better then you.”

“Well I'll tell you what I'm doing and you tell me what you're doing. We can compare notes.”

“I'm really trying to think of it like playing with Dremera. At times I have to maintain my energy and really push myself to keep things going. At other times I have to back off and be more fluid. I just let her energy carry me through. The big thing is not being scared of making a mistake but just letting things happen. You can be scared all you want while studying and preparing. That can be a good motivator but when it comes time to work fear needs to shut up.”

After a moment of silence Joseph gave a nod. He didn't have the same experience as Dan did but he could understand where he was coming from. “I'm afraid I don't have that kind of practice. I wonder if it might be time to take a step back and focus on what we know we're lacking rather then just trying to practice what we know we're already proficient at. In my case I try to keep in mind where I'm at and where I'm going the entire time. If I forget where I'm trying to get to I end up landing far away from my target. I guess I get so worried about whether or not I'm going to hit my target I push things too hard and end up losing control.”