They looked at each other, shocked and curious.
"Just don't tell me you found out something bad about Rhys," Tjeerd spoke up. He had already forgotten that just moments earlier he'd had enough of every topic related to Nexoria.
"Something bad?" asked Azita in surprise.
"For example, that for some reason we won't be able to bring him back from Nexoria."
"Let's go now, just like Ciro asked," urged Velia, while packing a walnut pastry for herself for later.
Solveig rushed back from Ulf's flower garden so quickly she forgot to put down the plant nutrient solution. She only set it down on her way out, next to the little table by the entrance, right where visitors could write down a meaningful wish using rune script.
Of course, they used the holo-gate to quickly reach the Millennial Oak.
Those who had already arrived were gathered around Lady Lívia, who was talking quickly and breathlessly. As they got closer, they saw a large bump on Rhesus' forehead, with blood trickling down his face. He hadn't even wiped it off, maybe he hadn't realized he was that badly hurt.
"Come on, heal yourself at one of the holo-surfaces," Sophia asked her grandfather.
"Sorry? Oh, this can wait a bit, it doesn't hurt that much."
"Come on, you all sit down too," Ciro invited them, not taking his eyes off Lady Lívia.
"But what happened?" Nabu asked.
"We'll tell you once everyone's here," Lars told them, asking for patience.
"Now we'll be taking one person from each research group. The new team's task will be to search through the entire city, especially the very old buildings, roads, paths, and wells. If needed, they'll even look behind the stones," rattled off Lady Lívia in one breath.
She paused for a moment.
"Aisling, you'll go with them, just in case something else comes to mind."
Aisling simply nodded, curious to hear the rest.
Meanwhile, Sophia asked the holo-surfaces for some cold chamomile tea and a piece of cloth.
"Here, at least put this on your forehead," she offered her grandfather.
"What's this even good for?" Rhesus looked suspiciously at the chamomile-soaked cloth.
"Old Mother Larthia taught Ulf and me a few things about ancient remedies."
Rhesus, Daphne's father, now accepted the cloth with trust.
"If Larthia taught it, then it's fine."
"And we'll let Larthia in on this secret too," Lady Lívia raised her index finger. "No one knows the truly ancient trees and old herb-gathering places better than her."
"I don't get why we haven't called them until now," muttered Sophia. "Thya has been meeting up with Mother Larthia's son lately."
"We're calling her now, Sophia," Daphne interjected, not letting anyone else answer.
By then, the others had arrived too.
"What happened?" Baalit asked, staring at the white cloth on Rhesus' forehead.
The rest were also getting increasingly impatient and curious.
"What happened is that Rhesus dropped his glass under the table. When he bent down to pick it up, he banged his head hard on the table's underside. Of course, he dropped the glass again, and it rolled away..." Lady Lívia recounted, still shaken.
"Then I looked up angrily, and carved into the table's underside were the words: Tree of the Martyrs," finished Rhesus.
"Naturally, Ciro crawled under after him, because only he could read the rune script," added Lady Lívia.
"That's amazing!" Velia clapped her hands.
"That's terrible," thought Aisling.
"So now a few of us are going to figure out how the scrawny oak tree from Mirael and Kaelen's stories, our Millennial Oak, that is, the Tree of the Martyrs might be connected to the Festival of the Martyrs. Because we believe there could be a link," explained Lady Lívia.
"Mirael and Kaelen were in Nexoria for two years, maybe..." Aisling began to present her idea.
"We'll write down your idea," Lady Lívia nodded.
Sibius and Thana, who researched everything related to the Brotherhood with Lady Lívia, were already diligently noting it down.
"But now we're going home. Today we rest, or reflect on our tasks alone, separately," said Lady Lívia in such a firm voice that no one dared utter a word.
"And tomorrow morning we'll meet here, at the Tree of the Martyrs. Anyone who feels like they'd rather go over the city with Aisling and Larthia instead of their own assignment can volunteer in the morning."
"This afternoon break is welcome," Rhesus now said, touching his forehead with a painful hiss.
"A bit of distance from Nexoria won't hurt the research either," added Tjeerd.
"We've barely rested in two weeks. A fresh mind gets further," agreed Nabu.
Lady Lívia stood up from the table.
"You can look at the writing under the table some other time. Now everyone is really going home."