Lord Tolen attended the royal feast in poor humor, even though the knights there regaled him with honor. They all heard that he had hunted down several of the creatures, whom the people began to call changelings due to their nature.
To add to that, lord Tolen found the admiring tales circling around court that described in graphic detail how the three valiant knights had fought against the horrifying dragons, and him the greatest of the three. The source of the stories was Ondes Ganos, the high priest of Lunn order, who had also come to the festival and immediately gathered admiring crowds around himself. Indiscriminately, the people drank in his every word.
Lord Tolen watched the priest become ever more fervent and animated with every beverage he blessed for them. As the priest continued with retelling the events of the battle, sir Tolen soon began to feel increasing annoyance at the glaring inaccuracies, which even those who had been present at the battle now seemed to accept eagerly as truth. The priest described the demons as exceptionally blood-thirsty, devious creatures.
Sir Tolen recalled again the one demon that held him at his mercy and yet spared him, and the young ones he en-countered in the crystal cavern, and silently doubted.
The priest commended lord Tolen for his success in the last hunt, and then spoke at length about the disguised demons, which had been spotted in towns and villages.
"It is only a matter of time before we find all of them, since I now know much more about them." Ondes Ganos commented with an unpleasant smile. "I have just completed my study."
Lord Tolen understood that the priest referred to the several living and dead demons taken to Lunn after the battle. Only one of them remained alive as of two weeks ago, and he wondered what the priest had done with it.
"What happened to them, laeden? Those demons you have taken to Lunn?" A noble from the curious crowd spoke lord Tolen's question out loud.
"They had to be killed, on course." The priest answered, appearing incredulous that such a question even needed to be asked.
"Such dangerous, evil beings cannot be suffered to live."
...
After the feast, lord Tolen headed to the training quarters. His path crossed with the path of the priest, who left the celebration hall as well. The priest smiled his greeting.
"Sir Knight, it is good to see you well. Are you enjoying the festivities?"
"I will, once I take my son and return home." Tolen answered impatiently, eager to be on his way.
"How fares your lady?"
"Well."
"Then, you didn't need the cure?"
"I used it." Sir Tolen admitted reluctantly. The priest sighed with regret.
"I hoped that you would still have it. The last spawn died, despite my effort to save it." The priest unconsciously rubbed his wrist, where Tolen noticed a faint scar.
"I still had need of the healing properties of its blood... No doubt you've heard that the elder of the council ails. It was his order to keep it alive. But the demon's blood merely delayed the inevitable. In the end, old age and death proved not so easily charmed away."
"Elder Ulian Ganos was your grand-father." Tolen nodded mildly with understanding. The priest grit his teeth, the fire in his dark eyes growing dangerous and cold.
"My mother was a sinner, banished by him, as she well deserved. I grew up with the temple orphans. He was always only my respected Elder."
Tolen held back any further questions, desiring not to prolong this conversation longer than it had to be.
"You seem impatient to leave, knight."
"I have not seen my son in almost a year." Tolen said apologetically.
"And your love for your son is commendable. I shall not hold you much longer." The priest smiled. Tolen thought he glimpsed a flash of pain in the priest's dark eyes, but could not be sure if he did not imagine it.
"In view of how successful you were in the past, I only wished to ask if you would be interested in accepting another task. Changelings were sighted in Kimeh. I have a definitive report."
"Forgive me, but I have urgent affairs that I must attend to at home." Lord Tolen refused the priest's request.
"As you wish." The priest bowed his head slightly before departing. Lord Tolen felt glad when the priest finally left him alone.
The highest point of his visit to Reolth was when he saw his son running toward him, his brown eyes shining with merriment. Unlike lord Tolen, Riad had inherited his mother's dark hair and brown eyes.
His son was very glad when he learned that his mother was well and that he now had a baby sister. He had also heard the rumors of his father's glorious deeds during the battle at the crystal fortress, and eagerly asked to hear the details. He chatted ceaselessly with his father most of the way home.