Ahn’rah landed with a soft thud on his home moon, a full leather satchel clasped in his hand. He quickly made his way to his den, happy to see the firelight going strong. “I’m back! I brought what you needed, Cael.” Ahn’rah set the bag down on the stone.

  The fire in the center of the den was well-fueled, keeping the small cavern nice and warm. Turimiil laid on their bedding by the far wall with her wings spread out, a bright green salve slathered over their joints. Cael was closer to the fire, moving back and forth between tending to the roast over the fire and the Dullahan laying not far from it. The young Fae was laid out on a small bed of straw and hide that they had made for him.

  “Thanks, Ahn’rah, I think that’s all I’ll need.” Caelmer nodded to his friend and dragged the large satchel over to the Dullahan. He proceeded to pull out a handful of small, glowing white Leystones, carefully placing them in points over the Dullahan’s body. Cael then picked up a clay pitcher of water from beside the makeshift bed, carefully guiding just a bit of water to the Fae’s lips, and he unconsciously drank.

  “Has he woken up at all?” Ahn’rah asked, moving to sit in his nest next to his mate. Turimiil immediately leaned herself against him, and Ahn’rah could feel her shudder occasionally. She was so exhausted from how fast she had to take the flights from both moons, and he only wished that he could offer her more than just numbing salves and comfort.

  “No, no movement or noise from him at all. I think he’ll improve from here, though. All there’s left to do is give him time.” Caelmer now began to focus more on the fire, pulling out a pot from the satchel as well as vegetables and a small hunk of fat from where they were wrapped in palm leaves.

  Ahn’rah’s brow furrowed and he glanced back to the Dullahan. “Have you already fed him?”

  Cael looked to his friend with confusion before following his gaze. “Ah, that’s what’s happening now. Dullahan don’t eat food like we do. They live off of just water and Ley Energy. His body will eventually absorb what it can get from the Leystones and then he’ll be right as rain.”

  Ahn’rah’s eyes widened. “Well, then it’s a good thing he was the one Father stole away. Any other Fae would have died in that Golem before even making it to Topavara.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Caelmer chuckled, though there wasn’t really any humor in it. “That doesn’t mean he had it easy, though. The Golem couldn’t move without its puppeteer, so he must have just been stuck inside of it, locked up and unable to move for that entire Dive. He likely survived on the Ley Energy from the Leylines they crossed on different planets. That, and his ability to keep quiet.”

  “I can’t imagine what he might have seen,” Ahn’rah muttered grimly. “He must have been witness to things the Divers were doing while being hauled around as treasure. No wonder he tried to run from us when we got him out.”

  Cael only nodded, and a heavy silence sank around them. The crackling and popping of the fire were the only things to break it for a long while. Eventually it was Turimiil who finally spoke up, her voice soft and tired.

  “We should discuss what we’re going to do, before he wakes up. We can’t justify taking Leystones back to our moon for long before Hallath gets suspicious and comes to see what we’re up to.”

  Ahn’rah looked down at her and nodded. “You’re right… And if what you said you heard from Father was true, there’s no way he would let a random Fae near his planet live.”

  Caelmer hummed from where he sat at the fire before turning to look at them, waving around a half-burnt stick he was using to poke at the flames. “The Thought-Bringers could take him when we leave. We work somewhat closely with the Courts, or at least we did. I’m sure we could take him home.”

  “Is that really the wisest choice?” Ahn’rah asked, his expression hardening. “That Runeplate doesn’t sit right with me. Who would design it to not let the person inside out, especially if they’re away from their… ‘Puppeteer’ as you called it. It doesn’t sound like anything someone would actually agree to.”

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  “You really think so, Ahn? We don’t know if he’s a soldier. I mean, he lost a leg.” Caelmer motioned to the young Dullahan’s translucent right leg and how it faded into his flesh thigh.

  “He looks like a boy,” Turimiil muttered, glancing over the Fae’s ghostly green body.

  “Or at least someone rather young. And look at his stature. There isn’t a significant amount of muscle there, and whoever put him in that thing didn’t even bother to dress him. He’s in rags!” Ahn’rah huffed, motioning at the young Fae. “Who would dress a soldier in ragged clothes and then stuff them in a construct meant to feed off of their energy? It reads as nothing but malicious.”

  Cael blinked at him before eventually sighing and giving a nod. “You’re right. Perhaps I was just hoping too hard that that wasn’t the case.”

  “Has there been anything like this before?” Turimiil asked, resting her chin on Ahn’rah’s shoulder.

  “Not that I’ve ever heard of,” Cael replied, turning the roast on its spit. “The Golems they have on Rathsah are smaller, don’t cast spells, and have rudimentary Runeplates. They’re powered by rather obvious Leystones as well, so I doubt there are people in those ones. These Golems from Relictumire are entirely new.”

  “Perhaps we could leave with The Thought-Bringers and bring the Dullahan with us. We could stay back, find a way to hide him and hopefully keep things civil.” Turimiil suggested, looking between the others to gauge their thoughts. “If we can’t leave him on Relictumire, then maybe we could leave him with one of the other Courts while we find our own place to stay. Or maybe he could join The Thought-Bringers himself. They already have a small population of Fae in their numbers, right Cael?”

  “They do,” Caelmer nodded, though he looked unsure. “But I think we’re missing a bit too much info to plan that far ahead right now.”

  “You think so?” Ahn’rah asked.

  “Yes. For one, we don’t know whether or not our Dullahan friend has a family. He might want to stay in Relictumire in hiding and risk it on his own. He might want to bring his family with him. We just won’t know until he wakes up.”

  Ahn’rah gave a hum of his own, and a claw began tapping on the stone floor as he thought. “You’re right… There’s just no way to know what he wants, but he certainly can’t stay here. We also don’t know the situation with Relictumire or the Autumn Court at all, like if the Golems are being made by one Fae house or if they’re a new sect of an army for the Court in its entirety.”

  Turimiil gave a soft sigh. “How long do you think it would take him to wake up, Cael?”

  “Likely a few days, but we can’t be too sure.”

  Ahn’rah nodded, making a decision. “I think we should seek out Lady Valluin’s advice.”

  “Are you sure?” asked his mate, her expression morphing to one of concern.

  “I think we can trust her.” Ahn’rah said confidently. “We know she’s opposed to what The Trove Divers are doing, and that I doubt that she would make any sort of deal with my Father. Besides, I’d rather get on her good graces and properly ask to come with when we leave, rather than just showing up and tagging along. I doubt that would make her in any way happy.”

  “It really wouldn’t.” Caelmer gave a soft chuckle. “I did that to her a few times when I was much younger. If the Aether allowed her to go back, she certainly would have.”

  Ahn’rah and Turimiil both gave him a small laugh of their own. The smaller dragon then pulled the roast off of the spit and onto a polished stone slab that had been set aside.

  “I can likely persuade her to come up here tomorrow, but we’ll have to see. For now, let’s talk about it more later, after some food, though. I think we all need it after the day we had.” Cael carefully pulled the meat off of the stick and made a flourish with his hands.

  The three then ate, leaving any more talk on the topic for later as they filled their bellies and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Ahn’rah, however, couldn’t help the occasional glance to the unconscious Dullahan across the den, and the Leystones that sat on his forehead, chest, and stomach. Were they supposed to be so dim so soon?