“Follow me, sir,” Jess said, walking ahead of him down the hallway.
Gregory was mesmerized by the red-furred tail that came out of a slit in her uniform. It gently swayed side to side, in counterpoint to her hips. “Miss… are you a eurtik?” he asked, unable to stop himself.
“My grandmother was, and as you can see, the blood runs strong in my family. Did you wish another to care for you instead?” Jess asked, pausing just in front of a door.
“Umm… no. I just... I’ve never seen anyone with eurtik blood before.”
“You will see more like me, and even some purebloods, I’m sure,” Jess replied softly. She opened the door and led him into the room beyond.
The room was tiled, dominated by a large bronze tub that was easily big enough for two people. Steam was drifting up from it and an assortment of soaps and oils were laid out beside it. Three fluffy cloths lay on a waist-high padded table that was across the room.
“Please strip and get into the tub,” Jess instructed him.
Gregory stood there in shock, not quite sure he believed what he was hearing. “But, umm?”
“I know. You are a fringer and might not understand, but it is fine. This is one of my tasks.”
Do not fight the maid. Do what she tells you, Bishop’s voice echoed in his mind. Taking a deep breath, Gregory stripped and gingerly stepped into the tub. The water was right on the edge of being too warm, but he was grateful to not be on display. Sighing as he settled into the tub, he glanced back at Jess. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened.
Jess had stripped, leaving herself completely exposed to him. Her smile widened as she moved across the room to him, her hips swaying slightly as she walked. Eyes twinkling, she slowed her pace, taking her time getting to him. “Is this your first time seeing a woman naked, too?”
“Umm... uhhh... yes,” Gregory stammered. His cheeks turned a bright red that had nothing to do with the heat of the bath. “You’re beautiful.”
Her laugh was light as she came to a stop beside the bath. “Thank you, sir, but there is no need for flattery. Would you prefer the orange, vanilla, or jasmine soap?” Taking each bar, she held them up for his examination as she knelt beside the tub.
Having trouble keeping his eyes off her body, he took each bar and sniffed it before handing them back. “Vanilla, please.”
“My favorite,” Jess purred and returned the other two to the small table they had been resting on. “Please slide forward some. I will be cleaning your back first.”
Gregory did so, which removed her from his line of sight and allowed him the chance to calm down. Or it would have, if she had not stepped into the tub behind him. Her long legs slid to either side of him as she eased herself into the tub.
His mind going blank, Gregory did not say anything as her soft hands worked to lather soap across his back. Jess was silent, her touch soft, but firm enough to work the soap into his skin.
She leaned forward, and Gregory became aware of her small firm breasts pressing into his back. “Raise your arms, sir, please.”
Gregory did so at once. Jess let out a pleased giggle as she reached out, working on his right arm first. When she had soaped that arm, she took his left arm and her fingers faltered for a moment.
“What happened to your arm, sir?”
“Bane wolf,” Gregory replied. “I had to drag it off my friend.”
“Barely an adult and a novice, and you fought a bane wolf barehanded?” Jess asked, her voice curiously intent.
“It was that or death,” Gregory replied.
“Your friend lived?”
“Proctor Bishop killed it once I dragged it off Gunnar.”
“Still, it was very brave to grapple with one of them.”
“I just did what was needed,” Gregory said truthfully.
“As a hero would say,” Jess whispered in his ear while she finished soaping his arm. “I will have to treat you extra special now.” More of her body pressed against him as her arms went around his chest. “Please enjoy your bath, sir.” Soft lips brushed his ear, and Gregory shuddered.
Jess kept up with the same soft, gentle, and firm touch as she cleaned him. Gregory was having difficulty keeping his hands to himself. When she had him stand to wash his legs, he tried not to think of his erect cock pointing straight at her.
Her hands began at his calves and worked up his legs, but it was her tongue licking at his shaft that made him gasp. Gregory startled and looked down to see her peering back up at him through her eyelashes. She pulled back slightly, smiling, and took the head of his rigid shaft into her mouth as she continued to wash his legs.
“Oh, Aether,” Gregory moaned, his legs trembling.
She giggled, clearly pleased by his reaction. Her head bobbed, slowly at first while she kept eye contact with him. After a few seconds, Gregory got an idea. Unable to resist, he grabbed Jess firmly by the head and began to rock his hips, forcing his cock in and out of her mouth. She moaned, the sound vibrating along his shaft. Her hands moved up his legs to fondle his balls.
The aether inside him settled down as he picked up the pace with his hips. After a few minutes, Gregory shuddered and pulled Jess tightly to him as he emptied his seed into her mouth.
Letting go of her, Gregory grabbed the edge of the tub and eased himself back into the water, his breathing ragged. Jess coughed for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Well done, Novice. I hadn’t thought you’d be that aggressive, but it is something I do enjoy. I am done cleaning you, so just relax while I get the next part ready.”
Gregory laid back, letting the warm water cover him. He felt his aether subside, returning to the calm flame he was becoming more familiar with. While he lounged, he wondered about the flashes of insight he had started having. I wonder if it’s connected to you, Aether? I’ll just need to ask when I speak with you again.
Another thought occurred to him. If this is a bath, I find myself liking them... but does that mean that Bishop…? Gregory shut the train of thought down, not ready to consider that possibility.
“When you are ready, sir, we can continue,” Jess said from beside the padded table.
“Huh?”
“The oil massage comes next. I just need you to come lie down over here for me.” She patted the table. “Once the oil is done, we have a couple of other options which you might find appealing.” A slow wink and smile made Gregory shudder as his blood again headed south.
Climbing out of the tub, he moved to the table and did as she requested. “I’d like to hear more about the options.”
Warm breath tickled his ear as Jess leaned down to whisper to him, “This is just for tonight, but please, consider it my gift to a hero who risked his life for his friend. I’ll be anything you want me to be, and I’ll do everything you want.”
Chapter Eleven
Stretching as he woke, Gregory felt like he could take on the world. The spot beside him was empty, and he sighed. Jess had told him multiple times that it was a one-time thing, but Gregory wished it could have been more. His time with Amoria had been wonderful; full of love, if a bit awkward, while his night with Jess had been one of lust and experimentation. He knew he would always be grateful to the both of them for showing him two very different sides to sex.
As he got out of bed, he saw that his clothing was just inside the door, folded and clean, and his boots were the cleanest he had ever seen them. He packed everything away and caught the faint scent of vanilla still lingering on his skin, making him think of Jess again. Shaking his head, he got dressed and left the room.
The common room was mostly empty, with just two old men sitting by the large window playing a game of Go. Gregory glanced at the board as he went past, but the game seemed to be evenly matched.
A maid bustled over almost as soon as he sat down. “Breakfast?”
“Please, and some tea, too?”
“We have mint, black, and orange,” the maid offered. “Which would you like?”
“Mint, please.”
The food was not as rich as dinner had been, but it still made his stomach and aether feel pleasantly full. He finished off the tea with a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m going to eat even half as well at the academy.”
Once he was finished eating, Gregory set off to the scrivener. The walk was uneventful, though Gregory could not help glancing at anyone who seemed interested in him. The door to the scrivener’s was closed, but Gregory could see a man working through the large front window. Entering the shop, Gregory called out, “Excuse me, sir.”
“I’ll be with you in a moment,” the balding man called back. “Feel free to look, but do not touch any of the books.”
“Yes, sir.”
The titles of many of the books made no sense to him, and he saw more than one that appeared to be in some other language. There were a few tomes in cases, behind glass. Gregory looked at the titles, wondering. The Dryad’s Kiss, Darkness Comes, and Temptation’s Enticement all had a certain tone to them, but Gregory could not believe stories of that kind would be written down.
“There we are,” the scrivener sighed as he slipped away from his work bench. Moving the costly glasses from his nose, the man frowned at Gregory. “Have you come to the wrong shop?”
“No, sir. I am interested in a book or two,” Gregory said. “Proctor Bishop suggested this shop to me.”
“Must still be serving on the fringes,” the scrivener muttered, then asked, “What books are you interested in?”
“Anything that will help me at the academy. As you stated, I’m from the fringes. I know that I could use help to catch up to the others.”
Lips tight, the scrivener grumbled, “I can’t do charity.”
“I can pay some,” Gregory said.
“Each book normally costs five hundred vela or more,” the scrivener said bluntly. “Books are for the learned.”
“I can afford at least one,” Gregory said, pulling one of the lavender-scented five hundred vela coins from his bag. Gregory tried not to think of Amoria as he held out the coin that she had given him.
Seeing the vela, the scrivener frowned. “Bishop isn’t one for charity, either. Where did you get the coin?”
“A bounty payment,” Gregory bristled slightly. This was the second merchant who had implied indirectly that it might be stolen.
“Bounty for what?”
“A bane wolf. It wounded me and my friend, Gunnar Emery. We got part of the bounty because we were fighting it when Proctor Bishop showed up and dispatched it.”
Seeing the scrivener’s disbelief, Gregory rolled his sleeve up to show him the scars. When he saw the damage to Gregory’s arm, the scrivener’s lips pursed. “How many died?”
“None, but Gunnar was almost killed. I was able to pull the beast from him before the worst happened.”
“Hmm. Novices who fight bane beasts and seek to gain knowledge before they arrive at the academy? I feel like this year’s class will be interesting. I have a scroll and a book that you would find useful. The book is an in-depth history of the empire, and the scroll trains one in the beginning steps of the spirit path. Following its teachings will stop you from delving into body or mind paths. Which would you like?”
Gregory took a moment to consider before replying, “The history book, please, sir.”
“A wise choice,” the scrivener smiled.
Moving off to one of the bookshelves, he pulled down the book and a scroll, handing them both to Gregory. The book was called Empire’s Founding. The scroll was blank on the outside as far as Gregory could see.
“I only have the vela for one,” Gregory said.
“True,” the scrivener said, taking the coin from him. “Consider it an investment for the future. Remember my shop if you need more in the future; Babel’s Books.”
“Thank you, Babel. I will.”
“Keep them away from flame and liquids,” Babel said sternly. “A ruined book is a travesty.”
Gregory bowed to the scrivener, tucking the scroll into his pouch and the book under his arm. The scrivener smiled before dismissing him and going back to his work.
“Never thought I’d own a book,” Gregory said, talking to himself when he was back on the street. The thick tome was heavier than he would have expected, but he could carry it without difficulty. “Or buy one… and from a scrivener, no less.”
Gregory went back to the inn, intensely curious about what he could learn from the book and scroll.
~*~*~
The book turned out to be a dry recounting of the empire’s founding. Gregory read through the first part, going back to reread a few paragraphs to understand them better.
War leader Toja didn’t trust the eurtiks; their visage, which melded beast and human, seemed wrong to him. When the eurtiks sent an emissary to the king, war leader Toja had a dozen magi and a thousand men on hand, while the eurtiks sent a meager thirty. No one was prepared for the chaos that came.
The feast was the last bright point of the Kingdom of Welton. While everyone slept that night, the thirty eurtiks crept from their rooms for their real mission. Toja had remained awake, burning his aether, so the first shadow that tried to slip past him never made it— his flame blade cut it down. That aroused the eurtiks and their true, savage nature was shown when they became wreathed in red flames.
Toja did everything he could, but his magi were ineffective against the eurtiks. The eurtiks had agility and strength far beyond normal men. Toja was hard pressed to save even himself. When the long night ended, the eurtiks were dead, but the entire royal family was, as well. Standing with the thirty survivors of his men, Toja declared a blood feud with the eurtiks. He gathered the wealthy and powerful from the city, forcing them to bend knee to him. With their backing, he declared himself the new king and started to build an army for the First Eurtik War.
Gregory paused as he finished the section of the book. Toja, the Divine Emperor... he’s been alive for all these generations. Magi can live far longer than normal, but here, he wasn’t at the divine tier yet.
Gregory wondered what that would mean for him. If he survived the academy, he would far outlive his friends. Maybe that’s why magi never come back... it would be hard to see friends and family dying while you still lived in your prime.
“Hard at work studying?” Bishop asked, making Gregory jerk in startlement. He had not heard her approach. She chuckled at his surprise. “You’ll have days of reading ahead of you. Hopefully, you can understand what you read. That will be critical.”
“I’m doing my best, Proctor,” Gregory replied. “The wording is… odd.”
“The language is archaic and advanced,” Bishop corrected him. “I’m reminded that your education is minimal. What book did you get?” Gregory told her the title and Bishop nodded, “That’s a good start. We’ll be leaving in three hours.”
“He also gave me a scroll, Proctor,” Gregory said, pulling the scroll from his pouch.
Taking it, Bishop opened it and read some of what was inside. “Tsk, he should know better. This is a scroll that will prejudice your path if you follow its teachings.”
“What if I don’t do what it says, but just read it to understand more, Proctor?”
Bishop paused, “A good question, Novice. If you can stop yourself from following the instructions, you would learn what the first steps of the spirit path entail. What you do with it is up to you.”
“Thank you, Proctor.”
When Bishop moved away, Gregory sighed. Focusing his attention back on the book, he continued to read, slowly and with difficulty, but with determination.
~*~*~
“It is time,” Bishop said, startling him again.
Rubbing at his tired eyes, Gregory grunted, “Yes, Proctor.”
Bishop chuckled, “You have ten minutes. The carriage is outside.”
When he got outside, Gregory could not help but stare at the carriage. The whole thing was painted sky blue with silver trim, and the emblem of the e
mpire was affixed to the door. He gave his bag to the driver to be tied with the other luggage atop the vehicle, but held on to his book. The interior had padded seats and curtains that were currently tied back to let the light in. Taking a seat next to the window, he placed the book beside him, content to rest his eyes for a moment.
“Already here? Good,” Bishop said. “Driver, we are here. You may go.” Hopping into the carriage, she shut the door. “You may read or nap. The next stop will be at Fentic, which will be just before sunset. Did you enjoy your stay?”
“The room and food were amazing,” Gregory replied.
“And the bath?” Bishop asked with a twisted smile.
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