- Paslėpta liepsna-

Heikkinen was able to get more time to himself, ever since Aldona reminded him about the shadow clones. In fact, he was looking at the village wondering if he could take a walk to get something to eat instead of asking one of the Apsauga to get it for him.

Before he could make up his mind, a blur entered through the window. Why can’t the Apsauga, Kareivis or Sekti, more so Clan heads, use the door and not the window! He swore that Apsauga teachers taught their students that just too annoy him!

Windows weren’t meant to be used to enter an ally’s building!

“Because it’s more fun!” Aldona and Azuloas told him, causing Heikkinen to pause and look at the group that entered his building through the window. The last time someone brought Aldona in like this, it was because Dvesma had almost been kidnapped.

Dvesma and Bellerophon looked at him as well, now they were going to think it was okay to enter the Paslėpta liepsna’s building through the window. Heikkinen didn’t know why Cassiopeia was there but waving his hands to one his guards to stand next to his desk. He was going to have to get Markuss, as they were under the Spoku-Acs clan’s protection, he was required to be there for any complaint.

“Cassiopeia give me a moment,” Heikkinen told her, before whispered to the Apsauga member to get Markuss and Dainis.

“Paslėpta liepsna,” Cassiopeia said before looking at her son, setting the children onto the ground, she knew that Dvesma and Bellerophon most likely shouldn’t be in the room as they spoke about Aldona and Azuloas. “Bellerophon, Dvesma why don’t you two wait for Lord Spoku-Acs?”

“Yes Mum,” Bellerophon told her, he knew an order when he heard one. Just because it wasn’t worded like an order, didn’t make it a request, he knew he still needed to follow it. “Come on Dvesma, we can tell him what happened together.”

Once the two left the room, Heikkinen looked at the Pūķis-Dziedātājs’ Clan head. He then looked at the twins’, spotting the two dragons wrapped around their torsos. Their heads resting on the twin’s shoulders.

Yes, he knew once upon a time both Azuloas and Aldona had been forced to steal when they were younger, and it broke his heart to think about. But he didn’t think they did that anymore, nor did he think they’d steal from the Pūķis-Dziedātājs’ clans garden.

“Azuloas and Aldona Vitkus are now under the Pūķis-Dziedātājs Clan’s protection,” Cassiopeia told him, grinning as she remembered what happened when Markuss told the council that the two were Spoku-Acs’ Clan protection. It made her want to declare the same thing, right there and then, just to see a few more merchant heads and civilians faint. “As well as the Spoku-Acs Clan.”

Heikkinen just stared at her, jumping slightly when Markuss and Dainis jumped through the window, Aldona and Azuloas giggling at his reaction.

“Paslėpta liepsna,” Markuss and Dainis greeted.

“Dainis, why don’t you take Dvesma and Bellerophon to park?” Heikkinen asked, Dainis looked at Aldona and Azuloas before nodding his head.

“Of course, Paslėpta liepsna,” Dainis told him, before nodding his head in Cassiopeia’s direction, leaving the room. Where they could hear Dvesma greet her uncle, Bellerophon’s voice slowly chiming in.

“I assume you know?” Heikkinen asked Markuss.

“Šuniukų told me and Dainis what happened,” Markuss told him, there would another council meeting and according to Cassiopeia’s grin, more fainting council members. Maybe this one meeting it one that Markuss could look forward for.

“Council’s not going to like this,” Heikkinen muttered to himself.

“Grandpa,” Azuloas said, he loved his grandfather. But he needed to grow a backbone, before being Paslėpta liepsna tore him apart. He was the Paslėpta liepsna, he was the one who made and passed laws, not the council! They were advisors, that’s what the first Paslėpta liepsna placed them to be, at least from what he read and Aldona had agreed that it matched up with her readings as well.

“Yes Azuloas?” Heikkinen asked.

“You’re the village’s leader? The Paslėpta liepsna?” he asked. He might be six, but even he and Aldona could see that being Paslėpta liepsna was making him thirty years older. If he and Aldona could see it, then why couldn’t the council?

“And you make and pass the laws?” Aldona sweetly asked. She could see what her brother was planning, if it worked, if they could give their grandpa a reminder. Then maybe, he could spend time with his own son and grandson, Aldona had lost count of the number of Paslėpta liepsna’s children or grandchild that became outlaws just to get their father’s or grandfather’s attentions.

But she was sure it would be worth it; in the end. Cassiopeia was grinning at the two, while Markuss kneeled to their height.

“Aldona? Azuloas?” Markus whispered to the two, both had innocent smiles on their face, before looking at each other and nodding.

Azuloas went to Markuss, while Aldona to Cassiopeia lightly pulling on her shirt. The two looked at each other and then at the Paslėpta liepsna. Heikkinen seemed to be staring out of one of his windows in deep thought.

The twins whispered their plain into Markuss and Cassiopeia’s ears. How they wanted to remind their grandfather that he was the leader of the village. He was Sashan’s Paslėpta liepsna, that the council was not set up for one side to have so much power in area’s that they didn’t understand.

That they would never understand being an Apsauga, Kareivis or Sekti wasn’t about saving a princess from danger nor was it about reward, fame or glory. That it was a life filled with regrets, blood and danger. It wasn’t something everyone would be able to handle, Aldona had read to many stories of suicide and mass murders caused by years of service.

Orphans and Clan children are more prepared for such risks, but civilian aren’t. They just don’t understand the darker side, unless they already have an Apsauga, Kareivis or Sekti member in their family and that wasn’t rare as it was during the first Paslėpta liepsna’s time.

“Of course,” Heikkinen said, he was the Paslėpta liepsna. Like his teacher and the Paslėpta liepsna’s before him. He was the one to make and pass laws. Apsauga, Kareivis or Sekti should vote in matters that concern them, civilians could vote in matter that affected their lives.

But in the end of the Paslėpta liepsna, him, had the final say.

“Paslėpta liepsna?” Markuss asked, both he and Cassiopeia stood up straight. Pushing Aldona and Azuloas behind their legs, something catching Cassiopeia’s eye. A mark, it looked like a tattoo and it had been hidden by Aldona’s thick blonde hair.

Even Azuloas’ hair had been long enough to hide his own matching mark.

“Yes, Lord Spoku-Acs?” Heikkinen asked Markuss.

“Are you okay?” Markuss asked.

“Just realizing something,” Heikkinen told him. “And remembered a few interesting pieces of paperwork lost in the stack.”

“There’s a mark on Aldona’s and Azuloas’ neck,” Cassiopeia stated.

“They weren’t there when Aldona helped Dvesma,” Markuss told her.

“So, they’ve gained it then,” Heikkinen told them, waving at the twins to seat in the two chairs in front of his desk.

“Gained what Grandpa?” Azuloas asked him sitting down, Heikkinen smiled at him sadly before taking out two books from his desk. There were seven in the building’s hidden library, it was one of reasons their mother never took a chance and always wore a swarf on missions.

The design was unique enough that it could only belong to either the Vikus or Kazlauskas family, a bloodline that went back to before the clan wars. The Kazlauskas had a similar bloodline, but Heikkinen was sure that it had something to do with elements and not bloodlines.

Heikkinen didn’t know much about theirs, seeing as most of their clan ended up in another village in another alliance deal. They were also more paranoid then than the Vitkus clan, never giving information for safe keeping.

“The Vitkus family blood limit,” Heikkinen told them, Aldona moving her hair so he could the black rose imprinted on her neck. Each stage something else was added, what they were, he didn’t know but it was in the only chapter he been allowed to read. The rest could only be read by something with Vitkus or Kazlauskas’ blood.

“The Vitkus clan have a blood limit?” Cassiopeia asked, she didn’t know that. Neither did Markuss by the look on his face, Cassiopeia the older Vitkus’ would want to keep this hidden away from everyone, even those who were their closet friends.

“Next you know,” Markuss said a small smile on his face. “Is that Mama Vitkus had a bloodline as well.”

“She did,” Cassiopeia told him, she had seen that woman’s blood limit with her own two eyes. Faster healing, larger chakra stores and an ability to pick up even the most complicated of seals with days or minutes. That and her chakra chains were a terror on the battlefield, but she had been told that the Kazlauskas clan had been the same.

All the old hidden mountain clans of Labia had been similar. Mama Vitkus had told her that without them, they would have died years ago, along with the Mountain Clans of the Guiros.

“Aldona and Azuloas are the only two in the village with both blood limits,” Heikkinen admitted.

“What is it?” Azuloas asked.

“It’s called Kraujo kopijuoklis,” Heikkinen told them.

“Blood copier?” Markuss asked.

“Like the Atspoguļo bloodline, it can copy,” Heikkinen admitted before passing the two books to their new owners. There were more, but those two were for beginners, those who’ve just woken their blood limit. “Only instead of techniques, it copies and store other blood limits.”

“Copies DNA then?” Cassiopeia asked before snorting, now she was glad that Dvesma and Bellerophon weren’t in the room. An innocent accident with Dvesma, a small drop of blood might end up with Aldona and Azuloas walking away with a new ability.

It was a wonder Vitkus clan members never became medic’s, Cassiopeia knew it would drive her nuts if that happened to her.

“There are stages, how many, I’m not sure,” Heikkinen continued, after he learnt about the Vitkus bloodline, he went back through the tower’s hidden storage room. He was glad that Vitkus weren’t like the Kazlauskas.

They had given a bunch of books to the second Paslėpta liepsna about their bloodlines, all of them sealed and only allowed the reader to read the first chapter before becoming blank. Even if said clan didn’t live in Limhongia, they were at least allies and could be semi-trusted.

“Stages,” Markuss said, he didn’t want the Paslėpta liepsna telling them anymore then that. If only for respect for their friends that could only look after their own children, that no longer walked among the living.

Aldona and Azuloas should be the ones to decide who gets to know about their bloodline.

“Aldona and Azuloas, the two books I gave you are about your bloodline,” Heikkinen explained, the twins nodding their heads. “But their only beginner guides, once you feel you understand them, I’ll you give the second one. Make sure you don’t tell anyone about it, this could make you two one of the biggest targets in Sashan.”

“Yes, Paslėpta liepsna,” Aldona and Azuloas said.

“Markuss, Cassiopeia, please keep an eye on them,” Heikkinen requested. “I know I haven’t been the best grandfather, but they’re still my grandchildren.”

“Yes, Paslėpta liepsna,” Markuss and Cassiopeia told him.

Cassiopeia looked at the two, her curiosity was going to drive her made if she didn’t ask. And she didn’t see any harm, it wasn’t like they had done this on purpose. Damn, Cassiopeia was just going to have to ask. “Now Aldona and Azuloas, have you helped or seen anyone from my clan bleeding before today?”

“Yes,” Azuloas answered, they had ran into an injured man about five days ago, they hadn’t known he was part of the Pūķis-Dziedātājs clan until a few minutes later. When Azuloas came back with an Apsauga member behind him.

The man had called him Kareivis Pūķis-Dziedātājs.

“When?” Cassiopeia asked.

“Five days ago, Dvesma mentioned some berries she wanted but didn’t have time to get,” Aldona admitted. “Azu helped me wrap our picnic basket around his ankle before going to get the nearest Apsauga member and then they had Azu help as he went to get the nearest medic.”

“You’re the ones who helped Achilles then,” Cassiopeia told them.

“We didn’t get his name, but we were told holding something tightly on the wound would slow on the bleeding,” Azuloas admitted. “And cause we always kept the picnic blanket clean, Anyuta is really nice. We didn’t want to take advantage of her.”

“What about Spoku-Acs?” Markuss asked them, he just wanted to know so that the didn’t start seeing through things without knowing the reason behind it. They were underneath his clan’s protection and it would make sense that had some point they would have gotten someone’s blood on them.

Cuts were common in their line of work, along with their training.

“No,” Azuloas and Aldona told him.

“After this, it’ll time for your, Dvesma and Karlis’ training,” Markuss told them, he was going to have to talk to Cassiopeia about them with the Pūķis-Dziedātājs Clan. “Then tomorrow, if Azuloas and Aldona want to, they can go to the Pūķis-Dziedātājs compound for training with Bellerophon?”

“That’ll stop them from over training at this age,” Cassiopeia agreed, one day training with Markuss and then her, afterwards, a daybreak to recover before starting again. “Azuloas and Aldona, we’ll need to talk about your training with Melanthe and Hyacintha. Bellerophon will be happy to have someone to train with him and Bucky. Andromeda sometimes stops by with her three and she’ll him something she’s learnt. Something that I don’t know, cheeky brat.”

“Okay,” Azuloas and Aldona told her, they guessed that Andromeda was the heiress to the Pūķis-Dziedātājs Clan and thus, someone they would have to play nice in the future. If they didn’t get along with her, if they did, then they wouldn’t have to play nice. They would be nice.

“Well, this meeting is over. Markuss, you can go and help them train,” Heikkinen told him, there was going to be paperwork. But he had Shadow Clones, so the stacks of paperwork stopped trying to touch the roof all the time.

He wouldn’t be surprised if those two picked up sealing like a fish to water, after all, they were related to two families who loved sealing to extreme levels. So much so, that their clans had almost been wiped off the map more than once, Heikkinen didn’t have to read a Vitkus memoir to know how many times other clans or other villages had tried to do so.