I walked over to Faryn and sat beside her.
“War is coming,” she said to me.
“The mission for Xilarion seems like it’ll fail,” I said.
“No, it will succeed. Sometimes, preventing greater calamity requires sacrifices. Defeating Horix and retrieving the Depthless Dream will halt the evil that’s already set it motion.”
“That doesn’t sound like Guildmaster Xilarion’s Path of Peace.”
“Yet, that is not your path. Yours is the Path of the Swordslinger.”
I smiled at Faryn, kissed her on the lips, and turned as stringed instruments started to play.
A group of performers spun through the courtyard and soaked up applause from the crowd. They were as much acrobats as dancers, leaping and twirling across the pools. Ribbons streamed from their belts and created rippling patterns through the air behind them. One of them jumped up onto the shoulders of another two, like cheerleaders forming a pyramid, then leaped gracefully through the air to land with a splash in one of the pools.
“I think she wants to speak with you.” Faryn nodded to my right as the music died down.
I looked at Kumi sitting at another banquet table. The princess met my gaze as the silver scales of her robes caught the light. Her ceremonial dress was far less revealing than her usual attire; long robes opened at the back and bared her shoulders before they swept down, abruptly stopping a few inches from the floor, leaving her feet bare. Coral joined the usual seashells in her braids, and a silver circlet embedded with pearls glittered in the shifting lights above us. She smiled mischievously and nodded toward a corner of the courtyard.
“Do you mind?” I asked Faryn.
“Not at all. I am more than happy to share your company.”
I laughed under my breath and followed after the princess. I scooped up a meaty slice of boar as I passed one of the tables. Spiced marinade gave the pork a sweet edge as I took a bite, and it melted in my mouth.
Kumi sat on one of the stairs leading up to the palace and beamed at me.
“What do you think?” the princess asked me with a sweeping gesture.
“The Qihin definitely know how to celebrate.”
“Father wanted you to feel welcome after he left his meditations.”
I finished the pork, sipped at my wine, and joined her on the carved marble step. “Well, he’s definitely managed it. Are you recovered, after last night?”
The princess laughed. “A little sleep does wonders. You’ve definitely had your share of it today.”
“Guess I needed it. Not sure I was ready for all this enthusiasm, though.” Again, I thought of the war brewing beneath all the celebrations, but I did my best to push it aside for now.
“I want to show you something,” Kumi said as she stood up and beckoned me to follow her.
She opened a small wooden door at the base of the palace walls, and I followed her inside. The sounds of the party faded as the door closed behind us and left us alone in the silence of a tiled corridor.
“Your father said he was going to to reintroduce himself to his courtiers,” I commented. “Did he manage it?”
“This way,” Kumi said. “And yes, thanks to your heroic efforts, they convened a war council. Preparations are already underway.”
I couldn’t help but notice the sway of her hips as she led me deeper into the palace. We entered a circular chamber with shadowy alcoves filled with ferns spilling out of clay pots. A fountain splashed in the center of the room and gave the air a cool, refreshing feel.
“This is my favorite place in the palace,” Kumi said. “It’s so peaceful, you can imagine that there’s no one else in the world. Perhaps this is more to your liking than the atmosphere of a feast?”
“It’s perfect.”
“It’s even more private in here.” The princess took my hand and led me into an alcove with a small stone bench.
Mosaics spilled across the ceiling as the faint sound of crashing waves joined the trickle of the fountain.
I sat beside Kumi on the stone bench and took another sip of the wine to try to calm my accelerated pulse. She filled the small space with the aroma of exotic flowers and the breeze of the ocean.
“I wanted to share this place with someone special.”
“I’m honored.”
“Well, I’m curious about something. Your brides—what was it like when they first journeyed with you? How did you find them?”
“I’m not married,” I said with a laugh.
“But what about Vesma and Faryn’s devotion? I’ve seen the way they are around you, the way they’ve followed you across the mountains to be here.”
“They’re not my brides. Just friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Well, very close friends.”
She laughed again and brushed her fingers against my arm. “I bet you’re good at making close friends, Ethan.” Her face took on a conspiratorial grin. “The sort of friends you lie close with in the night, hot and heavy and writhing with passion. Isn’t that right?”
She removed her hand and held it over her mouth as she giggled.
“Ah, yeah, I suppose you’re right. I am good at making those kinds of friends.”
“Then, you’ll marry them?”
“It’s a bit too soon to think of marriage. Besides, I’d hate to choose between them.”
Kumi frowned at me. “Choose? You enjoy one more than the other?”
“I like them equally,” I said.
“Then, why not marry both?”
A smile tweaked the corner of my lips. “It’s the custom in the Seven Realms to marry multiple people?”
“Not everywhere, and only in certain instances. But a mighty Augmenter requires enough brides to satiate him. Surely, you know of the custom.”
It wasn’t hard to see where this was going. I leaned back and enjoyed the peace of the room. “I’ve never heard of this custom you’re talking about.”
“You must have.”
“I’m not from around here.
