“Do you want to wait a bit, or should we just do it?” Aria asked during their journey back to the City of Ygg.
“Wait for what?” Nox asked, not looking up from his work. He was in the middle of sketching a new spell diagram. The journal was nearly full, and he needed a new one to develop the temporal spell.
Spell weaving was a lengthy process and especially complicated since all of Nox’s magic involved covering new ground or delving into unexplored territory. He had filled multiple notebooks developing recipes and spells, and he was sure that creating his new temporal spell would be a similar journey.
Thanks to Sigil of the Artisan, Nox had all the necessary runes, sets, and syntax memorized. However, it helped to write everything down on individual pieces of paper and spread them on the table in front of him. A puzzle he could touch would always be easier to solve than one in his head.
“Our wedding, Nox.” Aria sighed. “Haven’t you been listening to me?”
Nox shook his head. “I’m sorry. It's been difficult to get this out of my head.”
“So. What do you think? When should we get married?”
“Whenever you’d like. The decision is all yours. I’m good with whenever you want to get married.”
“Really? No input? This isn’t important to you?”
“You’re important to me,” Nox replied, flashing her a tired smile. The festivities at the Oakheart estate had continued late into the night, and ending the conversation with Perry proved challenging. It was near dawn when the party boarded the Greywing and started their journey. Everyone went to bed straight away. While everyone slept in, Nox woke up early so he could get to work. “We’re married in all but name as far as I’m concerned. And paper, I suppose. You’re not just the person I go to bed with but my partner in business and life. So, whenever you want to get married is good with me.”
Aria stared at Nox long and hard. Then she got up from her seat, marched over, dropped down on his lap, and kissed him. “You’re a far sweeter person than the person you pretend to be, Sir Nox Ratra.” The noblewoman kissed him again and Nox welcomed the distraction. Comfort had replaced the initial heat of a new romance but an addiction came with it. He struggled to get enough of the woman. Work was the last thing on his mind when she pulled away. “How about after the semester ends?”
“Isn’t that too soon?” Nox asked. “Don’t weddings take forever to plan? Apparently, the Oakhearts have been planning their thing since Annabelle and Wilson got together. Can you really pull something as big as a wedding in so little time?”
“I told you. Ours won’t be as gaudy as theirs. We have the venue. Edelweiss Brasserie will organize the food and drinks. We have half the city’s florists in our pocket too. We only need more entertainment, and I doubt that will be an issue: quick, small, good food, good booze. We won’t invite everyone in the city, including their uncles, aunts, and cousins. We’ll only invite who we have to and their immediate families.”
“Can the invites please say no children?”
“I’ll try. Parents won't bring their little ones if we have the festivities late in the evening. But we can’t do much about teenagers. They’ll show up, and we’ll have the staff ensure the booze stays out of their reach.” Aria brushed the hair out of Nox’s face and tucked it behind his right ear. “So, Sir Nox Ratra? Would you like to marry me at the end of this semester?”
“Only if you’re sure you can whip together something to your satisfaction,” Nox replied. “The actual event is far more important to you than me.”
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Aria glared at Nox.
“Of course, Lady Aria Edelweiss! I’ll marry you as soon as you’ll have me. We could have the Greywing’s captain marry us straight away.”
“Take this seriously!” Aria laughed, playfully smacking Nox’s chest.
“I am serious. We can get married when and where you want.” Nox pulled his fiancee close. “As soon as you want. I mean it.”
“I’ll get the invites made and sent out as soon as we get back,” Aria replied before kissing him deeply. She looked and sounded giddy. The noblewoman hopped off his lap and returned to her seat. She put away all of the ledgers and contracts she was working on and got out a journal Nox had never seen before. Aria started scribbling straight away, smiling to herself.
An hour later, when everyone got together for a late lunch, Aria shared the good news with everyone. Smiles and congratulations flooded the couple. Much to Nox’s surprise, Alexander seemed the most enthusiastic, followed by Brianna as a close second. The pair bombarded Aria with eager questions, and Nox was glad not to be a part of it. They dragged Caitlin into the conversation, and she appeared as uninterested in the subject.
Wedding talk consumed the rest of the voyage. Fortunately, the others kept Aria busy, leaving Nox to focus on work. When he failed to come up with a concrete solution for the temporal spell, he focused his efforts elsewhere. He already had a range of spells ready for Ingrid to choose from. Instead, Nox concentrated on new defenses against Mind Magic.
Liesel Wyrd got the best of him, and the gorgons did the same. This highlighted Nox’s fears. He prized the sanctity of his mind and intellect over all else. He wasn’t the most talented mage or alchemist. It wasn’t just his scars; Nox’s time at Woodson University introduced him to several other accomplished scholars and artisans, and he had looked into the eyes of the truly gifted. He wasn’t one of them.
Instead, Nox believed he was good at thinking on his feet. He had a reactive and proactive mind. So, when opportunities appeared, he had the good sense to grab them and identify the correct tools for the job. Nox didn’t like to admit it, but he had inherited the Mercer’s business acumen. The Ratras were excellent artisans and researchers. They took time and worked on everything meticulously, taking time. Meanwhile, his mother’s family worked best under pressure when their business and people were on the line. He couldn’t afford to let a Mind Mage compromise that part of him. If all of the Sigil of Immunity’s slots weren’t filled, Nox would’ve used one for Mind Magic. He didn’t know how useful the resistance to Divination Magic was proving, but he believed it was just as important.
First, Nox created a simplified self-sustaining version of Crystalize Essence that specifically worked off Mind Magic. After separating the essence and mana, the latter would be used to fuel itself, ensuring the protection would continue working following the first activation. Next, he tied it to detection wards. Instead of limiting it to just looking for Mind Magic on the person, it did so a couple of feet around them. The range was a lot, and he hoped it would improve the self-sustaining element.
The resulting script was much too detailed and long to fit on a locket. So, Nox rewrote and redesigned it to create a rectangular script. The top and bottom of each column joined, forming a loop. As a result, the spellform resembled a hollow, circular tube. It was too big to fit on a ring, but Nox believed a bangle or bracelet would fit it comfortably. If things worked as he hoped, he hoped to have a special one made as a wedding present for Aria. Once they got married, she would officially be his number two. All the emotions and love aside, he couldn’t afford to let anyone get in her head. They could bring him and his empire down in an instant. Either way, he planned on having Sapna design protection devices for her—assuming they wouldn’t interfere with this creation’s arcane field.
Nox didn’t like to think of himself as a king, but that didn’t change the fact that he was building an empire and the Galleria his castle. A castle needed appropriate defenses so he designed new wards for the halls, baths, eateries, laboratories, and everything in between. This time, Nox didn’t just stop at detecting combat or summoning magic. He added Mind Magic, divination, and the like into the mix. The wards revolved around raising alarms and activating Crystalize Essence, hampering everyone’s ability to use magic.
Finally, Nox went over the books. The City of Ygg was full of mages and aether warriors. Many had retired from armies around the continent or been forced out because of crippling injuries. There were also several delvers on the verge of giving up on their dreams. Nox hoped to find room in the budget or cut a portion of his profits to build a real security force. He mostly expected to recruit apprentices and journeymen. It wasn’t a lot, but it would be enough to deal with domestic threats. Now, Nox only needed to figure out how to protect himself and the people he cared about from the Cabal.