As Alistar observed the only of his three uncles that he cared about, it became apparent to him that Caedmon's temper had reached a rare limit. While he would normally deal with any snide or derogatory remarks from his brothers with quick wit and tactful deflections, he now snapped back in tones of increasing exasperation. These responses were entirely aimed at Daniel, who seemed to have a habit of criticising almost anything that Caedmon did or didn't do. Interestingly enough, Alistar could sense frequent flare-ups of swordsman's aura from the younger duke whenever Caedmon happened to make a retort or a disapproving comment, which told Alistar two things. The first that was his uncle Daniel had poor control over his temper and thus his swordsman's aura, and the second was that he had an incredible amount of the unique energy within him.
What had they been talking about before dinner that had left them in such sour spirits? His older uncles, he could understand, but Caedmon?
