“Will you get us buckets, as well, dearest?” Yukiko asked. “I’ll gladly get your back in return.”
“Sure,” Gregory said as he set the first bucket aside. “This one is ready. I’ll have another one in a moment.”
“Jenn, go ahead,” Yukiko said. “I’ll get your back first.”
“Okay,” Jenn replied, moving over to grab the steaming water. “Thanks, Greg.”
“No problem,” Gregory said, keeping his eyes on the bucket he was filling. He tried to, anyway, but Jenn bending over to pick up the filled bucket caught his attention. He glanced up to find Yukiko giving him a soft smile and he flushed.
“You can get my back for me when I finish hers and yours, dear one,” Yukiko said.
“Yeah,” Gregory said, forcing his gaze back to the task in front of him. “I’ll bring yours over with mine.”
“That’s fine,” Yukiko said. “Oh, Jenn, they have two soaps in here today. This one smells faintly of citrus. Would you like to use it?”
“It looks like a new bar, so yes, please?”
Gregory felt slightly less awkward when Jenn went to get in the tub as he was washing up. Having just finished with Yukiko’s back, he sat down to finish his own washing.
“Is it still difficult for you, dear one?” Yukiko asked softly.
“Yes, but not as bad as yesterday. She seems to be doing better than I am.”
“Only because you aren’t looking at her. Her face is as red as yours, but her smile is hopeful.” Yukiko stood up, now completely rinsed off, and bent over to kiss his cheek. “We’ll be waiting for you.”
“Uh… yeah,” Gregory coughed.
“Yuki, are you being mean to him?” Jenn asked from the tub.
“No,” Yukiko giggled. “I’m helping him with his embarrassment.”
“‘Helping,’ she says...” Gregory grumbled.
Jenn laughed. “Be nice to him, please? I’m not doing much better, after all.”
“Because you asked,” Yukiko said, going to the tub. “I just hope you both feel comfortable before the month is over.”
“Me, too,” Jenn agreed.
“Me, three,” Gregory added, earning laughs from the other two.
His face was an inferno when he got into the bath, as both women had watched him cross the room intently. “That didn’t help...” he muttered.
“Sorry,” Jenn said, looking away, her face as crimson as his. “I’m just trying to get used to seeing you nude.”
“Maybe we should have all of us stand up and just look at each other for a bit?” Yukiko suggested. “It’ll be embarrassing, but maybe it’ll help.”
Jenn cleared her throat. “If Greg’s okay with it…”
Taking a slow breath, Gregory swallowed and got to his feet, putting the water halfway up his thighs. He was all too aware of his manhood straining toward the two women like a spear. He kept his eyes forward, even when he heard Jenn’s breath catch in her throat.
“I’d say he agrees,” Yukiko said, standing up.
Gregory’s eyes shifted to her. Water dripped from her body, and his eyes tracked a rather adventurous droplet from her neck all the way down her body.
Jenn stayed sitting for a long moment, her eyes going from Gregory to Yukiko and back. She surged to her feet, licking her lips. Her legs trembled and she kept glancing between them. “Okay, we can do this.”
Gregory’s eyes had gone to her out of reflex when she moved suddenly. Standing only a few feet away, her smaller frame was fully on display as he was to her. His eyes again locked onto a droplet of water as it began a trail down her body.
“Is, uh… is it always so stiff?” Jenn asked with hesitation, her eyes low.
“No,” Gregory croaked. “Only when I’m excited.”
“Which around us, is a lot,” Yukiko said, getting them both to look at her. She blushed under their joint gaze and shifted in place. “Maybe this was a bad idea…”
Gregory chuckled as he watched her grow even more uncertain, and started snickering as Yukiko’s blush grew. “Oh, when we’re embarrassed, we can work through it, but when you are, it’s different?”
“Yuki, no backing out now,” Jenn giggled.
Jenn talking got Gregory to glance toward her again, and he exhaled slowly. “Okay. This is helping some,” he said, looking back to Yukiko. “Jenn, are you really okay with this? Being seen by me?”
“Yes,” Jenn said softly, her eyes back on him. “It’s difficult being naked in front of you, especially beside Yuki. I feel so plain compared to her.”
Yukiko shifted over so both women were side by side and kissed Jenn’s cheek. “I think you’re beautiful, Jenn. Why don’t we stop for now, though?”
“Please?” Gregory asked.
Yukiko and Jenn both sat, and Gregory was swift to follow them.
“You really think I’m beautiful, Yuki?” Jenn asked.
“Yes. Greg?”
“You are beautiful, Jenn. Different than Yuki, but not any less beautiful,” Gregory stumbled over the words. He looked over at Yukiko and wondered if he was hurting her.
“No. It’s fine, dear one. I agree with you,” Yukiko said, understanding his expression. “You aren’t upset with me for looking at her, so why would I be upset with you for doing the same? Just as I’m not upset with her for looking at you.”
Before more could be said, Dia’s voice came from just beyond the door of the room, “Dinner will be ready in five minutes, Apprentices. Please meet me in the private dining room— two doors down, on the left— by then.”
“We will,” Gregory said.
They didn’t speak as they got dressed, each lost in their own thoughts about what had happened and had been said in the bath. They arrived at the private dining room shortly after being told.
“Sit. Dinner will be here shortly,” Dia said, giving them all a searching look. “I know that the shared bath is difficult,” she went on as they took their seats, “but it will help you down the road. If it becomes a problem, don’t force yourselves. It is fine to bathe separately.”
“Thank you, Dia,” Yukiko said. “We’re fine. A little awkward, but fine.”
Seeing Gregory and Jenn nod in agreement, Dia smiled. “Very well. As long as you are all sure.”
A knock came on the door before it opened to reveal a thin man wearing spectacles perched on his nose. His thinning hair and scruffy beard gave him an almost disreputable appearance.
“Ah, Brown, it is a pleasure,” Dia smiled. “Apprentices, this is Magus Gordon Brown, the most talented chef I have ever known.”
Brown’s lips twitched into a brief smile. “Magus Ursinda, it has been many years since Aether’s Guard was here. How have you found the food?”
“Delicious and as aether-filled as always. Breakfast was new. When did you create that recipe?”
“Five years ago,” Brown said as he pushed the cart into the room. “The interesting part of that dish is that the aether infusion comes from the herbs alone. It means I can make separate dishes for magi and non-magi side by side.”
“That is different,” Dia smiled. “It was delicious.”
“All of my dishes are,” Brown said. “Tonight, we have a feast, since you requested one. It will be served all at once for you to enjoy at your own pace, and at your own discretion. The high point is the grilled koi.” He looked at the apprentices. “Take small pieces only, and make sure you alternate bites with the other foods. Understood?”
“Yes, Magus,” the three replied in unison.
“Dia, they are your problem, but they have been warned. Now, the rest of the feast is a salad spritzed with purity plum juice— just enough to help with what you are taking in tonight only. Charid, lightly cooked with butter and herbs so it’s still crunchy, the only way it should be served. There are also crispy potatoes sprinkled with rosemary and dusted with powdered hard cheese.”
“It all sounds delicious,” Dia smiled.
“The beverage is green tea to go
with,” Brown added as he finished setting the food on the table. “When you are done, pull the rope, and I shall bring out the dessert. Enjoy.” With that, he swept out of the room.
“Dig in, but sparingly with the koi,” Dia told them before serving herself half of the fish.
Chapter Ten
Gregory looked at the board and frowned— Yukiko had played a devastating round against him. He was pushed well back into his territory, and had barely been able to break the engagement.
“I think I might have to clear the field,” Gregory sighed, looking at what he had in his hand. “Krogga might give the empire fits with their zealots, but they’re paper compared to the well-geared army of Buldoun.”
“It’s why I pushed you now,” Yukiko said. “I need to make sure I can turn on Jenn safely.”
“But I am a match for you, or even ahead of you,” Jenn said. “Why go after him?”
“I have things in motion to help me level the board against you,” Yukiko said, pointing to her facedown cards. “I can give myself an even chance or better in the next few turns. If he’s still a threat at that point, you both might attack me and push me off the field.”
Jenn nodded slowly. “I did have a plan for that, and then for turning on him directly, afterward.”
Yukiko smiled. “Yes. It would have been the right move, hence catching you both unprepared for my going after him so aggressively.”
Gregory looked at his facedown cards that were waiting for their time to come up, then at his decimated army. I can’t win... There’s no coming back from here, but I can be spiteful. Considering how zealous Krogga is, it even makes sense to be a bit spiteful. Letting out a sigh, Gregory placed two cards faceup on the table. “Tactical retreat and entrenched defense. I might still have to call the army off the field, but I’m not going, yet.”
Yukiko’s eyebrow went up and she looked at Gregory thoughtfully. “That’s different from your normal play... Hmm...” She stared at the board for a long moment before shaking her head. “No, you can’t win. I don’t think you can even threaten me when I push for Jenn.” Nodding, she played her own card to recall her army back to her camp.
Jenn glanced at her cards in hand, then at the facedown cards she was waiting to trigger. “I won’t be able to stop them from regrouping. Very well. The turn is over?”
“Yes,” Yukiko smiled. “Buldoun will take the field by the end of this game.”
Two more turns went by with all three focused on the game. Gregory smiled— he was ready for his surprise, but he needed Yukiko to commit to the attack first. Yukiko was looking over the board and clearly deciding if this was the turn for her.
Jenn beat her to the punch, flipping over two of her downed cards. “I’ve been waiting for these, Yuki. I come for you with aggressive posture and extra magi.”
Yukiko inhaled sharply before nodding. “That’s bad for me. I wasn’t expecting the magi reinforcement. However, I can accept the losses, as I held back my reinforcements.” Flipping over all but one of her facedown cards, Yukiko smiled. “Four more platoons of archers will form a company and thin your ranks. That will leave your magi nearly undefended for my magi,” she flipped over her last facedown card, “to deal with.”
Jenn just stared at the board and the revealed cards, then back at her hand. “That’s possibly the worst thing for me.”
Gregory cleared his throat. “Yes, it is bad. It also means that Yuki has nothing left in reserve.” With a small smile, he flipped over his three facedown cards. “Krogga didn’t forget what Buldoun had done to them. They knew they couldn’t win, but it was enough for them to cripple their foe at the right moment.”
Yukiko stared at his cards. “That’ll break my lines and kill my magi.” She looked up. “You just gave the empire the field. Why? She’ll wipe you off the field in the next two turns.”
“Because I’ll pull back after this,” Gregory said. “I played as I believed Krogga would really fight. They know that their zealots can handle magi, but against the equipment of Buldoun, they lack recourse. So, I cripple you here, and in another few years, they can return to press the empire again.”
Yukiko’s brow furrowed. Chewing her bottom lip, she appeared thoughtful as she looked over the board before placing a card from her hand onto the field. “Turtle defense.”
Gregory nodded before laying his next card down. “Zealots’ fervor. They will fight to the last.” He played another card. “Main force retreats back into their territory.”
Jenn’s smile was growing as she played two cards of her own. “Since they turtled, that leaves them vulnerable to the earth magi reinforcement. Earthquake and break through. That should break the defensive bonus from your turtle.”
Yukiko did the math in her head and sighed. “Let’s play the turn out, but I believe my broken army will be retreating from the field when it ends. I shouldn’t have let you move your camp forward last turn.”
“Nope,” Jenn agreed. “If you had stopped me, it would’ve changed my plans. You would have decimated me, if not for Greg. Let’s see what happens.”
~*~*~
They finished putting the pieces away and headed to their rooms. Jenn was grinning the entire time, having been the victor of their game.
“Thanks for the assistance, Greg,” Jenn said when they reached their rooms. “The empire couldn’t have done it without you.”
“If I’d been fielding anyone other than Krogga, I would have left the field after Yuki dismantled my army previously,” Gregory replied. “If she’d pushed for one more turn, I never would have been there.”
Yukiko nodded. “Yes, but the cost wasn’t worth it at the time. Buldoun always comes down to cost. If they had any idea what it would cost them in the end, the trade-off for removing you entirely would have been worth it.”
“I want to check with a scrivener to get more books on other countries’ tactics,” Jenn said. “I’m sure there’s a book of advanced tactics like there is for the empire side of things.”
“That’s a good idea,” Gregory agreed. “Maybe Dia can point us at the local scrivener.”
“That’s for tomorrow,” Yukiko said. “Jenn, you did a good job.” She stepped over and kissed Jenn’s cheek. “But next time, I will hold the field.”
Jenn’s face was warm, and she gave Yukiko a smirk. “I don’t know... if winning gets me a kiss, I’ll have to try even harder to win again.”
“That’s a good point,” Yukiko said, stepping back to stand beside Gregory. “She did win, Greg.”
Gregory blinked. He watched as Jenn’s face reddened more as the implication sunk in, and his own face was feeling as hot as hers. “Okay.” Swallowing, he stepped into Jenn’s personal space and bent his head forward enough to brush her cheek with his lips. He stepped back quickly, not looking at Jenn. “Uh... good win.”
Jenn’s face was almost glowing red. “Thank you. I… good night.” She quickly darted into her room and shut the door.
Yukiko gave the door a sad smile before taking Gregory’s hand in hers. “Come on, dear one. We should retire.”
Gregory let her tow him into the bedroom. “Yuki, was that too much?” he asked the moment their door closed.
Yukiko gave him a smile and stood in front of him. “No, she just didn’t know what to do or say. She might be our fierce fighter, but she’s also a timid girl when it comes to you. She’s even more uncertain than I was.”
Gregory stared into Yukiko’s cyan eyes. “Are you sure about this, Yuki?”
Her eyes searched his for a few heartbeats. “Yes. I know it’ll be difficult for all of us, but I feel that in the end, we’ll be better for it.”
Gregory leaned forward and kissed her softly. Yukiko pressed into him, returning the kiss. The moment grew, and Gregory swept Yukiko into his arms and carried her to the bed. While he was still uncertain about Jenn and what might happen, he knew he loved Yukiko and would give her anything. Right now, he wanted to shower her with love.
~*~*~<
br />
Yukiko murmured happily as she kissed his chest. “There’s something that I need to do, dear one.”
Gregory felt lethargic. “Oh?”
“My family’s secret,” Yukiko said.
That helped Gregory shake off some of his drowsiness. “Why your father can face down grandmasters?”
“Yes. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long, but we’ve just not had the time before now.”
Magi's Path Page 8
