"You got us worried, Vastor." Neither her voice nor smile betrayed Jirni's surprise. "Did you got your old ass kicked so hard by the undead that you needed a vacation to restore your wounded pride or what?"

"Or what." He replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Jirni brought him up to speed before asking for his help against Deirus. She had no idea if she was really talking with Zogar Vastor or just with someone wearing his husk, but there was only one way to find out.

'If he really has fallen in love with Kamila's sister like the Court gossip says, maybe saving her life and the undead bringing him to the brink of death helped Zogar to overcome his weakness.

'That or the experience completely broke him and drove him insane. Whatever happened to him, I need to understand if it compromised his usefulness or if it just made him into an even better asset.' She thought.

"That damn fool. When will he understand that nothing can bring Yurial back, no matter what he does?" Vastor snarled, returning to his old self. He hated those who stood in the path of greatness of others out of petty reasons.

He was tired of seeing the mediocre thriving only because the Kingdom seemed to abandon talented mages the moment that they didn't serve their purpose any longer, just like it had happened to him.

"I might be able to help you with Deirus for good, but it requires patience and discretion. We should discuss such matters privately, away from prying ears." He said while looking at the Royal Guards.

"Fine by me. Just tell me when and where." Jirni doubted that Vastor could provide her with anything that Balkor and Manohar couldn't, but she had nothing to lose by trying.

"I'll call you as soon as I'm able to move again. My wounds run deep and have reached my life force." Vastor knew that not even Body Sculpting could fool someone like Jirni or Manohar.

Yet a damaged life force would explain any anomaly they might notice in his behavior which coupled with Rejuvenation was the perfect cover for his newfound physical prowess.

"There is no rush. Time is by my side. Take care of yourself, Vastor." Jirni ended the call and started examining every detail of Vastor's recent life.

Time was indeed by her side. The more Deirus waited to make his move, the weaker his social and political standing would become due to Jirni weeding out his foundations.

The more Vastor made her wait, the longer Jirni had to understand if she was still dealing with a devil that she knew or a new one that she had to subdue.

***

"Sorry if I didn't call you earlier. Things on Jiera are much worse than I assumed and I ran into one complication after another." Lith said.

"Don't worry, the important thing is that you are alright." Kamila sighed in relief hearing his voice calm and strong as she remembered it.

"Uhm, about that..." Lith had no idea how to break the news to her but he didn't want to lie either.

"I should have known it the moment I saw your scaly mug! You got in trouble and risked your life again."

"Yes, but-"

"No buts. Show me your other face so that I can understand when you're not telling me the truth." She cut him short.

Even though they spent a lot of time together, the scales made Lith's expressions non-existent and his hybrid form's voice sounded the same, no matter if he spoke sweet words or death threats.

Lith shapeshifted into his human form and told her all that had happened since their arrival, letting out only the parts about Solus and their clash with Lochra Silverwing. Keeping such a big secret from her pained him deeply and made him want to come clear with her at last.

She deserved it and so did Solus. Yet it would have to wait for their return.

"Good gods. How is your life force now?" Kamila asked.

"Much better than I could possibly hope. If not for the presence of so many Awakened who helped Tista and Phloria taking care of me, I doubt I would have recovered so quickly." Lith said.

"I must send a Hydra-sized lasagna to Faluel as a thank-you gift for her lessons about Shapeshifting." Kamila said with a chuckle.

"She gave your sister the opportunity to practice on your life force. Being unique is great only until the moment you need help. You should give her a nice gift as well since she's the only reason you're still human."

"I definitely should." Lith shuddered at the idea of turning into an Abomination and being forced to join the Master's ranks. "I'll craft something for her first thing in the morning-"

"Like heck you will." Kamila cut him short. "This is just like after Kulah so you'll follow Quylla's old prescription and take at least three full days of rest from magic. I forbid you to even light a candle."

"How am I supposed to pass my trial of wisdom without magic?" Lith replied in horror.

"Knowing when to take a break and avoiding unnecessary risks sounds pretty wise to me." Kamila's reply received a huge thumbs up from Solus, making Lith inwardly curse.

When the two of them agreed on something, it usually meant that he was dead wrong.

"I'll die of boredom. What am I supposed to do for three days?" He desperately tried to escape from his impending fate.

"First, death by boredom is not really terminal. Second, you could go out and know new people, learn a few recipes that we could try together, and last but not least, you could call me more often. I could use some company."

The pain in her voice made Lith understand that something had happened.

"What's wrong, Kami? What is that you're not telling me?" He asked.

"Compared to your condition, it's nothing. Don't worry and rest." She sighed.

The problem with having a boyfriend who risked his life every other day was that not only did Kamila worried a lot, but she also felt like her personal issues became irrelevant due to Lith's unique existence.

"Kami, I'm not going to be able to relax until you tell me what's wrong. I'm kind of paranoid, remember?" He said.

"Fine. It's my parents. They must have heard about your silver mines and now are trying to creep back into our lives." Kamila felt a huge burden being lifted from her chest.

"Our lives as in me and you or you and Zinya?" He asked.

"Both. You know Zinya. She has a soft spot for family and she feels guilty for not letting her children see their grandparents. I don't want to have anything to do with them, but she doesn't know them as I do.

"My parents always treated her like a princess because of her beauty and when they arranged her marriage with Fallmug, they convinced her it was in her best interest. Zinya's blindness made it impossible for her to have a normal life and my family couldn't afford the care she needed.

"I never told her that our parents only pretended to not know that Fallmug beat her, nor that they are the reason why I joined the army." Kamila covered her eyes while sadness made her shoulders slouch.