Eight Gods on a Windowsill

When we returned to Lynn Sumiset, Lousfrith was sitting in the water, babbling away with Sethyr and Yrh'danyr. Rammel's Scarrin retainers were carefully carrying weapons over to a rack that looked hastily put together. Anacted and his men were nowhere to be seen. That didn't mean they weren't somewhere close by. Abyri was finally up, stretching his limbs, and talking to Hina.

"Lousfrith, I come bearing gifts from the Wolf Mother." Rammel said as he approached.

The crate materialized next to Lousfrith. She carefully opened it. As she pulled out each weapon, she named them off, in awe, "Ishtaran the Golden Scimitar of Gilgamesh, Geshgid the Big Needle, once owned by Enkidu the companion of Gilgamesh, and Sharur, the Talking Mace, of Uth." She turned her attention to Rammel. "How did you manage to get her to give these up?"

"She asked that you revitalize them for the upcoming battle, Lousfrith." His attention turned to me as he commented, "That is not the only thing she gave." He didn't say anything more.

I took a better look at the area around the lake. It was very lush with bushes and trees. Many flowers spread out at the edges of the grass where it met the sand. Silas was running around taking notes and samples from each thing he could touch. He really was a scholar above all else.

I walked up behind him as he was inspecting a group of brown flowers. "Silas?"

He nodded his head, not turning to me. "How can I help you, Mara?"

"I would rather you and Hina sat this one out. I don't know what I would do if one of you were injured or worse. As you once said, this is my destiny. It doesn't have to be yours."

Silas started to laugh. "How nice of you to think about me in a time of danger like this. But, I will have to decline to acquiesce to your request." He finally turned his head. "I have always put myself in danger. Someone has to spectate and transcribe the events."

I sat down next to Silas. "Fine." Then something came to mind I hadn't thought of in a long time. "You once said that Abryi overused his power and it took Nesbeth to stop him. Yet, when I overused mine, I nearly died. What makes Abryi so different?"

Silas stopped what he was doing altogether. "I misspoke, Abryi didn't exactly use up his power. It was more like he lost control, same way you did. It was about ten years ago. Abryi was outmatched by an intruder to Ashe'gard. He was called to deal with the intruder. This particular intruder was avenging, as he called it, his planet's destruction by the Amali." He paused. "The man's name was Hagnr Halfhand, a kobold from the remote planet Kestrel on the outskirts of the Amalyan Empire. I was there because I had recently been named the ambassador to the Amali. You see, the Kobold's live in these underground caverns where they build their cities."

"What exactly do kobolds look like?"

"They are very much like dogs mixed with dragonkin. They stand at five feet tall, usually hunched from years of manual labor, and generally have both fur and scales." He answered.

"How can a kobold be a match for, how do they call Abryi, a descendant of Hered?" I was trying to wrap my head around the idea that anyone other than a Minor One could contend with Abryi.

"That's the thing." He quipped. "Hagnr was himself a descendant of A'grappa. Both of whom could call upon the very essence of their progenitor for power. Their battle lasted seventeen hours and destroyed much of the surrounding outside of Ashe'gard. Lake Pane'pet is a direct result of that fight."

"Hagnr was something else." Abryi chimed in as he came over with Hina in tow. "He fought like a mazbruk and I've never had a tougher challenge until we ran into his forefather. Not for nothing, we defeat A'grappa and I will definitely feel a little relief." Then, he added, "Just so you know, Hagnr beat me senseless. Literally. He was hailed as a hero on Kestrel after that. Wonder what he's up to now."

"Abryi, we don't have time to ponder old enemies." Hina clucked.

As everyone was preparing for the inevitable, trying to brace themselves for the battle ahead, Sorem and a young man came wandering out of the forest followed by Anacted and his men. He hailed each of the Minor Ones. "Turns out the House of Dinane is not extinct after all." He motioned to the young man next to him, "This is Dianine II's great grandson, Dianine III. I figured if we had stopped here, I may as well try to contribute to our battle capabilities. My Fractions were dragonmasters after all."

I glanced Dianine III over more. He really did resemble Sorem, in a more humanly manner. He was about the same height as Anacted. Which was probably common on this planet. He wore a unique type of flowing armor with a red cape fastened over one shoulder. On his head, he wore a pith helmet. On his shins he wore tall greaves and flexible gauntlets over his hands.

He walked right up to Lousfrith and offered her a rusted blade. "Sorem said you might be able to restore this. It belonged to my house for many generations."

Lousfrith looked it over. "The Frost Blade, Jötunn. Sorem, you really gave them your personal weapon?"

Sorem nodded. "Ditric was kind of special. Not that Erwin wasn't. It's just that was never an easy blade to master. Alas, I think all the enchantment is long gone."

Lousfrith handed the weapon to Sethyr. "Put this with the others." When Sethyr took the blade from her, she continued, "The might you seek, Rammel, may not be enough with just this many against an Old God such as A'grappa."

"I am aware of this." Rammel responded.

"That is why I came." A voice I hadn't heard for a while finally made it's appearance. I turned to see Nesbeth, in the same form as Mr. Nesmith, followed by a plethora of Fractions. Some of the Fractions, I recognized from Eh'zanko. "If we are to fight A'grappa, we shall come at him full force."

"You've decided to finally move," Rammel complained bitterly, "father?"