Everyone sat around the breakfast table, it was eggs prepared scrambled with fresh bread, bacon and sausages on the side.

As Harlan finished his 3rd serving Dahlia felt it was time to start small talk.

“Have you been selling these new inventions?”

“I don’t see who I would be selling them to. Nobles have servants who do most of this for them. Everyone else can’t afford them.”

“What about me personally commissioning some work from you? I am very interested in that stove you made. Could you make a smaller one with only one hot surface?”

“Sure, I already made a prototype. But I use a kettle that heats water instead of the plate.”

“Wonderful. And what of the cost?”

Harlan decided against asking how much the kingdom paid her.

“I’ll do it for free, you aren’t working for me. But your work is helping me.”

“I appreciate that you feel that way about my work.”

Ibery finally joined the rest of them for breakfast. She had barely slept the night before, she had been raised on the horror stories of Fomorians, the incident where the house shifted was still in her mind.

“Sleep well?”

“Yes… Thank you for your hospitality.” She was slurring her words as she spoke, Harlan had a solution.

He opened a locked cabinet and got out a small bottle of black liquid.

“Drink this, it will wake you up.‘

Ibery didn’t protest, her drowsiness stopped her from thinking too hard about it.

She coughed after it was done, washing away the flavor with a cup of tea Isha placed in front of her.

“What was that?”

“Anti-sleep elixir. Not cheap, and I am not giving you more. I can give you sleeping potions if you need help sleeping.”

“Thank you?”

“You’re welcome, now eat. You probably won’t feel hungry but it will help settle your stomach.”

Dahlia thought back to the first time she had used an elixir. She didn’t eat for 3 days and passed out during training, this was the intended result as she would later learn.

“I am surprised you keep those around. Do you even sleep more than once a month?”

“They were a gift.”

It was technically illegal to distribute the elixirs without a transaction record, and she would know if he had one. But she let it slide, figuring there was only one group who would give him a gift like that.

“How are your relations with the couriers?”

“Very good, I helped them with some work, they are letting me send some things without paying. They are good people.” She got the answer she expected. Nothing much else was said over breakfast.

Harlan helped clean up, to the shock of Dahlia and Ibery. It was very unexpected for a noble to do anything that would be seen as chores.

Then he had golems load up the carriage and he went back to town. The others all stayed behind to tour the house and the bunker. However, Ibery and Dahlia were not allowed into the bunker without Harlan there. So while Isha showed Ava and Redmond the bunker Sara spoke with the others about the many functions of the house.

Harlan preferred it this way since he took along his loading golems, Balor had convinced him to not do manual labor in public after some time.

Harlan dropped off the equipment for Brig but didn’t see the old man working yet. Which was odd but he figured even the old man would sleep in every now and then.

Balor once again tried to convince Harlan to pay for a scar removal which he once again ignored because he felt it was a waste of money and time.

Then he checked in with the couriers. They had wanted a chat and he had no reason to put it off.

“Good morning, do you have packages to send? Or are you here to speak with the branch manager?”

“Both.” Harlan set the boxes on the counter and placed his seal on them. He had carved a wolf for Ky and a bear for Reet. He heard that bears were considered guardians of sorts in the north since they tended to eat smaller predators and ignore people. He was putting off any other toy golems until he got a reply from Cynthia.

After they were processed and then set aside to be taken to another office who would better know who he was actually trying to reach he was led back to the manager’s office.

He originally felt a little unsettled by the feeling of the heavy privacy wards that were in the office but now they were more reassuring for him since he knew he could freely speak while inside.

“Morning Harlan, I hope it finds you well.”

“You as well Zachery, how is Rand? It has been a while since I taught him but something reminded me of him earlier.”

“He is doing just fine, though having to update so much equipment has been a seemingly endless task for him and his students. What was the reminder?”

“Those elixirs you gave me, glad I never needed them until now, but I had a guest who didn’t sleep much last night and I gave one to her.”

“Glad to help. But enough about that. We would like to ask you some questions.”

“We?”

“Yes. If you trust me I would like to have this chat in the haven.“ He moved his desk and the mat on the floor to reveal a trap door.

Harlan trusted him enough to not question it and just followed him down.

They went through halls and tunnels, there were a few night watchers standing around making small talk with each other.

He was a little surprised how well lit it all was, he knew they had good low light vision so he expected a dim and dark dungeon area, not the smooth stone walls decorated with art or carvings in some language he didn’t understand.

They ended up in a place that looked closer to a courtroom than a meeting room. Though it didn’t have a place for spectators.

There was a raised platform with a chair on it in the middle of the room and a crescent shaped table around it.

Zachery waved Harlan to the platform.

After everyone was seated the oldest man Harlan had ever seen spoke.

“Good day to you. Sir Harlan Fomoria, Do you know why you are here?”

“I am unaware of the reason.”

“Are you aware of the true state of gods in this world?”

“Yes, I am in a pact with The Mother, you are in a pact with Aine.”

“Good enough. We have a series of questions we would like you to ask your god, if that is possible for you. You may ask your own questions of us. Do you accept the terms as stated thus far?”

“Yes, I have no issues with this exchange.”

“Good. Firstly, we wish to know if she is able to contact Aine. Secondly, we wish to know if she is aware of the origins of our various species. We have had the pacts transferred willingly and at times unwillingly, this has led to no group knowing who truly started them, nor what connections there are between the different groups. Thirdly, we wish to know if there is a way to break the pact. There are those who believe this is a curse, it is not our place to force this on others. These are the questions we ask, now you may ask three of your own. Either now or at a later date. We trust you will do your duty without issue.”

“The only issue I can see is that she might not answer a question. What should I do then?”

“The asking is the deal. The answers or lack thereof is simply a risk in such a transaction.”

“I shall speak with her tonight. Though as she distorts time I may not be able to reply tomorrow.”

“This is acceptable.”

“I shall ask one question now…”

Harlan went quiet, reassuring himself that he wanted the answer to this.

“Who was the man I killed? 4 years ago, a werewolf.”

A much younger looking woman answered.

“He was from Lata, a town to the east of your home. His name was Samual. He killed his wife and his son as a result of the trickery of an age-old enemy of ours. He was one who was forced to turn into what he was. He was a good man, he was a victim, he was a murderer. May his soul rest. May we get the answers we seek, a man will never be forced to live and die as he has.”

“Thank you for answering. I have one more question, I will save the last. Do you have any information about transformations? I know that skinwalkers aren’t a part of you, but I can’t seem to find much information about how they take the appearance of another person. And I have yet to encounter one for study.”

A man who smelled like sulfur spoke.

“I really must say that you shouldn’t try to research them, they are nasty beasts when they reveal their true forms. I have researched them, but only on ways to kill them, I have taken no notes of a living skinwalker, nor notes on how it might be transforming into others. I will ask the other alchemists about the subject and return to you with more information. That is all I can offer at this time. And. if you would permit me a free question, what are you trying to do?”

“Thank you for your answer, and I will answer you. I have been working for a few months now on being able to transform or create new life. I have a crow twice the size as normal, but any tests I have done on other animals with adding features such as scales or changing the number of limbs has always led to an explosion of their soul.”

“Thank you for answering. I will double my efforts towards finding the information you seek. If your god does not have the answer to breaking the pacts then perhaps your research will give us a way to sidestep the issue instead. Would you be willing to help with our issue as well should it come to pass?”

“Yes, I would be willing to help, our interests align and you have done well for me, I shall return this wellness to you.”

The old man spoke again.

“Then I adjourn this meeting, any information shall be passed from Wolfmaster Zachery to the higher echelons of our order.”

They got up from their seats and cast gate, taking them all across the continent.

Then it was just Zachery and Harlan left in the room.

Both of them let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank Aine, I hate these meetings. You handled yourself well though kid, I wasn’t sure if you would be stiff enough to talk like that.”

“Same, I hate how formal that was and I got my brother to help with the speaking.” Harlan waved his hand around.

“Well then, thank you Balor. I might’ve pushed a blade through my heart if the meeting devolved into them trying to teach Harlan how to speak properly to them.”

“Always glad to lend a helping… Hand.” there was an awkward silence.

“Yes, I made a joke.”

Zach and Harlan let themselves laugh for a moment.

“Well, anything else you need, kid?”

“Know where I could find someone willing to deliver rabbits? Like, a lot of rabbits?”

“For meat or fur?”

“Experiments.”

“Sure, I got a guy. When do you want them?”

“Not for a little while, I have a lot to do currently with this spy and maybe having to heal someone from the confederacy. Know anything about the matriarch of the Blacktalons?”

“Let me ask around. But matriarchs are, for the birds at least. More of a ceremonial position. They tend to act as advisors to whoever the elected clan leader is, but they don’t technically have any real power. I believe the current Councillor for the Tytoans is a Blacktalon though.”

“Well, I guess it could be worse. Any recommendations to make a Tytoan feel more at home? The spy who is my sister’s friend is one and she seems to be terrified of me and my home.”

Harlan got an odd look from Zach when he said the spy was his sister's friend, but Zach was also an oddball.

“They like their cave aged cheeses. They live in mountains mostly, so I guess it just comes with the territory.”

“Alright, I’ll ask the food places around town if they have any imported cheese.”

“Good luck, but it is a bit of an odd request. I might be able to ask around for some, but the importing costs are probably going to be deathly.”

“Maybe I can ask for a tax write off, it IS for a matter of national relations after all.”

They had a good laugh and then Harlan followed him back up the stairs and then outside.

Harlan placed an order for another batch of mana gems.

He did not find the cheese he wanted.

Sen was arguing with his mother once again.

“I know things look dire, but how can you trust him? How can you expect me to trust you after you used Ibery like that?”

“Because I got a divine message telling me that the boy is fine, well, fine by Caill’s standards. Ibery isn’t in any danger. The kid wants to be left alone, but I don’t think he is likely to react violently so long as we don’t, and we both know Ibery wouldn’t fight him.”

“Oh? Like the message from Caill that got you into that fight with those Fomorians in the first place?”

She couldn’t say he was wrong, but she could avoid admitting that he was right.