Tonight was one of those nights when falling asleep was nothing more than a dream. All he could do was lay there on the bed provided to him and stare up at the wooden ceiling. Most others appeared to sleep just fine judging by all of their loud snoring that he could hear from beyond the walls which surrounded his small room provided to him.

Something began to crawl on top of him as he remained covered up in the bed.

And who might this be? He hadn’t heard the door open so they must’ve gotten in another way.

He realized who it was when Lar’s sharp four feet stopped on his chest and her white furry head looked down at him. Her yellow eyes glowed in the dark and an evil smirk ran along her face. “Can’t sleep, huh?” Lar said.

“Not tonight it seems.”

She began to lay down on his chest. As he breathed in and out, her body went up and down. Lar felt quite warm even though he had some blankets acting as a barrier between them.

“Is it because you have a lot on your mind?”

“Possibly. There is quite a lot of trouble that we’re having to deal with.”

“That’s nothing new for us.”

She was right. Since awakening in a new body, his life hadn’t slowed down one bit so expecting differently was perhaps silly of him.

“If and when things calm down, what would you like to do?”

“Is this a serious question?”

“I’m always serious,” he said half-jokingly. “I mean if both of us can just relax for a while, what would you want to end up doing?”

She exhaled from her nostrils. “I guess I’d have to think about it. Maybe I’d like to do something boring for a change. I could go fishing for example. I haven’t done that in a long time.” For some reason, he found the thought of Lar fishing as an amusing thing. It would be an appropriate activity given her being a cat in a sense. “There are also, other fun activities that I could participate in.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t wish to bore you with such affairs.”

“How secretive of you,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “But since you’re here now—”

She raised a paw and pressed it against his mouth silencing him. “I already know what you’re wanting to bring up.”

She reluctantly removed her paw from his mouth allowing him to respond. “You do?”

“Uh-huh. All I need you to do dearest companion of mine, is get on your knees and grovel at my behest. I’ll take that as an apology for your recent wretched behavior.”

“Wretched behavior?”

“Wretched is the best way I can describe it. Don’t believe for a second that I’ve let you get off free from harboring secrets from me. I’ve been patient hoping you’d broach the subject with me yourself, but it seems evident that you’d rather pry into issues revolving around Juna first than me.”

“Now hold on,” he said. “I’ve tried multiple times to resolve things with you, but you’ve been quick to ignore me and disappear. I’m honestly a little surprised that you’re even here right now talking to me.”

“You should’ve tried a little harder.”

Lar was just being ridiculous. At least she didn’t seem impossible to talk directly to like Juna currently was.

“Out with it then!” She jabbed a nail into him causing him to wince a little. “When were you going to tell me that you have been using soul magic this entire time.”

Kiran readjusted himself on the bed choosing to sit up on it rather than lie down any further. “Truthfully, I don’t know. I was told I should keep it to myself so I was probably going to do that indefinitely.” He told her the complete truth. He hadn’t planned on telling Lar about it but the cat was out of the bag so to speak.

“Who advised you to keep it to yourself?”

“Yorais did.”

Lar looked away from him, hopped off the bed, and transformed into her human form. He could feel the warmth of her body as she stood a foot away from him in the darkness. She placed a finger beneath his chin choosing to raise it to her upwardly gaze. “You shouldn’t accept every bit of advice that comes from Yorais. I’m your companion. If there’s anyone you should trust to know these sorts of things, it should be me long before her.”

“Does that go both ways? You have your own secrets you harbor such as your previous relationship with Yorais.”

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“That’s different.”

“Different in what way?”

“Well for starters, this secret you’ve been harboring revolves around souls. I shouldn’t have to explain why there’s a stark difference between my secrets and that one.”

There was a difference, but he couldn’t know one way or another whether her secrets were as important or trivial as this one she came to know about.

“Kiran, messing around with souls is no laughing matter.”

“I didn’t even realize what I had been doing until recently.”

“And yet you kept it from me the moment you were aware of it.” With both of her hands, she placed them at the sides of his head. “Though it pains me, I do forgive you. Were I in your shoes, I would’ve done the same thing. I do expect now however that you’re that you shouldn’t dabble with this form of magic.”

“I’m well aware now.”

“Good.”

Even though she was not entirely pleased with him, she was not entirely unwilling to understand his position.

“I would suggest keeping this power of yours a secret from most, especially other familiars.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I’m guessing we’re good then?”

Though he could barely see in his room, he thought he could see her grin a little. “Yeah. All is well.”

This was at least one relationship recovered to a sufficient degree. He still had Juna to worry about but not having to worry about Lar any further was a major positive sign of things moving in the right direction.

“Kiran,” she said. “One of these days I’ll reveal more about myself. I promise.”

He took her at her word and figured it best to let her determine the right time and place for when she would feel comfortable enough sharing these things with him. Even if it made her somewhat of a hypocrite herself, it was no easy task to reveal those parts of yourself that struggled to tolerate the smallest bit of light itself.

* * *

Worrisome talks were soon to occur. Kiran along with Lar and many other members of the coalition gathered in Lucias’s keep.

Whilst Lucias sat on his ornate tidy throne, the leader of the banespawn and chieftain of the Dhargarus clan, Drexo, entered the keep to an audience that was less than eager to see him.

Drexo couldn’t help but eye Kiran as he walked across the red carpet running down the center of the chamber. Even though the banespawn weren’t armed, they were large and strong enough that they could easily kill with their bare hands. Thankfully a lot of strong well-armed warriors stood within the throne room to ensure Drexo and those with him wouldn’t get far if they tried anything.

They stopped a comfortable distance away from Lucias. Lucias tilted his head slightly as his hands sat together in his lap. “Welcome Drexo of the Dhargarus clan. What exactly is so important that it required bringing yourself and so many of your people to linger outside of my city?”

“They have come just as I have to show that we will not tolerate the recent injustices we’ve incurred from you and others.”

“Injustice?” He leaned back on his throne a little. “Do tell then. What injustice exactly has occurred that possibly involves me?”

“It starts with him,” Drexo said pointing a finger towards Kiran. Me? What the heck did I do? “He is ours and he was taken from us by force. We ask that he be immediately handed over to us.”

“Your request is denied,” Lucias said immediately. “Now then, what other requests would you make of me? Would you like me to supply you with all of my food for my people as well so that we may starve ourselves to death?”

“You may make folly of our request, but it is our tradition—”

“I understand that you have your traditions but we have ours as well. I will not permit you to have Kiran or any one of us for that matter.” It was relieving to hear him stand up against Drexo even if it meant putting himself and his people in danger. “We have come to quite amicable arrangements in the past. Let us not earn the ire of each other all for the sake of one man.”

“You say you do not wish for our arrangements to end, yet you would make folly of our request,” he said angrily. “We seek remediation. If you will not grant us this—”

Drexo went silent as Lucias raised a hand. “There will be no further discussion on this matter. I ask that you and the rest of your banespawn gathered outside these walls leave immediately.”

The chieftain could barely contain his anger. Lucias wasn’t entertaining his desires whatsoever and that angered him a lot. “You know we don’t like to be called by that term. It’s a sign of disrespect.”

“You coming here to make demands of me is a sign of disrespect in and of itself. I ask that you leave now.”

Drexo took a step towards Lucias only to stop as numerous armed warriors pointed their swords and spears at him. “A true leader knows when to go for a compromise,” Drexo said turning around and storming out of the keep.

Lucias appeared quite agitated which was unlike his normally well-tempered self. “So you’re the reason he and all of the rest of them chose to come here?” He eyed Kiran. “Let us continue this elsewhere without prying ears.”

Kiran, Rinas, Yorais, and Lar followed Lucias out of the throne room and into a meeting chamber. Others from the coalition include Abigail, Zorge, and Hoghdar. Lucias’s close ally Felmir joined them as well always appearing eager to maintain their bearlike appearance.

They all took their seats besides Felmir who positioned himself elsewhere within the rectangular black stone room.

Lucias eyed each and every one of them. “I never would’ve imagined a single individual would cause the banespawn to act so recklessly.”

“Thanks for defending me,” Kiran said.

“Think nothing of it. They can make demands all they like, but I’m not about to sacrifice someone to appease them.”

Kiran had proven his use to Lucias as well by trying to work towards resolving matters of immense import. That certainly helped prevent such a hand off from occurring. If he had been just a nobody, he wondered whether Lucias would handle this matter in the same manner.

“Now that you’re all here,” Lucias carried on saying, “there are some matters of import I wish to discuss with you all.”

“Carry on then,” Rinas said.