Page 30 of Ceridor

Ceridor lurched to a stop, his eyes wide with alarm. "How much do you know about that? Was I talking in my sleep?"

"No, of course not," I assured him, coming to a stop also. "Effie and I have heard rumors from guests at the inn, though it's been relatively recent, in the last couple of months since you were last home, and around the time Dunu came by, asking us to light candles for her."

With his free hand Ceridor jammed his fingers into his hair. "Please note down anything you hear about them and report it to me. This is important."

It had to be, if it were actually true. "I promise. Does Dunu have anything to do with these lanterns?"

Ceridor nodded. "We think so. There's a small group of monks from Diana Monastery that have gathered around Ulbrecht, drawn by these lantern gods. I've mentioned Marit before."

"Yes, the librarian," I added.

"Indeed," he continued. "Marit's long-time partner is Corbi, but they recently added a third to their relationship: Peter, whom they rescued from a magical pocket in the forest and who has since been rehabilitating at the monastery."

Wait. "Three men…in one relationship?"

Ceridor shrugged. "Why not? They were triadic before, but Wren left to take care of the lanterns gods and is now close with Ulbrecht."

My jaw fell open. "One of the monks from the monastery is in a relationship with the High King?"

Ceridor shushed me, looking around, though we were on the edge of the forest and no one else was near. "Yes, though it's new, so please keep it quiet until they're ready to announce something. The Christians are lionizing Ulbrecht as their virgin king, so starting rumors that he got nailed by a man might piss them off."

This was all such startling information. Not just Ulbrecht with a Helvetican monk, but I still couldn't believe three men were in one relationship. "Just to be clear, I only want you, Ceridor."

"Am I already more than enough for you to handle?" he quipped with a smile.

I swatted his bum. "I've got my hands full with you, and that's all I want."

We started walking again.

Ceridor continued his explanation. "Peter was drawn away from the Christmas market by a creek sprite he said was named Dunu."

I gasped. "The same?"

"Surely the same," he concluded. "She gave him a ruby red rosary and told him to light it, but Peter brought it straight to Marit and Corbi who cautiously thought it should be transferred into Danubian territory first. That was wise, but more than likely Dunu brought the same red candleholder chain that you and Effie had already lit at the inn."

"What could little Dunu have to do with the lantern gods?" I asked.

"We can only guess, but Wren is now the guardian of the lanterns, and he thinks one of the aims of their power is to nourish Mother Nature. If that is true, then it would make sense for Dunu the creek sprite to act in Helvetican territory where the Alpine forests are richer and not as worn down as they are in theDanubian plains that have suffered from more instability and invasions."

"And a little creek nymph wouldn't give two hoots about human political borders," I guessed.

"She has no reason to, indeed," added Ceridor, "and yet the lanterns have become political because now they are protecting a king, which makes this whole situation dangerous. Helvetica could get dragged into a war."

I thought about that. "Why are the lanterns protecting Ulbrecht?

"We can only wonder at the motivations of the gods," answered Ceridor. "Ulbrecht himself thinks the gods aren't necessarily partial to him. He says the old mystic—now deceased and replaced by Wren—taught him that the gods were watching him in battle. They are witnessing his struggle, and so he and his men should fight with everything they have."

I had already wanted to join them, but their cause suddenly seemed larger in scope than I had assumed. "If Ulbrecht can stabilize the region, that too will lead to the thriving of nature alongside the human population."

"It's the best hypothesis that we have for now," my lover concurred.

I could tell he was mulling something over, so we continued walking and I waited him out.

"I am considering trying to help Wren and Awariye bring the lantern power down," he said.

I knew that name. "Your bardic apprentice?"

"Yes. Awariye has been helping Wren, since the deceased mystic left no instructions behind on how to guard the lanterns."

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