Chapter 64: The ghosts of wives past

Rachel slowly woke up, not hearing the usual whispering between Beth, Taloni, and Kendra as they read the Book of Light early in the morning. They never did that when it was Taloni's turn to sleep in their husband's arms because none of them could read the Fey tongue. As Rachel thought about it, she thought it might be a good idea to get a copy in the common tongue, expensive though it would be.

"Morning Sweetheart." Alana whispered to her, which made her smile.

"Morning Sweetie." Rachel replied with a smile as she opened her eyes. The captain's cabin was well-lit, but it didn't look like the sun had risen just yet.

"Morning ladies." Ethan said, then yawned, prompting yawns from the others as well. "We have a full day today."

"Indeed." Rachel agreed as she sat up, holding the sheet against her chest to keep herself covered. "You were going to talk to Myla about Falkaan's proposal, to Luminar Kossel about Lady Ekthros, then try to exorcise Sarah's demon with Aharown, and then I should probably respond to the letter I got from Mage Weston."

"What was in the letter?" Beth asked immediately. "You only gave a brief summary."

"It was a moral choice test." The redhead replied while adjusting to sit cross-legged on the bed, still holding the sheet up. She had almost sat up without the sheet, but hadn't been able to work up the nerve. "The choice is this: You are in Karnas riding westward down the Sienthae lane when your horse gets spooked and starts running, but you can't get him to stop. You reach the fork in the road only to see that down one street, there's several children playing, and down the other side of the fork is someone you love. The question is which way you should guide the runaway horse."

"That's terrible." Taloni's voice said from Ethan's other side.

"It's a variation on the trolley problem." He replied. "And that's the whole point: it's a morally difficult situation."

"Sometimes, that's life." Kendra said, sitting up. Rachel didn't always understand how the raven-haired woman was so comfortable being naked around the others, especially since she had started out being even more nervous than Rachel herself had been.

"That's a dim view of life." Ethan pointed out.

"Sometimes, life is dim." She replied with a shrug that wasn't as convincingly nonchalant as usual, probably because of yesterday's events, then she looked at Rachel. "How will you answer?"

Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but Alana beat her to it.

"Maybe we should wait to talk about it until Sarah is around." Alana suggested.

"You've been very careful to include her in everything." Rachel pointed out.

Alana nodded. "I'm hoping things will work out better in the long run if we get off on the right foot."

"You're still worried?" Rachel asked.

"Um, not really." Her best friend replied. "Having talked with her, I don't think I have any reason to be."

"But?" Ethan prompted.

"No 'buts'."

"Actually, there are five butts..." Beth pushed her own into the air.

Ethan nodded, and Rachel noticed that slight bit of hesitation in him that he always had when he thought about Selene. Rachel missed her too, though Kendra and Ethan were clearly having the hardest time with her departure.

"You're thinking that Selene would have a nice butt too, aren't you?" Alana asked with a sympathetic smile.

He nodded.

"Master, I don't like that Selene left either." Tee's wings flicked slightly and she didn't look entirely happy.

"Since Victoria and Thea are the only two left, which one will you pick?" Beth asked.

"And maybe this discussion should also happen with Sarah present." Alana interjected again.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. I suppose it's time to get up anyway."

* * *

Sarah added a few more seasonings to the pot of breakfast stew, gave it a good stir, and then tasted it again. She smiled; that was more like it.

"I appreciate you taking over the meals." Anthiel said from the quarterdeck above her. "I can cook, but I neither enjoy it nor am as talented as you are."

"Thank you." Sarah beamed. "My mother started teaching me before she died."

"I'm fortunate that my mother still lives and I see her occasionally; I do not envy your loss." The high elf said kindly. "If you find yourself wishing for some motherly advice, I would be happy to pass on what I've learned."

"Everyone here is so nice." Sarah replied, feeling herself tear up slightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Anthiel smiled, then went back to the ship's wheel.

Not long afterward, her betrothed and his wives exited the captain's cabin. He gave her a long hug and kissed the top of her head while holding her. Sarah's heart felt full to bursting at that. Then they all sat down around the pot of stew they had for breakfast, including Myla, Victoria, and Thea. Alana beckoned Sarah over while they were arranging themselves and had Sarah sit next to Ethan.

"Thank you." Sarah mouthed as she sat down next to the most wonderful man-- err, dragon that she'd ever met.

"Holy crap, this is amazing." Ethan said as he tasted the food.

Everyone else either agreed verbally or made approving sounds while hastily taking another bite. Sarah beamed at that.

"So, there's a few things we should discuss." Ethan said when he'd finished eating, then he looked at Myla. "Including one thing that you and I should discuss after breakfast."

"Meelas, I do believe I know what you wish to discuss and it would make my heart happy if it could be discussed with the counsel of others as well." The dusky-skinned woman looked at Kendra. "Your counsel especially would be most welcome given your long association with him, and that I have not had a chance to inquire about him to you given recent events." She then looked back at Ethan expectantly.

"Okay." He shrugged. "Falkaan asked for my permission to marry you. Why did you tell him he needed to ask me?"

Sarah looked at Myla slightly confused. A divorced woman could choose her own husband; why didn't Myla want to?

"Meelas, I have previously said that I wished to have what my parents have." The gorgeous dusky-skinned woman replied in her slight Southern Lands accent. "My prior infatuation with Lord Farbrottan in my youth provides ample evidence that my ability to choose a good man is compromised." She paused. "Yet I would not wish to pass my life alone and so I wish for a husband. However, my heart shrinks when I consider the potential that I could again make a foolish choice in such an important matter."

"So why not simply ask for Ethan's opinion, rather than telling Falkaan that he needed Ethan's permission?" Alana asked.

Sarah had noticed that often, Alana seemed to ask the exact question that Ethan appeared poised to ask. She knew him so well and Sarah was hoping that one day, she would know her betrothed that well also.

"I cannot trust my heart to make such an important decision." Myla replied. "My mother and father repeatedly attempted to impress upon me that true love grows best and without fail in a marriage between two people of good character. I desire only a husband of good character so that I might experience that love. I cannot trust my own heart to make a wise choice in this matter, so I desire that the one man whom I can trust will make this decision for me: my rescuer and the prophet of Illuminar."

Sarah beamed at her betrothed.

"Do you want to marry Falkaan?" Ethan asked. "You've only known him for a few days and can't have spent more than a couple hours talking to him."

"It was a lot more than just 'a couple hours'." Beth said slyly. "They spent a lot of time talking while your parents were here."

"They were so cute together." Tee added, and most of the others nodded.

Myla was seemingly trying not to smile, but she was definitely failing.

"Do you like him?" Sarah asked.

Despite clearly still trying not to smile, Myla's small smile grew slightly wider. "He was kind to me." Her smile faltered. "But Lord Farbrottan was also in the beginning, and I would not wish to repeat the mistakes of my youth."

Sarah felt her heart go out to the gorgeous woman. She couldn't imagine what it would've been like to be married to someone like Lord Farbrottan, and didn't want to imagine it.

"Kendra, you know him best." Ethan said after a moment.

"Until I met Ethan, he was the best man I knew." Kendra replied. "Falkaan cared more than all of my other instructors." She paused. "Actually, besides Luminar Kossel, he might've been the only one that truly cared. Don't get me wrong, Falkaan was easily my toughest instructor, but that was because he wanted us to survive in the real world."

"Then, he is a good man?" Myla asked. Sarah was pretty sure she was trying to keep her tone neutral, but there was definitely a note of hopefulness in it.

"He is." Kendra nodded.

"Do you want to marry him?" Ethan asked Myla.

She hesitated a moment. "Meelas, I desire to marry a good man. If he is a good man and I have your blessing, I would marry him."

"You didn't answer the question." Alana replied with a chuckle.

Again, Myla was clearly trying not to smile and failing quite spectacularly. "My heart would be happy if he is a good man."

"That sounds like a yes." Taloni said slyly.

"It does." Beth agreed.

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this." Ethan said after a moment. "You should really decide who you'll marry."

"I cannot trust myself Meelas." Myla replied.

"Okay, then if -- and only if -- you want to marry him, I'll give him my 'permission', though he really only needs yours."

Myla smiled.

Sarah thought Myla might be stopping herself from full-on grinning, but she was definitely smiling.

"What do you like most about him?" Rachel asked.

"His heart possesses much kindness." Myla replied, her smile widening. "And much consideration."

Kendra smiled as well. "Having known him for most of my life, I can definitely agree with that. He's very reserved about showing it, but he definitely cares about people, and deeply."

Myla looked at Ethan. "Might I request that you tell him?"

"Sure." He nodded. "I need to fly over to the Midnight Sun anyway; I need to talk to Luminar Kossel."

"My heart is filled with gratitude Meelas." Myla said, and she looked it. "Both towards you and towards Illuminar -- blessed be He." She looked at Victoria and Thea. "I know not whom you shall marry, but I believe that He put me in Meelas's path so that I might meet Falkaan, for he could not have trusted me if I did not have the potential to be the prophet's wife. Whichever of you that Meelas does not marry, I suspect she will have similar joy with her future husband, whomever that might be."

"Huh." Victoria cocked her head to one side. "So, you think that Illuminar already had good husbands picked out for all of us before we met Ethan? And somehow, us meeting Ethan was part of His plan for us to meet them?"

"That is my suspicion." Myla replied.

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. "That takes the pressure off me a little, which is nice." He looked at Sarah. "Which reminds me, we should pick a date for the wedding, and I'd love it if my parents could be there."

"I would love that too." Sarah smiled back. "But I was born on the seventh day of the seventh month, not the sixth day of the sixth month. I think we should wait until you've married your sixth wife."

Ethan took a deep breath and ran his hand over the top of his head, where his hair would be if he had any. "I hate to agree, but I think you might be right."

"She is Master." Taloni said firmly. "You shouldn't marry Sarah yet."

For some reason, Sarah got the impression that Taloni had more in mind than just the birthdays. She didn't know what it could be, but she definitely got that impression.

Ethan looked at Victoria and then Thea. He frowned slightly and both his head and shoulders drooped slightly as he looked at them. Sarah didn't know him very well, but she was pretty sure he was thinking about Selene.

"There's no hurry." Victoria said. "You were bonded to Selene, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Then with her breaking the bond, it's almost like a divorce." The platinum blonde said. "It's okay if you're not ready for another wedding right after your 'wife' divorced you."

"She didn't want to though." Ethan replied. "She wanted to stay, she wanted to marry me, and I..." He trailed off and looked into space for a few moments, then ran his hand over the top of his head again. "Honestly -- and I realize this is stupid because she made her choice and I doubt she'll change it given her reason -- but I'm not ready to move on yet; I'm not ready to..." He took a deep breath. "...to replace her yet."

"Really?" Kendra asked. Sarah found her hard to read most of the time, but right now the hope on her face was obvious.

"Really." He nodded. "I need time to come to terms with... you know." He looked tired, but not a physical sort of tired as he spoke to Victoria and Thea. "And I have no idea how long that'll take, but it might be a while and I don't want to lead you ladies on; I'm just not ready yet."

"We understand." Thea gave him a sympathetic look. "Also, neither Victoria nor I could ever 'replace' Selene. She is an incredible woman and while I hope one of us can be a worthy successor, we couldn't ever replace her, nor would we try."

"I agree completely." Victoria nodded. "We're not going anywhere; take all the time you need."

"Thanks." He smiled, but it was half-hearted at best. He looked at Sarah. "That might mean we don't get married for a while; sorry."

"We're betrothed and I'm traveling with you." Sarah replied. "I'm so happy right now I could burst, and I don't mind waiting a little while, as long as I can call you 'husband' eventually."

He looked at her for several seconds, his half-hearted smile morphing into a more genuine one as he did so. "That's a certainty Darlin'; you're stuck with me."

"I think I'll live." She grinned back.

* * *

Ethan summoned his armor, a smile coming to his face as it clamped onto his body and attached itself there. No matter how many times he did that, it never became less cool. It didn't help the hole in his heart left by Selene's departure, but at least it was a nice distraction. Temporary, but nice. It had become a habit at this point to never leave the Argo unless he was fully armed and armored. It was a shame his life necessitated that, but it did.

"Mr. Prophet?"

Ethan turned to see Talven standing behind him looking unsure. The man didn't seem to know what to do with his hands and he couldn't pick a foot to rest his weight on either.

"Ethan is fine. What's up?" He asked, realizing that he hadn't seen the man or his family at breakfast.

"Could I ask a small favor?"

"Sure."

Talven took a deep breath. "Could you ask Falkaan if he needs a crewman for his airship?"

"I can, but you and your family are welcome to stay on the Argo."

"My father had this term he used: 'freeloading'." Talven didn't quite meet Ethan's eye. "He applied it to any able-bodied man who could work, but didn't, and instead relied on the charity of others. You don't need help here on the Argo, but I've seen Falkaan and his pilot occasionally struggle with the rigging since Falkaan only has one hand. You clearly think he's a good man since you gave him permission to marry Myla, and I'm hoping he'll be willing to let me work for food."

Talven was meeting Ethan's eye when he spoke, but Ethan could tell that this was tearing the man up inside. He had the look of someone who was forcing himself to do something, and he looked... ashamed? Ethan had a pretty good idea of why too, since his own father had impressed a good work ethic on him since he was little. Talven not being able to provide for his family and having to rely on charity looked like it was killing him.

"I'll ask him." Ethan promised. "And for what it's worth, I think you're a good man Talven."

"Thank you." Talven replied, then headed to the breakfast fire where his family was now eating breakfast.

Ethan double-checked that he had everything, kissed all his wives goodbye -- Sarah on the forehead -- and then flew over to the Midnight Sun.

"Good morning." Luminar Kossel said when he landed. The luminar was leaning against the railing and had had his head bowed, possibly in prayer.

"Morning, praying for your wife?" Ethan asked, making sure he kept his tone neutral.

Adrian smiled. "I wondered how long it would take you and your family to put it together. Let's talk below decks, but please talk to Falkaan first. He is more anxious to hear your decision than I have seen him about anything in many years."

"Okay." Ethan nodded, then headed up to the quarterdeck where Falkaan was reading a book.

"And?" The dark elf asked.

"She'll marry you." Ethan smiled.

Falkaan closed his eyes as a smile slowly grew on his face. "I do not think I can ever thank you enough. I have wanted a family since... well, for a long time."

"Kendra too." Ethan replied. "Is there something about the Aldmiri that makes them want one so much?"

"The loneliness." Falkaan replied. "We are taught never to trust or love, and as a result crave a deep relationship full of trust and love."

"Makes sense, and congratulations." He smiled.

"Thank you."

"Oh, and one more thing." Ethan relayed Talven's request.

"I could indeed use a deck hand." The dark elf replied. "I apologize in advance, but might I make another request of you?"

"You can ask." Ethan replied cautiously.

"Might the Midnight Sun fly in formation with you for a time after Myla and I are wed? I believe she will feel better knowing that you, your wives, Victoria, and Thea are nearby."

Ethan smiled, mostly at the elf's extremely considerate reason for wanting to remain close. "Absolutely."

"Thank you." Falkaan gave him a head bow. "I find myself in your debt once again."

"Treat Myla right and I'll consider us square."

"I have every intention of doing so." Falkaan replied.

They talked for another minute or two before Ethan headed below decks to talk to Luminar Kossel.

"In here." Adrian called from the room under the captain's cabin. Unlike on the Argo, it wasn't a storage room. There was a table with a few chairs and a relatively impressive wine collection in bottles on wine racks. Ethan joined him at the table and Adrian poured him two fingers of mead.

"So, ask away." He said. "I might not answer every question, but I'll answer what I can."

"Is Lady Ekthros your wife, or former wife?" Ethan asked, then took a sip of the honey wine; it was quite good.

"She is currently my wife, though I haven't seen her in years." Adrian took a sip of his mead.

"What happened to her?" Ethan asked. "From what Taloni and Selene said, she was once kind and caring, but now she's..." He tried to think of the right word.

"The embodiment of evil?" Adrian suggested heavily.

"You said it, not me." He replied. "How did she go from that to what she is now?"

"In order to understand that, we need to go back to the beginning; her childhood."

"Okay."

"She was born into one of those pseudo-Christian cults that never makes the news, but should for all the emotional damage they cause." Adrian took another sip of his mead. "Her parents were high-ranking members who specialized in 'retention'; that is, manipulating people into staying."

"Well, that explains where she learned it."

"Indeed." He nodded. "She only escaped because of standardized testing; the cult had an accredited private school to indoctrinate their members' children, but the state required testing every few years to ensure they met minimum educational requirements. It's not often that someone tests at a post-high school level before hitting puberty."

Ethan whistled. "Wow."

"The organization that I formerly worked for spent considerable resources to deprogram her, get her out, emancipate her, and fund her schooling."

"Really?" Ethan asked.

Adrian nodded. "They go to great lengths to recruit the best people, and will happily start as young as those people are identified. Rather like the Aldmiri actually." He took a sip of his mead. "She certainly qualified as 'best'; she had two Ph.Ds. by the time she turned twenty."

Ethan stared. "You're kidding?"

"No." He shook his head. "And she was working on her third when we left."

"Well, if she didn't have three Ph.Ds. at twenty, then I'm not impressed." Ethan said in a mock-serious tone, then added. "How did you meet?"

"We were both assigned to the mission to the Ten Kingdoms." He replied. "Me because I was already a team leader in the organization, and also because I have studied the sword since early childhood because I love it. Her because they were only sending a small team and needed someone who could fill multiple roles." Adrian got a faraway look in his eye for a moment. "I'll never forget the first thing she said to me: 'Ready to make the world a better place?'."

Ethan considered that for a moment.

That actually made sense when he thought about his conversation with her. She really had seemed like she wanted to make the world a better place. Her methods were appalling, but that did indeed seem like her overall goal.

"I can see that." Ethan mused after a moment, then he told Adrian about her offer to stop hunting him if he and his family left the Ten Kingdoms permanently.

"It's likely a genuine offer, though it's hard to be sure with her." Adrian said when Ethan had finished.

"I still need to have a serious talk with my wives about it, but I don't think we'll take it; she has her hands in too many evil pies."

"Understandable."

"Anyway, you were in the middle of a story." Ethan said.

"She and I spent quite some time prepping for the mission, and during that time we became close." Adrian continued. "After we were stranded, I did what I was trained to do; survive." He took another sip of his mead. "I started building up a network of contacts and she..." He smiled. "She wanted to learn magic. She said that the ability to heal magically was the greatest thing she'd ever heard of and she loved that she would be able to help people with it."

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. That sounded more like Taloni or Selene than the woman Lady Ekthros had become. "What happened next?"

"I learned of a plot to assassinate Lord Delmar and his wife, the Lady Helene." Adrian continued. "We intervened and stopped them after the guards ignored our warnings, but..." He slowly shook his head, then downed the rest of his glass of mead and poured a little more into his glass. "It was a fierce fight and I made a desperate tactical gamble that didn't pay off, and thus I found myself on a wall with enemies on both sides. She was out of mana and thankfully on the ground below, but I know she wanted to save me."

"She turned to dark mana?" Ethan guessed.

He nodded. "Not much at all, barely a sliver; only enough for a single air-ram to throw some of my attackers from the wall so I didn't have enemies on both sides... but it was enough."

Ethan thought back to the tiny grave that Selene had described, and how that tiny usage of dark mana would've been enough to trigger a miscarriage. "I'm sorry."

"As am I." He took another sip of his mead.

"Why didn't she power the spell with deep mana instead?" Ethan asked. "She must've known that dark mana wasn't to be trifled with."

"Likely because of her upbringing." Luminar Kossel replied heavily. "Her parents' cult was the worst sort and made her loathe and deride religion, thus she dismissed the dangers of dark mana as religious superstition." He took another sip of his mead. "She told me afterwards that she could tell that it was wrong before she started; before it reached her. She knew, and she knew she could use deep mana too. I am not entirely sure why she didn't stop. Certainly she was curious, and she loved violating religious taboos because of her upbringing; I suppose those were large factors, but that's only a guess; she never did give me her full reason."

"Damn." Ethan shook his head.

Adrian nodded. "Indeed."

"What happened next?"

"She was grievously wounded by some of the remaining assassins a few minutes later, but thankfully the castle mage was able to save her life. Lord Delmar thanked us of course, and said he was in our debt, but she..." He shook his head. "Things weren't the same between us after that." He finished his second glass. "They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and it's true. She has wanted to make the world a better place since she was a child, it's a part of who she is, but she got much less concerned with how she did that after the dark mana."

Ethan tried to imagine what it would be like if one of his wives had something like that happen to her. He couldn't. It sounded like Lady Ekthros had once been a combination of Taloni, Rachel, and Selene; Tee's caring, Rachel's brilliance and skill with magic, and Selene's determination to help others. But what she had become...

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Adrian took another sip of his mead. "She was growing increasingly frustrated because I wouldn't do 'what was necessary'. She said we could make a huge difference in the Ten Kingdoms, but that I refused to. We fought about that more than once. One morning, I woke up and she was gone. By the time I had tracked her to Narlotten, she'd already joined Lord Delmar's staff and refused to leave; she said the work she was doing there was too important."

Ethan nodded slowly, thinking about Selene leaving on the previous day for a similar reason, though a more moral one. Unlike Selene though, Lady Ekthros had been dealing with a painful miscarriage. "I'm guessing that she might've also wanted a fresh start after she lost the baby."

"I believe so." He nodded. "At least, I'm certain that I was a constant reminder of what we had lost."

Ethan nodded slowly. It made sense, but it was still tragic. "I assume she used that 'favor' from Lord Delmar to get herself hired?"

The luminar nodded. "And as they say: the rest is history."

"How did you end up entangled with the Aldmiri then?"

"They contacted me since I had discovered the plot against Lord Delmar and Lady Helene while they hadn't." He replied. "They waited until my wife had left to make an offer, knowing I would want their help to track her down. They didn't know about the dark mana usage and I never told them; some things are better left unsaid."

"Fair." Ethan nodded. "Especially given that you asked us to capture her and not kill her, why not tell us this sooner?"

"Would it have had the same impact if I had?"

Ethan hesitated.

"Imagine if I had simply told you that she was my estranged wife and that she used to be sweet like Taloni, but then she touched some dark mana and went evil. Would you have believed me? Even if you did, would it have done as much to soften the way you all collectively felt about her?"

"Probably some, but honestly, not as much as the way we found out." He conceded. "Knowing she was your wife -- even your estranged wife -- might've even made us not trust you."

"You needed to put it together yourselves." The luminar agreed. "That was the only way it would make an impact large enough for you to reconsider your -- perfectly understandable -- abject loathing of her."

"But you asked us to do something impossible without telling us what we are up against." He countered.

"Of the things I just told you, which of them would make a difference in combat with an arch mage? Which of them gave you new information about how devious, manipulative, or powerful she is? Did I just tell you anything that would affect the outcome of a fight with her?"

"I guess not." Ethan conceded.

Adrian raised his hands palms up as if to say "That's why."

"So why capture her alive?" Ethan asked. "I mean, I understand that she's your wife, and you obviously love her deeply, but from what I understand, there's nothing that can be done for someone who has used dark mana."

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast." Adrian replied.

"So you asked for this favor, merely hoping that there's some way to help her?"

"Would you do any less for one of your wives?"

"Fair." Ethan nodded his head in concession. "But you have some hope?"

"If I had none, I would behave rather differently."

"But you won't tell me what it is." Ethan concluded.

"Not today." Adrian replied, and his tone was polite but firm.

The two men sat in silence for several moments as Ethan considered what he'd just learned. Damn. The world was so much simpler when Lady Ekthros was pure evil. Knowing how she had become who she was didn't make anything she'd done less evil, but still... That of course made him think of one of the more evil things she'd done.

"Okay, so question." He said, then related how Lady Ekthros had murdered that girl in Karnas in cold blood in front of Sarah, and also how she had threatened to kill both Conner and Fiona. "Cold-blooded murder of an innocent girl is just beyond the pale; has she done things like that before?"

"What makes you think the girl was innocent?" Adrian replied. "That is, other than a known and extremely proficient liar giving that impression?"

Ethan frowned; that wasn't the response he'd been expecting.

"Did this girl have any identifying marks?" Adrian asked. "Especially any tattoos?"

"I think Sarah said she had a tattoo of a star on her hand or wrist."

"I thought so." Adrian nodded. "The Star-Hand Gang; have you ever heard of them?

Ethan shook his head.

"They use young, attractive women to lure horny men off the beaten path and then rob them at knife-point. If the victims resist, they often simply kill them. If she had that tattoo, she was almost certainly an accessory to murder many times over."

"That changes things a bit." Ethan conceded. "It's still awful, but..." He frowned. "What about threatening to kill Conner and Fiona?"

Adrian raised his eyebrow.

"You think she would?" Ethan asked.

"I think she would try to avoid it, but if push came to shove..." The luminar frowned. "She very well might. I've played poker with her and she almost never bluffs. It would be best to consider any threats she makes as genuine because I would've been cautious about calling her bluff even before the dark mana. Afterward?" He shook his head.

"Well damn." Ethan said, then took another swallow of his mead.

"Indeed." Adrian finished his second glass and set it down on the table.

"I've often heard that some of the worst things imaginable happen with the best intentions, but summoning demons to make the world a better place takes the cake."

"I highly doubt she believes that they are demons." Adrian said heavily. "She has been an unwavering atheist ever since I've known her, likely because of her upbringing, and I doubt that's changed. It's more likely she thinks it's a special enchantment or something similar."

"Seriously?" Ethan raised his eyebrow.

"You would not believe the sorts of things that people will remain willfully ignorant about when they don't want to know." He shrugged. "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

"So what made you 'see'?" Ethan asked. "Because I needed to meet an angel, a demon, and Illuminar Himself."

Adrian didn't reply, he just looked at Ethan.

"No answer?"

"I have been as forthcoming as I can be for the sake of my wife; beyond that..." He shook his head.

"Okay." Ethan sighed. "Any advice on how to capture her, assuming we get the chance?"

"She's a powerful mage, but an anti-mage collar like the one I gave to Kendra all those weeks ago will nullify her magic. That is your best bet."

"No shit Sherlock." Ethan rolled his eyes. "And why don't you capture her yourself?"

"Even I could not do it without help, and virtually all of the assets I would use to assist me are either Aldmiri who will not take action against a legitimate lord's top advisor, or else men whom I wouldn't trust to take care with her life." He looked at Ethan. "There is only one exception, and I am talking to him."

Ethan thought about that for a moment, and it did make some sense. "Okay, fair. Did you have any advice besides using the anti-mage collar? Any strategy that might help?"

"I think you misunderstand." Adrian replied. "I'm not asking that you go capture her; I don't think you could. However, you'll likely end up fighting her someday. I'm simply asking that if possible -- and it might not be -- but if possible, I ask that you capture her instead of killing her when that inevitable confrontation happens. This isn't the sort of thing you'll be able to plan out in advance, other than perhaps making sure to keep the anti-mage collar with you."

Ethan nodded. "That makes sense, it sucks, but it makes sense."

"I can of course provide some more general information on how to fight an arch mage." Adrian added. "That will help not only against her, but also other enemies you might encounter."

"I'd appreciate it." Ethan nodded vehemently.

"Perhaps not today though." He said. "Given her offer, you likely have some time. Plus, I do believe your wives -- Beth especially -- are likely keen to know what we talked about. I only ask that you keep it to your wives alone, which would include Sarah, but not Victoria or Thea."

"I can do that." He nodded.

"Before you leave, there is one more thing." The luminar said.

"Oh?" Ethan asked, not sure what it could be.

Adrian smiled.

* * *

Fiona slipped through the door to the nursery from Lord Delmar's bedroom, slightly frustrated at how the previous night had gone. Her husband had informed her that he would be working late and she had fallen asleep by the time he'd come to bed. He'd been gone when she woke up as well, as the note he'd left for her informed her. It had felt so wonderful to couple with him the most recent time, and she hadn't been able to repeat that the previous night.

Oh well, maybe tonight.

Tabitha was already in the nursery, laying down on the large couch in the room. Her hair looked slightly mussed, as if she'd slept on it and not straightened it up.

"Were you falling asleep in here?" Fiona asked.

"Yes my lady." Tabitha replied without emotion, and somehow almost without an expression either. She pulled a small comb from some hidden pocket of her dress, let her ponytail loose, and then began to comb it.

"Isn't it more comfortable in your own room?" Fiona asked as she sat down in a rocking chair to give her son his breakfast.

"I don't have a room my lady." She replied as she tucked the comb away and put her hair back into a ponytail.

"What?" Fiona stared. "Lord Delmar wasn't offering you a room?"

"He did offer."

"And you were turning him down?"

"Yes my lady."

"Why?" Fiona asked while trying to think of even a single reason; she couldn't.

"The royal suite excepted, this is the most secure place to sleep in the castle." Tabitha replied.

"But this castle is very safe and secure." Fiona replied.

"I would need more than three days here to confirm that."

"But what about all your belongings?" Fiona asked as she threw a blanket over her chest so she could nurse.

"I am wearing everything I need." Tabitha replied, then stood, walked to the window, and looked out. Fiona got the impression she was more interested in spotting threats than enjoying the view though.

"Everything?"

"Yes my lady." She replied.

"I didn't know you were poor." Fiona's face fell.

"I am not." Tabitha replied, seemingly satisfied that nothing outside the window was about to kill them and she returned to sitting on the couch.

Fiona looked the girl up and down, completely unable to see how she could not be poor. Her dress was nice enough for a handmaiden, but didn't look like it would fetch a high price and she didn't wear any jewelry either. She was about to ask more, when the door burst open and Glessie burst in, followed more demurely by Nessie.

"I found it Tabby!" Glessie hurried over to the bodyguard disguised as a handmaiden, whose entire demeanor had changed the moment the door had started to open.

"Oh, it's gorgeous!" Tabby gushed as she held the broach that Glessie had brought. "This is so perfect, I love it!" She beamed as she held it up to the light, looking like she had never been happier.

The abrupt and perfectly convincing change was both startling and disturbing.

Tabby acted nearly as excitable as Glessie did while Nessie sat down near Fiona and began to speak. "My lady, that luncheon with the ladies of the court is tomorrow."

"Ach, I was forgetting about that." Fiona shook her head. "I don't suppose I could be putting it off?"

"You could my lady, but that would be considered a snub and these are among the most influential women in the court."

Fiona nodded. "Okay."

In the background, Tabby was still behaving in a bubbly and excitable manner. Fiona wasn't sure how to feel about that.

* * *

"Well let's see them!"

Kendra smiled at Beth's exuberance as Ethan landed on the Argo's deck holding four wide leather belts, freshly delivered to him by Luminar Kossel. It was good that the blonde had something to be excited about because Kendra herself was still trying not to miss her best friend. She tried to concentrate on the travel swords that Ethan had brought back from the Midnight Sun, Graflex having finished them and given them to Elder Goman who had sent them to the Midnight Sun since the paired portals on the Argo were too small for them to fit through.

"You know, I'm not sure you're ready to see them." Ethan said in a deadpan expression. "I wouldn't want you to work yourself into a frenzy."

The blonde sighed. "Dom-i-nus."

Everyone else laughed and Ethan tossed one of them to Kendra, who caught it deftly. It was heavy for a belt of course, but quite light when she considered a sword was concealed inside the belt. The belt was almost three inches wide and showed a definite preference for straightening out, which again wasn't surprising when she considered the ultra-thin dragon-steel sword inside.

The outside of the belt -- which was also the sheath -- was ideal for a travel sword sheath. It was just adorned enough with a subtle pattern in the leather that it wouldn't look out of place in a formal setting, but not so ornate that it would stand out with everyday clothes. The "buckle" was actually the sword hilt, but it was covered in leather so that it blended in with the belt well.

Externally at least, it was ideal.

"Apparently, they need to be enchanted to be self-repairing first to avoid messing up the 'perfect edge'." Ethan said, then looked at Alana.

"I'll donate some mana!" Beth volunteered.

Not long afterward, Alana had finished the first one and handed it to Kendra. It was somewhat difficult to put on because the blade concealed inside kept making it want to straighten out, but it was certainly doable.

"Let see it!" Beth exclaimed.

Kendra shrugged, then grabbed the 'buckle' with her right hand and pulled to the right, drawing the travel sword out of its sheath. It was flexible, but she activated it the moment it left the sheath and it instantly snapped straight and became stiff.

It was light.

Very light.

The blade was a few inches under three feet and incredibly thin; a thick piece of cloth was thicker. Of course, it needed to be that thin to bend enough to be in the sheath when it was around the waist, but it was far thinner than any traditional blade. The blade itself was wider at the cutting portion than the base, which she thought was perfect for a sword like this. This classic 'leaf-shaped blade' geometry moved the mass of the blade towards the tip, which not only made for a more solid strike, but also enlarged the 'sweet spot' for cutting.

The tip was reasonably acute, which would make it thrust through anything short of metal armor with ease. A more acute point typically could slip in between chainmail rings and wedge them open, but this sword simply didn't have enough mass to create enough momentum to make that possible. Thus, a mildly acute point instead of a more needle-like point was ideal.

"And?" Ethan asked.

She gave it an experimental wave. It was very light and handled like no sword she'd ever used before. That would be wonderful for slipping around an opponent's guard, but the lack of mass would make it harder to block and parry incoming attacks.

"It's a bit light, but that's unavoidable." Kendra said after several more experimental swings. "That's a disadvantage when blocking or parrying because the low mass means your blade can be moved more easily. But what it loses in inertia and blade presence, it gains in speed. That combined with the length would make this a formidable weapon against an unarmored opponent." She moved it around a little more. "I would use it for flick cuts against the hands and arms initially; it would be perfect for that."

She then gingerly grabbed the flat of the blade out near the tip and tried to flex the sword; it definitely flexed, but not too much. "It's stiff enough for a bind." She looked at Ethan. "Let's try some edge-on-edge contact."

Ethan drew his war sword.

"You hold, I'll swing." Kendra said, and he held his blade out in a static block.

Kendra took a step back so she was out of measure and then swung the travel sword at Ethan's war sword so they met edge-on-edge. As expected, her ultra-lightweight sword barely made his move. She pulled it back and looked at the place where they had impacted. The ultra-thin travel sword blade had taken some small damage, but not much and it would repair itself thanks to Alana's enchanting. Ethan's war sword barely had a nick on the edge, which would also repair itself.

"I would still prefer a normal sword, but this is an incredible blade for an emergency." She finally said. "The keenness of the edge and thinness of the blade means it would be a deadly cutter, even with the light weight. It might struggle against thick bone because of the lack of mass, but this will slice through soft tissue like it wasn't even there."

"Why are there four of them?" Beth asked as Alana started enchanting the second one with donated mana from Taloni and Anthiel.

"Only three are sharp." Ethan held up the fourth one, which was far more plain than the others in every way. "The fourth is blunt for practice." He looked at Kendra. "But three sharp ones does seem like a lot."

"That's my fault." Kendra admitted. "Obviously there's one for Ethan and one for me, but I thought Selene might like the third one and I was hoping she would stay. I wanted to be prepared if she did."

"It never hurts to have an extra one." Ethan said, his tone consoling. He looked at Victoria and Thea. "Do either of you know how to use a sword?"

Victoria shook her head.

"A little." Thea said with a slightly guilty smile. "I might've conned a few people over the years to teach me the basics."

Ethan slowly shook his head as he chuckled. "Wild-Child is a good name for you."

Thea did her trademark half-sheepish, half-embarrassed grin.

"Can I hold it?" Beth asked, looking at the travel sword in Kendra's hands.

"No." Ethan and Kendra said at the same time.

"Sorry Angel, but if you move it wrong, you could cut your leg or arm off." Ethan replied. "And I don't think you've ever held a sword before."

"I have." She looked down. "Once."

"You can hold the non-sharp training version when Alana is done enchanting it." He replied.

"Speaking of training." Kendra turned to Sarah. "You and I should start as soon as possible."

"Me?" Sarah's eyes widened and she looked around like the former Aldmiri was talking to someone else.

"I saw your form when you attacked Kyrupto." Kendra replied. "You have no idea how to fight."

Sarah nodded. "That's true."

"It's time to fix that." Kendra said firmly, then glanced at Taloni and Beth before looking at Ethan. "There are too many vulnerable non-combatants on this ship, and Sarah especially should learn, given her demon."

"I was going to get rid of her demon today." Ethan said. "But I do agree; I would feel a lot better if everyone on the Argo could defend themselves."

"Why Sarah especially?" Alana asked Kendra.

Kendra raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that Sarah's fight with Kyrupto will be her last fight?"

"Once Ethan gets rid of my problem, I shouldn't need to fight again." She replied.

"Master, I think you should do that right now." Taloni said firmly and almost forcefully.

Everyone looked at her.

"She's right." Sarah nodded. "It's... it's time."

Kendra was watching Ethan's newest wife -- well, betrothed -- carefully and saw exactly what she had expected to see: Sarah almost sounded like she regretted the necessity. Kendra glanced at Rachel and judging by the redhead's face, she saw it too.

"Okay, I can do that." Ethan nodded.

"Can I watch Dominus?" Beth asked, then continued before he could reply. "I promise that I'll be very careful, stay far away, and be right next to my body so I can leave the Astral Plane at a moment's notice."

Ethan took a deep breath, tapped one of his toe claws on the decking, then nodded. "Okay, but I'll hold you to that 'ready at a moment's notice' promise."

"I will Dominus." She promised.

"You should probably do it in the captain's cabin then." Alana suggested. "You both can leave your bodies on the bed and you'll be close to them, just in case the demon becomes a problem after it leaves Sarah."

"Can..." Sarah bit her lip as she looked at Alana. "Can you come too? Otherwise, I won't be able to hear Ethan if he needs me to do something."

Alana looked at Ethan, paused for several moments, and then they both nodded before the wood elf spoke. "Sure, let's go."

The four of them headed into the captain's cabin, and Kendra stepped over to Rachel.

"I'm glad Master is finally doing this." Taloni said, looking relieved, and oddly, also slightly... annoyed?

"I just hope it works." Rachel mused aloud.

"You don't think it will?" Kendra asked.

The mage shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure that Sarah wants it gone. If she doesn't, then given all we've learned, I doubt it will work."

"I hope it works." Taloni said firmly.

"Me too." Rachel replied. "I'm just not sure that it will."

* * *

Ethan sat up into the purple hues of the Astral Plane, leaving his body behind on the bed with Beth's. The blonde was faster at it than he was, so she was waiting for him. Standing near the desk, Alana and Sarah were waiting. Alana seemed very comfortable, but Sarah didn't seem to know what to do with her hands and she shifted her weight regularly.

*Can you remind Sarah that it'll be fine?* Ethan thought to Alana, who did so. They had told her the angelic blade didn't hurt flesh and what to expect, but apparently, she wasn't entirely reassured.

"Thank you." Sarah said, looking around and clearly not able to see him.

"Ready?" He asked Beth, who nodded.

Ethan took a deep breath -- which was unnecessary because he didn't need to breathe on the Astral Plane -- then reached down to his side and drew Aharown. The angelic blade seemed to shine slightly brighter than normal as he drew it. As he looked at Sarah, he noticed a definite dark aura around her. Honestly, it reminded him slightly of a lightsaber blade, where Sarah herself was the core -- though obviously not shining white -- and the lightsaber's color was like the dark aura around her. It was fainter than a lightsaber blade, but unmistakable.

*Okay, tell her to hold very still.* He thought to Alana, and she did.

Sarah didn't look scared, but perhaps a little nervous. He decided to just poke the tip through her shoulder though, just in case. He took careful aim, then poked a half inch of the tip towards her shoulder.

The effect was... weird.

The dark aura around Sarah bent and warped around the blade so it didn't touch it while the blade passed through. Other than that, the angelic blade appeared to have no effect on the dark aura whatsoever. None.

He frowned and then tried again.

Again, no effect.

"Dominus, why isn't it working?" Beth asked from beside him.

"I have no idea, but it isn't." He frowned, then thought to Alana. *Can you ask her if she felt anything?*

Alana did, after which Sarah spoke. "No, did you start already?"

*Yes, I tried twice and it isn't doing anything.* He thought to Alana, who relayed the message.

Sarah nodded, and he couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like a part of her was... relieved?

His frown deepened, then he tried again.

Many times.

He progressively used more and more of the angelic blade, striking deeper and deeper to no effect. While he worked up to this slowly, he was eventually able to pass the entire blade through Sarah, but the dark aura simply warped and bent around it leaving behind no change once the blade had passed.

He growled in frustration.

The response was a faint cackling laugh.

It wasn't coming from Sarah though since her mouth was closed at the moment. No, this voice was higher and raspier, and its tone sent shivers down Ethan's spine. The aura around Sarah seemed to pulse very faintly with the cackling laugh.

It was mocking him.

He really would've liked to punch the stupid demon, but even the angelic blade couldn't hurt it so he doubted that his fists would do anything.

*It's not working.* He thought to everyone. *Why the hell isn't it working?*

*What happened?* Taloni asked, so he explained.

*I was afraid of that.* Rachel replied when he had finished explaining. *I don't think Sarah really wants it gone; not deep down.*

*Because of what happened with Kyrupto?* Kendra asked.

*I think so.* Rachel replied. *She clearly has a desire to protect others and her demon gives her a way to do that. She might not be able to otherwise.*

*But it shouldn't matter.* Ethan replied. *This is an angelic sword; why wouldn't it hurt a demon? It hurt the one that attacked us at Dotmier, so why not this one?*

*Maybe Sarah's demon is more powerful?* Kendra suggested. *It's hard to be sure, but I saw both fights and it looked like Sarah moved faster and hit harder than the possessed man. Not by a lot, but some.*

*But we're still talking about an angelic blade.* He replied. *Why the hell wouldn't an angelic blade hurt a demon?*

*I don't think it's because of a difference in the power of the demons. * Rachel interjected. *I think it's because of free will. That man probably wanted the demon gone because of how much pain he would've been in. I don't think Sarah does.*

*Master, I'll ask Illuminar to send Gabriella to you so she can explain.* Taloni thought to everyone, and he got the impression that she did so at that exact moment.

*Yeah, right.* He rolled his eyes. *Like she would just show up because we asked her to.*

"So certain are you?" An amused feminine voice said from behind him in a very good imitation of Yoda.

He closed his eyes, shook his head slowly, and then turned around to see Gabriella standing there looking simultaneously amused and sympathetic.

"Gabriella!" Beth gushed and ran to give the angel a hug, which she returned.

"It's good to see you little one." Gabriella smiled. "But I'm afraid I need to talk with your husband for a few minutes."

"Okay." Beth smiled, gave Ethan a peck on the cheek, and then touched her body and disappeared from the Astral Plane.

"What the hell is going on?" Ethan asked Gabriella, vaguely aware that Beth was explaining things to Alana in the normal world.

"Free will." The angel replied, then gestured to the sword that was still in his hand. "That blade was created with the power of Illuminar -- blessed be He -- and continues to exist by His will alone. Being an instrument of His will, it will not do what He would not do, and He will not violate Sarah's free will."

"So the demon isn't leaving because she doesn't want it to leave." It wasn't a question, and he was thinking of what Rachel had said.

"Your fourth wife is among the cleverest women of the age." Gabriella nodded. "Sometimes, you might wish that she was wrong though."

Behind him, Alana, Beth, and Sarah left the room.

Ethan looked at the angelic blade in his hands. "So this thing is useless? Why did you give it to me if I can't use the damn thing?"

"You already did once, when one of my fallen brothers attacked you at Dotmier." Gabriella replied. "It is so like mortals to think that because Illuminar -- blessed be He -- has given you something, you will need it immediately. Perhaps you will need it in a few minutes, perhaps in a few months or even a few decades. But rest assured that if my lord wanted you to have it, you will need it eventually. Though, whether it's minutes or centuries until it becomes necessary is known only to One." She glanced up.

Ethan slowly shook his head and then sheathed Aharown. "So, I can't do anything to help Sarah now?"

"Ethan, the demon will never leave if she doesn't truly want it to leave." The angel said kindly and with a sympathetic look. "You may not like the choices that someone makes, but those choices don't belong to you; you cannot make another person's choices for him... or her, even for your betrothed."

"Yeah..." He shook his head. "That's the way it should be, but man do I hate it sometimes."

"Most mortals do at one time or another." Gabriella gave him a sympathetic smile. "She made a choice, and you need to respect that choice. You can even try to convince her to change her mind, but the choice is ultimately hers alone, not yours."

He nodded, hating that she was right. Even if a demon was involved, it really wasn't his place to make Sarah's choices for her. He thought that's how it should be, but a part of him hated it too. In fact, he could think of another woman whose choices he wished were different.

"While you're here, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." She chuckled, and the sound lifted his spirits. "But feel free to ask another."

"Is there any way that Selene could come back to the Argo?"

"Ethan, we're talking about choice again." The angel replied. "Nothing is preventing her from getting your attention via telepathy, and then you could open the portal to Earth and -- if she chose -- she could return here. The thing preventing her from returning is her choice to stay on Earth."

"And the reasons for it, yeah." He felt his shoulders droop and he hung his head. "I was afraid you would say that." It was another few moments before he spoke. "I want her back. I want to marry her."

"I know." Gabriella gave him another sympathetic smile.

"Couldn't you... I don't know, talk to her or something?" He asked.

"She has made it rather abundantly clear that she doesn't want me or my lord to be involved in her decisions." Gabriella replied. "He will respect her wishes and thus neither He, nor I, nor any other angel will make direct contact unless that changes."

"Free will." Ethan sighed. "Will it change?"

"Only One knows the future with certainty." She glanced up. "And He has not told me."

"Yeah, I figured." He slowly shook his head. "Is there a chance that she'll change her mind?"

"We are talking about free will, so by definition, there's always a chance." Gabriella replied. "But it is her choice, not yours."

He sighed, knowing she was right but not liking what that could mean. "Do you have any good news?"

She smiled. "It's not news, but it will lift your spirits: Sarah is your betrothed."

He couldn't help but smile at that. It really was incredible and a dream come true. The fact that she was traveling with him on the Argo made it even better, and today's setback didn't change that.

"Three more things before I leave." Gabriella said. "First, your angel needs wings."

"My angel?" He cocked his head to one side. "Beth?"

Gabriella nodded. "There is someone traveling with you who can help her with that, but wait until after his wedding."

He cocked his head to the other side. "Falkaan? How?"

The angel smiled and nodded, but didn't answer his question. "She should also wait until you've met your first minotaur."

He blinked. "Wait, what? A minotaur?"

Gabriella nodded again. "Secondly, a bit of information: Matthew and Yalia have produced the best translation of the Book of Light in the Ten Kingdoms. Keep that in mind."

"Um, okay." He replied, guessing that perhaps that was why they'd ended up in his path.

"Lastly and very importantly, you should pay more attention to your breath, and I'm not referring to oral hygiene."

"I know, I've just been so busy and haven't had time." He replied, thinking that he really did need to get a handle on that whole 'breathing fire' thing.

"Make time." The angel said seriously.

"I will." He promised, then hesitated. "Will Sarah be okay?"

"As my lord promised her, I now promise you about her: everything will be okay in the end; if it's not okay, it's not the end."

"Cryptic promises." He sighed. "I suppose those are better than none at all. Thanks."

"You're welcome." She smiled.

* * *

"Glessie, Nessie, I'm needing to get to my magic lesson with Mage Weston, but I'm needing to be talking with Tabby alone for a moment first." Fiona told her two handmaidens.

They both bowed and left.

The moment the door closed, Tabby's bubbly demeanor faded back to the reserved stone statue that appeared to lack much in the way of emotion.

"I'm not understanding how you can be doing that." Fiona said, finally having had enough of the girl's dual nature.

"Training." She replied without emotion.

"Ach! You're worse than my husband." She sighed. "Come on Tabby, tell me what's going on with you."

"A good bodyguard blends in." She replied, seemingly completely unperturbed.

"Nope, that's not good enough." Fiona said firmly. "I can't be ordering my husband to answer me, but I am telling you to explain why you're so taciturn when it's only me and Lord Delmar around, and why you're being that fake version of yourself whenever anyone else is near." Then she added. "And I'm wanting more than one sentence."

Tabitha eyed her for a moment. "Lord Delmar said that you do not like falsehoods, and so he ordered me not to pretend to be other than I am when you and I are alone." She paused, then added. "Thus, I only behave as my handmaiden persona when others are around."

"Well, that was two sentences at least." Fiona replied, a small smile on her face. For all his protestations that he only wanted a practical marriage, her husband was remarkably considerate.

"What's your story Tabby?" Fiona asked. "How were you getting to be doing this at your age?"

"Years of training." Tabitha replied.

"Well, I suppose you can be keeping your secrets." Fiona said, realizing that it might be a personal question. And besides, she needed to be seeing Mage Weston anyway. Still, she smiled as she thought about Lord Delmar's instructions to Tabby. It really was quite considerate and she was wanting to thank him properly that night in bed.

About halfway to Mage Weston's office, something occurred to Fiona and she stopped to look at her bodyguard. "Tabby, I don't suppose you were learning court etiquette, were ya?"

"Some." She replied.

"I'm having that luncheon coming up and while I'm knowing how to serve one properly, I'm not knowing how to eat one as a right and proper lady should be eating one. I don't suppose you could be helping me with that?"

"I could." Tabitha replied without emotion.

"Thank you, after my lessons with Mage Weston?"

"If you wish, my lady." Tabitha did a small head bow.

"Thank you." Fiona replied, feeling slightly less awful about the prospect of lunch.

* * *

Sarah had followed Alana out of the captain's cabin when Beth had told them that her betrothed was talking to Gabriella. Sarah wasn't sure what to think of that. She wondered why it didn't work, but a tiny part of her felt relieved. She wasn't proud of that, but it was how she felt. She was currently at the front of the Argo where she had stowed her little survivor plant from her garden; the garden she'd accidentally destroyed while fighting Kyrupto.

"I could show you how to channel mana through it." Alana offered. "That will help it do better."

"I'd appreciate that, thank you." Sarah replied.

Her fellow wife was in the middle of doing just that when Sarah noticed a shadow behind her, which turned out to be her betrothed. He looked... defeated. Tired.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"It's what Gabriella said." He replied, then looked at Alana. "I want to tell Sarah about it before I tell everyone else."

Alana gave him a strange look that was half frown and half quizzical. "Why?"

"It'll make sense when I tell everyone." He replied. "Everyone will hear everything, but I want to tell Sarah first since it's about her."

Alana swallowed, then nodded. "I'm guessing by 'everyone', you only mean your wives and not Victoria or Thea?"

He nodded. "Yeah.

"Okay, call me when you need me." She nodded, then walked away.

"Is it that bad?" Sarah asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Her betrothed took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It's... it's not good."

Then he told her.

Sarah could feel her cheeks burning by the time he was done and she wanted to hide under the nearest rock, or mountain, or clear down to the deepest mine ever excavated. She couldn't meet his eyes. He had said it would be bad, but she didn't realize it would be that bad. She could feel her entire body growing just a bit too warm and yet she was also breaking out in a cold sweat too.

"Are you okay?" He asked just as she contemplated going below decks and locking herself in the smallest, darkest room she could find.

She swallowed. "You have to tell the others, don't you?"

"I do." He nodded. "I'm not going to keep secrets like that, not about something this important. If it was something small, or something that affected only you, I might. But this..." He shook his head. "No, I can't keep this from my other wives."

She nodded. "I... I understand."

"Do you want to talk about it first?" He asked. "I need to tell them soon, but we can talk a bit first if that will help."

"I don't think it will." She felt her throat get tight as she thought about him telling them that; what would they think of her? More importantly, what did he think of her?

"What?" He asked gently.

"I'm sorry." She managed to get out, but what she didn't say -- what she didn't ask because she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer -- was if he was regretting their betrothal.

"Sarah." He said softly.

She swallowed.

"Sarah, look at me." He said just as softly, but his voice had a strength to it that gave her just enough willpower to glance at him. "Sarah, I won't lie to you and say I'm okay with this, but I'm still happy we're betrothed."

She swallowed again, this time her throat felt tight for a good reason as she blinked at him. "Really?" Her voice cracked slightly.

He nodded. "Yes."

"How did you know?"

"That you were wondering?"

She nodded.

"Because that was the first thing you were worried about after the battle with Kyrupto." He replied. "I love you Sarah, and I still want to marry you, but I think you've made a terrible choice here."

She nodded. "I think I have too, but I don't know how to unmake it."

"Let's get everyone else in on this; they might have some good ideas."

She nodded. "Okay."

"If you like, I can tell everyone how my conversation with Luminar Kossel went first." He offered.

She nodded. "Thank you."

His other wives arrived at the Argo's bow not long afterwards and he recounted his conversation about Lady Ekthros.

"It's nice to have the full story, but I don't think it makes anything clearer." Alana said.

"I wonder what this 'hope' is that he seems to have." Beth mused.

Taloni didn't say anything, but she looked deeply conflicted and her wings alternately fluttered, flicked, and even occasionally buzzed.

Rachel frowned. "I agree with Alana; knowing what happened makes how we should respond trickier."

"Perhaps." Kendra added. "Combat with an arch mage is also a tricky thing, and fraught with many dangers. I'll look forward to hearing his advice when the time comes."

Sarah bit her lip, her heart torn. On the one hand, the way that Luminar Kossel had been trying to save his wife for so many years made her heart ache for a happy ending. On the other hand, Lady Ekthros had done so many evil things. It was good to hear that the girl Lady Ekthros had murdered in front of her wasn't innocent, but it didn't make the event less horrifying or the lady herself less scary.

"Yeah, that's about how I feel." Ethan said. "Fortunately, we have some time to think about it." He looked at Sarah. "You ready for me to tell them?"

She bit her lip, swallowed hard, then nodded.

He told them.

Sarah had thought it was bad hearing it the first time, but it was so much worse hearing it again in front of the others. She couldn't meet any of their eyes and had to resist the urge to run for the lower decks and hide under the nearest thing she could find.

She didn't run though.

She stayed and felt the shame burn through her as the people she wanted to like her most in the world heard something about her that she wished that no one would ever know. She could almost imagine how disappointed they would be in her and how she would be the 'odd-wife-out', married to Ethan but never really part of the family.

"Sarah?" Alana said, shaking her out of her reverie.

Sarah glanced at the wood elf, slightly surprised to see a sympathetic expression there.

"Do you need a hug?" Alana asked.

She nodded.

The shorter elf came up and gave her one, and she was soon joined by the rest of Ethan's wives, and Ethan as well. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as they all hugged her, and hugged her tightly.

Why?

She didn't understand. It didn't make sense. They had just learned that she was voluntarily not letting go of a demon -- even though a part of her wanted to -- and they were hugging her? Comforting her?

"Why are you all being so nice?" She finally managed to get out.

The group hug separated and Alana looked at her. "Because I can see that you are struggling with this. You don't like the choice you made, and I'm guessing at least part of you wants to change it, but the rest of you can't, and you probably don't even know how to."

She nodded.

"None of us are perfect." Alana continued. "And while your mistake is bigger than most, I nearly got Ethan killed once because I was afraid he would be upset if he sensed my attraction to Rachel just before we fought Havorleth. None of us is perfect."

"I nearly killed Ethan." Kendra spoke up. "Several times in fact."

"I did too, or at least I tried." Rachel added.

"I was terrible to Alana right after I married Ethan." Beth said. "In fact, I was a spoiled and selfish brat."

Sarah looked at Taloni, who hadn't spoken yet.

"And Tee is too nice for any of that." Kendra said with a smile.

"I didn't used to be." The Fey teen's wings drooped. "But I'm glad you think I am now."

"You didn't used to be?" Ethan asked as everyone stared at her.

"Master, I'll tell you about it if you order me to, but I don't ever want to talk about it. I don't even want to think about it."

Everyone stared at her.

"Okay Tee." Ethan said after a moment. "We won't push."

"Thank you Master."

"Anyway." He looked at Sarah. "Why do you want the demon to stay?"

"I don't, but..." She bit her lip.

"But...?" Alana prompted.

"But what if Kyrupto comes back?" Sarah almost whispered. "Or what if the black dragon attacks the Argo again? Without my demon, I'm just..." She looked down at her skinny arms. "What if one of you gets hurt, or worse?"

"A sheepdog's worst fear; being unable to protect those around him." Kendra said, then added without judgement. "You appear to have a problem with fear."

Sarah nodded, unable to disagree.

"If you want to protect others without your demon, you'll need to learn how to fight." Kendra said. "You have no form or structure when you fight; you could easily hit twice as hard, and do so without leaving yourself completely open to attack."

Ethan rubbed his jaw and winced. "Twice as hard?"

Kendra nodded.

"Okay." Sarah nodded. "Maybe if I knew how to fight, I wouldn't get so scared and my problem wouldn't come out as much."

"Selene would've loved to help train you." Ethan sighed, elements of wistfulness and sadness in his tone.

"I would've liked that too." Sarah replied, missing her friend terribly. She also missed Amy and Fiona, especially Fiona. Sarah hadn't been thinking of this at the time, but it occurred to her that her betrothal to Ethan might make being friends with Fiona impossible. She hoped not, but it might.

"Problem?" Beth asked Sarah.

"I love being betrothed to Ethan, but I don't know if Fiona will still want to be friends because I am." Sarah replied.

"Sorry about that." Ethan grimaced apologetically.

"Speaking of people in Narlotten, I need to reply to Mage Weston's letter." Rachel looked at Sarah. "I'm sure he could pass a letter to Fiona, but assume that people besides Fiona will read it."

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

"How will you send him a letter?" Beth asked.

"I'll send it to Elder Goman with some coin and ask him to portal the letter to Karnas." Rachel replied, then she looked at Ethan. "If you don't mind the expense that is. It'll be a few gold coins, possibly more since targeting portals is extremely arcane and rare knowledge."

Ethan winced, but nodded. "This one time, okay. Thea gave me rather a lot of gold to bring her home. I don't want to be a spendthrift, but this seems important."

"But how will Mage Weston get it?" Beth asked. "Messengers don't just deliver messages to lords because they're addressed to them; they'd get too many."

"I'll address it to someone in Karnas whose job it is to move messages to the castle." Rachel replied. "Many of the important people in the castle have codenames and if you address a message properly, it will be passed along. If you don't, it won't."

"Clever." Ethan nodded.

"How will you answer his question?" Tee asked.

"What question?" Sarah asked.

Rachel explained the moral dilemma that Mage Weston had posed.

"That's horrible." Sarah shuddered, but was glad the topic had changed from her demon; she certainly didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"It's also a trick question." Rachel said, then addressed Tee. "The specific street he mentioned in that spot -- a spot I visited with him once -- has a ramp you could ride the horse up instead, but that path abruptly ends at a ledge after only fifty feet. The drop is high enough that you probably wouldn't survive it."

"He wants to know if you have used dark mana." Kendra nodded. "A necromancer would likely never think of sacrificing himself to save others."

"Clever." Ethan nodded.

"He is quite a brilliant man." Rachel nodded. "And a brilliant mage."

"Coming from you, that's saying something." Alana smiled at her.

"Thank you." Rachel smiled. "I think I might tell him some of our story because I'm pretty certain that he isn't entirely convinced Ethan is a necromancer. I don't want to tell him everything since others will almost certainly read the letter, but I would like to give him an overview that answers what Lady Ekthros said to Sarah about Ethan."

"Good idea." Ethan nodded. "And make sure you tell him about your will-breaker ring too. Who knows, Lady Ekthros might've tried to pull that stunt on someone else, so someone at the castle should know."

"I will." Rachel nodded. "That will definitely get his attention."

Alana looked at Sarah. "I can help you write a letter to Fiona if you like, but remember that Rachel said others would probably read it."

"Thank you." Sarah smiled at her, then glanced at Kendra. "I suppose after that, I should start training?"

Kendra nodded. "We will."

"I should too, for fire breathing." Ethan said, then told them about the rest of his conversation with Gabriella.

"I can't wait to ask Falkaan about my wings!" Beth gushed.

"I should've trusted my gut." Kendra said when he was done. "I always thought Falkaan had a trick like that, and even guessed it might be Astral Projection, especially right before Ethan and I fought in the Arena since he knew what you would do so accurately."

"And minotaurs are real?" Ethan asked.

Everyone looked at him.

"Judging by your expressions, I guess that's a stupid question." He chuckled. "Okay, I'll try to practice my fire-breathing then."

"We'll get those letters written and sent." Alana said, glancing at Rachel and Sarah.

* * *

Fiona sighed as she tried to remember everything that Tabitha had taught her that afternoon about eating like a lady. It was incredible how the woman could communicate so much with so few words. Still, she was learning a lot and was hoping she wouldn't be making a fool of herself at the luncheon tomorrow. They were in one of the small rooms off the kitchen, where Fiona had asked Marge to loan her a few plates and food so she could practice. The cook agreed and thus the lessons began.

It was the middle of the afternoon when the door to the small room opened and Nessie slipped in, then curtsied. "My lady, Mage Weston requests your presence in his office as a matter of some urgency."

"Urgency? Why?" Fiona asked.

"I do not know, my lady." Her handmaiden replied.

"I guess I should be going then." Fiona stood, then looked at Nessie. "Thank you."

"You're welcome my lady." Nessie curtsied again and then left while Fiona and Tabitha started walking briskly toward Mage Weston's room.

"You were wanting to see me?" Fiona asked after entering the mage's study.

"Ah, yes I am." He took off his spectacles and looked at her hand. He had a letter in his hand and he stroked his short beard as he looked at her hand. Something about him was different today. His manner was usually light and cheerful, but today his expression was deadly serious. His normally cheerful face had a frown on it and something about him just seemed... powerful. For the first time, she realized that he might be the court mage not only for his knowledge.

"Might I see your kidnapping ring?" He asked after a moment.

"You're knowing about that?" Fiona looked down at her hand where the ring was. Oddly, she'd almost completely forgotten that she was wearing it.

He raised an eyebrow.

Of course he knew; he was on her husband's senior council. "Why are you wanting to see it?"

"Because I just received a very interesting letter from one Rachel Ejder." Mage Weston replied, getting to his feet and holding up the letter.

"Oh?" Fiona resisted the urge to clench her fists at the last name, though she did feel bad for the girl who had been so thoroughly deceived by a necromancer.

"Might I see the ring?" He asked.

"Oh, sure." She nodded, having forgotten that she was wearing it again. She reached down and grabbed the ring, though she felt strangely hesitant to remove it from her finger.

She wasn't sure why.

"Problem?" Mage Weston asked as he fixed her with a piercing gaze.

"No, it's not a problem." She replied, relaxing her hands. "I can be taking it off."

The mage put his half-moon spectacles back on and looked at her over the top of them. "Then why don't you?"

She nodded, then reached down and gripped the ring again. It really shouldn't matter if she took it off, right? It was just a ring. She thought it looked good on her and she wanted to look good for her husband. She really did. He'd had such a hard life and she liked the idea that her wearing something pretty -- like the ring -- might help, even the tiniest bit.

"Tabitha, the ring." Mage Weston said after a moment.

"What are--" Fiona started to say, but suddenly Tabitha was in front of her and she gave Fiona a gentle slap in the face.

Fiona froze, too shocked to respond.

Then Tabitha moved away, her eyes wary and alert, which was more real emotion than Fiona had seen from her before.

"Why were you... you doing..." Fiona blinked as she felt light-headed all of a sudden.

"Sit down my lady." Tabitha pulled a chair out and Fiona sank into it, realizing only then that her bodyguard had her kidnapping ring in her hand.

When had...?

Oh, the slap. That must've been a distraction so she wouldn't feel the ring being removed. Tabitha deposited it on Mage Weston's table and the mage leaned over to examine it mere inches away. He didn't touch it.

"What is happening?" Fiona asked, still feeling lightheaded and woozy.

"The only non-heirloom, non-ornate rings that people are that hesitant to remove are will-breaker rings." Tabitha replied.

Fiona's eyes widened. "What?"

"That was a ripper enchantment; it's a kill spell at full power, though thankfully it wasn't even close to full power. That's why you feel lightheaded." Mage Weston said as he ran his hand over the ring, still not touching it, and spoke absentmindedly. "It was only partially formed, which is why the damage wasn't worse."

"And my baby?" Fiona asked at once.

Mage Weston instantly stepped over to her and placed a hand over her womb. He concentrated for a moment, then smiled. "No ill effects that I can detect, and congratulations."

"Thank you, but..." She looked at the ring on the table.

"Indeed." His smile faded into a frown as he moved back to the ring. "The enchantment is extremely subtle." He ran his hand over it again. "This is masterful work; I never would have noticed unless I was looking for it. Whoever did this somehow spread the summoning enchantment from the kidnapping ring enchantments over the entire thing and hid the other enchantments 'under' it, for lack of a better term."

"Other enchantments?" Fiona asked.

Mage Weston stood up and nodded darkly. Fiona looked at the ring on the table, scarcely able to believe that it was a will-breaker ring.

She shook her head.

How?

How was that possible?

"Who gave you the ring?" Tabitha asked, her demeanor calculating and piercing rather than cold and aloof.

"Lady Ekthros." Fiona replied, still staring at it.

"She didn't make this." Mage Weston said pointedly to the bodyguard, his tone indicating no trace of doubt.

"How can you be sure?" Fiona asked.

"She is a powerful mage, but not a good enchantress." He replied absentmindedly as he ran his hand over the ring again, still not touching it. "Her enchanting skills are mid-level at best, but this is the work of a high-level master of unusual cunning."

"But she was giving me the ring." Fiona replied, Lady Ekthros's 'the ends justifies the means' views firmly in Fiona's mind.

"Which she got someone else to enchant." Mage Weston replied. "She asked me to enchant one for Rachel many years ago, but I simply didn't have the time when she asked and so I referred her to someone else."

Fiona nodded.

"Go, tell Lord Delmar what you found." Tabitha told the mage, and it didn't sound like a suggestion. "I will guard her here."

"Good idea." The mage mused, clearly still preoccupied with the ring. He ran his hand over it one last time, still not touching it, then walked towards the door. He stopped before leaving and looked back at Fiona. "There is a letter on the table that purports to be from Sarah, but the script shows elven influence in the way the letters are made; read with discernment."

Fiona nodded, still feeling quite tired.

Mage Weston left, closing the door behind him.

She looked at the ring again and a shiver ran down her spine. She had been wearing a will-breaker ring? She put her hand over her womb, shuddering to think what could've happened if she'd worn it long enough to affect the baby. And what if she'd worn it long enough for it to affect her?

She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about it.

* * *

"You're overthinking it."

Ethan turned to look at his beloved first wife and gave her a look. "You think?"

"Yes, that's why I said it." She teased, completely unabashed.

He had spent some time trying in vain to get fire out of his throat; in fact, he had spent much of the afternoon doing just that while Sarah and Kendra had gone over the basics of combat. The very basics, starting at the martial arts equivalent of kindergarten. They had taken a break for a while, during which Alana had continued teaching Sarah to read.

"Sir, just remember what it felt like that time you sneezed fire and go with your instincts." She told him. "As I've told you many times before, dragons use magic more instinctually than anyone else. I suggest you lean into that, unless you want a repeat of your attempts at enchanting leather."

He winced. "God, that was painful."

She flashed him a dazzling smile and then walked away.

He took a deep breath and thought back to that one time he had sneezed fire while escorting Talven and Salma to safety, right before he'd encountered the possessed man for the first time. He remembered how it felt pretty well, including that doing so had drained some of his mana.

Huh.

That was something.

As he thought about it, he remembered that Kyrupto's flame had hurt Beth while she was on the Astral Plane, so it made sense that there was a magical component to dragon's fire and it wasn't purely physical. Leaning into that, he pushed a little of his mana toward his fire glands -- well, his throat really since he didn't quite know where they were.

The result was immediate.

He almost instantly felt like he had to cough and reflexively opened his mouth. It was a reflex that would've been nearly impossible to stop too. He could feel something in his throat that wanted to get out, and he tried to relax and let it out. Oddly, it felt a lot like belching.

The result was a puff of flame.

It wasn't large and it took more mana than he thought it should have, but it was fire. He had just intentionally breathed fire! Behind him, all his wives plus Myla, Victoria, and Thea clapped and he grinned.

"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week." He said with a bow in a mock-comedian voice. A few smiled in response, but none of them truly got the joke. Damn, it was times like this that he really missed Selene. Well, missed her more.

"I miss her too Drago." Kendra's face fell.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I should get back to practicing my fire breathing."

The dragon huntress nodded, and Ethan couldn't believe how unenthusiastic he felt about breathing fire. If Selene were here, he'd be doing a happy dance. But she wasn't. She wasn't and he needed to make his peace with that. He glanced at Victoria and then Thea, but honestly, he just wasn't ready. He shook his head and went back to practicing. Now that he'd done it once, it became a lot easier.

It took a lot of mana though.

Anything more than a tiny puff of flame started draining his mana reserves faster than he thought it should. The way that Havorleth had used fire, it didn't seem like it took him a lot of mana. Maybe he needed to do some enchanting on himself to lower the mana cost? Maybe he needed to practice more since getting better at something tended to lower the mana cost, often significantly with enough practice.

He decided to call it quits for now since he was still working on enchanting his spine to withstand the strain of the speed enchantment Alana had said she would put on his armor. Regrowing his hand had put a serious dent in how fast he collected mana, again making him think that regrowing limbs had a magical component speeding it up. At least his appetite was going down.

Not long after, he sat down at the dinner circle and looked at his left hand. He had the final joint of most of his fingers to regrow, but that was about it. He figured that they should be fully regrown by the morning, and it was about time.

"It's almost fully regrown." Alana commented.

"Yup, then I can get back to sparring in earnest." He replied as he took some dinner and then grabbed a bite. "Damn that's good." He beamed at Sarah, the architect of the meal.

"Thank you." His betrothed was all smiles at the compliment.

Everyone else had very good things to say about the meal after tasting as well. The chef was grinning ear-to-ear as she sat down to eat. For some reason, Alana had made sure there was an open spot next to him and that Sarah sat in it.

"Hi." He smiled at Sarah.

"Hi." she smiled back.

"Oh, not this again." Victoria said in mock exasperation. "There isn't even a betrothal kiss to make them stop this time.

Everyone chuckled.

"I'm glad my hand is almost fully regrown." He said a minute later. "It'll be good to get back to sparring with the full use of both hands."

"But Master, we're going on vacation next and I thought a vacation meant we don't do any work?"

"Yeah, that's true." He shrugged. "Eh, maybe only if I get bored on the Isle of Moragana."

"Um, are we going to the Isle of Moragana?" Sarah asked with a frown. "I knew we would vacation somewhere in the Gulf of Sayora, but are we going to the Isle of Moragana specifically?"

"That was the plan, why?" He replied.

"From what I've heard from the people who passed through the inn, there are a lot of Ivernian soldiers there." The innkeeper's daughter replied. "They keep the peace, or at least they're supposed to."

Ethan sighed. "I suppose that means we need another vacation destination."

"Good, Illuminar knows what those Saidow spawn would try to pull." Victoria spoke up.

Everyone looked at her.

"You mean the Ivernian soldiers?" Sarah asked.

Victoria nodded, her jaw was clenched and she had cold fury in her eyes. "My father did lots of stewarding work for Baron Martel, so I read a lot of Ivernian soldier minds. They are the most depraved scum in the entire Ten Kingdoms. Half of them had raped a woman, the other half were only waiting for a chance, and most of them would've run someone through as soon as helping him."

Ethan was about to respond, but apparently, she had worked herself up a little.

"A couple of them wanted to try something with me, when I was fifteen." She hissed. "Thankfully, they didn't have mental defenses so I could make them develop migraines before they did anything." She balled her fists up. "Ivernian soldiers are the most depraved, disgusting creatures in the entire Ten Kingdoms, and if a hole in the ground opened and they all fell straight down to Saidow's Lair, the world would be a better place."

Everyone stared at her.

After several moments, Ethan had to resist the urge to chuckle as he added in a mock-serious tone. "Don't sugar coat it Victoria, tell us how you really feel."

Everyone chuckled, even the platinum blonde.

"Sorry." She said, having the good sense to look slightly abashed. "I just get so mad when I think about all the people they've hurt, and how they deserve--" She stopped. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry." Alana said. "We've certainly had our fair share of run-ins with them. I don't think all Ivernian soldiers are that bad though."

"Maybe." Victoria replied, and judging by her tone, you might've thought someone had called for snow the following day.

"Anyway." Ethan said. "I suppose we should find another place to vacation."

"The islands just on the other side of the Ivernian mountains south of Dotmier are supposed to be beautiful." Sarah suggested.

"We're already very close Master." Taloni pointed out. "And that would be closer than the Isle of Moragana so we could start our vacation even sooner."

"Anyone object?" Ethan looked around.

"I don't think any of us have seen them." Alana replied. "Or at least, only from a distance and we were preoccupied."

Ethan nodded, remembering that they had indeed been on the other side of the Ivernian mountains -- well, hills in that area -- while they were being chased by those two Ivernian airships before their airship battle.

"Then perhaps we should decide after we see them?" Rachel suggested.

Everyone agreed.

"Well, since everyone is here, there are two things we should probably discuss." Ethan said, then took another bite, marveling at how flavorful the dinner was. Sarah really was an amazing cook.

"I assume the first is about Lady Ekthros's offer." Kendra asked.

He nodded. "She says she'll stop chasing us if we leave the Ten Kingdoms; should we trust her since she made the offer while she had me dead to rights? And if we trust the offer, should we take it? Thoughts?"

Everyone looked at Alana since she usually answered first in these sorts of things, but the wood elf shook her head. "I know what I think, but don't want to go first. Beth?" She looked at the blonde.

"Um, if I'm being mature, I would say that we can't trust her." She said. "And even if we could trust her, I don't think we should. I remember what those possessed men did; we can't let her have them."

"And if you're being immature?" Alana asked.

"I don't want to never see my family again." The blonde replied.

"Master, I agree with Beth." Tee spoke up. "You are the prophet of Illuminar; we need to stop her from using possessed men."

"I agree, but for different reasons." Rachel said. "I doubt she'd let them loose on purpose; I'm more concerned that her control over them might not be as strong as she thinks it is. Can you imagine what would happen if they were to be free to move about and attack who they wished?"

Ethan grimaced.

"Lady Ekthros is extremely clever." Rachel continued. "But I doubt that even she is clever enough to retain control of them forever."

"You really think she could lose control of them?" Alana asked.

"It's possible." Rachel nodded. "Consider, demons have existed for eons and it's only the summoning contract that keeps them controlled. I would bet that sooner or later, they will find a loophole or some other way out of it."

"What's a summoning contract?" Victoria asked. "I can guess from the name, but more specifically."

"Demons can't enter our world without a mortal's permission." Kendra spoke up, then glanced at Sarah. "For example, when those men summoned the demon in Sarah, they had to invite it to our world and then Sarah had to agree to let it enter her. The contract with Sarah's demon is incredibly vague -- just that 'he would make it so she never needed to be afraid again' -- but I imagine that Lady Ekthros was more specific."

"And that's my concern." Rachel picked up. "Demons have existed for a long time and are very cunning. If there's any flaw in the contract, they will find it and use it to get free. Normally the limiting factor is the person who summoned the demon, because the demon can't leave that person. However, it sounds like the contract with Lady Ekthros is a third-person contract giving her control, so I imagine it's more complicated. Worst case scenario, the demon escapes Lady Ekthros's control while retaining full control of the man it's possessing. That would be a nightmare."

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It never occurred to me that it could get worse than Lady Ekthros controlling the possessed men."

"Adding to that, there is still the matter of the bounty hunters." Kendra said. "If you'll recall, it wasn't Narlotten or Ivernian soldiers who attacked us in Laerten; it was bounty hunters." She looked at Ethan. "And Falkaan told you that Lord Farbrottan recently tripled the bounty on us."

Ethan glanced at Rachel and then her hand, where if one looked very closely, you could see the two extremely faint scar lines where she'd lost a couple of fingers in that ambush before Taloni had reattached them.

"Myla, Victoria? Thea?" He looked at them. "Thoughts?"

"I do not consider her worthy of trust." Myla replied simply.

"I hate fighting." Victoria replied. "But it doesn't sound like we have much of a choice."

"Not if we want to stay alive." Thea nodded. "I personally wouldn't mind sailing off into the sunset and visiting a new country every week for the rest of my life. However, this ship isn't big enough for all the kids I'm sure you'll have, and we can't run forever. Sooner or later, someone with a faster airship will start chasing us."

"Sarah?" Ethan asked her.

"She can't get away with it." Sarah said quietly. "She's already hurt so many people; how many more could she hurt if we don't stop her?"

"Yeah, that's a good point." He looked at Alana. "Time to weigh in."

"I think we already had this conversation." She replied. "We all agreed that unless we did something, sooner or later they would catch up with us and one or more of us would die. I think Gabriella said something like that, didn't she?"

Ethan nodded.

"So nothing has changed, and it sounds like the people who weren't here for the last conversation -- Sarah, Myla, Victoria, and Thea -- all agree with our previous conclusion. I'm glad we discussed it, but her offer changes nothing."

"Yeah." Ethan nodded as he looked around at everyone. "Yeah, that's a good point."

"Actually, it changes one thing." Kendra spoke up. "If Lady Ekthros keeps her word -- and I realize that's nothing like certain -- then we can choose when we need to be careful again."

"You mean once we leave Nalatia, maybe we don't come back to the Ten Kingdoms until we're ready?" Rachel asked.

The former Aldmiri nodded. "We know people here now; people who we can communicate with via the portal stones. We can gather our strength and wait to come back. Maybe even recruit allies outside the Ten Kingdoms, though involving foreign powers will definitely make the Aldmiri nervous, so I would consider that a last resort."

Ethan nodded. "Makes sense; we'll avoid outside powers then unless we're forced."

"Then, we're really doing this?" Sarah asked, her voice quiet but not mousy. The low volume seemed to be more from disbelief and something like awe than fear. "I remember when you told me about your conversation where you decided to 'go to war', but I didn't realize..." She took a deep breath. "This is serious, isn't it." It wasn't a question.

Ethan nodded. "I wish it wasn't and I wish I had better news, but I don't. I'm afraid you're betrothed to an outlaw; I hope that's not a dealbreaker."

She smiled. "Never."

"Good." He smiled, then looked at Myla. "Now, we could all use a distraction, and what's a better distraction than a wedding?"

A smile slowly grew on Myla's face, and it looked like she was trying to suppress it but couldn't. "My heart is happy that I can provide such a distraction."

"Do you know when you want to get married?" Ethan asked.

"No Meelas, I have not communicated with my fiancé regarding that."

"He'll say as soon as possible." Kendra spoke up. "He's wanted a wife and family for so long now that I doubt he'll want to delay, assuming you are okay with that." She ended looking at Myla.

"That would make my heart happy." Myla smiled.

"But?" Alana prompted, leaning forward slightly. "You look like you want something else too."

"Hai." She nodded. "My heart desires to be married somewhere beautiful." Her face fell slightly. "I was not able to have such a wedding before, but as we are traveling to a place reputed to possess much beauty, might I get married there?" She was looking at him as she said that, and Ethan got the distinct impression that she was asking for his permission.

"That's up to you Myla." He smiled. "Well, you and Falkaan; it's your wedding, so you two can have it wherever you would like."

"My heart is filled with gratitude Meelas."

"How about you?" He turned to look at Sarah. "Any idea where you want to get married?"

"I've always loved the idea of getting married in a beautiful garden." She replied with one of those wistful smiles one gets when thinking about something you've wanted for a long time.

"Oh!" Beth's eyes lit up. "The hanging gardens in Nalatia; they are absolutely gorgeous!"

"I've heard of them." Sarah said in an awed whisper, then looked at Ethan with her eyes wide. "Could we really get married there?"

"Um, maybe?" He replied. "They are gorgeous, but given how the elves and their honor-shame culture are, I'm not sure how they would react to you having a certain problem."

"Oh." Sarah deflated somewhat.

"On the other hand, you did make some very good arguments to the king last time we were there." Rachel replied. "Sarah's problem isn't her fault, and you certainly made a very good argument that Alana couldn't be punished unless there was a crime with two or three witnesses."

"Selene helped me form that argument." He replied, suddenly thinking about the 'one that got away'.

"I miss her too." Sarah said, then leaned against him.

Kendra swallowed and blinked once or twice, then her face became a mask. Everyone else became a little more subdued as well.

"Sorry." Ethan looked at Myla and then Sarah. "I didn't mean to kill the mood."

"Meelas, your heart aches for Selene." Myla said. "Such feelings cannot be suppressed and should not be; she is missed."

Everyone agreed.

* * *

Fiona stared at the letter from Sarah with her mouth agape and her heart freezing in her chest. Betrothed? Sarah was betrothed to the false prophet? She stared at the words on the page for several long seconds, hoping against hope that she had missed the part where it was a cruel joke. She knew that Sarah had liked him, but this?

"My lady."

Fiona looked up at Tabitha and saw that Nessie was there too, though Fiona had no idea when her handmaiden had arrived.

"Lord Delmar has called an emergency council meeting." Nessie said. "He wishes for you to attend if you are able."

She nodded. "I can be going; I'm just feeling a bit tired."

"He sent some of the castle's guards to escort you." Nessie continued, her eyes bright and expression piercing. She wasn't a dummy; she knew something was happening.

Fiona nodded and stood, feeling slightly lightheaded for a moment. Quick as a flash, Tabitha was next to her and put an arm around her waist so she could lean on her bodyguard.

"Thank you." Fiona said, took a minute to get her balance, and then was able to stand. She felt a little tired and woozy, but otherwise okay. She still had Sarah's letter in her hand.

Tabitha followed Fiona out of the room, and they saw a half dozen castle guards waiting there. Fiona recognized all of them as on the rotation to guard Lord Delmar's office, their room, the nursery, and the council chambers. She smiled at that; her husband had sent the best and most trusted guards in all of Narlotten to escort her.

Not long after, they arrived at the council chamber doors and Tabby was right next to her to help if need be. Fiona didn't need the help, but that was nice. Everyone was already assembled. The moment they entered, Lord Delmar stood and strode quickly over to her.

"You may go." He said to Tabby, who stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

Fiona clutched her husband's arm, more for comfort than anything else, as he helped her to her seat. She sat down, feeling quite tired.

"Deep mana." Mage Weston said. "The ripper spell in will-breaker rings produces disruptions in deep mana when removed, even if they have only established a tenuous connection to their wearer."

"Will breaker rings!" Sir Warrick said in alarm. "What is going on?"

"All in good time." Lord Delmar said, then looked at the luminar at the table. "Pray, then we shall begin."

The luminar did pray, and he added a bit about protection from dark forces that he didn't usually say.

"Mage Weston, report." Lord Delmar said when the prayer ended.

The mage looked at Fiona. "You should feel better after a night or two of good sleep, the body refreshes itself then." He looked around at everyone. "If you recall, a woman reputed to be demon-possessed named Sarah recently left the castle after the incident in the audience chamber. I sent her with a letter to give to Rachel Ejder, formerly Rachel Delmar, hoping to learn if she had succumbed to dark magic by presenting a moral test that a necromancer would have extreme difficulty answering correctly. She responded perfectly and then made her case that her husband is not a necromancer."

"Did the case have any merit?" Lady Ekthros asked.

"Some." Mage Weston replied. "It is plausible, though of course that does not make it true." He addressed everyone again. "Rachel also claimed that someone from the castle had put a will-breaker ring on her, and also that her now-husband had saved her from it. She said she believed she knew who did it, but only had a single witness and so didn't make accusations. She did however caution me that that person was still at the castle and that they might try again."

Everyone looked at Fiona, then back at the mage.

"I'm sure you can guess the rest." Mage Weston said. "I asked Lady Fiona to come see me since I had noticed that she had recently begun wearing a kidnapping ring, and Rachel said her will-breaker ring was disguised as a kidnapping ring. I then asked Fiona to remove her kidnapping ring; she found it difficult and required assistance, and felt weak after doing so. I have examined the ring and while I am not able to detect a demonic element, it certainly has all the enchantments associated with will-breaker rings. That plus the fact that she had difficulty removing it under her own will provides strong evidence that it is indeed a will-breaker ring."

"I contacted the emperor to report this, as is required by Ten Kingdoms law." Lord Delmar said. "As per the law, he will dispatch an expert who will be able to determine if a demonic taint is present, and they will not claim jurisdiction unless we give them reason to suspect our investigation is deficient in some way." He looked around the room. "We will not give them reason."

There was a general chorus of agreement.

"What about Lady Fiona?" Sir Warrick asked, then looked at her.

"She will fully recover." Mage Weston said. "The demonic taint of will-breaker rings is broken when they are removed, and the enchantments have already run their course." He addressed Fiona directly. "You should rest for the next few days and not do anything taxing, strenuous, or stressful, but you will recover fully."

Fiona nodded, glad she had an excuse to put off tomorrow's luncheon with the ladies of the court.

"How?" Sir Warrick asked, then looked around at everyone. "How did anyone outside this room even know about Lady Delmar's kidnapping ring?" He looked at Lady Ekthros. "And how did someone get access to your safe without you knowing?"

"Surely you aren't suggesting that Lady Ekthros had anything to do with it?" General Carrow asked in much the same tone that someone might use when replying to the assertion that the sky was red and water was dry.

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"Don't be absurd." Sir Warrick replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "This is a serious matter and not the time for ill-conceived jokes."

Judging by the looks on everyone's faces, they agreed.

"As Sir Warrick had begun to point out, this event has revealed some rather major problems." Lady Ekthros spoke up. "First: how the hell did anyone know about them? Second, how did someone replace the genuine kidnapping rings with will-breaker rings? Third and perhaps most importantly, who in the Ten Kingdoms knows how to make them anymore? The last report from the emperor said they had killed all known makers of the rings and destroyed all writings related to their creation."

"Once discovered, knowledge -- even dark and destructive knowledge like this -- is rarely lost forever." Mage Weston said seriously. "I pray that one day it will be, but I think it not likely."

Lady Ekthros nodded.

"We will conduct a full investigation, and I myself will be personally involved." Lord Delmar said.

Despite her weariness, Fiona couldn't help but smile at that. Her husband was taking personal responsibility for finding out what had happened to her. Given his reputation for hunting dark magic users, that probably wasn't unusual, but that didn't change the fact that he was personally looking into this.

He looked at Lady Ekthros. "Report what you have learned so far."

"Yes my lord." She nodded. "Most of you were here for this, but for those who weren't--" She glanced at Fiona. "--I had the kidnapping rings made many years ago after the council approved it as a way of preparing for Lord Delmar taking a wife. That's why I have so many since I had no way of knowing her ring size. I showed them to Mage Weston just before this meeting, and they all appear to be will-breaker rings."

"Indeed they do." The Mage agreed.

The Lady continued. "However, they have been locked in the safe in my office for nearly all of those years. Finding the person who did it will be a monumental task with all the visitors we receive. Even finding out how long ago it was done is just as difficult; it could've been a few weeks, a few months, or many years. Since the mage who made the rings passed away a few years ago, we only have one clue."

"Which is?" Sir Warrick asked.

"If Rachel isn't lying about her kidnapping ring also being a will-breaker ring, then it's likely that whoever corrupted her ring also corrupted the rings for the future first lady. That gives us something of a timeframe because -- if you recall -- Rachel was out of Narlotten with Lord Delmar when her ring was completed and she didn't return until a week later, when she began wearing it. It seems unlikely it was corrupted after she began wearing it."

"I agree." Mage Weston said. "She knew how important it was, and if it was a will-breaker ring, it seems almost impossible that she did."

Lady Ekthros nodded, then continued. "We can check the logs from those dates, but if I recall correctly, one of the only two currently-living necromancers visited the castle during that week: Hermair. He has visited the castle several times since then as well, making him the most likely candidate."

"That security breach keeps getting worse the more we find out." General Carrow scowled.

"Indeed." Sir Warrick agreed.

"If we assume Hermair knows how to create them, it explains everything." Lady Ekthros continued. "Especially since we know that he was working with the false prophet at one time. Thus, it's possible that the false prophet is behind this, though of course we can't know for certain."

"He was the one who informed us of the will-breaker ring." Mage Weston replied. "Rachel explicitly said that he wanted us to know. Why would he place a will-breaker ring on our First Lady and then inform us of it?"

Everyone looked around the room, confusion on quite a few faces.

"A double deception perhaps?" Lady Ekthros suggested. "You remember the business between Marcadia and Fralenia several years ago; perhaps he is attempting something similar?"

"I'm sorry, but what business is that?" Fiona asked.

"Fralenian operatives hired an assassin to kill Prince Vulrit of Marcadia through a third party." Lord Delmar replied. "The Fralenians then warned the Marcadians of the attempt in order to curry favor and good will through the warning."

"Which worked until Lady Ekthros uncovered the plot." Sir Warrick added.

"We have no proof that Ethan Ejder did this, and your theory seems needlessly complicated." Mage Weston said after a moment. "It's entirely possible that he is responsible, but we should not assume without evidence."

"When you have eliminated all that is possible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Lady Ekthros replied.

"An entirely factual statement, but you assume that you know all that is possible." The mage countered. "To quote something else that you say often: 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Even you -- as clever as you are -- cannot see all possibilities. In this case, you have omitted several obvious ones, such as a different necromancer who's unknown to us."

"A fair point." Lady Ekthros nodded her head in concession. "However, my sources tell me that the false prophet recently got betrothed to the demon-possessed innkeeper's daughter in Ivernia, and that she now travels with him." She leaned forward slightly. "While the girl is almost certainly innocent and being misled, our necromancer now has the power of a demon on his side and we are dealing with demonic rings; can that be a coincidence?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Mage Weston replied. "We have no evidence either way. However, given the large amounts of praise heaped upon Sarah by all who knew her in the castle -- our First Lady included -- perhaps love is at fault. Perhaps Sarah's betrothed indeed has nefarious motives, perhaps not. Perhaps he isn't a necromancer but rather a man stricken with love. I for one will reserve judgement."

"You sound like you are defending him." Lady Ekthros replied, her eyes narrowing and a trace of accusation in her tone.

"And you sound like you are convicting him without two or three witnesses and without letting him speak in his own defense." Mage Weston replied, seemingly entirely unbothered by the lady's accusations.

"Enough." Lord Delmar said. "Suppositions will be a basis to search for evidence, not fodder for idle speculation."

Both Mage Weston and Lady Ekthros nodded.

"My lord, perhaps both have a point." Sir Warrick said. "Perhaps we should increase our efforts to capture him, then let him present his side at trial."

Lord Delmar nodded. "Double the bounty for live capture."

The rest of the meeting focused on the upcoming investigation, and also on preparing for the arrival of the emperor's agent. Fiona still found herself tempted to slump on the table and take a nap, but didn't because she didn't think that would be appropriate. After it ended, she remained seated while trying to summon enough energy to get up.

"Fiona." Her husband said after everyone else had left. "You appear fatigued; please retire to the room and I will ensure that dinner is brought to you so you will not need to take it in the great hall."

She smiled. "Thank you milord, that's very thoughtful."

He nodded once.

Since he was being so considerate, she decided to go for broke. "Milord, can I be asking you to come to bed early tonight?"

"Why?"

"I'll be feeling better with you there."

He made a thoughtful sound and raised one eyebrow. "I would not have suspected that."

She sighed. "Milord, perhaps one day you'll be realizing that I'm actually liking you."

He made another thoughtful sound.

"Could you be coming to bed a little early milord?" She asked again, an idea occurring to her if he did so.

He didn't answer for several seconds. "Once the arrangements for the investigation are in place, I will eschew my normal after-dinner work and join you there."

She smiled. "Thank you milord." If they were going to be in bed early, she was hoping that he would tell her a 'bedtime story' that actually happened from his past. He had said he would tell that story, and she figured that since she wasn't feeling well, tonight was a good night to ask.

* * *

"I don't like math."

Ethan chuckled at Taloni's proclamation as the Fey finished her dinner. Sarah and Taloni had spent some of the afternoon going over math basics so Rachel could figure out where they were. Taloni and Sarah both knew basic multiplication, but neither knew division. Sarah had the concept from cooking -- cutting recipes in half -- and Tee had a little from learning to navigate the Argo, but beyond that, both of them were lost.

"I don't like it either, but I don't like being uneducated more." Sarah replied. "At least you can read."

Taloni nodded with a smile, but the smile on her face seemed a little... forced to Ethan.

Hmm.

After considering that for a few moments, he thought privately to Rachel. *Hey my wise redhead, did you notice any tension between Taloni and Sarah earlier, and again just now?*

*Some, mostly from Taloni, though Sarah might've noticed.* Rachel replied. *I was thinking of asking Tee about it, but hadn't gotten a chance yet.*

*I'll take her for a fly after dinner and talk to her.* He said.

*Good idea my lord.*

After everyone had finished eating, he did just that.

"I'd love to Master!" She beamed.

Sarah sighed. "I wish we had something like that."

"Dragon fighting." Ethan winked, causing everyone except Taloni to chuckle.

The two of them took off heading south toward the Ivernian mountains, which were rather close because they would be nearing a place where they dipped low enough to safely fly over them by morning. Obviously they could try to go over the top someplace higher, but not only was it cold, Anthiel said there were powerful and unpredictable winds that could throw them upwards, or even downwards. Hence, flying around them instead of over them was far safer.

"What did you want to talk about Master?" She asked once they were out of earshot from the Argo.

"What makes you think I want to talk about something?" He replied, flapping as leisurely as he could. Tee could turn on a dime in the air, but he was much faster and thus had to fly slowly to make sure it wasn't a lot of work for her to keep up.

She looked at him. "Because I know you very well Master."

He chuckled. "Then do you know what I want to talk about?"

She nodded, took a deep breath, then spoke. "I don't like Sarah Master."

He blinked. "Come again?"

She gave him a small and slightly impish smile. "I would be happy to Master, but it's not private enough for that here."

He chuckled, then his face got more serious. "Why don't you like Sarah? You were leading the charge for us to get betrothed, what changed?" He cocked his head to one side as he realized what probably had.

"Master, she wanted to use her demon." The Fey drew her lips into a thin line. "After you got betrothed, she wanted to use Illuminar's enemies. I understand why after hearing her story, but I can't like someone who wants to stay demon-possessed."

Ethan nodded slowly, remembering that his third wife was the one who got up early to read the Book of Light every morning. Without question, she was the most devout of his wives and he supposed that he understood a little from her point of view. If he had a friend who insisted on staying close to his ex after what she'd done, he wouldn't like that person much either.

"Why didn't you say something then?" He asked as he banked slightly, starting a slow turn.

She followed his turn. "Because I didn't think it would help Master, and I didn't want to make things worse. Also, I know Illuminar wanted you to marry her, so she's supposed to be your wife. I didn't want to cause trouble by complaining about something only she can change, and until earlier, I thought you might be able to remove her demon with Aharown. I have been praying very hard that she'll change her mind and want the demon gone though."

He smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate that."

"You're welcome Master." She hesitated, then added. "I was trying to be mature and not cause a problem."

His smile widened and he looked at her fondly. "Have I told you that I love you recently?"

She beamed. "I love you too Master."

"I appreciate you praying and trying to not cause problems, but has anyone ever told you that you're terrible at hiding your feelings?"

"Sorry Master." Her face fell.

"You don't need to be sorry; that's not a bad thing." He gave her a comforting smile. "But if Rachel and I noticed, then I'm guessing that Sarah noticed as well."

"Oh." Tee looked down and nodded. "But I don't want to make things harder for her. She wants to fit in so much and she will feel terrible that I don't like her."

"But right now, she doesn't know why." He pointed out. "Wouldn't you rather know why if it was you?"

Taloni nodded. "Can you be there when I talk to her Master?"

"Sure."

* * *

Fiona set Conner down in his crib after feeding him, quite glad that her balance had come back. She was still feeling tired and weak, but not enough that she was worried about falling. She went back to the bed and slipped under the covers as she waited for her husband. He arrived not long afterwards, and entered the room carrying a tray of steaming food that smelled wonderful.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Is that chicken soup?"

"Indeed." He nodded. "Its restorative properties should assist your body in mending."

"You had Marge make this special for me, didn't you?" She asked, pretty sure the great hall was being served something else that evening. She also remembered that it was one of his favorite meals, mostly because it had been one of Helene's favorites. He often requested it when something had reminded him of her, like when Sarah had asked about her the day Fiona had met her.

"It seemed prudent." He replied without emotion.

"Why are you always doing that?" She asked as he set down the tray across her lap. It had legs so it would be stable while she ate. There was also some hot bread with butter that had melted into it; it looked lovely.

"Doing what?" He asked.

"Being so thoughtful and then dismissing your thoughtfulness like it's a duty and you aren't caring?"

He regarded her for a long moment. "You are confusing the emotion of love with the actions of love. Illuminar commands a husband to love his wife in his actions, but nowhere does He require a husband to feel something he does not."

"I was hearing a homily on that once." Fiona got a subtle smile on her face. "It was saying that Illuminar commands the action because it's likely to be leading to the feelings."

"Be that as it may, such is not the case here."

"Yet." She added, her subtle smile growing slightly wider.

He didn't reply.

Fiona had a spoonful of the soup; it was quite good. She also noticed that the soup had some finely chopped hard-boiled eggs in it, which Sarah had suggested to the head cook when her friend had started working in the kitchens. Sarah...

Fiona still couldn't believe that her friend was betrothed to the false prophet. She had ended her current betrothal to become so, and Fiona found herself hoping that Sarah could get out of her current one without becoming a widow. Not that she didn't want the false prophet to die, but she would never wish being widowed on anyone.

She looked at her husband, who was a widower. He had just removed the large medallion on his chest that she believed contained his disguise enchantment, signaling that he was in the room for the night. That being the case, she had a question to ask.

"Milord, seeing as I'm not feeling well, could I be asking a favor?"

"You may ask." He replied evenly. Oddly, he was standing rather stiffly by his side of the bed. She supposed that when he was in here, he was always either sleeping or bedding her and nothing else. She wondered if he didn't know what to do with himself without a task to be accomplished.

"Could you be telling me how you and the Lady Helene were meeting?" She didn't even try to suppress the hopefulness in her tone.

He frowned. "It was inadvisable for me to agree to tell you that story."

"But you were agreeing to tell me and I'd love to be knowing." She replied. "We're almost never having time together, and only now because I'm feeling under the weather; can you be thinking of a better time?"

He inclined his head in concession and made a thoughtful sound with a slightly negative tone to it.

"Please milord?"

He looked at her for several long seconds, then nodded once. "It is not a long story though."

"Begging your pardon milord, but I'm a woman; I'm wanting the details." She said. He hesitated, so she continued. "Could you be telling me the story in the same way you might've been telling Helene a similar story? With all the details and such?" And Fiona figured that since she was asking for the moon, she might as well go for broke. "And I would be loving it if you could sit here in bed with me while you were telling it."

He looked at her for several seconds. "You are milking your condition for favors."

She nodded. "I am milord, but I'm not thinking I'm asking anything that a normal wife wouldn't be wanting from a normal husband. I'm only needing to be 'milking' my condition because you're being so tight-lipped."

He blinked, then cocked his head to one side. He made a thoughtful sound, inclined his head as if in concession, then sat down on the bed and slipped his lower body under the covers. He wasn't sitting very close to her, but he was sitting next to her in bed.

Fiona beamed.

"Very well, I shall begin."

* * *

"Oh." Sarah replied in response to Taloni's explanation of the tension that she'd noticed, apparently prompted by Ethan, who was right there. She looked down and felt her heart sink. She had been hoping so much that she would get along with all of Ethan's wives perfectly. They all got along so well and now she didn't; she was the odd one out. She couldn't even disagree with Taloni's reasoning because she was right.

"Sorry, but I figured that you noticed the tension and I wanted to get it out in the open; stuff festers if left unsaid." Ethan said kindly.

"I'm sorry." Sarah said quietly to Taloni.

"I don't need to forgive you, Illuminar does." The Fey replied. "You haven't done anything wrong to me, but you are rebelling against Illuminar."

Ethan looked at Taloni and raised his eyebrow.

"She is Master." Tee said, answering his unasked question. "Not saying it doesn't mean it isn't true." She looked at Sarah. "I think hearing how serious it is might help."

Sarah bit her lip, then nodded. She wasn't sure it actually helped, but Taloni wasn't wrong.

"I think you were supposed to marry Master." Taloni added. "I know he loves you and you love him, and I know you want to serve Illuminar, and that's good."

"But?" Sarah said, still not speaking loudly nor meeting her eye.

Taloni seemed to be quoting something as she replied. "But how long will you waver between two opinions? If Illuminar is God, follow Him; but if Saidow is God, follow him."

"Saidow isn't God." Sarah said firmly. "I know that, it's just..." She trailed off.

"Sarah, Illuminar will take care of you." Taloni said encouragingly. "Trust Him, you don't need to rely on His enemies."

"I know that in my head, but my heart..." Sarah swallowed.

"I hope you know it everywhere someday." The Fey girl said.

"Me too." Sarah replied.

"I've been praying for you very hard every day." Taloni added.

"Thank you." Sarah responded. It was strange; Taloni's words stung, but Sarah was sure they came from a place of caring. The Fey teen might not like her very much, but she did seem to care about her. That helped. It helped quite a lot.

* * *

Fiona had another spoonful of her soup as her husband began to speak.

"You wish for details?" He asked.

She nodded vigorously. "Very much milord."

"Very well." He nodded. "It was a fall day in my youth."

"How old were you?" She asked.

"Twelve." He replied, and she noticed that his gaze had drifted to the portrait of Helene in the room. "My sire had forced me from his lair four years and three months prior, thus I had to hunt and forage for my own food. I was doing so one day when I stepped into a hunter's trap."

Fiona winced.

"Indeed." He nodded. "I did not possess the required weight to depress the latching spring and thus was trapped for the better part of the day, contemplating if I should chew off my arm again in order to escape."

She stared at him. "What?"

He looked back at her impassively. "If you were forced to choose between an arm and your life, which would you choose?"

She swallowed. "But you said 'again'."

He nodded once. "I did."

She stared at him, assuming that he had stepped in a trap before and thus -- at twelve years old or younger -- had been forced to chew his own arm off in order to escape. "How hard was your life?"

"Very." He replied simply.

She nodded.

"I had just decided to chew my arm off when I heard a horn in the distance, followed by the sounds of battle."

"Battle? Who was fighting?"

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, please be continuing."

"Perhaps five minutes later, I heard the sound of several people approaching." He continued. "There were three: Helene as a ten-year-old and two of her bodyguards, all running nearly flat out. I later learned that she was ambushed and their goal was to kidnap Helene and hold her for ransom. Her retinue had told her and her bodyguards to run and save themselves."

Fiona took another bite of her soup, scarcely believing that her husband was being so complete and forthcoming.

He got the tiniest of smiles on his face and a faraway look in his eye. "Helene saw me and skidded to a halt. She was wearing a green dress with lace trim that was ripped in a few places. It was the perfect color for her hair and brought out her pale blue eyes." He seemed to come to himself after a moment. "She saw my arm and ordered her bodyguards to free me from the trap."

"She did?" Fiona asked. "While she was running for her life?"

He nodded. "She could not stand to see anyone in pain, animals and dragons included. Her bodyguards threatened they'd carry her if she didn't keep running, but she threatened to scream and bring their pursuers down on them if they didn't release me. They started to argue, when she pointed out that it would be faster to release me than to argue."

Lord Delmar inhaled, and it had a slight shudder to it. He blinked once or twice and his eyes looked slightly watery. "That was the first time in my life that anyone did something kind for me."

Fiona felt her eyes beginning to mirror her husband's when she heard that. He was twelve before anyone did anything kind for him?

Wow.

That was...

She sniffled. "I'm sorry for that milord."

"That is life." He replied. "One of her bodyguards drew his sword, warned me not to attack, and stepped on the clamping spring to release me. I sprang out the moment I could, but I did not understand why she did that for me when she was so obviously in danger. She told me to run and hide because bad men were coming, and that she would pray for me, then she and her bodyguards began to run again."

"What did you do?" Fiona asked, the dinner on her tray completely forgotten.

"What she asked me to, predominantly." He replied. "I followed them, staying hidden."

"Even with your injured leg?"

He nodded. "As a dragon, I am much faster on three legs than any human on two."

She nodded.

"Their pursuers had horses and that portion of the forest wasn't very thick." He continued. "The bodyguards sent her on and tried to fight their pursuers. They sold their lives dearly, leaving only two of her pursuers alive. They of course caught up with her, all while I watched, keeping pace while staying hidden. I could see how afraid she was and reacted without conscious thought."

Fiona smiled.

"One of my arms had been caught in the trap, not a leg." He raised his left arm for a moment. "Thus, my ability to leap was unaffected. They did not see me coming. I had spent years hunting and knew where the blood vessels in the neck were, and their chainmail armor did not protect their necks."

"So she was saving you, and then you were saving her." Fiona smiled, though her eyes were a bit watery as well. For some reason, that seemed to fit them both perfectly.

He nodded. "Then she hugged me." His eyes became still more watery. "I was covered in the blood of the men I had just killed and she hugged me in thanks." He blinked several times. "That was the first time someone touched me without harmful intent."

Fiona swallowed, wondering just how terrible Lord Delmar's life had been before meeting Helene. It just didn't seem possible that someone could grow up like that and still become the person he was now.

"I'm sorry about that milord." She reached out and rested her hand on his arm.

"She followed me to my dug-out hole and bandaged my arm with her sash." He continued. "I gave her what little food I had, knowing I would likely go hungry in the following days because I did so. My hole was sized for only me, so it was tight with both of us. We wrapped ourselves up in the blankets I had scavenged over the years because it was a cold night. I wished for nothing more than her beside me for the rest of my days that night." He was starting to actually tear up. "It was not a sensual desire since neither of us had attained puberty, but I had never wanted anything so much as I wanted that."

Fiona sniffled; knowing how the story ultimately ended was making it much harder to hear.

"Her father and his men were out searching for her before first light, and she managed to convince them that I had saved her. She then ordered the court mage to heal my wound and the men to give me as much food as they could spare." He got a small smile on his face.

"She was taking care of you."

He nodded, then swallowed. "Her father returned with her two days later. He offered me a large sum of gold in reward. I asked if instead of the gold, I might see her again. I have rarely seen a man look so shocked."

"I'm understanding that; a dragon turning down gold is unheard of."

He nodded. "Dragons do not covet gold until after puberty, but neither of us knew that at the time. He agreed, and then Helene convinced him to give me the gold anyway." He smiled. "That gold is under this bed."

"It is?"

He nodded. "I have never desired to be parted from it, even though Narlotten's vaults contain far more." He got a faraway look in his eye. "Her father was so impressed that he allowed her to visit me once each week since she desired to as well, though he kept it a strict secret." He gazed at the portrait of Helene for several seconds before looking at Fiona. "That is how we met."

"Wow." She wiped her eye and her hand came away wet. "That's quite the story."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. This time, she felt like that was because he was lost in thought and memories, not because he didn't like sharing.

"Thank you for telling me milord." She added.

He nodded once, then looked at the food on her tray. "Your food has cooled."

She smiled at him. "I was busy with more important things."

He made a thoughtful sound but otherwise didn't react. After several long moments, he raised his hand and stretched it over her soup. She had spent so much time using magic lately that even she could feel that he was using some. He made a strange noise in his throat and several long seconds later, she noticed the tiniest bit of steam rising from her bowl of soup.

Had he just...?

She touched the side of the bowl and it was indeed hot again. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." He nodded once. "Good night Fiona." He turned and laid down with his back facing her and about thirty seconds later, his breathing patterns changed. He was asleep.

Fiona smiled as she ate her soup, marveling that it was the exact perfect temperature; very hot, but just shy of too hot. As much as she had loved hearing his story, for some reason, him warming her soup for her almost seemed more significant. She couldn't put her finger on why, but it did.

* * *

~~EPILOGUE for Chapter 64

Hailey glanced at her phone, which had just dinged to let her know she had a new message. She was lying in bed with Jason and Melinda after a long and tiring day. They were all clothed in their various respective PJs -- Jason in boxers and a T-shirt, Mels in Barbie-branded sleepwear, and her in shorts and a camisole -- and under the covers together. Hailey wasn't romantically interested in Mels, but they had all found it easiest to just sleep in the same bed. Thankfully, there hadn't been any awkwardness yet, though it was bound to happen eventually.

"Who's that?" Melinda asked as she glanced at Hailey's phone.

"Let me see..." She unlocked her phone and looked.

Yvonne: "How is she doing?"

Hailey smiled and then typed back: "Not bad. She spent half the day sleeping but was up later in the afternoon."

Yvonne replied immediately: "Good. If she appears to have any adverse side effects, please let me know immediately."

Hailey: "Will do."

"Hailey?" Melinda asked again.

"Oh, sorry." Instead of explaining, she just tossed her phone to her best friend. The Latina caught it, then held it so Jason could read it too.

"She's still checking in?" Jason asked.

"Second time today." Hailey replied.

"I'm glad someone in that organization has a soul." Mels mused. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be up in a few hours to feed Ethan."

"Night Mels." Jason kissed her, then she rolled over to sleep. She always did have an easy time falling asleep.

"How is Selene in the non-physical sense?" Jason asked.

"I think I walked in on her crying once." She replied. "It wasn't loud and she tried to hide it, but she was."

Jason frowned. "Yeah, being separated from someone you love can do that. Does she have any hobbies? Something to get her mind off of him?"

"Martial arts, but there aren't any good dojos in town I don't think."

"What about the Taekwondo Dojo on main?"

Hailey shook her head. "From what I hear, it's a belt factory."

Jason chuckled.

"Sleeping." Mels mumbled. "And if she needs something to do, she can always waitress; you know that place'll hire anyone."

"They hired both of you, so obviously." Jason winked.

Mels reached back to playfully smack him but missed. "Bite me."

"If you insist." He said with a mock sigh, then leaned down and nipped her shoulder, which Hailey now happened to know was a huge turn-on for the Latina; oh the things you learned when sharing a man.

"Don't tease me." Melinda moaned. "The doctor said to wait another two weeks. Go get Hailey, unless you want to feed Ethan at two in the morning."

Jason turned to look at Hailey.

She grinned.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note: This chapter began and ended on day 115 of Ethan's life in the Ten Kingdoms. 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 December 25-- Oh, wait, that's Christmas. I'll probably submit it on Christmas Eve or Boxing day, and it'll drop after the review process, so likely the 27th to the 29th.

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, elf, teen, romance, virgin, harem, blonde, brunette, redhead