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The guards nodded and as he left muttered, "the verdant princess."

The consort shot me an annoyed look, but then his lady waved a hand, and reluctantly, he left, his eyes on mine as he did, almost daring in a way. I snorted and shook my head which seemed to piss him off, though he left before anything occurred.

Zirani and Aeverie spent a long moment embracing each other before they separated.

"How?" Aeverie was clearly in shock.

"That is a long story," Zirani replied. "And one for later. First, I\'d like you to meet the reason I\'m still alive."

She motioned to me. "This is Aiden Hawke, and thanks to him and his archvein bloodline I survived."

Aeverie seemed confused and then her eyes widened even further than before. "You… allowed yourself to be bonded?"

"It was that or die," Zirani answered.

"I see.\' Aeverie looked overwhelmed. "Well, I\'m glad you made it. Your mother and the court are going to be ecstatic when they hear of this."

"I\'m sure." Zirani smiled. "I take it that means we can join you?"

"Of course," Aeverie answered. "You and your bonded."

The way she said bonded made me instantly realize that she wasn\'t a fan, which I guess shouldn\'t have been a surprise. It was clear this woman looked up to Zirani and from what Zirani had said, a lot of people weren\'t going to be happy with the bond. At least she understood that it had to have been done though.

"Who are the others?" Aeverie asked, her gaze turning to regard Misty and Sandra.

"Well, Misty is a vampire of a powerful bloodline, and Sandra is the lost daughter of the main family of the Umbrin clan."

Aevrei turned back to Zirani. "You jest?"

Zirani shook her head. "This is no falsehood or joke, sister. Misty is under my protection and I have cared for and looked after both her and Sandra. I and my bonded are the reason they are here. I will need to speak to the Umbrin clan representative, and I would like you to be there as well. I am not as I once was."

Aeverie nodded slowly. "I understand. You have my aid sister, in any way."

Zirani pressed a hand to Aeverie\'s cheek and the fae women relaxed into the touch. "Thank you, sister. There is much we must discuss."

"Indeed," Aerie replied. "All of our group will know of your arrival thanks to the guard and my consort. If you\'d like I can have someone show your bonded around?"

Zirani turned to me with a questioning look.

"I\'m up for that."

I already knew everything Zirani was going to say and anything knew she could just tell me later, not to mention that I\'d rather meet and get to know the people I would be traveling with than stay and have a long talk.

Aeverie snapped her fingers, and her consort appeared in the doorway. "Julian, show the princess\'s friends around and get them settled. Be nice, they will be traveling with us on the return journey."

Julian bowed low. "Of course my lady."

"Wait!" Zirani walked up to Misty and grasped one of her hands. It took me a moment to realize she was getting rid of the mask as there was no longer a need for it. As she had said early, if vampires were with the expedition then that meant everyone had been ok with it and Misty wouldn\'t be attacked on sight.

Zirani stepped back once it was done. "Now you can go."

Julian turned and gave us a clearly forced smile. "If you three would follow me."

The three of us followed him out of the building and through the area as he took us on a quick tour. His words were short and full of fake cheer as pointed out the obvious as though we were children. It was clear he didn\'t want to be doing this and was trying to rush it.

The green court area was made up of beautiful structures, most made up of wood and types of plant matter with beautiful decorations, patterns, and carvings of a wide assortment of vibrant and dark colors. Everything had been set up very quickly in a matter of seconds, yet I knew it would take a long time for arcanists of the plains to replicate this. If they even could. The flowers and other sorts of greenery were everywhere, but not in an overwhelming chaotic way. The ground was covered with soft grass and flowers lined the pathways between buildings and smaller areas while trees and other plants were spread about evenly, yet in a way that made it feel natural.

I would have spent more time taking things in if our guide didn\'t rush past everything.

I was a bit annoyed, but I was also rather amused at his clear annoyance. I had to hold back laughter when Sandra made several comments, clearly trying and succeeding, in getting under Julian\'s skin. I didn\'t particularly care about him and would be calm until provoked. A glare and a few curses meant nothing to me, but if he pushed it then I would show him that just because I had been born in the plains, didn\'t mean I couldn\'t kick his ass.

"I think that\'s enough," I said in a firm tone. "Your guidance has been much appreciated."

My words may have been filled with sarcasm, but he ignored it and bowed before walking off, clearly angry.

"How pleasant," Misty muttered.

"Don\'t mind him," a deep and cheerful voice commented and we all turned to see a large cat person walking toward us. He was covered in a layer of grey fur with a few blotches of orange and had a cat-like face with slitted eyes and whiskers. He was large and not just his height. Not only did he look to be close to seven feet, but also had a rather large belly which was odd as his arms and legs looked muscular.

I realized I was staring and quickly lowered my gaze. "Ermm, sorry."

"No don\'t worry," he said. "I used to it from those who\'ve never met my kind."

"What are you?" Sandra asked.

"I am Mowkrin, a type of fae, though many other types of fae don\'t acknowledge our kind as such," he explained. "Most just think of us as another beast race."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well we did not exist before the calamity," he replied. "We were created as a product of the aether. It\'s rather hypocritical if you think about it. All races were changed and you could argue are not the same race now. That\'s fae for you, though. I\'m Garth, a pleasure to meet you."

We introduced ourselves, and I shook his large paw. He had a firm yet not crushing grip.

"Say, rumors have abounded since your arrival." He leaned in and lowered his voice though anyone nearby could probably still hear it. "Is it true you came with verdant princess, Zirani? Is it true that she lives?"

I nodded. "It is."

He smiled, revealing sharp canines. "Well, it seems this trip is more exciting than expected, or should I say now it is exciting as it most certainly was not before."

"Is travel through the scar not exciting?" I asked.

Garth shook his head. "Not really, at least not with the path we traveled. There were a few perilous moments, but for the most part, it was just the occasional minor beast attack and a lot of heat."

"Say, Garth would you mind showing us around?" I asked. "Our last guide was rather dull and—"

"An ass," Sandra finished.

"Julian doesn\'t get along with anyone except the lady Aeverie," Garth replied. "He\'s a very jealous person, and so often thinks himself above certain tasks. He\'s gotten into several fights, and is the reason the lady Aeverie is even here."

"He is?" I frowned. "Why?"

"He is her consort," Garth replied. "He represents her, and well, he got into some trouble and the lady Aeverie was given the duty of leading the expedition as punishment for not being able to control and properly teach her consort. You see, Julian is new to the court. He spent most of his life going from place to place until he got into some trouble and had to serve time as payment. That\'s where the lady Aeverie came across him and took notice of his latent talent and abilities, alongside his clear fae heritage. She paid off his debt and the rest is history."

"Why does she still keep him around if he\'s caused her this much trouble?" Misty asked.

Garth shrugged. "Many have said the same thing. We can only speculate until she herself reveals something if she ever does. Now, you want a tour?"

I nodded. "If you would be so kind."

"I shall," he said with a laugh. "I\'ve nothing better to do, and the three of you seem like good company. I can always introduce you to some of the others."