Verdan spent the time until Sebastian’s messenger arrived working on Dirk’s technique with him.

Dirk really had made great progress in the last few weeks, but Verdan was fairly sure that was down to all the combat he’d been in.

It was one thing to practice spells and train, as they were doing now, it was another entirely to be in a life or death conflict.

When everything was on the line and a Wizard’s focus was crystal clear, those were the moments when they could make the greatest advancements in their magic.

Verdan remembered his own discovery of the Word that allowed him to animate his constructs. It was an amazing and enlightening thing, but it was rare.

Without an Arcane Lexicon, Dirk would be reliant on such flashes of inspiration to develop his vocabulary of Words.

That meant that his abilities would be heavily shaped by Verdan’s knowledge.

Dirk was a natural Wizard if Verdan had ever seen one, and it felt akin to a crime to limit his growth in any way.

Sighing, Verdan put aside such thoughts. He had no way of getting an Arcane Lexicon, and he knew no Enchanters, so he would just have to do his best.

Realising that they were almost at their destination, Verdan thanked the guide before pushing open the thick wooden doors and heading into Sebastian’s home.

Benlen and a pair of Mhorgain Thearns had come with them, but only Benlen continued inside as a gesture of respect to their hosts.

Verdan looked around the ornate wooden entry hall of the home, which was filled with the records of past Keepers of the Clan.

It was similar, in its own way, to the Ancestral Hall, but instead focused solely on honouring the Keepers who had lived here.

Verdan led the way through the hall, he’d been here a few times now, and found it easy enough to find his way to the dining room.

Sebastian, Ciaran and Padraig were already present and were quick to rise and greet the two Wizards as Verdan led the way in.

“Verdan, good to see you,” Sebastian said, smiling widely as he shook Verdan’s hand.

What formality had stood between them in the past was long gone now, and Verdan liked to think that Sebastian was one of his true allies here in the north.

“Verdan,” Ciaran stepped up next, grasping Verdan’s hand tightly and giving him a firm nod.

Ciaran was a powerfully built man with an imposing presence that was only emphasised by the new scars on his face.

A Thrall’s talons had ripped deep into his face in that final fight with the Automaton, and a long scar now ran from his ear to the corner of his mouth.

If that wasn’t enough to lend him an air of authority, his piercing blue eyes did the rest, eyes that he shared with his father and grandfather.

With the Chosen and Keeper standing next to each other, it was impossible to miss their family resemblance, and the grey in Sebastian’s hair was a clear sign of things to come for the dark-haired Ciaran.

“Good to see you both,” Verdan said before stepping aside as they both greeted Dirk. Padraig took that moment to give Verdan a respectful nod before moving over to clasp hands with Benlen and have a quiet discussion.

Padraig was Ciaran’s Blade, the leader of his Thearns and his most devoted fighter. The older man had earned Verdan’s respect many times over in the last few weeks, and though he too sported some new scars, Verdan was thankful that he’d made it through the brutality of that last fight.

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Far too many others hadn’t.

Dirk looked a little awkward shaking the hand of the other two, but far less than he would have when they first got here.

Verdan watched his apprentice converse with the other two men with pride, both in what he’d achieved and how much he’d grown.

The door to the hall opened once more as Kai entered, followed by Gwen and Hedda. The Hex Witch was trailing at the back, but Gwen was walking by Kai’s side with a concerned expression.

The reason for her concern was clear as Verdan noted that Kai’s right arm was in a sling and was noticeably a paler colour than the rest of his body.

Kai had lost his arm fighting an empowered Thrall, and if Verdan had been any slower getting to him, he’d have lost it permanently.

To make matters worse, Kai had fought hard and taken some hits in the fight with the Gormagyr and Automaton. The worst had been when the Gormagyr had shattered the Aether enchanting his spear.

The feedback from that broken spell, and the Malfease the twisted giant had been throwing around, had damaged his already weakened arm to a dangerous extent.

Verdan had been working on it constantly over the last few days, but Kai’s arm was oversaturated with all types of magic now.

There was just too much Aether and Essence involved for anything to really stick.

Verdan took in Kai’s drawn expression and the bags around his eyes before meeting Gwen’s worried gaze and giving his head a small shake.

There was nothing more he could do, only time would help Kai get past this.

“Good, everyone is here,” Sebastian said, moving over to greet the new arrivals before waving a hand at the table. “Please, sit, we will eat shortly.”

Verdan took his seat, finding himself opposite Hedda, who nodded in greeting.

After everything that had happened, Verdan was finally past being uncomfortable around the Hex Witch and he returned her nod with a smile.

Hedda, much like Barb, was from neither Clan Thrain nor Clan Mhorgain, and had been useful as support with the Kranjir.

She’d also helped advise Gwen on how things worked, and had been instrumental in getting the other Kranjir Witches on their side.

“So,” Sebastian said, taking his seat at the head of the table. “Before we eat, I wanted to take a moment to make an offer to our newest Chosen.”

Verdan tensed and his brow furrowed as he looked over at the Keeper. Surely he didn’t intend to try and tempt Dirk away in front of them all?

Sebastian chuckled as he saw their expressions and waved a hand. “Please, have a little more faith than that. With my father acknowledging Dirk as Chosen Svenstan of Clan Mhorgain, I’d like to offer my services as a Keeper to update your caelin.”

Hedda’s eyes went wide and Verdan heard a sharp intake of breath from Dirk and Benlen. Clearly, this meant more in Kranjir culture than he understood.

“Thank you, Keeper,” Dirk said solemnly. “I will take you up on that offer, when would you like to make the change?”

“After dinner?” Sebastian asked, his lips quirking as Dirk quickly agreed. “Very well, I’ll prepare as soon as we’re done.”

The doors opened once more as dinner was served, putting an end to any more discussion on the matter.

-**-

Once dinner was over they retired to a sitting room with a roaring fireplace and a number of comfortable chairs to choose from.

There was a certain chill to the air in the north, and while Verdan had mostly gotten used to it, a nice fireplace was still more than welcome.

“So, I have some more things to discuss, but I believe that I owe our new Chosen some work first,” Sebastian said as they all took a seat. “If you’ll follow me?”

Dirk eagerly hurried after the Keeper, Benlen following along behind him.

“So, there must be something to this that I’m missing,” Verdan said once they’d left the room. “Is it not normal for Dirk to have his caelin updated now that he’s a Chosen?”

“I can explain that,” Ciaran said, sitting forward and clearing his throat. “It feels odd to explain this, but I know you are an outsider here. The key thing is that Keepers update caelin, but they keep a record of those changes and require evidence or testimony to make them.”

“But we have both of those, right?”

“Yes, but the ultimate responsibility for those changes is the Keeper. So my father is taking responsibility for the markings being correct. Grandfather has already done that to an extent, but this gives it more weight.”

“I see, thank you for explaining that,” Verdan said thoughtfully, part of him wondering if Clan Thrain was going to have an issue with Clan Menteith over their support of Dirk.

If that was going to be the case, then it was all the more reason for him to get them moving. The last thing Verdan wanted was to be caught up in more issues and delayed further.

“If I may ask, what has become of the other Witches you called?” Ciaran asked, turning to Gwen with a questioning look.

“They’ve gone back to spread what they’ve learned with the rest, and try to start changing things here,” Gwen said, hesitating slightly before looking over to Verdan. “Macha is considering heading south, as she has little holding her here. If she does, she’ll join the Coven we’re forming in Hobson’s Point.”

“One of the things I want to discuss with Sebastian is when we’ll be heading back. She’s welcome to travel with us, but I expect that to be within the next few days.”

“I’ll send Kuzo later,” Gwen said with a nod. Kuzo, her raven familiar, would be able to travel far faster than anything else she had access to, and bring a message back at the same pace.

Verdan nodded but was interrupted as one of the servants came in with a tray of drinks for them all.