Jadis sourly stared at the docks of Glitnir through the tiny window of her prison cell.
Well, that wasn’t fair. The plush bedroom she’d been put into wasn’t intended for prisoners. More of a “visiting dignitaries” kind of setup. The room was spacious, the ceilings plenty tall enough to accommodate her height, and the furnishings were frankly luxurious. The rugs were soft, the bed almost large enough for all three of her to squeeze onto, and there was an attached bathroom with a heated bathtub. The window wasn’t tiny, either. Small for her, but perfectly average sized for anyone else.
No, the problem wasn’t anything to do with the room. The problem was the fact that Jadis was confined to it.
While Jadis had been allowed a modicum of freedom, she was still technically under arrest. Runar, the bastard bear that he was, had argued that she was also a flight risk since she’d previously resisted arrest and was also clearly of a power level that warranted extra precautions. Vraekae had told the Valbjorn that he was an idiot in that particular way the elf was capable of insulting people without saying so directly but had ultimately had little choice but to agree that Jadis could not be given leave to wander wherever she willed until the legal troubles were resolved. That meant no sightseeing. No nighttime dates. No fun. Just a nice room in a tall government building that she’d been escorted to so quickly after docking that she’d barely even had a chance to take in what little of the city she’d been rushed through.
One of the nice things about having multiple bodies was that it enabled Jadis to perform multiple activities at the same time. For the moment, it meant Jadis could mope around her apartment prison in three different ways.
“Good gods, Jadis. You’re pouting like a child. Is a night under house arrest really that terrible?”
Syd glanced at Aila, the redheaded mage standing in the open door holding a platter in her hands. Since Syd’s head was hanging over the edge of the bed, the view was upside down so it took a moment for Jadis to parse what was on the platter, but after a moment she realized that Aila had brought a variety of small bowls that looked like they were filled with multicolored mounds of whipped cream. Maybe they were some form of ice cream?
“Blue, I’m so fucking bored,” Syd moaned. “I’m too bored to even sleep.”
“I’ve been sleeping for weeks,” Dys grumbled, her face planted into the thick fur carpet, her body partially under the low table set between a couple of couches. “I don’t want to sleep anymore.”
“This is not how I wanted to spend my first night on the mainland,” Jay sighed, her breath fogging the windowpane. “Couldn’t they at least let me stay in the same room as you all?”
“Apparently not,” Aila let out her own sigh as she shut the door with a foot, blocking any further view of the four guards stationed outside in the hallway. “Now that you’re awake, Runar is being a stickler for following the formalities of prisoner transport. At least you’re getting the ‘noble’ treatment. It could be worse.”
“He’s just doing this because I fucked up his face,” Dys grumbled, turning her head to the side so her words were more audible. “He’s lucky I don’t find him right now and shave the rest of his fur off.”
“Probably,” Aila agreed as she walked over with the tray and set it down on the table. “He seems like the type to hold a grudge.”
“Hug?” Syd pleaded, holding her arms out towards Aila without otherwise changing her position.
Aila’s lips quirked up in a smirk, but without complaint or comment she walked over to where Syd lay on the bed. As soon as she was in range, Syd wrapped her arms around Aila’s waist in a tight hold.
“Jay, this isn’t exactly an easy position for me to—ow! What are you—stop that!”
Syd did not stop and instead continued to playfully nip and bite at Aila’s inner thighs. With her head positioned so perfectly between her girlfriend’s legs, how could she be expected to resist? Besides, Aila had not correctly guessed which body she was talking to. She deserved some light punishment.
“Jadis! Stop!” Aila yelped out a laugh. “I’m going to get you for this!”
With such a dangerous threat looming over her, Jadis knew she had to act fast. Shifting swiftly, Syd pulled Aila over on top of her, causing the redhead to let out a cry of surprise. In just a few quick movements, Syd had the arcanist pinned underneath her. Any further protests that Aila might have made were silenced by a passionate kiss that went on long enough that both of them were breathless by the time their lips parted.
“Can you stay with me?” Syd asked softly, her eyes focused on Aila’s parted lips.
“No,” Aila answered, breathing hard. “I want to, but they insisted on separate rooms. Something about flight risks and jail breaks. I… can’t really think of the details right now. I don’t really want to, honestly.”
“Then I guess we don’t have much time before the warden calls for curfew,” Syd murmured, dipping her head down for another brief taste of Aila’s sweetness before pulling back. “We’d better get started.”
“Started?”
“We have a bond to renew, don’t we?”
“But—”
Jadis didn’t listen to Aila’s weak protest before once more capturing her mouth with her own. It had been weeks since she’d made love to her girl and she didn’t want to waste another moment. Sure, from her perspective it hadn’t felt all that long; she hadn’t been aware of the passage of time while she was in a coma. However, even the thought of not being with her lovers for so long made Jadis antsy.
Syd cupped Aila’s breast in her left hand, her thumb firmly rubbing against the hard nipple that she could feel through the thin material of her tunic. Her deep kiss moved to Aila’s jaw, then her neck, nipping and licking at the tender flesh there. Her redheaded lover had a lot of freckles on her pale skin and Jadis was determined to give each and every one a nibble.
“Ah, Jadis,” Aila said around a breathy moan. “We should really wait—”
“I don’t want to wait,” Syd interrupted in the brief moment she could tear her lips away from Aila’s skin. “I can’t wait a second longer.”
“I can come back in fifteen minutes,” a cold, clipped voice rung out in the room. “However, we have a lot to discuss and I would rather not waste my time waiting for you two to finish.”
Jadis didn’t need to lift Syd’s head from her work at Aila’s neck to see Magistrate Vraekae standing in the open door of her room. Jay and Dys, both in various states of undress, were able to see that easily enough. They were also able to see that Vraekae wasn’t alone.
“No, please continue,” Sholto said, his teeth shining as he grinned lecherously. “Don’t mind us. We’ll just have our fruit cream while we wait.”
Jadis sighed from all three of her selves as Syd disentangled herself from Aila, who was now beet red with embarrassment. Jay, shirt in hand but at least still wearing her pants, turned to regard the interrupters with fists on her hips.
Magistrate Vraekae was there, wearing her usual sharp uniform, as was the grinning goblin high priest. Behind those two, still in the hallway, were Eir and the Lyssandria high priest, Aurea. Eir looked like she was suffering from a little secondhand embarrassment but was otherwise fairly collected. Aurea had eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at Jay’s half-unclothed form. Jadis supposed that probably had something more to do with getting to see her goddess’ avatar in the partial nude, less so walking in on a couple about to have sex. Aurea didn’t seem like the prudish type to Jadis.
“This can’t wait until tomorrow?” Jay asked, not moving just yet to put her shirt on, though Syd and Dys interposed their bodies between Aila and the interlopers until she could get her clothes straightened out. “I’m not really in the mood for entertaining visitors right now and would rather you all leave. Eir excepted, of course.”
“You can perform your sex rituals another time,” Vraekae announced curtly as she swept into the room. Jadis noticed that she had a leather portfolio in her hand. “Put your clothes on and sit down. We need to talk about our strategy once we arrive in the capital.”
Seeing that Vraekae wasn’t going to take no for an answer, Jadis begrudgingly went about dressing her selves. She was half tempted to leave whatever bits of clothing she had removed off just to make the woman uncomfortable, but she tossed that idea out the window. She knew Vraekae well enough now to know that the elf wouldn’t be put off by a little nudity. Besides, she was fairly certain that Aurea was going to start drooling soon if she didn’t cover herself.
A few moments later and Jadis and her guests were seated on the couches and chairs set up around the small table by the fireplace. Well, her guests were seated on the furniture. None of the seats were made for Nephilim proportions so Jay was seated cross-legged on the floor next to the couch while Dys and Syd sat further away on the foot of the bed. Aila and Eir were both seated on the couch closest to Jay while Aurea and Sholto had occupied the other couch opposite them. Vraekae had commandeered a high-backed chair all for herself.
While it was only a minor consolation, the “fruit cream” that Sholto had mentioned turned out to be the bowls of whipped cream that Aila had carried in with her. The sweet cream was fruity and refreshing, and also had a taste of alcohol to it. Jadis quite liked the cream, though she would have preferred to have shared it with just her lovers after several hours of intense lovemaking.
“We had determined plans while you were comatose," Vraekae explained as she passed a sheet of paper from her portfolio to Eir, who passed it to Jay. “Now that you are awake, we need to go over those plans with you as well as make any necessary adjustments. The priority is to have all charges levied against you dismissed as quickly as possible.”
Jay nodded along to the magistrate’s words as she looked over the paper. It took Jadis a minute to read through the document, partially because she was still learning how to recognize Imperial writing, and partially because a lot of formal language had been used. In summary, it looked like the document was a petition to have her case seen before the emperor directly, rather than through typical court proceedings.
“The emperor oversees court cases?” Jay asked, looking up at Vraekae. “I figured he’d probably be too busy doing, I don’t know, leader-things to bother with court trials.”
“Leader things?” Sholto guffawed, though Vraekae shushed him with a glance.
“He is exceedingly busy,” the blue elf explained. “And that is partly due to the various legal proceedings he investigates and oversees. Most cases are handled by the lesser courts. More important cases are overseen by the local magistrate, such as myself. But cases that can have long-reaching consequences for the entire nation are usually brought before the emperor. He may not choose to hold the trial directly, but the details at least make it to his desk before he delegates the proceedings to another court.”
“Most cases that come before the emperor involve noble families,” Eir quietly added. “Or large businesses. Land and inheritance disputes are common.”
“Having your case seen by the emperor should not be an issue,” Vraekae continued. “Your status as a Nephilim is more than enough to warrant his attention. The issue is timing.”
“Timing?” Jay asked as she passed the document to Aila. “Hold on. Let me guess. It normally takes a long time for the emperor to review the cases that make it onto his desk?”
“Precisely,” Vraekae confirmed as she settled back into her chair. “While I have no confirmation as of yet for the current state of things, the last time I was in the capital and attended the emperor’s court, the average wait for a case to be seen was three to four months.”
“Months?” all three of Jadis said in disbelief, the chorus of identical voices making Aurea and Sholto both jump. “Seriously? It’ll take that long to get this shit over with?”
“That is just to have the case seen,” Vraekae corrected. “Depending on the situation, it could take several more months for the proceedings to get to the point where you have your day in court. Of course, you will be sequestered until everything is resolved.”
Insane. That’s what Jadis had to say about what Vraekae was telling her. Absolutely insane. She could be wrapped up in red tape and legal bullshit for half a year, maybe longer, all because some dipshit prince had decided to sic his attack bear on her for no discernible reason? There wasn’t a penguin’s chance in a desert that Jadis would wait around under confinement for that long.
Aila’s hand on Jay’s shoulder grounded her enough to prevent her from blowing up in anger. Taking a deep breath, Jay pushed her gut reaction down. Losing her temper didn’t help anything.
“Okay. What can we do to push this along?”
“That’s where we come in,” Sholto said with a cheeky grin. “A bit of preferential treatment should do the trick.”
“Since you have been given a mission directly from Destarious, the temples will put their weight behind you to apply some pressure.” Aurea explained, her voice calm and soothing. “In fact, since the charges that prompted this whole debacle were those of heresy and association with the Cult of Samleos, we can easily claim some level of jurisdiction. The Holy Council will certainly be involved, in any case. We should hopefully be able to push the proceedings forward to a minimal timeframe.”
“That sounds good,” Jay nodded slowly as she leaned back against the couch. Her violet eyes flicked between the two priests. “Now, what do you want for the help?”
Vraekae snorted, a sound so unprecedented that Eir’s mouth actually hung open in surprise. The magistrate’s face was composed an instant later, but Jadis was certain she could see the ghost of a smile hiding in the cold woman’s eyes.
“It is gratifying to see that you are starting to understand the way politics work,” Vraekae complimented Jadis in an utterly deadpan voice.
“I always understood,” Jay glowered. “I just don’t like it.”
“To answer your question,” Aurea politely redirected the conversation, “nothing that we feel you don’t already want. A few minor considerations. Some time spent in the temple communing with the followers of our Lady.”
“Destarious, too,” Sholto cut in before shoving another spoonful of cream into his mouth.
“Destarious’ temple, too,” Aurea acknowledged. “A few works that will benefit the faithful. Nothing that should cause you any inconvenience.”
“And…?” Jay asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“She wants you to impregnate her,” Sholto let the statement thump onto the table with all the care and tact of a hippo in a crowded buffet.
With a graceful ease that made Jay’s eyebrow shoot up, the blonde priestess reached over to the goblin and flicked his floppy ear with enough force to make an audible snap. Sholto yelped, his hand going to his abused earlobe. Aurea never took her eyes off of Jay.
“A crass insinuation. However, the Temple of Lyssandria does want to ensure that the Nephilim lineage continues, even if only through crossbreeds. We understand that you are already in the process of trying to impregnate priestess Eir, correct?”
It was less of a question and more of a confirmation. Clearly Aurea already knew the answer. Jay still nodded, waiting to see where the woman was going.
“Excellent. We have priestesses in the capital who can perform rituals of fertility that should be able to help, since elves are notorious for their low fertility rates. That said, the temple will also want to ensure a diversity of offspring. The exact numbers are open for discussion, but we think it appropriate that you also impregnate several other of our priestesses as well. I think fifty would be a good number to start, if you agree?”
Jadis just stared at Aurea. Her silence went long enough that the woman actually started to lose some of her calm poise, a slight fidget appearing in her folded hands. The others in the room didn’t say anything either, just watching as Jay continued to silently watch the high priestess. Eventually, the blonde woman’s composure broke and she hesitantly opened her mouth.
“Perhaps a smaller number?”
“I am not going to fuck a bunch of strange women that I don’t know,” Jay stated flatly. “I am definitely not going to impregnate a bunch of women I don’t know so they can scurry off with my children to do who the fuck knows with them.”
“Well, your involvement in their upbringing would be welcomed,” Aurea said hurriedly. “And it isn’t as though the women you would be impregnating would be randomly taken from the streets. They would be devout clerics and priestesses of the faith who would make devoted mothers to a new generation of Nephilim!”
“I told you,” Aila said, speaking up before Aurea could say more. “Jadis has a lot of lovers. But she doesn’t sleep around. She just doesn’t work like that. You can’t just throw women at her and expect her to be happy with that.”
“That’s a shock,” Sholto said under his breath, though he quickly shut his mouth as several different women glared at him.
“If it’s a matter of selection, we can certainly make accommodations. A screening process, perhaps?”
Jay shook her head at the priestess, letting out an exasperated sigh. This was not a problem that Jadis ever thought she would have to deal with. A religious order was actually trying to convince her to breed her race back into existence. The bizarreness of the situation aside, Jadis just wasn’t comfortable with a temple mandating she sleep around and make a bunch of strangers preggers.
However, Jadis did plan on impregnating Eir, as well as any of her other lovers who wanted it. Was it that weird to do the same for other women who were interested? Now that she had started to get a feel for what she was looking for, she could sense that alien gut reaction that was coming from outside of herself. Lyssandria, or at least she presumed it was Lyssandria, was definitely giving her some approving vibes whenever she contemplated the idea. Her “mother goddess” wanted grandchildren, or so it seemed. Lots of them.
Looking at Aila and Eir, Jadis saw that while neither looked particularly happy with the high priestess’ request, neither looked like they were upset, either. She imagined some variation of this talk had already played out while she was unconscious, so they probably had had more time to come to terms with the situation than her. At that thought, Jadis didn’t really want to consider how exactly they were planning on proceeding with the breeding if she never recovered from her coma.
“Alright, let’s talk this out,” Jay sighed. “But first, get some more of this fruity cream stuff. This is going to take a while.”
321