Zeke tried to hide his reaction but was inwardly astounded by the way the stranger had addressed Tristan. Presumably, there weren't many people who dared address the Bloodsword patriarch in such a way.
He studied the small gathering. Three people sat around a table. Each with a giant mug in front of them. They were all looking back at him, studying him in turn.
The first person his eyes landed on was the man who had spoken. The word 'man' might not have been the best term to describe the being. He, and it was most definitely a 'he', looked like a shaved bear who had learned to walk upright. His nose was constantly twitching as if he was trying to track a scent.
A bushy, untamed beard covered half of his face and his entire outfit seemed to be little more than rags. It was a sleeveless patchwork of skins and hides that eerily resembled the man's own leathery skin. He was a mountain of muscle and fat that had somehow squeezed itself into an unproportionally small armchair.
A quick scan revealed that his theory was not too far off from the truth. Even though the being had most definitely been human once, his very essence seemed to have been fused with something clearly inhumane. Could it be? Zeke had a theory on what the man in front of him was and there was only one way to find out…
"Greetings, Arch Druid. I am Ezekiel von Hohenheim," he said with a respectful nod. "It is an honor."
The bear-like man eyed him with a bit of interest. "Ohh? It is rare to be recognized by one so young. Did you meet another of my kind? Or did Tristan tell you?"
"Neither," Zeke replied without missing a beat. "But the fame of the Irrochian Druids spreads far and wide. Only a fool would not be aware of your might."
"Enough!" the man growled. "Flattery will get you nowhere." However, Zeke didn't miss the pleased smile that had emerged on his face. Flattery would get him far with this one. The giant growled, "Come sit, both of you," as he pointed at the two open seats at the table.
Tristan rushed to take the seat further away, leaving Zeke with no choice but to sit down right next to the bear-like man. Now that he was properly seated, he was finally able to take a good look at the other people gathered.
On Tristan's other side sat a stunningly gorgeous man with long, purple hair and eyes. Zeke had often been called handsome, but he was not conceited enough to think that he could compare to this man. The purple-haired stranger looked like he was one of those perfect princes that was so often depicted in fairytales for young women. Zeke could hardly believe that someone like this actually existed.
On closer inspection, he noticed the reason for it. The man was a Flesh Mage. If his experience with the spy had taught him anything, then it was that Flesh Mages could take on whatever appearance they fancied. Furthermore, that spy had only been a Grand Mage that was trained as a disposable tool, while the man in front of him was an Arch Mage. And by the company he kept, he wasn't just anybody either. It was hard to imagine what the man in front of him was capable of.
Upon noticing Zeke's eyes on him, the prince playfully winked. The gesture was so charming that Zeke almost blushed. This man was dangerous! Zeke had to make sure to keep him away from Maya and his mother at all costs.
Next to prince charming sat a giant, brutish-looking man. His rough appearance was even further heightened through the contrast to the rather feminine-looking Flesh Mage beside him. He nodded curtly upon noticing Zeke's gaze.
Zeke had considered Tristan to be tall, but this man took it to another level. He had to be more than a head taller still. However, it was not only his height that was impressive. His shoulders were proportionally broad. He could almost rival the Druid in sheer size. However, compared to the flabby physique of the bear-man, he didn't seem to have a lick of fat anywhere on his body. He was all bulging muscles and protruding veins.
Zeke's inspection revealed that the man was an Arch Mage as well, but he didn't recognize the affinity. However, a theory started to form in his mind. Aside from the druid, there was a trio of Arch Mages, one Flesh, one Blood, and one unknown… If his guess was correct, then the giant had to be a Bone Mage. These three were most likely representatives of the three ruling families of Valor.
Zeke noticed something strange. Despite some time having passed, nobody spoke. They all seemed to be waiting for something. If he had to guess, he would bet on this being some kind of test. In light of that, he decided to take another gamble. "It is an honor. Would I be right in assuming that you two belong to the Formweaver and Boneguard households?"
The giant merely grunted his assent, but the Flesh Mage actually clapped. "Yes, you would be right, young man. What a pleasant surprise to find you just as perceptive as the reports made you out to be."
Reports? What reports? Had he been investigated? And if so, for what purpose? It was likely that the people here didn't mean him any harm. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be careful.
"I'm glad to be able to live up to your expectations, sir Formweaver," Zeke said politely. Now that he thought about it, the man's mention of reports had most likely been meant as a further test. A test to see if he would catch on to the implications. However, Zeke didn't bite. Only a fool would play a game where the opponent held all the cards and set the rules.
Instead, he turned to Tristan. "For what purpose did you bring me here? I don't want to appear ungrateful, but I clearly don't have the right to join this gathering… just yet."
"Just yet…" the giant rumbled. "Good… Got a proper spine… different from most Mind Mages… Slimy cunts..."
Zeke could see why the giant didn't speak more often. He had to force himself to even say this much. Zeke nodded at the praise but kept his attention focused on Tristan. He really wanted to know why he was here.
"Well…" the Bloodsword said. "I didn't mean for this to happen, either. I genuinely had no other intentions than to meet you privately. You know, as a fellow Blood Mage with a perfect affinity. However, the situation has changed somewhat."
Zeke had a bad feeling about this. How had the situation changed? Had Tristan somehow found out about his ability to create spells? One of his other secrets? This could turn ugly if he had…
"How has the situation changed," Zeke asked with the most innocent expression he could muster. He tried to appear as unflustered as possible. But it wasn't easy to appear nonchalant while his heart was hammering in his chest.
Luckily, he got support from an unexpected source. "I would also like to know what all of this is about," The Arch druids said. "So far, nobody has told me why I am here."
The statement was like a balm for Zeke's nerves. If Tristan was actually planning on ambushing him, he would not have involved an unpredictable variable such as the Irrochian. Who knew what the shifter would do if it came to a fight? Zeke didn't know how strong the man was, but if the stories about the Druids were true, he could not be taken lightly.
Tristan cleared his throat. "I assume you all remember the information package we received after returning to Tradespire?"
The bear and the giant nodded approvingly. Only the handsome man had a frown on his face. "The Finsternis family must have managed to infiltrate someone very high up the command chain. No matter… next time, it will be my Formweaver family that will come out on top."
Tristan shook his head with a mysterious smile. "How can you be so sure that it was the Finsternis family who uncovered those documents, Devlin?"
The handsome man, who was apparently called Devlin, scoffed at that. "And who else do you suggest provided the intel? The Invocatians don't have any spies worth a damn. Their reliance on their summoning makes them wholly unsuitable for such delicate work."
"I agree," Tristan said. "It wasn't the Invocations who uncovered this. However, I learned from a trustworthy source that it wasn't the Finsternis family either."
"Then who could…" Devlin began, before suddenly putting the pieces together. His head snapped toward Zeke. "The boy? He provided that information. Of course, he did. That's why he's here. And here I thought you brought him over because you wanted to recruit him."
Tristan coughed as he choked on his drink. He glared at Devlin before beginning to clean the liquid out of his beard. With a sour look at his now empty tankard, he motioned for a servant to bring two new ones. The other one was most likely for Zeke.
"Well…" he said with a glance around the table. "Now that I've said this much, it should be clear why he is here. So, who wants to go first?"
Zeke warily eyed the group. Go first with what exactly?
"Me," the handsome man said immediately. He eyed Zeke with a much sharper gaze than before. "Where did you get all that information, boy?"
"Before I answer anything, I'd like to confirm something," Zeke said toward Tristan. "How did you learn that it was me who provided that information? I was assured that nobody would learn I was the source."
Tristan smirked. "That reminds me… I have a message for you. Lara says you don't owe her a favor anymore."
Zeke cursed under his breath. Of course, it had been her. It might have been a mistake to allow her to be present during that meeting. If news spread that he had been the one to divulge empire secrets, the four great families might start to hunt him down in earnest…
"Don't worry," Tristan said, reading his expression. "She is not spreading the information to just anyone. Even with the favor she owed me, Lara was incredibly reluctant to tell me. I had to promise her not to spread the news."
Zeke looked around. How was this not spreading the news? Tristan had only returned the day before and had already told everyone here. He would have to remember never to trust this man with a secret. He was evidently horrible at keeping them.
Zeke could only sigh in defeat. "Fine, you are right. It was me who provided that information." He turned toward Devlin. "To answer the previous question: The information is a collection of Maximilian's notes, rumors, personal connections, and many other sources."
Devlin immediately followed up with another question, not giving anybody else the chance to ask anything. "You would never have been able to produce such a detailed report with such unreliable sources. How did you do it?"
Zeke thought about his response for a moment. He couldn't confess that he had accidentally uncovered a lot of secrets by passing by some offices. However, acting dumb or humble would only make him look more suspicious to a professional spy like Devlin.
"Data examination is one of my specialties," Zeke stated, pointing at his head. "It is hard to believe how much you can learn by combining information from countless 'unreliable sources'."
Devlin nodded slowly. He didn't seem wholly convinced, but the fact that Zeke was a Mind Mage gave the statement some credence. Furthermore, it wasn't even a lie. Zeke merely 'forgot' to mention how vast his collection of knowledge truly was.
Tristan turned toward the giant. "What about you, Randell?"
The Bone Mage nodded. "I want to know… about the hidden forces… you mentioned?"
Over the next half an hour, Zeke found himself answering all kinds of additional questions about his report. Tristan would usually ask about the different families and their members. Devlin about the power dynamics inside the empire and Randell would focus mainly on troup strength. Meanwhile, the druid never asked a single question.
Finally, after what must have been the hundredth, no more questions were forthcoming. Zeke looked around. None of the three seemed to have anything more to ask, and instead, they were now discussing potential strategies and countermeasures among themselves. Zeke didn't bother to pay attention. He would rewatch the memory later anyway and didn't want to appear too eager to listen in right now.
As it stood, he was already very satisfied with how this meeting had turned out. If nothing else, he had met three important Mages and even managed to put them in his debt. This was a great outcome on its own. However, he might be able to gain even more. With shining eyes, he turned to the man next to him. "Do you also have a question, Arch Druid?"
The man sniffed the air. "Yes," he said, slowly looking Zeke up and down. "Why do you smell so strong, despite being so weak?"