As soon as the tabby spoke my name, Halcyn raised an eyebrow my way, “Kindlebright? The same as…”

“The same as Elanah Kindlebright’s, yes," I nodded. "She’s my mother.”

Recognition dawned on the prince's face, “You’re the missing son.”

I found myself smiling wryly at that. Amusement spilled into my chest and mixed with the toxic bitterness that welled up from my gut. I jabbed a thumb towards the door, “For someone who apparently has a son missing, mother doesn’t look like she’s doing a lot of searching.”

The prince and his cat shared a troubled glance. Freyarch shook his head, and Halcyn turned to me.

“She’s been preoccupied, in no small thanks to me. I apologize for that. Do you wish to see her?”

“Not particularly, no.”

“I hope you don't hold a grudge against her for prioritizing this over... other matters. Your mother’s presence is required by the Summersky House—especially for an emergency this severe. She has been working nonstop for several days now, even despite her age. But you came in from the west, didn’t you? You understand how terrible the situation is.”

I pursed my lips. That wasn’t the point. And age? Mother was ninety-seven—she was still a good twenty years away from retirement. Her age hardly mattered here. But still, I gave him a nod, “You saw me enter the camp with Ildrex.”

“Indeed. And we appreciate that you’ve helped bring him here alive. His reports will be essential to the punitive expeditions from here on.”

“I helped him because it was what I was raised to do. Kindness is easily given.”

“And yet, so few grant it to others. You have our thanks regardless.”

At our exchange, I felt Aami wriggled underneath my cloak, trying to position an eye-tipped tentacle along the gap to give the two a look. I raised a hand underneath the cloth and stopped her, signaling her to stay down with a pat. Not now. Not when it was still dangerous to reveal her. I still wasn’t sure how these two would react to an eldritch entity strapped to my back.

She gave a disgruntled worble and settled down, pouting. Her mass started tickling my side in indignance and I struggled to keep my face straight underneath the assault.

Ancestors, I swear. This shoggoth was going to get poked until she cried later.

In front of me, I watched the cat-shifted Fae yawn and raise a paw, interrupting the Caeri prince before he could speak. Halcyn frowned, but stopped. At this Freyarch nodded, pounced atop the medical bed, and laid down, stretching his paws out with an arched back.

He gave saer Halcyn a bored look.

“Enough with the boring pleasantries, Horace. You speak to immortals, not perfumed grass-skirt noblemen. We demand respect, but we despise flattery. You should know this,” Freyarch said, before moving his eyes to me. “We appreciate your service to us, Rowan Kindlebright. And for that, you deserve a reward. Ask, before this prince makes another ceremony of it.”

Halcyn sighed, “Must you undermine my efforts to make us a new friend, Frey?”

“Your way doesn’t make friends, boy. It makes acquaintances friendlier. There is a difference.”

“It’s customary to do so in court.”

“And this is a battlefield, no? Act with brevity, speak with clear intent.”

With a shake of the head, the prince gave up on the argument and turned to me. “My contractor’s scolding aside, he’s right. You deserve to be paid for what you did.”

I slowly nodded at their words. I hadn’t expected to be offered a reward, but I wasn’t going to deny it. Father always taught me to give kindness freely, but that didn’t mean that rejecting the good will that came after was necessary. A debt in gratitude was better paid than owed. That was how trolls in Ilbithar lived. How father lived.

I wasn't going to be the exception.

Still, I wanted to see just what kind of reward they could offer. The only thing I really wanted was transport to Felzan, and I had no use for gold. Now, what would a prince and a member of the Fae deem a worthy reward? I opened my palms to them.

“There isn’t really anything that I have in mind,” I said. “Maybe you two could tell me what kind of reward is worth a riftwalker’s life?”

Freyarch smirked knowingly. He turned his lazy eyes to Halcyn, “Your offer, Horace?”

“Protection, then. Your father is in Felzan, Rowan. It’s very close to the open rift. In the event that a third Convergence War or a rift outbreak happens, I can guarantee both of your parents’ safety.”

I nodded. It seemed like a fair trade, but next to him, the cat’s face turned dark. Freyarch gave Halcyn an icy stare.

“You offer a reward to him that his mother already benefits from, unspoken the agreement may be. Do not offer an unfair trade to an immortal in front of me, prince. Especially not to one so young.”

The cat’s fur seemed to turn sharper—like a coat of needles, ready to cut all that drew near. I saw Freyarch’s shadow distort, and on the wall behind him, the image of a massive, maned beast filled the room. It loomed over us. Angry. And it was then that I realized who the cat was.

I was speaking to the Sunchaser Lion. Guardian of the Summersky House.

Who knew that identity was but an immortal’s spare Name?

The sharpness in Freyarch’s tone made me shudder beneath my cloak. I felt Aami tense up with fear, even when his hostility wasn’t directed towards us. The air around him was dangerous like a pool of oil; one that would take only single spark to set off.

But prince Halcyn took his wrath in stride. He had a shocking familiarity with it—with the fickleness of the Fae. With a shake of the head, he amended his error.

“That was only the first part of my offer, Frey. Immortals work in trades, no? I was simply hoping to suggest another.”

“You wish to pay a debt with an equal exchange?”

“Of course not. I wish to offer an exchange that pays twice for one favor. One that covers my debt to him twofold.”

The cat scoffed as the dangerous atmosphere faded, “Make your offer then, Horace. Do not make the same mistake twice.”

From where I stood, I watched a small bead of cold sweat form on the saer’s temple. Despite his apparently unfair trade, I kind of felt bad for him. I knew full well how troublesome the Fae were to deal with. It took a special kind of person to deal with one on a daily basis. I stared as Halcyn turned to me, his expression carefully controlled. He gave me a forced smile.

“…Aside from what I’ve already mentioned, I want to propose an agreement before us both. You’re the son of Elanah Kindlebright, so she must have taught you about alchemy, no?”

“She taught me everything I know.”

I watched Halcyn relax. He released a sigh, “Then we need your help, Rowan. The situation is dire, and the laboratory’s progress on creating a working counter to the blight is slow. If you truly know the Blight Witch's techniques, you’d be an invaluable assistant to her. Two great minds are better than one.”

I frowned, “You’re asking me to work with her.”

“Are you against it?”

A frown passed over my face. Silence. Then, slowly, I crossed my arms. “That depends on what I get in return.”

Halcyn sighed, “If you can aid her in the creation of a poison that will counter this blight, then you can have anything that is in my power to give. And with my authority as the crown prince, that is no small thing. Will you consider the deal?”

Mm. That was good, considering that I planned on helping somehow anyway. I wasn’t exactly a patriot, but there was no way I was leaving the realm to rot. The blight’s rapid spread meant danger to everyone. Even to father. Even to myself, alongside everyone else I’d grown to care about in the past two months.

…But even if the Traveler was silent right now, one thing he said about me was true. I was a greedy bastard. And if I could gouge this prince for something extra, I would.

After all, helping save the realm was well worth a couple extra rewards.

I raised five fingers, “I’ll agree under five extra conditions.”

The saer in front of me deflated and much to my surprise, Freyarch let out a bark of laughter before Halcyn could reply. He rose from the bed and approached me, looking up with his smug cat’s grin. His emerald eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Ha! I like you, Rowan Kindlebright. An immortal should know his own value. Too many flatter this stupid boy for the status he was born into. It amuses me to see young Horace run ragged like this, so state your conditions! I’ll personally agree to fulfilling them, so long as they’re within my power.”

“Just whose side are you on, Frey?”

“Myself, boy! Immortals are a selfish lot. It is our nature. It is our right. Perhaps I’ll be nicer to you once you start being more fun. Your house stifles you. It makes you boring.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have rules to follow.”

“You cannot be more wrong, boy. I live following more rules than you can comprehend. I merely know how to skirt around them,” Freyarch grinned, before turning his eyes to me. His tail swished in mirth, “Speak your demands, young immortal. Your kind are so very rare these days.”

I sighed in relief. For two people who were exceedingly intimidating at first glance, they made for a fairly wacky pair. Our exchanges thus far pretty much eliminated any unreasonable fears I had about them. These two weren’t like the Fae I encountered before. They were kinder—and far more reasonable. I gave Halcyn and Freyarch a nod.

“I don’t ask for much,” I said. “I just want five things from you: one, I want an airship ride to Felzan as soon as our deal here ends. And two, I don’t want my mother knowing that I’m the one helping her.”

“Your terms are reasonable,” Freyarch nodded. “Go on.”

“Then… three, I want two people found and reunited with me. The Hag—Vivian Velenah, an immortal, and Venti. A blue sunbird and a nature spirit. The two of them should be together.”

“That cursed woman? Bah. Or so she usually says. It is unpleasant, but consider them found. Next.”

I nodded, “Four—I want more information on immortals. As much as you can give me. Anything that would help me understand just what I am, what I can do, and what it means to be one.”

“And your last condition?”

“I want you to let Aami eat as much as she wants within reason, and to let her make friends with your soldiers—or at least try to. Just treat her as respectfully as you would any guest.”

At my words, the two stopped. Halcyn frowned and looked around the room as if searching for another immortal. Freyarch raised an eyebrow.

“Who is this Aami that you—”

A worbling cry of excitement erupted from underneath my cloak and cut him off. Several thick, eye-covered tentacles exploded out from my clothes and wrapped me up in a tight hug as Aami tackled me to the ground. Halcyn let out a sound of alarm, and even as the prince knocked over a potted plant by the door, the shoggoth laughed and worbled over me. She nuzzled a herself against my cheek.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!” she squealed and I groaned as I felt my bones creak. I tapped her with an urgent hand.

“Tight! Too tight!”

Aami loosened her grip and flowed away, settling over me with a massive collection of grins from several mouths. She poked my cheek with a tentacle, “You’re seriously the best friend a girl could ask for, Rowan. Can I have three of you?”

“You already know the answer to that,” I said, smiling wryly as I sat up. A few feet away from both of us, there was a shocked Halcyn and a curious Freyarch, observing Aami with an eyebrow raised.

“How peculiar,” the cat said, walking up to her. Freyarch looked up at her many-eyed frame. “I’ve never seen a voidling that’s so much like a person. Have you done something to her, summer tree?”

I shrugged. “I just treated her like I would anyone else. After the initial screaming, of course.”

“His screams were funny,” Aami replied, nodding, before turning to Freyarch. “And hello! I was wondering what you looked like! I’ve never met a talking cat before. What’s your name?”

“Remember, voidling. If you ask for a name, you must give yours first.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. You’re not angry, are you?”

Freyarch grinned his cat’s grin, “Far from it. I’m actually quite amused, today.”

“Great!” Aami worbled happily, extending a tentacle his way. “My name’s C’thaami, by the way. But you can call me Aami if you want to be friends.”

The cat stared at the tentacle for a bit, thinking, before placing his paw on top of it. He gave Aami a smile, “The Fae make few friends, but perhaps I’ll make an exception today. But only if you tell me how you’ve suppressed your hunger for so long. Does it not drive you mad like the rest of your kin?”

Aami blinked her eyes, “No? I was hungry at first, but it just stopped. I still like eating, though!”

“Interesting. You don’t seem to be lying.”

“Rowan says lying is bad.”

“Oh, it is. Do it and I’ll eat you after tearing you limb from limb.”

Freyarch laughed at that. Aami joined him despite her confusion. Slowly, the cat paced off, taking a set atop the bed. Aami followed after him, giving me a few excited glances with some of her eyes, before going to join her new ‘friend.’ I gave the two of them a conflicted look. That likely wasn't a very good idea. But I could do little about it anyway, so I simply stood and saved myself the trouble.

Halcyn approached me with a puzzled look. He shook his head at the sight of Freyarch and Aami happily chatting over the bed, “Is this what dealing with immortals is like?” he asked, giving me a look. “It seems like a demanding task to handle on a daily basis.”

I smiled wryly and stood, blowing a leaf of hair away from my face, “It is. Why do you think my hair’s turned white?”

The prince only shook his head, “Then I’ll save you from additional stress. We accept your terms. How do you want me to introduce you to your mother?”

“I can handle that myself,” I said, waving a hand to the side. “Can I leave Aami to you and Freyarch?”

“Of course. We’ll try to… introduce her to some of the soldiers.”

“Mm. Just let her make some friends. She’s nice, anyway. People will love her.”

Halcyn hesitated for a moment, glancing between me and Aami, before nodding. He opened the door to the room to let me through—a strange gesture, for a prince. I gave him and Aami a nod.

“I’ll find my way to the lab by myself in an hour. There’s something I have to take care of first.”

“Will you need help?”

“No need. Just privacy. Got a room I could use?”

“Pick any in the building and lock it. I’ll issue orders not to have you be disturbed.”

“Thanks,” I nodded to him and headed down the hall. As I walked, I reached into my pocket and retrieved a writhing, black string. One that reflected no light. A strand of Avnlasce, waiting to be molded into something of worth. Behind me, my shadow stood, taking stride beside me. The Traveler grinned.

“Finally using the gift I gave you eh, chief? Got any ideas for what you’ll make with it?”

I opened the door to an empty healer’s room and stepped inside.

“I’m hoping to make a weave that isn’t as annoying as you.”

“Ooh. Lip. You’re in a good mood today, ain’t you? That’s good. Means you’ll make a good weave. Got any idea on what you’ll call it?”

At his question, I grasped the string in my fingers and instinct took over. It was like touching a scab—you had to pick at it. You had to pry it open, just because the gap between it and your skin was so… tempting. So I did just that. I grasped the string and I picked it apart. It immediately unraveled in front of me, into a whirling maelstrom of colors and strings, each more vibrant than the last.

Pieces of reality. Each one mine to weave into a mask as I saw fit. Unlike with the Traveler, the part of me that wanted to take the spotlight was blatant. Clear. And I knew exactly what it wanted.

So I grabbed the strings, pulled them close, and I began creating a mask to last me a lifetime. With it, I would not be Rowan Kindlebright, student of the Blight Witch. I would be a different person. A master of my own craft.

And with it, I would finally leave mother’s shadow behind.