Gregory held his bundle of arrows by the leather straps that bound them together. It had been a good day, but also a little sad— Gregory enjoyed the time he’d spent working in the shop beside Bryn. The man didn’t talk much, but he was a good sort, though Gregory still couldn’t figure out why Bryn had been grinning when he’d left.
Jenn and Yuki are probably already in the bath. Gregory thought of his two wives and a smile touched his lips. Funny how quickly I’ve gone from uncertain to fully accepting them both. It feels natural with them… Maybe it’s the past life, not that it matters. The only thing that matters is that they are happy.
He gave Dia a smile when he got to the inn, as she was seated by the window. “Evening, Dia.”
“I was wondering what was keeping you,” Dia said. “Ah, Bryn sent you off with a bundle.”
“He also wanted me working right up until the end,” Gregory grinned. “I like him.”
“Bryn is a good man,” Dia agreed. “Why don’t you drop those off, then join your wives in the bath? Dinner will be in the private dining room tonight.”
“Yes, Dia.”
Gregory quickly dropped off the bundle in their room before going down to the baths. He was distracted as he got undressed— something in Dia’s manner had felt off to him, and he wondered if Yang hadn’t upset her again. After dropping his clothing into a basket, he entered the bathing room.
“A little thin for my tastes, but I can see why you like him,” the powerful, and surprisingly deep, female voice echoed off the walls.
Gregory froze in place for a moment— Yukiko, Jenn, and Kassidy Micklen were all in the tub, watching him. “Ah, I didn’t know there was another person in here,” Gregory said slowly, his face heating slightly. He started walking toward the hand pump so he could clean up.
“I don’t doubt that,” Micklen said. “Magus Ursinda told me I have to bathe to eat. Since I was here, Jenn asked me if I wanted to join them.”
“That makes sense,” Gregory said, realizing Dia had played a joke on him.
“We were talking about our favorite thing,” Yukiko said with an innocent tone.
Gregory’s eyes widened as he remembered what she’d called her “favorite thing” last night, and he glanced at Yukiko in shock.
Giggling, Yukiko gave him an evil grin. “You. Nothing specific. Just you.”
They’re all out to get me tonight, Gregory groaned to himself as he finished pumping water.
“Well, not entirely true,” Jenn said, watching Gregory tense again.
“Yes, they told me about the scars,” Micklen added. “Yuki was saying they came from a bane wolf.”
“I told her the story had to wait for you,” Yukiko said.
“Oh… uh, sure,” Gregory said as he sat down to wash, putting his back to them. “It was on age day…”
~*~*~
The story was finished by the time he’d stopped washing himself.
“Hmm… must have been frightening,” Micklen said.
“It was terrifying,” Gregory said, heading for the tub.
“Terror I know well,” Micklen said grimly, looking into the distance. Shaking her head, she focused on him when he sank into the water. “Most freeze up when terror grips their heart. Very few can push past it and act. That saved your life.”
“It did,” Gregory agreed. “Proctor Bishop really saved our lives though.”
“I can’t see Harrison being able to take its head and not cut you,” Yukiko said. “Bishop is a master of her blade, unlike him.”
“Yes,” Gregory agreed.
“Sounds like another story,” Jenn said as she splashed some water into her hair and slicked it back. That action brought Gregory’s attention to Micklen, whose hair was also plastered to her head. Because her hair was wet and flat, he could easily see the jagged stumps of horns poking up from her hairline. Pulling his eyes from the remnants of her horns, he found her glaring at him.
“I’m sorry,” Gregory apologized. “I didn’t mean to stare.”
“He doesn’t mean anything bad by it, Kass,” Jenn said, touching Micklen’s arm. “Besides, you did some staring when he came in.”
Micklen looked away. “I don’t like being stared at because of them.” She pushed her hair so they mostly obscured the stumps again.
“I do apologize,” Gregory said softly. “It was rude of me to do so.”
Micklen glanced at him and saw only contriteness. She looked at Jenn’s hand, then patted it with her much bigger one. “Okay, I accept. Your wives speak only highly of you. You can’t hold prejudices if both of your wives have blood other than human.”
“Blood is just blood,” Gregory said. “It’s the person who decides who they are. I’ve known enough high and mighty assholes to know that blood is just an excuse to try making others feel bad.”
“I told you,” Jenn said. “This is who he is.”
Micklen exhaled noisily before dunking her head briefly underwater. Flinging it back, she sent water flying, but also her hair, revealing the jagged stumps again. “You did. I’m getting out. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Gregory bowed his head to her. “I’ll see you at din…ner,” he stuttered when Micklen stood up.
He’d thought she was impressive when he’d seen her at the smithy, but as she got out of the tub, he knew he’d vastly underestimated her. Chiseled and powerful were the only two words he could think of that fit the statuesque woman as she went past him.
“Yeah, you were right,” Jenn giggled as the door shut behind Micklen. “Then again, we weren’t much better.”
“I think she could kill someone without meaning to,” Yukiko said. “Greg?”
“Huh?” Gregory asked, then coughed. “I… I’m sorry.” He splashed water in his face. “I’m a horrible husband. Here I am with you two, and I still looked at another woman.”
Yukiko slid to one side of him and took his hand. “Most women would be hurt right now. You’re right to apologize.”
Jenn moved to his other side and mirrored Yukiko. “However, we’re both as guilty as you. We did the same as you with both her and Dia. I never thought that I would be attracted to women, but it appears that I am. Yuki helped me see that.”
“And Jenn helped me see that I am the same as her,” Yukiko said. “As long as none of us touches without the approval of the others, it’ll be fine. If you agree, that is.”
Gregory sat there as his wives held his hands, and he sighed. “Darkness calls me Aether, and maybe I am him reborn, but at the moment, I have to wonder if one of you is Vera.”
Both women giggled and leaned in to plant kisses on his cheeks.
“I think it’s Yuki,” Jenn said. “Despite what Darkness said, she’s the one who helped lead us to this happiness. She shared her heart with me when she never had to.”
Yukiko gave Jenn a soft smile. “You flatter me, but it isn’t so. Maybe our souls have just resonated now that we’re married and in love. I feel like we are parts of a symphony in harmony with each other.”
“Looking, no touching,” Gregory said, feeling odd about it. “I want to agree, but the idea of you looking at another man like that… it feels wrong to me.”
Both women laughed and kissed his cheek again. “No other man can catch our interest, dear one,” Yukiko said.
“I’ll never want another man,” Jenn said.
“Okay,” Gregory said. “I agree, but if any of us feels jealous, we have to tell the others and we’ll reevaluate this.”
“Agreed,” Jenn said.
“That’s the best course of action,” Yukiko nodded. “We should be going. We’ve been in here long enough.”
~*~*~
Entering the private dining room, Gregory wasn’t surprised to see Bryn and Lavox sitting with Dia and Micklen. “Good evening,” Gregory greeted them, echoed by Jenn and Yukiko.
“We wanted to hold a small feast for you all,” Bryn said.
“You’ve been exemplary pupils,” Lavox added.
“Helpful,” Micklen finished. “Thank you.”
“They approached me the other day and asked to hold this dinner,” Dia said. “I didn’t think you’d mind a last goodbye with your instructors.”
“We are honored,” Yukiko smiled. “Thank you for your tutelage and this meal.”
“Thank you for letting me into your forge and allowing me to work beside you,” Jenn added, bowing her head to Micklen.
“We will do our best to use the knowledge you imparted to us,” Gregory said.
A knock on the door stopped them from saying more before Brown entered the room. “Good evening,” he greeted them. “I have a simple meal for you tonight— rice, fish, and steamed vegetables.” He placed platters down on the table so they could serve themselves. The fish was on two platters, with one being salmon and the other koi. “When you are ready for dessert, just call for me.”
Bryn looked at the food with a frown after Brown left. “I’ve heard so many things about his cooking. I find myself a little disappointed.”
Lavox chuckled. “Only because you haven’t tasted it yet. If I’ve learned one thing about Brown, it is that appearance is deceiving.”
“At least there’s enough to sate us all,” Micklen said, taking a whole salmon onto her plate.
“The koi is obviously the only aether-infused food. Eat it slowly,” Dia told the three apprentices.
“Yes, Dia,” they said as they each took some rice and vegetables before serving themselves some koi.
“To Aether’s Guard, and a renewed friendship,” Lavox said, raising his glass once they all had food on their plates.
“To renewed friendships,” Bryn agreed.
“To new agreements and friendships,” Micklen added.
“From Aether’s Guard to you— our thanks for helping show our apprentices the hard work that most magi forget about. We hope that they remember this lesson for years so they never forget the hardships and work that goes on in the empire,” Dia replied. “And to new and renewed friendships.”
Everyone drank to the long toast before turning their attention to the food.
Bryn blinked at his plate, chewing slowly. “How?”
Lavox laughed between bites. “I told you.”
“But it doesn’t taste like fish,” Bryn said. “Fish always has that… fishy… taste. This doesn’t.”
“It’s surprising,” Micklen agreed, not slowing in her consumption of the salmon.
“Brown’s the best cook I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting,” Lavox said, “but he’ll never tell you how he does what he does unless you become his apprentice.”
“I have my hands full with my own job,” Bryn sighed.
“You wouldn’t be able to become an apprentice to him,” Dia said. “Last I heard, he came up with cruel tests for the people who wanted to learn from him. They called him the cutthroat cook because of it.”
“What kind of tests?” Gregory asked.
“He only gives them thirty minutes to cook the meal he tells them to,” Dia said with a grin. “I know that doesn’t sound bad, but it’s never straightforward. Besides the short timeframe, he also gives them additional obstacles to overcome, like being made to use a katana as their only cooking implement.”
“No spoons or spatulas?” Yukiko asked.
“Exactly. It’s like he wants to punish those who have the audacity to try.”
“I’m glad I wanted to learn about bows and not cooking,” Gregory chuckled.
“I never thought about it,” Jenn said. “Smithing is all I wanted to do.”
“Family,” Micklen nodded with a mouthful of food.
Conversation lapsed for a while as everyone focused on eating. As the meal came to an end, everyone was near full, including Micklen, who’d polished off a salmon and a half along with her heaping helpings of rice and vegetables.
Dia gave them a smile. “I’ve called for dessert. I hope you’re all ready.”
“If it’s even half as good as dinner was, I might need help getting home,” Bryn laughed.
“I’m sure the stable has a wheelbarrow we can borrow,” Lavox snickered.
The knock on the door stopped Bryn’s reply. Brown came into the room, and a large smile spread across his face when he saw the empty platters. “I see you all enjoyed the meal. Good. For dessert, we have an old favorite of mine.” He touched the empty platters and they vanished, replaced by a new one that contained a pile of fried dough balls.
“Fried dough?” Micklen asked.
“My mother called them dough-balls. She was a little crude, but she was a good woman,” Brown said, the fondness in his voice obvious. “These have fillings in them. The trick is that no two have the same filling. Some are cheese, some meat, a few with berries, and so on. I hope you enjoy them. Magi, none of these are infused, so you can eat without worry.”
“I recall one had charid in it last time,” Dia said, staring at Brown. “How many of them have questionable fillings?”
Brown smiled broadly. “Seven of the forty-two have less than ideal fillings, because sometimes, life is shocking and disappointing. One of those seven is charid.”
“So we do have to worry, just not about our aether,” Gregory said, looking at the dough-balls.
“Have a good evening,” Brown said, stepping back over to the door.
A timid knock came a second before Brown opened it. The woodcarver stood there, looking uncertain. “Excuse me? I was looking for the magi.”
Brown stepped aside. “They are here.”
“I have the last figurine for them,” the woman said, digging out the carving.
“Thank you,” Yukiko said. “I’ll take it.”
The woman entered the room and handed off the figurine, bowing. “My thanks, magi.”
“Our thanks,” Yukiko replied. “The children will love them.”
The carver and Brown left, and the others looked at Yukiko. She placed the carving onto the table so they could see it.
“Not bad,” Bryn nodded. “For a market seller, she did good work.”
“Children?” Micklen asked.
“Dia’s sister takes care of seven children who help keep a home in the city,” Yukiko said.
“We visit them every week, and we promised them a gift if they kept up with their studies while we were here,” Gregory added.
“That is admirable,” Lavox said. “Making them earn their reward will teach them the value of hard work.”
“They’re very dedicated,” Jenn smiled. “They practice with us when we see them, if they’ve been doing their chores correctly. They have never failed to get passing marks from Baylyss.”
“Shall we try the mystery desserts?” Dia asked. “I swear, if I get the charid again, I’m going to make him regret adding it this time…”
Laughter followed her words, and Yukiko put the carving safely away.
