Stathis parried, feeling the impact push her backwards slightly, the loose sand giving little grip underfoot. The Blade was a lot stronger than he looked! And the large, crack-edged weapon he was holding wasn’t very reassuring, even if it was smaller than some of the previous versions. He swung again, Stathis jumping backwards to dodge, raising her shield just in case. After it skimmed through the air, she stepped forward, slamming forward with the shield, but the Blade using his own momentum to twist around, still spinning, dodging away from the strike.

‘Damn, you’re fast!’

Their mouth spread wide, showing far too many teeth, all of which were too sharp, but at least it was a smile. Probably. There was the soft chink of porcelain from behind, Janaxia and Skotadi both sat at a table, stiff-necked and elegantly dressed, putting their teacups down in identical motions. Stathis smiled at Janaxia, earning herself a decorously restrained smile.

The black weapon sliced back around, Stathis trying to recover from her distraction. Although it was being easily wielded, it was heavier than it seemed, even the blunt edge heavy and hard enough to hurt through her padded armour!

Semari jumped in from the side, hands reaching over the slight body of the Blade and grabbing their wrists, spinning and controlling their momentum. The blade twisted high, cutting through empty air before Semari started trying to bend their wrists, to make them drop the weapon.

They twisted their arms, wrists bending at an impossible angle, the weapon suddenly changing shape into a shorter, jagged knife, dark metal flickering around to stab at Semari. She changed her grip, tossing the Blade up into the air, avoiding the attack.

‘I’m sure that’s not fair!’

There was no chance to respond before they attacked again, now with a weapon in each hand, Stathis blocking as best she could, thrusting forward through the torrent of attacks.

Janaxia clapped her hands, the sound short and crisp. ‘Excellent work! Now, if you are quite done with being rough, then perhaps we could have some food, and then retire to the…’

She was cut off by the booming reverberations of a horn, the sound shattering the quiet air, a flock of birds startled into movement from nearby trees.

Stathis turned around to look for the source of the noise – a ship was coming into dock, a bright white sails filled with the wind, the blue banner of the Iristari flapping above it. Stathis sighed, seeing a group in shining armour lined up on the deck, glancing up at the flag again, seeing the gold trim around it and cursing. When she turned back around, Semari had the Blade restrained, body caught up in a complicated and painful-looking joint lock, although they were still wriggling about, Semari having to keep herself out of biting range.

‘It’s a diplomatic ship. Brina?’

The woman looked up guiltily, nibbling on a biscuit. ‘I wasn’t expecting them so soon! But I didn’t want to distract you.’

‘Are we in trouble?’

‘I don’t think so? But you’ll be needed.’

‘Yeah, the figures. Janaxia, if you could look a little more official?’

Her clothing rippled, changing into something close enough to a uniform to count, the blues predominating for once. Beside her, Skotadi rolled her eyes, before her own clothing changed into something ostentatiously ornamental, before Janaxia stared at her, a silent battle of wills ensuing. Janaxia presumably won, as Skotadi’s clothing changed to something more sleekly restrained, although still clearly expensive.

By the time that the Blade had been calmed down, the boat had docked and the soldiers had marched off the deck, clearly visible as they came along the beach, Stathis wincing at the thought of the bright sunlight on the full armour. Hers had been dropped in a corner of her room since arriving – this was about the longest she’d gone without wearing it for years! And her shoulders definitely felt lighter.

At the head of the column was Dorothea, standing out due to wearing elegant travelling clothing rather than armour, although her breast was marked with Iristari sigils and knots of rank. As soon as she saw Stathis, she smiled, Janaxia suddenly appearing next to Stathis with a puff of darkness, her arm wrapping around Stathis’ waist, making Stathis feeling warm and tingly.

‘Good afternoon, Commander Stathis, my Knight.’

There was the clatter of metal as the soldiers all saluted, Stathis waiting until the sound had died away before speaking, Janaxia’s grip tightening, a faint hiss heard beneath her breath.

‘Minister Dorothea. Or have you changed posts again?’ She wanted to walk forward, but couldn’t with Janaxia gripped tightly onto her.

‘No, I’m still the minister of information. And some other duties. I must say I’m impressed by how long you managed to hide though! It took one of our best agents to find you.’ She gestured at Brina, who flinched, her mouth full of biscuit.

‘However, there is much to discuss. Most notably, you will probably regret to learn, what work you need to do first. However, as we have had favourable winds, and arrived early, I see no problems in having something of a break here, before you can be put to work again. I’m afraid your holiday is over.’

Janaxia’s grip tightened even more – for someone that was normally so weak, she always seemed able to squeeze and grab Stathis with far more strength than expected! Stathis whispered to her. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll go to Redcastle first.’ The grip relented slightly, nails no longer prickling her through her tunic.

Dorothea smiled, bright and cheerful, looking over all of them, gaze lingering longest on Skotadi and then on the Blade, still trying to break free of Semari’s grip. When she moved closer, Janaxia’s grip tightened again.

‘A pleasure to see you again, Janaxia Uth Tremari. It has been some time. Or are you perhaps of somewhat higher rank now? It seems that there might have been something of a culling of your immediate family. I would express my sympathies, but, well…’

‘Oh, that is quite all right. I have overcome my grief already!’ Janaxia’s tone was perky and bright. ‘Yes, Saltstone will need some work done, but it seems as though a certain amount of clearance has happened. Such is the way of things.’

‘Good. The lands are still far from quiet, but the great curtain of night has gone. Trade is resuming, although with a certain amount of fear. There’s still quite a lot of fell creatures about, that haven’t yet been defeated, and some polities have decided now is the time to shake things up.’ She sighed. ‘But you’ll get plenty of that when I go through the confidential briefing packets with you. And don’t think you’ll get away, Lady Janaxia. I have a full docket for you as well. I’ve assigned you a staff, you’ll get to meet them soon enough.’

Hmm, that is… more than I expected. From Dorothea’s lack of reaction, that must have been a private aside just for Stathis.

Dorothea looked between the two of them. ‘And congratulations? Although I imagine that more negotiations will be needed about the precise nature of your relationship. But there is a lot to discuss, and I’m hot, tired and sticky. I have heard that the waters here are meant to be incredibly soothing, so perhaps we should retire to the baths? If asked, we can say that it was to deter spies. Although after being on a boat for so long, an actual bath will be welcome. And I have also been asked to ascertain whether Janaxia, if discovered, is entirely in control of herself. There have been some questions asked about such matters. But I trust that you have conducted a lengthy and thorough appraisal, Stathis?’

It took an effort of will to not start blushing, but Stathis managed to keep herself composed. ‘Yes. I am happy to report that there are no abnormalities or other problems. And we all survived.’

‘Good. Well, if we could perhaps retire to the baths then?’ Dorothea plucked at her clothing. ‘Magical cleaning is never quite the same, or as comfortable.’

Janaxia settled into place next to Stathis, taking her hand as they walked through the resort, heading for the baths – if they had once been natural hot springs, they had long-since been tamed, their waters channeled into various baths and washing-chambers, supplemented by various herbs and oils. As they walked along, the soldiers clanked behind them, staff appearing at a discreet distance, with food, drink and towels.

Janaxia gave Stathis’ hand a squeeze. A nearby section of shadow rippled, Skotadi visible for a moment before fading from vision, appearing in another patch of shadow cast by an ornamental pillar. The staff and attendants gathered, watching as the procession strode past, a few racing ahead to ensure everything was ready.

As they descended down the stairway towards the baths, Dorothea dismissed the soldiers, allowing them to relax, before servants allowed them into the changing rooms. Janaxia stepped away, letting her clothing fade away to nothing, leaving her naked except for her choker. Stathis quickly stripped herself, already looking forward to the hot water, Dorothea taking longer, her formal clothing having an excessive number of loops and ties to undo. Brina’s clothing was also fairly simple, tunic sliding over her head, hair-beads clicking and sliding around.

As soon as Stathis had slid into the water and sat on the stone lip, feet dangling into the deeper water. Janaxia immediately slid over, hair already slicked down her back, settling herself in Stathis’ lap, as the others entered.

Dorothea regarded their seating arrangement with a smile, Stathis having to twist Janaxia around in order to see past her, keeping one arm around a slender waist, making sure she didn’t drift away. There was a sigh of pleasure as Dorothea dunked herself beneath the water, pulling hair from her eyes before taking a seat.

‘Ah, perfect! This place does live up to the promises. And I suppose some reward was due for your actions? It would have been nice to have left a note though – we could determine you were alive, but nothing else. I’ve had a lot of trouble finding you, and it was mostly because Brina was slow to report that I figured out where you might be.’

Janaxia twisted again, the back of her neck pushing against Stathis’ shoulder, choker still present, the metal stiff and firm. Was she ever going to take it off?

‘It seemed wisest to wait a time, until things were somewhat calmer. For myself, especially – there may yet be some danger of mis-targeted attacks, if the sins of my family were to be credited to me.’

‘Well, you’re not wrong. You definitely might want to go easy on the big announcements for a while, and try and stay in blues, just to make sure no-one gets the wrong idea. But given that it seems like you’re going to be close, then that should ease matters somewhat.’

Janaxia wriggled happily, her backside twisting against Stathis’ thighs.

‘So it sounds like everything is holding together?’

‘Just about. It took a lot of talking, and some promises that might be hard to keep, but the immediate fires are out. For now, at least. It won’t take much to ignite them again, so it would be useful to have the hero of the hour around to help out. And I could do with having one of my top agents back.’ She looked at Brina, currently engaged with washing her hair.

‘Hey, you assigned me to this, I wasn’t goin’ to slack off! And I deserve some time off as well!’

‘There are also rather extensive legal matters to settle – who owns what and so forth. The Sethans are being very precise! Zarazonnia is a nightmare on the negotiating table…’

‘Yeah, I think she’s been planning this for quite a while. At least she can probably keep the other Sethans under control.’

Dorothea relaxed backwards with a sigh, finding a niche to settle herself into. From out of the mist came a floating tray, holding various drinks and snacks, bobbing past them. ‘That is certainly true. Runs a tight ship! They’ve already sent a diplomatic cadre to Per Tolith – a friend of yours, I think? Sen?’

‘Oh good, she’s been promoted! She does deserve it. And, given the circumstances, I suppose I can overlook her leaving my service without working her notice.’

Stathis noticed a dark shape floating beneath the surface, and stretched out a leg to poke at it, finding it soft. Skotadi’s head broke the surface, her hair spreading behind her in a large cloud, large and suspicious eyes glaring at them, mouth still beneath the water, making bubbling noises.

Janaxia tutted. ‘Skotadi, you should introduce yourself! This is Dorothea, an ambassador in service to Per Tolith. And one with significant other responsibilities. Dorothea, this is Skotadi, she is, uh…’ Janaxia trailed off uncertainly.

‘She’s the incarnation of the Book. There’s a lot more, and it’s probably a lot more complicated than that, but she helped fix everything. She’s a lot older than she looks, but acts her apparent age.’

Skotadi twisted around in the water, the dark cloud of hair billowing around, eyes glaring at Stathis, blibbling something from beneath the surface.

Dorothea dipped her head in a gesture of respect, either not surprised or hiding it well. ‘A pleasure to meet you, Lady Skotadi.’

The aquatic blibbling seemed to be happier, or at least more self-satisfied now, paddling away before disappearing beneath the surface and vanishing from view.

‘I think you saw the Blade on the beach? He was wrestling with Semari. And Armoniki is around somewhere, they’ll probably pop up – they’re the Bell.’

Even Dorothea wasn’t entirely able to hide her surprise, eyes building slightly.

‘Yeah, it’s been a little crazy. The Blade still doesn’t talk or have a name, but Skotadi’s not too bad.’

Janaxia nodded, the motion making her even more distractingly close, her body soft and warm. ‘Yes, she is relatively well-behaved. There have been a few hiccups, and she does seem overfond of sneaking into the kitchens to steal fresh sweets, but other than that, she is quite obedient. She is looking forward to attending her first ball as well.’

Stathis winced. ‘Is that a good idea? She’s going to draw a lot of attention, especially if she shows up in a dress anything like most of yours.’

‘I’ll take that as a vote of approval in my wardrobe. But she is a young woman, or at least comports herself as one, and wishes to have the pleasures and experiences of one. Which may lead to some complexities down the road, but nothing that can’t be resolved, I’m sure.’

Stathis nodded. ‘She’s a bit odd, but not a bad kid. Even if she is actually thousands of years old. I don’t think she has much interest in conquest, and Armoniki just seems curious about things. The Blade, well… hopefully he’ll get better or something, but even he doesn’t seem actively violent.’

‘Hmmm. Well, I suppose I can consider them in your care, at least for now. And that it would probably be best to keep this secret. It would only cause alarm and panic if it were to be widely known that the Black Triad were around and, um… stealing buns?’

There was a splash as Skotadi re-surfaced, just long enough to grab some food from the floating tray and then she was gone, vanished again beneath the water.

‘She does like the food here. I suspect it may be a trial to get her re-accustomed to travel rations once we are on the road. Unless, of course, swifter transportation can be arranged?’

‘Teleport spells are possible, but still unreliable and dangerous. They’re possible, but not worth the risk most of the time.’

‘Well, we need to go by Redcastle first anyway. There’s some business Janaxia and I need to attend to.’

‘Oh? Some magical items that need to be controlled? Or is it a bloodline thing?’

Janaxia stiffened up, forcing Stathis’ head back, tightening her grip to try and keep Janaxia under control, a horn blocking her vision. ‘Something of that nature, yes. Although it is vital that it be tended to first. And then, I suppose, I will be at Stathis’ service. I do hope that we won’t have to spend too long apart? I acknowledge that a certain distance, at times, might be needed for work, but it would be a shame to be parted for long.’

‘Everything is still up in the air at the moment, so I can’t really make many promises. But you’ve proven yourself to be pretty good together, and I don’t think I can really order Stathis around.’

Before Janaxia could open negotiations, Stathis squeezed her around the belly, her words becoming a happy sigh and another wriggle. ‘Redcastle first, and then I guess wherever is needed.’ She sighed. ‘There’s going to be something big and formal at Per Tolith, isn’t there?’

‘Oh yes! Of course – a formal victory parade, signing of peace accords, all that sort of thing. Queen Zarazonnia will likely be making her first formal appearance before the other leaders. That’s going to be interesting to see! And I don’t know where we’re going to hold meetings, she’s too big to get through most doors. But that’s someone else’s problem, I think? Or I’ve missed the memo.’ She winced. ‘We’re stretched pretty thin right now, which is why I’m going to make the most of this chance to relax.’ She let herself loosen into the water, taking a glass of wine from the floating tray. ‘Does Skotadi drink?’

Both Janaxia and Stathis shook their heads, Janaxia speaking. ‘Not yet. She’s a little young. Um, at least in behaviour. I have allowed her just a little with food, but not too much. I don’t want her growing up to be excessively dissolute.’ Janaxia suddenly twisted around, kissing Stathis on the mouth, pushing against her, tongue sliding into Stathis’ mouth.

‘Mpphh?’

Just so that there are no mistakes. It would be irritating to have to try and correct incorrect impressions later!

Stathis couldn’t respond, although it was at least a pleasant kiss, and she pulled Janaxia in close, ignoring the splashing she could hear.

Something slapped into the water from above, sending waves ricocheting around, splashing and sloshing over the lip of the large tub. She had to pull Janaxia away, looking around her, to see Semari and the Blade, still wrestling and grappling, both drenched through, twisting and writhing around.

Janaxia’s hair started to glow, red light reflecting off the turbulent water as she twisted around, sitting herself firmly in Stathis’ lap.

ENOUGH! She gestured, a sphere of darkness appearing, centred on Semari, Dorothea pushing herself away, just in case. As Janaxia started to lecture them, Stathis turned to her.

‘Sorry. This is… actually fairly normal. He’s still learning, I guess? At least he’s not destructive. Just, uh, stay out of the darkness? It’s freezing cold and acidic’

Skotadi bubbled up from beneath the surface, her hair already tidying itself, perching herself next to Dorothea, casting an appraising eye over her.

‘Hmmm. Your fashion is… acceptable. The dress you wore when you arrived was a little worn, but acceptable. You should render such a garment unto me, as tribute.’

‘Skotadi! You don’t just ask like that.’ She gave them a slight donk on the head, ignoring the hurt look of betrayal. ‘But if you ask nicely, then I’m sure that Dorothea might tell you where she got it.’

‘Hmmph.’

Skotadi grumbled a bit, already sliding beneath the water before swimming away. Dorothea snickered. ‘Well, I have to say, this isn’t what I expected. I assumed you were going to get together with Janaxia at some point, but I wasn’t expecting multiple… whatever they are, that needed looking after.’

‘I know! But at least they’re not doing anything bad.’

‘It will certainly be an interesting time for us all. Let us hope that they contain their ambitions to food, drink and pretty dresses. Although she does seem to have excellent taste.’ Dorothea and Janaxia shared a smile.