Niles

  Niles would have liked to have gotten a better look at Hazzerbog, but bringing the bandits in had added time to their trip, and it was just after sunset when they finally reached the town. Compared to the academy and the capital, Hazzerbog was small and rustic, from what he could see in the waning twilight. Not counting the farmsteads they passed on the way, the town probably had less than a couple hundred buildings in total. He didn’t get a close look, though, since they bypassed the town and went straight to Castle Hazzerbog.

  Set on a low hill overlooking the town, the castle was squat and utilitarian compared to any of the buildings at the academy. It looked quite defensible, though, with a ten-foot-thick, thirty-foot-high stone wall surrounding a compound with a half-dozen small wooden buildings and one large stone structure. Guards took the prisoners off their hands once they entered the compound, and Birgit explained the situation. After that, they moved on to the main building.

  “Birgit,” a middle-aged kappa woman, called out at the same time as a middle-aged naga woman called out, “Susi.”

  No doubt these were their mothers, and the two pairs embraced warmly. A well-dressed, middle-aged kappa man stood next to a goblin woman of similar age, watching the greeting. Likely that was the baron and his goblin consort. It was strange to see a family with a wife and two consorts, but that was the norm for nobility here. Around them were almost a dozen children representing all three races, ranging in age from around five up to older teenagers. There were some adults too, who were probably Birgit’s older siblings and their spouses. It was an extensive family.

  “Welcome home, daughters,” the baron said, holding his arms out, and his two returning children left their mothers to hug their father. There seemed to be genuine affection between the parents and children. That shouldn’t have surprised Niles. Both Birgit and Susi had spoken fondly of their parents, but Niles hadn’t been sure what to expect with nobility and consorts involved.

  “I had expected you earlier, but I noticed you brought a group of prisoners home with you,” the baron continued. “How did that come about?”

  “Bandits waylaid us on the road here,” Susi answered, “but Birgit and Niles captured them.”

  “Wonderful,” the baron said, hugging both of his daughters tighter. “I have gotten reports of a band of brigands operating in the area, but my guards had yet to locate them. I am pleased you dealt with them for me. And is this Niles? He is the familiar you wrote me about?”

  “Yes,” Birgit confirmed. “Father, I would like to introduce you to Niles, my guardian familiar.”

  Niles nodded politely. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Well, yes, a pleasure to meet you, too,” the baron replied, then turned back to Birgit. “He does seem quite formidable.”

  “He is,” Susi cut in. “You should have seen him lay into the bandits, and wait until Birgit tells you about the tournament.”

  “Shall we move to the dining hall before we begin the tale of your adventures in the academy?” Birgit’s mother suggested. “The food is all ready, and the cook has had to fend off your poor, starving sibling for an hour now.”

  The food was good, consisting mainly of rice mixed with vegetables and fish. There seemed to be plenty of it, so Niles didn’t feel bad about taking several helpings. From what Birgit and Susi had told him about Hazzerbog, it was a fairly poor barony, but its primary exports were rice and vegetables, which grew very well in the hot, marshy environment. It was not a profitable export, but it ensured the people were never in danger of starvation.

  The conversation was lively with so many people, but it was not chaotic. The baron was clearly in charge, but he seemed to be a benevolent dictator, and the mothers were quite adept at silencing their children with a look if they started growing unruly. Much of the conversation centered on Birgit as she told of her last semester at the academy. Her parents beamed with pride when she told them about the tournament and her new rank. She praised Niles for his help several times, more than he was comfortable with, actually, as it drew everyone’s attention to him. He was called on to talk about his home and what he thought about this world, and being Birgit’s familiar. Being careful only to say positive things, he carefully avoided any mention of being trapped here. Birgit’s siblings, particularly the younger ones, were full of questions for Niles. One goblin half-sister, who looked like she was about thirteen, asked some very personal questions until a look from her mother silenced her.

  As the meal was drawing to a close, the baron addressed Birgit with a pleased smile. “I cannot express how thrilled I am by how well you are doing. I always knew you were a talented mage, but I never dreamed you would actually make it into the top ten at the academy in your final semester. That is such wonderful news, wonderful for you, for your family, and all of Hazzerbog. I dare say it will make it easier for me to find matches for your sisters when it becomes known that such magical talent runs in our family. And speaking of matches, I have some exciting news of my own. I have located a good potential match for you.” Niles glanced over at Brigit and saw her eyes go wide. “He is the first son of the Baron of Modium. His name is Sinelos. He is a satyr only a couple of years older than you, and he is looking for a kappa consort. I have arranged for him to visit so he can meet you, and he should arrive tomorrow.”

  Niles watched Birgit’s expression change from one of surprise to one that was harder to read. She was smiling, but it was not the normal smile she used when she was happy.

  “I look forward to meeting him,” Brigit replied.

  It was rather late by the time dinner was over, but Birgit still gave Niles a quick tour of the castle. For a single-family home, the building was large, but given the size of the family, plus servants and guards, it actually felt crowded. Birgit had her own bedroom, but it was rather small. There was only one bed, of course, so Niles was going to have to sleep on the floor, which had only a thin rug cushioning the stone beneath. At least he had his camping bedroll with him.

  Having just the one room instead of a suite, like at the academy, caused other complications as well, with them trying to maintain the ruse that Niles could return to his home plane at will. Birgit insisted that getting him a separate room to sleep in would have been highly suspicious. She trusted her family, but the fewer people who knew of Niles’ situation, the less chance there would be that the information would leak out. A key problem, aside from Niles having to sleep on the floor, was that there was no place for either of them to change. Niles couldn’t exactly just wait out in the hall. Instead, he had to study the corner of the room while Birgit changed into her nightclothes.

  Hoping to make it less awkward, Niles tried to strike up a conversation. “So, what do you think of this whole matchmaking thing?”

  “Modium is a quite prosperous barony,” Birgit answered in a neutral tone. “And as the first son, Sinelos should inherit the title one day.”

  “And it doesn’t bother you, being a consort instead of his wife?”

  “Being his consort would give me a good social station. My children would not be of the nobility, but they would still have noble blood from both sides of their family, and they would have all the advantages of being brought up in a baronial household.”

  “But is that what you want?”

  Niles heard nothing but the rustling of fabric in response for a long moment before Birgit spoke. “You may turn around now.”

  Niles turned and found Birgit sitting on her bed in just a shift. By Earth standards, the garment was quite conservative for sleepwear. It was thin and sleeveless, but it covered her to her knees. Still, it was far more revealing than anything Niles had seen Birgit in before. Niles tried to hide his surprise, but evidently failed.

  “I can wear more if this makes you uncomfortable,” Birgit offered. “But it is much warmer here than at the academy.”

  “What? Oh, no, that doesn’t bother me. Women back in my world often wear much less out in public all the time.” Belatedly, Niles wondered if that had been the best response.

  Birgit shifted on the bed, turning to look at the wall. “Feel free to wear whatever will make you comfortable to sleep in, as well. If we are to continue our ruse, we are going to have to make some compromises with propriety. I trust you to be a gentleman. You have certainly had prettier women than I practically throwing themselves at you lately and have not taken advantage.”

  Turned away from him, Birgit could have passed for human were it not for her coloration. Her spots really did cover her all over, at least on her arms and lower legs. She had good posture, too, and a rather nice, petite figure. Her face was certainly not human, but it was not ugly, and now that he was used to it, Niles actually found it rather cute. He forced himself not to stare and focused on getting changed.

  “I appreciate your trust,” Niles said as he picked out his clothes. “But don’t underestimate how pretty you are. You may not have quite had men throw themselves at you, but Bonzo certainly has been hanging around a lot lately, and then there was that Frip guy. Don’t think you have to settle for just anyone. If this Sinelos turns out to be a jerk, or if you just decide you don’t want to be a consort. Turn him down. You’re a beautiful woman and a skilled mage. You’re ranked tenth in the academy. I’m sure you’ll have no shortage of options. Pick what you want to do with your life. Don’t let other people decide for you.”

  Birgit was right. It was warmer here than in the capital, and Birgit’s room had no window, so it was already somewhat stuffy. He was tempted to go shirtless, but figured that would be pushing things, given the reaction he’d gotten from going shirtless when he’d first arrived. He had gotten a couple of sleeveless shirts made to sleep in, so he wore one of them with the loose, lightweight pants he normally wore to bed.

  “Alright, I’m dressed,” Niles announced. Birgit turned around with a strange expression on her face and stared right at him. She was smiling, but it almost looked like her eyes were tearing up. “What?”

  Birgit shifted her gaze away from him. “Oh, nothing, I just half-expected you to be shirtless.”

  “I can take it off if you want,” Niles said with a smirk and started lifting the bottom of his shirt up.

  “No, no,” Birgit said, quickly reaching out to stop his arms. “You are fine just as you are.”

  The following morning, they had breakfast with the whole family again, and then Birgit took Niles on a tour of Hazzerbog. They started in the town and then went to visit some of the surrounding farms. Birgit cast a variety of spells to help people they met, with everything from healing to minor structural repairs to wards for keeping out pests, all for free. Using Niles’ magic, she could cast magic at just about every place they visited, winning much praise and copious thanks.

  The people of Hazzerbog seemed to be quite happy overall. They looked well-fed, and though their homes were far from fancy, they were clean and well-maintained. Birgit’s clothes were obviously nicer than those of most of the people they met, but there did not seem to be a huge wealth gap in Hazzerbog. On top of that, Birgit did not seem to feel the need to have guards protecting her, and the citizens seemed glad to see her even before she offered to perform magic.

  Birgit really seemed to be in her element here, more relaxed than she usually was at the academy. She was not at all the stereotypical, haughty noble that Niles had seen portrayed on TV. He could tell she genuinely cared about the people of Hazzerbog. She happily listened to anyone who wanted to talk with her and spoke and laughed with them in a very down-to-earth, friendly manner. With Niles to power her, she used her magic whenever she could to help, even with the most insignificant things. If her whole family was like this, and from Niles’ first impression they seemed to be, it was no wonder the people of Hazzerbog seemed so content despite their humble standard of living. Birgit really was a good person, he realized. They hadn’t gotten off to the best start, but that had been an accident, and she really was trying to find a way to get him home, wasn’t she?

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  “You seem to really enjoy helping people,” Niles observed as they ate lunch at a tavern in the town.

  Birgit smiled. “My father taught me that as nobles, we have a duty to make the lives of our people better, not worse, and I do enjoy it. I hope whatever position I end up in will allow me to help people with my magic. If it is alright with you, I would like to visit some more of the farms this afternoon and do more casting.”

  Niles returned her smile. “No, that would be great. I’d love to see more of Hazzerbog, and it’s nice to see you enjoying yourself. I know we were planning to go crystal hunting tomorrow after your prospective match leaves, but if you want to stay longer and do more of this, that would be alright with me.”

  Brigit took another bite of bread and thought while she chewed before responding. “No, I think it will be best if we go. The sleeping arrangements are rather awkward here, and I want to have travel plans already established in case Sinelos decides to stay longer.”

  “What if you like him?” Niles asked with a smirk.

  Birgit gave him a strange, searching look before answering. “We can arrange another visit if that is the case. For now, let us finish our meal so we can get out to the farms before he arrives.”

  They were just eating the last of their food when a messenger came from the castle. “My lady, Lord Sinelos has arrived early, and your father requests that you return to the castle at once.”

  Niles saw disappointment briefly cross Birgit’s face before she smiled. “Tell him we will be on our way momentarily.”

  The messenger ran off to deliver the message, and they finished their last bites and set off at a brisk pace. Arriving back at the castle, they were directed to the baron’s study, where they found Birgit’s parents, a goblin in gray robes, and a satyr in extravagant clothes. Rather than a surcoat, the satyr wore a black vest with elaborate gold embroidery over a bright gold silk shirt. His baggy pants were black, and as was the way of satyrs, he wore no shoes, though his hooves were so shiny they must have been polished. He had long, curly black hair that glistened as if coated in oil. His short, curved horns appeared to be polished, like his hooves, and he had an immaculately groomed goatee sharpened to a point.

  “Ah, this must be your daughter,” the satyr said, rising from the padded loveseat he had been sitting on. “She is even more lovely than you claimed.”

  The baron and baroness also rose from their seats, and the baron made introductions. “Birgit, may I present Lord Sinelos of Modium.”

  The satyr made a grand, flourishing bow, which Birgit answered with a curtsy. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord. I am sorry I was not here to greet you, but I did not expect you to arrive until this evening.”

  Sinelos smiled. “Such was my eagerness to meet you that I had one of our mages fly me here on his familiar mount. It was quite exhilarating. I understand you have a flying mount as well. Once you are my consort, we shall have to go on flights together to oversee my domain. Come sit with me. Your father has told me much about you, but I would like to hear from you personally.”

  He gestured to the loveseat, and when Birgit approached, he took her hand and helped her to her seat before sitting next to her. There was obviously no room for Niles, and so far the satyr had not even seemed to notice him, so Niles moved to stand behind Birgit, placing his hand on her neck so she would stay connected to his magic. This finally drew the satyr’s attention to him.

  “Does your familiar always behave in such a familiar manner?” Sinelos asked, chuckling at his own joke. “I assume he is the rare familiar your father told me about.”

  “Yes, this is Niles,” Birgit confirmed. “Besides being an excellent guardian, he can store a great deal of magic, much like a magic crystal, except he stores all sixteen elements and continually replenishes his supply. As long as we are in contact, not only can I draw on his magic, but over time I have actually increased my magic potential.”

  “Ah, well, how interesting,” Sinelos said. “But tell me, aside from magic, what other skills do you possess?”

  “Um, well,” Birgit stammered, clearly caught off guard by the question. “Magic has been my primary focus since I was a child, but I know a good bit about herbal medicines and something of embroidery… I’ve also studied history… and I am a passable dancer.”

  “She also has a wonderful singing voice,” Niles added, seeing she was struggling.

  Sinelos looked at Niles as if surprised he could speak. Niles already did not like him.

  “Birgit’s skill at magic is quite exceptional,” the baron added. “Did I mention she is now ranked tenth in her class at the academy?”

  “Yes, you did, several times,” Sinelos said dryly. “Unfortunately, I am looking for a consort, not a war mage.”

  “Please tell us a little more about what you are looking for in a consort,” Birgit’s mother prompted.

  Sinelos sat back in his seat and smiled. “Well, as I am sure you know, Modium is quite a prosperous barony. Unlike Hazzerbog, we have a very strategic location and serve as a trade hub for the entire western half of Deca. Once I am the baron, my consorts will need to be skilled at entertaining, as I expect to be hosting important guests from all over the kingdom frequently. Should my guests be kappa, I would expect Birgit to play the role of hostess, assuming I choose her to be my consort. Of course, she would also be responsible for raising our children. I plan to have a large family, but I will be involved with more important trade negotiations and such.”

  “Surely you intend to have some involvement in the raising of your children?” the baroness asked.

  “Oh, certainly I will supervise,” Sinelos answered. “But you have to understand, ruling a thriving barony like Modium is far more demanding than shepherding a quaint little barony like your Hazzerbog.”

  “Perhaps it would be a good idea if Birgit gave you a tour of our ‘quaint little barony,’” the baron suggested. “That will give you two a chance to get to know each other better.”

  “I will have one of my ladies accompany you as a chaperone,” the baroness offered.

  Sinelos waved off the offer. “There is no need for that. My mage will accompany us, and Birgit may bring her familiar, so we will be both protected and chaperoned.”

  The baroness gave Niles a dubious look, but finally consented. Birgit gave Sinelos a tour of the castle first before taking him to the town. Niles’ opinion of Sinelos dropped steadily as the day progressed. He was arrogant, vain, and had a roving eye, ogling every attractive young woman they passed.

  “So, how many consorts do you already have?” Niles asked, while Birgit was distracted talking to a rather chatty weaver who had insisted on showing Birgit her latest creations.

  Sinelos again looked at Niles like he was a talking horse, but then shrugged and answered. “Well, so far, besides my satyr wife, I have a goblin, an arachni, a cyclops, and a gnoll, but I intend to have a full set eventually, one of each race, because, why not? You can never have too many consorts. I am planning to space them out, though. They are always best when they first join. The gnoll is my latest acquisition. I just picked her out a month ago, and she is still quite the animal in bed. By the time Birgit finishes up at the academy, I should be just about ready for something fresh, though. So the timing works out well, and Birgit is pretty enough, though she seems rather too reserved for my taste. I will have to see if she will loosen up and show some passion before I agree to this. Never buy a horse without taking it for a ride first, you know.”

  Sinelos was so self-absorbed, Niles was pretty sure he had even forgotten who he was talking to.

  “What were you two talking about?” Birgit asked as she rejoined them.

  Sinelos gave Birgit a smile. “I was just telling your familiar how attractive I find you. I think I have seen enough of your town. Why not summon your mount, and I will have my mage summon his, and then you can show me your barony from the air? I will ride with you, and you can just send your guardian back to his plane. My mage can chaperone us from here.”

  “I do not think that would be appropriate. Niles will have to stay with us,” Birgit insisted.

  Sinelos looked at Birgit as if surprised she would object to something he said, but then sighed. “Very well, he can ride with my mage, then.”

  Niles was not happy with the arrangement, particularly when the goblin summoned a large, flying reptile with a spiked tail and a single, goblin-sized saddle, meaning there would be nothing strapping him in place. He didn’t see another option, so he climbed on behind the goblin and grabbed onto the back of the goblin’s saddle with a death grip. Fortunately, Niles was fairly used to flying mounts by now, so he didn’t panic during liftoff even though the wyvern’s takeoff was much rougher than Birgit’s griffin.

  Niles relaxed some once he got used to the different feel of the wyvern’s flight, and it was good to get a look at Hazzerbog from the air. Dotted with rice paddies and farms, it was a very marshy area with great swathes of unsettled swamp and forest. They flew around for about a half-hour, following Birgit’s mount, until it began descending toward a clearing by a small lake. There were no buildings or farms around, so Niles didn’t know why they were landing, but it seemed like the goblin was not following.

  “Take us down,” Niles yelled. The goblin continued to fly straight, so Niles let go of his grip with one hand and tapped the mage on the shoulder to get his attention. “Take us down, now!”

  Suddenly, the wyvern banked so sharply that Niles almost flew off its back. Only his one hand holding the saddle kept him in place. He might have chalked that up to an unexpected air current if the wyvern hadn’t suddenly switched directions and started a steep climb that nearly ripped Niles’ one-handed grip free. They had to be a couple hundred feet in the air, and even his healing probably wouldn’t bring him back from a fall from that height.

  In desperation, Niles grabbed the back of the goblin’s neck. “I said, take us down! Try to throw me off again, and I will snap your scrawny neck!”

  The goblin complied and landed his mount next to Birgit and Sinelos. Niles jumped off as soon as it touched down. Seeing Sinelos with his arm over Birgit’s shoulders, and the kappa looking uncomfortable, Niles stalked toward them. The satyr gave Niles a surprised look and his mage an angry one.

  “My mage is here now to protect us from any creatures or ne’er-do-wells who should happen by, and he is very discreet.” Sinelos said, ignoring the glare Niles gave him. “Why not send your guardian away so we can enjoy this scenic spot privately. You can re-summon him again before we return, so no one will know.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Niles said, still feeling the rush of adrenaline his close brush with death had caused.

  “I agreed,” Birgit said, shrugging out from under Sinelos’s arm and stepping away. “I think perhaps it is best if we head back to the castle. Niles will ride with me this time.”

  For a second, Niles thought the satyr might order his mage to attack, but then he smiled and nodded. “As you will, my lady. Your familiar does have a rather determined look in his eye. That is the trouble with those kinds of familiars. They can have a mind of their own. We will have to find you a better one once we are joined.”

  “Are you alright?” Niles asked once they were airborne.

  “He was rather familiar with his hands while you were riding,” Birgit answered. “And he was getting quite pushy before you landed, but no harm was done. Why did it take so long for you to land?”

  “His mage tried to shake me off mid-flight.”

  “Are you certain it was not just a shift in the wind?”

  “If it had happened just once, maybe, but he tried it twice in a row. And that was after he tried to just fly away and leave you.”

  Niles couldn’t see Birgit’s reaction to his news, and she did not respond, so he wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. It did not take them long to return to the castle, and Birgit retired to her room as soon as they returned to get ready for dinner. Niles stood guard at her door to make sure she was not disturbed. He saw Sinelos come up at one point, but the satyr turned around as soon as he saw Niles.

  Niles wasn’t sure what he should do. Clearly Sinelos was a grade-A scumbag, but was that expected behavior here? Birgit didn’t seem all that shocked by what had happened. And how much say was she going to have in this? Was this going to be an arranged match that she had no say in? Should he talk to her father about it? That probably wouldn’t do any good, since he wasn’t even considered a real person here. For now, he’d just have to keep watch and talk with Birgit later. Hopefully, she’d listen to him.

  When Birgit came out, she looked lovely wearing the dress Crochel had been forced to buy her to replace the one she’d ruined at the ball. Was she trying to impress the satyr after what he’d done? Hopefully, she was just letting him see what he could not have. Sinelos was lavish in his compliments about her appearance. He did not actually apologize, but clearly he was trying to make amends. Niles hoped Birgit was not falling for it.

  All throughout dinner, Sinelos monopolized the conversation, mainly talking about himself and how much better his barony was than Hazzerbog. Finally, the meal came to an end, and Birgit informed Sinelos that she was too tired to take an evening stroll with him. She did consent to let him walk her to her room, but Niles accompanied them.

  “Will your familiar be returning to his plane soon?” Sinelos asked when they reached Birgit’s door.

  “In due time,” Birgit answered. “But for now, good night. I hope that you sleep well, and I shall see you at breakfast.”

  Birgit retreated into her room, and Niles blocked the doorway. Sinelos scowled at him before turning and stalking off. Niles waited until the satyr was out of sight before following Birgit into her room.

  “What a pompous, arrogant fool,” Birgit fumed once the door was closed. “The nerve of him to sit at our table, eat our food, and do nothing but insult us, not to mention his caddish behavior this afternoon and his attempt to harm you. I would seek to have him arrested for that, but since you are a familiar, he likely only meant to force you to return to your plane, not actually do you harm.”

  “So, I take it the wedding’s off, then,” Niles quipped.

  “I would rather be the consort of a peasant farmer than that overstuffed popinjay.”

  “You don’t think your father will push you to be his consort?”

  Birgit barked a harsh laugh. “My father hid it well, but I could tell he was fuming at what that conceited fop said. Only the rules of hospitality kept him from throwing that lout out. I think we will all be happy to see him leave as early as possible tomorrow.” Birgit walked over and forcefully bolted her door before turning and unexpectedly giving Niles a hug. “Thank you so much for being there with me today. I am so glad that you have my back.”