by Randi Darren
“Even if I am,” Alex said, “I’m going to come knock on your door. Wait up for me.” Nannie needed some attention right now and he knew it.
“Oh. Oh, yeah, okay. I’ll… I’ll do that,” Nannie said, her demeanor changing rapidly.
Opening the door to the receiving study, Alex stepped in. Eleanor was standing with Quinn near the middle of the room.
As soon as she saw him enter, Eleanor came over to the door and exited, then closed it behind her.
“Alex, I’m so glad to see you,” Quinn said, walking over to him quickly.
She was dressed in the Xer version of riding leathers, stripped leather tied with feathers and ornamentations.
Standing no taller than five feet, she had an average build and figure. Her fully braided hair hung down to her waist behind her in a long, dark brown mane. Her dark blue eyes looked relieved and scared at the same time.
She walked straight into him and hugged him, pulling him into her.
“I need you, Alex. I need my Count Inferno,” Quinn said. “Someone from your empire is trying to stir my neighbors up in arms against me. Saying I’m unfit to lead.”
Alex thought quickly on that.
It made sense to a degree. Especially if someone suspected there was more behind Alex and Quinn’s relationship than simply pleasant neighbors.
Putting pressure on the Xer would result in Alex having to split his attention between aiding Regina and assisting Quinn.
To Alex, it had clearly been planned out in advance. He could easily see himself doing something similar.
But what do I do? If I head south with my forces, it’s unlikely I’ll make it back in time to support Regina when hostilities open.
If I don’t, I leave Quinn to twist in the wind and squander whatever assistance the Xer can provide me.
“I understand. Then you’ll have your Count Inferno,” Alex said, patting the slight woman on the back.
“I want you to marry me formally,” Quinn said. “After this. I want it formalized. I want to be your queen, baroness, and wife. This is an opportunity to crush dissenting opinion on the matter.”
Alex couldn’t disagree that was probably the right play to make. If his army was in country after being called on again to defend Quinn, a logical step like unification would be plausible.
“Alright,” Alex said. “I’ll get my army moving. We were already in mid-setup for marching, so we shouldn’t be too far off from heading south.”
“Okay,” Quinn said. “I came here for another reason as well. I’m hiring several mercenary companies. I’ve kept in contact with your commanders. They provided me with a list of names they recommended.
“I’ll either meet you at the border if you’re swift enough, or back at Fis’Er.”
Anna did mention Quinn was writing her regularly.
“So much for the vassals feast,” Alex muttered. “We’ll be holding that one later, I guess.”
***
Alex was hastily writing instructions, purchase orders, and letters of intent as fast as he could.
Quinn had already left to get her mercenaries after checking in with Anna.
Alex was grateful she’d stopped to check in with his wife, as it gave him no reason to go see her. He could focus entirely on his work.
“Master,” Riley said, holding up a paper for him. “Will you sign this? It’s the—”
Alex took it from her and signed it, handing it back without a word. Going back to the sheet he was working on, he continued to write down everything he wanted done while he was gone.
“Oh, thank—thank you Master,” Riley murmured, setting the sheet down.
With Valeria “benched” so to speak, Alex was leaning far more heavily on Sylvia, Riley, and Rebekah.
He’d never stopped to think about how much he relied on Valeria before this point, and now he suddenly regretted the loss of her. She was almost irreplaceable.
Good thing she’s now bound to your soul. She’ll be traveling with you and Anna for all time.
You have any time, Leah? Can I chat you up a bit?
Alex wasn’t about to let his goddess go if she was available.
In a minute or two. Finish up what you’re doing. Meet me in the nursery.
“One,” Alex said, continuing to write busily. Speaking to Leah just now had jarred loose a question he’d wanted to ask Riley
“Yes, Master?” Riley asked.
“Why aren’t you pregnant?” he asked directly. “I could have sworn I told you to stop taking Mother’s Bane.”
“Uhm, I did stop, Master. Mistress Anna told me to start taking it again until Regina’s baby is born. Then I can carry a child. Is… is that ok? I didn’t ask you, and I probably should have, but I assumed since Mistress Anna told me—”
“That’s fine then,” Alex said. “You should have told me though. I kept expecting to hear good news from you.”
“Yes. Yes, I’m sorry, Master. I should have.” Riley held a paper out to him. “This is the—”
Alex took it and signed it, then handed it right back to her.
“Don’t bother. I trust you, One,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t be trying to put a kid in you if I didn’t.”
“Yes… yes, Master. Alex,” Riley said. “Thank you for your trust. Am I going with you down south?”
“You, Four, Five, and Six. Two, Three, and Seven will remain here to assist Anna and Regina in my place,” Alex said.
“Good. Good. I’m glad to hear that. I don’t like being separated from you. I love you, Alex. Desperately so,” Riley said, suddenly turning toward him. “Tell me you love me?”
Snorting, Alex looked up at the young woman. “I do love you, One.”
“As much as your wives?” Riley asked.
Ah. This must be the turning point for most of them. They’re probably talking with one another about their feelings.
Seems like we’ll be finding out if they’re really as loyal as I think they are.
“Yup,” Alex said. “I release you from all your oaths binding you to me, Riley.”
He heard the same sharp crack as when he’d done the same with Valeria.
Turning back to his papers, Alex started writing his instructions again.
“What…?” Riley asked.
“I released you. You’re free to leave,” Alex said. “Go home. Leave. Back to your mother.”
“I-I-I don’t understand. This is my home. I don’t want to leave. Alex, no, I don’t want to leave,” Riley said, her voice sounding panicked.
“No? You don’t want to leave?” Alex asked, getting near the end of his list of things to take care of.
“No! Not at all,” Riley said, grabbing his arm and wedging it between her breasts and thighs, interrupting his ability to write.
“Okay, and I just released you from all your oaths. Leave. Go home,” Alex said.
“No! No, I won’t. I… I swear myself to all my previous oaths all over again,” Riley said, clutching his arm.
“Fine,” Alex said as he withdrew his arm from her. After writing in one more line item, he signed it and handed it to her. “Read it over, check in with Three, see what she thinks. Got it?”
“Master… did I do something wrong?” Riley asked, pouting at him. Her eyes looked watery. “I’m sorry I’m not pregnant. I’ll stop taking Mother’s Bane. Please don’t be mad at me?”
“You’re a silly thing. Listen to Anna,” Alex said, then kissed her. He lifted his hand up and cupped her cheek, prolonging the kiss far more than he normally would.
“Okay, I have something else to work on. I love you, One. You’re my One. Riley is dead and gone. All that remains is One. I freed you so you had a chance to leave if you wished. That’s all.”
Riley nodded frantically.
“I’m One. Riley is long, long, long dead. I’m all yours, Alex. I don’t want to be free. I’m your One. One and only,” Riley said.
“Good, now do what I told you,” Alex said. Getting up, he patted R
iley on the shoulder and headed off for the nursery.
Nannie jumped up to her feet when he entered the hallway.
“Alex?” she asked.
Nannie, too? Huh.
“Love you, Five,” Alex said, stopping to lay a hand on her shoulder. “I’m heading for the nursery. Will you wait outside for me?”
“Uh… uh… yeah. Of course, Alex. Of course,” Nannie said. “I love you, too.”
Not wasting any more time, Alex hurried on. Opening the door to the nursery, he stepped inside without waiting.
All the nursemaids were gone. There were only two people that Alex could see.
Carla, and Leah. They were both standing over the bassinets that were side by side.
Lifting her head when Alex entered, Carla met his eyes with a wide-eyed stare. She looked shocked and frightened.
“Relax, Two. It’s just Leah,” Alex said as he walked over.
“I told her the same thing,” Leah said. “She thinks I’m here to take her soul away. She still feels guilty for breaking your leg. Personally I thought she failed her oath in doing it, but you didn’t so… I didn’t do anything about it.”
“Good. I need Two,” Alex said. “She’s my bad girl. I love her.”
“I know. It’s so cute how you fell for her too,” Leah said. “Alright, you can go, Carla. You can tell Mary I’m here, but not Anna or Regina.”
Carla nodded and left the room, moving at a quick trot.
“And why are you scaring my Numbered?” Alex asked, walking up to Leah’s side.
“Cause it’s fun. No other reason. That and it’s a good opportunity for her to think about swearing her soul to you, and therefore me,” Leah said. “Her soul is strong. By the way, Valeria really is bound to you for all time. That wasn’t idle speak. She swore it to you when you told her to stop taking Mother’s Bane.”
Alex chuckled at that, then sighed.
“So, is this the warning you told me about from the south a while back?” he asked.
“Yes, and you were very well prepared for it. Turning Quinn into your lackey went even better than I expected. Much better payout,” Leah said, leaning over Amelia’s bassinet.
“You can hold her, you know,” Alex said, reading her intent as a statement.
“Thank you,” Leah said, immediately scooping up the tiny child in her arms. Smiling over her, the frightening goddess of death and horribleness reached up with a finger and lightly tickled the baby’s stomach with extreme tenderness.
Cooing, Amelia grabbed Leah’s index finger and held onto it.
“You’re here because I’m going to be busy for a while, I take it?” Alex asked.
“Yeah,” Leah said. “I’d do more for you if I could, but I honestly can’t… see the outcome here. Everything I could have done, I have done.”
The door that Carla exited from opened, and Mary stood in the doorway.
“Come on in, Mary,” Leah said as she wiggled her finger a bit up and down, Amelia not willing to let go.
Closing the door, the baroness walked over with the same grace she always carried.
“Oh, do calm down. I’m just here to thank you formally. I never had a chance to say it. I’m flattered that you named her after me,” Leah said. “I named my own daughter for someone I admired, so I’m absolutely over the moon that you did the same for me.”
“Without you, I wouldn’t have met Alex,” Mary said, coming to stand across from them. “It felt only fitting to name her after you.”
Leah chuckled at that. “Yes, and I’m going to watch over this little booger as long as I can. I’m naming myself her godmother. Or goddess-mother, in this case.
“You hear that, Leah? I’m your goddess-mother.”
Sighing, Leah pulled her hand away from Amelia and then offered the baby to Mary.
“Alright. My time is up. I just wanted to come wish you luck, say thanks, see my goddess-daughter and be on my way. It’ll be a while before I see you again, I think,” Leah said.
“Well, aren’t you a peach. Then I thank you for the well wishes,” Alex said, and then he promptly hugged the murdering death goddess of bad deals.
Leah awkwardly hugged Alex back. “Yeah, yeah. Be safe.”
And when you get back, you’re going to see Rike. She wants to meet you.
Grand.
Chapter 5
Alex closed his eyes and ran through the massive list of things he needed to do.
There was no doubt he was going to run out of time before getting it all done. In his mind, there wasn’t a single shred of doubt that he wouldn’t complete everything.
He had to pick and choose to make sure he got the integral things done. The high-priority items.
Like getting all the land deeds to his father-in-law, along with his barony proclamation.
Wincing, Alex pressed his hands to his face.
Ever since the loan had started, Master Ulles had been collecting monthly interest payments from both the duke and duchess, then sending Alex his portion of the money.
He still hadn’t gotten to Master Ulles, and it was a definite must-do. But there were so many other pressing matters he couldn’t overlook.
He heard a polite tap on the door.
“Enter,” Alex said, not bothering to pull his hands away from his face.
Only his Numbered would bother him, or his closest servants and advisers. There was no point in trying to pretend this brand-new campaign wasn’t weighing on him.
“Count Brit,” said a man’s voice. One Alex didn’t know.
Letting his hands drop, Alex turned to face the speaker.
It was a man perhaps in his thirties. His head was bare of hair, and he had firm-looking hazel eyes, broad features, and a healthy complexion.
“And you are?” Alex asked, not feeling like being polite on any level right now. “Two?”
Carla took a step out of the side of the doorway, revealing she was actually standing right behind the man.
“I’m ah… I’m William Brush. I’m Walter’s nephew. He’s not feeling very well and wasn’t able to make it out of his bed this morning,” William said. “He sent me in his place to take care of his duties. I have an official document from him with that designation.”
“He does, Master,” Carla said. “I read it over myself. I had a runner sent to confirm that Walter is bedridden, and that he did indeed send William. It’s correct.”
That investment is paying off already. A population that can read is one that can question and learn.
Sighing, Alex waved a hand at the man and turned back to the papers in front of him.
“Great. What do you want, Bill? Kinda busy. I already sent over everything I was hoping Walter could do. Work on those things,” Alex said.
He picked up his quill, then dipped it into the inkwell and began to write out a message to his father-in-law, appointing him as Baron.
“Yes, I already completed all those,” William said. “And you’re welcome to call me Bill if you prefer, Count Brit.”
Pausing in his work, Alex looked up at the other man.
“You did? Huh,” Alex said. “Alright. Here’s what I want next then. Get an armed escort together, and an armed carriage. I need you to pick elite soldiers who will get this job done.
“It’s a delivery for the king himself in regard to my father-in-law, Charles Ulles. I’ll have the message for His Highness penned shortly, and the contents of the chest that’ll be sent.”
“I can do that,” Bill said. “What else, Count?”
Smirking, Alex turned toward Bill directly. “Master Brush, are you that confident?”
“Yes, sir. I am.”
“Right. Get a hold of Douglas then, and let him know I approve of his plans to expand the dungeon again. I was about to start planning a vassals feast when I get news of this new campaign. Arrange it for me so I can have it as soon as I get back,” Alex said. “Run the budgets and quotes through my wives.”
Bill paused for several s
econds, then nodded. “I understand. Anything else?”
Raising his eyebrows at that, Alex took in a slow breath.
“Yeah. Get together a quote to expand the fort, and find out who built the fort that was in the city of Terk. I want our fort to mirror theirs or be better.
“I’ll need an extensive basement with numerous choke points, and secure strongpoints as well,” Alex said. It was about time he got working on improving the technology here on this world. And he was going to start with Brit.
“I can do that,” Bill said, nodding again.
“That’s all I have for now, Master Brush,” Alex said.
“I understand, sir.” Bill turned and left the room.
Alex grinned and turned back to his work.
“Alex,” Carla said, coming over to him. She got down on one knee and snared his eyes with her own. “I love you.”
Feeling suddenly very strange, and like something was wrong, Alex looked into the eyes of the ex-bandit.
Like this was a moment that would be lost if he didn’t act right now. To push Carla into that final space where he needed her.
Where she was his bad girl, but also his completely.
And to do that, he needed to act.
“I release you from your oaths, Carla,” Alex said.
The same sharp crack he’d heard with Riley and Valeria was loud in his ears.
“I… what?” Carla asked, her brow furrowing as she stared into his eyes.
“I released you,” Alex said. “I love you, too, by the way.”
Opening her mouth, Carla made a noise, and then she closed it again.
“You can go home if you want. Leave Brit,” Alex said. “Do whatever you want to do.”
Carla blew out a breath, then leaned forward and kissed him with a warmth he’d become accustomed to since scooping up her family.
She’d become quite loving.
“I can leave? Just like that?” Carla asked after she pulled away, eying him with a hint of promised violence.
“Uh huh. Just like that.”
“You’re not getting rid of me, just freeing me,” Carla said.
“That’s right.”
“I reject it. All of it.” Carla lifted her chin. “I re-swear myself to all the previous oaths and conditions I gave you before. I’m Two.