“Bloody fucking shite suckers!” Sorcha cursed from underneath the table. “Terrance said my parents wouldn’t arrive until after nightfall! Why are they here!?”
“Because they’re supposed to be here, aren’t they?” Sabina answered innocently as she picked up the experimental wands that had been knocked over thanks to Sorcha’s sudden fall to the floor. “Isn’t it good that they’re early? They’ve missed out on our early dinner, but I bet Hans and Oats can make something quickly—”
“I’m not ready!” Sorcha hissed in panic. “I wasn’t ready for this at all! I thought I was ready for tonight but I’m not ready right now!”
“Okay, maybe you’re not ready,” Dys said as she reached under the table and pulled Sorcha out into the light. “But it’s happening, so don’t hide under furniture, please. We’ve got your back.”
Jadis understood Sorcha’s panic well. She hadn’t expected the two goblins to arrive so early either and the change in plans had caught them all in an awkward moment. However, just like in battle, plans rarely held up for long when put to the test. They would just have to adapt to the new situation, even if the circumstances were not ideal.
And, looking out the door, Jadis could see that they were not at all ideal.
Vraekae hadn’t just walked over to the Fortune’s Favored compound. Of course not. She was the newly appointed magistrate of the imperial capital; a position that put her near the top of the governmental structure of the whole damn city. Even if it was a temporary position, which could change to permanent depending on her performance, she was still someone who was basically only a couple of steps removed from the emperor, at least in terms of the law. Naturally, Vraekae had ridden in her expensive, high security carriage. With two servants. Surrounded by a dozen guards on horseback.
Syd tried not to glare at the red-eyed elf. The last three times she had visited, she’d just ridden a horse with a couple of guards in tow. Vraekae absolutely chose to go all out on her transportation that day, just to impress Sorcha’s parents. Perhaps it was intended as a nice gesture to show respect, since this was the sort of thing expected for noble families. More likely, however, was the thought that the sly magistrate was having a private laugh at Jadis’ expense. The more time Jadis spent around the woman, the more she realized just how wicked her sense of humor was, even if she chose to hide it behind her mask of icy composure.
Neither of Sorcha’s parents had yet recovered from the apparent shock they had received upon seeing her for the first time; Jadis was somewhat used to those reactions, as not everyone could take meeting a nine-foot-tall giant with her amazing good looks in stride. While she waited for the couple to recover, Syd turned her head to Vraekae and addressed her with a quieter tone.
“How’s our little bundle of joy?”
A flicker of some emotion crossed the elf’s face, almost too quick to see.
“No different from the last time you asked but thank you for asking.”
Jadis knew that Vraekae had paused her pregnancy since she didn’t want to have to worry about any maternity issues while she was still settling into her role as the Eldingholt magistrate, but she still liked to ask every time she saw her. They weren’t lovers, not exactly, but Vraekae was someone who had become an important part of Jadis’ life, and she was also the mother of her child, so that meant she had to be teased regularly otherwise the balance of the world simply would not be maintained. Vraekae just had to put up with it. The jokes were for her own good, really. Being around the stodgy bureaucracy of the imperial city all day could not be healthy. Some levity from Jadis every now and then was an important curative.
“Well, you’re absolutely glowing,” Syd grinned widely at the elf. “And thank you so much for bringing Sorcha’s parents to us. And in such grand style.”
“Of course,” Vraekae replied in her usual inflectionless tone. “I am happy to be of service.”
Shifting her eyes back to the two goblins, Syd noted that they both were starting to blink and move again, which meant they were probably in a good enough state that a second attempt at greeting them would be appropriate. Doing her best not to loom over the couple, which wasn’t easy considering the height difference between them, Syd reached out with one hand.
“You must be Tyree,” Syd addressed the goblin woman. “Sorcha’s told me a lot about you.”
Tyree did not look very much like her daughter. Not that they were wildly different in appearance, just not particularly similar. Sorcha’s mother had a larger nose than her daughter, and thinner lips. Her eyes were dark brown rather than emerald green, and her hair was a much darker shade of blue, to the point that it was almost black. She did wear her hair in a similar style to Sorcha, though Tyree also had a flowery kerchief wrapped over the top. She was a thin goblin, with a natural droop to her ears that made her look somewhat sad or timid. The strongest similarity Jadis could see between the two women were the bushy eyebrows. On that single point, the two were identical.
Tentatively letting go of her husband’s coat, Tyree accepted Syd’s much larger hand and shook it with all the force of a sickly field mouse.
“Nice to meet you,” Tyree replied, her accent more pronounced than Sorcha’s and her voice pitched a bit higher. “I, ah, am Sorcha’s mother, Tyree.”
“My name is Sorley,” Sorcha’s father spoke up and extended his hand the moment Syd released her grip on Tyree. “You must be Jadis. Sorcha’s said a lot about you in her letters.”
Sorley’s accent was also a thick brogue, almost to the point that Jadis had to think twice about a few of the words that the man spoke. He was a more confident speaker, though, and his hand had the calloused firmness of a laborer. Sorcha had told Jadis that her father was a simple farmer, and his appearance supported that statement.
Much like his wife, Sorley didn’t share much in common with his daughter in terms of looks, though there were a few similarities. His face was round, with heavy jowls, and his goatee was trimmed to make his chin look bigger than it was. His short hair was dark orange, though gray had salted much of it, and his lime-green skin showed the signs of years under weather and sun. His eyes were the same emerald green as Sorcha's, though, and most notably, he had the exact same scowl as his daughter.
Probably where she got the effective look from, Jadis presumed.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Syd told Sorley, then stepped back to make room in the doorway. “Please, come in. You caught us at the tail end of dessert because of an early dinner, but we have tons of food. I’m sure you’re hungry after your trip.”
As Syd ushered the three guests inside, she made sure to lean down and whisper in Vraekae’s pointed ear as soon as she knew that the couple wouldn’t overhear.
“Are you tracking people who come to town looking for us?”
“Of course I am,” Vraekae quietly responded without any change in expression. “Your sanctuary spell is not the only means of forewarning afforded to you. I keep careful account of all who enter the city with the intention of seeking you out.”
The spell Vraekae was referring to was Progenitor’s Protective Sanctuary. Jadis had cast the spell almost as soon as they had returned to Eldingholt and it had cost her the whole of her magic reserves to encompass the entirety of the compound. Thus far the spell had not been triggered. It was supposed to go off only when someone with hostile intent entered the designated space. No one had in two weeks, which Jadis presumed to be a byproduct of the good press she had going for her considering all that she and her companions had accomplished in Glanum. Now she was wondering if maybe the reason why no crazies or other malefactors had approached the compound had something to do with Vraekae’s good will, if not her icy affection.
As Syd directed Tyree, Sorley, and Vraekae past the reception area to where all the dining tables were, there was a not entirely subtle scramble of chairs against stone floors that could be heard. By the time the four of them rounded the dividers, everyone in the hall had been maneuvered so that the first person they could see was Sorcha, standing to the fore, with Dys and Sabina standing just behind her. Everyone else had stood as well, including the somewhat bemused Hero and his Oracle.
“Hi mom, hi dad,” Sorcha said with a nervous smile on her face. “How was your trip?”
Jadis had a good view of Sorcha’s parents from all three of her perspectives, so she easily caught the moment that both her mother and her father’s expressions melted from apprehensive worry into pure relief. In an instant, Tyree was across the room and had her arms wrapped around Sorcha in a grip that a dragon couldn’t break. As Sorcha audibly creaked under the pressure, her mother rained down a hail of kisses on her daughter’s head and cheeks, all the while slipping in doting questions between pecks.
“Are you alright? Are you healthy? You’re so thin! Have you been eating? Your hair has gotten so long, have you been taking care of it? You haven’t been eating eggs, have you? You know that isn’t good for your stomach. Did that foot cream fix the blister you told me about? What about—”
The verbal barrage was overridden as Sorley wrapped both his wife and his daughter in his arms and hugged them both, placing a kiss on both of their heads, one after another.
“Good to see you’re safe,” he said with his lips still pressed against the top of Sorcha’s head. “We missed you, Chiggy Pig.”
Chiggy Pig?
Syd stared at Kerr who stared back with wide eyes, both having the same thought though likely from different sides of the same coin. While her face was hard to see, Jadis could see that Sorcha’s skin was flushing with embarrassment. The ammunition that her father had just unceremoniously dropped on his daughter was going to fuel Kerr for months, never mind the rest of them.
By the time either Tyree or Sorley pulled away from Sorcha enough to give Sorcha room to breathe, one particular member of their number was practically vibrating with excitement and simply could not restrain herself any further.
“Hey! My name’s Sabina!” the smith said, practically thrusting her hand in the goblin couple’s faces. “I’m so happy to meet you finally! Sorcha’s my best friend and she’s told me all about you and the town she grew up in and the dog you used to have, at least that I think you used to have, you don’t have Burdy anymore, do you? Anyway, Sorcha’s wonderful and we love her and she never told me that her nickname is Chiggy Pig which is strange because she tells me about most everything since we’re always talking, but I’m glad you both got here safely! Do you like pies?”
Sabina’s impassioned greeting to the two confused goblins was enough of an ice breaker that everyone soon moved forward and began introducing themselves. Most of the interactions went smoothly, though Jadis could still tell that Sorcha’s parents were a little overwhelmed. She had planned for some of her other lovers’ parents to be present for the initial meeting, just to try and help ease the two new arrivals into the strange community that had formed. Things had, once again, not gone as planned, yet that part of the strategy could still be salvaged. As Kerr introduced herself to Sorley and Tyree, Jay slipped unnoticed out of the room, on a mission to find Aila's, Thea's, and Bridget’s parents.
Even as quickly as Jadis could move, she didn’t think she would be back before the most difficult introduction had to be made.
“And this is Severina,” Sorcha explained to her parents as the Seraphim politely bowed to them. “She is the scion of House Lumen…”
“It is my honor to meet you both,” Severina spoke in a practiced, smooth tone. “You have raised an estimable daughter who has proven herself to be a dedicated servant of Valtar and his children. May the All Father bless you both.”
“Th—thank you,” Tyree squeaked with stars in her eyes. “Valtar bless you, Lady Severina!”
“You’re too kind to us,” Sorley said with both hands on a cap he had taken off that Jadis hadn’t noticed earlier. “Very much too kind. Valtar bless you, Lady Seraphim.”
As Severina stepped aside, Jadis saw the sudden and predictable change in demeanor in the two goblins. Their practically worshipful awe turned into a stiff and nearly panicked fear as Alex moved in front of them, gliding across the floor on her long tentacles. Bowing in an exact imitation of Severina’s form, the Demon spoke softly and with a kind expression. Not that it seemed to help.
“I am… Alex…” she said. “And this is… Hope… We are both… Very pleased… To meet you…”
The fear in their eyes was, if not removed completely, lessened significantly as Hope shifted around in Alex’s arms and gave the two goblins a sleepy yet delighted smile. The baby had been sleeping through most of the dinner, but upon hearing her name, she had stirred herself and, in her usual fashion, greeted the world with a toothless grin. Sorley and Tyree were in an almost magical moment, captivated by the adorable little Succubus.
“I, ah, it's ah, nice to meet you,” Sorley finally managed to say as he tried to gather his wits.
“Sorcha has told us all about you,” Tyree said nervously, one hand still clutching onto her husband’s coat. “We… we didn’t know you had given birth! She hadn’t told us that in the last letter! Con—congratulations!”
“You were already on the road when it happened,” Sorcha muttered from the side as she anxiously observed the interaction.
“Would you… Like to… Hold Hope…?”
“Oh, I, uh,” Tyree fumbled for a moment, clearly not sure what to do with the offer.
“You don’t have to—” Sorcha started to say.
“Right, let’s take a look at her then,” Sorley spoke over his daughter while holding out his rough hands.
Alex confidently placed Hope in the goblin man’s grasp. Sorley looked just a little awkward, holding the infant at arm’s length while his face was set in a thinking scowl that made him look eerily like Sorcha when she was in a mood. The baby and old farmer gazed at each other for a long moment before Sorley abruptly nodded his head once in firm resolution.
“Fine looking tyke, she is,” he said with finality. “Big and healthy. Clear eyes. Growing strong.”
“Oh, what do you know about babes,” Tyree squawked before taking Hope from him and cradling the infant in arms that looked far too small and thin to support such a large baby. “She’s a beauty, alright, but she could use some color in those cheeks! What have you been feeding her? She can’t be just on milk if she’s at this stage. You better not be overdoing it with mashed fruits, that’s very unhealthy for young ones!”
“She doesn’t eat, mum,” Sorcha tried to interject. “She’s not—”
“Of course she eats, everyone eats,” Tyree spoke over her daughter. “The little darling didn’t get this big on nothing but air and dreams.”
“Hope eats… Magic…” Alex explained calmly as she moved closer to the older goblin woman. “No solid food…”
“Oh,” Tyree said as she stared nervously at the blue-eyed Demon for a few seconds. “Well, have you been giving her the right kind of magic?”
“Mum, it’s magic, there’s no unhealthy magic for her to eat,” Sorcha tried again.
“That’s not true,” the brown-eyed goblin said as she protectively coddled Hope. “There are all sorts of bad spells, aren’t there? Those can’t be healthy for the little one to eat.”
As Jadis observed the interaction between Sorcha and her parents, she noticed two things right away. The first being that Sorcha’s accent came out much stronger with her family around. Whether that was reflex or on purpose, she wasn’t sure, but the change was easily detectable. The other, more concerning, point was that Sorcha’s parents didn’t seem to listen to her very much. Both seemed to care greatly about their daughter, but they definitely dominated in the conversation. It was a little annoying, though Jadis refrained from interjecting just yet. She didn’t think the way they were overriding their daughter was out of malice, more like they were treating her like, well, a child. Which made sense, since Sorcha was their child.
Jadis made a deliberate note for herself to not do the same when her children grew up.
“Should we… excuse ourselves?” Jocelyn quietly asked Dys.
“We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Wilhelm murmured politely.
“Ah, ye—wait, actually, you don’t mind saying hello to them, do you?” Dys said as a thought struck her.
Neither objected, and a few seconds later, Dys led Wilhelm and Jocelyn over to the goblin couple.
“Who’s this?” Sorley asked with that same scowl on his face as he looked up at the two humans. “I don’t recall reading about anyone who looked like you two in Sorcha’s letters.”
“This is Wilhelm,” Dys introduced the unassuming man to Sorcha’s father. “And this is Jocelyn. They were our dinner guests this afternoon. They were just about to leave, but they wanted to say goodbye to Sorcha’s parents before they went.”
Jadis saw both Wilhelm and Jocelyn’s eyes twinkle with understanding as they caught on to what she was doing. Stepping forward, the man extended his hand and greeted Sorley with a firm handshake and a warm smile.
“It’s a pleasure to meet the father of someone who has done so much for us,” Wilhelm said. “Your daughter was a key figure in the defense of Glanum. I wish I had been there, but the fact that she was made all the difference.”
As Sorley shook Wilhelm’s hand, his scowl shifted to a look of confusion, then dawning awe as he noticed the golden sword that was strapped to the taller man’s belt. In seconds, Sorley was left gawping like a fish out of water.
“Very much a pleasure to meet you,” Jocelyn told Tyree, who had just then relinquished Hope back into Alex’s arms. “I wish we could stay, but we have a few things we must attend to this evening before we need to meet with Emperor Somerulf.”
Turning to Sorcha, who was staring at the Oracle with wide eyes, Jocelyn spoke softly to her, though loudly enough that the other two sets of goblin ears in the room could easily overhear.
“Thank you again for your advice on stamina regeneration spells. I’ll come by to see you the day after tomorrow, if you’re free, so we can work on a few more ideas.”
“Yes, I’ll see you then,” Sorcha replied, just barely managing to not sound choked up. “See you later, Jocelyn.”
Now, Jadis was fairly certain that most of the spell advice being given between the Oracle and Sorcha had been going one way, and not from the goblin. However, the two had been discussing such things over dinner, and Sorcha had given her input to Jocelyn, so there was no lie. It was, instead, a kind gesture that made an obvious impact. By that point, both Sorley and Tyree were staring, bug eyed, their heads snapping back and forth between the Hero, the Oracle, and their daughter.
“Thanks for coming,” Dys told both Wilhelm and Jocelyn as she walked them to the door. And more quietly: “Thank you for doing that.”
“Any time,” Wilhelm grinned.
“I meant every word,” Jocelyn replied with a sweet smile. “I’ll be back to call on Sorcha in two days, I promise.”
With that, the Hero and the Oracle departed, and Jadis and her lovers were left alone with Sorcha’s parents, who were still gawping as their brains tried to reason out what exactly they had just witnessed. All in all, Jadis was quite pleased with how events had turned out.
For all of ten seconds.
“Are we too late to eat?” Tiernan, the Arch Wizard, called out as he walked into the dining hall and up to the gathering of people. “All this talk of blood magic and Demon possessions has made a gnome famished!”
Beside him, a giant eyeball rolled into view. Said eyeball had a fog of ominously red mist floating along behind it, shrouding the area in a disturbing light.
Before Jadis could respond, Tyree fainted into her husband’s arms.
“Was it something I said?”
214