They spent the night in the village closest to Red Oak, with the villagers eyeing up the large caravan. Sonarot dealt with the Chief as the Family Head of the Rot family, while Nirot watched over her younger brother. She lifted the boy up, who giggled and squealed as his sister played with him.

“Gurot…”

“Kaka?”

Nirot understood Adam was a fool, but while within the village, her hair standing on end, the boy’s eyes having never seen the land around, and yet he was glued to the familiar sight of his sister.

She understood the genius of Adam and his cringe.

Adam made sure his children were prepared for bed, having summoned his towers within the village, with the half elf staying with his children that night. The entire night his body remained tense. It was the first time he had slept with his family outside of the Iyr.

‘No. Hold on…’ Adam thought back to when he found his twins, who were technically his first children. They had slept so soundly through the night. Then, too, he was surrounded by the Iyrmen and his friends. ‘What am I worrying about? It’s not like the old man will allow anyone to mess with them.’

The noonval sun beat heavily down upon the minor fort, the soldiers shouting out commands as they noted the appearance of the carriages, each waving a white flag with a black skull, that which denoted Baktu. They hadn’t seen such a large caravan of Iyrmen before, especially when they were led by the Golden Savages.

‘What trouble do you bring?’ The Commander thought, motioning with a hand for the soldiers to prepare themselves. He saw the old Iyrmen driving the carriages, but as they approached, the Commander could feel it. In all his years, he hadn’t felt such a chill grip of impending doom clutched around his throat.

‘What is this?’ Commander Theodore Barrenhill thought, his eyes glued to the older Iyrmen. He vaguely recognised them as figures who had recently returned to the Iyr. ‘Silver Blade, was it? Silver Strike?’ He was certain those two were particularly powerful, so what were they doing here? ‘Have they come to attack us?’

“Halt!” the Commander shouted. “What business do you have within the fort.”

“Lunch,” the one who the Commander thought was named Silver Strike replied. “We wish to eat within the fort, and we continue to Red Oak for an outing.”

‘Ah, an outing,’ the Commander thought, suddenly feeling the chilly grip begin to warm. “Welcome, Iyrmen.”

“I do not want to!” Jirot declared, daring to defy her father.

“What do you mean you don’t want to?”

“I go myself!”

“Jirot, if you keep misbehaving, we will turn these carriages around and we will go back to the Iyr. No Red Oak for you.”

Jirot gasped at the threat. She looked to her grandmother for support, rushing up beside her, clutching her trousers. “Nana! You tell daddy!”

“Jirot, we are no longer in the Iyr. You must listen.” Sonarot lifted her up and kissed the girl’s neck, nuzzling against her cheek. “If you behave, your father will do something special for you.”

“Speshul?”

“Yes.”

“Okay…” The girl glanced around the fort.

“You’ve returned,” the Commander called out to the young man in purple. “It was not long ago that you passed.”

“My daughter bullied me into bringing her to Red Oak.”

“Your… daughter?” The Commander glanced towards the girl, who was currently being tended to by a horcish Iyrman with a long beard. “Right…” His eye then fell to the demons. “Will they cause trouble?”

“With the Mad Dog around? Definitely not.”

Theodore’s heart dropped. “What?”

“What?”

“The Mad Dog is here?”

“Yeah,” Adam said, pointing to the old man.

Commander Theodore’s eyes darted to the side, glancing beside the bearded Iyrman, to the one armed, one legged Iyrman, who was cuddling the little horc boy within his arm. ‘He is the Mad Dog?’ Of all the older Iyrmen, he seemed the most docile. There was another word he would dare to use, not to the Mad Dog within his mind, but the Mad Dog in front of him?

Pathetic.

Konarot glanced around the fort’s walls. ‘Small.’ She continued to look about the fort, before her attention was taken away by Shasen, who held her hand and led her to one side with the rest of the children. The soldiers all noted the way the children were looking at them. Some of them waved their hands and nodded their heads, while other all but ignored the children.

The Commander could feel the stress within his heart, and he begged the world and the Divine to allow the day to pass by uneventfully. He jolted slightly as the older devilkin Iyrman brought a small box to him.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Yes?”

“The tax.”

“Ah, right.” The Commander opened up the box, noting the silver coins within. “Thank you.”

Gangak smiled, before motioning to his medal. “You were at the Tariff Skirmishes?”

“I was,” the Commander replied, raising his brows in surprise. “I was a part of command for the Third Company.”

“I fought alongside the Seventh, in the north.”

“My aunt commanded the Seventh Company. Lady Thea Barrenhill.”

“The Dark?”

The Commander nodded his head, slowing narrowing his eyes. “She did mention a devilkin Iyrman. Was your epithet… Flame Sword?”

“Flame Brand,” Gangak confirmed, deciding against correcting him.

The Commander raised his brows in surprise. “My aunt spoke highly of you. She mentioned your courtesy, your strength, your fierceness. She said if you were within the Company, they could have taken the entire north. I wished to meet you once I heard about you, but you disappeared.”

Gangak smiled at the Commander’s words. ‘Courtesy?’ Gangak had been quite demure when dealing with Aldishmen, due to how the Aldishmen treated her ancestors. She supposed she obeyed orders well. “I was forced away from Aswadasad, and retired within the Iyr.”

“It’s a shame to hear that. My aunt always said that with your strength, the army could have taken the entire north of Aswadasad.”

The pair spoke for a long while, with Adam watching over Kirot, since Gangak had wished to speak with the Commander. Adam fed his daughter from his fingers, refusing to allow anyone else to steal her away from him. The girl shyly reached up to her mouth to push the vegetable further in, before leaning against her father’s chest. Bloodblade and Silver Sword each remained with the rest of the triplets, assisting them with their meal, wiping their faces clean every so often.

The Commander was surprised to see the Iyrmen go so quickly. He had expected far more trouble, and yet all he had received with polite conversation reminiscing of the old days and the appropriate respect, and more important, taxes, paid.

The walls of Red Oak greeted the large caravan. The guards, tense, but not as tense as if the flag’s colours had been inverted.

“Wow! Is a wall, daddy!” Jirot said, pointing at the wall, while Rajin held the girl.

“Yeah, that’s the wall of Red Oak.”

‘Small,’ Konarot thought from her own window.

“Keep your head in the carriage, you smelly girl,” Adam said, tickling the girl’s ears, causing her to squeal and retreat to Rajin.

It was Sonarot who held up the silver plaque which had been gifted to the business from the Duchess of East Aldland. She smiled politely as she paid the gate fee, before informing the guards of a matter. Once the gate fee was paid, the carriages rode through the town, making their way towards a particular inn the Iyrmen had already sent word to.

The inn was large, the walls made of sturdy stone, with the buildings within each made of wood, accented with the titular red oak. The inn was essentially a large estate, and considering all flora, Adam wondered how much this place cost the Iyr per night. The guards of the inn, each carrying at their sides short blades, remained vigilant as the carriages rode through, entering through the large gates, which were quickly shut closed, only allowing the folk around a momentary glance within its beautiful walls.

The carriages parked to one side, with the Iyrmen stepping out, with a pair of individuals stepping towards the half elf.

“This place is a little much for us,” Rick said, with Ted nodding his head. “We’ll head out before we get into trouble.” Rick was glad the others within the inn hadn’t spotted them yet.

“Alright, sure,” Adam said, handing over a pouch to the pair of them. “This should be enough to cover you all while we stay here. Ted, Nobby, please escort Rick first, then head back to your own place.”

“We’ll do just that,” Ted assured, before the trio stepped out.

‘Should I send Fred out?’ Adam’s thoughts were broken, not by his adorable children squealing with delight, as one might have expected, but because of the intense blood lust filling the air.

“We informed you of the date we would arrive,” Sonarot said.

“We apologise, but the Lady insisted on remaining.”

Sonarot’s eyes fell to the noblewoman, surrounded by a group of guards, led by a single knight. She was off to one side, her disparaging eyes glaring towards the savages who had arrived. “Jurot, Kitool, we should speak with the Countess.”

Laygak and Faool both nodded towards their cousins, taking their place as the children’s guardians, though it wasn’t entirely needed, not with Adam there already tickling his squealing sister, who was about to devour as much bread as she could.

“There’s not going to be a fight, so don’t get too excited,” the half elf said, blowing a raspberry within her neck.

“No!” Lanarot replied.

“Don’t you start.”

“Uwajin,” Rajin called, causing the girl to snap up from her nap. “No, go back to sleep.” Uwajin instantly fell back asleep. “Naqokan, watch over Jirot.”

Naqokan scooped the girl within her arms, nuzzling her neck with her nose. “Jirot, will you cause trouble?”

“I will not!” Jirot threatened with a finger. “Stop it!”

Naqokan laughed, tossing the girl up before she could continue her angry tirade.

Rajin motioned a hand to the ten young Iyrmen who were extra hands to assist, and he stood with them, forming a line between themselves and the nobles. ‘Already, they are beginning to cause us trouble.’

Sonarot arrived at the Countess’ estate, her eyes scanning across the large walls. The guards remained cautious as the trio of Iyrmen approached. “Inform the Countess the President of the United Kindom has brought her order.” The woman held up the silver plaque.

It wasn’t long before the woman found herself opposite the Countess, whose eyes gleamed upon seeing the three magical blades. She reached out to rub a finger along the blade, feeling the tingling of magic. She nodded her head to the servant, who brought forward the chest of coins and gems, to pay for the rest of the outstanding sum. The Countess knew better than to test the items an Iyrman had brought, since they were always so honest with their dealings.

“We of the Iyr have booked an inn. A Lady refuses to leave.” Sonarot’s eyes remained focused upon the Countess’ eyes.

The Countess’s lips fell slightly. “That is between the inn and the Lady.”

“If the Lady does not move, we will be forced to act,” Sonarot stated.

‘Why is she…’ It was then the Countess realised. “Are children of the Iyr within the inn?”

“Yes.”

‘Of course.’ “I will write a letter.”

“You should inform the Lady of the consequences should she refuse.”

“I cannot make demands of a noble.”

“We can.”

‘Just which family dares to trouble the Iyrmen?’ The Countess wrote up her letter. “Threatening a noble is an offence under our laws.”

“If the noblewoman remains, we will consider it a plot against our children,” Sonarot stated firmly. “Should Elder Peace hear we had tried diplomacy, she will understand.”

“I hope you will not harm the Lady. It would put me in a predicament.”

“The Iyr will guarantee the Lady will not be harmed, but we make no such promise for her escorts.”

‘This damned woman!’

It wasn’t long until the Lady read the note. She couldn’t refuse opening the letter, not when it was from the Countess, and it had been given to her by the Iyrman who had referred to herself as a Family Head.

“Apparently these Iyrmen are not so ordinary,” the Lady, with pale skin and red hair, said. “Have any of you heard of this Bloodblade?”

“I knew it,” a guard said, sitting up taller. “The man with the red sword at his side, he’s Bloodblade. They say he’s as strong as Blackblade.”

“Blackblade? Really?” the Lady asked, unable to contain her shock. ‘Why is someone like that here?’ “I want him.”