Jenn let out a deep breath, her body tingling pleasantly. “Happy year, indeed.”
“Very happy year,” Gregory murmured, kissing her thigh.
“Happy year,” Yukiko and Mindie giggled, each of them kissing Jenn’s cheeks.
“I love all of you waking me that way,” Jenn smiled at her lovers. “I didn’t realize it was today. If only we had the day to spend together.”
“Instead, we’re all splitting apart,” Yukiko sighed as she got out of bed, brushing at her slowly regrowing white hair. “Breakfast with Egil and the others, then out the door. If not for our storage items, we’d have to arrange for baggage.”
“I wonder what Rafiq and Willof will do about that?” Gregory sighed.
“We’ll find out soon,” Mindie said, also getting out of bed to dress.
“Greg, I can’t get out of bed with you there,” Jenn snickered, looking down at him.
“Hmm… true,” Gregory smirked, then shifted to tower over her, claiming a soft kiss.
Jenn let out a pleased sound as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him to prolong their kiss. Her body was small and slight, but she’d trained like they all had— with her physical enhancement magic on top of that, she could keep him there as long as she wanted.
“Should we break them up, or let them have a little longer?” Yukiko asked Mindie.
“It’s her day. Besides, I like watching them,” Mindie snickered, her fox ears twitching.
“That’s true,” Yukiko laughed. “Fine. They have until we’re dressed.”
Gregory broke the kiss before that, staring down into Jenn’s hazel eyes. “I love you, Jenn.”
She touched his face gently. “And I you, my heart.”
With a sigh, Gregory got out of bed before his body could try to encourage him to stay longer. His eyes tracked to his other wives, and he smiled softly as he watched them get dressed.
Yukiko had decided to let her hair grow back, and it was beginning to show dividends. In a couple more years, she’d have the long, flowing hair that she’d had as a novice again. She glanced back, her cyan eyes catching his gaze. With a small smirk and wink, she went back to dressing. She was proper most of the time, but he’d come to understand that, out of all of his wives, Yukiko might be the most adventurous in some ways.
Mindie donned her magus robes beside her. Her red-furred fox ears— a match to her hair— twitched because she knew he was watching her, and she loved being watched. If she’d had a tail, it would’ve been swishing happily. With a shy smile, she looked back at Gregory, her eyes captivating him again.
Jenn went past him; her head didn’t quite reach his neck, as she was the shortest of them. Her naked body was all hard, sculpted muscle, even more so than the rest of them. She didn’t have her father’s dwarven broadness— she’d gotten his height, but her mother’s slight frame. She kept her black hair cut short to frame her face at the longest. She’d thought about growing it out when Yukiko’s matched hers in length, but opted to stay with what she grown used to.
Gregory stretched, closing his eyes to remove the temptation of his wives’ nakedness. He couldn’t reach the ceilings in the room, even as tall as he was. He’d grown over the last few years, changing from the scrawny boy he’d been into a lean man with chiseled muscles. He’d never be a broad man like his father, but he’d overcome his clear weakness with good food and hard work.
With a grunt, he finished his stretch and finally went to dress, Yukiko and Mindie already done. “I’m going to miss all of you so much.”
“As we will you, dear one,” Yukiko replied. “We’ll focus on doing our best to distinguish our clan again. When we get our week off, we’ll each have time with our dear healer.” Her eyes lingered on Mindie with a knowing twinkle. “And we’ll see you for a day, at least. I’ll be sad to not see our fierce fighter, though.”
Jenn grumbled. “Stupid restrictions… We’ll survive this year and next. After that, we won’t have to part again unless we decide to.”
“There will be times we have to,” Yukiko reminded her gently. “Life is never as easy as we’d like it to be.”
“Very true,” Mindie agreed. “We’ll also have our other friends with us, or at least some of them for the magus posting.”
“They should almost be back in Wesrik now,” Gregory said. “I miss the kids…”
“Their smiling faces would brighten our lives,” Yukiko agreed. “We can see about finding gifts for them on our days off. Mindie can arrange for them to be shipped back, right?”
“Gladly,” Mindie smiled. “I wish I had met them all, but in time, I’m sure I will.”
“You will,” Jenn nodded.
Gregory finished getting his orange kimono on, grimacing slightly at the color. “I thought the yellow was bad until we got this one.”
“Wait until next year. Green is so much better,” Mindie said.
“I’m looking forward to the cyan. It’ll match Yuki’s eyes,” Jenn smiled. “I’m going to miss getting to see Gregory in his adept kimono, though.”
“We might get them before we split apart for those postings,” Gregory said. “We did with these.”
“True,” Yukiko said. “I’ll hope to get a glimpse, at least.”
Gregory put his outer robe on, then exhaled. “Last again. Worth being able to watch you all a little longer.”
Yukiko opened the door from the bedroom to their front room. “Breakfast, and then to find out what arrangements have been made to get us to our men.”
Gregory paused at the door to kiss her softly. “I’ll collect kisses before we go out, just in case we don’t get the chance after breakfast.” He stepped just past the door, getting kisses from Jenn and Mindie, then again from Yukiko, who laughed at his mild surprise.
“What? If I can get more from a deal, I always will,” Yukiko snickered.
“It’s who she is,” Jenn laughed.
~*~*~
The others were at the table when the four of them arrived, just as the fifth bell chimed.
Egil nodded. “After we eat, you’ll all be on your way. There will be a carriage to take each of you to your men. Magi, part of your training will be horse care and riding. You will have thirty-one men under your command. Five squads of five men; each of those squads have a sergeant to oversee them. Those five sergeants report to your lieutenant, who is your second in command and will be the one who deals with your men on a day-to-day basis.”
“The basic five-one structure that the empire uses,” Gregory nodded. “The army uses the same structure. Our men fall outside of the normal chain of command, don’t they?”
Egil’s lips twitched into a smile. “They do, indeed, Gregory. Your men are seen as specialists to the rank and file. Your sergeants are specialists second rank. Only your lieutenant can act as if they have their full rank with the army. You fall outside the command structure entirely, but can act as a major when you are a magus. When it comes to those above major in rank, that’s where things get… wobbly. Act the way you normally do and I believe you will be fine.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory replied.
“Willof and Rafiq will be with you in your carriage, Gregory. Rafiq will be your shadow from this day forward.” Egil tossed something to Gregory. “Per the overseer, Rafiq is in your care until you return to the academy.”
Gregory caught the item. Looking down at the palm-sized clear gem in his hand, he nodded. His lips were tight when he realized what it was: Rafiq’s control rune. It vanished into Gregory’s ring with a thought. When he looked up at Rafiq, there was a hint of guilt in Gregory’s eyes. Rafiq just bowed his head slightly, seeing the expression.
“Do you have any questions before we break our fast and send you off?” Egil asked.
“I know there’s a tournament, but we have no information on it,” Yukiko said. “Is this deliberate?”
Egil chuckled at Yukiko’s flat question. “Yes. I will explain, as I’m sure most of your year already knows. You will train for most of the year, then we all go to the testing grounds. There, you will be tested on what you learn this year. It is divided into parts to show how well you and your men learned your lessons. At the end, there is ranking per part and overall. The magi who distinguish themselves are rewarded, as is the empire’s way.”
“You didn’t explain the different parts,” Yukiko pointed out.
“I didn’t. Do you want me to hand you the answers?”
“No,” Yukiko said. “We’ll overcome even this.”
“Sir,” Jenn asked, “will our times off be shifted, or will they always be the same rotation?”
“Ah, wish to see your spouses?” Egil asked.
“We’d like to, but we understand if it isn’t possible, sir.”
“It isn’t, but when you travel to the testing grounds, you should have the chance to see each other more often.”
“Thank you,” Jenn smiled.
“Am I just to assist you with paperwork, sir?” Mindie asked.
“You’ll be assisting me and healing people here in the city as needed. When your spouses and their men have leave, you will help heal them. You will have ample time off to yourself, as well.”
“If I might ask a favor then, sir?” Mindie asked. When Egil nodded, she went on, “Would you train me to defend myself?”
Her lovers were shocked at her asking the armsmaster.
“I’ve heard you are seeking to overcome what you see as a weakness,” Egil said softly. “I will give you an hour a day. You might regret asking me, as I will push you to the brink every time.”
“Hard paths make the best magi, sir,” Mindie said firmly, meeting Egil’s gaze. “I will survive and thrive for my family, my clan, and the empire.”
“Very well, Magus. We will begin unarmed, then work up from there.”
“Thank you, sir.” Mindie bowed in her seat.
“Any other questions?” Egil asked.
“When we have our days off, would you give us a single match to test ourselves?” Yukiko asked.
Egil laughed, looking at Willof before sliding over some vela. “You win.”
“Thank you,” Willof smiled.
“Bet on if we’d ask?” Gregory asked.
“When you’d ask,” Willof corrected. “I said it’d be before you left. He thought it would be your first break.”
“The answer to the question,” Egil cut in, “is yes. I will give you and Jenn an hour of my time… if Gregory gives me three.”
“Done,” Gregory said instantly. “I would ask that we focus on weapons other than the naginata for at least two of those hours, if acceptable.”
“Agreed,” Egil grinned.
Willof coughed. “When I’m here with time off, Armsmaster?”
“An hour for you, as well,” Egil nodded.
“To think my hope for the future would have so many bonuses,” Willof chuckled.
“Anyone else?” Egil asked. When no one spoke up, he used the bellpull to call for breakfast. “We eat, and then we send you off.”
