Gregory looked at the board and frowned— Yukiko had played a devastating round against him. He was pushed well back into his territory, and had barely been able to break the engagement.
“I think I might have to clear the field,” Gregory sighed, looking at what he had in his hand. “Krogga might give the empire fits with their zealots, but they’re paper compared to the well-geared army of Buldoun.”
“It’s why I pushed you now,” Yukiko said. “I need to make sure I can turn on Jenn safely.”
“But I am a match for you, or even ahead of you,” Jenn said. “Why go after him?”
“I have things in motion to help me level the board against you,” Yukiko said, pointing to her facedown cards. “I can give myself an even chance or better in the next few turns. If he’s still a threat at that point, you both might attack me and push me off the field.”
Jenn nodded slowly. “I did have a plan for that, and then for turning on him directly, afterward.”
Yukiko smiled. “Yes. It would have been the right move, hence catching you both unprepared for my going after him so aggressively.”
Gregory looked at his facedown cards that were waiting for their time to come up, then at his decimated army. I can’t win… There’s no coming back from here, but I can be spiteful. Considering how zealous Krogga is, it even makes sense to be a bit spiteful. Letting out a sigh, Gregory placed two cards faceup on the table. “Tactical retreat and entrenched defense. I might still have to call the army off the field, but I’m not going, yet.”
Yukiko’s eyebrow went up and she looked at Gregory thoughtfully. “That’s different from your normal play… Hmm…” She stared at the board for a long moment before shaking her head. “No, you can’t win. I don’t think you can even threaten me when I push for Jenn.” Nodding, she played her own card to recall her army back to her camp.
Jenn glanced at her cards in hand, then at the facedown cards she was waiting to trigger. “I won’t be able to stop them from regrouping. Very well. The turn is over?”
“Yes,” Yukiko smiled. “Buldoun will take the field by the end of this game.”
Two more turns went by with all three focused on the game. Gregory smiled— he was ready for his surprise, but he needed Yukiko to commit to the attack first. Yukiko was looking over the board and clearly deciding if this was the turn for her.
Jenn beat her to the punch, flipping over two of her downed cards. “I’ve been waiting for these, Yuki. I come for you with aggressive posture and extra magi.”
Yukiko inhaled sharply before nodding. “That’s bad for me. I wasn’t expecting the magi reinforcement. However, I can accept the losses, as I held back my reinforcements.” Flipping over all but one of her facedown cards, Yukiko smiled. “Four more platoons of archers will form a company and thin your ranks. That will leave your magi nearly undefended for my magi,” she flipped over her last facedown card, “to deal with.”
Jenn just stared at the board and the revealed cards, then back at her hand. “That’s possibly the worst thing for me.”
Gregory cleared his throat. “Yes, it is bad. It also means that Yuki has nothing left in reserve.” With a small smile, he flipped over his three facedown cards. “Krogga didn’t forget what Buldoun had done to them. They knew they couldn’t win, but it was enough for them to cripple their foe at the right moment.”
Yukiko stared at his cards. “That’ll break my lines and kill my magi.” She looked up. “You just gave the empire the field. Why? She’ll wipe you off the field in the next two turns.”
“Because I’ll pull back after this,” Gregory said. “I played as I believed Krogga would really fight. They know that their zealots can handle magi, but against the equipment of Buldoun, they lack recourse. So, I cripple you here, and in another few years, they can return to press the empire again.”
Yukiko’s brow furrowed. Chewing her bottom lip, she appeared thoughtful as she looked over the board before placing a card from her hand onto the field. “Turtle defense.”
Gregory nodded before laying his next card down. “Zealots’ fervor. They will fight to the last.” He played another card. “Main force retreats back into their territory.”
Jenn’s smile was growing as she played two cards of her own. “Since they turtled, that leaves them vulnerable to the earth magi reinforcement. Earthquake and break through. That should break the defensive bonus from your turtle.”
Yukiko did the math in her head and sighed. “Let’s play the turn out, but I believe my broken army will be retreating from the field when it ends. I shouldn’t have let you move your camp forward last turn.”
“Nope,” Jenn agreed. “If you had stopped me, it would’ve changed my plans. You would have decimated me, if not for Greg. Let’s see what happens.”
~*~*~
They finished putting the pieces away and headed to their rooms. Jenn was grinning the entire time, having been the victor of their game.
“Thanks for the assistance, Greg,” Jenn said when they reached their rooms. “The empire couldn’t have done it without you.”
“If I’d been fielding anyone other than Krogga, I would have left the field after Yuki dismantled my army previously,” Gregory replied. “If she’d pushed for one more turn, I never would have been there.”
Yukiko nodded. “Yes, but the cost wasn’t worth it at the time. Buldoun always comes down to cost. If they had any idea what it would cost them in the end, the trade-off for removing you entirely would have been worth it.”
“I want to check with a scrivener to get more books on other countries’ tactics,” Jenn said. “I’m sure there’s a book of advanced tactics like there is for the empire side of things.”
“That’s a good idea,” Gregory agreed. “Maybe Dia can point us at the local scrivener.”
“That’s for tomorrow,” Yukiko said. “Jenn, you did a good job.” She stepped over and kissed Jenn’s cheek. “But next time, I will hold the field.”
Jenn’s face was warm, and she gave Yukiko a smirk. “I don’t know… if winning gets me a kiss, I’ll have to try even harder to win again.”
“That’s a good point,” Yukiko said, stepping back to stand beside Gregory. “She did win, Greg.”
Gregory blinked. He watched as Jenn’s face reddened more as the implication sunk in, and his own face was feeling as hot as hers. “Okay.” Swallowing, he stepped into Jenn’s personal space and bent his head forward enough to brush her cheek with his lips. He stepped back quickly, not looking at Jenn. “Uh… good win.”
Jenn’s face was almost glowing red. “Thank you. I… good night.” She quickly darted into her room and shut the door.
Yukiko gave the door a sad smile before taking Gregory’s hand in hers. “Come on, dear one. We should retire.”
Gregory let her tow him into the bedroom. “Yuki, was that too much?” he asked the moment their door closed.
Yukiko gave him a smile and stood in front of him. “No, she just didn’t know what to do or say. She might be our fierce fighter, but she’s also a timid girl when it comes to you. She’s even more uncertain than I was.”
Gregory stared into Yukiko’s cyan eyes. “Are you sure about this, Yuki?”
Her eyes searched his for a few heartbeats. “Yes. I know it’ll be difficult for all of us, but I feel that in the end, we’ll be better for it.”
Gregory leaned forward and kissed her softly. Yukiko pressed into him, returning the kiss. The moment grew, and Gregory swept Yukiko into his arms and carried her to the bed. While he was still uncertain about Jenn and what might happen, he knew he loved Yukiko and would give her anything. Right now, he wanted to shower her with love.
~*~*~
Yukiko murmured happily as she kissed his chest. “There’s something that I need to do, dear one.”
Gregory felt lethargic. “Oh?”
“My family’s secret,” Yukiko said.
That helped Gregory shake off some of his drowsiness. “Why your father can face down grandmasters?”
“Yes. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long, but we’ve just not had the time before now.”
“It’s fine, dearest,” Gregory said, kissing her head. “Go ahead.”
“We don’t know how far back it goes, but it’s from my father’s line… the ability to steel one’s will against the aura of another. We know it can work up to grandmasters, but we’re not sure if it goes beyond that.”
“That alone is amazing,” Gregory said.
“The cost is variable, but for those without aether, it affects their health. That’s why Father became sickly. This time was worse than it was before I was born, according to my mother. It’s also why I was able to appear so strong against the masters when we spoke to them. I felt my aether diminish during those moments, so I knew it was taxing that instead of my health.”
Gregory stroked her hair. “That doesn’t diminish how strong you were in that moment to me.”
Kissing his chest, Yukiko exhaled slowly. “That’s my family’s secret. We’ve held it tightly for generations as, if it became known, we would undoubtedly be pressed by the powerful clans to marry into them.”
Gregory’s heart clenched. “Oh. Yes, they would covet that.”
“Hence why it has been a tightly guarded secret. Now that you’re family, you can be told.”
“What about Jenn?” Gregory asked.
“When she joins us, she will be told, as well.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, Yuki.”
“And you won’t, dear one. When you speak with Darkness again, you should ask her to help you see if this is the right path or not, if you’re uncertain. She’s helped you see far into the future before.”
“You aren’t?”
“A small part of me fears that you’ll want her more than me. It’s a stupid fear, but it lingers. I know that having her tied to us and beside us will make things easier in the future, though.” Yukiko pulled back so she could look up at him. “During our night apart, before we were wed, we visited the tea house.”
Gregory stared into her eyes and listened.
“I spoke with Darkness briefly, and she confirmed that what Jenn and I were doing was the best thing. I even got a glimpse of us in the future, and… Jenn… she was with both of us… in bed.”
Gregory blinked slowly before exhaling. “You and Darkness both agree?”
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again. “I don’t think I’ll be talking with Darkness until the end of next month. I’ll ask her, but if you both agree, I will without even needing to see the future. Anything my heart wants, I will give to her.”
Yukiko lowered her head again and kissed his chest. “That makes it difficult for me, dear one. Keeping you happy and safe is what drives me.”
“And that’s all I want for you.”
Yukiko hooked her leg over his and snuggled in closer. “I love you, dear one. We should try to get our sleep.”
Gregory turned his head and blew out the lamp. “Good night, my heart.”
He lay awake for a while, thinking. I don’t find her unattractive… She’s beautiful. She’s so different from Yuki, but still beautiful. Is it right to love both her and Yuki? Can we even manage it? Darkness, if you can hear me, please… help me see the path.
