“The Divers are going to love the smoking herbs I found! The alcohol will already be nice, but to smoke a pipe of good quality Myrranthorian herbs after such a prosperous haul? That’s what the real highlight of the party will be!” Hallath laughed heartily, Ahn’rah trailing a step behind him.

  His father had asked him to walk, and so they walked, dragging their talons through black sand and bits of precious metals. Hallath talked the entire time, gloating over his new treasures and expressing his excitement for the months of partying he was going to take part in, just like he always did after a Dive. Ahn’rah did notice, however, that Hallath seemed to be in a much better mood than he thought he'd be in. Hallath had been giving his son the cold shoulder over the two days he wasn’t working, and Ahn’rah half expected a similarly distant treatment.

  “Oh, and did you see the crops from Rathsah? They were just left there, right out in the open for us! It’s as if the Summer folk left tribute for us! Could you imagine how much smoother the trip would go if all of those little Fae just left their valuables out for us? Handed us their things and stood back while we did what we needed to?”

  “I saw them, Father.” Ahn’rah responded flatly, eyes staring down at the dusty ground of the Trove Moon. What a horrid thing to want, for others to spend their lives making things for a group who would simply take them. He doubted that such a thing would even end in a peaceful Dive. His Father, or one of the other more vicious members, would likely still terrorize and pillage, even if there was nothing left to take.

  Hallath glanced over his shoulder at his son, sharp teeth on display as he gave him a wide, proud grin. “And what of the surprise I left you under the stairs?”

  Ahn’rah paused, looking up at his father now with wide eyes. “You mean that big thing made of clay? What even is it?”

  “Some sort of sentry I assume. I found it on Relictumire, right when we were about to take off toward Gleahainn. There were quite a few of them, along with a little group of mages and soldiers, all waiting for us at our usual spot. They all started hurling spells at us, but there weren’t nearly enough of them to matter. Me and some of the larger Divers took out a few of the louder casters and most of the clay things ended up falling over or freezing up.” Hallath chuckled at this, amused by the memory.

  “I thought maybe they were being controlled somehow and tossed one with the rest of our loot and brought it along for the trip.” The older dragon shrugged. “I saw more on Rathsah, but those ones were a bit smaller and didn’t seem to do much. They didn’t even attack us, just kept moving around boxes and crops. Clearly the one I managed to grab is much better quality. I’m hoping I can convince one of the Thought-Bringers to teach me how to use it when they get here”

  “And what would you use it for?” Ahn’rah asked, having stopped walking.

  Hallath turned to stop as well and gave him a shrug. “Perhaps it could sort the Trove for me, keep things clean. Or maybe it could haul some junk around down on Topavara itself, or stand watch here. We know it can cast spells or something, so it wouldn’t exactly be useless as a guard.”

  Ahn’rah tensed slightly. If the golem couldn’t provide them any help escaping and Hallath managed to get it operating at the Trove Moon, then they likely wouldn’t have another chance to look inside. He needed to get Caelmer up to it before his father could convince someone else to look at it.

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  “Do you have any idea how it works?” He probed.

  “Not a damned clue. I haven’t spent too much time fiddling with it since it went so stiff, but from what I can tell it’s nothing but a hunk of earth.”

  No mention of the Runeplate at all. And from what Ahn’rah could tell from his Father’s expression and voice it sounded like he genuinely hadn’t noticed it.

  “Well, it would be best to leave it as it is.” Ahn’rah did his best to sound casual in his advice. “We wouldn’t want to break it trying to figure it out ourselves.”

  Hallath nodded. “You’re probably right. The last thing I need is to snap an arm off the thing.” The larger Dragon turned to his son and gave him another smile, patting him on the shoulder. “But enough about that, I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Ask away.” Ahn’rah replied, trying to hide his flinch at Hallath’s touch.

  “I wanted to formally invite you to the party down at the Tail’s End tomorrow. I think wine and some socializing might help you relax. Most of The Trove Divers will be there, and I think interacting more with them will make you feel more attuned with the group. You could even bring Turimiil by.”

  Ahn’rah tensed at the thought of Turimiil and himself surrounded by inebriated Divers, all bragging about the destruction they caused and the treasures they stole. The last thing he wanted was to hear about the burning of someone’s home or the family heirlooms they looted from it. He took a step back, effectively pulling away from his father’s hand. Even though going to the party would give good optics, he knew he wouldn’t be able to feign indifference for long.

  “I think I’ll have to pass on the offer, at least for the coming week.”

  Hallath’s grin fell from his face, nodding his head. “Alright, son, if you’re sure. The festivities will still be there if you change your mind, and you know they’ll go on for a month or more.”

  “They always do, Father.” Ahn’rah gave his father an apologetic smile. “If that’s everything, I should be getting to the archives. I’ve got to deposit the new inventory, and then I have to start readying things for the next Dive. Two years never feels like enough time to plan everything out.”

  Hallath’s smile returned and he laughed. “Well, maybe it’s best you don’t come then. We’ll be cutting down the time between Dives to one year.”

  “Only one year!?” Ahn’rah couldn’t hide his shock. “But that cuts my time in half! I don’t know if I’ll be able to gather all of the information I need by then, let alone the supplies, and-”

  “Then you better get a move on! Put your snout to the ground and sniff out all the info you can find! Maybe Turimiil can come down from your moon and actually help us for once. Or will you leave her alone up there while you spend all your nights alone in a war room?” Hallath’s words dripped with venom, but his tone stayed casual and his smile never left his face.

  This was the punishment his father had planned for him, wasn’t it? To put him to work with no time to think about anything but the Divers, and to possibly drag Turimiil into the group as well. Ahn’rah’s jaw clenched, stress bubbling through his blood. He had no choice but to agree and simply navigate this new obstacle Hallath made for him.

  “...I’ll get to work, Father.” He muttered quietly, turning away and spreading his wings.

  “Fly careful, Ahn’rah! Wouldn’t want you to tire yourself out!” Hallath called out as his son launched off of the Trove Moon’s surface, beginning the flight back down toward the surface of Topavara.