Chapter 1.18

Ax

“Those are just the scouts,” said Antiope, a frown on her face. “Their appearance is a harbinger.”

“A harbinger of what?” I asked as I watched Karson escort the terrified little girl and her mother up the hill.

“The harpies nest out on the plains where the Skolotoi tribes rule. We learned long ago how to fight them, but they hide behind the gigantes tribes. Now that the gigantes are at war, the harpies will fight alongside them. I fear they are the forward troops of larger armies.”

“So we are running out of time,” I said. It was my turn to frown.

“Yes, I fear so. How are our preparations? Will we be able to move soon?”

“I had hoped to have another few weeks,” I said. “Do you have any idea how long we might have?”

“I doubt it is that long.”

“How are the troops coming along?” I asked.

“Slowly,” she answered. “Too slowly. Most are green, although we have found more than a few who have been conscripted before. They help anchor the formation and teach those around them. It is little enough, but every bit helps.”

“We still need more food stockpiled. Karson’s crates are helping with that. Crathis has been helpful, too.”

“Yes, he was a quartermaster before.”

“I didn’t know that,” I said. It made sense, considering how well he was doing after taking over the organizing for supplies.”

I looked around the hill. It was quiet now as dark approached, with numerous cook fires going. Few had chosen to venture back outside after the harpy attack. Nevertheless, it was still a beehive of activity compared to when we first arrived. We were up to a half-dozen wagons with oxen teams for all of them. I had ideas for how to rebuild them to be better, with leaf-springs and metal frames to increase their load capacity. There was no time now. It would have to be enough. The hill itself was transformed, with the slate brick house now sprouting several more rooms, and a low stone wall surrounding the top of the hill. A rough road of sorts led down to the refugee encampment, and the field surrounding the house was covered in simple shanties and tents. Myrmidon patrols marched along the perimeter, carrying shield and spear and wearing helmets. Too few had armor cuirasses yet.

Karson disappeared with Zahra somewhere. The two seemed joined at the hip the last few days. I would catch up with him soon enough. It was time to start burning the midnight oil, and using that healing ring to burn off exhaustion. I had too much to get finished.

Latona approached us then, carrying two bowls of food. Antiope spotted her approach. “You need to resolve that, too,” she said. “You’ve delayed an answer long enough. Build your House, Warlord.”

“Is this really the best time for that?” I asked.

“There is no good time,” she replied. “Your ambition is obvious. You need your allies bound to you. Get your House in order.”

I sighed. I wasn’t cut out for medieval politics. Dark age politics. Whatever. Antiope nodded to Latona and walked away, giving us our privacy.

“Lord Axerios,” Latona said with a friendly smile. “I brought you dinner.”

“Thank you, Latona,” I said. “Will you stay and eat with me?”

She smiled. “Gladly.”

We ate in silence for a few minutes, and I savored the fact that no one was trying to interrupt me with questions or needing my opinion on anything. Then I noticed Xene standing in the distance, intercepting any who tried to walk our direction. It seemed everyone knew what needed to happen. I needed to stop leaving this in limbo.

“Latona, I’ve been thinking over your proposal,” I said, then winced because it sounded so stiff.

She nodded encouragingly. “Have you made up your mind?”

“I have. I would very much like for you to be my wife,” I said.

“And my dowry is acceptable?” she asked, businesslike and calm.

“It is,” I said, although I had no idea what it was.

“You will find me to be a great ally,” she said. “I will get our household in order while you build our army.”

“I hope we are more than just allies,” I said. “I hope that we can be friends, as well.”

Latona’s cool demeanor slipped, and the young girl inside slipped out a little. “I hope we will be much more than that,” she answered. She leaned over and kissed me gently. Before I could pull her into a stronger kiss, she sat back.

“I will need a household budget. We will need to retain personal guards, and I’d like to offer Crathis the position of steward. He has been doing the job, but without the pay or prestige. Lacedaemon should be named Loxargos of the myrmidons. I assume Lord Karsos is your hyparch?”

Her eagerness to prove her worth was apparent. She had been planning all week in the hopes that I’d agree, and had clearly been taught what to do as the head of a household from a young age. I felt like I was in over my head. I had told Karson that this was a great opportunity, where we could possibly gain some real power. Times make the man, after all. I hadn’t had a really clear picture of how to accomplish it. However, having a strong House, with a capital “H”, was clearly an important part. Fortunately, Latona seemed to have a handle on this piece of the puzzle.

“Yes, he is. Make the personnel changes as you see fit, I trust you. What kind of budget are we talking about here?” I asked.

“I’d say two hundred drachmas a month should get us started. That will grow as you grow in power, of course, and doesn’t include the costs for the myrmidons, bribes for officials, or retainers for allied forces. Crathis would be better suited to help with that part.”

I was suddenly very glad that Karson had made the deal with Dadaces, no matter how much that asshole deserved a punch to the teeth. That would add 680 drachmas to our coffers. We had procured several sturdy chests, and I had inscribed one of them with our minting enchantment, but tied to the mana pump. It was producing enough to pay the myrmidons as well as covering food and materials. There was precious little left over from that, however. I hadn’t attempted a gold mint, because it would draw huge amounts of mana and give very little output. Perhaps I should do it anyway. I could always sink another mana pump.

“Alright, we can do that,” I said.

“Excellent! There is a priest of Zeus in town. I will make the arrangements, and pay the dowry. Will this weekend be adequate?”

“This weekend? For what?” I asked.

“For the ceremony and the wedding feast. I will have to invite the Strategos and extend an invitation to the local nobles, of course. Do you think I could purchase a few extra slaves?”

I frowned hard. “Latona, my brother and I do not believe in slavery. It is wrong to force people to work without paying them. Would you want to work for someone, with no choice, no payment, and no recourse?”

Latona looked confused. “I… have never even considered that. Should… I mean…”

“By all means, if you find slaves that are able to do as you need, purchase them. But they will be immediately granted freedom and offered payment to do the work.”

“What if they decide to leave?” she asked.

“That is their choice. We can afford to lose a few people. I think that if your offer of pay and safety is good, most will gladly stay. You will also earn their loyalty. No one else will give them such a generous offer.”

“Bribing slaves is a common way of getting information or slipping in assassins,” she said knowingly. “Gaining loyal servants is the hardest part of a household. This may prove quite beneficial.”

“What kind of training did your father give you?” I said, half in shock and half in pleasant surprise. Spies and assassins weren’t even things that crossed my mind.

“We are a noble family,” she said primly. “My father was the third son of a lesser noble. He was well positioned in Passaron to become basileus of the village when the old basileus moved up or died, and his merchant interests extended all the way to Argothea. These lessons are standard for all marriageable noble women.”

“Well, I’m happy to have that knowledge on hand,” I said.

“You don’t need to worry,” said Latona fiercely. “Our House will grow strong.”

“It will,” I said. I remembered the necklace then that Karson had gotten for me. I pulled it out of a pouch on my belt, and held it out to Latona.

“Is that for me?” she asked coyly. She looked pleased, and I was suddenly very forgiving of my brother for letting me flounder so much.

“It is,” I confirmed. “An engagement gift.”

Latona turned and pulled her hair aside, presenting me the nape of her shapely neck. “Help me with it?”

I obliged, tying the necklace in place neatly. She then leaned back into me, grabbing my hands to wrap around her. I embraced her gladly. It was still weird for me to approach marriage so transactionally, especially considering I’d only been in Hellas for a few weeks. I’d been consistently single back in Detroit, dating regularly but too tied up in working overtime to maintain a relationship.

“Can you help me with something?” Latona asked after a few minutes, her voice a little too innocent.

“Sure.”

She took my hand and lead me away from the campfire. Xene trailed behind us as we approached the house, continuing to wave people away. Latona led me through the fenced courtyard and through the only entrance. The original three rooms were the most heavily used, of course. The wing to the left was a men’s barracks room, the wing to the right for women and small children. The middle room was a workroom during the day, and overflow sleeping quarters at night. At the back of the room, a new hallway had been cut, leading off into a warren of rooms. Storage, work spaces, and more sleeping quarters were wedged in. These rooms were considerably smaller than my original three, and the ones used for sleeping housed multiple families in conditions I would have considered barbaric in my previous life. Of course, a desire to not get killed in your sleep will do a lot to lower your standards.

In the far corner of this warren of rooms, Latona took me to a doorway and pushed aside the cloth covering it. That alone set it apart, for none of the other rooms had a door or covering. Inside was a tiny room crammed with stone bunks, enough space for six people to squeeze in and sleep. Another doorway, also covered, was at the back. Latona pushed that aside to reveal another small room. It housed a single bed against the wall, small by my standards, but enough space for two if they were really cozy. A large chest was at the foot of the bed, and my armor was resting on top. Another cuirass lay on the bed itself.

“What is this?” I asked.

“This is your… our quarters for however long we’re here,” she said. “I had Crathis build it for us. Do you like?”

“Very much,” I said. “You said you wanted me help with something?”

Latona gave a sly smile. “This is my new armor, but it isn’t fitted to me yet. I was hoping you could adjust it for me?”

I nodded. She released my hand and stepped over to the armor. Latona picked it up and handed it to me. “I’d like it to fit me perfectly.”

She undid her belt, and let it drop to the dirt floor. The chiton she wore billowed out. Then she unpinned the side, giving a tantalizing glimpse of skin. She wasn’t wearing anything at all underneath. Both hands went to the pins on her shoulders, causing the chiton to ride up high, nearly revealing what was underneath. Then the fabric slipped and fell to the ground.

Latona was breathtaking. Her body was beautifully curved, and she stood posed with one knee slightly forward and angled to best show off her figure. Her breasts were high and full, easily large enough to overflow my hands, with small, dark pink nipples. My eyes traced the lines of her body, drawing ever downward to the neatly groomed patch of hair between her thighs.

I stepped forward as all blood rushed south, grabbing her with my free arm and pulling her to me hungrily. I kissed her long and hard, and her naked body melted against mine. Before I could make another move, however, she pressed me back and broke the kiss.

“Unh unh uh,” she chided. “Work first. Who else will fit my armor for me?”

I grinned at her playfulness. I could play that game. I lifted the armor over her head with a quirked eyebrow. She shot me an incredulous look, then raised her arms defiantly. I nestled the ill-fitting armor over her torso. I drew heavily on my magic, and pressed my hand against the armor where her stomach would be. The metal comformed to my touch like it was fabric as I pressed it to her lithe form. She gasped as the cool metal pressed against her, then again as it molded around her breasts. As I worked, my hands strayed casually to caress bare flesh. If the armor slipped away from her chest, I would tug gently on her nipples. When her chest was covered, my hands would stray to caress her ass, or brush against her nethers.

I casually adjusted the back and shoulder pieces as well. Despite our play, I did make sure to leave enough room for padding to be glued inside. She wouldn’t thank me later if she chafed all day in too-tight, unpadded armor. The extra room was actually a bonus, too, for the teasing foreplay.

Finally I released my magic and caressed the sides of her thighs, gently brushing against the sensitive skin around her ass.

“Hmm, I think we should do a little more, don’t you think?” I gave her a roguish smile.

My wandering fingers found their way to the front, where I found her wet and ready. I teased around her entrance lightly, and she moaned.

“Perhaps we should look at your other gear? Make sure it is fitted correctly?”

“You better take this off of me right now, or so help me, I’ll call Xene in here to finish what you’ve started,” she said in a low growl.

I laughed at her threat, but gladly stripped off the cuirass. Her hands unclasped my belt as I pulled the chiton off without bothering to unpin the shoulders. She wrapped herself around me, kissing me ferociously. I returned the kiss with a passion, then grabbed her by her ass. I lifted her with ease, sliding inside her in one motion. Latona locked her legs around me as we moved together with frantic need. In moments, she was moaning loudly in pleasure as we raced to orgasm.

She began to shriek in pleasure, shuddering in my arms as she reached her climax. I laid her out on the bed and poised myself over top her. I slid into her even as she was recovering, not letting her slip too far from the edge. This time was slower and more leisurely, our gasps and moans the only noise we made. This time, after she came, she flipped us over and rode me hard. She was insatiable, and I couldn’t get enough. It was many hours before we went to sleep.