[House Veyrath — Before Sunrise — Later]
The gates of House Veyrath opened before sunrise.
Beneath the pale glow of the morning sky, a line of black-armored knights stood ready to depart. Their polished armor bore the silver crest of House Veyrath, while the great banner embroidered with a silver tempest fluttered above them. Servants hurried through the courtyard, securing provisions and checking the horses before the journey into the vast Azrath Desert.
Captain Kharzen approached Vaerun and bowed.
"Azram, the scouts are ready. The latest report concerns an attack that occurred three days ago. A merchant caravan was discovered near the eastern trade route. The bodies have been recovered, but two members of the caravan remain missing."
Vaerun adjusted the silver clasp fastening his traveling cloak.
"Any survivors?"
"None."
His silver eyes narrowed slightly. "Then who reported the attack?"
"Captain Nareza Veyr of the Imperial Guard. She discovered the remains while inspecting the eastern route. She will accompany us and provide her report personally."
Vaerun nodded. "Good. What of the beast?"
Kharzen’s expression grew more serious.
"The beast was not seen, and the scouts found only its tracks."
Vaerun remained silent for a moment. He had little patience for invisible enemies, particularly those that left behind mutilated bodies and no explanation of their existence.
"Let us leave."
Kharzen bowed. "As you command, Azram."
Vaerun turned toward his horse. One of the stable hands immediately stepped forward to assist him, but just as he placed a foot in the stirrup—
"PAPAAAAA!"
The voice rang through the courtyard with enough force to make several knights turn their heads.
Vaerun paused.
A small figure came rushing down the broad sandstone staircase, her loose nightgown fluttering around her legs. Her hair was an absolute disaster, one side sticking up while the other hung over her forehead. She was clearly still half asleep, yet she ran with the determination of a general charging into battle.
Behind her hurried Mira, Renn, and Ishtar Khaelis, all apparently having failed to convince the little lady that running down a staircase in her nightclothes was not an appropriate way to begin the morning.
"Lady Seyra, please slow down!" Mira called.
"MY PAPA IS LEAVING! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!"
"Your Papa is not going to war this instant!" Renn protested.
"THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT PEOPLE SAY BEFORE THEY GO TO WAR!"
Vaerun turned just in time to see his daughter charge toward him. He bent his knees and opened his arms, catching her as she threw herself at him with all the strength her tiny body possessed.
Seyra wrapped both arms around his neck and immediately pouted.
"HOW CAN YOU LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING BYE TO YOUR DAUGHTER?"
Vaerun held her securely against his chest; for a moment, he simply looked at her disheveled hair, sleepy eyes, and wrinkled nightgown, and then he said calmly, "You look like a lizard."
. . .
. . .
Deadly silence fell over the courtyard.
Even the horses seemed to pause.
CAW!!! CAWWW
A raven perched on the nearby wall let out two loud cries, as though it had been waiting all morning for someone to insult the little lady.
Seyra froze; her mouth fell open. She stared at her father in disbelief, her little hands still gripping his cloak.
Then her face crumpled with outrage.
"HOW CAN YOU COMPARE ME TO A DISGUSTING, STICKY LIZARD? AND WHY CAN’T YOU EVER SPEAK NORMALLY TO ME?"
Vaerun regarded her without the slightest trace of guilt.
"Would you prefer a snake?"
"PAPAAAA!"
"Then a lizard it is."
"YOU ARE THE WORST FATHER IN THE ENTIRE EMPIRE!"
"An unfortunate discovery. You should have investigated before adopting me."
"Ughhh..."
Seyra stared at him.
Behind them, Kharzen’s shoulders trembled once. Ishtar pressed her lips together, while Renn turned his face toward the gates with the solemn dignity of a man who had spent years serving House Veyrath and would not allow a four-year-old’s father-daughter argument to destroy his reputation.
Mira, meanwhile, had given up pretending that she was not amused.
Seyra huffed and buried her face against Vaerun’s shoulder.
The wind moved gently through the courtyard, stirring the banners overhead. The first rays of sunlight spilled across the sandstone walls, turning their golden surfaces warm and bright. Around them, the knights had returned to their preparations, and no one reacted much to the little lady’s outburst anymore.
House Veyrath had grown accustomed to its newest source of chaos.
Vaerun’s expression softened. He adjusted Seyra in his arms and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her forehead.
"I will return soon; until then, try to behave like a normal human being."
Seyra lifted her head.
"Ugh. I am done with you. I will not talk to you anymore."
"An excellent beginning."
She narrowed her violet eyes at him.
Vaerun waited, and after several seconds of determined silence, Seyra glanced at his face and noticed the faint smile resting at the corner of his mouth.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she muttered,
"Come back soon. Kill the beast as quickly as possible; I hate waiting."
"I shall do my best."
"No, Papa. Do your fastest."
"That is not how the word works."
"I am four. I can make new words."
"An alarming privilege."
She ignored him and reached up to touch his cheek, as though checking that he was really there and not merely a particularly handsome dream she would forget after breakfast.
Vaerun gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
"I will return soon, and I shall bring something for you."
Seyra’s eyes brightened immediately.
"Something expensive with gold and jewels?"
"You are negotiating rather aggressively for someone who was asleep five minutes ago."
"I have important needs, Papa."
"So I have been informed."
Her smile grew so wide that her eyes nearly disappeared. Then, without warning, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Vaerun went still for a brief moment, and Seyra drew back with a bright pink face, suddenly fascinated by the silver clasp on his cloak.
"After you come back," she announced, "I want to go on a picnic."
Vaerun looked at her as Seyra looked back with complete seriousness.
For a moment, the Silent Tempest appeared to be considering a diplomatic demand more complicated than anything presented before the Imperial Council.
"Very well," he said at last. "We shall go on a picnic."
Her face lit up, and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, his expression carrying a warmth that few people in the empire would ever be fortunate enough to witness.
"But do not cry while I am away; the Veyraths have a reputation to maintain."
Seyra nodded solemnly. "Okay."
A brief pause followed, then Vaerun asked, "Will you miss me?"
Seyra tilted her head.
"Well~~~"
His eyebrow lifted as she considered the question with the gravity of a royal adviser determining the fate of the empire.
"A little bit."
"A little?"
"Maybe a medium bit."
"Your generosity is overwhelming."
"I cannot miss you too much," she explained, patting his cheek. "You called me a lizard."
"An unforgivable crime. I shall endeavor to survive the accusation."
Seyra gave him one last suspicious look before wrapping her arms around his neck again; this time, she held him a little tighter.
Vaerun noticed.
He said nothing about it. He merely rested one hand against the back of her head and allowed her to remain in his arms for another few moments, while the morning breeze carried the distant chime of the temple bells across the imperial city.
For all his power, all his titles, and all the fear his name inspired, the Silent Tempest did not hurry her.
At last, Seyra loosened her arms. Vaerun smiled, kissed her forehead, and finally lowered her into Mira’s waiting arms.
"Take care of her and protect her," he instructed.
Everyone nodded.
Renn bowed. Ishtar placed a hand over her heart in the traditional salute of House Veyrath, while Kharzen mounted his horse and waited for his lord.
Vaerun climbed into the saddle. Seyra immediately stepped forward, lifting both hands.
"COME BACK SOON!!!!"
Vaerun looked down at her, and then he turned his horse toward the open gates. The black-armored knights fell into formation behind him, their weapons glinting beneath the rising sun. The silver tempest banner lifted high above the procession as Vaerun Veyrath, Azram of House Veyrath and the Silent Tempest of Eshkaran, rode toward the eastern desert.
Seyra remained in the courtyard, waving until the last of the knights disappeared beyond the gates.
Only then did she lower her arms.
Mira gently adjusted the little girl’s nightgown. "Shall we return to your chamber, my lady? You still need breakfast."
Seyra stared at the empty road, mumbling, "I already miss him."
And so, beneath the golden dawn of the Eshkaran Empire, the journey toward the Azrath Desert began—with the Silent Tempest riding toward an unknown beast, and his four-year-old daughter already planning how to spend the treasure he would bring home.
Neither of them yet knew what awaited them at the end of the road.