My parents had been furious over Lord Emberly’s betrayal and Georgie's endangerment. More furious than joyous over my revival, which they'd been very joyous over. They'd also rather swiftly stepped in, becoming head of Dragon Keep as well as the Dark Undermasters through sheer force of personality. Given everyone else was new recruits or ex-slave hirelings, it was easier than it sounded. I didn't tell them about Alek's involvement, and I hated myself for it but I suspected Wendy knew, maybe even was in contact with him. I decided I would deal with that after I prepared to get on the road.

Not because I felt any great rush to get back on my questing to save the worlds, especially after knowing Veles had my family in his sights, but because I wanted him to think that I was more focused on that than my family. Maybe it would draw his attention (and wrath) away from Crossroad. My parents were formidable people, I was like 90% sure at least some of their stories were true now, but that didn't mean they could take on a god. I asked Agata to send a demon bird toward the Eldritch Tree and ask for some more protection from the Sisters of Mokosh. Maybe we could also set up a portal here.

The one thing I really wished had a price tag on my no-longer necessary bracelet. I could still summon the interface, but it just appeared in my hand now or in front of me, which was weird. That was just another small way my life had changed since I'd woken from my coma. I'd have to figure out the others on the road.

I was keeping secrets now.

Alek.

My daughter.

I didn't like it. I didn't like what I was becoming. I could confide in Jon and wanted to Ania, but I needed to get my head on straight about how I felt about these things myself first. Right now, focusing my energy on the relatively straightforward task of heading to the Great Forest was the best thing I could do.

Then why did it feel so wrong?

Either way, I managed to find Agata and Bloodstorm in the stables of Dragon Keep. Both were dressed for travel with Agata wearing practical clothing versus expensive negligee for once and Bloodstorm not in his Skull Armor but a newly dyed Dark Undermaster cloak over riding leathers. Apparently, Lord Piotr had sworn him in before being revealed to be Veles in disguise. I wasn't sure if that invalidated his membership or not. On the plus side, he had a cool hooded cape now. It even had little holes for his horns.

The stables of dragon keep were fully functional and reformed from the wreck they'd been initially. There were dozens of stable hands, grooms, and trainers working with the new Dark Undermasters. The place had segregated stalls for the horses and the demon steeds that didn't so much live here as get summoned for extra care. I saw a pentagram where the demon steed got a nice bucket of entrails as well as extensive brushing.

Huh.

"Guys, I need to talk with you," I said, seeing they were already ready to leave. Which annoyed me because I thought I'd been the one to decide that this morning.

"If this is about the naked snuggles, we don't have that sort of relationship," Bloodstorm said. "But give me a few drinks and maybe I'll help next time you're dying."

Agata said, "I know, Aaron, you love Ania and she loves you. For some reason. But you can't get me out of your mind. You dreamed of me. Desired me. Even more than my goddess. I'm sorry, I can't do that to Ania."

I blinked before realizing they were having a go at me. "Okay, who are you two, and when did you become jokesters too?"

Bloodstorm shrugged. "Sarcasm is infectious around here."

"I'm just glad you're alive and no longer possessed," Agata said. "You aren't possessed anymore, aren't you?"

"You banged your great aunt," Bloodstorm said. "Oh, and your brother is your cousin."

"No, I didn't," I said. "Also, only technically."

"He's fine," Bloodstorm said. "The other Aaron would have thrown a punch, and I'd have to throw him through a window."

"I'm not sure if that would end the way you think," Agata said. "Aaron is sort of a wizard and has a history of unconventional victories."

Bloodstorm grunted, acknowledging the point. Say what you will about the dhampyr-ogre but I’d earned his respect long ago.

"Sort of a wizard?" I asked.

"Well, one of us spent a decade studying sorcery," Agata said. "The other got it handed to them by a god."

"You get handed to it by a magic bracelet too," I said. "Even if you don't have yours anymore. We level up together as a party."

"I'll pretend I know what that means," Agata said.

"It means a rising tide lifts all boats," Ivan's voice spoke beside me. "The party members of Mr. Bartkowski all gain substantial boosts to their natural abilities the more people you kill. It's really quite morbid when you think about it."

Bloodstorm waved behind me. "Hey Ivan!"

I saw Ivan walking up in a vest, linin shirt, and riding pants. He was beside Joan, who was wearing a plain brown linin dress with her white hair up like Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi. She still looked like royalty but at least wasn't blindingly obvious as the Bishop of New Byzantium.

"I have noticed my powers have been growing exponentially," Agata said, uncomfortably. "It feels like cheating."

"The only rule in war is win," Bloodstorm said. "I don't care if it comes from a piece of jewelry or not."

"I was talking with Pontifex Maximus Joan about our upcoming trip," Ivan said. "I was hoping I could also talk with Lord Aaron about his plans."

"I'm still working them out," I said.

I felt bad about the fact that if I had to choose between three candidates for ruler of Ledziania, Ivan would probably come in dead last. He was a guy with a lot of genius and wit plus a genuine desire to do right by the people, but he suffered from being the middle child despite technically being the youngest of the Old King's offspring.

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Ivan was a lot more benevolent than the Mad Queen and a lot more supported than the Dragon Queen, but he wasn't nearly as supported as the Mad Queen or benevolent as the Dragon Queen. Maybe there was something to be said for the compromise candidate but not when the entirety of the world was at stake.

"Well, you've managed to establish an excellent base of operations here," Ivan said. "I've been consulting with your military head--"

"Your dad," Joan said, dryly.

"As well as your local governor," Ivan replied.

"Your mother," Joan translated.

"Both have had excellent suggestions for using it to assemble the alliances we need to assault Veles," Ivan said. "We can also work to protect this place against any future retaliations now that the Skull King is dead."

I didn't want to point out that Alek was now the chief goon of Veles or had been at least. Alek would just snipe us from a thousand meters and let any resistance fall apart. "That all sounds great, Ivan--"

Ivan coughed. "Prince Ivan."

"Your Highness," I said, sighing.

Ivan smiled, a pained look on his face.

"How did you find time to do all this?" Agata addressed her ex-husband. "I thought you were still dealing with your failed attempts at courting the Poppy sisters."

"Yeah, I have some opinions on dragon mating," Jon said. "Don't do it."

"Yes, well, I was interrupted," Ivan said, frowning. "They didn't know that while a short man, I have a very large tongue."

"You should keep a civil tongue, which you're obviously well-versed in, in front of Shirley Templar down there," Jon said, referring to Pope Joan.

Joan rolled her eyes. "Please, I was raised in the nunnery of Saint Theodora of Constantinople where all the worst behaving noble daughters are sent. Those women have the filthiest mouths in the Empire."

She really wasn’t what I’d been expecting from a pope, little girl pope or otherwise, but certainly came off like Garland’s daughter.

"Huh," Jon said. "You have a Saint Trinians, huh? I'll mark it on our map."

I sighed. "I think we have enough horny tourist destinations already, thank you."

"This coming from the guy who is definitely going for all three love goddesses," Bloodstorm said. "I have cash money you'll sleep with Zorya Nightbringer before she kills you to avenge her sister. You in on that action, Aggie?"

"In the wise words of my late father, I do not take sucker bets" Agata said, not missing a beat. "But Aaron has other duties he has to attend to. Ania has been celibate for a week, and you need to take care of that now."

I blinked.

"What? Why?" Bloodstorm asked. "A week? The horror!"

Jon and Ivan both glared at Bloodstorm, having apparently had their own recent issues. In Ivan's case, it was just being an ass.

"I think she was worried that Aaron has expectations of monogamy," Agata said. "Outworlders are weird. Frankly, I don't think it's any of your business and she was so worried she should have sought a stableboy or flower maiden for comfort."

"I'm surprised she hasn't been with Thistle yet," Jon said. "She's so mean and nasty to her, they have to have unresolved issues. Best to fork it out."

"Pfft," Agata made a dismissive noise. "I give it a day before she's all over Aaron and my sister. Thistle has insulted, threatened, and belittled everyone she's interacted with since her rescue. So she's just Aaron's type."

I was not comfortable with that being well known. "That's not my type."

"I've known you like a week and most of that was you in on your death bed. But even I know that, Aaron," Joan said.

That poor, poor traumatized Pontiff. Her poor little ears had been exposed to far too much at a young age. I mean, she'd also been kidnapped and exposed to a mad vampire king's murder castle but clearly the sex talk would traumatize her way worse. Or was that only if she'd been raised in America?

"I thought she was vegetarian, unlike Ania's omnivore," Bloodstorm said, engaging in a little innuendo.

Okay, a lot of innuendo.

"Elves are all omnivores, like the Sisters of Mokosh," Ivan said, slyly. "She's been eating quite a bit here in Dragon Keep. Several young men and women have had to go to the infirmary from exhaustion. Her hunger is immense."

"I am a carnivore, thank you," Agata said, rolling her eyes. "I eat meat in varieties of ways."

“She does, really,” Bloodstorm said. “With great vigor and joy.”

Agata smirked. Yeah, she was a very different character from the one introduced in the first Dark Undermaster book. Garland and the Wolf Lord had been terrible influences on her. Terrible and good.

I shook my head. "This is already something that needs several warnings on whatever website it eventually gets posted to. Assuming Weis isn’t already submitting it to his beta readers.”

"Pfft," Jon said. "It's all allusions and off-screen, at least when I'm around. Compared to Everybody Loves Large Chests, it's almost tame."

"What's going on here?" the voice of Ania called from nearby.

I turned around to see that she was standing there in her assassin's attire with Thistle standing beside her. Both were looking much the same as they had been during our previous adventures, but Thistle had added a Dark Undermaster's cloak. Sparky was also there but he wasn't wearing any travel clothes, just typical peasant attire. Maybe he intended to travel in dog or dragon form.

"Just discussing food preferences. I see our order has a new sister," Bloodstorm said.

"Elves don't believe in property, marriage, or the other things you forsake," Thistle said, coolly. "So, it wasn't a great sacrifice."

"It's also pledging yourself to die in battle against horrific evil monsters," Bloodstorm said. "Which, hey, was always my plan. Valhalla ho!"

Thistle stared then looked at Ania before looking at me. "That was also always my plan."

Ania didn't return her gaze. "The bigger issue was whether the Dark Undermasters accept nonhumans, which has always been questionable. What say you, Overmaster."

"I'm not the Overmaster, if anyone should be--" I started to say.

"You're the Overmaster," Ania said. "You've slain two Old Gods. One by yourself."

"Zorya Dawnbringer killed the Fire Demon," I said.

"Don't do the certain point of view bullshit, please," Ania said. "I heard enough of it from Francine."

I shrugged, not wanting to argue. "Sure. If you say so."

"We'll be using regular horses to travel to La Tène," Ania said, "That's the former capital of the Old Elvish Empire that the First Ranger has resettled."

"My father's land," Kragen said.

Thistle looked uncomfortable. "My people have lived in the trees and villages for a thousand years. The fact they seek to revive the dark days of the Vampire Lords is not a good sign. It means they are sick of living like elves and now want to live like humans."

"How awful," Ivan said, sarcastically. "Maybe they just want to end the war between humans and elves."

"Yes, because humans and humans never war on each other," Thistle said. "But I consulted with a soothsayer in Crossroad. She said that they have yet to crown my sister as queen. There's still time to prevent an alliance with the Mad Queen."

Ivan shrugged, acknowledging the point. "Assuming you want to stop it. A united elven race may well be what we need to defeat Veles."

Everyone looked at me.

"Great," I muttered. "It's up to me. We'll burn that bridge when we cross it. Maybe the elves support becoming a monarchy. Maybe they're being tricked into it. We need to know what they want before we make any decisions."

"What does the people's opinion matter?" Ivan asked. "Think of the average person. Acknowledge how stupid they are. Then realize that half of the people are even stupider."

"I didn't realize George Carlin had made it to Ledziania," I muttered. "Are you ready, Sparky?"

Sparky looked down. "I'm not going, Aaron."

"Oh," I said, not entirely unhappy I'd no longer be endangering an adolescent. Then I looked over at Joan and noted I still was.

Dammit.

"My mom said I can't go," Sparky said. "I'm going to be training to be a Dark Undermaster here, though."

I nodded and walked over before giving the boy a hug. "We'll train as wizards when I get back."

"Your nephew and I are going to be studying together!" Sparky said. "We're going to be ninjas!"

Ania smiled, which I had to admit really did look awkward on her face. "I arranged for some old friends to give them training in spells as well as assassination."

I blinked. "Super!"

ALEXI "SPARKY" POPPY HAS LEFT YOUR PARTY