In the next few days, the goatmen had been able to set up fires along the structures in the Pillar and surroundings, Dutchery, as well as the outposts. They would periodically maintain them. That gave Kurt some relief. No other shadows had been found either. At least with a lich you can see it, you know what is punching you.

Kurt was talking to his council when Joe brought up.

"I've been honored with the bones."

"The bones?"

"Yes the bones of a life still hold powers in his body, this is a great boon to the goblins. We have the entire skeleton left," Joe shook a particular bag. "But a little divination never hurt anyone."

That was not how the story of seeing the future went from Kurt's experience. It was usually something that went terribly wrong.

Talia had shown up as well, "You ready?"

"Ready? For what?"

"You forgot?"

"Umm," said Kurt.

"Remember Darien, flying."

"That's today?"

"You did forget."

Kurt looked at Joe, "yeah a little divination wouldn't have hurt anyone."

The two lovebirds came back to the main room and slipped back to Talia. She was in a bit of a rush as they were supposed to meet Darien near her keep and didn't want to keep him waiting,

Darien came down from the sky as big as ever, Kurt could barely hold his excitement. Flying on a dragon the little boy inside him was going wild, who would have ever thought this would be something he'd do? It had been a long time since he had given anyone a ride. Let alone an outsider, the result of his last visit clearly changed some of the people's thoughts on the matter. The whole ordeal was simply a way to get some time alone with the dragon.

"You're grace," said Darien. This was how Darien always referred to Kurt for some reason. "Are we ready to go?"

"We were hoping to get a little time in the middle, perhaps we can have a private talk on that flying island of yours."

The dragon lifted his head and looked up at the island, "this would be possible, it is not exactly kept in the way most of your kind prefer."

"It doesn't matter just as long as we know what else is there."

They had gotten up onto Darien back, there was no saddle of course, the dragon was so large that it really didn't matter. There was a small line of spikes down the back, something you really didn't notice until you were close enough. They provided handy handles to hold on for the ride.

Which they needed, as flying on the back of a dragon is breathtaking. Not just because of the idea and size of the creature, but how fast thought could go made breathing a bit difficult at times. They went through a cloud, it was like a fog in the humid sky. They approached the flying island that Darien would call home. It wasn't a very large island all things considered. The size of a sports arena and a bit of the surrounding for an island that is fairly small. The terrain seemed to be part of a mountain, the part near ground level, if you can call it that. A rocky structure and a clearing mostly. There were some decayed bones lying around and what looked like a nest in the mountainous part. On the clearing there was a large circular hole that had some mad-made floor around it, with three small pillars around it touching the edge of the hole.

They landed near the hole. And after a few moments they were let down off Darien's back. Kurt looked down into the hole and there was a large chamber beneath the ground's surface. The pillars on one side match a hanging version on the other side of the opening. It was less of a hole but a doorway, or entrance. The pillar had a glowing object floating above them on their side and hung below them on the other side.

The most important thing Kurt noticed about the chamber was that it was entirely too big. He had an idea of how deep and wide the island was but the chamber was massive. It could not fit within the island. Heat radiated out of the chamber, the ground below it had fires and some structures too far away to make out in much detail. Kurt thought, did the flying islands work like magical air balloons? Is that what determines how high above the ground they are? How did that make sense though?

"I've never seen it before, I heard," said Talia, "but I never really believed it."

"You could fit your entire castle in there," said Kurt.

"Probably your entire settlement if you moved all of it close enough."

They remember this was not why they were here. And turn back toward the towering dragon. How could you forget about that?

"Is there something you need?" said Darien. In a low posture.

"Mostly just some information," said Kurt, as relaxed as a person can be in the presence of a dragon. He had just ridden it so it was still very unlikely Darien had plans to attack.

"Information?"

"Well, for starters I guess. I'm a little confused by your reaction to me."

"Is this not what is expected?"

"Why would it be?"

"I can tell a Demi-god when I see one. I saw the war, how Neptune died. I'm smart enough not to challenge a god, or their kin."

"That's why you didn't offer the blessing to Kurt," said Talia.

"It would be blasphemy to think I could bless a god."

"I was born a human though," said Kurt. "I've never met a god, I didn't think one could meet a god in a lot of ways."

The dragon raised him up on that statement. And gave Kurt a closer look his eyes started to glow a bit. "Strange. It is clearly within you the divine though it's only leaking out. The amount is so much. You haven't even truly awakened it, you're not even a true Demi-god."

"What's that mean?" said Talia.

"He holds the seed I guess you could say, and it hasn't blossomed into itself yet. If you were not born this way, how could you have this?"

"That's sort of what we want to know," said Kurt. "I was told I accidentally drank the blood of a god."

"That would not be enough," said Darien. "If that was enough after and during the war we would have been overrun by Demi-gods. That did not happen. A god would have to anoint the blood, and contain the divinity in a relic. And even then it wouldn't be guaranteed if they were not present."

Kurt thought about it for a moment. The reality was directly after he drank that blood he was unconscious for a week. So the time in between was missing. He thought he was just recovering but could there be? He found the idea that a god had visited and he never found out, "I'm pretty sure no god was present."

"The gods can be mysterious. So I don't care, I will not risk getting on their bad side in any event. One little human being treated well is nothing to ensure. The risk is too great. Even if they don't know you there is no guarantee they wouldn't act anyway out of principle."

"So why did you ally with Valentines?"

"I stand guard here, as a watcher."

"A watcher for what?"

"The True Sorcerer."

"What do you have to do with him?"

"Nothing, Horus has told me to tell him if he arrives and he believes he may one day. At first I thought it might be you. But upon closer inspection it was clear you are not."

"So he's god?"

"The sorcerer? I have no idea. All I know is that the gods are looking for him."

"Horus," said Talia, "the god Horus."

"Yes."

"So when I first showed up you assumed I was with him?" said Kurt.

"Yes."

"So you believed it was more likely for this True Sorcerer would come if there were humans here."

"Yes. They also provide food for me. I have no qualms with them."

"And what are you supposed to do if you see him," said Kurt.

"Run. And inform him."

"So if he attacks us you wouldn't help," said Talia.

"No, I would inform Horus and he would decide from there."

"What if we saw him, or at least someone like him?"

"Then I force you to tell me under orders from Horus."

"Then we believe he, or someone like him, was spotted at Castle Bright Flame about three weeks ago," said Talia immediately. "He may still be there or not. We don't know."

"Then it was right to give you my blessings," said Darien. "Is there more?"

"He has a named wand," said Kurt, "everyone seems to think that important."

"Then I must go, I will bring you back," said Darien. "Our deal is fulfilled," Darien said looking at Talia. "I won't be eating today. I will be back."

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