There was a month between the obstacle course being completed and their next trip to Grakle. During that time period, there was only one issue: two of Townson’s squad got injured breaking up a mugging. In doing so, they saved the victim from serious harm. The three men had taken on six attackers, so only two guards sustaining injuries was good news. Gregory went to Gardenia to get a healing salve from an alchemist, hoping to help the men heal up faster.
That incident settled down the town guards who’d been thinking Gregory’s men were mostly for show. There were still a couple who clearly had issues with Glasson’s squad, but they never acted on it.
When the entire unit ran the obstacle course, two squads of town guards came out to fight them on the course. Commander Tudyk even made it out to see the action and review everything so he knew what was there. Gregory agreed to let the commander use it when they left for the city, only asking that he fix any damages they accrued.
Basal and Dot talked more, but were respectful of propriety. Gregory overheard a whispered conversation between Rafiq and the young man about how to properly court a full eurtik. He’d wisely stayed out of it, as Basal was still clearly uncertain if Gregory would stop their budding romance. Gregory pulled Rafiq aside to ask something, as he was curious about different types of eurtiks having kids. The answer was that their children would end up taking after either their mother or father, but not mixed between them. With a partial eurtik and full eurtik, it gave a higher chance of any children they had being full-blooded rather than part-eurtik.
~*~*~
Gregory woke with a smile; the unit would make it to Grakle in a few hours, and he was eager to see his wives again. As he got up, his medallion caught his attention. Nine rings were illuminated the same orange as his kimono.
His smile faded, as he hadn’t had a dream with Darkness. She’d told him why, but not seeing her every time was disappointing. Next rank means seeing you and Roshana telling us her resonance… I hope you are doing well, my heart… Gregory thought.
Shaking off the melancholy, he got dressed. His dislike for the orange had faded, but he was looking forward to putting the color behind him. He got his bedding in order, then went over to the slowly-building campfire that Barny was getting ready to use.
“Barny, how are you?”
“Good, Magi. I’m about to begin preparing breakfast.”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt. We haven’t talked a lot, and I wasn’t sure if you needed anything.”
“You provide more than I would have hoped for. There isn’t much that can be done when we’re traveling. Thankfully, the men have been happy with even these rushed meals.”
“Your rushed meals are tasty,” Gregory said. “Far better than what they had before. If you need anything, let me know, or have one of the sisters tell me if you don’t want to.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good morning, sir,” Polka said as she got closer.
“Good morning,” Gregory smiled. “Polka, are you still happy with your name?”
“I’ve had it all my life, sir. I know that it’s a bit demeaning, but I’ve grown used to it.”
“As long as you’re happy with it.”
“We are, sir,” Dot said, coming up next to her sister.
“Do you have plans for the week in the city?” Gregory asked.
“I was going to look for a better set of knives,” Barny said as he gathered the items he wanted to use to cook breakfast.
“Hmm… I should be supplying those,” Gregory mused. “Here.” He held out a small pouch. “Buy what you want, then return the rest.”
Barny stared at him, then looked down at his full hands. “Uh…”
“I’ll take it for him,” Polka chuckled. “I’ll be going with him, so I’ll ensure you get the rest back, sir.”
“Works for me, unless you also need something. If you do, go ahead and spend what you need.”
Dot shook her head before she glanced around the still camp. “Sir… are you really a magi?” The question was soft and hesitant.
“I am. I just don’t have flashy magic. I know I don’t act like you’d expect. Unlike most other magi, I was born out on the northwestern fringe. The prejudices of the empire weren’t known in my village.”
“Your wives are like you, too, but aren’t from the fringe,” Polka said. “We’ve talked to the others we used to work with. They’re being treated like we are.”
“My wives and I have certain views,” Gregory shrugged. “Some of my clan think similarly. Hopefully, most of them do.”
“We wanted to thank you again, sir, for saving us from before and for giving us this new life.”
“It was impulsive of me, but I’m glad it worked out. I can’t save everyone, but I can help some.”
“Umm…” Dot started, then hesitated. “You’re okay with me and Basal… sir?”
“As long as you’re waiting for his age day, yes. You’re only a few years apart, so I have no problems with that aspect.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’m going to meditate until breakfast,” Gregory said, leaving them to get breakfast ready.
~*~*~
The gate captain didn’t delay them much, so the trip into the city wasn’t long. Gregory walked quickly to the manor after leaving the barracks, and Davis, Willof, and Rafiq all chuckled as he left them behind.
Drav answered the door, stepping aside for Gregory once he’d welcomed him back. Gregory thanked the man, then hurried up the stairs. He didn’t knock on the door, instead walking straight into the suite that Mindie used.
Mindie and Yukiko looked up from the Shogi board, surprised that he was already there. Flopsy almost dropped the teapot she was putting back on a cart, even more shocked than the other two.
“Dear one,” Yukiko said, rising gracefully, “you’re early. Eager to see us?”
“Of course,” Gregory said before crossing the room to his wives. He swept Yukiko into his arms, kissing her first, then did the same to Mindie. “My men were understanding about my desire to get moving.”
“We should thank them,” Mindie murmured, still in Gregory’s arms. “Before anything else, though, go bathe.”
“I will, but I wanted kisses,” Gregory murmured, giving her a squeeze before letting her go. “We have places to be as soon as I’m done.”
“I’ll go get things ready,” Flopsy said. She quickly left the room, a faint blush across her cheeks.
“For a woman who used to have to sleep with men, she has some curious shyness,” Mindie giggled.
“We broke decorum,” Yukiko snickered. “Mindie told me about the bracelets, dear one. I love the idea.”
“That’s our first stop,” Gregory said. “Did you get your obstacle course upgraded?”
“Yes, as we discussed. The men love the greater variety it offers, except for the crawling ropes. They dislike that part now, but it’s teaching them valuable lessons.”
“Roughly the same, but mine are fine with it. They’ve taken to heckling anyone who gets hit for being too high.”
“Maybe they’ll help my men,” Yukiko said. “Ah, Mindie has some good news for us.”
“I was going to wait, but since Flopsy has to get the bath ready,” Mindie smiled. “This is the last staggered time in the city for the three of you.”
Gregory frowned. “But that shouldn’t take us to when we need to leave.”
“Exactly. In nine weeks, you’ll come back, but so will Yuki and Jenn.”
Gregory’s eyes widened and a big smile grew on his lips. “Really?!”
“From that day until the end of that month, the three of you will be responsible for the city.”
Gregory’s smile dipped fractionally, but didn’t vanish. “We’ll still all be here, right?”
Yukiko giggled. “Let her finish, dear one.”
“You will, but the three of you will be coordinating your units to handle the entire city. When that month ends, all of us will be marching for the tournament grounds. Egil plotted the route out, and it rarely meets up with a town, much less a city,” Mindie said.
“My men can handle that,” Gregory said.
“Egil’s been sending messages and has heard about potential bandits along the way, so it might not be a peaceful march.”
“With our three combined units, it’d take a massive idiot to ambush us,” Yukiko said.
“When we arrive, it’ll be a few days at most until the tournament starts.”
“I have bits of what we’ll see. We can compare when we’re all here next time,” Gregory said. “But marching, fighting, and the obstacle course are all parts of it.”
“That’s what I know, too,” Yukiko nodded. “Go bathe. I want to see the jewelry you had made for us.”
Gregory swept them both up for another round of kisses before he marched out of the room.
~*~*~
The flower garden park was nearly empty which, with the bite of the chill wind, wasn’t unusual. Gregory felt warm enough as he walked on Mindie’s right, Yukiko on her left— Mindie was using her magic to keep them both warm.
“After we pick up the bracelets, I want to swing by an alchemist to get some healing items,” Gregory said. “I had a few men injured in a fight.”
“I have the surplus that was left with me,” Mindie said. “We can carve off some for the three of you.”
“No,” Yukiko disagreed. “Save it for next year. We’ll buy some for us and Jenn.”
“Okay, Yuki.”
The jeweler was just ahead, so the conversation lapsed. Gregory held the door for his wives before following them in.
“Ah, Magi… welcome back.” The jeweler was a little confused that Jenn wasn’t there, but Yukiko was.
“The pieces are done?” Gregory asked.
“Yes. Let me go get them.” She slipped into the back.
“She’s confused,” Yukiko snickered softly.
“Hasn’t figured out why we asked for four stones,” Mindie giggled.
The old lady was quickly back with a small chest. Placing it on the counter, she opened it to reveal the twelve bracelets all neatly nestled in velvet. “Here you go, Magi. This is what you wanted, right?”
Gregory picked up one at random, checking it. The four gems he’d asked to be there were all filled opposite the clasp, and four empty sockets sat to each side of the filled ones. “These are correct.” He turned to Yukiko. “Dear one, please give me your wrist.”
Yukiko extended her arm and pulled her over-robe’s sleeve back to expose her wrist. Once Gregory had clasped the bracelet on, she pulled it up to examine it. “That’s lovely. When we add the others, it will be wonderful.”
“I can add more stones for you,” the jeweler said.
“We’ll add them when the rest join our marriage,” Yukiko said, giving the older woman a smile, “but thank you. We’ll likely be in Krogga at that point.”
The older woman just blinked at Yukiko, clearly trying to parse what she’d said.
Gregory chuckled as he put Mindie’s bracelet on her. “For our dear healer.”
“Four magi, all married together?” the older woman stammered as Gregory put on his bracelet.
“It’ll be more in time,” Yukiko said. “Mindie, you should take the chest. It’ll be safer with you than us.”
“Might be for the best,” Mindie agreed as she absorbed the chest into her ring. “Thank you for the lovely work.”
“Yes… you’re, uh… you’re welcome,” the older woman said, still shocked.
“Have a good day,” Gregory grinned as he opened the door for his wives.
When the door shut, the older woman sat down abruptly. “Four magi, with more going to join them? What? Why? Who…?” Clearly confused, she sat there in silence for a long time, pondering the oddity she’d just witnessed.
