The room is empty when I arrive. A good thing. Gives me time to plan what I want to say as opposed to verbally vomiting out my discoveries. Lounging on the bed, I play with my adorable imp’s feet as I ponder the best way to explain to my wife-to-be that her family’s single-minded crusade will doom us all if they somehow succeed.

I stiffen as the door opens only to relax when I spot summer green skin and silver hair. Kierra’s usual leathers are accentuated by a pristine white fur of some unfortunate creature with a long snout and four stubby arms. She smiles as she sees me, slinking into the room with fluid grace. “There you are, dedia. You missed dinner.”

Did I? It didn’t feel that long. “I doubt I missed anything good.”

“The cooks of this house cannot compare to the pet, no. I reckon Kalise will lose the last of her restraint if we introduce her to one more delight.”

“Suppose that’s where you got that poor creature.”

She pets her new fur with a chuckle. “She is desperate to get her hands on more of Howie’s creations. She offered me a selection of her best furs, claiming she has no occurrence to wear them anymore. It is quite remarkable how the duke manages to keep three women when he only gives one a modicum of attention.”

“I suppose elves wouldn’t stay in a loveless marriage.”

She chuckles. “Eleanor is the first wife. If she were from Dusk, she would either have killed Kalise or the duke if she did not approve. The flower might have survived her wrath. She understands her place and does not desire to move beyond it.”

Kierra takes a seat on the end of the bed. I move closer and she doesn’t hesitate to lie down. I follow and our arms go around each other. “It is amusing how scholarly you become when your family is involved. Anything interesting?”

“Very interesting. And very troubling.” I sigh, lifting a hand to trace her cheek with a finger. She smiles as I gaze into her eyes, more green than gold in this light. “Alana isn’t going to be happy. Her father even less.”

“That does sound interesting. Share.”

“The journal. It says that if we follow through with our plans, and humanity establishes a presence in the north, it reignites the war with the Lord of the Peaks, powerful manabeasts that live at the top of the Bleak Peaks. All-out war. Armies of manabeasts charging Victory’s walls and pouring into the kingdom.”

As expected, her first reaction is excitement. Curling lips and bright eyes at the thought of a large-scale battle. But, then her expression collapses, lips pressing into a firm line. “This is not good.” Her tone has a hint of question, as she remembers my aversion to unnecessary death. It makes me lean forward and kiss her. That returns her smile but the excitement is gone. “Do you mean to say that Victory’s war will lead to its destruction if they ever win?”

“Theirs and everyone else’s.”

“Then, you wish to convince them to stop.”

“Ideally.”

“It will not happen.”

I wince. I think the same but it’s unsettling to hear my thoughts reflected with her conviction. Makes the future seem that much grimmer. “Yeah, I was thinking the same. There is no way this ends well.”

“Is there nothing you can do?”

“Oh, there’s plenty I can do. The real question is, does it matter? Right now, I have an uncorroborated account of an ancestor saying that all of Victory is wrong. I can take it to the duke. It might be the first thing to get a laugh out of him. Doubt it’s going to accomplish much else.

“I could follow Geneva’s advice and conquer the whole of Victory. Be a benevolent tyrant, saving them from themselves. This crazy place might even appreciate it. Might. Or they fight me to the last man. Which would defeat the point of trying to save them.

“Then of course there’s the heroic way. Me and my merry band of misfits journey across the great white expanse of the north in search of the elusive Lords of Winter. After dueling their greatest fighter and undertaking a quest to win the respect of their stern king, I will finally get engaged to his only and incredibly beautiful daughter. He will send a messenger with undeniable proof of the ancient pact struck by my ancestor only for the residents of Victory to deny it anyway. Then I will be torn between the kingdom and my new bride, forced to choose the destruction of one side to save the other.”

Kierra eyes me, confusion evident. “…I see? That is very…specific.”

Rolly appears above us in a flash of light. “I think it’s inspired! Very traditional storytelling but one can never go wrong with the classics.”

“Where…do you just hang on and wait for opportune moments to make appearances?”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do, my summoner? Your life is rather boring. I must say, I expected a lot more orgies.”

I gape at her. My life? Boring? “That’s ridiculous! How is my life boring? It hasn’t even been a week since I was involved in a giant battle that killed over three dozen hunters and is almost guaranteed to start a war between the crown and Victory! Is that boring?”

The elemental shifts bright blue. “Yeah? You also spent the whole day reading an old journal. A whole day.”

“Well, what was I supposed to do? It was important.”

“The imp could have read it in minutes and summarized it.”

At the end of the bed, Bell smirks and gives and agreeing “Coo.”

“Admit it. You liked reading some old, dusty journal. About history. The man didn’t even have the decency to exaggerate or add a few events that never happened. Boring.”

“You…you…” I chew on her accusation. Then I turn desperate eyes to my wife. “I’m not boring, am I?”

Her smile is comforting. I wince. Kierra is only soft when she thinks I can’t take another blow. “You are plenty interesting, my love.”

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

“Not at all. I have never had so many surprises in a partner.”

I grumble my assent, choosing to accept her words. I glare at Rolly, who disappears with a laugh. “Exciting or not, this is serious. While my first instinct is to prove my ancestor correct, that could also violate the agreement. Just showing my face to the Lords could doom the kingdom.”

“There is another possibility. The armies you are concerned about are controlled by the Lords of the Peaks, yes? They are the commanders. Kill them and the threat is halved. The little knights could even defend the walls themselves if there is no intelligence guiding their enemies. Hopefully.”

She really has no respect for humanity’s fighters. Still, her levity eases my growing apprehension of the whole situation. I roll closer and her arm goes around my waist. “What a mess.”

“If you are unsure, you should consult the duke. He is the leader of these people.”

“The leader of these people who didn’t bother to learn the truth.”

“One truth. We do not know what the duke knows. Which is why I suggest you have a conversation with him. And our star. She is going to have, mm, an opinion.”

She’s right. There’s also the matter of the expedition taken by the ancestor mentioned by the duke. Perhaps that will offer some more enlightenment. Or it’ll be completely useless. I groan. “You’re telling me.”

“Perhaps we should follow the little lightfly’s advice and drag the James into an orgy. They would be much more willing to listen to you then, I would think.”

I pull a face as she laughs. “Be serious.”

“Mm. Quite. The women of this clan are not united. It may cause more problems than it solves.”

“Um…not exactly the problem I was thinking about. More like I don’t think the duke would appreciate us sleeping with his wives and there is no way it’s happening with him involved.”

“Then perhaps only the women of the younger generation? Sharing a partner is how I worked out my problems with my sister.”

I pull back and gape at her. “What?”

“You have not noticed Alana’s problems with Yulianna?”

“Not that! The thing with you and your sister. I need more details. For, uh, understanding elven culture. Yeah.”

She raises a brow. “This is the first you have taken such an interest in our culture.” I turn to avoid her knowing glance. “The short version of the story is that I needed to show her I was as much a lover as I am fighter. As a dancer, she did not respect my prowess with blades. So I showed her a different strength.”

“Wait…you didn’t steal your sister’s lover just to prove your superiority, did you?” Please tell me you didn’t. Even though that sounds exactly like something you’d do.

“There was no stealing. It was a fair contest with clearly stated rules.”

“…you competed with your sister by fucking her lover and that fixed your relationship?”

“Yes. We bonded when I taught her some of the…tricks, I used. Hm.”

Elves are insane. All of them. Saints, I love her.