Chapter 4241: The Best Ally (Part 2)

"Are you sure?" Rena asked.

"Don’t worry. If I change my mind, I can reach you with a single Steps. Come on, kids." Selia strapped Solkar in the baby carrier on Protector’s chest and took Fenrir’s hand.

The two young children didn’t whine only because their father was staring at them.

"You do you, Mom." Leran said. "I need to stretch my legs as well, and so does Slash. Also, I want to visit Grandpa Zekell! He promised to teach me blacksmithing."

"Are you really missing Grandpa Zekell, or all the sweets and hot chocolate that I know he gives you behind my back?" Selia asked.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Lilia lied through her teeth. "Let’s go, Crash!"

"Gods, if I hate my name." The Freki snarled, glaring at Selia. "You might as well have named me ’the freeloading sack of fur’."

"I tried, but Lilia said it didn’t sound cool enough." Selia nodded in agreement. "See you later, kids."

Rena, Senton, Elina, and Surin walked to the barn, while Raaz entered the DoLorean, and the kids rode on their steeds after they shapeshifted into their magical beast appearance.

The people of Lutia were still terrified of magical beasts, and Lith insisted that the kids’ companions kept their cover intact unless away from prying eyes.

***

Meanwhile, high enough in the sky to not be visible, but close enough for the Life Visors to work, the Awakened witnessed the results of their hard work.

"Gods, no! Why?" Rayko cursed like a sailor. "Raaz Verhen is useless, and the only grade A Verhen going to Lutia on foot is Aran. All the others are taking the gods-damned Gate. How can they be so lazy?"

"We can’t make our move now." Xarto nodded. "We’d alert the Queen’s Corps and lose the other grade A marks."

"Yeah, right." Barago scoffed. "The real question is: where are Verhen and his sister? We have only one chance at this, and I’m not going to waste it. I refuse to lift a finger until we locate those two and can set up enough traps to delay them."

"Barago is right." Lirta said. "Time is the only resource we don’t lack. I’m willing to wait for months if it means finding the perfect moment to strike and get out of here before Verhen reaches us and turns us in another cautionary tale."

"On that, we all agree." Xarto said. "If it’s not today, it will be a week, a month, or maybe a year from now. As much as it’s annoying, the element of surprise is our best ally. No one has ever attempted what we are about to do in Lutia. It’s-"

"Amazing!" Rayko completed the phrase for him. "One of my contacts in the Royal Court just repaid me for all the money I spent on her over the years. Both Verhen and his sister are in Valeron for a demonstration of their Indech powers!"

"Are you sure?" It was too good to be true, but Barago couldn’t stop smiling from ear to ear.

"We’ll know in a moment." Xarto and the other Twilighters called their contacts in the Royal Courts, confirming the news.

Even though they had never reached a high position in the Council, there was no need to have a Duke in the family to learn the secrets of the Royal Court. Valets, butlers, and maids were more than enough.

They were the ones tasked with decorating a specific wing of the castle and bringing food appropriate for the event. The palace staff often learned about the real purpose of a Royal Summons before the nobles themselves.

Even if they didn’t, they were allowed to move around and peek through the curtains, even once the arrays of the Throne Room paralyzed the noble guests.

It was how the maid on Rayko’s payroll had amassed a small fortune despite her allegedly humble job.

"Everyone, calm down and take deep breaths!" Xarto could see personal ambitions emerge and teamwork crumble. "I know this is great news and that we’ll never get another opportunity like this.

"Yet if any of us screws up, we are all dead. One mistake is all that separates us from an early grave." The enthusiasm and excitement died faster than a firefly in a snowstorm.

"We need to adjust the plan." Xarto’s heart beat so fast in his chest that he was afraid it would burst free of his ribcage. "The traps to delay Verhen may not be necessary, but I’m taking no chances.

"We only have until all the marks assemble in Lutia to finish our preparations, so we don’t have a single moment to lose. Get to your position and follow my instructions to the letter. If we fail, it’s because we are the losers everyone always believed we were."

***

"Maybe the kids were right." Elina said. "Maybe we should have walked here."

"With Surin in your arms and the risk that a few cold gusts give her a fever?" Rena said. "No, Mom, we did the right thing. We can always walk around the neighborhood or along Lutia’s main street, where we are only a few steps away from warmth."

Only the bravest and those whose work didn’t allow them to rest dared to walk the streets of the city already, but the longer the good weather held, the more people left the safety of their homes.

Lutia was akin to a bear ready to awake from hibernation, hungry and bored to death.

With each passing minute, more people moved towards one of Vexal’s bakeries or went for a chat with their neighbors. The former wanted to enjoy a sweet treat or freshly baked bread that wouldn’t get soaked with rain on its way home.

The latter, instead, were simply tired of seeing their friends only as holograms on their Tablets, and craved the company of someone whom they hadn’t seen long enough to be sick of them.

Rena was one of the few people who could do both any time of the year thanks to Lith Warping her around, but the delicious smell wafting from the bakery tempted her no less than the other Lutians.

"Remember, Lil Sis, the other kids must never know about this." Rena said while enjoying a steaming pastry as she waited for her children to arrive.

"Yah." Surin nodded, flabbergasting both her mother and sister.

"It’s wonderful to see Lutia thriving." Elina said after making sure that no one had heard the baby. "I was afraid that after Meln’s attack, a lot of people would leave. Instead, I see a lot of new and old faces."

The city had completely recovered from the Upyr attack, and the number of people who moved to Lutia to make it their permanent home far exceeded those who left.

Despite all the hardships Lutia had endured, Vexal had already reopened his three bakeries and was building a fourth.

Zekell’s home and shop had been rebuilt, improved, and expanded. His business flourished, and there was a steady demand for the articles that Lith had plagiarized from Earth.

"Yeah, and I bet we’ll see a lot more new faces after today." Rena cleaned her mouth and hid the traces of her snack inside her dimensional amulet.

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