“Wait! Wait a minute! Are those elves?” Rolwen demanded when the advanced meeting party from the Hidan came close. They were all riding on the backs of various apex predator tier animals. Most were great cats. I think there may have even been a saber-toothed tiger among them. But, a few were actually riding gigantic wolves that were as tall as horses and twice as bulky, making the powerful lions and tigers look like mere bob-cats by comparison.

Aside from their mounts, there were also two particular features about this meeting group that stood out. First, they were all female. This sparked a few questions and assumptions about these people, but all of that was forgotten in the light of the second feature they all shared. They all had pointed ears, just like me and Tia. Thus, Rolwen’s outburst.

“No, they are definitely human.” Tia said.

“Yeah, sure, just like those two horse-sized canines the apparent tribal leaders rode in on are dogs.” Rolwen scoffed.

“They are dogs! And those are humans!” Tia insisted. “Asa, you tell them! You can taste their spirits, right? Those are definitely humans!”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘taste?’” Mr. Adderson demanded in a skeptical accusatory tone. “This is what you said with that elf energy vampire thing, right?” He eyed us suspiciously. It looked like my negative impressions I’d shared earlier had rubbed off on him.

I sighed. “Yes, although it is actually a little more like us breathing in the CO2 that they breathed out.” I said. “That analogy is actually not all that bad, considering fey produce mana from the spirit energy we get from humans.”

“You two are a little different’ though.” Tia said. “Asa has her void meditation, and you aren’t consuming any spirit energy at all Terry.”

“You can call me Mr. Adderson like your sister.” The already agitated man countered.

“Anyway!” I cut back in. “The main problem I have with the elves is the kidnapping part. I chose to use the word food, and it is not inaccurate, but that part of it does not harm the humans in question beyond the fact they are kept in confinement. The energy we consume is just a byproduct of normal human living activities.”

“So, it’s like you’re eating human waste then?” Mr. Adderson said.

“We.” I corrected him. “Remember, you’re a fey now as well.”

Rolwen was sniggering in a fit at this point, but wisely chose not to comment.

“That’s not it though!” Tia complained. “The energy those people are letting off is human! Asa, tell them!”

“You really do like playing the role of a kid, don’t you?” I asked and then sighed. “Fine.”

I closed my eyes and started focusing on outside sources of energy. This is another area where Tia is far ahead of me in terms of ability. For her, the flavor of energy was just part of her basic senses. For me, it was still something I still had to focus on specifically and separately from my other senses. I could see where this was a definite weakness for me, but I guess I was just too messed up early on by the idea of consuming the energy from humans. Honestly, I was still having a little bit of an issue with it. I would have to find a way to work through it in the future.

For now, I just focused. I breathed in the spirit energy and allowed the ‘flavor’ to permeate some inner part of my being. Indeed, there was something about the elf-looking Hidan in front of us. It had qualities that were similar to the energy of Levin and Rolwen, except far weaker.

Meanwhile, I also compared the energies of Rimir, Mr. Adderson, and Sagle. Mr. Adderson had the strongest spirit of anyone here, but there was something very distinctly different about it from the sense I got from Levin and Rolwen who were the respective 2nd and 3rd strongest. Mr. Adderson’s spirit seemed more unrestrained. I suppose if I were to use gustatory terms, I would have to say that if Levin, Rolwen and the Hidan were like jelly-filled doughnuts, then Mr. Adderson and Rimir were just jelly. The human spirit seemed a lot more substantial and complex, but the fairies were more exposed, raw, and distinct.

Shockingly enough though, Rimir’s power was actually weaker than Sagle’s now that the changeling had taken his adult form. His ‘flavor’ had also changed a great deal, as though he was a completely different person all together. This was disturbing. A changeling did not just change in appearance, but they could also change the aura of their spirits. Slippery.

In terms of power scale, he measured up 4th in the group, with Rimir directly behind him. After that would be mother at 6th. Eirlathion, though. I could not even detect him at all. He was completely drowned out at this point by all the other powerful auras around.

“Sorry, I had to get my bearings,” I said. “I do not consume spirit energy regularly. Anyway, Tia is right. They are definitely human.”

“But they have pointed ears though! They look just like elves!” Levin said.

“Oh, I get it!” Rolwen said. “Body alterations. They worship fey, right? Look. They have those metal clasps on their ears. I bet they have something to do with how they deformed their bodies. A lot of African tribes do stuff like stretching their ear-lobes or their necks. This is positively conservative by comparison.”

“African tribes?” I said with a raised eyebrow. “I am pretty sure I have seen some kids in the west with pretty large holes in their ears these days. It’s in our culture too.”

“In what was our culture.” Mr. Adderson commented.

“Uhh… guys!” Levin said. “I think they are about to talk about something important.”

Sure enough. That fairy, Rimir, had approached the important looking woman sitting on the largest of the wolves. He had addressed her as the “Mijarana Esar,” a word that sounded a little like “Mijaren,” the elven word for ‘grandmother,’ but the way it was said made it sound significantly more elevated than that.

I don’t know whether she is some sort of priestess of their fey-based religion or the chieftain of what may turn out to be a matriarchal tribe, but she is definitely significant in some way and it looked like she was the one Rimir knew he had to do his negotiations with.

[I was visited by an agent of she who rules the forest. He wished to grant a mission to you, those who have descended from the line of my mother. When I heard the nature of this mission, I wished to be the one to tell you myself.] Rimir explained.

[Oh?] The woman responded. [Honored ancestor, you can be assured every one of us would be greatly honored to accept a mission from the ruler of all fey. We exist to serve her, just as any on the fey court.]

Rimir nodded with a satisfied look on his face. [As you should.] He said. [The agent of the queen has requested that you take in two children of grey elf lineage, as well as the mother of those children and the magus who she is under the tutelage of. They are to be taken far away from these lands. You will be unable to return to the eastern lands until the day comes that these children have grown strong and are in no danger of becoming enslaved if captured by the demons who had sired them.]

I could sense there was something he was leaving unsaid in there as well. Probably something about using us as weapons.

[These children show incredible potential,] he continued. [They will also be traveling with guardians, with myself being included among those who will come with you to aid in the protection of these children. Also included will be the agent of the queen who had requested this, and a powerful entity from outside this world who has become stubbornly attached to them.] With his last comment, he gestured to indicate Mr. Adderson.

[The denizen of The Ether.] The woman said with a bow toward Mr. Adderson. [We would be honored beyond words to accommodate such a powerful being from among the spirits.]

I could sense an air of approval coming from Sagle's direction. Those two planned to have them mistake him for a Jin, huh? Perhaps they are regarding this whole outworlder thing as some kind of state secret.

[I must confess,] the elderly woman said. [I had nearly made the blunder of mistaking those children for denizens of Agaranth. My great granddaughter, though. She saw through them clearly at first glance. Perhaps I have become too old to lead my people.]

[That is nonsense mother!] The middle-aged looking woman Rimir had spoken to first jumped up and rebuked the elder’s claims. [Any of us who have dealt with the fey would make the same mistake. It is unheard of for young elves to be brought to the edge of the forest, and even more so for near infants such as them!]

[It seems I have spoken out of line.] The elder said. [We will not have this conversation now. There are more important things to discuss. I am also curious to the other small individuals who are standing with the denizen of Ether. I have misjudged once with the elf children, and do not wish to do so again. Can you tell me of the nature of those two, great ancestor?]

[They are the birthmates to the girls. You have perhaps heard about how human children are sometimes taken from among those who live near the edge of the forest? It is for this purpose that those children are taken. They serve to be companions to the children as they grow, and to fill the need they have for spirit energy during the important period where they are growing and need as much as they can get.]

[Oh my!] The woman said with wide eyes. [I must ask then why it is that none have ever considered the children of the Hidan to be worthy of such an honor. Certainly the strong children which we produce would be far more suited to such a thing.]

[Hahaha!] Rimir laughed. [I asked the same thing when I first learned of this. I am told it is because the pampered life of those taken by the fey as humans is not something that makes for a strong and healthy spirit capable of ascending to live among the fey in the next life. It is out of respect for the earnest wish the Hidan hold for strength that the children of the Hidan are never so much as considered for this role. It is also for the same reason that we conspire to keep this practice a secret from all of those among the Hidan.]

[I see.] The woman said, and gave a sagely nod. [If that is the case, then I will ask no further questions on that matter. We are greatly honored to accept this mission, noble ancestor. And I extend the same sentiments to the agent of the most high queen of the fey as well.] She turned toward Sagle and gave another bow from her seat upon the humungous wolf.

“Alright, is anybody going to tell me what’s going on?” Mr. Adderson asked.

“Uhh… well…” Rolwen said. “It looks like they have enthusiastically agreed to take us with them.”

“Yeah, and what else? I’m asking what’s got Asaren looking like a kettle ready to boil over.” He followed up.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Rolwen asked as both he and Levin looked at me.

“She doesn’t look mad.” Levin said.

“Heh, yeah, that’s cauz you two are shit at reading people.” Mr. Adderson said.

“I’m surprised you noticed.” I said. “It’s just some contextual undertones in what they are talking about. I’d wager the younger members of our crowd might have even missed the implications entirely.”

“Heh, right. I read ya.” Mr. Adderson said with a firm nod.

“Like that, huh?” Rolwen said.

“What? What’s going on?” Levin asked.

Mr. Adderson just chuckled at him uncomfortably, but I got the impression he might have more to say if he actually knew the elven language.

“I don’t think they sounded bad though.” Rolwen said.

“No, nothing in what we just heard suggests that the Hidan are bad at all.” I said.

This got an even stronger and laugh from Mr. Adderson, this time with a definite edge to it. “Ah, now I think I’m really getting it.” He said.

“Yeah,” Rolwen said. “They were complete sycophants for the fey.”

“There was a whole lot more going on there than just that, but I guess we will leave it there for now.” I said.

After the negotiations were concluded, there was a celebratory air among the Hidan women who had come to meet us. There were a lot of curious gazes pointed in our direction, but they also kept a respectful distance. Meanwhile, the caravan further off was slowly making it’s way here. At the current rate it was going, it looked like the head of the train would catch up with this group of outriders within ten to twenty minutes.