Chapter 128 Pt.2:

“Thank you, Anton.” Duchess Belinda gently took the fine clay cup and sipped the water. “It’s not my tea, but it’s far better than that stagnant water I’ve had to suffer through these past few days.”

“The journey from Atros to Maxill is a long one.” Anton leant back into his chair. “Though I’m sure you found the lake along the road.”

The Duchess sipped the water again. “Indeed. My escorts were exceedingly happy to find it. Water was starting to run a little low.”

“We have food if you wish,” Anton said.

“Good food,” Verona added, though quickly realising it might not have been the most prudent addition. “Though compared to what we ate in Maxill its pretty plain.”

Belinda chuckled. “I’ve been eating dried rations and hard vegetables for the past seven days. I miss Alfred preparing my meals. Some of the White Dog mercenaries don’t like doing it for me.” She shrugged dismissively. “But they’re being well paid.”

“You have almost a hundred with you,” Kal spoke softly. “Very well armed too. They’re not going to cause problems. Are they?”

“No.” Belinda shook her head. “They are professionals. And professionals know how to behave.”

“So…I think it’s time you told us what the hell is going on.”

Anton looked at those gathered; the same people that had gathered to discuss the Dwarves and Dark Elves, though far more nervous. Cetina had taken Tuccac’s words to heart and kept her sword drawn. It didn’t seem necessary though; Belinda was alone and completely unarmed. And far more conservatively dressed than normal, relatively speaking. Gone was the bright red, gem embroidered Victorian styled dress, replaced with a simple red dress and white gloves. Simple but certainly not cheap. Every stitch and seam had been carefully and delicately crafted.

“Before I do, I’d like to thank you for not attacking us.” Belinda smiled faintly. “I honestly didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t anything like this...But. I have come for your help. I am willing to pay whatever is necessary to gain your assistance. Anything within our power.”

Please don’t offer your sons and daughters to me. Please? Do you even have children? You don’t look that old.

“Is it another Clansmen assault? Or one of the merchant lords in Bebbezzar trying to expand?

Cetina let out a faint whimper at their mention.

Belinda’s eyes judged Cetina closely. “You will have to explain how you were able to convince a Bebbezzarian to join you later.”

“So what is it?” Verona asked. She leant close to Anton. “If it’s more Goblins…”

“The King is dead.” Belinda cast her eyes down. “And now his sons are tearing the Kingdom apart.”

“Another civil war…” Anton ran a hand through his hair. “Just that this one has gone hot.”

“It’s not just a civil war. Or a succession war. It is far worse, for you specifically. Prince Harold and Giles, two sons of the late King Lambert, are backed by The Church of the Holy Father. Once they have dealt with Prince Leo, the only one that hasn’t succumbed to their madness, they plan to launch a crusade to destroy Atros.”

Kal’s fists slammed into the table. “They know about this place? You…You told them? About us? About me? They’ll kill everyone!”

Belinda forced her face to remain flat. “Not exactly. The story is long and dull, I’ll tell you at a later date, but I had to explain your actions during the Clansmen Invasion. And where you came from. I didn’t say there was a city, only that you came from the east. They were smart enough to figure out where you live.” Belinda waved to the roof. “I did too.”

Anton looked to Kal and held her hand tight. “I think a return to slavery is the least of what they will do to you. These people cannot be reasoned with?”

“Unfortunately not. When I left Castle Etoile, the Black Riders Fortress, the enemy had already begun their assault. So far the Royal Army hasn’t launched any attacks either way, Alfred said that they don’t know what to do, but the fanatics of the Church will kill everyone that stands in their way. Right now that means us. Especially me, since I consorted with heretics.”

“And once they’ve dealt with you then they’ll come for us.”

“Exactly. And we left some time ago. I do not know how things fare in Qaiviel right now, but I know that Alfred will not allow the Kingdom to fall without a fight. But if we work together it m-will be possible to defeat them before the entire kingdom is left a desolate husk.”

I need Qaiviel to be prosperous, so I can continue to get resources and people off them. Not to mention a buffer for anything beyond. We can’t just leave them to die.

“I feel like I’m repeating myself a little bit,” Anton muttered underneath his breath. “But there are not many of us that could fight such a war.”

“Indeed.” Belinda locked onto Kal’s bright green eyes. “I didn’t think I’d get the chance to see them again but they are beautiful. In a wild way."

Kal didn’t quite know how to take the compliment but accepted it all the same.

“But there’s no way that Beast-kin could fight in this war.” Belinda shrugged. “It would only inflame the opposition.”

“I doubt I could convince them to fight for humans after all they’ve done to them. Perhaps I could get six or something but that’d be it.”

“Ah…” Verona sniggered, Belinda sipped at her cup as her eyes flicked between everyone.

“I was only thinking as asking you, Anton, Lady Verona and Lady Kal to join us.” Belinda glanced at Cetina. “Perhaps the Bebbezzarian too, if she’s any good.”

“She’s very good with a sword. Far better than most people.”

“Even with one eye?”

“Even with one eye.”

Belinda’s brows furrowed with the faintest creases but didn’t push the issue. “Four would be more than enough. If you could join us immediately I, and the Qaiviel Kingdom would be extremely grateful. We will arrange whatever payment is necessary. The royal treasury has many vaults overflowing with gold.”

“Though that is tempting there is a slight problem.” Anton cut short her internal celebration. “We are sort of committed to another conflict right now. Helping the Dark Elves in The Shadow Isles.”

“Dark Elves?” Belinda appeared genuinely surprised. “I’ve seen some Dwarves, at least I think they were Dwarves, but no Dark Elves.”

“They’re currently on a ship.” Belinda only frowned as she mulled over the implications of his words. “And they’ll be arriving very soon, earlier than we could reach Maxill if we left right now.”

“I imagine you, of all people, have a way around that, but we need to leave immediately if we are to save the Qaiviel Kingdom. Money is not an issue. But we need your help to survive.”

Anton tapped the table. “Duchess Belinda, could you please give us a moment to discuss this privately amongst ourselves?” Anton waved Cetina forward.

Duchess Belinda bowed her head and gracefully followed Cetina outside. Cetina gave several glances towards the door when she returned to her position.

Anton slumped down his chair. “Can’t it just be one thing at a time? Please?”

Verona chuckled, patted his hand and gently pulled him back up. “So what are we going to do?”

“We can’t just leave them to their own fate.” Anton began. “Even if Qaiviel actually doesn’t affect us that much right now. If she’s telling the truth, and I have no reason to doubt her after coming all this way, then we are in serious danger.”

“We could always do what we did to the Pirate Captain to her.” Verona offered, Kal threw up a brow. “Just to make sure. But even I don’t think someone like her would take the long journey in the carriage just to spring some sort of trap. You did save her life after all, and expand her territory.”

“People can change once money and power is involved,” Cetina said.

“True…”

“Qaiviel will be difficult for me,” Kal said. “I imagine that we’ll be under a lot of scrutiny. And if someone finds out…”

“We can’t just leave either conflict alone.” Anton sighed. “And The Shadow Isles are probably going to be quite difficult for me.” Bertram and Sybil shared a glance. “As much as I hate to say it we may have to split up. Kal should head to The Shadow Isles, not alone…And I don’t know how Qaiviel’s going to like seeing your blood powers, Verona.”

Verona straightened her back. “That settles things. Kal and I go to The Shadow Isles while you and Cetina travel to Qaiviel and help them out of whatever mess they’ve landed themselves into.”

“We’ll need portals so we could easily jump from one conflict to another.” Anton smiled bitterly at his wives. "I'm not going to like being separated from either of you for long.”

“You’ll have Cetina with you, won’t you?” Verona rested her elbows on the table, nestling her head in her palms and shooting Cetina a devilish look. Anton understood the implications but Cetina took a few seconds.

“Not that.” Anton ruffled her hair. “But that will be a problem. Anyway-”

“It doesn’t sound like you have much of a choice,” Bertram said. “Again.”

Anton shrugged. “Not when things are banging on our door. But only us four will go…Oh, Cetina. I should have asked before presuming. Did you want to come with us?”

“I’m your bodyguard,” Cetina spoke adamantly. “There’s no way that I would be forgiven for letting you go to another Kingdom alone.”

She turned to Verona and Kal. Kal smiled warmly while Verona winked. Cetina returned the smile but held back on the wink.

“This won’t have any repercussion for us?” Sybil asked.

“I certainly hope not. Inaction now will definitely lead to our destruction, so long as she’s speaking the truth.” Anton flexed a hand. “And there’s one way to make sure that she is.”

“I think she’s holding something back,” Kal said. “I could see it in her face, when she was talking about who they were fighting. Something behind her eyes.”

“I wouldn’t explain everything in order to get our support. Cetina? Could you please bring her back in?”

Cetina returned with Duchess Belinda. Belinda kept her face calm and flat as she retook her seat.

“Have you come to a decision?”

“Almost. But there are just a few more things that I’d like to ask first.”

Anton rose up and moved to Belinda’s side. She didn’t move away but kept him well within sight. Belinda was a Principle Mage, not very powerful by her own admission, but could still kill him with a first strike. Perhaps her lack of strength was a ruse. There was only her word to go on.

“I will need to hold your shoulder for this next part, or perhaps your hand.”

“And what is this for?” Belinda offered her gloved hand.

The leather was unbelievably soft. “Just to ensure that you’re telling the truth.”

Anton chanted aloud the prayer to ensure Belinda spoke only the truth. The faint white light glowed over her body.

“That was interesting.” Belinda looked to Anton’s hand. “So what happens now? You control my thoughts?”

“No. Just a few questions.” Anton smiled as warmly as possible. “Now, is there anything about this succession war that you’re not telling us?”

“Yes.” Belinda didn’t look overly surprised as the words left her mouth. “Of course there is, but I do not know every detail.”

“Is there something that we should be especially concerned about that you haven’t described?”

“Yes.” Belinda frowned lightly.

“What is that?”

“Stitch Soldiers.” Belinda sighed. “Can I remove my hand now? I’ll explain what they are. Besides, you aren’t holding them as a gentleman should.”

“I don’t particularly appreciate being lied to in such a fashion.” Anton relinquished his hold, the light faded from her. “Lying by omission is particularly egregious.”

Belinda rubbed her chin, the leather was probably rougher than her skin. “Perhaps.”

Anton retook his seat. “So no lying, of any kind, from here on. I don’t want to have to force people to tell the truth like that but I will. So, what are these Stitch Soldiers?”

“I haven’t seen them myself but Marcus, Castor and Prince Leo have seen them. And I trust their word.”

“Didn’t we meet those first two in Qaiviel?” Verona asked before snapping her fingers. “That’s right. They were the ones that insulted us, Castor called us shitty things. And then Anton threatened to blow them all up. Ah, that was a good day.”

“According to Marcus, Castor has mellowed since then.” Belinda nodded. “I think his brush with death put things into focus, at least that’s what Alfred said. Marcus is the Commander of the Blue Firestorm Knight Order, the Knights that routed the remains of the Orc and Clansmen forces.”

“And executed the corrupt governor of Nonbur’n.” Anton murmured.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Yes…” Belinda scrunched her hands. “Yes, he has that authority.”

“So the Stitch Soldiers?” Verona asked.

“I’d best start from the beginning then.”

Belinda recounted everything that had transpired since their parting: summoned to the capital, their beating and loss of the communication pen, the appearance of the Stitch Soldiers, the strange murder of the King by the Queen and two of the Princes and finally their flight to Fort Étoile.

Belinda took a sip of water. “And that’s basically up until now.”

“Those Stitch Soldiers sound dangerous, to say the least,” Anton said. “Very disturbing. If anything it sounds like necromancy.”

“Have you seen that magic?” Belinda raised a brow. “I haven’t but I’ve heard it is quite an experience.”

Anton smiled bitterly. “Not up close. Those worms reknitting the wounds sounds odd.”

“And removing the lips and eyelids too.” Verona stuck out her tongue. “Gross. And you said that some were women but they’d-”

“Yes. All traces of their womanhood had been removed.”

“Bloody hell.” Verona glanced at her chest, one that Belinda clearly held in contempt. “No thanks. I wonder if it’s the same for the men. What utter crap.”

“Even so they are strong. There is another Knight protecting Prince Leo at the moment, Bernard, and he struggled against one the size of a child. But I’m told they can be killed.”

“Good to know.”

“I have no idea how many there are. I don’t know if The Church of the Holy Father brought out all of them for the coup or if it was just a fraction of what they had.”

“We’ll deal with them when we come to them,” Anton said. “Is there anything else we need to be made aware of?”

“From what I’ve heard the mages of Qaiviel don’t know which side to support. The Church would like to control them but their history isn’t ideal. However, throwing their support behind Prince Leo could put their family’s lives in jeopardy. For now, Harold and Giles are content to leave them alone.” Belinda idly scratched the back of her hand. “But that won’t last when you become involved. I believe that Alfred will try to use that to convince them.”

“Glad to hear that he’s still alive.” Anton patted his thighs. “We will help. I don’t know how much we will be able to do but we will do everything we can. Money and rewards we can discuss at a later date.”

Belinda’s eyes widened in delight. “Thank you. Thank you very much. The Qaiviel Kingdom will not forget this. I was speaking with Alfred before I left about having the Qaiviel Kingdom recognise that the lands of the Kar Kingdom belong to Atros. Just in case someone tries to exploit this land when they realise it’s liveable.”

“Liveable.” Anton smiled. “Not safe.”

“It won’t stop them from trying.” Belinda delicately rose from her chair. “If at all possible I’d like to leave immediately. We have enough food and water for the return trip but some extra wouldn’t go amiss.”

“I’ll see what we can do.” Bertram groaned lightly as he stood upright, as upright as he could. “Though we only have simple foods.”

“That is more than acceptable.”

“We will be joining you in a few moments,” Anton said. “If you’d like to wait in your carriage we’ll finalise our arrangements.”

He motioned for Cetina to escort Belinda out again. This was more of a courtesy rather than forcing her out. Cetina returned with a faint smile on her face.

“She seems happy to get your support,” Cetina said as she returned to her position.

“I bet she is.” Verona laughed. “Now she’s got a bunch of really powerful mages on her side. Why wouldn’t she be happy?”

“She might not die,” Kal added. “That’s always something to celebrate.”

“We need a way to keep in contact with each other instantly, so we can move from battle to battle.” Verona mused. “Especially a way that can get around someone not knowing how to read. Yet. I’m working on it.”

“I have an idea about that,” Anton said.

Verona raised her hands, nearly rolling her eyes. “Please no more stones.”

“Not that. Well, not exactly.”

“We’ll get them some supplies.” Bertram and Sybil slowly walked to the door. “I don’t particularly want armed mercenaries inside our city. Ones that probably hate almost half of the people of Atros.”

“We won’t be long.”

“So what’s your idea?” Verona asked.

“Can I have your ring for a second? Both of them?”

“Okay.” Verona shrugged as she, Kal and Anton removed their wedding rings.

“Expensive,” Cetina mumbled.

Anton smiled. “I really wasn’t worried about cost when I bought them.”

He took the three rings, taking a moment to remember that he was actually married to two beautiful women, and clasped them tight.

“Here we go. Tethra, Goddess of Prayer, grant the holders of these rings the ability to talk to one another when the rings are worn and held with the other hand.”

Anton passed the rings back. He slipped the ring on and held it tight.

“Can you hear me?”

Verona and Kal jumped.

“It’s like I can hear you inside my head,” Verona said.

“Try thinking it in your mind.”

“Okay.”

“So you can hear me?” Verona giggled. “This is going to be a lot of fun.”

“Anton, does Verona know that her butt’s too big?” Kal’s voice rung in his head.

“What did you say?” Verona’s eye twitched.

Kal kept her face flat. “So she can hear even when you’re not directing it at her.”

“I’m feeling very lost right now.” Cetina idly scratched her head. “Feels like I’m only hearing half of what you say.”

“I think I could easily include you in this if you’d like? Not a ring, but maybe another necklace of some kind. Might need to rework it a little.” Anton held his chin. “Give it a name like a network. That shouldn’t require a new prayer on every item each time we add someone.”

“I wouldn’t hear things that I’m not supposed to?”

“We should only be using this for the most important stuff,” Anton said. “Oh, Kal, can you remove your hand over the ring for a moment.”

“Do you want a tail Verona?”

Verona threw up a brow but nodded all the same.

“So long as you don’t sit on it.” Kal smiled faintly. “That hurts a lot.”

“No funny stuff, Verona.”

Verona scoffed in fake indignation. “I wouldn’t do that. Deliberately. Probably”

“Can we please focus?” Kal asked, her tail hanged low to the ground. “We are about to be separated for some time. Even with the portals, we won’t be able to just hop from one land to the other.”

“I don’t think they’re just going to leave the portal’s alone if they discover them,” Anton said. “I know that I wouldn’t. So we probably will be separated for some time.”

“In that case.” Verona, followed by Kal, took Cetina’s hand. “We need to have a talk, since you’ll be with our husband for the next little while.”

Cetina appeared genuinely worried as they dragged her away. “What did I do?”

“Nothing.” Verona winked at Anton. “We just need to have a little chat, that’s all. Anton, we’ll be a little bit. Make sure that Belinda’s alright.”

Anton sighed as Cetina feigned resistance. “Be nice to her. She’s a good girl.”

Verona chuckled, Kal’s ears pricked up as they disappeared to the right and deeper into the Main Hall. When Anton entered the hallway he saw the doorway to their treasury shut. He hoped they wouldn’t be too harsh on her. Cetina didn’t come across as a promiscuous girl, if anything the opposite. Nevertheless, it was girl talk, at least he was sure it was, and it was best to leave it alone.

Once he was outside he understood why Alfred hired this mercenary group. The White Dogs’ were professionals. While some idly roamed they did not leave the small single horse-drawn carriage while Duchess Belinda rested her head out of the window. She watched the people of Atros go about their day, as best they could with a foreign force of almost a hundred very well armed mercenaries placed right in the heart of the city. What most intrigued her and the mercenaries were the Beast-kin, for obvious reasons. To see them like this must have been quite shocking. Especially how humans and even Seocurian’s appeared to get along amicably with them. At least on the surface.

“This is hardly what I expected.” A mercenary broke away from the main group and approached Anton. “Humans, Beast-kin, Seocurians and Dwarves in the middle of nowhere. So much more believable than what Alfred told us.”

Anton recognised the mercenary. Conrad, a mercenary they had first met at the Gravestone, a site where Anton had killed thousands of opponents by himself and cemented one of Verona’s bragging rights about him. He had expressed concerns about Verona’s mental stability upon discovering her power but those were quashed when he saw her strength. Overall he came across as an upstanding mercenary, one who would do exactly as they were told, for enough coin.

“Conrad.” Anton smiled as warmly as he could. “How have things been since Nonbur’n?”

Conrad shrugged. “Okay, all things considered. We didn’t get much of the credit for defeating the invasion, those Knights got most of it, but that’s standard. We were paid really well so there’s not a lot to complain about.”

“Spent all that gold?”

“Some have. But we’ve been in Alfred’s employ ever since, mopping up bandits and keeping the place under some semblance of control. Paid well too, so no one’s going hungry.” Conrad glanced back to the mercenaries. “Unless they’re an idiot in town. Then they might have to pay the bailiff to get out of the stocks.”

Anton caught Rasha approaching. She held the halberd tight in her large hands as she glanced at her rough clothes, with many small holes and tears, compared to Conrad’s metal and leather full armour. Conrad stepped back as she approached, a nervous look on her face.

“Is something wrong, Rasha?”

“I…Jeff told me to be on guard until they leave but I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“From my experience that just involves standing around and looking imposing,” Anton said, receiving a cautious nod from Conrad. “At least that’s what I’ve seen. Besides, these guys aren’t going to do anything silly.”

“Not against something-someone as big as you.” Conrad quickly corrected himself.

“She may be strong but she’s a very nice woman.” Anton turned to pat her shoulder but couldn’t reach. Instead, he patted her arm. “Just about every Beast-kin I’ve met has been. Except for two Minotaurs who tried to attack me.”

“It wasn’t like that.” Rasha scratched her blue ears, the faintest hint of red crept upwards from the tips.

“I’m just teasing.” Anton patted her arm again. “Which seems pretty easy, despite your size."

“I…” Rasha didn’t want to bring up her past. So far she had been well behaved, but that could change given time.

“I don’t know what they’re doing to Cetina but they shouldn’t be too much longer.” Anton turned to the Main Hall, still no movement. “But once they’re done we’re going to be gone again. For quite a while this time.”

“You’re coming back with us?”

“I am. And so is Cetina. Verona and Kal are continuing to help the Dark Elves.”

“Dark Elves?” Conrad glanced around. “They’re probably one of the few things I haven’t seen here.” Conrad’s face twisted slightly. “By things, I mean people. Of course.”

“How long will it take?” Rasha asked, using the halberd to lean on. “And when you’re done are you coming back right away?”

“Probably.” Anton scratched his head and looked over the mercenaries. “But I honestly have no idea how long it’ll take. We might still be fighting in winter if things turn really bad.”

“Let’s hope not,” Conrad mumbled.

“Indeed. But I’ll try to be back as often as I can. Has…Has Cetina had a chance to speak with you after Belinda arrived?”

Rasha frowned lightly. “Not recently. Is something wrong? I don’t think I hurt her during our sparing sessions.”

“Someone actually fought against you?” Conrad couldn’t miss Rasha’s arms, almost as thick as their waists and essentially all muscle.

“They wanted me to have a practice bout against Rasha.” Anton laughed. “Well, some of the others did. I’m sure that Rasha would’ve gone easy on me.” Rasha smiled at them both.

Conrad nodded. “At least with you, we won’t have to worry about being attacked heading back through that forest. A lot of strange creatures lurking in that place.”

All we’ve seen are Green Goblins and some wolves. And some fish in the Lake. And Orcs, but that’s just a one-off.

“What’s the problem?” Rasha asked.

“We’ve had a discussion, really just a quick talk…Are you comfortable with just being a labourer?”

Rasha’s eyes looked at the ground, her face fell flat. “I…” She gripped the halberd’s shaft tight. “No. Not really. I mean, I like doing what I’m doing but I’d like to do something more.” Rasha pointed to the small mountain to the east of Mount Aspire. “Going there was really scary. But also incredibly exciting. More exciting than what I’ve been doing since.”

“You know that Cetina is my bodyguard, right?” Rasha nodded. “And, this may sound a little self-indulgent, but I don’t know if one is going to be enough.”

Rasha’s ears pulled back, her short thin tail swayed ever so gently.

“You’ve seen how easy it is for the rest of the world to come down on us.” Anton waved to the patiently waiting mercenaries. Conrad wasn’t offended. “One day someone from outside is going to want to do us harm. Again, not trying to inflate my own ego, but that’ll probably be me. You know, the person that could burn down a city without raising his hand that also wants Beast-kin to be more than slaves or simply dead. So, would you be interested in becoming my bodyguard?”

Rasha forced herself to remain calm. “Yes. But, are you really offering such an important position to me?”

“I am.” Anton looked her over. “I need people by my side that are strong, loyal and not afraid to throw a punch if necessary. So do you want to?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be any good but I’ll do my best.” She patted her arm, almost letting the halberd drop before catching it. “If anything goes wrong you just hide behind me. I’m pretty strong.”

Anton tapped her exposed blue arm. “That you are. I’ll let Jonathan know so you’ll get some actual armour. The good stuff too, since we can’t exactly buy it.”

Rasha tapped the butt of her halberd onto the stone. “I know that Eider’s going to be upset when she hears about this.”

“What?”

Rasha smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

“…Anyway. I’ll have you work underneath Cetina, as she’s the Captain of my guard.”

“That’s not a problem at all.” Rasha nodded seriously.

“However there’s not that you can do right now. I’ll be in Qaiviel a lot of the time, and you obviously can’t go there, and The Shadow Isles sounds pretty dangerous while we’re dealing with the Goblins. I don’t want you going in there unprepared and getting yourself hurt.”

“I understand. I’ll have to just get better before you return.”

“We will be exploring the Kar Kingdom once we return. Get Balefire Mine up and running, maybe even a few more outposts where we can put some bound Lightning Crows and Fire Imps. Start to clean up this place. You can come with us then.”

“It sounds fun.” Rasha’s ears pricked back. “I know that it’s not meant to be but…I’ll do my best, Anton.”

“Thanks, Rasha.”

The door to the Main Hall opened and the three girls emerged. Verona and Kal looked happy while Cetina was lost. Her face wasn’t red, a good sign, but she was undoubtedly in a light daze. What had his wives done to her?

Verona waved ecstatically. “You look good with a weapon, Rasha.”

“Thanks. I’ve never owned anything before.”

Kal’s tail swished happily through the air. “It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?”

“And it’ll be even better once you’ve got a full suit of armour,” Anton added.

“Oh.” Verona smiled innocently. “So you asked her about that?”

“Yes. And she agreed.”

“Excellent.” Verona planted her hands on her hips. “It can’t always be me doing all the work.”

“All the what?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kal smiled, sighing towards Verona. “You know what she’s like at times.”

“Are you alright Cetina?”

“Yes!” Cetina snapped out of her slight daze. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Rasha gave Anton an odd look, one he returned.

“Cetina. You and I need to get our horses read right now.”

“Got it.” Cetina took a step before stopping dead. “Rasha. Do you want to help me get the horses ready?”

The blue Minotaur looked at Anton for confirmation. He gave a nod and Rasha quickly joined Cetina as they hurried towards the stables. Verona and Kal moved to his side and watched them disappear in the crowds of Atros.

“Not bad.” Verona nudged his side. “Though it’s pretty obvious what you’re going after.”

“Oh stop it you.” Anton slapped her rear hard. Verona jumped and giggled.

“You’re going to regret hitting me later.”

“No, I’m not.”

Verona laughed. “Probably not. Now, we need to give you an actual send-off.”

Two hands pulled him down. Anton was expecting a kiss but received nothing of the sort. Instead, they wrapped their arms around his neck and pulled their faces to his, close enough that the breath from their noses brushed against his face. He returned the hold for some time. He didn’t care if everyone was watching, their warmth was something he hadn’t lived without for some time.

“Now we can keep going.” Kal relinquished her hold first.

“Nothing like a good boost.” Verona stretched out her arms. “But…”

“Tell us if things go bad,” Verona spoke into his mind.

“I will.” Anton kissed her. “Be safe you two.” Anton hugged them again. “If something goes wrong-”

“Which it won’t,” Verona stated adamantly. “But I understand what you’re saying.”

“Thank you.”

Cetina and Rasha returned with their horses in tow. Anton’s horse didn’t look too happy being pulled around by Rasha, she was simply stronger than the old beast, but the moment that it saw Anton it instantly relaxed.

“Hey there.” Anton gently rubbed the horse’s cheek after taking the reins from Rasha. “They’ve been taking you for walks and stuff, right?”

“They told me they have,” Cetina said. “But I think they’ll be glad to be out again.”

“I’ll be glad when we can actually spend a whole five days in Atros without something happening.” Anton mounted his horse, the girls moved to help but he managed without. “Oh. We need the portal stones before we go.”

“Already done.” Kal presented him with a large back of stones. “I did it just before when Verona was chatting with Cetina.”

Cetina grumbled and looked away. “More like threatened.”

“Nothing bad will happen,” Anton said. “I know how to behave.”

“No…Not like that.”

Cetina didn’t explain further so he let it drop.

“Good luck, Anton.” Verona held his hand tight. “We’ll see you soon, right? In the flesh and not just in our thoughts.”

“You will. I’ll see you all very soon.”

The girls waved and backed away. The way things were going they would be there all day saying their goodbyes, Anton didn’t want to separate and neither did they.

“Come on, Cetina. Have…Have you seen much of the Qaiviel Kingdom before?”

“No. I’ve never been that far south before. Why?”

Anton turned to the forest in the far west. “Because we are about to get very acquainted with it.”