The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 85

PART 14

The next day Karzog trained troops, Helemia trained lieutenants, and Reggie and Valentia trained the fourteen Senior Sylvan, after naming them colonels in a quick ceremony.

Only a week later they promoted Dolimatbene to General, and the new Sylvan force took part in their first co-operative military exercise with the Homesteaders, facing a force of demons simulated by Quewanak, Ria, Equemev, and Povon. Equemev and Povon had been recruited because even Quewanak and Ria needed help simulating enough enemies for almost twenty-one thousand fighters. Having proved themselves and their Sylvan force in battle with a convincing and very aggressive performance, General Dolimatbene and the colonels were directed to report to Commander Yazadril for further training, and the four young governors relinquished their command and their posts.

This freed them to throw themselves into their other projects, including assisting Hilsith's research.

Twenty-one days later Hilsith's research group, which included most of the best magic-users in Homestead, succeeded in giving wizardry to a human who completely lacked the ability. This was the first time it had ever been accomplished. Mark's grandmother Sana was the first, and a moment after the great Linking of wizards was finished with the operation, Mark taught her Movement by setting the spell in her mind. She lifted the pendant she'd chosen for her first act of magic a moment after that, and everyone cheered their accomplishment for the great victory that it was.

Over the next two days she was thoroughly Healed, which reduced her apparent age to about twenty-three years. A month later she was learning new spells rapidly, she had exhibited no side effects, and Hilsith's testing revealed that she was no longer aging.

This prompted another celebration, and that night Valentia redesigned the spells. The next morning Markhan the Senior started receiving the improved treatments. He was a wizard by lunchtime, and had regained his youth by suppertime.

By the time the last human in the village had been made a wizard, the senior wizards who were casting the spells were so proficient at it that any six of them could do it. Mark, Talia, and Alilia could do it with just the three of them, as could Hilsith, Yazadril, and Nemia. Reggie and Helemia could do it as a pair. Only Valentia could do it by herself.

At that point Hilsith threw herself into the elven fertility problem with Yzell, while Mark, Talia, Alilia, and their children found themselves in the position of test subjects in that project.

Yazadril started a team that used the techniques they'd developed to make wizards of humans to improve the power of the weakest elves.

Reggie, Helemia, Valentia, and Karzog continued to contribute to both of those projects, but they began putting much of their effort into the void warfare project with Kragorram and Povon.

Over time, the Homesteaders and the Sylvan mixed more and more. They all fought simulated demons together, some of the senior Sylvan began making contributions to the research projects, and a few of the younger adult Homesteaders took to training, fighting, partying, and living with the platoons of the Sylvan. Trade was established as they learned what goods and services both groups had to offer. The most popular trade was Sylvan mead for specialized magic instruction.

With seven months to go before the scheduled call to the gods, at a gathering of everyone held on the Sylvan beach after six strenuous hours of battling simulated demons, Reen augmented his voice, called for attention, and made an announcement that surprised almost everyone.

"There's a new tradition in The Just Alliance; that you can marry whoever you want. You can marry outside your race, as Mark and Talia and others here have done. And if you can attract more than one spouse and keep them happy, you can marry as many as you want to. So it's fine that Yazadril is practically married to both Nemia and Hilsith, and Mark is practically married to both Talia and Alilia.

"In the keeping of this new tradition, my wife Nek Sibook and I would like to announce that in fifteen days, in the Homestead Gathering Hall, we will be married to Polan and Mika Longstrider!"

As everyone gasped, cheered, laughed, or exclaimed, those two worthy young men stood with Nek, and the three of them moved to stand behind Reen.

Polan and Mika were brothers, and were Mark's grandfather's younger brother's sons, but they tended to spend most of their time at the pub as either assistants or customers, so Mark and his immediate family didn't know them very well. Like all the Longstrider men except Mark, they were about two hundred and thirty centimeters tall, with muscular builds and brown hair, in their case lightened to light brown by the sun. They grinned as they hugged their new fiancés, whom they towered over.

"While Mark and Yazadril have two wives each, Nek will have three husbands." Reen continued. "Now some may wonder why I'd let my wife marry two more husbands, but the truth is that Nek is our shining star. Her abilities and character are so incredible that in a few years, I intend to make her ruling Empress of the Human Empire of Sming. I still can't believe she settled for me when she married me, and Polan and Mika both know that she's better than what they deserve as well. But she loves them anyway, and she loves me, and they love her, and the two of them and I have grown to love each other like brothers. Nek gets three husbands because that's what she wants, and she deserves it, just for making us as happy as she does.

"And besides all that, she's sexually insatiable, and no one man could keep her satisfied! Oww!"

That last was in response to the short punch she gave to his shoulder, but then she was hugging him and grinning as the four embraced, and everyone gave them a laugh and a cheer.

The party that night was a particularly good one, and the one after their wedding fifteen nights later was just as fine.

Just more than a month after Nek's second wedding, while Mark was putting away his dishes after breakfast, he noticed something in his yard.

"Hey, there's a big dead deer on the lawn." he remarked, but it vanished as he finished speaking.

"That's mine!" Helemia snapped, seeming more than a little defensive. "I'll finish dealing with it after breakfast." she added in a calmer tone, aware of how strident she had seemed. "Why would you leave a dead deer on the lawn? And when?" Alilia asked in a puzzled tone.

"What's the difference?!" Helemia yelled. "It's mine and I'll deal with it!"

With that she disappeared in a sudden Translocation.

Her family were stunned with surprise for a moment, then Talia asked Reggie; "Is she all right?"

"She's fine." he nodded reassuringly. "Really, don't worry about it, it's not a problem."

He obviously wasn't going to say any more about it, and they didn't want to check on Helemia in case she felt they were prying, so they had to take his word for it.

In a cave on the south-east coast of Hiliani, Helemia spent a few long moments calming herself, preparing herself, and staring at her dead deer. Then she spoke. "Karzog?"

The young black dragon appeared in the cave with her, looking a bit flustered.

"Thank you for the gift, Karzog." she told him in a friendly tone with a warm smile.

"Ah, you're welcome." he stammered. "I'm not sure why I did it. I had a dream last night where I hunted for you and brought you prey, and it felt so nice that I woke up and did it. I'm, ah, I'm a bit confused about it, really. I know I should have had it butchered and wrapped for you, since you're a humanoid, but that just didn't seem right."

"I'm honored and grateful, and I accept your gift most humbly, just as it is." she smiled, and his broad smile beamed toothily in response.

"Does it feel as nice as it did in your dream?" she asked.

His smile became a grin. "Yes. Yes it does."

"Good. I'll tell you what." she said as she Summoned a short sword and some spices. "Tear off a haunch for me and I'll skin and prepare it, then you can roast it for me. Then we can eat together, and go flying.' "Sure!" Karzog enthused as he tore off the left rear leg and thigh. "I think I'd really like that."000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

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