Chapter Fourteen
I trotted down the street to the inn as the shadows of dusk lengthened, and I tiptoed as I entered the room just in case my two women were asleep. They blinked up at me from the bed where they laid curled up in the sheets, and I grinned as I shut the door behind me.
“You’re still awake,” I observed in a pleased tone.
“You weren’t gone that long,” Mahini replied with a shrug of her bare shoulder.
“It was less than an hour ago when we parted ways,” Elissa added with a confused tilt of her head.
I quickly stripped off my armor and clothes, and I hopped into bed with them. The girls giggled as I positioned myself between them, and then we all sighed happily as we settled into our favorite positions. Mahini and Elissa each laid their heads on my chest and threw their legs up over my hips, and we pulled the blankets up over our bodies and fell asleep.
I wanted to get a good night’s rest before I learned magic. Then I’d go confront Duke Bullard with all my recently learned skills in my arsenal.
I slept uneasily, probably because I was dreaming of some epic Gandalf-level magic, and I woke up before the first light of the sun hit the window. I crept out of bed and quickly dressed in my casual clothes, and I grabbed the wand I’d found in the burial sanctum and the staff the guardian of the lake had given me before I snuck out of the room. I didn’t want to wake up the sleeping beauties in my bed, and I knew I’d be back with a whole new set of skills before they were ready for breakfast.
I made a new save point before I left because I planned to reset back to this moment after I’d learned all I could from the court wizard, Kane. Then I tiptoed through the quiet inn and slipped out into the early morning air.
A few vendors were wandering the street laden with baskets and bags full of their products, but other than the slow crawl of the shopkeepers, the streets were deserted. I eyed the duke’s castle where it sat overlooking the town situated within the stone walls, and I quickly found the western tower. A light burned in the window from the room at the very top, so the wizard must be awake already.
I took this as a good sign and jogged down the street toward the tower.
I hoped there was an outside entrance so I didn’t have to alert the whole castle to my presence, but either way, I was going to see Kane.
It took me a while to navigate the streets once I left the central road, but I paid close attention to where I was going, and I kept the western tower within my sights. When I approached, I noticed two guardsmen standing to either side of a wooden door at the base of the spire.
“Good morning,” I greeted in a friendly tone. “I’m here to see Kane.”
“Do you have an audience with the court wizard?” the guard to my left asked as his hand drifted toward his sword.
“Of course.” I yawned and shrugged my shoulders. “Damn Kane is always sending me on errands at unholy hours.”
“So, you’re the new apprentice?” the guard to my right asked as he crossed his arms. “I heard you were a late sleeper.”
“Listen, I don’t want to get in trouble for keeping Kane waiting,” I said in a fake worried tone. “He’s already cranky enough as it is.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” the first guard scoffed. “Go on in, then.”
“Better hurry.” The second guard opened the wooden door and ushered me inside.
I grinned gratefully, dashed inside the door without a second glance, and was met with the base of a staircase that spiraled upward into the tower.
I guess it was a leg day as well as a magic day.
I trotted up the stairs at a brisk pace, and then an idea struck me. I wanted to experiment with my boots, but I didn’t know how to activate the fleetness attribute. I paused on the steps and shuffled my feet as I stared down at the footwear and urged them to make me go faster.
Nothing happened.
I growled with frustration and stomped my foot, and suddenly the boots began to glow a crimson red, and energy coursed up my legs.
“Oh, hell, yeahhh,” I laughed out loud and bounded up the steps at superhuman speed. Wind swept past my face, and the stones were a blur beneath my feet.
I was practically flying up the multiple stories of stairs.
It was fucking awesome, but I reminded myself to be careful not to wear down the durability too much.
I raced up the spiral staircase and skidded to a stop before another wooden door. This one had ornately carved iron fittings, and a torch burned in an alcove beside the entrance to the tower chamber. A window was situated across from the alcove, so I assumed this was the light I’d seen from the ground.
While I caught my breath, I raked my fingers through my windblown hair, and then I touched the top of my boots to check their stats.
Magical Item: Griffon Feather Boots
Weight : .01lbs
Durability : 99%
Magical Aspect : Fleetness
Weakness : -1% Durability with each use of fleetness
I grinned as I understood the weakness of the boots. They only had one hundred uses before they would need to be repaired. I still had two more griffon feathers if I wanted to update the same enchantment later, or I could keep my eyes out for a pair of better boots and upgrade instead of repair them.
Either way, I had the options of a god, so I was set.
I turned my attention back to the wooden door in front of me. There were no markers or indication that Kane was inside and awake, but given the guards’ reactions I assumed he was, so I took a deep breath and hammered my fist on the door.
“Who’s there?” a soft voice called from inside. Footsteps echoed from inside the room, and the iron creaked as the door opened. Then a small, gray bearded man in a hooded cloak blinked up at me. “Can I help you?”
I took a stab in the dark and hoped for the best. “I’m your new apprentice.”
Kane narrowed his eyes at me for a moment and then stepped away from the portal to usher me inside.
“You were supposed to be here yesterday,” the court wizard complained.
“My apologies,” I murmured as I stepped inside the tower chamber and looked around. “I was delayed…”
It was a grand room, circular shaped, and lined with bookshelves. Some of the shelving held jars with odd looking specimens inside, and another shelf was full of wands. There was enough floor space to spar, but there were no windows between the lines of books. A fireplace with two cushioned arm chairs in front of it sat across the room from a big workbench, and various weapons and staves graced the walls in every available space not filled with books. The space was lit by several gas lamps located throughout the room, which gave it a shadowy, mystical ambiance.
“Well, I prefer punctuality,” Kane muttered as he moved to an armchair. A fire blazed in the stone fireplace, and the old man stretched out his hands toward the warmth. “What’s your name, kid?”
“Bash,” I said as I moved to occupy the empty chair beside him. “Pleasure to finally meet you, Kane.”
“You will call me Great Wizard,” Kane snapped. “Consider that lesson number one.”
I bit my tongue as a quippy, god-like comeback entered my mind, but I chose to silently nod instead. Better to be mysterious than to be an asshole on my first attempt at learning magic.
“Now, on to your duties,” Kane said as he rubbed his old hands together. “I like my tea to be extra hot--”
“Excuse me,” I interrupted, “but I’m not here to serve you tea. I’m here to learn magic, and the sooner we get started the better.”
“Why, I never…” Kane eyed me shrewdly, but then he pushed himself to stand from his chair. “You can leave now if that’s your attitude! I am better off alone than with some upstart who thinks he knows everything!”
“Wouldn’t you rather have an experienced apprentice than a servant?” I cocked my eyebrow as I crossed my arms, and I stayed seated. “I would be of more service actually learning spells than fetching you drinks.”
“I’m not wasting my time on you,” he muttered as he shuffled over to the workbench.
I’d been prepared for his hesitation, though, so I crossed the room and laid my magical items down upon his workbench.
“I’ll trade you one of these for a full day of lessons,” I offered in a firm voice.
While I was the god of time, I didn’t want to waste my time with his attitude, either.
Kane’s eyes shot wide open as he gazed at the staff and wand laid out before him. His fingers twitched like he longed to touch them, and he shot me a questioning look.
“Go ahead, inspect them all you like.” I grinned. I had him right where I wanted him. “I acquired them from a burial sanctum outside Lake Balerno. I broke an ancient curse and was rewarded with these items.”
“I’ve heard of Lake Balerno…” Kane’s hands leapt to the wand, and he raised it to his eye level to inspect it closely. “I’ve heard rumors of a lake guardian spirit who watches over the town.”
“The lake guardian gave me the staff as a reward for breaking the curse,” I explained, and the court wizard’s eyes shot to the wooden stick with the crystal lodged in the top of it.
He put down the wand and moved on to the staff, and his gray eyes showed his appreciation as he gazed at every inch of it. Kane analyzed the crystal closely and then set the staff back down on the workbench.
“Only one, you say?” he asked as he lifted his gaze to mine once more. “One item for a whole day’s lessons.”
“Seems fair.” I shrugged.
It wasn’t like he was going to keep either item, anyway. I was going to reset to before we ever met, and then his real apprentice would show up. I just hoped the real apprentice waited until I was done with the court wizard before making his arrival. It would be hard to explain why there were two of us, after all.
“Very well,” Kane said after a long moment of silence. “What would you like to learn?”
My mind raced over the possibilities as I considered everything I’d learned about magic in this world so far. I knew there were no healing spells, and the only other arcane things I’d seen were wands and staves. The goblin shamans had used an ice spell against me, and the inferno spell I’d used had been powerful enough to kill the lich lord.
I wondered if Kane could tell if the wand had already been used once or not, but I figured he would wait to experiment with it until after our lesson.
A less powerful fire spell would be a good place to start, since that was usually the first thing I learned in video games with magic, so I turned to Kane and cleared my throat.
“I’d like to learn a fire spell,” I informed him with a decisive nod.
“I only know one fire spell,” Kane said in an apologetic tone, “and it is not as powerful as an inferno, but it will do to start the blaze on a few logs. Comes in very handy in the winter.”
“Sounds good to me.” I grinned. “Where do I start?”
Kane moved over to the open space in the middle of the room and swept back his cloak to reveal silver robes tied at the waist with a black sash.
“Every spell starts with a power word,” the court wizard explained. “It’s derived from an ancient tongue no longer used by common people. It takes some practice to learn the correct pronunciations, but once you do, you’ll have unlimited power.”
“How many words do you know?” I asked in a curious tone. I wanted to see what the limits of what I could learn from him were.
“A few,” Kane replied vaguely.
Looked like I’d have to milk the spells out of him one by one. That was fine, since I had all the time in the world.
“Alright, so the fire spell?” I reminded the older man.
“Oh, yes, that’s right.” Kane chuckled to himself as he took a stance in the open space. “Plant your feet firmly, follow my motions, and then utter fur.”
I did as he said, but nothing happened except for the pain that shot through my temples and settled between my eyes in the form of a hot coal.
“Again,” Kane instructed, and I obeyed.
Once more, nothing fiery happened, and the pain in my skull intensified.
“It may take several hours before you are capable of creating a flame,” Kane told me in a reassuring tone. “Do not lose patience.”
“I can do this all day,” I quipped as sweat dappled across my forehead. “Am I saying it right?”
“You will feel when it is right,” Kane replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It is not for me to say.”
I frowned and took a deep breath. I could do this. I knew I could.
“Fur!” I exclaimed with all the energy I had in me, and searing pain shot from my head and radiated out my arms to every single fingertip. A tiny flame erupted on the palm of my hand, but it vanished after a second, and my vision grew dark.
I passed out and fell to the stone floor of the wizard’s tower, but with my last clear-headed thought, I reset back to my last save.
Chime.
I crept out of the inn, but this time, I activated the fleetness ability of my boots as soon as I was in the street. I knew how to get to the tower already, so I raced through the castle town at superhuman speeds, and I skidded to a halt in front of the two guards.
“I’m Kane’s new apprentice, and I’m already late!” I gasped out in an urgent voice. “Please, let me through!”
The guard to my right immediately opened the door and ushered me inside, and I stomped my foot again to reactivate my boots’ ability before I rushed up the stairs in a blur of motion. This time, I’d used my boots’ special ability two times, so I checked the stats to verify my hypothesis.
Durability : 98%
I was correct in my assumption that each stomp would lower the durability by one percent, but one hundred uses of super human speed was still really awesome.
Then I knocked on Kane’s door, and I repeated the dialogue tree that led to learning spells immediately. This time, though, I requested a different spell.
“I already know fur,” I informed him, “so I’d like to learn something new.”
“Show me your flame,” Kane insisted with narrowed gray eyes. “I will judge your skill.”
I held up the palm of my hand, and I murmured the word of power. Pain shot through my arm to my fingertips, and the smallest flicker of a flame burst into existence.
“Hmm, a recently learned spell, I take it?” Kane asked as restrained amusement twinkled in his gray eyes.
Damn. I’d wanted to impress him with my magical abilities, but I guessed it would take more attempts than that.
Chime.
I ran through the sequence leading up to the spell lesson more times than I cared to count, and with each repeated attempt, my flame grew hotter and brighter. I reset to my save point over and over again until I felt like I’d mastered the first spell completely.
Chime.
I knocked on Kane’s door again, and I went through the dialogue tree for what seemed like the millionth time, but when the court wizard asked to see my fire spell, I was ready.
I took a deep breath and stood in the center of the room. Then I closed my eyes and remembered the painful sensation of the magic as it coursed through my body.
“Fur,” I said in a low voice, and heat radiated from my head and down to all of my limbs and ended at my fingertips. A flame burst into existence in the palm of my hand, and I resisted the urge to jump for joy. I concentrated on the flame, and the heat in my body intensified as the blaze grew hotter and brighter, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as my previous experience. Then I closed my fist, and the flame, as well as the hot feeling, vanished.
“Very good,” Kane observed as he scrutinized me for any abnormal affects. “It seems you do know how to conjure a flame. The next word of power I would be able to teach you is the spell for ice. Utter chs to create a powerful chill.”
I returned to my spell casting stance, but this time I pointed my hands toward the stone floor. I imagined a shard of ice bursting forth from my hands and striking the rocks, and then I took a deep breath.
“Chs,” I said in a firm clear tone, and shivers shot up my spine. My bones rattled with the cold that filled my body, but the floor remained unaffected.
I repeated the spell multiple times until my body shuddered from the icy sensation, and then I took a break. My head was throbbing, and the muscles in my arms ached, but I was pleased with my progress.
I’d only passed out once so far, anyway.
Kane eyed me silently while I sat down, and then he busied himself with some papers on his workbench. Apparently, he was well aware of how tiring spell casting could be on a new apprentice, and I was glad he wasn’t pushing me harder.
When I’d warmed up next to the fire for a bit, I was ready to try again, so I cleared my throat to get Kane’s attention and moved back to the center of the room.
“Trying again so soon?” Kane asked as he crossed to the other side of the workbench and leaned against it. “You are a glutton for punishment, it seems.”
“I just really need to master all of the spells I can,” I explained as I shook out my tired arms. Then I concentrated on the floor, visualized the ice forming, and tried again. “Chs!”
The tiniest flurries of ice dropped from the palm of my hand to fall gently to the floor. My fingernails were tipped with frost, and my hands were so frozen I could barely move them, but the icy sensation stayed in my extremities and away from my torso, so I was pleased with the result.
“Fur!” I murmured, and heat radiated up my body to combat the chill of the ice spell.
Pain split my head, and I swore for a moment that the roof had vanished as I blinked up at stars, but then I realized I’d collapsed onto the cold, stone floor and my eyes were closed.
Chime.
When I respawned once more, I had the thought of making a savepoint at Kane’s door, but I had to admit, flying through the city using my boots was just too much fun. So, I once again dashed through the streets at superhuman speed, and I barely paused to introduce myself to the guards so I didn’t have to activate my boots again. They seemed surprised by the blur of motion that yelled at them as it passed, but I was at the court wizard’s door before they knew what had happened.
I repeated the dialogue again, but I was in a bit of a rush to get to the good stuff, so I probably came off as a little rude. The offer of trade still did the trick, though, and then we began once more.
“What can I do with the ice spell?” I asked before we moved on to the next spell.
“It can put out flames, slow an opponent, or if you are strong enough, you can create a defensive wall of ice to act as a shield.” Kane seemed impressed by my desire to learn, and he was eager to teach me all he knew. “The more energy it takes to create the ice, the more vulnerable it is to failure. It takes a lot of practice to build the kind of arcane power needed to fight in a wizard’s duel, which is why most masters are very old.”
So, I went through another series of attempts to master the full properties of the ice spell. I’d already used my fire spell to negate the icy side effects, so I knew how well the two spells counteracted each other, but I wanted to experiment with the other uses before moving on to the next lesson.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
It took me a few hundred attempts to blast Kane with enough ice to slow down his motions, but once he could barely move, I chimed back to the beginning and tried a different use for the spell.
My favorite ended up being the ice wall, and by the time I felt like I’d mastered the ice spell, I could build a small wall of ice to act as a shield. I only passed out once during the ice spell experimentations, so I wondered if my magical abilities were getting stronger.
“What other spells do you know besides fire and ice?” I asked in a casual tone. The court wizard had been hesitant to share his full knowledge with me right off the bat in my last two attempts, but maybe since I knew more this time he’d be more forthcoming.
“More than you will learn in a lifetime,” Kane laughed. “I began my lessons when I was half your age, and I am an old man.”
“It takes time,” I agreed in a vague tone. “I think you’ll soon be surprised by how much I can learn.”
“Show me oof, then,” Kane insisted with an arched eyebrow. Then he brandished his hand, and a flame shaped like a sword burst into existence in his grasp. “The disarming spell should work the same on a magical weapon as it does a real one.”
I grinned. This was more like it. I took a stance and summoned all my will power as I envisioned the flame sword falling from Kane’s grasp, and then I spoke the magic word.
“Oof,” I said in a firm tone, and all the air in my lungs expelled at once. I staggered backward, but Kane still held his flame sword.
I tried again and managed to keep my stance, but I had no luck in disarming the court wizard. I tried multiple times until my head screamed in agony from the pressure I put on my insides, and then I took a breather.
I was getting stronger, slowly but surely, but I still had to grind away at the word for a while before it seemed to register with my system.
Maybe there was a hand gesture I was missing?
I drew a dagger and faced Kane. “Show me how it works.”
“Very well,” he said as he inclined his head. “Oof!”
My dagger flew from my hand and skittered across the floor until it slammed into the bottom of a bookshelf against the far wall. If we’d been in the middle of a real battle, the blade would have been lost to me for the remainder of the fight. It was a powerful spell, and I was even more determined to learn it.
“Maybe it is more difficult with the conjured flame sword,” Kane mused thoughtfully as he crossed the room, picked up my dagger, and brandished it toward me with a stern look on his face. “Again!”
His expectations of me were growing, which made him tougher on me, but that was just the way I liked it.
“Oof!” I exclaimed with all my might, and the metal blade flew away from the court wizard’s hands just like it had done mine. I grinned at my victory, and I trotted across the room to fetch my weapon.
Another spell added to the arsenal. And I didn’t even need to chime through several attempts this time.
I was getting better.
I handed the dagger back to Kane with a small bow of my head, and we ran through the exercise again. I repeated the process several more times until I felt like I had the disarming spell mastered, but by that time my breaths were coming in ragged pants.
Time to move on.
I reset back to the inn, and I dashed through the streets of Castle Bullard with renewed enthusiasm. Learning spells was completely addicting, and I pictured myself weaving webs of wonder for my two beautiful women as I crossed the distance to the western tower.
I repeated the dialogue tree that ended with him agreeing to teach me, and I ran down the list of what I already knew.
“I’ve got fire, ice, and disarm down,” I explained to the court wizard. “I’d really like to expand my skills, though, so what else can you teach me?”
“I know a spell very similar to disarm,” Kane informed me in an excited tone. “It’s been a while since I had a skilled apprentice who already knew so many words of power, forgive me for my enthusiasm.”
“No problem,” I chuckled, but then I gave him a pointed look. “You were saying? About the new spell?”
“O-Oh, yes, of course,” Kane stammered. He steepled his fingers together and pressed them to his lips. “Do you know the negate spell? Nin?”
“What does it do?” I asked in a curious tone. I had a pretty good guess, but I wanted to hear it straight from the wizard’s mouth.
“If you cast it at just the right moment,” Kane explained in a conspiratorial tone, “it will cancel your opponent’s spell before they can even cast it!”
“Sounds powerful,” I remarked with an arched eyebrow.
“It may take you some time to master it.” Kane shrugged his shoulders. “Do not feel bad if it takes you several years.”
“Time isn’t important.” I grinned. “Just help me get it right, and I bet you’ll be surprised at how fast I learn it.”
“What do you mean, time isn’t important?” Kane’s eyes shot wide open at my words, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Everything takes time.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I chuckled. “Let’s just get to the spell work, shall we?”
“Very well,” Kane said as he shook his head in awe. “With the negate spell, you will want to move your hands across the space in front of you like you are wiping a slate clean. Do it smoothly, and your spell work will be easier.”
The spells grew more and more complicated the more I learned, but that just made me even more excited about what I would learn next.
So, I stood in the center of the room, and I waited for Kane to cast a spell. I guessed he would use fire, and I was correct, but I slashed my hands through the air the second he raised his palm.
“Nin!” I shouted, and the flame on his hand fluttered out.
I whooped and pumped my fist up into the air. It was the first spell I managed to cast successfully on the first try. Then the headache came crashing in, and I moaned as I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger.
“That was remarkable for a first try!” Kane congratulated me. “How is your head?”
“In an incredible amount of pain, but worth it,” I laughed, and the motion jarred my brain even more, which caused me to wince.
“Here, I have some chocolate stashed here, somewhere…” Kane turned to rifle through the contents of one of the nearby shelves, and then he brandished a small package. “I found it. Eat this, it will help with the headache.”
“Why chocolate?” I asked as I unwrapped the paper and popped the small bite of dark chocolate into my mouth. It melted immediately and spread throughout my mouth with a soothing smoothness. The tension behind my eyes eased, and I let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Don’t you know, boy?” Kane chuckled. “Chocolate is a wizard’s balm.”
“That is very good to know.” I nodded sagely. “Where can I stock up on more of this?”
“I will keep you supplied for as long as you are my apprentice,” Kane explained, “but if you want your own, you can find it in the pastry shop on the Bullard street.”
I tucked away that little bit of knowledge for later, and I motioned to start again.
“I’m ready,” I said with a curt nod.
“So soon?” Kane arched an eyebrow at me. “Take your time, boy.”
“Nah, I feel better already,” I persisted. “Conjure your flame, old man.”
Kane laughed and pulled up the palm of his hand.
“Nin,” I commanded, and the flame sputtered out an instant later.
I still didn’t feel fast enough, though, so we repeated the process several more times until I mastered the negation spell, but I had to munch on several more pieces of chocolate in between.
“You are such a quick study,” Kane observed after my fifth successful negation spell. “I have always dreamed of such a ready apprentice!”
I almost felt bad for the kind old man, since he’d already taught me so much, and I wasn’t even his real apprentice. I satisfied myself with the knowledge that he wouldn’t remember any of this, though, and then I reset back to my save point.
Chime.
I dashed through the city, greeted the guards, and raced up the spiral staircase to Kane’s study. Then I sped through the introductions and got straight to the point.
“I want to learn more,” I insisted after I’d shared what I’d already learned.
“You know almost as much as I do,” Kane argued with a shake of his head. “I believe there is only one spell I know that you do not.”
“Teach me,” I persisted in an eager tone. I was close to being as strong as the court wizard, and nothing would stop me from completing my mission. “Teach me all you know.”
“Like I said,” Kane repeated, “I only know one other spell. It is a magical barrier that acts like a shield. It will deflect both material attacks as well as spells. A very strong spell, indeed. Are you sure you want to attempt it?”
“What’s the power word?” I asked as I moved to the middle of the room and took up my spell casting stance.
“Hur,” Kane answered with narrowed eyes, and he watched me closely as I attempted to summon the shield.
I repeated the magic word, and I brought my left hand up protectively over my face, but nothing happened. Then pain shot through my head, but I was getting used to that and ignored it. I repeated the power word again, and a blue glow emanated from my hands. It sputtered out almost instantly, but I’d still made some progress.
By the time I could conjure the full-fledged magic shield, sweat dripped down my face, and my shoulders ached from holding my arms up in the air. Even without weights, the concentrated movements took a lot of energy to maneuver over and over again, like planks for my hands.
Once I could summon the magical shield, Kane began to throw things at me to test its strength. I held my own, and I even lobbed out a few offensive spells from beneath the barrier’s protective cover.
Kane leapt over my flame as it tumbled across the floor, and he threw out a negate spell that zapped my shield from existence. Then he shot out a bolt of ice at me.
I met his ice with a blaze of fire, and the shard melted before it came within ten feet of me. Then I shot out my own bolt of frost, and the old wizard conjured a shield just in time to block it.
We danced like this for hours until we were both exhausted from the exercise, and then we collapsed onto the arm chairs like old friends. I was able to hold my own against the court wizard, and I now had five spells in my arsenal to fight with.
No goblin shaman would get the best of me now, that was for sure.
After I visited with Kane for a short while, I decided it was time to reset back to my save point in the inn. I’d really enjoyed the old man’s presence, and we’d formed a friendship of sorts in the short span of time I’d known him, but it would be better for the both of us if he didn’t remember any of our time together.
“Goodbye, Kane,” I sighed before I reset to my previous save point. “Thank you for the knowledge. I wish I could let you remember me, but this is for the best.”
“What do you mean?” Kane asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Chime.
It was as though the entire morning hadn’t happened a million times already, and it was a brand-new day. A world of possibilities had opened up in front of me, and I was eager to explore it.
I was ready to confront Duke Bullard and lay my personal claim to Bastianville.
But first I was going to get my two goddesses some breakfast in bed.