Chapter Forty-Four: Ria and Esther

I hadn’t realized I’d drifted off until I was awakened by Rhallani’s fingers trailing along my chest. Judging by the color of the light coming through the window, the sun was close to setting. I met Rhallani’s eyes, which gazed up at me lovingly while she rested her cheek on my shoulder.

“I guess we both nodded off,” she said.

“That we did.”

I ran a hand through her hair and she hummed happily. “Zaren, I know we joked about it before, but…” She chewed her lip hesitantly. “I want a class like Tiana’s.”

I arched a brow at her and she blushed. “It isn’t because of the sex stuff!” My brow arched higher, and her blush grew deeper. “Okay, it isn’t just because of the sex stuff.”

“I’m listening,” I said, lazily trailing my fingertips up and down her back.

She shivered, then pressed her lips to my chest. “Well, I was thinking about Tiana again.”

“We don’t need to have another ‘talk’ do we?”

She groaned, her fingers digging into my chest. “Tempting, but no. I was thinking about how strong she is.”

“She’s a powerhouse, that’s for certain.” I brushed the hair from her face, then returned to stroking her back. “But it isn’t just her class. I know a little about the Arcanist class. Even with her other class supporting it, much of her strength comes from how hard she’s worked to train her magic.”

“I know, but…” She slid her body up so she could lay fully on me, her chin resting on crossed arms. I put both hands on her hips and ran my thumbs along her skin and gooseflesh erupted from where I touched her. “The gods are big on balance, which is why detriment classes are often stronger than their normal counterparts. By paying some kind of cosmic toll, you get stronger. Noelle’s classes both fit that requirement. Her old one required pain, her new one needs allies. Because of that, she’s stronger.”

“Mmhmm,” I encouraged.

“And, the more I think about it, the more I’m starting to think Serena’s class might be one, too.” I gave her a look of confusion, and she explained. “Her healing skill is incredibly strong when she can fully utilize it, but it’s a skill that requires specific circumstances. Not to mention,” she grinned at me, “it makes both her and whoever she’s healing horny.”

That was news to me. “I wasn’t aware she was affected as well.”

She lifted an arm to trail my collarbone. “Oh, trust me. She is. She’s just terrified you’ll think she’s a slut or something, so she’s afraid to tell you. She had more of an old school upbringing this far from the capital. Combined with how some of her other skills are shaping up? Detriment class. Partially, at least.” She chuckled to herself. “You know, it’s almost like—” she cut off and her eyes went wide.

Her body went tense and she hid her face in my chest. “Oh no.”

“Rhallani?” I asked, worried. I put a hand to her cheek, pulling her eyes to mine. “What happened?”

She gulped. “Well, as you know, my primary class is Scholar.”

“I do recall something to that affect.”

“And I get experience for putting together correct conclusions based on information. The bigger the epiphany, the more experience.”

My brows rose. All classes gained experience when you did things related to the class. Smiths got experience for smithing, bakers for baking, so on. Combat always yielded experience, but it yielded more to combat classes. Hence why I’d nearly caught up to her in levels. “You leveled up?” I guessed.

“I did.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Depends on your perspective.”

“Well, the pieces I just put together…” She slid up and put her arms on either side of my head. “Promise you won’t freak out?”

“Not in the slightest.”

She bit her lip, but I ran my hands along her sides. Finally, she said, “I was just thinking about how lucky it was that Serena’s detriment involved being horny with your…improvements.” Her leg slid against my member. “Tiana said that your cock was way better at relieving her class effects than anything she’d ever experienced, and I figured it might be the same for Serena’s skills. Naturally, that led me to—”

Immediately I knew where she was heading. “You think Allura improved my dick specifically so she could surround me with sex-based detriment classes.”

She bit her lip and nodded. “And that’s how I got the level.”

I looked past her, staring at the ceiling without seeing anything. The wheels in my mind were starting to churn already. If she was right—and since it was Rhallani, I was certain she was—then I wasn’t sure how to feel. On one hand, there were definitely worse detriment classes to get saddled with, and on some level I was rapidly learning that I hardly minded “assisting” with them, but there was a not small part of me that was more than a little angry that the girls themselves didn’t have much choice in the matter.

Or did they? You had three choices when you took a class. This strange version of Priestess had been one for Serena, but her other two were hardly anything to shake a stick at. She could have chosen either one and been more than fine, even if she wanted to stay by my side. And even with her priestess class, she had plenty of choice in the skills she chose and how she implemented them.

Skill descriptions were vague for a reason. How the owner of the skill interpreted and implemented it would shape how the skill strengthened and, in many cases, evolve. Even skills offered on level ups were affected by how you used your class abilities between levels. There was every chance that, if Serena hadn’t started to use her healing skill the way she had, then it wouldn’t have evolved the way it did.

But it still felt like Allura was meddling. Manipulating. I knew exactly what I might be stepping into, making a deal with a goddess, but seeing it in action? Sure, there was a chance that she’d sought out those who would have been willing to take those kinds of classes without any provocation. But it was impossible to know just how deep her manipulations ran. No way to know for certain that she hadn’t condemned these girls to a life saddled with a class that would affect them for the rest of their lives.

And then there was Tiana…

“Hey, hey, hey,” Rhallani said, shifting up so she could put a hand on either cheek. “Don’t do that. Don’t go.”“What?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on her.

“You were retreating. Falling into your thoughts. Thinking your way back into the hole you were in when I first found you.” Her fingertips trailed along my face. “Stay here. Stay with me and lets talk it out. That’s what you always say, right? Talk things through?”

I ran my hands up and down her sides. She was right. If I was asking them to come to me when they were struggling, then I could do the same. “Since you’re you, we’ll assume you’re right. In that case, what do you think the odds are that we stumble upon Tiana by accident?”

From the way she frowned, that hadn’t occurred to her. “You think you were supposed to find her?”

“She has a heavy detriment class based on sex and I’ve got a magic dick. I can’t imagine that’s a coincidence. If Allura got her caught by the Valax just so I’d find her—”

Rhallani sat up and put her hands on my chest. “Hang on a minute, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

I gave her a hard look. “You’ve got another explanation?”

She didn’t so much as flinch. “I do, actually. It’s called ‘not jumping to the worst case scenario.’”

After a long breath, I nodded. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“What if its the other way around? What if she led you to the queen because Tiana had been captured?” That gave me pause, and she barreled on. “I picked up some books about gods and Chosen while I was out. I haven’t looked much, but I can tell that the gods have a lot of limitations on what they can and can’t do. What’s more likely? That Allura is manipulating a bunch of lives at once and putting them in these situations? Or is she guiding you as best she can because they got into the situations themselves?”

She ran her hands up my chest. “I got stuck in the tower by nobody’s fault but my own. She might have helped me find the information that led me there, but I was the one who acted on it. Then she put you close enough to save me. Unless I’m mistaken, she can guide you to an extent because you tied yourself to her with that deal. She can’t do much to guide the rest of us without something similar, right?”

I forced myself to take a breath. “Maybe. From what I understand, yes, but this is different. I haven’t heard of a deal like this happening in…well, ever.”

She frowned. “Promise me something, then.” She ran her hands through my hair. “Don’t go assuming worst case. If you’re right about what she’s doing, then we can deal with that later. If you’re not, then there’s no point in getting worked up.”

She had a point. Until I could find a way to communicate with Allura directly, all I could do was guess at her real intentions. “Alright, Angel, you win. I can’t promise I won’t jump to worst case again, but I’ll at least consider any other theories you’ve got.”

“And no brooding,” she said gently, brushing my lower lip with her thumb.

“And no brooding,” I agreed with a laugh. I felt a little better, but I could still see the worry in her eyes. It was time to shift the conversation back a bit. I slid my hands up to her breasts, giving them a squeeze. “So back to you wanting a class…”

She grinned. “Yes. I do. Very much.”

“Sounds like we should get to work on it, then. Maybe we can get you some pervy skills.”

“Yes!” She leaned back down to kiss me. “What do you think? You tell one of your tendrils to just fuck me all day?”

I barked out a laugh. “Honestly, I’m disappointed. Here I was thinking you’d want to go for a more specialized class.”

Her eyes glowed. “Specialized?”

“Sure. Tiana’s is great, but right now it involves more edging than cumming. Plus, it’s a broad power booster. I figured you might want to try for one a bit more specific.”

Her fingers dug into the skin of my shoulders. “Yes. That. Let’s do that. How do we do that?”

I laughed at her enthusiasm. “Depends on what you’re going for. Tiana and Serena are a good example. For Tiana, arousal increases her strength, but for Serena her abilities are stronger with the added detriment of causing arousal with just a splash of exhibitionism thrown in.”

“So,” I said, sliding my hands down to cup her rear, “we’ll have to nail down the specifics. Serena has a skill that makes her stronger when she wears less. Tiana has one that makes her stronger when she orgasms, but only when someone else causes it. We’ll want to find out what it is you like the most and try and get your class to revolve around it.”

If her eyes went any wider they might fall out of her skull. “I have so many things to think about right now.” She smiled, touching two fingers to her lips. “And I’ve still got to figure out your Soul Essence stuff.” Her smile widened. “You sure know how to keep a girl busy.”

I laughed. “I’ve gotta keep you distracted somehow, or poor little Zaren will never get a break”She shifted her hips back to grind against my length. “Not if I can help it. Speaking of,” her hips stilled, “what are my limitations?”

“For what?”

“For figuring out how this Essence stuff works. I have a bunch of ideas, but I need to know what you’re okay with.”

I raised a brow. “Just how far are you planning to go?”

Only after she drug her hands all the way down my chest and stomach did she say, “well, there’s definitely going to be sex. I don’t think it’s the main way you’re regaining essence, but it could still be a part of it. I’ve got some ideas. And, if I’m on the right track, then that sex might not be with just the four of us. Is that something you’re for or against?”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to add anyone to the harem just yet,” I told her. “I’d like to make sure I can handle the four of you, first.”

“Of course, but I mean just for sex. As a sort of…control.”

I could only shake my head. “If it’s someone all four of you—and the person in question, of course—agreed on, and it was someone I actually wanted to sleep with, then I suppose I wouldn’t have any objections. No prostitutes, though. And, for the record, this might be the strangest conversation we’ve had to date, and that’s a high bar.”

She giggled, then wrapped her arms around my neck and nuzzled into me. “I love you.”

I crushed her into my chest and I heard the air being squeezed out of her, but it came out alongside a happy grunt. “I love you, too, Angel.”

I was more than content to just lay there with my little Scholar safe and warm in my arms for as long as I could get away with. It wasn’t long after that there was a knock on the door, followed by a key sliding into the lock. The others all filed in, the twins included, many of them giving me appraising looks as I was still completely naked. When Noelle walked in, I couldn’t help but smile. I could tell immediately that her hair was slightly longer than it had been when I’d left them earlier.

“Ryoko’s work?” I asked, gesturing to it.

She nodded, a faint smile curling her lips. I held my hand out and she sped over and crawled onto the bed to sit in my lap. Serena was right behind Noelle, and leaned over to give me a quick peck. “Everything alright?” she asked softly, her eyes flicking towards Rhallani.

“It is now.”

She handed me a small parcel. “Jezal wanted me to pass that along to you. Said you’d know what it was.”I certainly did. I unwrapped it to show a small metal tablet with what looked like an ink swirl on it. Once a day, you could give it a drop of blood and it would tell you the class and abilities of the person who the blood belonged to. When I told the others as much, their jaws dropped.

“Those cost a fortune!”

“It’s limited,” I explained, “and it takes a full twenty-four hours to reset and recharge. It’s a much flimsier version of the class tablets you probably know. A friend of mine—” my words caught in my throat unexpectedly, “she was an artificer. She figured out how to make them with much cheaper materials.”

I felt Serena’s hand on my arm. I knew from the look in her eye that she’d noticed my tone when I mentioned my friend. “You said you didn’t have anyone before,” she said softly.

I ran my fingers through Noelle’s hair. It was nearly twice as long as before, which meant it was longer than it had been even before Rhallani had cut it. “I didn’t by the time the war ended.” Serena slid an arm around my shoulders and Tiana sat on the bed next to us and put a hand on my knee.

“You were close, though?” Tiana asked.

I didn’t answer right away. I leaned against the headboard of the bed, pulling Noelle up higher in my lap. Serena took one side, pulling my head down to rest on her breasts and stroking my hair, and Tiana crawled over to sit on my other side after losing all but her smallclothes. Rhallani scooted until she was in Tiana’s lap and could rest her hand on my thigh.

“She was one of two women I got close to after…after Eliya.”

I could tell from their expressions that all involved knew enough to not need any clarification. Seems Serena and Rhallani had gotten everyone up to speed at some point, and I was oddly okay with that. Tiana put her hand on mine and laced our fingers. “Will you tell us about them?”

After a minute to think, I nodded. I figured I’d need to revisit it eventually, and why not when I was buried under my harem? The thought was almost ridiculous enough to make me smile. Then, surprising me, Serena captured my chin and tipped it so that I was looking up at her. “And Zaren? I’d like it if you told us as much of the good as you can remember, not just the bad.”

My brow furrowed, but I saw no need to say no. “The first was Ria. She was a Bellatian. She came from a long line of warriors that were considered some of the best fighters in history, even after the class system equalized things.”

To make sense of things, I needed to go back a bit. “I was seventeen when Rolar found me, and though I was still gangly and thin, I had the tall, dark, and brooding vibe that really seemed to do it for a lot of women. Before the larger fights, it wasn’t uncommon for one to seek me out and invite me to spend the night in their bedroll. I turned them down more often than not, but I soon found it was the closest I got to sleeping through the night before big battles. I never spent the night with the same woman more than once or twice, though. Not until Ria.”

“When Rolar found me, I was far from skilled. I was strong, but completely self taught. In terms of form, I was a complete nightmare who got by on raw instinct, speed, and the power of my class. After a few battles, she took note. She gave me no end of shit for it, and one day she finally pushed too hard. I lashed out, and promptly ended up on my ass.”

I smiled at the memory. “I kept going back for more, and before I knew it she was teaching me how to actually swing a sword. Any skill with a weapon I have now is thanks to her. She was loud and brash and wasn’t afraid to get in anyone’s face. She was also one of the best fighters I’ve ever met, even to this day. She took only support skills, relying on her hard earned skill with a blade to carry her, and it was more than enough.”

“More than anything, she could handle my shit better than anyone else. Even Rolar. She had a way of telling at a glance when I was too deep in my head and specialized in making me mad enough to completely forget whatever was dragging me down. She was a beast on the battlefield and absolutely fearless, and until the day I cut off Grimsbane’s head there was nobody I trusted more at my back.”

“At first, she was just teaching me to fight. To handle myself. Then one day, before we picked a fight that we had no business actually winning, another fighter sought me out. She promptly told them to fuck off and dragged me back to her tent.” The memory was enough to bring a smile to my face.

Serena ran her hand along my chest, her head leaning on my shoulder. “You were together, then?”

My smile faded. “Yes and no. I shared a bedroll with her more than I did anyone else, but…I don’t think I was ready for much more than that. Eve was the first person I ever connected emotionally with, and she ended up buried in a rockslide. Ina was my first kiss, and I watched Karn’s man put a crossbow bolt in her chest. Eliya was the first person I ever fell in love with, but with her scars…”

“Scars?” Rhallani asked.

I nodded. “Her trials left her body covered in them. Far worse than mine, and more than a few on her head and face. I always told her I didn’t care, but she did. By the time she died…” I trailed off. It seemed, despite everything, I still wasn’t ready to revisit that. Noelle’s arms snaked around my torso and she nuzzled into me. “After her, I just wasn’t ready for anything resembling romantic. Ria liked me that way, and she made it clear she was willing to wait until I was ready to take us past just the physical. But I waited too long.”

Serena started running her fingers through my hair, but she didn’t interrupt. “One of Grimsbane’s greatest generals was a man named Ilthiard. He had a class combination that let him see entire battlefields at once and order his men around in ways that were nearly impossible to counter. We cornered him, but Grimsbane’s armies cornered us. I knew that a force had stayed behind to hold off the main army long enough for me and the rest of the Seven to take Ilthiard down, but I didn’t know that Ria was leading them.”

“They were wiped out to a man, her and the rest of the Bellatians, but they did their job. They held back a host more than ten times their size and turned the tide of the war. It was after she didn’t come to our tent that night I realized what must have happened. I spent the next three days with the others, going through the dead, until I found her.”

Four women were holding me in some form or fashion, and it was only because of them that I could keep going. “She had a note on her. She’d written it when she realized what she had to do. She said she was happy to make the sacrifice because she knew we—the Seven—were the real hope. She felt lucky for the time we got to share, and that she got to go out on her own terms. She also said she wasn’t afraid to die because she knew I’d be alright on my own. That I didn’t need her any longer.” I felt the tear slide down my cheek before I’d even realized it had escaped me. “I wish I could have told her how wrong she was.”

Serena’s hands snaked around my neck and down my chest while Tiana laid down on my chest, sliding one of her long legs between mine and gently playing with the hairs on my chest. “And the artificer?” Serena prompted after a while.

“Esther.” I hadn’t said her name in years, but it brought a smile to my face even as pain stabbed into my chest. “She was brilliant. Kind of like someone else I know.” I gave Rhallani a nudge, and she beamed. “But her specialty wasn’t the uncovering of knowledge. She was a genius when it came to understanding how to combine magical and nonmagical materials in ways nobody ever considered. She could take far inferior materials and use them to make weapons that actually gave us a chance against Grimsbane’s seemingly limitless resources.”

“We met when Rolar asked me to escort her to Haven—the closest thing we had to a home base—not long after Ria died. Esther had a habit of muttering aloud under her breath when she was working, and she was always working. I found it oddly endearing. I used to fall asleep just listening to her talk. It was some of the best sleep I got in those days.” I realized I was smiling again, and from the way Serena traced my smile with a fingertip I knew that hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“I must have learned via osmosis, because I started to understand what she was saying. The things she was doing. I started asking questions, and I guess they were the right ones. Soon I was privy to all her creations and strategies. Apparently I had a habit of asking just what she needed me to for her to have the big breakthrough she was looking for.”

“I got her to Haven and we settled her in, then went back to the front. Our victory against Ilthiard kept us in the fight, but things weren’t going well. My nightmares were at their worst, and I hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since Ria. Without even meaning to, I found my way to Esther. She worked, I listened and asked questions, and the next thing I knew I was dozing in her workshop. Best sleep I’d had in a long, long time.”

“We went back to the front until things went sideways again and we had to retreat and regroup. Torren had been nearly ripped in two and Iliri ended up cursed for a time. As soon as we got back, I sought out Esther. She had a cot in her workshop as if she knew I was coming. Rolar found me there, sleeping while she worked, and I think he understood what her shop had come to mean to me.”

“It was the first place in my entire life that I felt welcome. Safe. I’d never had someone who was always excited to see me. Just to have me around. Who’d worry every time I left and made me promise I’d be careful. Eliya, Ina, Eve, even Ria to an extent all cared for me, but there was that undercurrent of reliance. That a part of why they did what they did was because they were relying on me to save them.”

“Esther wasn’t like that. It was…alien to me that there was someone who just seemed to enjoy having me around. I liked listening to her talk about her creations almost as much as she enjoyed telling me about them. But despite how happy she always was to see me and how sad it seemed to make her when I left, we never took that last step. Whether it was me or her who was reluctant to become something more, I couldn’t tell you. With the war looming over us, we just…”

They let me think for a minute before Serena’s thumb started working along my jaw. I took it as a gentle sign to keep going. “It happened while we were underground, hunting the Valax queen,” I said with a sigh. “We’d moved our army into position to take the pass, and Grimsbane found out. He moved on Haven before we could so much as react.”

They knew what was coming, because I felt all of them tighten their grips on me. “The city didn’t last long, but it lasted long enough to get the majority of the people out. It was where we’d sent most of the families of the people that fought with us. Still, without Esther, they wouldn’t have made it far.”

“She’d rigged the city to blow using a deadly combination of magical and physical explosives. A concoction she created that she swore to take to her grave because of how destructive it was. Her and those we left behind to protect Haven held out as long as they could, made sure as many of Grimsbane’s forces were in the walls as possible, then they activated her devices. She died in an instant, and she took more of Grimsbane’s soldiers with her than anybody but maybe Bennet.”

Serena’s fingers never stopped playing with my hair, and I kept going. “Without their sacrifice, we don’t win the war. I know that, and I know they both went out on their own terms, so it’s nothing like what happened with the others, but…”

“It’s okay to hurt,” Serena said softly. “You made their sacrifices worth it in the end. You stopped him, Zaren. You freed tens of thousands of people. The world may be shitty, but all the good that exists in this country doesn’t happen without them. Or you.”

I nodded mutely, heat pricking the backs of my eyes. I wondered if Allura’s deal included them or if she was only bringing back the ones who’d died in Karn’s experiments. I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Not if the answer was the latter. Of all the people I wished I could talk to just one more time, both Ria and Esther both nearly topped the list.

It seemed they all realized I was at the end of the story I was willing to tell, because they all nestled deeper into me. I was glad it was still cold in Anford, because being buried under four girls was warmer than any blanket. I closed my eyes, caressing who I could reach.

At some point, I realized I felt better. Not just the weight in my gut—though that felt lighter now than it ever had—but my arm as well. I lifted it and was surprised to see that the burn had receded noticeably from earlier in the day, now ending just above my elbow. Frowning, I checked my status.

[Soul Essence: 61/100]

I sighed. “It’s gone up another four,” I said.

They all looked at me uncomprehendingly, then Rhallani’s eyes went wide. She made a mad dash for her book, still on the desk from when I’d been fucking her, and started scribbling madly. I held my arm up. “I think it’s safe to say this is related, too.”

Rhallani stood, chewing frantically on her pencil. Then she looked around the room and scooped up what I realized were my pants. She threw them at me. “Go get the twins, then run down and grab us dinner. Please,” she added, almost as an afterthought. Then she grinned. “And take your time. Your harem needs to have a discussion.”

I exchanged a glance with Serena. “I’d say try to keep her at least a little reigned in, but…”

She smiled sweetly, then placed a kiss on my forehead. “Thank you for sharing. It means the world to me, and I know it means a lot to the others as well.”

“Thanks for pushing me to. It feels good to talk about them,” I admitted, extracting myself from under a Noelle who seemed to be pouting. I gave her a forehead kiss as well. “I’ll be back in a bit, don’t you worry.”She nodded once, then crawled into Serena’s lap and pulled the blond’s arms around her. I shook my head and stood, looking to Tiana. “Good luck. Something tells me you’ll need it.”

The mist in her eyes was unmistakable, but she just smiled at me. “Maybe between me and Serena we can keep your little mad Scholar from going on too much of a power trip.”

“That’d be the day.”

I found a shirt as well and headed for the door. I was almost out of it when the open window caught my eye. It was only cracked a little, but I saw a falcon perched on a tree just outside it. I didn’t exactly know a lot about birds, but it felt rather out of place. Then, as if it noticed me looking at it, the falcon took flight and disappeared.

Something about the moment stuck with me while I asked the twins to join the other girls in my room, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what. When I made it back to the room a while later, I made sure the window was closed and latched, but it did little to settle the unease in my gut.

# # #

I had no idea what the girls ended up talking about while I was gone. Whatever it was, I received a barrage of knowing, amused looks that worried me greatly, but they all refused to give me even a hint. I’d spent the journey downstairs as well as the walk back with a box of food preparing myself for the worst Rhallani had to offer, but once again I was caught completely by surprise.

Because of the early morning we had, the girls were all in agreement that we’d spend our last night in Anford simply relaxing. We ate a cheerful meal, and for once I got to sit back and not be the topic of conversation. For the most part, it was spent catching up the new additions to the family on Rhallani’s family and Serena’s life in Listone.

After that, Tiana told us about her family. She was the youngest of five sisters, and the only one to get a combat class. Her father had been an adventurer, and her mother a jeweler. He’d left one day and never came home, and his mother had been a wreck after.

She’d begged Tiana not to try and be an adventurer, but Tiana wouldn’t have it. Her father had been her hero, and she was determined to follow in his footsteps. She met a guy during her early years and they’d gotten together, but it hadn’t ended well. He apparently hadn’t been super into how dominant Tiana could be in the bedroom and started going behind her back to visit a demi-human brothel and spending their money to do it.

When she’d found out, she dumped him on the spot and left the capital to come to Anford. She’d hopped parties there ever since until we’d found her. When I told her I’d shelled out the money to expedite her letter home, she’d ended up a teary mess for a good bit, and by the time we all piled into the bed to sleep she ended up with her back nestled into my front while wrapped around a very pleased Noelle. Serena wound up holding me from behind, and Rhallani found herself wrapped up with the twins. It wasn’t long at all before I was out like a light.

One moment I was pressing my lips to the nape of Tiana’s neck, settling into Serena’s warmth behind me, drifting to sleep, the next I was very suddenly awake. I didn’t move, reaching out with boosted senses to try and find what had snapped me from my slumber, but I could find nothing. The faint fluttering of wings retreating into the early morning was the only sound that registered as out of the ordinary.

My thoughts shifted immediately to the falcon I’d seen yesterday. There were thousands of classes under the sun, and it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination that there was one that could utilize a bird such as that one. Beast tamer classes, summoner classes, even just magic items and trained beasts. Whatever the case, I couldn’t shake the thought that something or someone had been watching me.

Tiana twisted, still pressed into my front. “Zaren?” she mumbled sleepily. She reached back and I slid my hand into hers. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, probably.”

I could feel her trying to fight the grogginess. “Probably?”

I gave her a squeeze. “Nothing to worry about.”

At some point, Noelle had managed to insert herself in the pile that was Rhallani and the twins, so Tiana was free to turn over and nestle into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and she folded her own arms between us. “If you’re sure.”

I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Get some more sleep while you can.”

“Mmh.” Her breathing started to even out, but I could feel her fighting off the sleep trying to reclaim her.

“Will we get to be like this more on the journey?” she asked.

I smiled. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. There are a few more of you than when we were on the road before, but we’ve got better gear this time.”

“I was having a nightmare just now,” she said quietly. Her fingers clutched my shirt. “I was back down there, buried and waiting to die.”

I rubbed her back. “I’ve got you now. No more underground adventures for a long while, alright?”

She nodded. “Please. And…” She hooked one of her legs around mine to pull her body even closer. “You were there. In the dream. Then when I woke up, you were still here. It made me feel better.” She made a soft sound. “I’m still half asleep, so I probably sound like an idiot.”

“Not at all.” I ran my fingers through her hair, dragging them along her scalp. She let out a long, satisfied sigh and relaxed in my arms. “After what you went through, nightmares are perfectly normal. My bed—or bedroll, I suppose—is open to you as long as you’re having them.”

“Mmmmm.” She all but went limp in my arms. “And after?”

“I’m sure we’ll come up with another excuse by then.”

Whether she heard me or not before she nodded off, I couldn’t be sure. I felt sleep tugging at me, but I resisted its pull. If someone was watching us, then I wasn’t going back to sleep until we’d left Anford well behind.

At one point, Tiana started to curl up in my arms. She whimpered once, so I started gently running my fingertips down her spine. She started to relax after a few minutes, and by the time the sky started to lighten outside she was calm.

I gently placed my palm to the side of her face and turned her face up, pressing my lips to her cheek. “Time to get up.”

She sucked in a breath and her eyes shot open, but they found mine quickly and she melted into my embrace with a soft smile. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

I smiled at her. “You’re telling me. Start getting ready, I’ll wake the others.”

It was only after she pressed her temple to my jaw for a few moments that she finally let go of me and twisted towards the side of the bed. I turned over to wake Serena, but she seemed to be having stressful dreams of her own. I tried to coax her awake in much the same way as Tiana, though she woke a little more violently than the mage.

Her whole body jerked and her eyes searching the room frantically. They locked on me and she practically dove for my chest. “It’s alright, Serena. You’re alright,” I said softly.

She clutched me with trembling arms. “I saw it. I saw Ria’s last stand. Gods, Zaren, there were so many…”

The tranquil moment was shattered. My stomach heaved, but I kept my hold on her. “It’s over now.” I reassured her. “It was the past. It can’t hurt you.”

But she shook her head. “I didn’t—I don’t—” She took a shuddering breath. “She fought so many of them. Killed so many of them. She was one of the last to fall, and she died with a smile on her face. But it didn’t stop there. The dream.”

It felt like every muscle in my body locked up at once. My mind shot off in a dozen different directions, but I shut it down. I forced my voice to remain calm and even when I asked, “what do you mean?”

“She died from her injuries, but they’d killed too many. Grimsbane’s army turned back. I watched them go, and I wanted to get one last look at her. She—she was beautiful, Zaren. And amazing. But then I heard voices. Her voice. The dream tried to pull me away, but I had to—I wanted to—”

“Breathe, Serena. Breathe. Take a second, I’m not going anywhere.”

She buried her face in my neck and took several deep breaths. When she pulled away, she looked a little steadier. “I fought against the dream, even though it felt like it was ripping me in half. I heard Ria, and I heard someone else. When I looked closely, I could see them, but only fuzzy outlines. The one I’m pretty sure was Ria was answering questions.”

With every word, her voice grew a little stronger. Noelle and Rhallani were awake by now and listening intently. Serena continued, her eyes jammed shut. “She was laughing. Something about not being surprised that ‘he’d’ need her help again. That she was willing to take ‘her’ up on her offer.”

My blood ran cold. If Serena was saying what I think she was saying, then Allura had been planning her deal with me long before she’d sought me out. I stroked her hair. “What else did you hear? You mentioned a deal?”“She said—” Serena gulped. “She said she had no interest in an easy life. That if ‘he’ was really going to need help, she’d need the strength to help him. The other person—a woman, I think—she seemed amused. That was as far as I got before it felt like someone grabbed my shoulder and ripped me out of the dream. I can—” she cut off with a whimper. “I can still feel it. The hand that grabbed me.”

“Where?” I demanded.

She pointed to her left shoulder. She was wearing one of my shirts, and with my broad shoulders there was plenty of room to slide the collar aside. I sucked a breath in when I saw the dark handprint still there. It was a burn identical to the one on my arm.

“No more asking for dreams for a while,” I said firmly. “Souls can’t handle divinity for long, and my guess is you overstayed your welcome.” I put a hand to her cheek to stop her objection. “I’m not upset. I need to do some thinking, but what you figured out is important. At the same time, you’re still only a level seven priestess. Your soul is going to be more resistant than most when it comes to divinity, but there are still limits.”

She nodded. “That—that makes sense. I hope I didn’t anger her by overstepping. I just—I had to know.”

“I know.” I pulled her to my chest and cradled her head. “I know.” She saw a chance to help me and she took it. I knew realistically I couldn’t be mad, but she didn’t have a shredded soul like mine. Messing around with divinity was much more dangerous for her.

And then there was what she’d uncovered. I didn’t even know where to begin. I’d been wondering only yesterday if Ria and Esther had been a part of the deal I struck, and now I had my answer. Not only that, but Allura had been planning it before I’d even killed Grimsbane. That she’d been so confident I’d agree, even then, made me angrier than I’d care to admit.

Because I knew gods. If it wasn’t the carrot, it was the stick. If she was collecting the souls of my friends that long ago, then I could only assume she planned to offer them up as a reward first, then hold them hostage if that didn’t pan out. And I didn’t even want to begin thinking about just what Allura’s deal with her could have meant. The implications of me needing Ria’s help. Had Allura been stretching the truth? Saying whatever she needed to so Ria would agree to whatever her “deal” was? Or was it something more?

“I’ll get stronger,” Serena said suddenly, as if she could read my thoughts, “I’ll get levels and get my hands on a communion skill. I’ll find a way to talk to her so we can get to the bottom of this, Zaren. I promise.”

I crushed her against me harder than I meant to, but she voiced no objection. “We do what we can, where we can. Let’s worry about getting to the capital safely first. I won’t sacrifice what I do have for something Allura might have done.”

She nodded against my chest and finally started to relax. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. No more apologies, remember?”

She let out a choked laugh, and I relaxed my arms. We were already going to be late, but I would worry about Korey later. “We should get moving. I’m ready to be out of Anford.”

Rhallani wrapped around Serena’s arm, helping her up. “I’m going to miss the bed,” she said sadly.

I ruffled her hair, then grabbed my boots and sat on the bed to slip them on. “Me too, but when we get to the capital we can buy one that’s actually big enough for us all.” Things had been a little tight last night, not that I was complaining.

After spending time in war, I was the first dressed by a mile. Rhallani, opting to simply summon her armor, was the only one who came close to beating me. I noted her armor had the new addition of a hood, which Festus appeared in with his head resting lazily on her shoulder.

“Speaking of beds, what is the sleeping situation going to look like when we get…wherever it is we’re going?” Rhallani asked.

More than one girl perked up to hear my response. “Haven’t gotten that far yet,” I admitted. “I was hardly factoring a harem into my plans, after all.” Rhallani pouted, and I smirked at her. “But for now I was thinking that everyone would get their own room and the master bedroom would have an open door policy.”

That made her perk up. Then her eyes widened and she skipped over to clutch my shirt. “Ren, if you don’t have any hard plans, can I design the master bedroom? Please please please please?”

I chuckled, banishing anything that wasn’t being carried into storage. “It’s only fair I let the others have some input, but sure. Whatever you come up with is fine by me. The closest thing I’ve ever had to a bedroom was Esther’s workshop.”

I felt a hand slip into mine and looked to see Serena just behind me. She smiled softly. “Once we get to the capital, we can work on all your firsts.” She gave my hand a squeeze, then said, with some hesitation, “Wherever we’re going, we’ll make it into a home, right?”

I squeezed her hand. “Right.”

When we finally made it out of the room, Noelle taking the lead with her new, massive axe strapped to her back, nobody was more excited than the twins. “We’re really going to the capital?” Ryoko asked, her eyes wide.

“We are,” I told her.

Her and Tsuki walked hand in hand. Tsuki’s face was as guarded as always, but both their tails swished excitedly. Tsuki asked, “what kind of house do you have? Will it really be big enough for us?”

“Ah,” I said uncertainly. “Well, technically, but I’ve only ever set foot in it once, and it wasn’t in the best shape then. In fact, there’s a good chance it’s been uninhabited for a long, long time, but it should have more than enough space once it’s all fixed up.”

Tiana made a thinking noise. I glanced at her, noting with amusement that she wore a skirt that went down to her knees today. “So there’s a good chance we’ll be holed up in another inn until the house can be repaired, then?”

“Possibly. And I should probably mention that ‘house’ isn’t the best description of the property I own.” I paid the innkeeper the rest of our balance, then followed Noelle out the door. Everyone spread out while we headed towards the southern gate where hopefully Korey waited with the wagons. “I only saw it the once, but it’s more akin to a manor than a house.”

The twins lit up, and the others all looked at me with shock. “Okay,” Rhallani said, holding her hands out, “I’ve let the question go unasked for far too long. Exactly how much land do you own?”

“Rol—er, the man I inherited it from,” I corrected with a glance at the twins, “wanted to give me more, but I talked him down to a pretty sizable estate in the Onyx district.”

Tiana frowned. “I’m not familiar.”

But Rhallani paled. “That’s the old name for the lower quarter,” she said softly. “It isn’t a very good place. It’s where all the demi-humans and the poorest of the humans end up, which means it has the highest crime rates. There are nearly a dozen mansions abandoned down there owned by people who don’t live in the capital. Because the people in charge can’t make any money off the land, they just let most of that section of the city fall into disrepair.”

The others looked a little crestfallen, but I just snorted. “Then it’s really going to fuck shit up when I start dumping money into it. Especially if nobody touched my vault. There’s a pretty solid chance a small fortune is still stashed underneath the house they gave me. I’ll dump it all into the lower quarter until it’s the nicest fucking place in the city.”

That seemed to make them all feel better. Rhallani, however, had a hungry look in her eye. “A vault? Is it just gold, or…”

“Mostly,” I admitted. “I wasn’t big on trophies or loot, but my friend wanted to make sure I got my due. I wasn’t exactly planning on spending it, so I left it all behind.”

She pouted, then perked up. “Your manor is gonna have a library, right? All good manors have a library.”

I laughed. “If it doesn’t, then I’ll have to leave it up to you to fill one up.”

With a squeal, she latched onto my side. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” Festus made a disgruntled sound and she pulled away, grinning from ear to ear. “I can fill it with all the books I’ll have to hunt down to figure out your—uh, weapon.”

I saw Tsuki’s eyes narrow, though she tried to hide it. I put a hand on her shoulder and she tensed. “I have my secrets. For now, there are things I’ll need to play close to the chest. When we get settled in, we can discuss how involved you want to be with the things I need to do.”

She nodded curtly. “Of course. I’m aware I still don’t have much of a role in your household, it makes sense not to tell me sensitive information.”

I winced at how mechanical her words sounded, but right now there wasn’t much I could do to dispel them. Too many reassurances would only raise her suspicions. “We’ll figure something out,” I promised her.When I turned back to Rhallani, she had her notebook out. She smiled at me expectantly, pencil raised. I shook my head, then checked my status.

[Soul Essence; 64/100]

“Well, it went up again,” I told her.

She scribbled furiously in her notes. “I think I’m starting to understand, and no I’m not telling you. Not yet.”

“My health is even closer to max as well,” I noted. The tightness in my abdomen had lessened, too, which meant that injury was closer to healed than before.

By then, Korey’s caravan was within view. When he saw me, he seemed relieved. “I was just about to send Pierce looking for you after our conversation yesterday.”

I chuckled. “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t plan on going out without at least a little property damage. Trust me, if I’m in a bind, you’ll know.”

He actually seemed reassured by that. He looked to where my wagon was bringing up the rear. I was pleased to see Elisa sitting at the reins with Cynthia curled up next to her, asleep. She waved excitedly when she saw us.

Korey followed my gaze, then he looked to Tiana and the twins. “You’ve picked up a few more bodies, I see.”

“Tiana is a very powerful mage, she’s with me now. Er, with me, I should probably clarify.” Korey’s brows rose, and Tiana blushed, but neither commented.

Instead, he glanced at Noelle. “And you’re looking much better, miss Scarlet.”

She frowned, then looked to me. I nodded encouragingly, and she timidly said, “my name is Noelle. I am stronger now, and will help defend your people.”

He hid his surprise well. “Noelle, then. I’ll be sure to tell the others.” He turned back to me. “Cilrien left us. He said he’d prefer to stay in the outer territories, so we’re down a driver. Sorry we won’t have anyone to spare.”

“It’s fine, Cynthia offered to drive mine.”

Tsuki cleared her throat. “If you need an extra pair of hands, I can drive. I’ll just need someone to show me how.”

Korey nodded thoughtfully. “If you’ve got no issues with it, I can have Mihrel teach her today. Not much to it. I can put her on the last cart before yours.”

“Works for me. That alright with you, Tsuki?”

She nodded. “I’d like to contribute when I can.” I could hear the undertone in her voice. The worry that I might cast her aside if she didn’t prove herself useful. It was similar to how Noelle had been in the beginning. It was a mindset I was starting to realize I hadn’t seen the last of. It shouldn’t surprise me that demi-humans would be almost as afraid of losing a kind Patron as they were getting stuck with a cruel one.

“How long before the caravan is ready to leave?”

“We were just waiting on you. I think the others are as ready as I am to be safe in the capital.”

I couldn’t help but feel relieved. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”