might be too…ah, what’s the word…heavy for them. The recordings released by the Ninecloud Court are appropriate for all advancement levels. I could try reproducing them myself, but it might be better to get one from the Court.]
Jaran grunted. “Sixteen. Out of how many?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lindon said. “Yerin won, and the woman fighting up there is queen over most of the continent. She came here as a personal favor to Yerin.”
Yerin’s cheeks tinged red, but she glanced at Lindon’s parents, clearly eager to see how they would take the news.
Lindon was hoping to keep the topic of conversation away from himself. He couldn’t explain anything he’d done in simple enough terms to get his parents to understand it without looking like he was desperately bragging.
[Maybe I could do a better job than the Court,] Dross mused to no one in particular. [I could add my own special flair to it.]
“You brought her here?” Kelsa asked in awe. She could have watched the battle through the projection construct, but instead she was craning her neck to watch Malice out the windows with her own eyes.
Seisha dipped her head to Yerin. “This one thanks you for going to such lengths for our home.”
Jaran inclined his head too, though he was looking slightly in the wrong direction. “Yes, we are honored to have you go so far for your student.”
The console flared a little too brightly as Lindon’s madra became disordered.
Yerin’s mouth dropped open. “Yeah, student, not…I mean to say, uh, bleed me. Lindon, did you tell them—”
“No!” Lindon steadied his breathing. “I haven’t spoken with them much at all. There’s been no time. There isn’t much time now, in fact. We should be arriving soon.”
The colossal sounds of battle had grown distant, though the occasional flare of madra suggested that Malice was still fighting the Titan on the other side of the mountains.
Jaran frowned, but Kelsa and Seisha had caught the scent of blood.
Orthos chuckled and opened his mouth wide to take a bite out of a nearby chair, but he reluctantly closed his jaws again. “You don’t have a snack, do you?”
Lindon quickly opened his void key, pulled out a bundle of firewood, and tossed it to the turtle, who snapped it out of the air.
Little Blue peeped up in agreement, and Lindon flipped her a scale of pure madra.
“So she’s not your teacher,” Kelsa went on. Her back was to the window now, and she settled into the chair that Orthos had been about to eat.
Lindon’s mother smiled kindly. “Yerin, wasn’t it? Why don’t you come here so I can get a better look at you?”
Yerin breathed like she was facing down an executioner, but turned stiffly on her heel. Her six Goldsigns quivered behind her.
“Well, Lindon.” Jaran’s mood had markedly improved. “You must have grown into yourself since you left. Tall, strong, good shoulders. I bet you have my jawline, too. How’s his chin?”
“We could be in for a rough landing,” Lindon said anxiously. “We’ll have to be ready to move quickly. Now would be a good time to get prepared.”
Dross piped up. [Oh, right, you haven’t seen him! Here, I can show you. Consider this a sample of what I can do with the memories of the tournament.]
A moment later, Jaran’s eyebrows lifted. “Makes sense now. Advancement does the body good.”
“She’s a powerful sacred artist,” Kelsa said. “She doesn’t care about his jawline.”
Seisha shrugged. “I’m sure it didn’t hurt. So, Yerin, you must know Lindon well.”
“Yes.” Yerin’s Goldsigns were trying to tie themselves in knots.
“We haven’t gotten to know the new Lindon much ourselves. I’d be very grateful if you could fill us in on what we missed.”
It was his mother’s way of asking “What do you see in him?” without sounding rude, and Lindon was honestly relieved. Yerin wouldn’t answer that question.
Either she would hear an implied insult to Lindon, in which case she would strike back, or she would be embarrassed by the question and dodge it.
[Oooohhh you should have asked me for a simulation on that one,] Dross said.
What do you mean?
[That’s what Yerin would have done. Before.]
Lindon didn’t figure out what Dross meant before Yerin responded. “Might be you know this already, but he doesn’t give up. If you cut off two legs and an arm, he’d fight you with one hand and his teeth. If there’s a way to win, he’ll hunt it down or he’ll die on the trail.”
Lindon was too stunned to be flattered.
Yerin went on smoothly. “Haven’t spent long