Chapter 359 (1/2)

As the Ghosthound nodded slowly to the name, Dozer folded his hands together. “Why examine her?”

The Ghosthound glanced at the other man, then back over towards Delilah. “My… Blessings formed a connection with the four people I gave them to. That gives them… certain benefits. And it seems...the connection split off, so there is a further connection, from me to Delilah, moving through Annie.”

Randidly tapped his jaw. “I was just thinking… I wonder how the Aether is filtered, whether it holds more of Annie’s meaning, when it flows through her… Also… it’s not as large as the connection to Annie, although I’m not sure whether that is due to age, or…”

Trailing off, the Ghosthound just stared at Delilah, his brow furrowed. Dozer stood, taking both of the dishes over to the sink. Then he asked, over his shoulder. “Will she be strong?”

“...Yes, without a doubt,” Randidly said, chuckling. Then he stood and went to the door. As he passed the threshold, he said. “But I think that’s more a reflection of her parents, than anything else. I’ll have to make a gift for her.”

“Oh! Don’t tell anyone the name.” Annie called after him into the darkness. “It’s only been a few weeks… the naming ceremony is going to be Saturday, once she looks presentable. Bring your gift then.”

*****

Randidly couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he knocked on the door to Mrs. Hamilton’s house, in the dead of night, and she opened it almost instantly. There were two cups of tea on the table, so she had known he was coming. Taking a sip, he winced; it was still warm.

How the fuck did she know that…?

But then Glendel walked out of the sideroom, holding a case of notebooks, spirits swirling around him, and several things clicked into place. At least Randidly didn’t need to worry that he was losing his edge, but still… Mrs. Hamilton was just too competent at her job.

Randidly had been away from the town for a while, but he was sure that in the interim, she had only become more vital to the successful running of the town. Honestly, more so than him, taking out Mrs. Hamilton would cripple Donnyton, in a way that just left Randidly awed. His strength had grown by leaps and bounds, but there really were problems that individual strength couldn’t solve.

Still, with enough strength drawing others to handle those things became much easier…

Glendel looked much the same as he had in the past, although the aura of spiritual energy was much more dense. And his eyes were strangely flickering, shifting colors and directions, as though each second a new soul was using the body to look out, onto the world. It was… a strangely fascinating thing to watch.

“Let me guess…” Mrs. Hamilton said, sipping her tea. I am… the third stop you’ve made today? After Lyra and… somewhere to relieve stress, a fight. Alana or Donny?”

She was wrong, of course, but Randidly had a strange sensation that she had done that on purpose, knowing how impossible it would be to predict something like that, so he would be more at ease around her. It reminded him of the Creature in some ways, but he did his best to remind himself that this individual was on his side.

“....fourth, actually. Alana and Tykes, but then I went over to see Annie and Dozer…” Randidly trailed off, unsure of what to say, and careful of Annie’s warning not to reveal the name. It was a small thing, but the casual way that she had said it to him, although no one else knew it, but it weighed heavily on his heart.

“Ah… due to the child…? Did the effect of the Blessing persist?” Mrs. Hamilton asked, taking a small book from Glendel’s stack and flipping to a certain page. She immediately began making small notations. After a few seconds of this, she gave him a glance, prodding him forward.

Randidly nodded slowly. “...it’s changed, too. But I can’t yet tell how. Aether… behaves strangely.”

“I’ve some thoughts on that, after watching the four of us you Blessed for these 6 months,” Mrs. Hamilton said, closing her notebook and grabbing another. She offered it to Randidly. “It’s not much, but hopefully it can combine with the information that you already have to make the picture that much clearer. After all, Aether really appears to be… the source, the core of all of this, this System. It’s fascinating, in a way. Its an energy source, and its a building material. But on the other hand…”

Mrs Hamilton took another sip of her tea. “It’s beyond the reach of most of us.”