Chapter 197: Miko made it fall out!

Chapter 197: Chapter 197: Miko made it fall out!

The drainage stones had moved.

Not enough to collapse the wall.

Not enough for anyone inside Ironwood to notice immediately.

But enough.

Soren reached the northwestern side first.

Raku came behind him, heavy crocodile tail dragging through the dirt. Tovan was already crouched beside the drainage trench, muttering angrily as he pulled loose stones aside.

Kael arrived next.

Swanly came after him despite being told twice to remain behind.

Kael looked over his shoulder.

"You should be resting."

"I am walking."

"You gave birth recently."

"And yet my legs still work."

"They barely worked yesterday."

Swanly’s fox ears flattened.

"Kael."

He sighed.

Fine.

Nerin came running from the gardens when he heard the alarm. His silver deer ears were high, one hand already touching the broken antler near his temple.

Thalara appeared without anyone calling for her.

That alone made Swanly uneasy.

Druun followed.

The giant looked toward the trench and immediately became unhappy.

"Bad."

Swanly looked at him.

"That is becoming a very terrifying word when you say it."

Druun pointed toward the ground.

"Old."

Thalara went still.

Tovan finally dragged one of the drainage stones free.

Everyone saw it.

Three deep scratches ran across the underside.

Not on top.

Underneath.

As though something below had reached upward and tested the stone.

Raku crouched.

His heavy-lidded eyes narrowed.

"Veilkin?"

Thalara answered immediately.

"No."

Wonderful.

Swanly folded her arms.

"Can you say that with less certainty?"

"No."

Even better.

Nerin lowered himself beside the trench.

His fingers brushed the soil.

Then he closed his eyes.

The broken antler began to ache.

He sucked in a breath.

Kael noticed.

Swanly noticed faster.

"Nerin?"

"I’m fine."

Swanly stared.

Nerin opened one eye.

"...Mostly."

Tharek was not here to mock his damaged antler today.

Good.

Nerin concentrated again.

The strange underground awareness moved through him.

Water.

Hollow rock.

Old soil.

Then something much deeper.

His face changed.

"There is space beneath this."

Raku frowned.

"There has always been space beneath Ironwood."

"Not like this."

Nerin opened his eyes.

"Something opened."

Soren’s expression hardened.

"How large?"

"I can’t tell."

"Can anything come through?"

Nerin hesitated.

"That depends on what it is."

Swanly whispered:

"Comforting."

Tovan shoved another stone aside.

A faint breath of cold air rose through the crack.

Not wind.

Underground air.

Damp.

Old.

Wrong.

Swanly’s tail puffed slightly.

Then Thalara crouched.

Her blackened claw touched one of the scratches.

For several seconds she said nothing.

Soren watched her.

"You recognize it."

Thalara’s central purple eye slowly lifted.

Silence.

Soren stepped closer.

"Thalara."

Her fingers curled.

"It should not be awake."

Nobody moved.

Swanly stared.

"What should not be awake?"

Thalara looked down again.

"I do not know yet."

Raku’s jaw tightened.

"That is a very convenient answer."

"It is the truth."

Druun suddenly growled.

Low.

Deep enough to make pebbles tremble.

He reached down, picked up a stone slab that would have taken six beastmen to move, and dropped it across the damaged opening.

BOOM.

Tovan stared.

Then looked at the giant.

Then at the enormous stone.

His face twitched.

"I spent half a day fitting those smaller ones."

Druun looked at him.

"Fixed."

Tovan closed his eyes.

Swanly nearly laughed.

Then a voice drifted lazily from outside the boundary.

"That is generally what she says before unpleasant things happen."

Every head turned.

Azren was still upside down in the tree.

Still.

Apparently nobody had managed to remove him.

His long black hair hung toward the ground. One chain dangled from his wrist. His six wings were folded behind him like this was a perfectly normal position for a crown prince.

Soren stared.

Azren smiled.

"Hello again."

"Get down from that tree."

"No."

Soren’s silver eyes narrowed.

Azren added helpfully:

"I see better from here."

Raku muttered:

"He is going to die in that tree."

Kael replied:

"Not if Soren kills him first."

Soren looked genuinely tempted.

Swanly glanced once more toward the sealed trench.

The scratches were still there.

Something had tested Ironwood.

Something different.

But nothing had come through.

Not yet.

Soren immediately doubled the guards along that side. Tovan began reinforcing the drainage stones. Nerin marked the hollow sections he could feel underneath. Thalara remained quiet.

Too quiet.

And when Swanly looked back toward Azren, he had somehow disappeared from the branch.

The chains remained.

Of course they did.

...

Two days later, Ironwood faced a far greater disaster.

Nilo’s tooth.

"No."

Miko stared at him.

Nilo stared back.

"No."

"I didn’t do anything."

"You’re looking at it."

"I’m allowed to look."

"No."

Nilo immediately covered his mouth.

His loose front tooth had survived everything.

The Veilkin attack.

Soren’s bullying.

Kairo and Miko losing theirs.

Several meals.

One fall.

And Miko trying twice to "help."

Nilo had become emotionally attached.

He did not trust anyone near it.

Especially his youngest brother.

Miko crouched in front of him.

"Let me thee."

"No."

"I only wanna look."

"No."

Kairo sat nearby, proudly displaying his own little gap.

"He won’t pull it."

Nilo looked at him.

"You said that last time."

Miko gasped.

"That wath different."

"How?"

"I learned."

Nilo’s eyes narrowed.

Miko smiled sweetly.

Gap and all.

Nilo stood.

"I’m leaving."

He turned.

Miko jumped onto his back.

"NILO!"

Nilo screamed.

"MAMA!"

Both cubs went down.

Kairo leaped up.

"Miko!"

"I’m helping!"

"GET OFF!"

They rolled.

A tiny black paw hit Nilo’s chin.

His jaw snapped shut.

Then:

Click.

Everything stopped.

Nilo slowly opened his mouth.

Something landed in his palm.

Tiny.

White.

His tooth.

Silence.

Miko froze on top of him.

Kairo froze beside them.

Nilo stared.

Then his face crumpled.

"Mama..."

Swanly came running from the shelter.

"What happened?"

Nilo held up the tooth.

Tears immediately filled his eyes.

"Miko made it fall out!"

Swanly’s head snapped toward Miko.

Miko sat back.

Very slowly.

"I..."

"Miko."

His black ears flattened.

"I wath helping."

"I told you to leave his tooth alone!"

"I didn’t pull it!"

"You jumped on him!"

"I hugged him."

"You tackled him!"

"Hug tackle."

Swanly stared.

Miko’s ears dropped lower.

"Nilo."

She crouched.

Nilo’s lip trembled.