"I don't suppose he liked that very much?" I shouted at him from the kitchen as I fetched glasses and ice.
"Hells no he didn't. But he wouldn't say anything to the king."
"That's right," Louie said. "Your father was a king too. Tell us about him."
We drank and we talked about Rory's father and then his mother. And we drank some more and talked about my parents. Before we knew it, everyone but Louie was drunk and we were talking about Yelena learning how to shift, Rory dropping his first hammer on his father's toe, and the holidays I had with my parents in Greece.
Then we got even more drunk and I told them about the day I met Rhiannon and Louie peppered us with details about her. Rory talked about the night his son was born and how his cry sounded like a call for battle. Yelena described the day she fell in love with Viki when she landed in front of her on top of the head of a giant she had just killed.
Then we drank some more, but that's when my memory failed me.
My phone rang for what seemed like the hundredth time and I picked myself up from the couch. Louie was lying next to me, actively ignoring the ringing and growling softly as I moved him to the side so I could stand up. Yelena was lying on the floor, a thick furry blanket covering her, and Rory was still sitting at the table, his bearded face resting on it as he snored.
"Just pick it up already." Louie sent his voice into my head, which was already pounding.
"Yeah?" I said, once I picked it up. Only as I spoke did I realize how dry my mouth was.
"Hey, did I wake you up?" Leo said on the other end of the line.
"It's fine," I said, and was disgusted by the stink of my mouth as I breathed into my cupped hand. "What's up?"
"I've informed my clan," he said, "and we've got an audience with my father tonight. Can you come by around seven?"
"Sure," I said, anxious to get off the phone and drink ten bottles of water. "I'll come with Louie."
"Um, actually. They requested that Rory come too," he said hesitantly and then quickly added, "if he wants to, of course."
"Rory? How come?" I asked.
The dwarf reacted to hearing his name by lifting his head for a moment and saying something unintelligible.
"They want to thank him," he replied, and paused for a second. "For rescuing me. Apparently, they're indebted and need to repay him."
"I'm not telling him that!" I said.
"Sure, no problem. Just have him come."
"Then Yelena will be coming as well," I said, not wanting to leave her alone.
"Sure, yeah, no problem. And listen, Alex. You don't need to worry about anything."
"What would I worry about, man?" I asked. "I've met your parents before."
"Yes, but that was when you didn't know anything about the Apocosmos yet," he explained. "This time will be different. Almost the whole guild will be there and they can be a bit much, you know."
"Is there going to be food?" I asked, trying to make him relax a bit.
"You know how much Uncle Dino likes his sausages," he said, and within a fraction of a second Louie was up on his feet.
"I think Louie is on to us," I said and scratched his back as he stretched his legs.
"Better have some extra sausages," he said, wagging his tail like crazy.
"I'll make sure of it," Leo replied with a little laugh. "Okay, see you tonight then."
"See you, man," I said and hung up. "You ready for a walk, boy?"
We arrived at the DiFiore building ten minutes early. Seeing the red carpet at the entrance, I was happy Rory had forced us to dress formally. Louie had exchanged his magician's hat for a bowler and was sporting a black bow tie as a collar. I was wearing a black suit--something I never thought I'd need, but Rory had been adamant about it.
He, on other hand, was wearing a very elaborate set of leather overalls that took him some twenty minutes to put on, even with the help of Louie and I. They were adorned with gems and jewels, and stitched in intricate geometrical patterns that screamed dwarven architecture. What's more, his unruly beard now looked perfectly cared for and shiny, while his hair--as well as mine--was up in a tight ponytail.
Yelena had no formal wear either, so she'd purchased some from the Dark Energy Marketplace that arrived with my suit. Her outfit was a black strapless top that looked like scale armor--very bad-ass--with a black pencil skirt, and heels that had initially made her very unstable. Within a minute of trying them on, however, she was walking as if she'd been born in them, which I guessed was one of the advantages of being a shapeshifter.
When we entered the foyer of the DiFiore building, we were greeted by the old concierge, whose attire was much more formal than last time. He was wearing a long-tailed tuxedo with a black bow tie and his red concierge hat had now been replaced by a black top hat.
Name: Hierethon Ta'anduil
Race: Seraph
Class: Prophet
Level: ???
"Hello Mr. Hierethon," Louie said, and wagged his tail happily as we entered the building.
"Hello Mr. Thunder," the old man said and tipped his hat to Louie. "It is very nice to see you again."
"My friends and I have been invited for an audience tonight," Louie said.
"Okay, I guess we're all part of Louie's entourage now," I joked and Louie wagged his tail, amused.
"Why, of course!" the man said and looked at each one of us in turn. "Mr. Rage. Mr. Battleforge. Ms. Anthur. If you could please follow me this way."
The man walked
