Lauki's Arc

Chapter 9 of 18

Conrad led Lauki into a long hall lit by cold lamps. He sat behind a heavy desk and folded his hands. "Speak," he said. "Tell me why a demon-blood believes he can stand in my house." His voice held no anger. That was worse. It meant he had already judged. Lauki told him the truth. He loved Torra. He wanted her hand. He would not lie about what he was. Conrad listened without moving. When Lauki finished, the old lord shook his head. "Love is not proof of worth," he said. "A house is built on blood and name. You have neither I can honor. Give me one reason to trust your line, and I will listen. Give me nothing, and you leave." Lauki had nothing to offer. He had no ledger, no seal, no proof of who his people were. His hands warmed with fire he could not use. Then the far wall changed. A ring of purple light opened in the air, traced with green runes. It spun and shimmered. Conrad rose, his cane raised like a blade. Two figures stepped through. First came a woman with dark horns, folded wings, and a tail that swayed behind her. Her eyes glowed gold, warm and amused. She looked at Lauki and smiled like she had found something lost. "There you are," said Kylire. "My son." Behind her walked a lean elf in black and red armor, silver hair braided at one side, a sword at his hip. He studied the hall as if he might buy it or burn it. This was Adsatra, Lauki's father, an archfey lord of war. "You wander far to beg from mortals," Adsatra said. His nose wrinkled. "A poor stage for our blood." But he carried a scroll under one arm, long and dark, edged with thorned flourishes. He set it on Conrad's desk and unrolled it. Names climbed the page in careful lines. Founding ancestors. Elder houses. Crowns and old titles reaching back further than Conrad's own walls. Kylire touched Lauki's cheek. "You did not come to us," she said softly. "So we came to you. A mother hears when her child is cornered." Adsatra tapped the scroll. "Read it, mortal. My son's line predates your kingdom. He does not lack a name. He lacks patience." Conrad bent over the ledger. His steel eyes moved down the lines. His grip on the cane loosened. For a long moment he said nothing. Then he looked up at Lauki, and something in his face had shifted from contempt to caution. "This changes what I owe your request," Conrad said slowly. "A bloodline like this I cannot dismiss." He rolled the scroll shut and held it. "But a proud line is also a dangerous one. If your kin can walk through my wall, so can worse. I will not decide tonight." He set the scroll aside. "You have bought yourself a hearing, demon-blood. Not a blessing. My daughter's fate stays in my hands until I am sure of yours."