Chapter 24 - The Twins - Aela

Aela woke up in a similar circumstance to the day before, with one notable exception. Markus was already awake and arguing quietly with the golem inhabiting his desk.

“-don’t-care. You-will-show-her-respect-or-I-will-erase-you!” Markus growled.

“You wouldn't! Am I not useful? Have I not proven my value?” The golem wailed.

Markus's chest rumbled in anger, “I-will-replace-you!” He promised coldly.

The golem grew quiet for a while before eventually making a reply, “Fine! I will not raise her questionable personhood again in the future, I promise.”

Growling again, Markus chose to say nothing. He noticeably deflated a little and began to relax again when his stomach rumbled hungrily.

Since Markus had woken up before Aela had but was unable or unwilling to unwrap her arms from around himself. Markus had instead wriggled and rolled himself so he was laying on his back again. So with her ear pressed on his chest, the gurgling rumble of Markus’s gut was quite loud and finished waking her up.

Slowly pushing herself up, Aela unwrapped her arms from around Markus’s waist and made sure to smile as she glanced up into his eyes.

Aela was immediately rewarded as Markus’s cheeks flushed and he smiled warmly back at her, “I-hope-I-didn’t-wake-you,” he apologized, his speech excessively stilted by the damage to his throat..

Playfully flicking her tongue at his face, Aela grinned as Markus flinched and half-heartedly shoved her back. “I would ask if you are hungry and ready for breakfast, but your stomach nearly deafened me."

“Sorry,” Markus apologized again, still smiling.

Getting up off the bed, Aela stretched and absently scratched at herself before remembering that she had an audience. Feeling a little embarrassed, Aela quickly glanced back at Markus, expecting to find him put off by her crude behaviour. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind and was scratching at the weeks worth of scraggly hair that had grown on his face.

Markus tentatively sniffed at his armpit and recoiled, “I-need-a-bath,” he lamented while waving his hand to ward off the smell.

Subconsciously tasting the air with her tongue, Aela had to disagree. She quite liked the way he smelled at the moment. Aela had been diligently wiping Markus down with a damp cloth over the past few days, partially to keep his fever in check, but also to keep him reasonably clean to avoid additional illness. Wrestling his unconscious body around to do a thorough job had also ensured he wouldn't get bed sores too. That her care had required no small amount of groping and rubbing was beside the point.

“Could-you-lend-me-a-hand?” Markus asked as he slowly got to his feet and shakily tried to keep his balance.

Easily capable of supporting his entire body weight, Aela had no difficulty in helping Markus downstairs to the bathing room. She also didn't mind pumping water into the tub and the boiler either since it gave them more time to talk.

“Is there something you would like to do after your bath?” Aela asked, “Besides having a hot meal of course!"

Markus was currently sitting on a low bench and leaning heavily on the wall. “Don't-know,” he admitted and took a minute to think about it before speaking again, “Not-easy-to-keep-sleeping."

After having slept for more than five days straight, Aela could understand why Markus found it difficult to just sleep through the rest of the day. “We could always talk some more,” she offered.

Markus smiled but shook his head, “This-is...difficult,” he held up the bead in the flat of his palm and sighed before clenching his fist and lowering it again. After a short uncomfortable pause, Markus stiffened a little before quickly raising his other hand placatingly, “Listening-is-fine!” He insisted energetically before his expression waned, “Just-not-talking."

“We could play Dame,” Aela suggested.

Markus looked a little confused, “I-don’t-know-that-game."

Aela smiled, “It is an easy game to learn. I can teach you,” she offered.

“Alright,” Markus agreed amiably.

Although the game originated in the north, it was a little surprising that Markus had not played it before. As far as Aela knew, Dame was popular amongst peasants and nobles alike across the entire continent, albeit with minor rule deviations.

She was about to ask Markus about it when she recalled his interests and how he chose to spend his time. Besides the courting outings they had taken and exercise, Aela could not think of a time Markus had indulged in a single activity outside of work for any meaningful amount of time.

“If there is another game you know, we could play that instead,” Aela probed, hoping her intuition was wrong.

Markus shook his head, “Dame-is-fine,” he shrugged, “Don’t-know-others,” seeing her expression, Markus shrugged again and absently watched the bead roll around in his palm.

It was as Aela had thought. Struggling to survive on his own for so long, she had to wonder when was the last time Markus made time for having fun. “Markus?” Aela asked tentatively, worried that he might be offended.

Markus looked up and patiently waited to see what she wanted.

“Markus, please don't be mad, but... that day, when you were talking with Robert and Linday, erm, I kind of overheard what you said,” Aela was finding it hard to look Markus in the eye, embarrassed both a little by the subject but also in admitting that she spied on a private conversation.

Markus didn’t seem to mind that much, despite looking a little confused, he continued patiently listening.

“Well, erm, you were talking about what to do while courting and you said you don't really enjoy doing things... Is this true?” Aela was really nervous now and had to stop working the pump so she didn't accidentally snap off its handle.

Taking his time to reply, Markus's cheeks flushed and he shrugged his shoulders, “Before? Maybe...probably.” Markus sighed and looked up at her, a faint smile on his lips, “Now? No. I-enjoy-things-with-you."

Although not expressed very elegantly, Aela was deeply touched to see that he truly meant it. “Me too,” She had to agree that spending time with Markus was something she enjoyed as well.

Contrary to Aela’s initial expectations, Markus didn’t seem to have any problems with her helping him bathe. He of course still stubbornly kept the towel tied around his waist, but Markus was otherwise very appreciative of the assistance. In the hot soapy water, he had quickly grown lethargic and may have dozed off and drowned if not for Aela’s ever-vigilant presence.

In his lethargic state, Markus also couldn't really wash himself very well. Most of his strength was spent in holding the rim of the bath to stop himself from keeling over. So to make Markus’s bath more than just a long soak in hot water, Aela made sure to thoroughly scrub him down with the roughspun washcloth.

Having left his enchanted bead on a pile of clean towels, Markus wasn’t able to talk, but he smiled appreciatively and would nod or shake his head as Aela talked. He was a really good listener and surprisingly perceptive despite his compromised state. Despite still following the one-sided conversation, Markus was also fully aware of when her hands lingered too long or began straying where they shouldn’t. He would raise an eyebrow or smirk at first, and if she continued, Markus would give Aela a somewhat stern look until she retreated.

But since Markus had not made any meaningful attempts to make her stop, Aela had actually started treating it like a sort of game. She would try and distract Markus in a multitude of different ways to see if he would still notice, and he did, every single time. To make things even more difficult, as the water slowly cooled down, Markus was becoming more alert and less lethargic.

Eventually, the bathwater became tepid and Markus was ready to get out. He seemed to be determined to get out on his own, so Aela stood back, watched and waited.

Aela wondered if Markus had been paying as much attention to the knot tied in his towel as she had. As it turns out, he hadn’t.

Blushing profusely, Markus had to abandon the soaked towel that had now unravelled and wetly flopped down around his ankles and continue towards the stack of dry towels on the bench. Refusing to make eye contact until a new towel was anchored around his waist, Markus sighed, shrugged, tried to laugh it off and nearly had a coughing fit instead.

Aela had been enjoying herself up until that moment and as she helped Markus back upstairs, to his room, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

“Thanks,” Markus said, his voice equal parts grateful and accusatory.

Feeling a little daring, Aela flicked her tongue in his face and grinned, “You’re welcome."

Markus sighed, smiled and shook his head.

Aela felt an appreciative squeeze on her hip and blushed.

“Turn-around-is-fair-play,” Markus grinned and gave her a roguish wink. The gesture was only enhanced by the mottled bruises on his face lending a certain rakish charm.

Roughly squeezing Markus’s buttocks immediately elicited a playful shove in response and another sporadic cough.

“Need-a-drink,” Markus was wheezing louder and looked like he was in some pain.

Hurrying Markus back to his room, Aela quickly sat him down on the bed and poured him a cup of water.

Markus downed it and motioned for another. He drank the second cup of water slowly, taking small sips and concentrating on his breathing. Looking a little tired, Markus left the cup on the nightstand and was settling into the bed to sleep.

Remembering that he hadn't eaten anything yet, Aela quickly retrieved the small sack of food and dumped it on the bed, “Not until you have something to eat, you need your strength."

Markus looked dubiously at the fruits, cheeses and bread now deposited on his lap, “Don’t-think-I-can-eat-all-this,” he replied anxiously while nibbling at an edge of cheese, “My-throat-hurts.” Markus winced as he rapped his knuckle against the hard crust of the bread and eyed the firm flesh of the small green apples.

“Wait here!” Aela said. She quickly left the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Thyra had not yet returned, but Abigail was boiling bones in a smaller pot on the stove while Arlee was roughly cutting vegetables.

Upon seeing Aela, Arlee’s eyes immediately brightened, “Aela!” She exclaimed excitedly, dropping her knife, hopping off her chair and launching herself at Aela in a flying tackle.

Knowing the little girl would fall if she didn't catch her, Aela deftly caught Arlee and tried lowering her to the ground.

However, Arlee scrambled up higher and leaned in really close to Aela’s ear, shielding her mouth from Abigail’s view conspiratorially, “Hey, is it true? Are you and mister making a little brother or sister for me to play with?"

Feeling her cheeks flush, Aela gulped hard. “No! Why? Who told you that?” She whispered heatedly.

At first, Arlee looked confused and then became quite sceptical, “Hey, don't lie. I saw you and mister! And wolf guys said the stew was for babies only." Arlee glared at Aela accusingly, “Lying is bad,” she said, giving Aela a small shove. “So... is it a sister or a brother?” Arlee whispered excitedly.

Slowly overcoming her shock, Aela shook her head, “I am not pregnant, little one, my sister Skadi is."

Arlee was visibly disappointed, “You're sure?” She asked in the way only a child could.

Aela nodded, “I am sure."

“Hrmph!” Arlee became more disappointed and then, just as quickly looked conspiratorial again, “Hey, can't you just go and make one now?"

Blushing profusely, Aela wanted to tell her that she was already trying! But an idea came to mind and Aela instead lowered her voice and whispered quietly so only Arlee would hear her, “If you really want a little brother or sister, you should ask Markus for one once he gets better, alright?"

“Alright,” Arlee giggled mischievously in agreement.

Aela lowered Arlee back onto her chair before turning her attention to Abigail, “Is it alright if I take some of the soup you are making to Markus?” She asked.

Glancing over her shoulder, Abigail nodded, “I-I tried asking your family what happened, but none of them would tell me anything,” she looked worried and stepped away from the stove, turning to face Aela before asking, “What happened? Why has he been bedridden for the past six days? Is it safe here?” Abigail's eyes drifted to Arlee as she asked the last question and she grew visibly more concerned.

Aela knew that humans told stories about chimaeras to scare children into being obedient. With plots usually revolving around willful or rude boys and girls being abducted and eaten. Honestly, it couldn't be farther from the truth. Chimaera valued children to a nearly fanatical degree. Aela’s adoption was only slightly different from the norm in that her clan was completely unknown to Svala when she adopted her.

With such a strong desire for children and a high mortality rate amongst would-be parents, it was not uncommon for chimaeras to adopt otherwise orphaned children. This paternal instinct frequently extended, albeit temporarily, to orphaned humans they encountered as well.

During wartime, when chimaeras served as mercenaries and shock troops, they would often adopt and care for abandoned or orphaned children until they could find humans to take care of them. Svala had once told Aela that she had personally adopted over four dozen such war orphans before adopting Aela. Chimaeras would forgo food for extended periods while shepherding their temporary wards and opt-out of lucrative contracts until securing their safety. Even so, the humans feared them.

“Arlee is safe. They would never dare hurt her, Even if she attacked them, they wouldn’t hurt her. Children... Children are everything to us,” Aela said bitterly, an aching longing gnawing at her heart.

Abigail looked both relieved and confused, “Then what has happened to Markus?"

Aela flinched, “Skadi, my brother Beowulf’s life-mate, his wife, is pregnant and dying. He thought Markus was refusing to help and got angry. Beowulf... He... He hurt Markus pretty badly before we dragged him off of him."

Shocked, Abigail nearly burned herself on the stove as she subconsciously took a step backwards, “How is he? Is he alright?"

“Markus is still recovering,” Aela admitted gloomily, “His throat was pretty badly damaged, he is having trouble breathing and swallowing."

“But I heard both of you talking?” Abigail said, confused, “I am certain I did."

Aela could only shrug apologetically, “I don't fully understand it, but he is speaking through a glass bead, just like the golems."

Although she probably understood Markus’s magic just as little as Aela, Abigail nodded. “You said his throat is badly hurt? Can he swallow solids? Or is it too painful?"

“I don’t think he is ready for solid food yet. But he still needs to recover his strength and I don't think the broth was strong enough,” she admitted.

Abigail nodded, “We can make a very rich soup for Markus instead,” she moved over to the table and began chopping vegetables alongside her daughter. “Your family has been discarding the bones, so I have been keeping them for soup stock in a cooling chest in the basement. If you could bring a half dozen or so of the larger bones, we can use a hammer to break them open for the marrow to add to the soup."

“Is the marrow good?” Aela asked, unsure as to why Abigail would suggest it. Chimaeras typically didn’t bother with bones. If they were small enough, they would eat them and if they were too big, they would ignore them. Given that Skadi was in a coma and couldn't chew or swallow independently, the others were just discarding all of them.

“Very good, rich in fat and nutrients, marrow is perhaps ten times more nutritious than the meat off the bone. I have even heard that the noble families prepare marrow broths for their adventurers to recover their strength quickly,” Abigail explained enthusiastically while skillfully dicing an onion.

Aela was stunned. How could something so important not be known by the chimaeras? Thinking back on all the times she had seen bones expertly flensed clean and discarded, Aela couldn't help but shiver. While it was true that the clan holds of the chimaeras would be considered primitive by human standards and cookware like pots were quite rare, she didn't think that something this huge would be overlooked.

If what Abigail had told her was true, and Aela had no reason to doubt her word, then marrow soup could be exactly what Skadi needs. Even if it wasn't nutritious enough to halt her deterioration, it would at least slow it down and give Markus time to recover and find a solution.

Quickly rushing downstairs, Aela found the cooling chest against the far wall. It was quite large, but she easily lifted it and rushed back up the stairs again. Depositing the chest on the table, she began removing the largest bones and dumping them on the table.

“Uhm, you don't need so many,” Abigail explained tentatively, looking a little worried, “If we add too much, it will become too rich, the taste will become spoiled and I don't think Markus will like it."

Aela shook her head and easily snapped a large thigh bone in the middle between her bare hands, “Is this the marrow?” She asked, squinting at the pinkish fatty insides.

Abigail nodded, “It is, but since the marrow is cold, it will be hard to get it out unless you split the bones open."

Aela shifted her grip, twisting the bone and causing spiral fractures. Wedging her forefingers into the broken end of the bone, she split the bone roughly in half revealing the length of marrow within. Poking at it, Aela found it had a consistency like lard, but she was also now smelling a rich blood-like flavour. Aela quickly repeated the process on the other half of the bone.

“Or not,” Abigail said a little breathlessly.

Scooping some of the marrow out with her fingers, Aela deposited it in her mouth to better taste it. She was not prepared for the rich flavour that began melting on her tongue, Aela couldn't help but gulp it down and lick her lips hungrily. What Abigail had said must be true.

Cracking open five more bones and leaving them on the table for Abigail to make into soup, Aela quickly returned the others to the chest, rushed out of the kitchen and up the three flights of stairs.

Magnus had to quickly jump back out of the way to prevent Aela from knocking him down as she charged up into the attic. Besides baring his teeth at her, he did little else since he was still holding the empty stewing pot on the way to take his turn cooking downstairs.

“Mother!” Aela explained excitedly, “Did you know about marrow?"

Svala looked back at Aela, momentarily confused, “What do you mean daughter?"

“Marrow! Abigail says it’s highly nutritious!” Aela dropped the chest and pulled out a large thigh bone. She quickly split it open and presented the marrow to her mother.

Svala eyed the bone dubiously and took it from Aela. Sniffing at it, her expression suddenly shifted to one of surprise. Svala scooped out a little with her finger and tasted it, then, just as Aela had done, she promptly swallowed it. Now quite excited, Svala scooped out a large dollop and deposited it in Skadi’s mouth.

Without warning, Skadi gulped the marrow down and a few moments later shifted slightly in her bed of furs. Skadi’s reaction had exceeded Aela’s wildest expectations.

Recovering quickly, Svala repeated the action, giving Skadi a larger portion of marrow.

Skadi immediately swallowed it and shifted again.

The family watched in stunned silence as the scene repeated over and over again.

Aela had already shifted her attention to cracking open more bones so Svala could just concentrate on feeding Skadi. It was not particularly difficult to do, and she quickly found a rhythm that kept her ahead of her mother's demand for fresh supplies. But Aela quickly found a new problem. They were running out of bones.

Svala had noticed as well. “Bjorn! Ulf!"

The twins stepped forward and looked at their mother expectantly.

“You will go hunting. You see anything bigger than a dog that isn't walking on two legs, kill it and bring it back!” Svala was grinning excitedly.

Bjorn and Ulf quickly loped down the stairs, eager to obey.

Next Svala turned her attention to her life-mate, who had followed Aela upstairs in order to complain, “Magnus, I want you to take Thyra and go buy more marrow bones!"

Magnus nodded and quickly began rummaging amongst their belongings for the coin satchel. It probably still held a great deal of Svala and Aela’s bounty savings from before they had met Markus, so Magnus would have no problem buying up as much as the vendors had for sale. Aela just hoped he would consider that they still had to store it all and prevent it from going bad.

Although it had taken a while, Beowulf was now stirring from his melancholic stupor. “Mother? What is happening?” He looked confused.

Before Svala could explain, Skadi began stirring again, “Beowulf?” She murmured, her eyelids fluttering.

“Skadi?’ Beowulf looked like he couldn't believe his eyes.

“Mmhm,” Skadi’s eyes slowly opened for the first time in almost a week, ”Beowulf? What is wrong my love?” She weakly raised her hand but quickly lost the strength needed and her arm collapsed back into the fur bedding. “I-I don’t feel so good,” Skadi murmured quietly.

Again, Svala recovered the fastest. “You need to rest dear, conserve your strength, you are pregnant after all."

It took a moment but Skadi smiled weakly as she processed what Svala had said, “Pregnant?” Skadi looked towards Beowulf, “I am having our baby!” She sighed excitedly as tears ran down the corners of her eyes.

Aela wasn't sure what to say and since she had already broken apart the remaining bones, there wasn't much to do besides give the three of them some space. It wasn't until Aela reached the bottom of the stairs that she realized she had completely forgotten about Markus. Feeling quite guilty, Aela quickly made her way to Markus’s room and quietly peeked inside.

Markus was lying on his side again, apparently, he had fallen asleep while waiting for her to come back. Content to let him rest, for the time being, Aela made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

Abigail was tending the small stew pot on the stove while Arlee played with her small golem beneath the table.

“Is the soup almost ready?” Aela asked anxiously as she made her way over to the stove.

“Hrm? Oh, yes it should be just about done. Just give me a minute,” Abigail replied as she used a baking cloth to protect her hands and moved the pot off the stove.

The smell wafting from the pot had Aela’s mouth drooling in anticipation. The soup smelled delicious, easily one of the best things she had ever encountered. Well, one of the best things she had the intention of eating anyway. “How much should I feed Markus?” Aela asked. She had remembered Abigail had expressed concerns over the richness of the flavour being more than some people could tolerate.

“I think it would probably be best if I take a serving each for Arlee and Myself, then you and Markus can share the remainder. What do you think?” Abigail suggested while setting a pair of bowls on the table.

“Are you sure?” Aela could see that the bowls Abigail had set on the table and was now in the process of filling were not very big and the soup pot was not particularly small either.

Abigail shrugged and pulled Arlee out from beneath the table to set her down on a chair, “I truthfully don’t know much about your kind. But when I was younger, I used to dream of becoming an adventurer. I would spend all of my free time listening to them recall their heroic deeds and would pester their retainers for tips. That’s how I found out about marrow soup,” She smiled wanly as she broke apart a small loaf of bread for them to have with the soup. “While I can’t be sure, I think the more you can manage to feed him, the faster he will recover. Assuming the problem is mana fatigue of course. But adventurers will also heal faster while on a diet of rich food, or so I heard."

Aela was a little surprised. If what Abigail was saying was true, then adventurers and chimaeras were far more similar than she had realized. Remembering the dinner the Chavare woman had prepared to impress Markus, most of the food had been quite rich. Could it be that Adventurers and chimaeras were addressing the same problem in similar ways?

For chimaeras, the quantity was typically the only possible approach for recovering energy. But adventurers, who were mostly wealthy nobles, acquiring nutrient-rich foods was easy, so they focused on quality. Or at least that is how Aela would have understood it before finding out about marrow. She was still shocked that something so important was unknown to her mother who seemingly knew just about everything worth knowing.

“Alright,” Aela agreed, still a little apprehensive about taking so much of Abigail’s hard work. There were still a couple of bowls upstairs, so using the cloth to stop the pot from burning her, Aela took the soup upstairs.

Markus was still asleep and while Aela was loath to wake him, she knew it was for the best. Gently shaking his shoulder, Aela patiently waited for Markus to wake up.

After a while, Markus slowly opened his eyes and greeted her with a small smile. Sniffing curiously at the air, he rubbed at his eyes and curiously considered the soup pot on the nightstand.

“Sorry for making you wait,” Aela apologized, retrieving a relatively clean bowl from the desk and filling it with soup. “I had meant to make you something to eat, but then Abigail told me about marrow!” Aela was getting excited again and didn’t resist when Markus took the bowl from her.

He raised an eyebrow as he sipped at his soup. “Marrow?” Markus asked, his voice somewhat muffled because the bead was buried somewhere in the bedsheets.

“You didn’t know either?” Aela felt a little stupid asking that question. With how helpful Markus had been, wouldn't it have been one of his first suggestions? Especially since he seemed to understand the problem better than they had.

Markus shook his head and then continued slowly drinking the soup.

“Interesting,” the golem commented, its voice similarly muffled. “Of course, it should have been obvious from the start. Mana has to come from somewhere, energy does not simply appear from nothing. Perhaps it is a sort of reaction in the mana itself? Converting surplus caloric intake into mana to replenish reserves?" There was a brief pause in the golems ramblings and then it began to laugh. “OF COURSE!” It exclaimed eagerly, “Why else would dungeons specifically appear near populated areas? To feed and grow stronger! It all makes sense now!"

Markus had very nearly finished his soup but now seemed to have lost his appetite.

“Don't you see? The monsters are just the dungeon’s digestive system, the means of breaking down and converting matter into mana,” the golem seemed incredibly pleased with itself.

Now Markus was definitely finished and set the bowl aside.

Aela wasn’t very impressed. While the golems observations were insightful, they were also rather pointless. Dungeons targeting humans was a rather old and well-known fact. That dungeons could also grow stronger by the monsters dragging victims inside and eating them was also similarly accepted as fact. It was the whole reason why bounties were put on dungeons in the first place after all.

So Aela shrugged and filled Markus’s bowl again, “Please, just one more,” she offered encouragingly. The one thing the golem had mentioned regarding food converting to mana had lined up with what Abigail had said, so Aela really wanted to make sure that Markus had a big meal of the marrow soup to lend speed to his recovery.

Markus didn’t look particularly enthusiastic but nodded and accepted the bowl. “How-is-Skadi?” He asked somberly while sipping at his soup.

“She woke up!” Aela exclaimed excitedly.

Markus’s expression became quite cautious, “Skadi-is-recovering?” He asked.

The way Markus asked the question caused a resurgence of doubt to all but extinguish Aela’s fragile optimism and now she was not so sure, “I-I think so. At the least the level of danger is much lower..."

Seemingly unconvinced, Markus sighed, quickly drank down the second bowl of soup and put the empty bowl aside. “When-I-wake-up, you-will-take-me-to-her,” he said firmly, making it clear it wasn’t up for debate.

Aela nodded, now quite worried about Skadi’s otherwise miraculous recovery.

Markus settled himself back down and pulled the blanket over himself before glancing back toward Aela, “Don’t-worry-too-much. Worst-case-scenario, There-is-still-the-enchantment.” He smiled reassuringly.

Appreciative of the effort, Aela couldn't help but smile in return.

Still very tired and with his stomach full of soup, Markus quickly fell asleep again.

Convinced there was very little she could do for Skadi in the meantime, Aela crawled into bed alongside Markus and watched him sleep for a while before drifting off herself.

When Aela woke up, she felt unusually warm. Much to her surprise and delight, upon opening her eyes Aela found Markus had draped himself on top of her. Even though he was still asleep, Aela couldn’t help herself from basking in the evident level of their intimate connection with one another. Either Markus had briefly woken up during the night and cuddled her while going to sleep again, or he had sought her out in his dreams. Either way, Aela was happy.

As loath as she was to end their embrace, after selfishly indulging herself for just over an hour Aela’s conscience had now won out. She had to wake Markus so they could check on Skadi’s condition again. Aela still held out hope that Markus’s experimental enchantment wouldn't be necessary, but it would be foolish to allow wishful thinking to replace cautionary action.

Trying to extricate herself from beneath Markus, Aela was pleasantly surprised to find Markus had her rather securely pinned. Pulling away the blankets, Aela reassessed her assumption. He didn't have her pinned after all, but her tail had bound them both together. A little disappointed, she unwound her tail then gently pushed Markus’s shoulder to try and wake him.

Markus slowly blinked as his eyes attempted to adjust to the early morning light. He stifled a pitchy yawn and rubbed idly at his face before his eyes came into focus and noticed Aela. Markus didn't look surprised, which Aela appreciated, he just gave her a small smile and looked into her eyes for a short while before slowly getting up.

Aela was reminded that Markus had specifically complimented her eyes before and was glad that it apparently wasn’t just empty flattery. She wondered if it was similar to how she felt about his eyes when channelling magic. If it was, Aela could definitely understand the appeal. There was something about the contrast of the black and silver that drew her attention like a moth to a flame.

She was so distracted by this chain of thought that before Aela realized it, Markus had already stripped off his towel and gotten dressed. Cursing herself for a depressing lack of vigilance, Aela got out of bed herself so she could quickly stretch before they would go upstairs.

Markus was doing the same, albeit much more cautiously. “Ready?” He asked while retrieving the bead from the bed.

Aela nodded, “Ready,” she agreed.

After walking down the hall, Aela made sure to give Markus extra support by lending an arm for him to lean on. Markus wasn’t too proud to take advantage of her offer and gladly accepted her proffered arm. The distinctive sound of bones cracking accompanied their steps and left Markus visibly confused. It wasn’t until they cleared the top steps that revealed Svala deftly snapping, cracking and splitting bones that the sounds made sense.

“Marrow?” Markus asked inquisitively while pointing to the bones.

Before Aela could answer, Svala and Skadi’s attention suddenly shifted from the bones and their marrow to Markus. Both of them were understandably anxious and had almost certainly been waiting for Markus to make his appearance.

“Can you do that enchantment again?” Svala asked bluntly, “The one that lets you see inside?"

Markus was a little nervous but nodded. He turned to Aela and held out his hand expectantly.

It took her a few moments to realize what he wanted. Now recalling that she had left the tablet downstairs, Aela blushed and quickly raced down the stairs to retrieve it from Markus’s room. After tossing the bedsheets twice and looking under the bed, she was really starting to get nervous when she suddenly found it buried by Markus’s towel.

Hurrying back upstairs, Aela quickly moved to pass the tablet to Markus.

Markus’s eyes turned black, the silver rings of his irises had grown much thicker since the last time Aela had witnessed the change, so she was quite relieved. A few moments later, the surface of the tablet flickered to life. Probably as some sort of test, Markus held the tablet up between them and slowly waved it from Aela’s eyes to her toes. Seemingly satisfied, he took up a suitable position by Skadi and knelt down beside her.

“Good-morning,” Markus said warmly to Skadi, albeit still somewhat stiltedly.

Svala and Skadi both seemed a little put off by his exaggerated mouthing of the words while his voice came from the bead in Markus’s other hand.

“Markus is still badly hurt, so he can't speak,” Aela pointedly reminded her mother, “So the magic does it for him, like the golems."

Skadi grimaced, “I am so sorry. After everything you did for us...” She quickly became speechless and shook her head in shame.

Markus smiled somewhat bitterly, “Don’t-worry-about-it,” he replied. Markus slowly waved the tablet over Skadi’s body in a calm methodical manner. After he was finished, Markus smiled reassuringly, “We-will-scan-again-this-evening. I-can-give-answers-then, alright?"

“I want you to know that we are grateful for your assistance,” Svala said appreciatively.

Skadi shifted awkwardly into a sitting position, her blooming belly obviously responsible for the difficulty. “Svala was telling me that she had already seen my babies with your device. Could you show me please? I...I Just want to know they are alright."

Markus nodded and the image represented on the tablet changed. It was now repeating a five-second loop of the tablet waving over Skadi’s womb and the twin chimaera growing inside. Markus then handed the tablet to Skadi so she could take a closer look.

At first, Skadi appeared to not understand what she was looking at, but all at once, her eyes began to tear up. “My babies!” She exclaimed and began rubbing her belly. “Hi there babies, mommy is so happy to see you!” While softer than usual, Skadi’s voice was rapidly approaching a pitch Aela found incredibly uncomfortable.

Judging by the look on Markus’s face, he was similarly discomforted, “You-can-keep-till-evening,” Markus offered.

Skadi smiled with fresh tears in her eyes, “Thank you so much!” Skadi squealed in delight, her attention quickly returning to the image of her unborn children.

Markus nudged Aela and gestured back towards the stairs with a pained look on his face.

Taking the hint, Aela waved goodbye to Skadi and then helped Markus back down the stairs. Expecting his cheerier expression to return, Aela was disappointed to see that he was lost in thought with a somewhat anxious look on his face.

As she began to ask the question, a sense of dread nearly stole Aela’s nerve, “Is something wrong?"

Markus was gnawing at his lower lip and seemed conflicted over the prospect of telling her what was upsetting him. “I-don’t-think-the-marrow-is-enough."

Aela was stunned for a moment. “What do you mean? Isn’t Skadi doing much better now?” She didn’t understand how Markus had come to his conclusion and it worried her.

Markus nodded as if in agreement, “Skadi-is-doing-better,” he agreed, but his expression quickly became dour, “But-the-twins-are-draining-more-now, much-more."

Already familiar with the matters of chimaera pregnancy, Aela wasn’t surprised by Markus’s observation, but she rather quickly realized her mistake. If Skadi had been having a difficult pregnancy, the discovery of marrow would have been sufficient to see her through it. However, because Skadi was having twins, it was still very probable that she was still in very real danger.

Aela silently cursed herself for the foolish assumptions she had made. It would not be long before the family would no longer be capable of keeping up with Skadi’s needs and her health would begin to decline again. Refusing to give in to depressing thoughts Aela remembered that Markus had been working on a contingency plan. “Markus, will you still be able to save Skadi with your enchantment?"

Markus was quiet for a while, then nodded, “I-think-so."

As they returned to Markus’s room, Aela had the impression that he was emotionally drained and in desperate need of a distraction. With that in mind, she briefly excused herself to retrieve some things from her room.

When Aela returned, Markus was watching two near-identical images on the large crystal screen on his desk, or monitor, as he called it. It took only a moment for her to recognize the images as silhouettes of Skadi with contrasted mana veins. The one on the left was much brighter, while the one on the right was noticeably dimmer and carried two small but distinct bodies inside Skadi’s distended belly.

Seeing her nieces or nephews for the first time was a strange experience for Aela. While they did not fully resemble chimaeras just yet, she could still clearly make out core details in the silhouettes thanks to their mana veins. It made the situation all the more real for Aela, she was starting to feel the same emotional fatigue as Markus.

Producing the board and a small bag of carved tokens, Aela bodily turned Markus away from the monitor, “Would you like to play Dame with me?” She asked while firmly directing him out of the room.

No doubt realizing that his agreement wasn’t necessary, Markus just allowed Aela to drag him along without putting up a fight.

Aela set up the board and pieces in the dining room and taught Markus how to play. Despite her confidence, Markus managed to reverse the tide of the first game and come out the winner. Attributing his win to luck, Aela went on to lose the next seven games before barely managing to defeat him for the first time.

This pattern repeated for the rest of the day and Aela had to frequently leave the room to exercise and blow off steam. It was infuriating how good he was at a game he had never played before! It wasn’t until their final game that Markus suggested an explanation for his otherwise unexplainable talent. Simply put, Markus believed he must have played this game many times before losing his memory. How else could he be so good at it and not know why?

Markus’s reasons for wanting a return visit that evening soon became obvious. The entire family had now returned home and Skadi had been fed all the meat and marrow they could muster. Both of these were equally important but for different reasons.

Aela hadn’t noticed at the time, but while they were playing Dame, Markus had the smaller golem prepare the remaining beads for his experimental enchantment.

The look on Markus’s face made it clear that he was hoping they wouldn't be needed but feared that they would.

Supporting Markus as they climbed the steps to the attic, Aela could feel Markus tensing up in ever greater levels of apprehension with each step. Entering the attic, Aela was not surprised to find that the rest of the family was there already, no doubt waiting to see the results of Markus’s visit.

Upon seeing Markus, Svala motioned for her children to give Skadi some space. She then stood up and produced Markus’s tablet from a pouch at her waist. It was currently blank, no doubt having run out of mana hours earlier from continuous use. “Sorry, but I think it’s out of mana," Svala apologized.

Markus shrugged and graciously accepted his tablet. “As-expected,” he replied while his eyes turned black and silver to recharge it again. Markus turned his attention to Skadi, “Are-you-ready?” he asked with an unmistakable tinge of nervousness in his voice.

Skadi didn’t seem to notice and just nodded enthusiastically, no doubt eager to look at her babies again afterwards.

After taking a few calming breaths, Markus knelt down beside Skadi and began the slow methodical process of carefully waving the tablet over her body. After he was finished, Markus took a few minutes to change the images represented on the tablet. “I-need-to-check-something,” he said and slowly got to his feet.

“Wait,” Skadi caught Markus’s sleeve before he finished standing up, causing him to bodily flinch in response. “Can you show me how my babies are doing now?” She asked excitedly, “I want to show everyone!"

Markus nodded nervously and after flicking at the tablet a few times, a looping image sprang to life on its surface. Very similar to this morning, the twins were more or less inactive and barely moved, but it was still a wonder to look at and Aela could feel an emotional connection she otherwise wouldn't have had without it. Markus gingerly handed Skadi the tablet and slowly backed away to the stairs.

He looked much more anxious than he had that morning. Markus barely seemed to register Aela’s assistance as they made their way back to his room, but she chose not to take it personally.

Surprisingly, the images on the monitor had now changed, showing a trio of silhouettes and their accompanying mana veins. Judging by Markus’s distinct lack of surprise, Aela assumed that this was what he wanted to check on.

Markus’s expression grew agitated. Using his fingers to move and adjust the images, Markus grew more upset by the moment and withdrew a nub of charcoal from the desk and began scribbling on a scrap of paper. He would occasionally stop and manipulate the images a little before returning to his manic scribbling.

After a half-hour or more had passed, Markus had stopped scribbling and looked quite depressed. “Would-Bjorn-and-Ulf-agree-to-another-experiment?” He asked wearily.

Aela wasn't sure, but knowing that it was important she reckoned that their mother would force them if necessary. “They will,” she agreed and was glad to see the worry lines ease in Markus’s features. “I’ll go get them now,” Aela offered and seeing Markus smile in gratitude, she was glad for making the effort.

When Aela returned upstairs, the rest of her family were gathered around Skadi and curiously staring at the tablet.

Aela cleared her throat and looked pointedly towards the twins.

Bjorn and Ulf looked back at her with curious expressions as they came over to the staircase to see what she wanted.

“Markus needs both of you for another experiment,” Aela quietly explained, doing her best not to disturb the others, although there was little doubt that anyone had missed what she said.

Bjorn and Ulf just stared at her in silence for a moment before glancing at one another then quietly going downstairs and walking over to Markus.

Markus had left his room and was now sitting at the workshop table. He smiled faintly as the twins approached.

“Aela says you need help testing another enchantment,” Bjorn stated bluntly.

Markus nodded.

Ulf’s expression was still indiscernible, “This enchantment is to save Skadi and her unborn?” He asked.

Markus nodded again, “It-is."

Bjorn’s brow furrowed and he scowled slightly, “Brother and I are both males, Skadi is female. This will not be a problem?” Artificer enchantments were still a mystery to them and in spite of her greater exposure, Aela had still been wondering the same thing.

Markus shook his head, “Enchantment-transfers-mana. No-difference-in-male-and-female-mana.” He motioned to a pair of bead amulets on the table and then held up the amulet which had a nearly imperceptible soft golden light in its core, “The-bearer-of-this-amulet-receives-mana,” Markus put the amulet down then picked up the second amulet which was close to identical to the first except it had a faint crimson light, “The-bearer-of-this-amulet-provides-mana."

Ulf took the amulet from the workshop table and held it up so he could get a better look at it, “What do you need us to do?"

“Not-much,” Markus admitted, “Whomever-wears-this amulet-will-need-to-spend-mana.” he then pointed to the amulet in Ulf’s hand, “While-the-other-stays-ready-to-remove-amulet-in-emergency."

Bjorn grunted, shrugged and took the remaining amulet from Markus's hand. The lights from both amulets grew slightly brighter for a moment before dimming again.

Markus smiled, “That-is-good. The lights-will-grow-brighter-when-the-enchantments-are-active,” he explained.

“So I just need to burn energy?” Bjorn asked somewhat sceptically.

“Correct,” Markus agreed, “Just-don’t-go-crazy-just-yet. Still-testing-limiters."

Bjorn and Ulf shared a look with one another before they both shrugged in unison. They were both a little excited by the unknown dangers of the new enchantments and knew that if it worked, it would be their potential future offspring and life-mates who would benefit, not just Skadi.

Ulf draped the amulet around his neck then dropped to the floor and began doing pushups. Both amulets lit up again and began wavering between degrees of brightness in time with Ulf’s physical exertions.

Bjorn was now looking somewhat bemusedly at the amulet he was still holding in his hand.

“So it works?” Aela asked hesitantly.

Markus looked visibly relieved, “Do-either-of-you-feel-something-off?” He asked nervously.

Ulf sprang deftly to his feet and stretched thoroughly, “It is strange spending energy without actually spending energy,” he admitted, “But nothing feels wrong, brother?"

Bjorn shook his head, “Strange feeling losing energy while doing nothing, but that is it."

The lights from the amulets had dimmed again.

Markus nodded, ‘Need-observe-transfer-to-be-sure, but-this-is-a-good-sign," He then removed one of his spare tablets from his pocket, “Could-you-exercise-again-please? Less-moving-is-better.” Markus asked as he raised the tablet to observe them.

Ulf nodded and shifted into a fighting stance. Instead of punching, kicking or biting at the air, Ulf remained stationary and began to growl deep and low. His muscles gradually grew larger and veins began protruding against Ulf’s taught skin. The amulet around his neck was now glowing brightly with golden light.

Similarly, Bjorn’s amulet was emanating a deep crimson light. He also appeared to be a little strained.

Aela understood what was happening, although she doubted Markus did. Ulf was deliberately burning through energy at a recklessly accelerated rate. It was a common ability that all chimaeras were capable of. The increased consumption of energy made them stronger, faster and more durable in direct relation to how much energy was being spent. Aela had used it when facing down the marauder, and she knew for a fact that it was the only reason she had even lasted long enough for Markus to help her in the first place.

“That’s-enough!” Markus said abruptly.

Ulf quickly calmed down and began taking deep steadying breaths, “I still lost a lot of energy. Was that meant to happen?”

Markus nodded, “The-soft-limiter. It-is-good-that-it-works. Will-you-both-test-the-hard-limiter? It’s-important-for-unmonitored-use-in-the-future."

Although it was clear Bjorn and Ulf didn't truly understand, they both immediately expressed their intent to keep going.

“Wait-until-the-red-amulet-dims, then-repeat-what-you-just-did-again,” Markus pointed to the amulet in Bjorn’s hand, “It-will-then-darken-again. When-it-does, stop-immediately."

Bjorn and Ulf glanced at one another, shrugged and then patiently began watching the red amulet.

Curious, Aela couldn't stay quiet any longer. “What are the soft and hard limits?” She asked.

Markus smiled understandingly and absently scratched at the bridge of his nose, “Hard-limit-will-stop-enchantments-when-host-mana-reaches-half-capacity. Soft-limit-reduces-amount-of-mana-transferred-all-at-once. Both-together-is-unnecessary, but-it-is-safer-to-test-together." Markus rubbed irritably at his throat before continuing with his explanation, “The-limiters-are-safety-measures-to-lessen-impact-of-accidents-unsupervised. Important-for-future-use-by-chimaeras-when-I-am-not-around."

Aela still wasn't used to how ‘matter of course’ Markus’s generous nature was and hoped she never would be. Not only was he developing enchantments for her family's private use, but he was implementing safety measures to protect them from their own recklessness or ignorance. Although she supposed those same enchantments might also be capable of driving them into a coma if they recklessly assaulted him again. Far from unsettling, Aela found the idea reassuring after what had happened.

Bjorn and Ulf had now gone through the cycle again and stopped as Markus requested.

Markus was nodding to himself as he played with the images on his tablet, “Yes, I-think-that-is-it."

“We are done now?” Bjorn asked.

Markus nodded, “For-today. Thank-you-both-for-your-assistance.” he stood up and gave each of the twins a shaky bow before sitting down again. “Still-working-on-reproduction-experiment. Close-I-think. Let-you-know-when."

The twins stared at Markus for a moment, unsure if they had heard him right.

“What is the reproduction experiment?” Ulf asked somewhat eagerly.

“Replicate-fertility-effects-from-destroying-dungeon-core,” Markus explained simply.

Bjorn looked beyond incredulous, “You are saying you could do that?” He demanded.

Markus shrugged, “Certainly-not-easy. It-may-take-a-while-to-figure-out. But-I-think-I-can-do-it."

Before Bjorn could express further doubts Ulf tactfully interjected, “We would, of course, be more than happy to participate in the experiment when you are ready for testing,” he offered eagerly.

“Alright,” Markus agreed amiably, “Only-fair. Assuming-everyone-behaves," taking care to emphasise the last.

The twins grinned at one another, taking the implied threat in stride.

“Markus? Should we take these amulets upstairs now?” Aela asked, hoping the twins would take the hint and get their priorities straight.

“Should-be-safe-to-use-now,” Markus agreed, “Will-still-observe-just-in-case,” he quickly added.

Bjorn and Ulf were still grinning as they led the way upstairs.

Markus didn't seem to mind that they had taken the amulets with them. He also seemed perfectly content for the twins to explain their functions to the rest of the family.

Even though Skadi seemed to be recovering on her marrow supplemented diet, she still gladly accepted the added insurance of the amulet. The moment Beowulf had equipped the other amulet, both amulets immediately illuminated the attic.

Markus had only silently nodded to himself while looking through his tablet. Seemingly content with what he was seeing, the last vestiges of worry melted from his face and Markus released a deep sigh, “This-should-be-enough." Looking unbelievably tired, Markus began making his way back downstairs.

Aela helped Markus back to his room and was about to leave, “Markus, how long do you th-” She stopped speaking when she realized Markus had already collapsed onto his bed and fallen asleep. “I’ll ask you tomorrow,” Aela whispered and closed the door so he could take a well-deserved rest.

As she was stepping away from the door, Aela heard the muffled voice of the golem quietly talking to itself. But by the time she managed to press her ear to the door, the words Aela heard didn’t make sense to her.

“-final stages of invasion... Rules will need to be broken...” The golem sounded agitated, clearly upset by something. But before Aela could consider opening the door to ask what was going on, it had already grown silent.