Leria had remained safely between Abominus's huge paws the whole time whereas his little brother's repeated attempts to play with the barrier as if it was a toy had required Lith's attention to keep him from falling off.

'The burned hand teaches the best.' Lith replied with a telepathic shrug. 'Besides I warned you before it happened.'

Aran hugged the huge feline and when the Shyf sat on the ground to hold him between her forelegs, the child didn't utter a single word of complaint. He let the warm embrace wash away his fears and fell asleep in a few minutes.

The travel went smoothly, allowing them to cross the distance between Xaanx and Mount Sartak, their destination, in a matter of a few hours. Lith kept the platform high and far enough from the main road to avoid any accident.

A couple of times, Leria pointed her little hand at a caravan that had stopped to the side of the road, but Lith's spell made them move so fast that the unlucky fellow would become a small point in the distance before she could speak.

"Uncle Lith, shouldn't you help those in need?" She asked him after they ignored one caravan too many.

'If you dare to say "why should I?" to a little girl that considers you her hero, I'll kick your a.s.s to Lutia and back!' Solus said the moment she felt those words forming in his mind.

'Solus, put yourself in my shoes. I'm trying to teach them that magic is not a miracle and that even if they become mages, they need to choose their battles wisely.' Lith replied.

'I get that they must learn to control and understand their powers, but they are just kids! You don't need to tell them that the world is a cruel place or that sooner or later their parents will die. We can teach them responsibility without destroying their innocence.'

'Nonsense. Carl and I-'

'Had a horrible family and no childhood. Do you want them to grow up as fast and as painfully as you did?' Solus cut him short.

'No.' Lith replied after a while. 'If it was for me, I would like for them to never grow up, but it will come the moment when they'll have to stand up on their own.'

'I agree, but they are just five years old. It's an a.d.u.l.t's duty to give children the opportunity to dream and nurture their hopes instead of crushing them.' Solus said.

"Sure thing, Leria." Lith replied with a smile.

"Then why didn't we stop earlier?" She asked.

"Because there was no need to. They were just repairing a broken wheel or letting their horses rest. I didn't see any bandit nor wounded people, otherwise I would have given them a hand." Lith lied through his teeth, sure that between the air dome and the high-speed, Leria couldn't see clearly.

'By my Mom, how I hate when you spew the first bullshit that comes to your mind with a straight face.' Solus grumbled.

'You told me to let them dream and now you want me to be honest? Make up your mind, woman.'

"Wow!" Leria said with a radiant smile. "You are incredible, Uncle Lith. You noticed so many things in the blink of an eye. You are my hero."

No matter how many swear words Solus threw at Lith, nothing could hurt him more than those innocent eyes that looked at him with blind and undeserved admiration.

"I'm hungry." Aran said with a yawn, interrupting Lith's guilt trip.

"So am I, but we are almost there. I choose Mount Sartak because there is a cozy inn near its foot. We can eat and rest there whenever you get tired of practicing." Lith said.

"How can someone get tired of magic?" Leria said with a confident smile. "Besides, you are a great cook and hunter, Uncle. There's no need for an inn."

'I would believe your words if you ever watched an animal getting butchered, little one. I don't plan on giving you a trauma only on teaching you about magic. The Hot Pot it's the perfect place to eat to your heart content without worrying about how the food in your plate looked like when it was still alive.' Lith thought.

"Someone already feels like a powerful Archmage before even getting her first lesson." He actually said while ruffling her blonde hair.

"It looks like your uncles will have to teach you a lesson in humility, little girl." Aran said with a serious voice, trying to imitate Lith.

"Little girl?" Leria laughed at his attempt to sound m.a.t.u.r.e. "I'm older than you. An uncle is someone cool and strong while you could barely pass for my little cousin."

"Onyx, bite her!"

"Abominus, teach them a lesson!"

The two magical beasts looked at each other for a moment and then at their respective riders while the kids kept bickering. The beasts turned their heads from one child to the other as they spewed nonsense, akin to two spectators of a tennis match.

"Onyx, use your World Ending Thunder!" Aran said.

"Abominus, dodge it and use Seismic Toss!" Leria replied.

["What the heck are they talking about? Do you really have such a spell?"] Abominus asked in Beast speak to not scare the kids with human talk.

["Only in Aran's head. He believes me to be some kind of war goddess who uses spells whose names are as long as they are pretentious."] Onyx replied.

Only when they reached the Hot Pot and the smell of good food filled their nostrils did the kids stop yelling at each other. Establishing the pecking order could wait after lunch.

The inn was a large three stories rectangular building made of solid oak wood and with a sloping roof of tight-knit tiles glued together with tar to insulate and waterproof the building during the mountain's harsh winter.

The nearby stables were almost as large but on a single floor, to accommodate both carriages and the animals that drafted them. A stable boy that looked barely 16, with callous hands and shoulders too broad for his thin build walked toward Lith.

Despite the chilly air of fall, the young man was covered in sweat due to the heat from the work and the animals that filled the stables. He reeked of hard labor and horseshit so much that a simple draft of wind carrying his smell almost ruined the kids' appetite.

"Are they tame?" The stable boy asked while nervously l.i.c.k.i.n.g his dry lips. He was used to dealing with horses and mules, fanged beasts weren't part of his job description.

"No, but if you treat them well, they will return the favor. One last thing, don't try to feed them hay unless you have a death wish. My companions take their meat medium rare and not seasoned. They are on a diet." Lith said, ignoring the whining of the magical beasts.

Lith threw a couple of copper coins to the stable boy to calm him down before cleansing him from both the sweat and the stench with a wave of the hand. The young man felt as if he had just taken a bath and looked at Lith with a mix of wonder and fear.