Maranna touched the heart-shaped, cherry-red birthmark on Rhiann’s face, bent over and gently kissed him, and said, “I wasn’t the only one who searched. Decima implored Chiron to send out search parties. She rode centaurs throughout the Veldt for years. Your parents Kurth and Caye used their limited resources and searched for you. The Council of Thynna looked for you also, but only because they considered you a suspect in the disappearance of the Gem Bush. Search parties came around here, but Venla Faxxine and others scared them off. Your illusory Magick has served us and the little tree well. It’s thrived, by the way.”
Rhiann said, “Decima… searched for me? Has she changed?”
Maranna said, “Doesn’t look a day older. Constantly opines over your absence. The Three Sisters are as stubborn as ever. Many occasions have brought Thynna and the forces of the Hanging Gardens close to war. Thynna’s allies now include the Giants from Hinderburgh and the kobold legions of the north. Bailiwick and Yerko have solidified their hold of Thynna. Aging has not softened their dispositions. Shortly after you disappeared, the truly elected Lord President Homer and High Chancellor Odell both died mysteriously. Yerko’s puppets President Bogni and High Chancellor Lubick are very old now. They have never been more than figureheads.”
Rhiann blurted, “My parents? And brother Arthur Seigh?”
Iyaca said, “Your parents are still in fairly good health. Many sorcerers now see their thousandth year. They sent your brother Arthur Seigh Klarje away to attend school at the Laurels, a small village to the north near Hunter’s Peak. Kurth and Caye hoped to remove your younger brother from the discord that gripped Thynna and lessen the likelihood he’d follow in your footsteps. The Laurels has become a gathering point for thinkers and philosophers.
benjamintowe 