The trip to Kumora was largely uneventful.
There were a few minor skirmishes with denizens of the Under Realm, but nothing Valdax and Rianna couldn’t handle effortlessly.
I thought Valdax was going to drip water all the way to Kumora after he fell in that lake, Saphira said with a slight giggle.
Keldras concealed a laugh behind a cough.
When they arrived at the massive cavern housing the mountain elf capital, Keldras was astonished.
From the raised ledge where they stood, he had a bird’s-eye view of the city below.
It was laid out like a giant spider’s web.
Stone walls stretched between enormous, ornately carved pillars supporting the cavern ceiling.
At the city’s center stood the palatial pillar, from which everything else seemed to radiate.
His gaze drifted to the lowest tier.
The faint glow of forges illuminated bustling streets while the rhythmic ring of steel echoed from craftsmen at work.
Magical crystal streetlamps stood among clusters of humble stone houses.
Above the lower districts, the architecture became increasingly elaborate.
Citizens chatted on stone benches in small parks, and each successive district displayed greater wealth.
Higher still, towering walls enclosed sprawling manors, where guards hurried between ornate gates.
Well-dressed children laughed in spacious parks while lovers wandered beneath hanging foliage and luminescent flowers.
Near a grand cathedral, a groundskeeper carefully trimmed the immaculate hedges surrounding its courtyards.
At the summit stood only ten vast estates and the palace.
Keldras needed no guide to know who lived there.
Valdax gave him a smack on the back.
“Let’s get a move on,” he said, fastening his mask over his face.
Keldras gave him a curious look.
Rianna giggled.
“You may know him as Father, and the orcs may know him as the Warchief’s son-in-law, but the rest of the world knows him as something else.”
Keldras could practically feel Saphira rolling her eyes.
He’s just a vain idiot who always has to show off, she said.
The corners of Keldras’s mouth twitched upward before returning to normal.
With Rianna accompanying them, they passed through the wards surrounding the city without even noticing them.
The journey to their new home was equally uneventful, her status carrying them through every checkpoint without question.
They quickly arrived at the manor.
Keldras immediately recognized it as the finest estate in the surrounding district.
Perched upon the highest ground, it stood above the neighboring manors.
The estate was enclosed by a waist-high stone wall crowned with an elegant silvery fence.
At its center stood a magnificent gate depicting three dragons locked in silent balance.
A silver dragon perched on the right while a regal golden dragon rested on the left, both lowering their gazes toward a far larger red dragon rising from below.
Together, the three seemed to preserve an ancient, unspoken balance.
Beyond the gate, a broad stone staircase ascended the face of the cliff toward the estate crowning its summit.
At each landing, enchanted lanterns cast a warm, steady glow over carefully tended gardens.
Climbing vines intertwined with clusters of azure and deep purple blossoms.
A crystal-clear stream wound gracefully around the cliff before spilling over its edge in a shimmering waterfall.
Its waters gathered in a tranquil pond beside the staircase, while the gentle murmur of the falls completed the estate’s serene welcome.
It’s smaller than our last home, but much more elegant and refined Saphira observed.
Keldras couldn’t disagree.
Orcish architecture favored function over form, whereas the opposite seemed true here.
As soon as they reached the gate, the waiting crowd surged forward, all eager to greet their new neighbors.
Keldras quickly noticed that many of them fawned over his father with transparent enthusiasm.
Others stepped forward, introducing their daughters with undisguised intent.
Every smile felt rehearsed.
Every compliment sounded calculated.
Every gesture carried an ulterior motive.
Disgusting insects Saphira spat derisively.
Then and there, she made up her mind.
Whether Keldras approved or not, she would never allow people like them anywhere near him.
A few greeted his father respectfully as fellow nobles of equal rank and introduced their children to Keldras with Valdax’s blessing.
He took note of these families: the Claddetts, the Despiryns, and the Frevals.
The Claddetts carried themselves with military precision, every movement measured and disciplined.
The Despiryns spoke softly and chose their words carefully.
They were diplomatic without ever becoming sycophantic.
The Frevals seemed almost absent-minded by comparison.
Books and scholarship clearly occupied more of their attention than politics or appearances.
Inside the manor, Rianna threw herself onto a couch with an exhausted groan.
It was clear what had attracted the neighbors’ attention.
Servants had been busy furnishing and decorating the manor since the last time Valdax had been here.
He walked over and grabbed Rianna by the cheek.
“Why don’t you just make yourself at home?” he said, his eye twitching slightly.
“Tha’ hursh,” Rianna mumbled.
He let go, and she rubbed her face.
“Just let me live here for a while. Going home would be a pain. You know how annoyed my mother was when I just ran off with you,” she said, placing the blame squarely on him.
Valdax did feel a little guilty about that, especially since the Ken’rahel family had wanted to match the two of them, and he had run off with her after rejecting the offer.
A devilish smile spread across Rianna’s face.
“If you feel that bad, you could always marry me.”
Valdax bent down and flicked her on the forehead.
She rubbed the sore spot.
“I was just teasing,” she said indignantly.
Keldras rolled his eyes.
“Get a room.”
Valdax stiffened at the comment.
Keldras knew he would.
What is she, his little sister?
Saphira asked, amused.
After a couple of days spent getting everything settled, a messenger arrived at the manor.
“Lords Valdax and Keldras, and Lady Ken’rahel, are formally requested to visit Queen Alyssa and her family at their earliest convenience,” he proclaimed with obvious self-importance.
The messenger wore an overly elaborate outfit with puffy sleeves, and his hair was slicked back with far too much grease.
Who’s this pompous clown?
Saphira asked.
Keldras nearly spit out the drink in his mouth.
The man looked at Keldras as though he were an uncultured ruffian.
A well-dressed elf hurried to the door behind him.
“Master Keldras, it is not appropriate for someone of your standing to answer the door.”
Keldras looked at the man as though he were an idiot.
He was one of the servants the queen had assigned to their household.
The servant sighed.
“There is a certain etiquette and protocol that someone of your standing must observe,” he said, as though explaining something to a child.
Orcs would have laughed this man out of the room.
Keldras disliked being treated that way.
By elven standards, he was still a child.
However, he hadn’t been treated like one since he had physically been a child.
He fixed the servant with a cold stare before leaving the matter to him.
The servant visibly flinched beneath Keldras’s stare.
“‘Lords Valdax and Keldras,'” Rianna mimicked in a pompous tone as she entered the room with Valdax.
“You really need to decide on a family name.”
“I’ve known my noble family name for a very long time,” Valdax replied.
“Probably part of what this meeting is about.”
“Really? What is it?”
Valdax smiled.
“Helvindar.”
Rianna burst out laughing.
“That might cause a diplomatic incident,” she said, tears forming in her eyes.
“That’s Alyssa’s problem,” he replied.
Ugh didn’t go to sleep after the epilogue i posted last night i got self concious about this first chapter of volume 2 and then spent the next three hours refining it.
Apologize if it ends up coming out later then normal.