"I am fine my Cade, it was worth it to see this," Eve said with a prideful smile before her gaze that had been undressing the parts of Cade she could see returned to professionalism.
"There is a Duke Jance and his retinue are here to see you, my mate," Eve said with a smug smile as Cade blanched at her blatant use of the term.
"You are going to pay for that little one, I wasn't done with him. Go husband I will collect Sabine and maybe Mina and be along shortly." Beth's voice was laden with irritation as she lifted off of his length and got out of the bath with a frustrated huff.
As Beth stormed from the bathroom dripping water as she made her way to collect his other wives Cade almost lifted out of the bath before he noticed an expectant Eve still standing beside the door.
His attempts to get her to turn around while he got out of the tub bore no fruit as the stubborn young woman smiled and moved not an inch.
Rolling his eyes Cade gave the stubborn Eve a lesson in respecting boundaries as he puppeted her and turned the now scowling young woman to face the wall.
"You haven't earned that yet my little Eve. Two more year's and you will get your chance."
Cade said as he placed a kiss into her short blonde hair as he passed her fully clothed and ready to meet the noble interrupters.
"Only one more year my Cade, my birthday was last week," Eve said as she aimed her green gaze at a now distraught Cade.
"Well a year then," Cade said in response his disheveled thoughts singling out that one discrepancy in the woman's logic.
As he collected Sabine and Beth, Mina begging off dealing with what would be an irritating experience she wasn't up to handling after the events of last night and this morning, he and his wives made their way to the newly built audience chamber as Beth shot Eve a death stare that the young woman had the good sense to flinch from.
"She will get hers at our next sparing session, my love," Cade said as Beth latched onto his arm.
A giggle from his little snake announced her presence as she captured his other arm.
"Go easy on her Beth, what is the saying my Cade young dumb and full of." Cade's hand on her mouth triggered a fit of giggles from Sabine as he kept her from completing the colloquialism.
"Not anytime soon and if she keeps pushing me not at all," Cade said with vehemence, the thought of the young woman with his seed inside of her strangely acceptable but not until she had completed his requirements.
"Now let's go face the easier battlefield of court politics, much more palatable than an underaged girl chasing after me, don't you think wives?" Cade said as he smiled and nodded at Xandia and Nat's "good mornings" as they made breakfast for the family.
Nat's bleeding face and arms accompanied by a limp answered Cade's question of who had injured his pixie.
Cade almost healed Eve as he felt a little pride in the short jaguar woman who had clearly fought the battle-hardened orc woman tooth and nail to get a glimpse of him naked and wet.
He eventually decided to let Promena heal the two women as they arrived at the house entrance to his audience chamber wasn't petty at all, not it wasn't right Cade? Yup Cade, that's right.
As Cade opened the admittedly ornate doors for his mates he got his first look at Duke Jance and the pudgy man didn't disappoint.
Cade figured the overweight man had been an imposing figure at one time but laziness and too much food had added a few pounds to the man's middle even as he stood head and shoulders above most of his guards.
The tall man's broad shoulders showed off his still impressive musculature as he shifted his cape from them with an irritated huff.
As Cade stood in front of the man he hesitated on how to deal with the man and his guards.
Opting for civility until the man or his followers decided to push him to more extreme options paid off as Beth let out a quiet breath as he offered the man his hand to shake.
"Hello Duke Jance I am Cade Willmartin and these are my wives Beth and Sabine. What can we help you with this fine morning?"
Cade said as the duke looked at his hand with an impassive look that barley skirted the edge of disdain.
As Cade held his tongue from chewing the man out and his power from swatting the rude man and his entourage out of his home a smaller lizard man wearing a slave collar around his neck stepped forward.
"Good morning Mage Cade I am Asdith Duke Jance's chamberlain. If we could find a more discreet place to discuss more sensitive matters we could begin our discussion."
As the slight lizard man finished his request Cade expanded his senses to encompass the large addition to his home, rolling his eyes at the ostentatious statues of him that he had failed to notice as he had entered the main chamber.
Finding a decent sized meeting room he directed Asdith to the wide hallway that led to it. As the duke and his guards began the walk Beth interrupted them as she cleared her throat.
"If the duke wouldn't mind our lowly accommodations won't hold us and his full retinue. If it is acceptable two of his men may accompany us to the meeting room." As Beth made her request the red color on the duke's cheeks grew to encompass his whole face in a bright cherry red before he uttered his first word in Cade's presence.
"Fine," he said before looking at two of his guards, one of them a mountain of a man that had Havrai almost beat for sheer mass and another slighter man Cade assumed was a fire mage by his red robes.
"If you will duke," Cade said as he gestured toward the room.
As the noble stormed off Cade gave both of his wives a look of exasperation before rolling his eyes.
As their giggles lifted his spirits somewhat Cade followed in the wake of the noble hoping for a peaceful resolution to his visit.
As they sat in the comfortable chairs his goddess had supplied the room with Cade again felt embarrassed at her gaudy furnishing of their home add on.
There was a particularly large picture of him and his wives that caused his heart to race.
The portrait was tasteful, modern formal attire all around as Mina, Sabine, her, Beth, and Laurith surrounded him as he sat on a throne of skulls in an all-black suit his hands steepled in front of him as his face contemplated something grim.
Cade thought the picture was incredible the clear message of "don't fuck with me or mine" conveyed beautifully, his terror came from the massive space in the portrait that wasn't occupied bay anything as it spanned the full length of the wall.
Promena's assurances that he was up for many more mates didn't make a dent in his fears as he forcefully ignored the message hoping the extra space would be for his children.
As he sat at the head of the table flanked by his wives Cade changed his clothes to a suit that matched the black one from the portrait.
The guards flinch at the change of attire as they stood behind the seated duke gave Cade a warm feeling in his belly, best that they know a little of what he was capable of it might save their lives if this talk went south.
"If we could begin" Asdith started before he was interrupted by duke Jance's bejeweled hand slapping the polished wood of the table and pointing a finger rudely at Sabine.
"That... thing will leave before we discuss any matters, her stench offends me and her presence disgusts me."
As the duke made his demands Cade had a moment of baffled confusion before the words the duke had spoken sank into his mind.
A calm rage encompassed Cade's mind as Beth blanched and Sabine grabbed his arm in fear.
His little snake's actions sealed the duke's fate as Cade seized not only the group in the room with them but the rest of his uninvited guests in his mental grasp.
As Cade picked up his sweet in a princess carry, capturing her lips in a soft kiss, he looked down to his dwarven wife with an apologizing expression.
As Beth huffed out a defeated breath she pulled his head down for a quick kiss.
"Play stupid games win stupid prizes. I hope you scared him enough to get him to talk my giant. Let's go see what they want." B
eth said dejectedly after she released Cade and kissed Sabine on her cheek.
"I hope they don't a little mind mage magic goes a long way," Cade said as he walked toward the audience chamber with the duke and his friends in tow.
Sitting on the strangely comfortable golden throne with Sabine's tail wrapped around his shoulders Cade gave their guests a cool look as Beth sat beside him on a smaller thone that fit her shorter frame well.
He looked at his dwarven wife's bored expression as she sat back in her own gaudy chair his cold mask cracked a little.
"So what are you here for, don't lie, don't avoid the question, and don't try any magic stupid." As Cade laid the ground rules the fire mage tried and failed to send a ball of fire his way.
Putting out the fire attack was as easy as removing the air from around it.
"Sleep," Cade said to the fire mage as the warm breeze blew over him and his mates and he put the idiot to sleep.
"Anyone else want a nap?" Cade said to the group before the doors to the house opened and Qetch slithered into the room and with a glance at the hovering group move to stand before Cade.
"I would like to officially apply to be your political advisor," Qetch said into Cade's mind.
"Filled in?" Cade asked back mentally.
"Yup" was Qetch's reply that was swiftly followed by a nod towards the naga.
As the large snake man moved to stand beside Cade he gave Sabine an affectionate pat on her head as she soaked up Cade's love in his lap and a warm smile that Sabine mirrored after a few moments and said "good and thank you, uncle".
Cade smiled at the two of them glad he was a part of their reunion before turned his gaze to the group of troublemakers he had let into his home.
"Do you want to do it or should I?" Cade asked his new advisor mentally.
"If you would be ever so gracious my lord," Qetch shot back his comment dripping with playful sarcasm.
Cade inclined his head in permission as he fought to keep a smile from his face.
"I knew we were going to like this guy," Cade thought to himself as Sabine slipped out of his lap with a kiss to sit next to Beth as a matching golden throne rose out of the dias for her.
His attention was brought back to the room as Qetch began his questioning.
"What were you sent here to learn," the snake man asked as a silver staff appeared in his hand.
Cade's attention was drawn from the questioning as he used his power to see what the magical staff was made of.
His disappointment at finding the staff was only made of mithril was blown away by his amazement at the intricate binding of the enchantment in the onyx stone set in the top of the shaft of metal.
As he watched Qetch pulled power from the rock and used it to overpower the mental shields of the group held in Cade's grasp.
A questioning look at the naga beside him gained him a smile from his spiky-haired advisor.
"A gift from our goddess," Qetch said simply his gratitude flowing through their mental communication.
"I guess..." Cade began before Qetch added, "she said to say your welcome and to not kill them".
After Qetch's communication Cade shrugged joined him inside the duke's mind.
A lavish palace greeted him as he arrived in the duke's mind.
Well, It would have been lavish Cade thought as he walked through the rubble and dead bodies of the palace's defenses and defenders.
"Doesn't skimp on the firepower does he," Cade said as he tapped the one massive remaining door to the palace with a finger.
As the boom of the door meeting the floor echoed off of the cream-painted walls Cade followed the trail of destruction to an audience chamber similar to his own as he watched a shivering Duke Jance on the floor wet himself as Qetch towered over him.
"Anything I should know?" Cade asked as he gave his new advisor a questioning look.
"Mind mage, remember?" Qetch said to his new family member and boss as he answered Cade's gesture back at his trail of destruction.
"And I won't forget it, so why are they here?" Cade asked his expression growing grim as he anticipated the bad news coming his way.
"They were sent by the emperor after he received a missive from Graft and Havrash about your activities here. They were especially worried about Laurith being in your possession," Qetch answered as he looked intensely at the duke at his figurative feet.
"EMPEROR?!" Cade shrieked, his conquest of Zeme, which had seemed close to completion, growing more difficult as he ran through the myriad of problems that came with that addition.
"Yes emperor Catias, rules all of Zeme, nice guy overall loves to torture his slaves and barely tolerates his empress consort. Really stand up guy our emperor."
Had to smile at the description, covered with an ocean of sarcasm, of the guy in charge, Havrai and Graft's free reign to make the lives of the citizens of Dejot miserable making more sense.
"And they sent this asshole, you would think they wanted a fight," Cade said in irritation, the smile caused by his advisor's description of the emperor failing to hold up as the frustration from before coming back full force.
As he contemplated taking on a whole continent at this point in their plans his thoughts of scorched earth politics were interrupted by Qetch's chuckle.
"No my nephew this fool was the closest highest-ranking member of the nobility they could find on quick notice. That being said his title comes from family connections more than his ability to lead, our Duke Jance happens to be the brother in law of the emperor."
As Qetch finished his explanation his professional countenance broke as Cade's face paled a few shades.
"Don't worry my nephew they both don't like him that much, they feel the same as you as it pertains to taking care of family, that is all, now is there anything else you need from the duke?" His explanation finished the naga's stoic demeanor fell as he broke down into chuckling mirth.
"Just let him know I am an earth mage who saw a favorable deal on land and the dragon is a curiosity I wanted for myself, the rest of it let them figure out," Cade said his plans not allowing his full powers to be known, not yet anyway.
Once his grip on this continent was a little more secure he might coin the title atomic mage and really blow people's minds.
"If you are sure nephew, we can leave your mates are awake and I want to get back to mine and give them the good news," Qetch said with the same look in his eyes that Cade got when his wives were in for a good time.
"Don't make any babies" Cade advised with a smile.
A chuckle from Qetch followed his comment. "I have given your oldest aunt her requested children a century ago and my other wife neither wants nor needs any children and that is one of the many reasons I chose her for my mate. Regardless that particular factory was shut down long ago young man, you will find that after so long a life that you will certainly live, if your mates have anything to say about it, the future at some point should be left to the younger generation and we as the elder should just spoil their children rotten."
As Cade nodded at the sage advice he and Qetch left the Duke's mind.
As they returned to their physical bodies Cade looked to his advisor.
"The message has been delivered my lord," Qetch said his voice echoing around the room.
"Thank you uncle, now your... Eminence?"
As Cade stumbled on the proper honorific for the noble his advisor had mentally destroyed his wives giggled and offered no help for their floundering husband.
"Well, Duke Jance please give the emperor our message and my advisor will be patiently waiting for his reply. If there is nothing else, you can be on your way with our blessing."
As Cade spoke over the few words the duke had tried to speak he was about to return to his home when the lizard man Asdith ran up the dias and threw himself at Cade's feet.
"If you are looking for a chamberlain I would like to offer my services, Mage Cade." The man said as his head touched the floor.
"Vet hi
m," Cade told his advisor mentally as he looked a the supplication of the lizard man slave with distaste.
"A butler wouldn't hurt nephew, fewer catfights that way, and he passes muster as it were. It is a little disheartening how eager he is to get away from the Duke, bootlicking was on the table given without me offering." Qetch said, the same distaste in his tone.
"Ok Asdith welcome to the family and no more of this..." words failed Cade as he spoke to their new butler and lamented the system of slavery that had torn down the man so much. "Anyway no more bowing and no more of that lord stuff my uncle is trying to push. And lastly, let's get rid of this."
Atomic Mage 2 Page 21