Chapter 49: The die is cast

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

Note: Many of the characters in Laerten were previously introduced in my other story: "Strange Bedfellows". Needless to say, spoilers for that story follow...

* * *

After learning that Lady Ekthros was probably a mage the previous night, Sarah felt like she had spent the rest of the night and this morning in a slightly dazed state. Working in the kitchens had helped somewhat since she had something she loved to take her mind off of it, but it was always at the back of her mind.

How?

More importantly, Why?

If Lady Ekthros really was a mage, it seemed almost certain that she had voluntarily let herself be captured. However, Sarah couldn't think of a reason she would do that that didn't involve her. The innkeeper's daughter found it hard to believe that the noblewoman would've let herself be captured just to be near her. That didn't make any sense.

"Sarah, maybe she wasn't being captured." Fiona suggested while she fed Conner during their morning break. "Maybe she was only making it look like she was being captured, but she was really working with the Ivernians?"

Sarah frowned. "But why?"

"I'm not knowing that, I'm just suggesting."

"I suppose it's possible." The innkeeper's daughter stood and started pacing back and forth in their room. It was fairly spartan and unadorned since Fiona had had her hands full with Conner and working since she moved in. Sarah's only possessions were a few dresses and a pair of shoes -- all gifted to her by Lady Ekthros -- so she didn't have decorations either. She really wanted to liven up the place, but she didn't have anything she could use to decorate.

"I'm not even sure that she's a mage." Sarah said after a few moments. "You said it was a rumor; maybe the rumors were wrong?"

"Aye, I'm not liking to be relying on gossip." The copper-haired woman nodded as she switched her baby from one side to the other under her nursing blanket. "We should be finding out for certain."

"But how? I could ask her, but how would I know if she was telling the truth? I don't know anyone else here to ask, do you?"

Fiona hesitated and made a thoughtful frown.

"You have an idea?"

The copper-haired woman waggled her head back and forth for a moment before speaking. "Well, I suppose I could be asking the Lord Delmar himself; he wouldn't lie." Her accent made 'lord' sound like 'lard'.

"You could do that?" Sarah's eyes went a little wide.

"Aye, I'm thinking I could. Someone from the kitchens is bringing him his meals for breakfast and lunch and I'm on the rotation. I could be asking to switch with whoever will be bringing him his lunch today."

"That would be wonderful, but do you think he would mind?" Sarah stopped her pacing to look at Fiona.

"I don't think he would be minding." Fiona's tone wasn't filled with confidence, but it wasn't filled with doubt either.

"I would love to know for sure, but only if you wouldn't get in trouble."

"I'm not thinking I would." The copper-haired woman said after a few moments. "I've never heard of the Lord Delmar being angry with someone for asking a question, even if he wasn't answering the question."

"Okay, good. And thank you."

The other woman smiled at her. "You're welcome."

Sarah resumed her pacing. "I keep trying to think of what Lady Ekthros could've wanted, but I can't think of anything that doesn't involve me."

"Well, I was noticing something while you were telling me the whole story last night."

"Oh?"

"Aye." Fiona nodded. "She was seeming to know things that she couldn't be knowing unless..." She frowned as she hesitated, and it was a deep frown too.

"Unless what?" Sarah asked.

"Well somehow, she was knowing things that only you should be knowing." Fiona said with more than the usual amount of care in her words. "And I'm thinking there's only one way that she could be knowing those things."

"Oh." Sarah said, catching on. She cocked her head to one side. "You think she's a telepath?"

"I'm not knowing another way to explain it."

Hmm.

Sarah started pacing again as she thought about that. It made some sense. She hated to admit it, but it made sense. The thing that had most convinced her that Ethan was evil was when Lady Ekthros had mentioned that he would use someone's dreams to manipulate that person, and then she had described something similar to Sarah's dream with Gabriella. That more than anything had convinced Sarah that Ethan wasn't a good person.

But what if Lady Ekthros had simply read her mind and lied about...

She grimaced.

"What are you thinking?" Fiona asked as she pulled Conner out from under her nursing blanket and started rocking him slowly as she burped him. The tired baby still seemed to be fighting sleep, but with a full tummy after eating he was losing that battle.

"I thought she was reluctant at the time, but now..." Sarah frowned and then realized she'd been making that particular expression rather a lot in the last twelve hours. "I think that more than anything else, she wanted me to think that the false prophet -- Ethan -- wasn't a good person."

Fiona drew her lips into a thin line and spoke with cold fury in her voice, though it wasn't directed at Sarah. "That Saidow spawn killed my husband." She clenched her jaw, but then loosened it slightly. "But I must be admitting, if Lady Ekthros was trying to convince you that he is wicked, then maybe..." She stopped and shook her head. "No, the Lord Delmar was telling me that he was a false prophet and he wouldn't be lying."

"But maybe he relied on Lady Ekthros to tell him what happened?" Sarah countered. "She did tell me that she's the one who's chiefly responsible for keeping him informed, so maybe she lied to him and he thought she was telling the truth."

"I'm not saying that couldn't be happening, but..." The copper-haired woman trailed off. She took a few deep breaths and then looked at Sarah. "Anyway, if we are thinking that Lady Ekthros is telepathic, then there's something you can be doing so she can't be reading your mind."

"Oh?" Sarah perked up.

"Aye." Fiona nodded. "The Lord Delmar allows anyone who's working at the castle to visit the court mage to be taught how to be shielding his mind. I think he's wanting the castle to be more secure."

"I could do that." Sarah nodded with a smile. "Even if she isn't a telepath, it would be good to know that no one can read my mind."

"Aye, I'm agreeing. That's why I was doing that not long after moving here."

"I'll do that." Sarah nodded again. "Were you going to ask Lord Delmar if Lady Ekthros is a mage?"

"Aye, I'll see if I can be bringing him his lunch today and ask then."

* * *

Alana yawned as the Argo's crew and guests ate breakfast. Anthiel had made plenty of food to feed everyone and they were all chowing down heartily and happily except for Ethan's wives, who were more subdued. Well, Selene seemed a bit more down than usual too. Everyone else was happy and relaxed, especially Shara and Lyra's personal guard.

"So, what's it like?" Shara asked from beside her. The lord's wife had settled next to the wood elf when breakfast had started, then Rachel had almost instantly claimed the wood elf's other side.

"What's what like?" Alana asked.

"Being the leader of four other wives." Shara replied.

"Leader?"

The amber-haired woman nodded. "You all clearly defer to Ethan, but his other wives all clearly defer to you. When there's a decision to be made, they look to you when Ethan isn't there. It's something I noticed and I wanted to ask what it was like."

"Oh, I hadn't noticed." Alana cocked her head to one side, thinking about it. As she did, it occurred to her that the lord's wife was right; her fellow wives did defer to her. She hadn't noticed it before, but they did.

Huh.

"That's interesting." She mused. "When did you notice that?"

"The night we hosted you all for dinner." Shara replied. "I have rarely met a man with so many wives, since most good men have two or three at most, and I find the dynamic interesting in its uniqueness."

"Me too." Alana smiled. "I never thought I'd have so many co-wives, but I always wanted sisters and they are the closest I'll ever have to them." She looked at her fellow wives and couldn't help but smile. "Honestly, they might be closer than blood sisters because those tend to marry and move away. I'll be with my fellow wives forever because we share a husband."

The lord's wife nodded. "Indeed. I had not thought about sharing a husband for most of my life, but Lyra is a wonderful friend who's always there. I find her adding greatly to my joy in good times and being a great source of comfort in dark times."

Alana nodded. "I know the feeling."

"May I inquire about Selene?" Shara continued. "She behaves like one of his wives and yet clearly isn't, nor does she seem much attracted to him. Why?"

"I don't know." The wood elf shrugged. "We told you about Ethan's home world and how Selene needs to get back to deal with the portal. I think she'll stay there. She seems to like Ethan as a friend, perhaps a good friend, but it doesn't seem like her attraction goes any deeper."

"Perhaps." Shara smiled. "I have some experience in trying not to form an attachment to a good man; it's not as easy as it sounds."

"Just ask Kendra." The wood elf chuckled. "But I do think Selene will stay on Earth. I'm not sure why, but I think she will. Before Kendra married Ethan, I noticed her doing things that made me think she was attracted to him, but I haven't noticed that with Selene." Alana looked at the Brazilian woman who was currently talking to Octavian, the head of Shara and Lyra's personal guard. "I'm going to miss her when she leaves; the Argo won't be the same without her."

"She does add something, doesn't she?" The amber-haired woman agreed, then looked around at the rest of the wood elf's fellow wives. "They all do. It's remarkable how well-suited you all are to each other. I would not have imagined five or six women would get along so well."

"Agreed, it's pretty amazing how much--" Alana began to say, but was interrupted by her husband.

*Ladies, I just found Talven and Salma's farm.* Ethan thought to everyone, his tone grim. *It's a pile of ash.*

Alana's eyes went wide and she looked around at her fellow wives, all of whom suddenly looked as grim as she felt.

Shara gave her a piercing look. "What's wrong?"

The wood elf hesitated, not wanting to reveal her ability to communicate with Ethan, but also not wanting to lie.

"It's your husband, isn't it?" The amber-haired woman said after a moment. "He can communicate with Selene because she's telepathic, and she can communicate with you and your fellow wives for the same reason. He just gave you all some bad news, didn't he?"

"Not exactly, but not far off." Alana replied, glad she wouldn't have to lie. "Talven and Salma -- the couple he went to check on -- their house has been burned to ash." She grimaced.

"Lord Farbrottan is cruel and vindictive, but not stupid." Shara said after a moment. "I would wager a large sum of gold that he didn't harm the family, only raze the house. Murdering them could cause an uprising and he would endeavor to avoid that."

"Oh good." Taloni sighed in obvious relief. "They were good people and I would hate to see them get hurt."

"Selene, could you relay that to Ethan?" Alana asked to maintain the fiction, and the Brazilian woman did.

*I'll start looking then.* He replied, the relief in his tone almost palpable.

"Are you sure they're alive?" The wood elf asked the lord's wife.

"No, but the most prudent course of action would be to leave them alive, even for a tyrant." She replied. "A living family to serve as an example of crossing him would be significantly more effective in deterring rebellion than a dead family who could become martyrs. Lord Farbrottan is many things, but reckless and foolhardy aren't among them."

"How do you know?" Rachel asked.

"I have met him before." Shara replied. "Ivernia borders Timarou, so I have encountered him several times. He shouldn't be trifled with."

"I'll pass that along." Selene said. "Sadly, I think we're already past that point; we've done rather more than trifle with him."

"Unfortunately, I agree." The lord's wife nodded, her lips drawn into a thin line.

* * *

From hundreds of feet in the air, Ethan stared at the pile of ash that had once been Talven and Salma's house. The couple that had told him of the corrupt Reeve had been worried about this, about their home being razed to the ground, but... He shook his head; he had never thought it would actually happen. Still, he hoped that what Selene had relayed from Shara was correct, because if it wasn't...

He clenched his fist.

Deciding to be smart about this, he flew towards the nearest large patch of clouds. Once above it, he altered his disguise gem to make him look like a large eagle. The disguise wouldn't fool anyone who wanted to see through it, but he thought this would be a lower profile option than his natural dragon form. He hung out above the cloud for a few minutes, circling just above it in case someone was watching from below.

Then he dived.

He hurtled straight towards the ground, only pulling up at the last moment and flapping his wings to kill his momentum. He landed and looked around. There wasn't anyone nearby, but the grass had clearly been trampled by a lot of people recently. Thankfully, he didn't see any signs of blood or bodies. The nearby field of crops appeared to be untouched as well.

Hmm.

He looked around, trying to put himself in the couple's shoes. Where would he have gone if his farm had been burned but his family was alive? He remembered that they had a toddler, so probably not very far. Probably not into town if the guards were there, and they almost certainly were. Let's see, they would need food and shelter, and most especially clean water.

That was something.

He had met the couple because he was rinsing out some sheets in a creek. The creek had looked clean and it was certainly a source of water. Maybe they had camped near the creek somewhere? With that in mind, he started walking. It took him several minutes to find the stream and then he started following it. He would've done it from the air but the tree canopy was dense enough that he would surely miss things.

"Talven! Salma!" He called loudly after about five minutes. This forest was large enough that he might not find them without help.

He continued following the stream away from town for nearly an hour without finding anything, even despite regularly calling out their names, so he took to the skies, returned to his starting point, and then started following it towards the town.

"Talven! Salma!" He called, though he considered that he might want to call more quietly once he got nearer to the town. He had walked for about fifteen minutes when he heard a rustling behind him and whipped around mid-stride.

It was Talven.

A very dirty, unkempt, tired, and haggard-looking Talven, but it was him. Ethan broke into a wide grin, but the man spoke before he could.

"What in Saidow's Lair are you!" His voice was almost frantic and he was holding his sword in what might be the worst guard position that Ethan had ever seen.

Ethan stared at the man for several seconds trying to figure out what he meant, then remembered that he hadn't clicked the disguise gem off. He looked down, and although he could only make out a gossamer outline he realized that the disguise from his disguise gem looked... weird. Eagles have very short legs and the disguise gem placed the eagle's foot where his feet were, but his own legs were a normal walking pace apart. Thus, the disguise gem had stretched the eagle-leg projection obscenely and it looked... weird. He moved his legs together and they looked normal, but they looked superweird when apart.

"Sorry." He chuckled and then clicked the disguise gem off.

Talven was so startled that he nearly dropped his sword as he jumped. "What the..." His eyes went wide.

"It's me, Ethan."

"The... the prophet?"

"Yeah." Ethan nodded. Talven seemed slightly frozen and unsure, so Ethan spoke again. "Do you need to see the hammer and lightning again?"

He nodded mutely.

Ethan grabbed his hammer, charged it, and let out a small but visible lightning bolt with a loud "crack!"

"It's you." Talven lowered the sword and sighed with visible relief. "Oh thank Illuminar."

"Yeah, you really have no idea how to use a sword, do you?"

He shook his head.

Ethan looked him up and down properly. His clothes had dirt -- possibly dried mud? -- all over them. He had bags under his eyes and his posture was slumped. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and was starting to buckle under it.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked. "Are Salma and the kids okay?"

He nodded. "Well, not 'okay', but they're alive and unhurt. Physically anyway."

"What happened?"

"You didn't tell anyone that we told you about Zalaus, did you?" Talven asked.

He shook his head. "No, but I mentioned to someone that your food situation was a bit dire and asked him to help."

Talven sighed and hung his head. "I appreciate the thought, but that must be how they found out."

"I'm sorry." Ethan said. "I didn't realize the harm it would cause; it's my fault you lost your home."

Talven sighed again. "You didn't do this, Duke Kranton's men did it."

"Thanks." Ethan replied, but he didn't feel any better. "You're a good man Talven."

"What makes you so sure?"

Ethan eyed him. "Tell me honestly, how much were you and your wife under-eating so your kids could have full bellies?"

"How'd you know?"

"I have eyes."

Talven nodded his head concession.

"Where's your family?" Ethan asked.

"Come on, this way."

* * *

"Okay, let's see what you've got Grandpa." Selene said with a grin to Octavian, continuing the friendly ribbing about age that had begun earlier that morning while discussing combat. She raised her training sword, getting ready to begin their first sparring match.

"Okay, but let me know if you need a break so your mom can nurse you." Octavian quipped back.

The Brazilian woman rolled her eyes. "Go."

Octavian leapt forward with a speed and agility that she wouldn't have expected from someone with gray in his hair. Selene raised her shield to block and cut out low with a counterstrike. Octavian dropped his shield slightly to block her attack and used his body weight to slam into her shield, knocking her off balance. She staggered for a moment but recovered...

...just in time to feel his training blade hit her leg.

"Damn, you've got some moves for an old man." Selene nodded at him.

"Let me try." Kendra said.

A few minutes later, the dragon huntress was holding a shield and training sword as she faced Octavian.

"Go get her Octi!" Lyra called from the sidelines.

"Octi?" Selene looked at the ash blonde, though perhaps 'champagne blonde' was more accurate since she was a warm-toned ash blonde.

She shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to say."

"Come on Kendra!" Taloni cheered.

"You can do it!" Beth called.

"We really shouldn't disappoint the spectators." Octavian smiled.

Kendra shrugged and raised her sword and shield.

Unlike before, Octavian didn't spring forward. Kendra didn't either. They stood there ready for several seconds before Octavian hazarded a careful attack. Kendra parried it with her shield but made no move to counterattack. This happened several times before Kendra counterattacked, and when she did was with less than her usual gusto. Her attacks were careful and precise, yet almost seemed too careful. Once the exchange was finished, Kendra got a smile on her face and lowered her sword and shield.

"I concede." She said and then turned and walked toward her very confused cheering section.

"Why?" Taloni asked.

Kendra shrugged. "I wanted to find out who would win; I did."

"Who?" Beth asked.

Kendra had an amused smile on her face as she looked at the blondes, but didn't answer.

"Selene." Lyra said in a quiet voice. "Since you're telepathic, can you tell what's running through Octi's head?"

"Maybe, but why?"

"Mostly curious." The ash blonde replied. "My husband made the guards, Shara, and myself learn to defend our minds not long after he became king, but I don't know if the defenses have ever been tested."

Selene hesitated a moment, then figured that if he had mental defenses she wouldn't be able to read his mind anyway so she wouldn't be invading his privacy. Plus, she was curious about what mental defenses were like from the outside looking in.

The Brazilian woman closed her eyes and concentrated. It was easier to isolate voices now than before but it still took her a moment. When she had, she discovered something like a stone wall around the guard captain's mind blocking her access. It simply wouldn't yield and she figured that she would need either a lot more power or a lot more skill to pierce that wall.

"I can't tell." She told the ash blonde. "I'm pretty sure those mental defenses work and I can't get through them."

"What if you could?" Shara asked, having walked up while Selene was concentrating. "I gather that you rely on your telepathy in combat?"

She shook her head. "No, or at least not when it's more than one-on-one. There are too many voices and I haven't learned how to sort them out in combat yet."

The amber-haired woman nodded slowly, a thoughtful frown on her face. "What if I told Octavian and his men that you were telepathic and needed to train your skills in combat, and then asked them to alter their mental defenses so you could predict their moves to attain the training you need?"

"Really?" Selene's eyes widened.

Shara nodded. "Of course."

"I'd love that!"

Not ten minutes later, Octavian and the rest of his men formed a circle around Selene and their leader spoke up. "Alright boys, let's see what this toddler can do." He looked at her. "We'll each think about attacking just a moment before we do. See if you can tell which man will attack and block the attack."

"Okay gramps, I will." She grinned back at him with more confidence than she felt. She needed practice, and badly, so she planned to get this down pat before they docked in Laerten later that day.

* * *

Ethan followed Talven a short way down the stream's bank until he came to a section of flat ground with the exposed roots of a large tree that had been felled long ago. The stump began several feet above Ethan's head, and someone or something had removed many of the smaller roots and earth, creating a fairly large alcove under the massive stump. There was a large-ish flat area in front of this that was almost like a mud 'lawn' in front of the alcove.

Talven and Salma had clearly started using that alcove as a shelter recently.

Their clothes all had dirt in them; he didn't see any other clothes nearby so they might only have one set each. He also couldn't see any food, utensils, or even anything to cook with. Salma's eyes were slightly red and she also looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. The two older children -- a boy of about ten and a girl of about six -- were playing by the creek while the toddler was in her mother's lap.

Ethan could feel a knot forming in his stomach as he realized that they were living like this because of what he had done. He had been trying to help, but that had backfired.

Badly.

"The prophet." Salma's eyes widened when she saw him, and a little light came back into her eyes.

"Hi." Ethan replied. "I thought you might be in trouble and came back to check."

"Illuminar told you, blessed be He." The woman's relieved smile was quite wide.

"Actually, I guessed another way." He replied. "We were ambushed by Ivernian soldiers. I figured that if they went after us, they might've gone after you as well." He looked around. "I wish I had been wrong."

"I do as well." Talven nodded. "But you said 'we'; are your wives okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Taloni was hurt, but she's already recovered."

"Good." Talven and Salma said at the same time.

Ethan looked around at how they were living and then shook his head. "Obviously I can't undo what's been done, but I'd like to help if there's something I can do."

Salma's face fell slightly, though it looked like she was trying to conceal that fact. "You don't have some direction from Illuminar?"

He shook his head. "Sorry."

"Mama, 'ary." The toddler said.

"Sorry, Mary isn't here right now" Salma swallowed, then looked at Ethan. "Her doll was in the house; she never went anywhere without it."

"Mama, 'ary." The toddler insisted, fussing in her mother's lap.

"I'm so, so sorry." Ethan ran his hand over his head where his hair would've been if he had any. "How are you fixed for food?"

"We're okay." Talven replied. "There's a woman who's been coming with food every day since... since it happened. I recognize the cooking from a few people in town, but I'd never seen her before she started bringing food, and I thought I knew everyone in town."

"She usually comes around noon." Salma offered.

"I'd like to thank her then." Ethan said, then turned to Talven. "What happened?"

"Somehow Duke Kranton found out about your visit." The man explained. "He sent Ivernian solders to the farm, they pulled us all out and then lit it on fire. They left soon after, so I was able to save a few things from the house before it turned to ash." There was a note of bitterness in his tone.

Ethan didn't blame him.

"I got my sword, our coin purse, and some food, but that's it. I wanted to get more, but..." He shook his head.

"I'm glad you didn't try." Salma said then looked at Ethan. "The roof collapsed right after he came out."

"Mama, 'ary!" The toddler said a bit more loudly and with her face screwed up. She looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry I didn't get Mary." Talven's shoulders slumped.

"Is there anywhere you can go?" Ethan asked. "Maybe someone in town can help?"

Talven shook his head. "Everyone in town was warned that if they sheltered us, they'd lose their home too. They've sent some food and a few blankets, but they aren't rich; they can't spare much else and I wouldn't ask them to."

"How about further away than town?"

"I've got family about a day or two's walk from here, but the bridges are guarded." Talven replied. "I don't have the coin to pay the toll for all of us and the river is far too deep to cross, especially with the kids."

"The guards won't be a problem." Ethan patted his sword. "I'm partially responsible for getting you into this mess, I'll make damn sure I help get you out of it."

Salma breathed a sigh of relief towards the heavens. "Blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Her husband looked similarly relieved, then he frowned. "But you have to help old man Ferris. He was the one you asked to make sure Zalaus gave everyone their money back."

Ethan nodded. "I was worried about him, what happened to him?"

"They built a set of stocks in the town square and put him in them." Talven replied.

"Okay, I'll get him out." Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm so sorry; I promise I'll make this right, or at least try to."

Talven cocked his head to one side. "You didn't raze our home nor inform Duke Kranton; why are you sorry?"

"My actions landed you in this mess."

"No they didn't." Salma replied. "Duke Kranton and his men are responsible, not you."

"I'm glad you see it that way." Ethan replied, keeping his tone somewhat neutral.

"But you don't?" Talven asked.

He shook his head. "And I really should go help Ferris."

Talven looked at him for several moments before nodding. "He will definitely appreciate it."

* * *

Fiona was carrying Lord Delmar's lunch from the kitchens up to his office while thinking about Sarah and that damned Lady Ekthros. The copper-haired woman simply couldn't believe that her friend had once been thinking that the 'lady' -- an entirely inaccurate term -- was a good person. Thankfully, Sarah learning that Lady Ekthros was a mage had shocked some sense into her. Fiona didn't enjoy shocking people or delivering bad news, but she was glad her friend was suspicious now.

Suspicion of Lady Ekthros could only be a good thing.

Having arrived, she nodded politely to the guards and then knocked gently on Lord Delmar's door. Like the door on his airship, it was an expensive one with a glass-blocked upper half so people could see in. She assumed it was this way for propriety, the same as on his airship.

Lord Delmar glanced towards the door, then waved two fingers to indicate she should enter. She did, making sure not to spill the venison stew on her son, who was strapped to her chest as usual. He was also fortunately asleep; he always fell asleep more easily while she was walking.

Once she was inside, she set down the bowl on the open place on the desk as usual. Lord Delmar was standing today, looking at a large map of Narlotten that occupied almost an entire wall of his office. He had a letter of some kind in his hand and was alternating looking at the letter and the map.

Fiona couldn't help but notice that on another wall, a large bookcase had been removed to make room for that tapestry of the Lady Helene that she had seen the other day when Lord Delmar adjudicated the case between the two tapestry weavers. It was placed so that if the lord looked up from his desk, it would be right in front of him.

Nothing obstructed it.

"It's stew today Lord Delmar." Fiona said with a slight curtsey, though he wasn't facing her.

"What did you wish to speak to me about?" He replied absently mindedly as he glanced between the large map and the paper in his hands again.

"My lord?"

"It is Cirella's day to bring me lunch." He replied, still not looking at her. "She hasn't taken ill, as I saw her in the castle halls not an hour ago. Therefore, I can only assume you have traded days with her in order to speak to me."

Fiona smiled; he was insightful. "Begging your pardon milord, but I was wanting to ask a question about Lady Ekthros if you aren't minding."

He made a thoughtful sound as he looked between the letter and the wall-mounted map again. "I might not answer, but you may ask."

"Is she a mage?" The copper-haired woman asked. "I'm hearing rumors that she is, but I'm not liking gossip and I was wanting to know for sure."

Lord Delmar got a thoughtful frown on his face and he turned to look her in the eye. Something about the force of his gaze seemed magnetic; powerful. She saw a strength and force of will that was hard to bear, despite how magnetic it was. She looked into his eyes for only a moment before she wasn't able to take it anymore and looked down slightly.

"Why do you ask?" Lord Delmar said after several seconds of slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Sarah was wanting to know."

Lord Delmar made another thoughtful sound. "Why does Sarah want to know?"

Fiona hesitated, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to tell the whole truth. "She was thinking that Lady Ekthros's being captured and imprisoned would be a mite strange if she was a mage."

"Strange would indeed be a good word." The Lord said, and it almost sounded like he was talking to himself as much as her. After several long seconds, he spoke again. "She is indeed a mage, and one of uncommon power."

"Thank you." Fiona curtsied slightly and turned to leave.

"Fiona."

She turned back around to see that he had returned to looking at the letter and the tapestry map on the wall.

"How is Sarah?"

"Milord?"

"The girl has a demon." Lord Delmar said without judgment. "I wish to know how she is, and especially if her demon has shown any signs of appearing."

"No milord." Fiona shook her head. "She's not liking it much at all and is trying hard to keep it away."

He made another thoughtful sound.

"She's settling into the castle well and she is a great cook." The copper-haired woman added. "I'm trying to be helping of course, and even--" Fiona stopped, realizing that Sarah almost certainly didn't want anyone to know that she couldn't read.

"Even... what?" Lord Delmar asked.

"I'm sorry milord, I was over-speaking."

He turned to face her again. "Finish the sentence."

"I'm afraid I can't be finishing it milord." Fiona replied.

"I insist." Lord Delmar said, his tone slightly stern.

"I can't." The copper-haired woman said. "I can't be telling other people's secrets milord."

His face suddenly seemed more calculating. She would've said that all trace of amusement had disappeared from his face, but there hadn't been any to begin with. "There might be consequences if you don't."

She stared at him, not quite able to believe her ears. "But I can't be telling; 'tis not my secret to tell. I can be assuring you that it's nothing that would be affecting you or Narlotten."

"Regardless, speak." The Lord said, his tone serious and stern. "If you do not, you might find yourself and your son without a home or employment."

Fiona stared at him.

His tone was deadly serious and she wasn't getting the impression that he was jesting. How could he...? She realized her mouth was slightly open and closed it. She looked down at Conner for a moment, thinking about what it would be like if she didn't have her job at the castle. She would be homeless and without income. Narlotten was a generous enough place that she might find someone to take her in, but not if they knew the Lord Delmar had fired her.

She would be completely alone with a baby to feed, no income, practically no savings, and no one to help since her family was too far away. She couldn't bear that thought, but on the other hand, her alternative was breaking Sarah's trust. Not telling was the right thing to do, but it would make things so hard for her and Conner.

"I..." Fiona swallowed hard. "I'm sorry milord, but I can't be telling other people's secrets." She closed her eyes and hung her head. "I can be packing now."

"There is no need." Lord Delmar said.

She looked up and saw something that she'd never seen on his face before; the edge of smile. It wasn't actually a smile, but the corners of his mouth were fractionally higher than she'd ever seen them before.

"Milord?"

"Take a seat." He indicated a chair, then looked at the door and raised his voice slightly. "Hephaestus, enter."

The door opened and one of Lord Delmar's errand boys entered.

"Fetch my steward." The lord instructed and the boy took off, closing the door behind him.

"Milord, what...?" Fiona's mouth was slightly agape at this strange turn of events.

"Patience." Lord Delmar replied, then his eyes shifted to Conner. He looked at the sleeping boy for several long moments, nodded his head once, and then turned his attention back to the large map.

Fiona didn't know what to do.

She sat in the chair in silence, trying to figure out what was happening. It didn't make any sense. Why did Lord Delmar want his steward? Why had he insisted on knowing about Sarah, even threatening Fiona herself to find out? Why had he seemed to completely lose interest the moment she had refused?

It didn't make sense.

Barely a minute later, the errand boy returned with Lord Delmar's steward, who bowed and then spoke. "You summoned me Lord Delmar."

The lord indicated the copper-haired woman. "She has passed the test, type number three. I believe she would most appreciate an education for her son when he comes of age. As usual, see to it personally."

"Very good my lord." The steward bowed, then turned to Fiona. "Come with me."

A very confused Fiona followed the steward out of Lord Delmar's office and through a few short hallways into the steward's office. It was small but neatly organized and comfortable. The furnishings were elegant, clearly high quality, and probably expensive, but nothing was ostentatious. The room seemed very practical, though it was comfortable enough.

Once inside, the steward closed the door and turned to her. "I imagine you are somewhat confused right now."

"Aye, though you're understating it by a fair margin."

The steward sat down at his desk and grabbed a piece of paper. "Lord Delmar values integrity in his underlings above almost all else. Therefore, when the opportunity presents itself, he often tests those new to the castle to discover their level of integrity. Those who cave are never put in a position to cause harm. Those who pass are rewarded."

"Oh." Fiona cocked her head to one side. "That's what he was doing?"

"Yes." The steward nodded. "His threats were of course mere acting, whatever they were. He would like you to remain at the castle and will increase your pay should you remain. He might also transfer you to another, more important occupation once you have been here long enough that it won't seem strange. Additionally, he will also fully pay for your son's education; his tutors will be among the finest in Karnas when he is old enough. Further, he will be schooled with the sons of nobles, making connections that will likely ensure a bright future for him. That is, if you wish it."

Fiona smiled. "He's my child; I'd be doing anything for him."

"Then you and Lord Delmar have something in common." The steward said absent-mindedly as he wrote something on the paper.

"Oh?" Fiona could think of only one thing he could mean, but she didn't see how Rachel figured into this at all.

"I've rarely seen a man more devoted to his child's well-being." He was still writing and speaking absent-mindedly, but then stopped and look up at her. "I'm sure you know that Lady Helene died of a sickness?"

She nodded. "Aye."

"Lord Delmar had his daughter instructed in magic from the earliest age possible to ensure she didn't suffer the same fate." He shook his head slowly. "It is truly a pity that she didn't return his affections."

"Could my Conner also learn magic?"

"If you wish it."

Fiona hesitated a moment and then asked another question on her mind. "Are you knowing what happened between them? The Lord Delmar and Rachel that is." Then she added. "I'm not looking for gossip or specifics, but I'm wanting to avoid the same happening with me and my son."

The steward looked at her for several long moments before speaking. "Lady Helene captured Lord Delmar's heart in a way that I've rarely seen, and Rachel is a near-perfect likeness of her mother. That was not easy on him."

"Oh." Fiona looked down at her still-sleeping son, who did indeed resemble his father even at this age. She could see that being hard as he got older.

"Also, Lord Delmar is a man like any other." The steward continued. "He is more longsuffering than most, but his temper is fearsome to behold when it is roused. When he learned that Rachel was trying to delve into the dark arts... well I'm sure you can imagine."

"Aye." Fiona shook her head slowly. "Is that why he was sending her away?"

Steward narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think he sent her away?"

"Well, I was assuming..." She hesitated. "He wasn't?"

The steward regarded her for several long moments before speaking. "Lord Delmar said that you passed test number three; refusing to reveal trivial information even under direct and serious threat. That puts you in very rare company Miss McWilliams. Had you not passed that specific test, I would not reveal what I am about to tell you."

"Thank you?" She wasn't sure what the proper response was, but that seemed appropriate.

The steward took a deep breath. "I suspect that Lord Delmar didn't reign in his temper because he wanted her to leave. She was knowingly consorting with necromancers in order to learn the dark arts, and the penalty for that in Narlotten is death. The evidence was circumstantial, but it would have become ironclad eventually with Lady Ekthros pursuing the case. He has not confirmed this to me, but I believe he intentionally let his temper have free reign in order to scare her out of the castle so that when the evidence did become ironclad, she would not be in Narlotten to be captured and put to death for her crimes."

"Oh." That was all Fiona could think to say. It made sense; it was horrible, but it made sense. "So he was protecting her?"

"I believe so." The steward nodded, then added. "Though again, he has not spoken of this to me."

Fiona took a deep breath; that was a lot of information to be digesting. She felt a small yet pained smile creep onto her face though. "That is sounding like the Lord Delmar. He's caring about his daughter even when..." She shook her head. "I'm wishing that she hadn't joined the false prophet though. I'm wishing they could be reconciled."

"I would wish for that as well." The steward leaned back in his chair and looked pensively at the ceiling. "I have known Rachel since she was a little girl, and I knew her mother before that. For Helene's sake if nothing else, Lord Delmar will never stop trying to protect his daughter. As long as she travels with the false prophet, Lord Delmar will pursue him to the very gates of Saidow's lair to protect Rachel, even with what she has done. I would not wish to be the false prophet when Lord Delmar's pursuit of him reaches fruition; his fury would be terrible to behold."

Fiona nodded slowly, trying to process what she'd just learned.

Wow.

That was a lot to take in.

She thought about being in Lord Delmar's shoes and couldn't imagine it. She tried to imagine if Conner had... She shook her head; it hurt too much. Yet the Lord Delmar bore it and the weight of the crown so incredibly well. She would hate to be in his shoes, but Illuminar had truly blessed the land with a ruler as great as him. To be so amazing and yet be forced to drive your daughter away for her wickedness; it made Fiona's heart ache.

"I'm wishing that he wasn't going through that." She finally said.

"As do all who know, few though they are." The steward replied. He glanced at the boy on her front and spoke with a more businesslike tone. "I shall make preparations for your son to enter school in several years when he is old enough." He wrote something on a piece of paper and then looked at her again. "If asked, you are to deflect about this meeting and its contents."

"Aye, I can be doing that." Fiona nodded as she stood, her heart swelling for her son's future but breaking for Lord Delmar.

"You may return to your normal duties."

"Thank ya, and thank ya for sharing about the Lord Delmar. I think I'm knowing how to pray for him better now."

"He could use it. Thank you Miss McWilliams."

"You're welcome." She curtsied slightly and then left.

The fact that her son would be getting a top-notch education wasn't the biggest surprise of the day, and that was saying something. She had known that Lord Delmar's relationship with his daughter was strained, and he had bent the rules by not pursuing her. However, she hadn't known the depths he went to protect her. While many saw the Lord Delmar as aloof and cold, she had long suspected that there was much more going on beneath his stoic mannerisms.

She had been right.

That was about when Conner started fussing as he woke up. Her son brought a smile to her face that widened when she considered that he would have a good education. Almost as valuable as the education was the connections he would make while being schooled among the higher echelons of Narlotten society. His future was secure, or as secure as it could be.

All of that was thanks to Lord Delmar.

She found herself wishing that her Sean had been able to meet Lord Delmar before he had died. They both were as honest as the day was long and she was sure that Sean would've liked him.

* * *

Ethan walked into the nearby town with his disguise gem active. The town looked much as it had before and much like the rest of Ivernia; as well-maintained as its obvious poverty would allow. It occurred to him that he didn't even know the town's name, but he had bigger concerns right now.

Ferris, the man who had agreed to make sure Zalaus returned the tax money he'd stolen, was in a set of stocks. He looked like he'd been there for a few days and was rather badly sunburned. That plus seeing Talven's family literally living under a tree in the forest because Duke Kranton's men had razed their home made him want to punch something.

Duke Kranton preferably.

As it was, he settled for clenching his fist hard enough that it would've probably turned white if he could see his skin under the scales. Beside the stocks were two Ivernian guards who looked rather sloppy. They weren't wearing chainmail and their tunics were rumpled and looked rather unkempt. They were leaning on the stocks and their eyelids were droopy.

That could be fixed.

Ethan stalked across the town square and, like the last time, someone stopped him by stepping in his way.

"Now, I agree them guards ain't doing right." The man began with a hint of a drawl. "But if you be tangling with them, you'd be tangling with Duke Kranton."

Ethan gave him a mirthless smile. "Oh, I'm counting on it."

"Okay." The man raised his hands and took a step back. "But don't say that nobody warned ya."

"Noted." Ethan said, then continued stalking across the town square.

One of the two guards noticed him and smacked the other one, whose head had drooped rather low. They both snapped to attention, or at least that's what Ethan thought they were trying to do. They stood up straighter and held their spears in a slightly more guard-like position. It was as plain as the scales on his face that they didn't know what to do with them though. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know which end was sharp.

"Halt." One of them attempted to command in a wavering voice that sounded like it hadn't finished changing yet.

Damn, how old were they?

"You kids have about five seconds to leave this man alone or I'm going to make you into twice the men you are now." Ethan said loudly, his non-sword hand resting on the pommel of his war sword for emphasis.

One of the two guards opened his mouth to reply, then cocked his head to one side. "Huh?"

Ethan closed his eyes and slowly shook his head; they were sloppy and stupid. He drew his war sword and gave it a flourish. "Leave. Now."

The two soldiers' eyes went wide and they looked at each other. Judging by the lack of hair on their cheeks, they probably hadn't started shaving yet. What were they, sixteen? Maybe even younger?

"Leave." Ethan said again, letting a hint of a dragonish snarl into his voice.

The two boys' eyes got huge for a moment, then they dropped their spears, turned, and ran for all they were worth. Ethan would've chuckled if he wasn't so pissed off. He turned to look at the stocks and was glad to see that the latch was a simple pin that wasn't even secured. He sheathed his war sword and pulled the pin out, then lifted the top half of the stock.

The man in the stocks slid out of them, more falling than anything else. He wasn't young to begin with as his mostly white hair testified. Ethan hurried around and knelt by his head. The man's lips looked like the ground of a cracked desert and there was even a little blood from the cracks.

"Are you okay?" He asked, then wanted to kick himself. Ferris had been in the stocks for a long time, maybe days; of course he wasn't okay.

The man made a noise that sounded like an attempt at speech, then waved his hand weakly towards his mouth.

Water.

He needed water.

Ethan looked up to see the well at the center of the square... and every face in the square staring at him.

"Could someone get some water?" He called out.

No one moved for several seconds, then it was like everyone in the whole damn town dashed for the nearest source of water. In short order, there were a dozen cups available. Ethan had to give the old man credit, he didn't gulp them down. He slowly and carefully sipped the water, taking his time and wetting everything slowly.

"Thank you." He said weakly after a while.

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess." Ethan replied.

The man looked confused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "The prophet, you're returned."

Ethan nodded.

The old man smiled weakly. "I volunteered, don't go apologizing for what ain't your fault. It was worth it for a day of seeing Zalaus sweat like the pig he is."

"Speaking of..." Ethan looked towards the largest and most richly decorated house in town. "I think I need to go have a chat with him."

Ethan had never seen a man in such bad shape smile with so much glee. "Go, I'll be fine."

With the number of people who were around to help, he certainly would be too. Ethan stood and looked towards the building, rather looking forward to balancing some karmic scales.

* * *

"Hello?" Sarah said as she pushed open the door to the castle mage's office. It had been standing slightly ajar and no one had said anything when she'd knocked. Like most of the castle rooms, it wasn't very large. It looked like every square inch of wall space had been devoted to bookshelves and the tops of the bookshelves were stacked with books as well. Neatly stacked, but stacked. Oddly, the books were all on their sides not standing upright, even on the shelves.

The room was lit by a single window, though there was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling to light it during the night. Underneath the chandelier was a round table that was perhaps five feet in diameter. It also had a few books on it, and a few scrolls as well. The entire room looked clean and orderly, but also very full.

"Hello?" She called again towards the only other doorway.

"One moment." A voice came from the other room. Less than a minute later, a man of about sixty walked into the room. He was quite physically fit and had a grandfatherly air about him. He had half-moon glasses on his face and was wearing a loose shirt and pants that were simple but looked well-made and comfortable. He had a short, neatly-trimmed white beard, a bald spot, and was holding a small book.

He looked at her for a moment, then squinted at her for a second before speaking. "I don't fix disguise gems, sorry."

"I'm not wearing one." Sarah replied, not sure what he meant.

He chuckled. "Ah, a prank then, though an expensive one."

"Huh?"

"Dear girl, I've been doing magic since before your parents were in swaddling clothes. You have a disguise enchantment of some kind marring your appearance, which is a shame; you're a pretty girl without it." Despite the compliment, he clearly wasn't flirting. It came across more like a grandfather complimenting his granddaughter than anything else.

"I am?" Sarah felt her jaw drop; no one had ever called her pretty before.

The elderly mage nodded, then added with a chuckle. "Though I might be biased because I have a weakness for green eyes."

Sarah cocked her head to one side. "But I don't have green eyes. I did when I was a child, but not anymore."

The elderly mage looked at her over his spectacles for a moment, then reached his hand out and waved it gently towards her, though he was still across the small room. It almost looked like he was feeling something she couldn't see or perhaps brushing something out of the way of his vision, though nothing was between them.

"No doubt about it, green eyes." The mage said after several moments. "Perhaps someone slipped a disguise enchantment on something you own and always wear." He shook his head. "Anyway, since you clearly aren't here about disguise enchantments, what can I do for you?"

"Well, Fiona said that you teach anyone who works at the castle to shield their minds?"

"I do." He walked over to the table and sat down in a chair. "Lord Delmar likes tight security and every little bit helps. Do you know how to move your mana?"

"I do." Sarah nodded, having learned from a priest while her father had been taking her around to various temples to try to get rid of her problem.

"Then it shouldn't take very long, assuming you have some time away from your castle duties."

"I do." She nodded. "Marge said that I should do this immediately when I mentioned it to her, since we had just finished serving lunch."

"That woman is a damn fine cook." The elderly mage said. "Why, that stew for lunch must've been blessed by Illuminar Himself."

"She is a great cook." Sarah agreed, not mentioning that she'd suggested a seasoning tweak to the stew that Marge had incorporated. She did smile though; it was nice to have her work be appreciated even though he didn't know it was her work.

"I'll have you back in the kitchens soon." He said. "It doesn't take long for basic mental defenses."

"Um, what if I wanted more than just basic?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"If possible, I would like a really strong defense."

He shrugged. "That takes longer, perhaps an hour or two, but I can certainly teach you." He stroked his short beard for a moment. "Any particular reason that you want such strong defenses?"

"I know someone who might be a powerful telepath, and I want to make sure she can't read my mind."

"She huh?" The old mage gave her a look that was both knowing and piercing, then indicated a seat at the table. "Take a seat and we'll get started."

* * *

Ethan didn't waste time calling out Zalaus like he had the previous time. He marched up to the building and kicked the gilded door open; it was just as disgustingly opulent as the rest of the house. He wouldn't have cared if Zalaus had made his money honestly, but he'd stolen it from the good people of Ivernia and that fact made Ethan's blood boil.

Sadly, the door bore the brunt of his frustration.

He'd always wanted to try that whole "kick a door open" thing ever since he'd done some work on a home-security website that described how it was done to sell something to defeat it. Now he finally had the chance to put that knowledge to use, and he did so with dragon-fueled anger and enchantment-enhanced strength. In hindsight, he might've overdone it.

The door came completely off the hinges.

In fact, it not only came off the hinges, but it also clipped an Ivernian soldier who apparently had been standing inside the door. He fell to the ground and groaned, likely not getting up anytime soon. That suited Ethan just fine.

He stalked into the opulent entryway and looked around. The solid silver candlesticks contrasted with the abject poverty that Zalaus had inflicted on this town's inhabitants, and Ethan looked around growling. Zalaus's guards definitely heard the commotion because they charged into the entryway with their swords drawn. Ethan drew his war sword and gave it a quick flourish. That ordinarily wouldn't be possible inside, but the high vaulted ceilings in the entryway made it not only possible, but easy.

"Any man who doesn't want to end up lying in a pool of his own blood should leave now." He growled.

The soldiers hesitated.

Ethan was acutely aware that his anger was getting the best of him, and it wasn't even his dragon side; this was all him. As terrible as these men were, he knew that he would feel like shit later if he killed them in anger.

One of the men darted forward and aimed a thrust. Ethan parried it with the flat of his sword and stepped in, taking advantage of the man's terrible form and footwork. He shot his wing out and hooked the man's sleeve with his wing claw and then jerked the man forward, raising the pommel of his sword as he did so. The man's head slammed into the pommel with a loud 'thunk' and he dropped like a ton of bricks.

"Anyone else?" He snarled, letting his rage into his tone and hoping that was a good enough deterrent.

It was.

The remaining two soldiers turned and fled. Ethan didn't sheath his sword in case there were more guards and stalked through the house looking for Zalaus. Unsurprisingly, he found him waddling towards an exit as fast as his chubby legs could carry his over-large waistline. Upon seeing him, Ethan darted forward and grabbed the back of the man's shirt, yanking him backwards. He hit the ground with an almighty crash.

"Who, who are you?" The pudgy tax man asked wide-eyed from the floor.

Ethan leaned over him, war sword out and threatening as he put on his best 'silent but deadly' tone to recite a cliché threat that he'd never gotten to use before but had always wanted to. "Your worst nightmare."

Zalaus blanched.

Ethan grabbed his collar and started dragging him towards the entrance. Zalaus tried to fight the whole way, mostly by doing nothing and remaining frozen; he must weigh damn near what a small orc did and not because of muscle or bone. Ethan dragged the tax man out of the front door and started heading for the stocks, quite grateful for his strength-enhancing armor and the claws on his feet which let him gain enough purchase on the ground to haul the fat man around easily.

Every eye in the town square was on him and Zalaus.

He didn't care.

His disguise gem was still active, so he was hoping that this wouldn't be linked back to him. Even if it was, they were already trying to kill him anyway so he doubted that this would make much of a difference.

Finally, he arrived at the stocks and dropped him. "Get in." Ethan growl.

"B-but, b-but--" Zalaus spluttered.

"Get in them, or I'll make sure you fit more easily into them." Ethan casually moved his war sword around to emphasize the threat, empty though it was.

The tax man's eyes went wide, then he scrambled over to them, hesitated a moment, and put his hands and head on the half-moon cutouts on the bottom half of the stocks. Ethan dropped the top half down, making sure not to hit the man's neck but otherwise not being gentle in the slightest. Acting on instinct, he slid the iron pin into the lock and banged it several times with the pommel of his war sword, bending it down so it couldn't easily be removed without tools. There was a blacksmith in town so Zalaus wouldn't be stuck forever, but hopefully he would be for a few hours at least.

Ethan went around to the front and knelt down to look at the man in the stocks. "Where I come from, they used to cut off a thief's hand so he couldn't steal anymore." Ethan moved his war sword slightly and glanced at Zalaus's hands to drive the point home. He wasn't actually planning to do it, but this piece of shit didn't know that.

"Y-you, y-you wouldn't." His face had almost no color left in it.

"Steal from these people again and you'll find out." Ethan hissed. "And if I find out that you or your superiors retaliated against the townsfolk for this little incident, I might consider removing other appendages." He glanced in the general direction of the man's groin to drive the point home.

Zalaus started shaking slightly.

"Now, you'll keep this whole thing to yourself and tell your men to do the same."

The pudgy tax man nodded vigorously.

Ethan stood and looked around to see that the townsfolk were staring at him open-mouthed. He wasn't quite sure what to say.

"It's the prophet." One of them whispered. "He must be using his disguise gem again, but it's him." The man then looked up to heaven. "Blessed be He."

"Blessed be He." Everyone echoed, even Ethan; as the old saying goes: 'When in Rome...'

Just like the last time, everyone wanted to shake his hand and more than a few of the young women made it clear that their father wouldn't say no if he wanted her hand. Ethan shook many hands and declined many a pseudo-proposal, extricating himself from the crowd as soon as he could.

Unlike last time, he didn't feel great.

It had felt wonderful to help these people the last time. Now he doubted that he had helped much, if at all. He left town on a road that headed away from Talven and Salma's shelter, not wanting anyone to suspect the couple because they had been through enough already. Speaking of, it was time to get back there. Talven had said that he had family that was close enough to walk, and Ethan figured that the least he could do was escort them there.

* * *

Ethan arrived back at Talven and Salma's small creek-side shelter some time later after getting far enough from town that it was safe to fly back disguised as an eagle. This time he remembered to turn the disguise gem off after landing and so didn't startle them when he walked up to them. Instead, it was his turn to be startled.

At their temporary home was a woman wearing white clothes that were spotlessly clean. Her hair was blonde and it had a slightly luminous quality about it, and the smile on her face was likewise radiant. She looked young but had a timeless and ageless quality about her that made perfect sense when he considered what she was.

"Gabriella?" His jaw dropped.

"Hello Ethan." She smiled at him.

"You two know each other?" Talven looked between the two of them.

"We've met." Ethan replied, then turned to the angel. "What are you doing here?"

"The townsfolk made food for this family--" She indicated them. "--but lacked someone to deliver it. I volunteered."

"And they just let you even though they'd never met you before?" He asked.

"My dear Ethan, what makes you think they'd never met me before?" Gabriella challenged with a grin and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Uh... well, I just assumed that... Uh..."

"You and your wives aren't the only people I deliver messages to you know." She still had that twinkle in her eyes. "Speaking of, now would be a good time for us to catch up." She turned to Talven and Salma. "If you would excuse us."

They nodded and Gabriella rose gracefully from her seated position. Oddly, her clothes didn't have a speck of dirt on them even though she had been sitting on the bare ground. He might've suspected self-cleaning garments if he didn't know of her association with Illuminar.

"Come, let's take a walk." She suggested.

"Sure."

They walked in silence for over a minute until they had put some distance between them and the married couple. When they had, Gabriella addressed him.

"I'm afraid I don't bring glad tidings today."

"Oh?"

"I came to make you aware of something, something that you won't like."

He sighed; she had never been wrong before and being forewarned was better than not. "Go ahead."

"Sometimes, doing the right thing causes wicked men to hurt the innocent." She said.

"...was there something else?" He asked after several seconds.

"No, or at least not now." She smiled back at him, then reached down and turned a beetle that had been laying on its back right-side up.

"I already figured that out." He retorted, not bothering to keep an edge out of his voice. "Talven and Salma drove that point home perfectly."

"There's no need to be angry." Gabriella replied gently.

"I'm not angry, I'm fucking pissed." He growled. "I was trying to help and because of that my wives were ambushed, Taloni got shot, Beth is only just recovering emotionally from that airship battle, some good people lost their home, and a good man spent days in the stocks."

"Do you remember the third Matrix movie?" Gabriella asked.

"Huh?" He shook his head and looked at her again. "Angels watch movies?"

"Sometimes." She smiled. "In that movie, the Oracle points out that the true test of a good decision is if you would make it again, knowing full well the ramifications and consequences of that decision. I'm paraphrasing, but that's the essence." She looked directly into his eyes. "So here's the question Ethan: if you had known full well what would happen, would you still have helped Talven and Salma the first time?"

He frowned.

He could've saved his wives from the ambush, Taloni from being shot, Beth's issues with being his spotter, Talven and Salma's homelessness, and Ferris's confinement to the stocks if he had stayed out of things. At the time, helping had seemed like the obvious choice. Now... Now he wasn't sure that he'd actually helped anything.

On the other hand, he didn't know if he could've not help when someone asked. He just wasn't sure he would've been able to live with himself.

His frown deepened.

"It's a rhetorical question; you don't need to answer." Gabriella said after a few moments. "But Illuminar -- blessed be He -- sent me to tell you that this will come up again and again. You want to help people Ethan; that's is a noble quality that my Lord is very proud of you for. But you also need to recognize that sometimes you will do the right thing to help good people and they will be hurt by evil men because of it. So here's the question: will you stop helping? Will you stop doing the right thing?"

"Of course not!" He retorted. "But what pisses me off is that you jump in here with your all-powerful lord who decides how these things go. If He's so great, then why is he constantly butting in where he isn't wanted? Why doesn't he just leave well enough alone? Why can't he stay out of everyone's lives unless they ask Him?"

Gabriella chuckled and got an amused smile on her face. "Ethan, have you ever heard of prayer?"

He glared at her. "You're saying that He waits to butt in until people ask Him through prayer?"

"No, you said it." She winked. "I'm merely telling you that you're correct."

"Bullshit."

"Didn't you arrive in the Ten Kingdoms after asking God to grant you a fresh start and the perfect woman for you?" The angel replied. "Didn't that happen?"

Ethan growled, but didn't have a comeback.

"Talven and Salma have been praying as well, since long before their house burned down."

"You can't possibly mean they prayed that their house would burn down!"

"No. they didn't." Gabriella shook her head. "But they will be thanking Illuminar that it happened from the bottom of their hearts before a year has passed."

Ethan stared at her. "That's a load of bullshit!"

The angel seemed unperturbed. "You would've said the same thing if someone had predicted that you would inhabit a dragon's body, or that you would have five wives, or that Kendra would joyfully share your bed, or any one of a hundred other things that have happened since you came here."

"That's different."

"How?" Gabriella asked.

"Because no one wants their home to burn down!" He said a little louder than he intended to.

"No, but Talven has been praying that he would be able to make Ivernia a better place, and Salma -- knowing that this was her husband's desire -- has been praying that for him as well. As difficult as their lives are now, they will thank Illuminar that this happened before a year has passed because it will end up being an answer to their prayer."

Ethan opened his mouth to reply, but she spoke first.

"Have I ever been wrong before Ethan?"

He clenched his fist and drew his lips into a thin line, but shook his head.

"Illuminar gave this world to mortals to rule over." The angel continued. "Thus, He allows them to do what they want and doesn't interfere unless asked to do so through prayer, even if He has the right to interfere because He created the world and everything in it."

"And what if He wants to meddle and no one is praying?" Ethan retorted, his tone sharp.

"Then He informs some of his faithful followers that a situation needs prayer."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "So basically, He can meddle whenever He wants because there's always some childish person willing to ask for His help."

"Just like you." Gabriella smiled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" He growled.

"Talven's son asked you to help -- to 'meddle' as you put it -- in his parents' affairs and you did." She looked at him. "An actual child asked you to intervene and you did. How is that different from when Illuminar chooses to intervene?"

He glared at her. "That's not remotely the same. I asked them before intervening, Illuminar doesn't."

"No, He waits to be asked." Gabriella replied. "He has the right to do whatever He wants because He created the world and all it contains. It only continues to exist because He maintains it, and yet He chooses to let man have free will and to freely reject Him and His ways. Even so, He is wise enough to guide the course of the world without violating a single man's free will."

Ethan shook his head. "That's impossible."

"Which is what you would've said about magic existing a few months ago." Gabriella chuckled. "Is it possible that a being who is capable of violating the laws of physics at will -- because He created them -- might be able to do things that you don't think are possible?"

He glared at her.

She didn't seem the least bit perturbed. "Further, you would easily accept that there are powerful men manipulating events almost invisibly from behind the scenes, both here and on Earth. You would accept that mere mortals can guide the course of the world invisibly, even though they are unable to violate a man's free will. How much more could an all-knowing and all-wise God guide the course of the world without violating man's free will?"

Ethan added a frown to his glare, but couldn't think of a good response.

"Regardless, you need to know that your choices will have consequences Ethan." Gabriella said. "What you choose to do -- or not do -- will affect the lives of others. And even when you make a perfect choice, sometimes innocents will suffer at the hands of wicked men because you chose to do the right thing. The sad fact about war is that innocents are always caught in the crossfire."

Ethan growled, knowing that had also been the case with every war on Earth too. The good people of Ivernia were just that: good people. With only a few exceptions, they were decent, honest, and kind; they didn't deserve to be collateral damage in some kind of war.

"No, they don't deserve it." Gabriella confirmed, apparently answering his thoughts.

"Then how the hell do I prevent it?"

"You can't." The angel said simply. "Sometimes you can do everything right without making a single mistake and good people will still get hurt."

"Hurt by assholes like Lord Delmar and Lord Farbrottan." Ethan slammed his fist into a nearby tree, shaking the tree but not doing much to relieve his pent-up frustration.

"Yes." She said. "Innocents are always harmed in war."

"I'm not in a war though." He retorted.

"Aren't you?"

He glared at her.

"It's a simple question."

Ethan frowned as he thought about it; she wasn't entirely wrong. Lord Delmar had been pursuing him relentlessly since he'd arrived and now it was looking like Lord Farbrottan would follow in the same footsteps. Perhaps no armies were involved, but they certainly were proverbially waging war against him and his family.

Huh.

He cocked his head to one side as that hit him in a way that it never had before.

They were waging war against him.

He had known that they had been trying to kill him, but he hadn't really considered it a war before. He had felt like they were hunting him, but hunting was different than war. In a hunt there was predator and prey, one running and the other pursuing.

War was different.

War was two opposing forces trying to destroy each other, or at least beat the other into submission. He had been treating his life in the Ten Kingdoms like a hunt with him as the prey. The problem with being prey was that sooner or later, the prey always loses because it only takes one slip-up to lose.

You could only run so long.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I have to do this, don't I?" He said after several moments. "Fight them I mean. They won't stop coming, and if I don't start fighting back like this was a war, they would kill me and my family in the end, wouldn't they?"

"Yes." Gabriella replied simply.

As he thought about it, he realized that it was always going to end up this way. With the way Lord Delmar and now Lord Farbrottan were hunting him, it was inevitable.

He took another deep breath and let it out slowly again.

"I'm done running." Ethan said after a moment. "You're right, this is a war. I haven't been treating it like a war and that's why my family and I have gotten our asses kicked so far. I've never fought a war before, but I think it's about damn time that I started learning how to."

She smiled at him, though it was a slightly mournful smile. "You realizing that now has prevented the death of two of your wives."

His eyes widened. "What?"

She nodded. "Had you not realized this now so you could begin to prepare, two of your wives would've died. That's why Illuminar -- blessed be He -- sent me to talk to you now, so that didn't happen. As you put it, He 'meddled' so that two of your wives wouldn't die."

Ethan swallowed.

Hard.

Two of his wives? He couldn't imagine life without any one of them; but without two of them? He didn't even want to think about it. Just even considering the idea made his stomach clench and his heart feel like it would freeze over. He wasn't even sure how he would come back from that.

"There's no other way, is there?" He finally asked, not wanting to think about war, but wanting to think about the possibility of losing one of his beloved wives far less.

"The only way out is through." She replied with a sympathetic smile. "Unless you were willing to leave Alana and Taloni behind to return to Earth, which I know you aren't."

"Never." He said firmly, knowing his elf and Fey wives could never live on Earth. Alana could visit, but Taloni couldn't even do that. They couldn't draw enough mana to survive since elves and Fey needed more than humans did.

"That's a good thing." Gabriella said with an approving nod.

"How do I wage a war against two lords?" He asked after several moments.

"Very carefully, and with the help of those that Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has placed in your path."

"That's not really an answer."

"I'm sorry, my responses are limited; you must ask the right questions." She said with a wink.

He raised his eyebrow. "Quoting 'I, Robot'. Seriously? I guess angels really do watch movies."

Gabriella smiled, and then in a near perfect imitation of Evie Hammond in Bendan Fraiser's version of 'The Mummy' said. "I would never!"

He chuckled, but it was short-lived. "I wish none of this was happening. I wish I could live with my family in peace instead of preparing for war."

"So do I." Gabriella said. "And so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

"And quoting from Lord of the Rings too?" He smiled. "Careful, I might start thinking that you have a hobby."

"I have several." She replied with a smile.

"Like?"

She smiled at him. "I do believe that Talven and Salma will need an escort to a safe haven. I left enough food for the journey, assuming you don't tarry long."

"You didn't answer the question."

"No, I didn't." She smiled again and her eyes twinkled, then she looked up at the sky for several moments. "I must be going. Give my regards to your family."

"I will." He nodded slowly.

Then he blinked, and she was gone. There was no 'pop', or dramatic visual, or anything like that. She had simply been there before he blinked and disappeared during the split second while his eyes were closed. He shook his head; angels. How the hell was he regularly having casual conversations with an angel? When did that become normal?

He really wanted to talk to his wives right now, but this didn't seem like a telepathic conversation. He wanted to talk to them about it in person; it just seemed better that way. However, there was one wife he wanted to talk to about it first to get her perspective.

*Alana, do you have a moment?*

*I can, hang on.* The wood elf replied. About thirty seconds later she replied again. *I'm below decks now, how did it go?*

He gave her the short version of the events in the town and with Zalaus, and then also gave her the short version of his conversation with Gabriella. *Thoughts? I wanted to ask you before I talked to the others, and I wanted to do that in person.*

His first wife was silent for several long moments before replying. *I think that sometimes, the only thing worse than going to war is not going to war. I guess the real question is: is this one of those times?*

*After talking with Gabriella, I'm pretty sure that we'll have to start fighting back pretty seriously, and that goes double because Lord Delmar still has that bounty open on us. If we don't fight back, it'll only be a matter of time before I lose one of you, or you lose me.*

Again, there were several long seconds before she replied. *I can't live with either of those options.*

*Neither can I.* He replied. *I know what my death would do to you girls. Not that I'm exactly okay with dying myself, but I can't do that to you.*

Ethan could almost imagine the way his first wife would be slowly nodding, a grimace on her face as she thought about that possibility. That's part of why he wanted to do this with the rest of them in person; so he could see them and gauge their reactions. For some reason, he preferred that to checking his bonds with them.

*This is a pretty big change for you.* She pointed out.

*I know.* He nodded, not that she could see it. *The ambush, the airship fight, and seeing what the Ivernian government does to its citizens who step a toe out of line gave me a new perspective. Plus, there's the fact that they've been ignoring the orcs who are eating people instead of responding with a couple platoons of... of...*

He frowned as something occurred to him.

*...of what?* Alana asked.

He cocked his head to one side. *Wow. They were more concerned about losing a few coppers than preventing their people from being eaten. They sent two airships with a platoon of soldiers each after us, and it took them what, a day?*

*Something like that.*

*What the actual fuck!* He slammed his fist into another tree, only vaguely aware that he was far madder than he had been in a long time, or at least without his dragon side's involvement. *They cared more about a few coppers than their own people being eaten.*

*You sound mildly upset about that.* Alana thought to him wryly, then added more seriously. *I hadn't thought about it like that, but you're exactly right.*

*Yeah.* He leaned against a tree, once again becoming aware of the mildly sunny day and the birds singing all around him. He looked up to see the beautiful blue, partly-cloudy summer sky of the most beautiful country he'd ever seen. The cheerful weather made an odd contrast with the somber topics he was discussing with his first wife.

*Are we really going to do this?* He thought to Alana after a minute.

*I would suggest talking to the others before making a final decision, but it sounds like it.*

*I will.* He nodded, not looking forward to what was coming. *Just in case we do go that way, make getting that travel bow ready a priority, just in case you're ambushed again. Also, when you ladies are done at Laerten, please get everyone started on learning how to heal each other.*

*I will.*

Something in her tone made him ask another question. *You sound like you have more to say.*

*I'm really proud of you Ethan.* Her tone conveyed worry, but he could almost hear a smile in it too. *You always look out for others and I really admire you for it.*

Despite his mood, he felt his heart swell a bit. *Thank you, and thank you for always being supportive; I can't tell you what that means to me.*

*If it means as much to you as you mean to me, it's a lot.* The wood elf paused, then added. *Be careful.*

*I will.* He nodded.

* * *

Alana took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the reality of the situation sinking in. She put a hand over her womb, dreading the thought of her daughter being through a war before she was even born. However, it seemed like war was determined to find her family. If that was the case, she wanted to be prepared for it.

She needed to finish the travel bow as Ethan had suggested. It could shoot of course, but not at the high poundage that it would when the triggered enchantment was finished. More importantly, she needed to finish the enchantment that would allow her to wear it like a belt and then also get some travel arrows. She wanted a proper pouch for her travel arrows, but she figured that putting a few in her pocket in their coiled condition would be good enough for the short term.

She could finish the travel bow herself, but she needed to get the travel arrowheads and travel nocks from a smith somewhere. They were different from normal arrowheads and nocks because they were designed to attach to a leather arrow shaft instead of a wooden one. Travel bows were rare, and thus so were purveyors of their arrowheads and nocks. She would need to find someone who sold them.

That was first.

She stood up, having been sitting in the storage room under the captain's cabin. The handheld weapons and the Argo's boarding ballistae were neatly stacked in one corner of the room. It was unnerving to think that they might be seeing a lot more use soon. She shook her head and headed out of the room and up the stairs to the weather deck.

Selene was still working with the members of Shara and Lyra's personal guard. They were still surrounding her and someone would occasionally attack from out of nowhere while she tried to figure out who would attack using telepathy. It seemed like the Brazilian woman was getting better. She had her eyes closed and would open them once someone attacked, yet she was starting to react to the attacks even though she couldn't see them coming.

That was definitely progress.

Lyra was talking with Beth and Taloni, Rachel was talking with Shara, and Kendra was observing Selene and occasionally offering a helpful comment about the Brazilian woman's form. Alana ventured over to the most wonderful woman on the Argo to listen in.

"I didn't realize it was so unusual for lords to bring their daughters when they travel." Rachel was musing. "My father brought me all over the Ten Kingdoms ever since I can remember."

"My father was rather the opposite." Shara replied. "He rarely took me outside of Timarou, though I traveled the length and breadth of it more than once. I have not confirmed it, but I do believe my experience was far more typical for a lord's daughter than yours."

"Interesting." Rachel leaned against the Argo's railing with a thoughtful expression.

Alana joined them at the railing. "You are both lucky. I rarely got to see anywhere other than my parent's house or Gralden." She looked over the railing to see that the ground underneath them was green, but not the lush shade that she had grown to associate with Ivernia.

"We have passed into Timarou." Shara supplied helpfully. "Lyra was quite disappointed when the scouts recognized us from afar and didn't trouble us."

"How did I miss that?" The wood elf asked.

"It happened quickly, and you were, um... downstairs." Rachel finished delicately.

Ah, okay." Alana assumed that she meant in the latrine, then looked at the amber-haired woman. "Shara, could I ask you a question?"

"You just did, but I wouldn't object to answering another." She replied with a subtle smile that reached her eyes.

"Are there any shops in Laerten that sell nocks and arrowheads for a travel bow?"

"I'm sure there are." Shara replied. "I can even think of one that likely would, but Octavian would know for sure. Do you have a travel bow?"

"Sort of. I'm not finished making mine yet."

"After that ambush, I believe that's a very prudent course of action." The amber-haired woman said.

"I thought so." Alana replied. "If it's not too much trouble, could you have Octavian or someone else show me to the shop when we touch down in Laerten?"

"Are you expecting trouble?" Rachel asked.

"Not any specific trouble." The wood elf replied evasively. "I would just prefer to be prepared."

Rachel subtly pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes just slightly

Shara looked between the two of them for a moment and then spoke aloud. "I think I shall check on Taiven, if you will excuse me."

They did and Shara left, more gliding over the Argo's deck than walking.

"She left on purpose so we could talk." Rachel said once they were more alone.

Alana nodded. "She's very perceptive, and nice."

"Agreed." The redhead said, then added in a lower tone. "What did Ethan have to say?"

Alana hesitated, wanting to tell her but also wanting to let Ethan do it. "Um, he wanted to talk to everyone about something when he gets back."

"You know what it is, don't you?" Rachel stated matter-of-factly, though she didn't sound upset.

Alana nodded.

Rachel gave her a piercing look for a moment, then smiled. "Okay. Did you want help enchanting the travel arrow shafts?"

"Sure." Alana smiled, then something in Rachel's expression made something occur to the wood elf. "You know what it is, don't you? What Ethan wants to talk to us about I mean."

The corners of Rachel's mouth twitched up ever so slightly. "I have a guess."

"Your guesses are usually right." Alana smiled.

It was sometimes hard to remember that Rachel was only nineteen. A very mature nineteen because her father had forced her to grow up quickly, but nineteen all the same. She was incredibly brilliant for any age, but it stood out even more because of her relative youth.

"Come on, let's get those travel arrow shafts made." Rachel replied with a smile, then cocked her head to one side. "I think we also might want to get started teaching everyone to heal each other."

"Good idea, though I'm not looking forward to it." Alana nodded.

* * *

Ethan walked back into the flat area by Talven and Salma's dirt 'home', still thinking about his conversation with Gabriella. He wasn't looking forward to starting a war with two lords. His father had always told him never to start a fight unless it was to protect someone, but if someone else started a fight he should feel free to finish it. The trouble was he would be going up against a dragon who was a lot more powerful than he was, plus the armies and associated airships of two lords. He had no idea how to do that, but he was fed up with his family being attacked and also with what Lord Farbrottan was doing to Ivernia.

"Ethan, where's Gabriella?" Talven asked.

"She had to leave." He replied. "You said that you have family nearby right?"

"I do."

"I'll take you there."

Talven pursed his lips and then looked at Salma, who opened her mouth as if to say something but apparently decided against it.

"What?" He asked.

"When I said the bridges were guarded, I meant it." Talven said after a moment.

"How guarded?" Ethan asked.

"There will be at least half a dozen Ivernian soldiers on the main road at the toll booth on a bridge that we'll need to cross." Talven said. "My first thought after..." He looked at his kids who were still playing by the stream. "...after it happened was walking there, but we don't have the coin and I'm not sure they would let us through."

Ethan rested his hand on his war sword. "Let me worry about that."

"Lord Farbrottan won't like that." Salma said, and he could see worry lines on her face. The woman wasn't thirty yet; she was way too young to have worry lines. "He'll come after you."

"He already has." Ethan replied. "Like I said; they ambushed my wives and sent two airships after us. We killed two dozen soldiers defending ourselves. I'm pretty sure I'm already on the 'Ivernia's most wanted' posters."

"Lord Farbrottan might've put a bounty on you already." Talven replied. "If you help us, it'll only get worse."

"Yes it will." Ethan stated. "And I'm going to do a lot more to piss him off in the near future too."

"You are?"

"I am." He nodded. "Grab your stuff. I'll escort you to your family and then I need to get back down south to finish dealing with the orc situation."

Slowly, a smile spread across Talven's face. "No one has ever really stood up to Lord Farbrottan before."

"Then it's about damn time someone did."

"So many people have been praying for that for so long." Salma got a small smile on her face too, then looked up to the heavens. "Blessed be He."

Talven echoed the sentiment, then got his family up and moving in only a minute or two. It was easy since they didn't have much in the way of belongings anymore and basically only had to carry the basket with the food. Ethan was determined to fix the root cause of that. He wasn't sure how, but he was.

* * *

"Not usually." Selene replied to Octavian's unasked question on if she ever took a break as they entered the... fourth? Fifth? Hour of training her telepathy. Her mind felt like the Incredible Hulk had wrung out some unbreakable rag and then used it as a punching bag. Her eyelids were drooping with the mental effort of trying to read six people's minds at the same time while trying to detect their attacks. She found herself blinking rather a lot even when her eyes were open, and when they were closed they wanted to stay that way.

"Selene, even Lord Kalus never pushed his men this hard." Octavian said. "You need to rest."

"No, I need to get the hang of this." She countered.

"Which you will do more effectively after some rest." The guard captain replied. "You are neither golem nor angel; all men tire and need rest."

"Well fortunately, I... I'm..." She yawned. "I'm not a man."

Octavian chuckled, then looked at his men. "Stand down."

They looked relieved.

"I'll get there." The Brazilian woman said.

"I know you will." Octavian replied. "You are already anticipating nearly half of the attacks, and blocking perhaps a quarter of them starting with your eyes closed. For being surrounded by six men and having only trained for half a day, that is an impressive feat."

"N... Not..." She yawned again. "Not impressive enough; I'd get killed in a real fight."

"We can continue tomorrow." Octavian sighed.

"Actually, my bodyguards will be much too busy seeing their families after so long away from them." Shara said as she walked up. "And you will be too busy enjoying Laerten. Octavian is correct; you should take some time to rest, recuperate, and then resume training when you are rejuvenated and refreshed."

"Basically, I need to get a life." Selene sighed. "That's not the first time I've been told that."

"Perhaps people will stop telling you when you listen." Alana said in an amused tone as she walked up.

"Selene, you have to come see Laerten!" Beth exclaimed after looking over the side of the Argo.

The Brazilian woman stifled another yawn and walked to the airship's railing.

Laerten was set on a slight rise in a large plain. It was composed of two concentric circular walls; one rather small and the other very large. Inside the small innermost wall was the castle with a small field of open ground around it, probably so anyone assaulting the castle wouldn't have cover while doing so. In between the inner wall and outer wall was sprawled a massive city that looked quite wealthy and well-off. Outside the outermost wall, the city had spread as well, though less densely than the interior.

It looked like a nice city.

Unlike Ivernia, it didn't seem to suffer from the poverty problems that plagued its northwestern neighbor. In fact, conditions seemed to be very good even in what looked like the poor section of the city.

"That's my father's ranch." Lyra said, pointing to a small ranch several miles outside the city. About two dozen horses were grazing in a fenced-in enclosure and there was a large barn and a house nearby. "It used to be much further south, but he moved closer to the castle not long after I became a queen."

"Can we go riding?" Beth asked. "I haven't been riding in so long."

"That would be wonderful." Rachel agreed.

"Absolutely!" Lyra beamed. "His horses are the best in the Ten Kingdoms!"

"Tee, won't it be fun to go riding?" Beth said to her partner in crime.

Tee frowned slightly. "I don't like horses; they're mean."

Everyone stared at her.

"Ah, been around some badly trained horses have you?" Lyra replied, recovering first. "I'll let you ride my own personal horse, Stormy. She's so gentle that you could do cartwheels on her back and she wouldn't move."

Octavian leaned in towards Selene and spoke quietly. "She knows that from personal experience."

The Brazilian woman chuckled.

Taloni made a face. "I... I'd rather not."

Alana stepped forward. "Tee, you don't have to. I need to run a quick errand here before I go riding; did you want to come with me?"

"What errand?" Beth asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see." The wood elf said with a twinkle in her eye.

"It's getting close to dinnertime." Shara pointed out. "Perhaps we could sup at the castle and send a rider to inform Julian of our imminent arrival?"

"Julian?" Selene asked.

"My father." Lyra explained.

"I guarantee that our cooks are the finest in Timarou." The amber-haired lord's wife said with a pleased smile. "You shan't be disappointed."

"What Shar means is, the castle's food is bloody awe-some!" Lyra almost sang the last word, and then winked at her fellow wife.

Shara's smile got wider and she chuckled. "Yes, that."

* * *

Ethan's legs would've been feeling like limp noodles after all this walking except that he'd been training so often on the Argo. That didn't mean he wasn't tired though. It was nearing dinnertime and he was pretty certain that a black hole had formed where his stomach usually was. Talven, Salma, and their two older children had walked every bit as far but didn't have the benefit of his months of constant training. The three adults had taken turns holding the toddler, who still was unsteady on her feet and hadn't quite mastered walking yet.

It was amazing how heavy that little kid got after holding her for a few minutes.

After the first hour, Ethan had lent both adults and the two older children one piece of his strength-enhancing armor each. The pieces didn't fit any of them well, but they fit well enough that the enchantment worked which was what mattered. That had helped them stay on their feet longer, but they were clearly fading.

For better or worse, they didn't have much to carry; that helped.

"Okay, we need to stop." Talven said, looking at his six-year-old daughter, who looked about ready to faint.

"Sure, but let's get off the road first." Ethan said, pointing towards a small patch of trees that appeared to be near a bend in the river.

They had left the small forest near Talven's farm long ago, and now it was mostly flat land with a few rolling hills. Despite that, the scenery was still gorgeous. Ethan had never seen a more beautiful, lush, or fertile land than Ivernia and he found himself more and more drawn to it the longer he was there.

They found a small clearing in the patch of trees that was big enough for all of them to sit and be reasonably protected from the elements. It was summer so the nights weren't very cold and the river meant that it would take great effort to come at them from one direction. A dense thicket prevented access from another. He didn't think they were going to be ambushed, but he didn't want to take chances with the way things had been going lately.

"You know, I wish I would've thought to bring my wife's weight-reduction necklace." Ethan mused as he tore into his dinner.

"Oh?" Talven asked, having made sure his entire family had food before grabbing some himself.

"Yeah." Ethan nodded. "I could've flown you all one at a time. I've done it before and it's tiring, but it's much faster than this."

"Shame." The man nodded. "Still, I can't thank you enough for escorting us. The roads of Ivernia aren't as safe as they once were."

"Let me guess, Lord Farbrottan's doing?"

"It would be more accurate to say that it's his not doing." Talven replied.

"My parents used to talk about regular patrols on the roads." Salma spoke up. "There aren't any anymore."

"And that had predictable results. Gotcha." Ethan nodded and then took another bite of his food, speaking again only when he had finished chewing. "So you said there were tolls?"

Talven nodded. "Mostly over the bridges since there's no good way to bypass Ivernia's many rivers. We'll need to cross one to get to my father's farm."

"What are the odds that they'll let us pass without me needing to use this?" Ethan tapped his sword hilt.

"Wearing a sword to a toll booth or in a city is illegal." The man replied, then looked down at his own sword. "Usually I leave mine at home because of that."

"How much is the toll?" Ethan asked.

"One copper per person." Salma replied. "But we don't..." She looked down, probably embarrassed.

Ethan looked into his satchel and pulled out the coin purse that Anthiel had packed there. There were a few gold coins, about twenty silver coins, and about that many coppers as well.

"I don't want to cause any more trouble for you by starting a fight." Ethan said after a moment. "I'll pay the toll, and here's something to help you get back on your feet."

The human part of Ethan wanted to flip them one of the gold coins, but he knew his dragon instincts would violently protest. Instead, he grabbed about half of the silver coins and extended them towards the couple. Talven and Salma stared at the coins in his hand for several moments without reaching for them.

"Take them, please." Ethan said. "I can't bring your house back or undo the other damage I've done, but I can help you start again. It's partially my fault that you're in the situation that you're in, so I want to help make it right."

The married couple was eyeing the silver, but neither had taken it yet. They looked at each other, then back at him.

"I... I don't think I can take it." Talven finally said. "I don't like taking money that I didn't work to earn."

Salma nodded, though both were still looking at the silver.

"Well, then I'm at least going to pay the toll." Ethan countered, not wanting to push them. "Don't argue with me on that, or I'll... I'll join Lord Farbrottan." He winked.

They both chuckled.

"I appreciate you wanting to help us get back on our feet." Talven said finally.

"So what will you do to start over?" Ethan replied.

"Farm." Talven said simply. "It's the only thing I know how to do well."

"He's being modest." Salma interjected after finishing a yawn. "He could grow tropical plants in a desert; he's one of Ivernia's best farmers."

"She's biased." Talven said, though he looked pleased at his wife's praise.

"I am, but I'm also right." His wife grinned at him. "Every farmer who's close enough that he didn't need to cross a toll booth has asked for his advice at one time or another, and more than a few who needed to go through a toll booth have as well."

"Impressive." Ethan nodded respectfully at the man.

"Thank you." Talven replied. "And it impresses the ladies too. Seriously, Salma took one look at my bountiful fields, swooned, and then asked if I would ask her father for her hand."

Salma rolled her eyes. "I didn't swoon."

"But the rest happened exactly as I said." Talven said with a mostly straight face.

Salma rolled her eyes and shook her head with an embarrassed smile.

Ethan chuckled.

"I don't know about you two, but I don't want to walk another step tonight." Ethan said after a few moments.

"Amen." Talven and Salma both said.

"We'll tackle the toll in the morning then." He said and then flopped backwards, which actually took a bit of thought because his tail wasn't very flexible and he had to move it out of the way. He looked up into the sky, wondering how he'd gotten here contemplating going to war with not one, but two lords. He knew the whole tale of course, but he still had trouble believing it.

As he lay there, he started thinking over everything that had happened during his time in the Ten Kingdoms. It had been quite the journey so far. As he thought about it, he found himself thinking about a loose end that he hadn't considered much since learning about it: the demon that Beth had encountered during the two weeks that she was dead.

For some reason, that stood out to him this evening. He wasn't sure why, maybe his talk with an angel earlier, but it stood out to him.

Hmm.

* * *

Kendra hoped that no one in Shara and Lyra's palace cared that she was wearing her dragon-steel bastard sword. True, it might look strange with her dress but she didn't care. She thought their hosts were quite trustworthy, but she wasn't willing to take chances with her family's safety. She was going to wear her sword to keep them safe and hoped no one would raise a fuss.

She would find out soon enough since the Argo had just finished docking on the upper level of the castle and Serif and Raklan were dropping the gangplank into place.

"Mom!" Shara and Lyra both said as they ran across the newly lowered gangplank to hug a woman that was the picture of perfect composure. Having seen this woman, Kendra no longer had to guess what Shara would look like in about twenty years. She looked nothing like Lyra however, and the man standing by this 'mom's' side could only be her husband, and he also looked nothing like Lyra.

"Mom?" Beth whispered to the assembled wives as the lord's wives hugged Shara's father in a similar fashion as they had with her mother.

"That's the former queen, Hylea, and the former king, Bracken; back from when Timarou was still a kingdom." Rachel explained. "Lyra's mother passed away when she was still young and Hylea slipped into the role after she married Lord Kalus."

"How do you know that?" The blonde asked.

"She told me while we were at their house for dinner; you were busy talking to Lyra about something." The redhead replied.

Kendra held back from everyone a bit, standing at the back to make sure that she could keep an eye on everyone.

"Old habits die hard?" Octavian asked from beside her.

"Something like that." She replied.

"When were you a bodyguard, and how did a woman get to be in such a position?"

"Very carefully."

Octavian shrugged. "Okay, keep your secrets."

She didn't reply, but did follow along onto the wide docking area where all the introductions were made. Hylea had a motherly air about her that reminded the dragon huntress somewhat of Anthiel. She moved with flawless grace and spoke with the same refined and elegant precision that her daughter employed. Her husband was no less precise or refined, but he was a good deal more jovial.

"Now, where are my babies?" Lyra asked Hylea when the introductions had been made.

"With your father." The former queen replied. "He was going to feed them and they pleaded to room at his ranch this evening."

"They'll be singing a different tune when they see that we're home." The ash blonde grinned.

"Indeed." Shara smiled. "I have missed them so."

"But first, dinner!" Lyra announced.

"I trust you received word of our impending arrival?" Shara asked her parents.

"The carrier pigeon arrived in plenty of time to prepare a feast fit for a king." The former king joked.

Everyone either chuckled or groaned.

Kendra followed them into the castle and then down to the great hall. On the way, she noticed the little things like decorations and the mood of the servants and guards. Such little things spoke volumes about the castle and its occupants. Thankfully, she couldn't have wished for a better read on the castle. Several of the maids were humming as they worked, the soldiers were alert and attentive but not tense, and everything appeared to be clean and well-maintained. The castle was draped in Timarou's colors of blue and white, and those same colors also adorned the maids' uniforms and the soldier's surcoats.

The great hall was large, square, and lit with hanging chandeliers and light coming through a few stained-glass windows. There were three tables arranged in a large "U" shape with plenty of chairs, though less than half of them were currently occupied. There were fifteen chairs at the high table and the center chair was much larger than the rest. The two on either side of it were smaller, but still slightly larger than the others.

The six chairs to the right of that were empty, and the former queen indicated them. "Please make yourself comfortable."

They sat down in order of marriage to Ethan with Selene at the end. Kendra noticed that Taloni sat down looking slightly uncomfortable. It occurred to the dragon huntress that she was the only one of Ethan's wives who probably had no idea what to do with a formal place setting. The Fey teen grimaced slightly and her wings fluttered a bit.

"Why are there five forks?" She whispered to Rachel, who was sitting next to her.

"Oh thank Illuminar!" Lyra exclaimed, apparently having overheard. Then the ash blond swept down and gave the nervous Fey teen a hug from behind. "The five forks thing makes absolutely no sense, right!?"

Taloni got an embarrassed smile on her face and nodded. "It's just, why would you need more than one?"

"This right here is my new favorite person." Lyra beamed, gave Tee a friendly peck on the cheek, and then looked at Beth. "What do you think, switch seats?"

And that was how Beth ended up sitting in Lyra's seat next to Hylea while Lyra occupied her seat between Taloni and Alana, the latter of whom spent much of the fantastic meal talking with Shara while Lyra talked with Taloni. It wasn't quite the mealtime atmosphere on the Argo given the grand room and multiple courses, but it felt similar otherwise.

It was nice.

Kendra couldn't keep a smile off of her face.

* * *

Sarah listened to Fiona explain what Lord Delmar had said about Lady Ekthros that night in their room, a sinking feeling in her stomach as she did. The innkeeper's daughter had felt like Lord Delmar would confirm it to Fiona, and now she had to decide how to feel about it; to feel about Lady Ekthros.

"Sarah, what are you thinking?" The copper-haired woman asked as she changed her son.

"I don't think she was captured." Sarah said after several moments. "But I'm almost certain that she didn't have mage-binder cuffs or a collar on. She certainly didn't use magic around the men who captured us, so they would've had no reason to put any on her. She could've used magic long before they would've had a chance to put them on her too."

"Aye, I'm remembering you saying that." Fiona replied as she tied her son's self-cleaning nappy back on.

Sarah stood up and started pacing in their small room. "I had a pretty good fire going in the hearth the night they captured us too. A powerful mage should've easily been able to defeat the men who tried to arrest us with so much heat nearby, right?"

"Aye." The copper-haired woman picked up her son and started pacing as well, probably trying to get him to sleep. "A strong mage with a healthy fire nearby could've been slaughtering them."

"Then..." Sarah frowned, not liking where this train of thought was going. "Then what if she..." She took a deep breath. "What if she only pretended to be captured, as you suggested earlier?"

"Aye, that would be making sense."

"I don't know what else to think. Why else would she have let herself be captured when she could have prevented her capture so easily?"

"I can't be thinking of a reason, unless..." The copper-haired woman frowned and paused her slow pacing. Conner seemed to protest the lack of movement by starting to cry, so his mother started pacing again. "I'm not thinking that this would be concerning to Lady Ekthros, but a good person might be worrying about hurting innocent bystanders."

Sarah shook her head. "The other guests scrambled away once they realize the soldiers were after me. She had plenty of time to use magic with no one else around."

"Then I'm thinking you're right."

The innkeeper's daughter stopped pacing and took several long, slow breaths. "It was all a show?" She leaned on the wall slightly for support. "Was she in league with... and she pretended to..."

She thought over everything that had happened while she had been captured with this new perspective. It was unbelievable. Lady Ekthros had been pretending to comfort her while making her miserable. She had pretended to be imprisoned with her while she was actually her jailer. She had actually pretended that several men had raped her to gain Sarah's trust.

Sarah shuddered.

That was utterly despicable if it was true, and it certainly seemed true.

"Why?" Sarah finally said after several minutes of replaying everything in her mind. "What could she possibly want from me?"

"You're very strong Sarah, at least when your problem is coming out." Fiona pointed out. "Maybe she is wanting to use that?"

"I don't think so." Sarah shook her head and resumed pacing. "She never did anything to make me think that, even in hindsight."

"Well, maybe you are knowing something that she was wanting to know? Maybe something that no one else is knowing?"

The sinking feeling in the pit of Sarah's stomach grew as she realized what she knew that no one else did. Well, no one else who was still living.

She put a hand over her mouth as she whispered. "I told her."

"You were telling her what?"

"How..." Sarah swallowed hard. "How I got my problem. Right after she pretended to be raped, she asked me to tell her, and I did."

Fiona stopped pacing and her eyes got wide. "How much were you telling her?"

"Everything." Sarah breathed. "I told her everything, but it was more than that. It was like I was reliving it in my head. I could see everything that happened with perfect clarity; that's never happened before."

"Sarah, we're thinking that she's a telepath, right?"

The innkeeper's daughter nodded.

"So, she could've been seeing and hearing everything that happened then, couldn't she?"

Sarah nodded again, the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach getting worse by the second. "She couldn't be planning to recreate... could she?"

Her mouth fell open.

Fiona took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I wouldn't be putting anything past Lady Ekthros. You are very strong Sarah, and if Lady Ekthros was hoping for someone as strong as you for a soldier, she would need to be knowing how to make that happen."

"That's..." Sarah swallowed hard again. "That's horrifying." She grimaced, then looked down. "And it's my fault. If I hadn't told her, she wouldn't know."

"Now, you be listening to me Sarah." Fiona said, taking the same tone she took with Conner when he got fussy because she took his rattle away. "If what you're telling me is true, she was pulling out all the stops to be deceiving you. She was doing everything she could to convince you, and she still had to use her telepathy to get what she was needing. So don't be blaming yourself, you hear me?"

She nodded. "I'll try."

"See that you do." The copper-haired woman said, then her voice softened. "I'm not saying that you shouldn't be more careful in the future, but don't be beating yourself up for an understandable mistake. You weren't having a reason to mistrust her at the time."

"That doesn't mean I feel better."

"I know." Fiona said gently. "Was there anything else that Lady Ekthros was wanting from you?"

Sarah started to shake her head, then stopped. "Well, as I said before, she tried really hard to convince me that Ethan was a horrible person."

Fiona hadn't looked particularly pleased before, but her expression got even more sour at the mention of Ethan's name. "Ordinarily, I would be saying that if Lady Ekthros was wanting you to believe something, then it wasn't true. But in this case..." She drew her lips into a thin line.

"Maybe Ethan isn't so bad?" Sarah said, not entirely successful at keeping a note of hope out of her voice.

"He killed my husband." Fiona said firmly.

"But what if Ethan is innocent and Lady Ekthros lied to Sean, and then he and the other soldiers were chasing an innocent man who defended himself?"

The copper-haired woman's face cycled between several expressions. First her lips were drawn into an even thinner line, then she frowned, then grimaced, then glanced towards the main castle where Lady Ekthros doubtless lived.

Finally, she spoke. "If that were the case -- and I'm not saying it is -- but if that were the case, then she is needing an appointment with the executioner." She hesitated a moment and then shook her head. "But I'm finding it hard to believe that she could be pulling the wool over the Lord Delmar's eyes."

"That's true." Sarah herself frowned, wanting it to be true but simply not knowing. "Doesn't the Book of Light say that you should hear both sides of a case when rendering judgment?"

"Aye, 'tis saying that." The expression on Fiona's face hadn't become less conflicted.

"Then maybe I should hear Ethan's side of the story." She hesitated, then frowned. "Oh, I suppose we should apply that to Lady Ekthros too. But we can't just ask her; if she is trying to make more..." She swallowed again. "...more people like me, then she might hurt us if we asked."

"Aye." The copper-haired woman nodded, then stopped pacing as she looked at Conner. "He's finally asleep."

"We should sleep too." Sarah sighed. "Maybe sleeping on it will help."

"Aye, I'm hoping so too."

Sarah nodded, her mind still on Lady Ekthros and Ethan. Was he innocent? Had Lady Ekthros really been lying to her the entire time? The latter seemed likely and that gave her hope for the former. Her mind drifted back to her dream with Gabriella. If she was indeed an angel and had been telling the truth...

Hmm.

She cocked her head to one as she realized that so far, what the angel had predicted had happened. Right after the lowest point in her life -- when Lady Ekthros had told her about Ethan -- things had started to get better. Not because of Lady Ekthros, but because of Fiona. While the lady had helped -- or at least pretended to help -- it was Fiona who had really improved Sarah's life recently.

"Sarah." The copper-haired woman asked as she laid Conner down. "Were you wanting to learn more about reading before bed?"

"Absolutely." She smiled widely, thinking that learning to read was just one more way that her life had improved. Fiona had also pointed out that she didn't need to be afraid because of her problem. That had been such a life-changing weight lifted off of her shoulders.

She had a lot of new perspectives lately.

And maybe, just maybe, Ethan wasn't a bad man.

Her heart smiled at that and she was determined to find out. She didn't know when or how, but she was determined to talk to him again and ask for his side of the story, just as the Book of Light instructed.

* * *

"You all really didn't need to come." Alana said to her fellow wives, Selene, Lyra, and Shara for what felt like the dozenth time as she followed Octavian towards the shop that sold travel arrowheads and nocks. After dinner, first Rachel, then Taloni, and then everyone else said that they wanted to come with the wood elf. The plan was to visit Lyra's father's ranch after visiting the shop.

"I needed to work off that dinner." Selene said rubbing her stomach. "It was delicious, some of the best food I've had in the Ten Kingdoms."

"Wait, some of the best food?" Lyra looked impressed. "Where did you have better?"

"There's a little inn in central Ivernia and the innkeeper's daughter is an amazing cook." The Brazilian woman replied.

"I should very much like to meet this young woman." Shara said, her curiosity obviously piqued.

"Here we are." Octavian said, stopping in front of a small, nondescript shop.

The outside of the stone building was utterly plain with no adornments or advertisements of the wares inside. In fact, there was almost nothing to indicate that it was a shop at all except a small sign that read: "Smith" on the outside, but it would be easy to miss that. Either he didn't want any business, or he was so good he only wanted referrals to find him. Considering how she'd learned of the shop, it was probably the latter.

"Come, the owner does much business with the crown." Octavian said, opening the door for the ladies.

They all filed in and Alana found the inside of the shop just as unassuming as the outside, with the obvious exception of the wares that were displayed. It seemed that this smith specialized in all things small and high-quality. There were travel arrowheads and nocks, but also small daggers, lockets, pocketwatches, small locks, and dozens of other items.

None had the price marked.

"Let's hope we can afford this." Rachel said quietly, probably having noticed what Alana herself had.

"Hello?" The wood elf called.

"One moment." A gruff voice came from the back, and a dwarf shuffled out not long afterwards. The contrast between this dwarf and Graflex in Arcanum couldn't be more pronounced. This one was well-dressed with gold brocade on his shirt; it was so clean it was likely enchanted to be self-cleaning. He had a neat and tidy look about him and a smile on his face as well. His smile widened when he saw Shara and Lyra.

"My ladies, what brings you to my humble shop?" He said with a bow.

"An introduction to these fine women." Shara indicated Ethan's wives and Selene. "They are friends of the crown and are in need of the best quality wares. Naturally, we thought of you."

"Oh, tosh." The dwarf waved a hand dismissively, but he looked pleased anyway as he turned to Ethan's wives. "And what can I do for you lovely ladies."

If Alana didn't know better, she would've thought he was flirting with them.

"I need several travel arrowheads and nocks." Alana replied, then pulled out the six pieces of leather that she'd enchanted with Rachel earlier. "I have shafts, but need them mounted."

"Ah, mere child's play." The dwarf replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "I would be happy to help with all your needs that involve a shaft."

The smile on Alana's face disappeared. "We're all married."

"Shame." The dwarf shook his head. "Then I suppose I shall help with your travel arrows and hope your husbands know how blessed they are." For some reason, Alana got the distinct impression that he was still flirting, mention of husbands notwithstanding.

"Husband." Taloni said icily.

"Singular." Rachel's lips were drawn into a thin line.

"And he does." Beth glared at him.

"He must be quite the man." The dwarf said, looking completely unperturbed.

"He is." Kendra stated firmly.

"Ah, to be so blessed." The dwarf said wistfully while he stared off into space. Alana got the distinct impression that he was imagining being their husband in bed with them.

Kendra cleared her throat loudly, fixed the man with a death stare, and subtly shook her head. The dwarf hadn't even looked abashed under the gaze of the other women, but he took a slight step back at the former Aldmiri's expression.

He quickly changed the topic. "Since you are friends of the crown, I shall give you their discount; 1 silver apiece. It looks like you have six here?"

"I do." The wood elf said evenly while setting her jaw slightly.

"Then give them over and I shall have them ready in a few days."

Lyra cleared her throat and shook her head.

"I'll have them ready by dinner tomorrow then." The dwarf said genially, but with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Tomorrow morning." Shara corrected regally. "As an apology for your outrageous behavior to decent and respectable women."

The dwarf opened his mouth, probably to argue, but Shara's expression apparently quieted him.

"Very well my lady." He said genially. "I shall have them ready before breakfast."

"We'll see you then." Alana said with a forcedly-even voice. She dropped the travel arrow shafts with the silver on the counter and left the shop.

"Sorry, I completely forgot to warn you that he can be an asshat." Lyra said once they were outside.

"Lyra, language." Shara said reprovingly, though from her expression she didn't disagree with the sentiment, merely how it was expressed.

"Well he is." The ash blonde shrugged. "He tried to pull that crap with us exactly one time, many years ago. I told Lucien about it and he paid the man a visit. He hasn't bothered us since."

Alana nodded, recognizing 'Lucien' as the first name of Lord Kalus.

Lyra looked at everyone assembled outside the shop. "So, who wants to go riding?"

Everyone did except Taloni, who lagged behind the others when they climbed into a carriage to take them there. It wasn't a long ride and Lyra's father Julian was waiting when they arrived. The ash blonde leapt out of the carriage and ran to hug her father.

"Hi Pa'pa."

"Hi my little filly." He hugged her back and then looked around at the rest of them. "And what have we here? The wives of the prophet? What makes you grace my humble abode?"

"How did you know?" Beth asked.

His eye twinkled. "Because I have more wisdom and foresight than--"

"I sent a messenger." Lyra interrupted, nudging him with her elbow slightly. "Now, where are my babies?"

"And mine as well." Shara added.

Julian chuckled. "All washed up after supper, except the youngest ones who are already in bed."

"We're home!" Lyra yelled towards the house. Moments later, two kids -- an ash-blonde girl of about six or seven and a brown-haired boy of perhaps four or five -- came tearing out of the house and ran to their mother, nearly colliding with her as she embraced and kissed both of them. They were followed shortly after by another girl of perhaps four whose hair was somewhere between the amber hair of her mother and the brown hair of Lord Kalus. This girl hurried to Shara in a more refined manner while not being less enthusiastic, and mother and daughter hugged tightly.

"That'll be us in a few years." Rachel said quietly to Alana.

The wood elf smiled. "I can't wait."

* * *

Rachel hadn't ridden a horse in months, but that hadn't seemed to affect her seat much, if at all. Lyra had fixed all of Rachel's fellow wives up with a horse since they all knew how to ride except Taloni. Their ash-blonde host paid special attention to the Fey teen, trying to coax her near an obviously gentle horse named Stormy.

"Why does everyone refer to 'the crown' here?" Beth asked Shara as both of Lyra's children mounted up on miniature horses. They rode incredibly well for children so young.

"Because Timarou was a kingdom not long ago." The amber-haired woman replied. "My husband negotiated entrance into the Empire with virtually no concessions except changing his title from king to lord, which has helped insulate us from our rather aggressive neighbors to the north."

"Yes, Har'peton isn't known for gentility." Rachel nodded.

"Oh, that's right." Beth mused. "I think I heard about that a few years ago, but I didn't pay much attention to politics until recently."

Lyra had finally succeeded in getting Taloni near enough to Stormy that the horse could sniff her and take the apple in the Fey teen's hand. Once the horse had finished chewing, it gently rubbed its head up against Tee in an undeniably affectionate way. After that, it wasn't long before Lyra was able to get her on top of the horse. Taloni didn't exactly look relaxed, but she was sitting in the saddle.

It made the redhead smile.

"Rachel?" The most beautiful wood elf in the Ten Kingdoms said gently.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to ride around the paddock with me?" Alana asked, biting her lips slightly.

"I would love to." The redhead beamed.

They rode for the better part of an hour until a beautiful sunset had passed and the light was beginning to fade. It was wonderful. They talked about nothing of substance save the idea of having children and the redhead liked that. She liked that they could just be with each other completely, perfectly, and totally comfortable while talking about anything and everything, or even nothing at all.

She sighed.

About halfway through, Rachel noticed Taloni cantering around the paddock on top of Stormy with a huge smile on her face. She nudged Alana to point it out and they both had a good chuckle. Eventually, they returned to the barn and then got into the carriage as the light began to fade, Lyra and Shara's children accompanying them. Tee was the hardest to separate from the horses as they left.

"I love horses." Taloni sighed as she stuck her whole upper body out of the window to wave goodbye to the magnificent animals.

Everyone chuckled.

"We have guest rooms in the castle if you would prefer to room there." Shara offered. "Or you can sleep on your airship if you so choose. I know it can be better to sleep in one's own bed."

"Amen." Lyra nodded.

"Um, ladies?" Alana looked around at them.

"Whichever is closer." Selene mumbled and then yawned, her eyes dropping.

"Could we sleep on the Argo?" Rachel replied. "The bed is big enough for all of us and I wouldn't want to be separated from you." Her cheeks suddenly felt hot. "I mean, all of you." She added hastily.

"We know what you meant." Lyra said with a sly and amused grin. She nudged her fellow wife. "Don't we Shar?"

Rachel couldn't be sure in this low light, but it seemed like Shara sat a bit more stiffly as she gave Lyra a look that was both reproving and amused.

"I want to sleep on the Argo." Taloni said. "The sheets remind me of Master."

"I second that." Beth said.

"I can sleep anywhere, but I would prefer we didn't split up." Kendra said.

"The Argo it is." Alana decided.

They arrived not long after, Selene lagging slightly behind. She must've really worn herself out earlier with all that training, and then she'd ridden afterwards. Selene had only ridden a horse once before apparently, but Julian's horses were so well trained that it hadn't been a problem. They bade Shara and Lyra goodnight and then they embarked onto the Argo and trudged into the captain's cabin except for Selene, who looked barely awake as she headed towards her hammock on the lower decks, Thor following close behind.

Once in the captain's cabin, everyone pretty much collapsed onto the bed without bothering to remove their dresses. Rachel was glad of that; for once she wasn't the only clothed person in the room.

"We should do something nice for Shara and Lyra to say thank you." Taloni mumbled, then yawned.

"Agreed." Alana replied after yawning, then she thought to everyone. *Ethan?*

He didn't answer right away, and his thoughts were a bit muddled and groggy when he did. *Hey, what's up?*

*Not us.* Rachel replied. *We had a tiring day and collapsed on the bed.*

*Sounds good.* It sounded like Ethan was yawning.

*How did your day go?* Beth asked.

He gave them a brief synopsis, mentioning that he wanted to tell them about his conversation with Gabriella in person instead over telepathy. *And that's pretty much it, how about you all?*

They also gave a synopsis, ending with Kendra voicing what they were surely all feeling. *I miss you Drago.*

*The feeling is mutual.* He replied. *Snuggle close to each other tonight for me.*

*We will sir.* Alana said, then yawned. *Night.*

*Night.* He replied, and Rachel's fellow wives said the same.

Then silence.

Dreadful silence without Ethan.

Still, the redhead was laying down next to Alana and that helped; it helped a lot actually. More than anything else she wanted to kiss Alana goodnight. She didn't want a romantic kiss or anything, just a gentle kiss to say goodnight. Even a kiss on the cheek. That sounded so wonderful.

But would Alana want to?

Their husband had certainly seemed to think that she would. She could do that, right? Just ask her? What was the worst that could happen? She felt her stomach clench at the idea of Alana rejecting her. She bit her lip; she wouldn't do that, right? Alana adjusted slightly on the bed, putting herself slightly closer to Rachel. That made the redhead smile.

She could do this...

Right?

"Alana." Rachel whispered.

The wood elf mumbled something incomprehensible but didn't respond otherwise. Instead, the redhead heard her let out that little cute little sigh she always made right before falling asleep. Rachel sat up enough that she was resting her upper body on her elbow and looked down at her best friend.

She was so lovely.

Alana was on the edge of sleep and her lips were just slightly parted and her rib cage slowly rose and fell with her breathing. Her hair was splayed out on the pillow in a chaotic mess that was nevertheless beautiful. Her delicate eyelashes were lovely and her nose was the cutest thing in the whole Ten Kingdoms. And her cheeks... Her cheeks were sun-kissed and almost certainly tasted lovely.

The redhead laid back down and could feel her eyelids growing heavy. More than anything else in the world right now, she wanted to kiss her best friend on the lips. She couldn't though, not while she was asleep because she needed to ask before doing that.

But maybe on the cheek?

Rachel leaned up to rest on one of her elbows again, looking at Alana's cheeks. The wood elf was laying on her side facing the lord's daughter so Rachel had easy access. All she had to do was lean forward slightly and...

And...

Slowly, halting, Rachel did just that. She leaned forward until her lips brushed Alana's cheek with the most gossamer of touches, then pulled back. Alana sighed in her sleep and moved closer to Rachel. Unless the redhead was mistaken, it looked like the corners of her best friends' mouth pulled upwards slightly.

Rachel smiled.

She laid back down on her side facing Alana, a contented warmth in her heart. She snuggled closer to her best friend, feeling like her heart was inflating like one of those balloons that Ethan had once described. Then from that overflow, a few words slipped from Rachel's lips at a volume that almost no one could've heard, except possibly the wood elf who was only a few inches away.

"I love you Alana."

The wood elf sighed sleepily and then mumbled. "I wuv oo tu Ra'hel."

Rachel felt her eyes get slightly watery and she felt like the corners of her mouth must've reached her ears. She scooted slightly closer to her lovely best friend and closed her eyes, her heart feeling like it had swelled to larger than the Ten Kingdoms itself.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began and ended on day 95 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms. This chapter closes out Act 3 (of 5), and the next chapter will open Act 4. Slowly but surely we're moving towards the climax (pun intended). And before you ask, I have no idea how many total chapters ADT will be. I know the story and where it's going, but not how long it will take us to get there.

I submit new chapters on the last Wednesday of every month, and they usually drop after the 2-3 days review process. Thus I'll submit the next chapter on September 27th, and it'll probably drop on September 29th or September 30th.

I'd like to extend a very special thanks to two of my patrons, one of whom didn't want to be credited by name. So "Anonymous" and Joseph: thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate it.

STORY TAGS: dragon, magic, medieval, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, cuckquean