by Simon Archer
I set my jaw as that all sunk in. This mysterious power Libritas spoke of, could it be the same thing that held back the Runes? And I had to ask myself, was it also that power that pushed these spiny beasts to attack us in an effort to keep us from entering the Marches?
“Maybe it is, Shikun,” I said after a moment. “but regardless, ahead is the only chance we have for allies against the Runes, so ahead is where we have to go.” I flashed her a grin that was more confident than I actually felt. “Whatever is there, we’ll face it and beat it together.”
Shikun took a deep breath and nodded, determination filling her eyes and Petra’s as well.
“I say, I agree, dear Shikun.” Reggie was already back atop his karush with an eager look even as he exchanged his bloody shirt for a new one from his pack. “Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.”
“Right,” the dragon-girl said with a nod.
“Anything to add?” I asked as I looked to Amalthea to see if she’d finished consulting the archives. Thankfully, the emerald sigils of her magic faded away while we’d been talking.
“I could add a thousand conjectures pulled from millions of treatises, documents, and grimoires,” the sphinx replied with a knowing smile. “But for all that lore, there is no clear record of what has happened in Solanna for the last five seasons.”
She rose up on all four paws and stretched. “Which means we must do as you say, my savior. We must explore!”
2
The atmosphere changed after the wolverpine attack. Before, despite the seriousness of our task, it felt more like a summer stroll through an exotic botanical garden, almost a vacation after my first week here in Etria. Now, it was clear that there was a very immediate danger lurking in the woods, a danger that would only grow stronger when we crossed into the heart of the barony.
That put everyone on edge. Reggie sat high on the back of his karush as it plodded onward, clearly more alert despite his calm demeanor.
The others showed their unease a little more openly. Petra’s breezy dress was gone. Instead, she had garbed herself in summoned armor of wood and bark, and Silver had practically begged in all his adorable lizard glory to ride on her shoulders as if to protect her.
Amalthea’s feline laziness was gone, and in its place was all the tense energy of a lioness guarding her cubs, while Shikun moved to guard my flanks on the outside of our formation.
As for me, it drove home that this last stretch might be the only quiet moment we’d have some for time. That meant I had to make the most of it, which then made it clear that I needed to deal with the most immediate, lingering issue before me.
And that was Shikun, both her lingering trauma and her place in the odd dynamic the women in my circle had created for themselves.
The first, I understood as best as I could for not having lived it out myself, with so much shown to me when I freed her from the Weaver. As much as I knew it would take time to heal all those emotional wounds, anything I could do now while we had the chance to soothe them was not only the wise thing to do but the right thing.
As for the second, well, all I could do was ask. The fact that the dragon-girl showed deference to Petra made some degree of sense. I had seen evidence that Etria had a tradition of harems, both for men and women, and as Shikun seemed attracted to me at least as much as I was to her, she would see Petra as the first woman of the household, in a manner of speaking.
What didn’t make sense was that Shikun treated Amalthea in the same manner, though not on as high a pedestal as the dryad. Shikun had joined us before the sphinx, and on top of that, there were… mechanical aspects that made any kind of physical relationship with Amalthea difficult. Not that I wasn’t nursing a growing fondness for her, but the point remained that I didn’t see how the dragon-girl figured her as part of any harem of any kind.
So, the only way to get to the bottom of it was to talk it out.
With that, I tapped into the power I shared with Libritas. As I turned on the karush’s broad back to face Shikun, the world resolved into a sea of chains. Glittering gold, shining silver, base lead, black iron, fine, thick, and fraying, these were the metaphysical links that limited people’s freedom, for good or for ill, and with the power that Libritas had gained after we freed the spirit of the Weaver’s Brand, I could see them all.
I squinted and concentrated, thinking solely of Shikun. Despite the sensory overload, it was surprisingly easy to bring the beautiful draconian into my mind’s eye, and as I did, most of the chains dissolved from my vision, leaving me with a clear look at her.
I couldn’t help but be drawn to the chains the draconian bore, especially something I hadn’t seen before: the broken, decaying remnants of a corroded black iron chain that dragged in the ground behind her. It wasn’t connected to anything, but I had a suspicion this was the mystical expression of the damage the Weaver had done to her, still holding her back despite the actual link being broken. Still, it wasn’t all bad news, far from it. A shining platinum chain connected us, thin and finely made but a little thicker and stronger than the last time I had seen it. Likewise, weaves of silver and gold joined her with Petra and Amalthea, while one of silver connected her to Sir Reginald.
As my eyes drifted past the chains, I was impressed as always by the dragon-girl’s physical prowess, the perfect mixture of chiseled muscle and feminine form. Many men might have had a hard time seeing it past the thick scarlet scales that covered much of her body, the wicked spikes that jutted from her elbows and knees, or the sharpened talons. But I saw more, saw deeper, the soft features of Shikun’s full face, the dimples that showed during her rare smiles. Even the curious quirk of her eyebrow that raised her horn just so as she stared at me questioningly…
The space between us became just a tad awkward when I realized how long I had been staring at her. Still, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t salvage.
“Sorry, Shikun,” I began as I tried not to let my embarrassment show too badly. “I just wanted to ask you something, and I got a bit wrapped up in how amazing you look…” My voice trailed off as I shrugged slightly.
That caused a blush to spread across Shikun’s cheeks as she looked back off into the woods. “Thank you, William, though I am still not sure if I agree.” But that only lasted a moment as she snapped her golden eyes back up to me. “But I shouldn’t be rude. You, uh, had a question…?”
“I did.” I smiled softly at her, happy that the karush was so big that I could literally sit comfortably and face her. “Now, being one of the Uplanders around here, I’m clearly not fully versed on modern Etrian culture, so I wanted to ask you about how all…” I didn’t even know if the proper word for this was harem, so I gestured off-handedly towards Petra at the front and Amalthea at the rear. “... this works in this world, and how you feel about it.”
“This… what?” The dragon-girl blinked a time or two before it clicked. That only served to make her flush worse and glance towards the forest floor as we pushed onward. “I-I’m not really the one you should ask about that, my savior. Though Petra is your first, Amalthea is certainly the most knowledgeable of us. Me, I only know how to fight battles and lead armies.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” I kept smiling as I nodded toward her, and I knew she saw it, her eyes still glancing sidelong even though her head was tilted down. “Besides, even if Amalthea might know more about this than you, I don’t want to know her thoughts, not right now.” I leaned down and poked Shikun in the shoulder. “I want yours.”
That seemed to bring her out of her shell a little, and she looked back up at me.
“Well, if that is what you want.” Shikun took a deep breath and let it out with a puff of smoke. “I don’t know what it is like in the Uplands, but here, it is not at all uncommon for powerful men and women to attract and form households with many consorts. These harems are supposed to be valued things, symbols of honor, prestige, and virtue that show the worth and stature of the one they are devoted to.”
It c
ame off as rote knowledge, so common that everyone who grew up in any Etrian nation would know it, but Shikun’s tone darkened as she continued. “The Black Runes, however, corrupted the practice, enslaving who they desired to have their way with by the power of their Brands and then called them a harem. If there was any good thing about my enslavement under the Weaver, it was that he was so disgusted by me as to never…” She shook her head as if to fight off the thought of it. “Well, at least with me. I think perhaps he took his gratification in that regard from torturing me.”
“You know, for someone who claims they don’t know much, you speak smartly and wisely,” I noted, which brought another flush to the dragon-girl’s cheeks. “So, I’m guessing what I see between you, Petra, and Amalthea has to do with the way the free people do it?”
“Yes.” Shikun bit her lip, showing just enough fang to be cute. “It’s… a transition for me. I still wonder if I even belong, no matter what kind words you all tell me, but I try to remember what it is I want, what I told you on the walls of Kaulda…”
“That was an impressive list.” I smiled softly as I thought back to it. “I seem to remember love, happiness, family, freedom, and a few other things besides.” That brought a genuine smile out of the draconian and those small dimples. “I get all that, but what I don’t quite understand are the rules. Like, your harem tradition has to have them, or else you wouldn’t call Petra first sister or treat Amalthea as if she’s higher on the totem pole than you.”
The look Shikun gave me made me wonder if I’d grown a second head all of a sudden.
“Of course there are rules,” she said simply. “Petra is your first, hence my first sister, and she is the one who will always be so in your tribe. She ensures we all follow the rules of the harem, as well as any laws that you proclaim. If there is ever a dispute among us, she will settle them so as not to bother you with something so petty.”
I nodded slowly. As with the clear influence Etrian creatures and magic had on Earth mythology, I wondered if Etrian harem traditions had any influence on Earth culture, or if it was the other way around. Though the practice was almost unknown in modern times, what she was saying connected with several cultural norms in the past and that still existed in some parts of the Upland.
“That makes sense,” I conceded, even though I wasn’t sure I was one-hundred-percent on board. Not that I didn’t love Petra or found myself growing quickly so with Shikun or held a fondness for Amalthea. All those things were true, and I wasn’t ashamed of it, but to create such a structured thing seemed almost… well… un-American.
Still, when in Rome, do as the Romans, as Reggie had taught me from an early age. I wouldn’t make a judgment until I found out more. Hell, it might just be that this was the best way to go for all of us.
“As for Lady Amalthea,” Shikun continued, “she is the eldest among us. Though you may have brought me into your tribe before her, she has great knowledge, experience, and an honored station as our protector, as all sphinxes do.” Her eyes went back down to her marching feet. “Me, I am merely a warrior. Be it footsoldier or general, the rank doesn’t matter, for I will always be at risk. Hence, I shouldn’t be as valued, so that my loss will not hurt you as badly.”
“Though she speaks the truth based on many of our traditions,” Libritas whispered in my ear as a counterpoint, “I think we both know that is not all of it.”
I nodded, both to myself and to her, before focusing on Shikun. “Tradition or not, that’s not how I do things.” Shikun’s shoulders tensed in surprise as she looked back up at me, but I cut her off before she could get a word in edgewise. “Look, it makes logical sense, but this isn’t entirely about logic. It’s about feelings, love, and just the principle of the matter.”
“But--”
“If the next words out of your lips are, ‘I don’t deserve that love,’ or any variant of that,” I began with a warning finger raised, “well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but wow.” Shikun actually shivered in fear at that, but I stopped that with a hand on her shoulder. “I care for you, and I value you as much as I do anyone else in this, well, harem. Traditions might be great, but this is the time to start new traditions.”
Shikun’s eyes lit up as she came to realize what exactly I was saying. Her jaw worked for a few moments, then she finally said simply, “Thank you, William. I will do whatever I can to do better than I have.”
“You don’t have to do better,” I said with a reassuring grin. “You just have to see how good you are with an honest eye.”
Shikun’s brows raised incredulously at that.
“I’m not saying it will be easy,” I added. “You’ve had it hard, worse than any of us, even worse than Petra and Amalthea, but just try to see yourself how I see you.”
“And how is that exactly?” There was heat in the dragon-girl’s eyes now as she stared up at me. “I mean, I need to know if I am to do your wishes, my savior.”
I grinned broadly as I leaned back a bit on my perch. “Well, where to start? You’re exotic, beautiful, and strong, but that’s just the start.” I hummed to myself as I pushed on. “Courage is something you’ve got in spades. Not just on the battlefield, not just when you threw yourself in the way of the Weaver to protect me, but when you tried to stand up to him to save the people of Kaulda, even though you couldn’t resist his commands.”
My eyes drifted back to her. “And as much as I love the outer shell, your gorgeous body and the way your face lights up when you actually smile, it’s that inner fire and spirit that somehow, no matter how hard the Weaver tried, he couldn’t entirely break that I think I’m drawn to most of all.”
Wonder, awe, and naked desire mingled in Shikun’s expression, and the heat in that look threatened to set me on fire. If not for the situation and the location, well, things would have gotten far more heated right there on the spot. As it was, the dragon-girl turned away to look back across the forest slowly, but this time, the smile remained on her lips.
“When we have the chance, when we are safe,” she said softly, “I will show you how thankful I am for this moment.”
“I’m counting the hours until then, Shikun,” I replied, a smile on my lips and a fire in my belly.
As I turned back in the saddle, I caught sight of Petra looking back at me as she shifted the trees ahead out of our way. Her emerald eyes seemed to glitter in the light of the twin suns as she nodded to me, a thankful smile on her lips.
I returned that nod and smile. It wouldn’t be easy, balancing these women I cared for amidst everything else, but it would be worth it. Of course, that was assuming that we didn’t die in the face of Khaba va’Khem, the Black Runes, and their enslaved armies that dominated the entire planet.
No pressure, right?
Maybe it was the expectation of something more, some next wave of beasts or soldiers or bandits flooding out of the woods around us, that made the time pass quicker than I expected. Whatever the reason, it seemed as if it didn’t take much time at all before Petra let out a sudden gasp of excitement from the head of the line that snapped my attention forward.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” she gasped as she stood before the last stand of parted trees and vines. However, past that, there was nothing but open purple skies and fluffy cotton candy pink clouds. “This has to be the Marches, but…”
“You have me concerned, Lady Petra,” Reggie said with concern as he slipped gamely off his karush, pistol in hand. “Still, I can’t wait to lay eyes upon it myself.”
I was right behind him, hopping off my own karush. “Amen to that, Reg.” I nodded to Shikun. “Come on, let’s see what there is to see.”
She readily followed in my wake, and we headed to where Petra stood, still in awe at whatever there was to see. From the end of our party, Amalthea spread her wings to fly over the train of bulky, six-legged beasts.
“I’ve read many an account of the heart of Solanna,” the sphinx noted as we approached what I realized was the edge o
f a rise or cliff of some kind, “but I never expected to live long enough to see it for myself, whatever the state it is in.”
I came up on Petra’s left, Shikun taking a position to the dryad’s right, Amalthea hovering over our heads, and Sir Reginald close behind, and gazed out over the great valley that was the Marches of Solanna.
And while I wasn’t sure what I expected to see, what was spread out before me certainly wasn’t it.
3
The valley that contained the Marches was immense, with high hills such as the cliff we stood atop to the west while, much like the area around Kaulda, a mighty mountain range soared along the north side. On the southern and western edges, however, were sandy beaches, strewn with the remnants of piers, docks, and fishing enclaves. The main of the valley had been sectioned off into what looked like elaborately planned districts, an incredible feat of city planning, with regions marked by granite columns and stone walls that reminded me of classical Roman architecture. The many buildings, homes, and what I guessed were temples that filled many of these sections shared that same style, a marked difference from the more Asian and Middle Eastern feel of Kaulda.
Dominating it all in the center of the valley was a soaring structure, a great palace that defied all expectations. Unlike the pseudo-Classical styling of the rest of the Marches, this more resembled a series of oblong domes that were built atop what had to be a foundation of glowing Sola crystals. No matter how insanely unsafe that seemed to me, it was magnificent to look at. The entire structure soared hundreds of feet into the sky, each dome shining like alabaster and inlaid with gold. The more I looked at it, the more it looked to me like a series of stylized beehives.
Spreading out from there were farms, vineyards that no doubt were for the making of some kind of wine, herdlands, mills, smithies, even what I knew had to be mine entrances along the northern mountains. Two impressively built aqueducts emerged from the cliffside north of us, channeling streams and rivers down to the farmlands.