The Homunculus Knight

Chapter 1: A belated birthday

“True loyalty cannot be constructed, you can indoctrinate someone or mutilate their mind into subservience, but that is a poor substitute. Loyalty must be earned, but that process can be accelerated by careful mind sculpting and priming. Instead of cutting a psyche into obedience, it is better to cultivate a need in the subject. Train them to need a purpose, and then give them that purpose.” - Words of Archon Gens Silva

:: Three Months after the Winter Solstice ::

The third month of the year, Stormthaw was well-named, especially in the city-state of Vindabon. Cold rain sluiced down from the heavens in a never-ending curtain of frigid dampness, laying waste to the last pockets of snow hiding across the city while swelling the Alidon River to its seasonal girth. Spring was just a few days away, and with it, the equinox festival

In the months since the madness of the Winter Solstice, the city found its footing, showing no sign of the previous riot, rebellion, and demonic incursion. Even the war waging in the south had little effect on the city, except for its effect on trade. The absence of southern grain, wool, and other goods was felt but not enough to pinch the rich city-state. By contrast, the manufacture of weapons, armor, and magical protections was booming. Every armorer, fletcher, swordsmith, ward-magi, inscriber priest, salt seller, and cobbler in the city was drowning in customers.

A steady stream of mercenaries, templars, petty nobles, newly signed soldiers, and anyone interested in righteous violence passed through Vindabon, feeding their coin into the city and getting as much protection from and ability to deal death as they could afford. By nature of the conflict, the center of this steel trade had become the main Weinstadt market. The thirteenth district housed the Tenth Temple, and Master Time’s blessings were in as much demand as good swords.

A small army of warriors clogged the market, hoping to get good equipment and get out of the rain as soon as possible. In this crowd, an incongruous figure slipped between the burly soldiers seeking instruments of war. A young woman with long black hair and pale skin, wearing a colorful dress in the mountain style. Fine of feature and form, the woman danced between market-goers, a near-ephemeral presence who caught the eye of anyone who glanced her way.

Natalie Striga was enjoying unlife, even now on a miserable rainy day surrounded by surly warriors who eyed her with slightly too much hunger. Humming a pointless tune, Natalie found her way through the throngs of people and toward her objective. Even blocked from view, Emma of Stonebone’s stall was easy to find; Natalie just had to follow the shouting.

“I DON’T CARE HOW MUCH GOLD YOU ARE OFFERING! IT! IS! NOT! FOR! SALE!!” The smith’s voice carried over the market murmur and was punctuated by the clang of metal on metal.

A man who sounded like a gurgling pipe growled back. “Why are you displaying it if it’s not for sale then? Is it not your work?”

Natalie winced as the man started to scream. It was a high-bubbling note that told everyone the poor bastard hadn’t invested in a codpiece. Deciding to intervene before any more of the man’s future children died, Natalie pushed through the crowd toward Emma’s stall. Finding the short, stout armorer standing over a grizzled mercenary who lay on the wet cobblestones, clutching his nethers. Emma tapped a hammer in one palm and glared storm clouds down at the incapacitated man.

Pointing her hammer at her other potential customers, Emma barked. “I have plenty of good quality kit to sell! My steel is Hakon-style, and I’m a triple-marked smith of that hold! Anyone who wants to question my armor is welcome to test the strength that made it!”

Emma noticed Natalie then and let out an annoyed huff. “You’re late. If you showed up on time, this dumb fuck’s testicles would still be intact.”

To punctuate this, Emma rolled her victim onto his back with a booted foot. Sighing, Natalie offered her excuse. “I got waylaid on another errand; you aren’t the only one who is busy.”

Grunting in acknowledgment, Emma said. “Fair enough, now I have everything all set; are you ready to take it?”

Nodding, Natalie pointed at the armor trunk laid out in Emma’s stall. “Anything I need to know?”

Emma went over to the trunk and opened it, revealing a folded suit of laminar mail. The dark steel shone even in the overcast daylight and would have taken Natalie’s breath away. Reaching down, Emma pulled out the suit’s helmet and showed it to Natalie. “I was doing some last-minute adjustments, and the git with the shattered balls saw it and wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was an interesting project; tell the Paladin I’m happy to take other custom orders.”

The small group of waiting customers who’d started to grow annoyed with Natalie’s line-cutting perked up upon hearing who the armor was for. A pained groan from the cobblestone grabbed Natalie’s attention as the semi-neutered mercenary tried to pull himself up. “W-why didn’t you say the armor was for the Paladin?”

Emma scoffed and handed the helmet to Natalie. “Because it doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t hand over an ordered suit of any customer. They paid and put their trust in me, like hells I’m going to betray that for a slightly bigger profit.”

Abashed, the mercenary skulked off, walking with a distinctly bow-legged gate as he did. Natalie tried to hide her smile, which was easy to do with a heavy scarf around her face. She’d gotten much better at hiding her fangs, but the cold weather provided an easy way to protect her identity.

Looking at the helmet, Natalie ran a finger along the embossed hourglass mark on the forehead. Emma saw what she was doing and chuckled. “I figured he’d like that. He didn’t give me any instructions for decoration, so I let myself be a bit creative.”

Feeling the internal leather padding and marveling at how damn big Cole’s head was for the bucket-sized helmet to fit, Natalie nodded and set the helmet back in the box. Emma tapped the open lid of the chest and said. “It should meet his specifications exactly, but the very nature of the kit makes it easy to adjust. The trunk has unfolding wheels, so moving it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Holding out her hand, Emma added. “It’s been a pleasure conspiring with you, Natalie, have fun at the party and send the Paladin my best wishes.”

Natalie took the proffered hand and noted how strong Emma’s grip was. The smith seemed to be trying to crush Natalie’s hand. A flicker of amusement went across the vampire’s face, and she returned the grip with equal strength. Which did take a little effort, as it would be easy for Natalie to rip the woman’s hand off accidentally. “Thank you for playing along; he’ll probably be around for adjustments sooner rather than later.”

Unfolding the wheels, Natalie gripped one of the chest’s handles and pulled it along the cobblestone. Passing through the crowd, who were now eager to purchase armor from the Paladin’s favored smith, Natalie saw a few sets of eyes linger on her. They didn’t have the bored hunger of soldiers seeing a pretty woman like before. Now they had a mix of fear, shock, confusion, and even wary respect. It seemed some of them had figured out who, or more accurately, what, Natalie was.

In the wake of the Solstice Ball and the Louon Fire, knowledge of Natalie's presence within the city became unfortunately well known. The story of a Paladin and his vampire consort blessed by Master Time was too good not to spread like wildfire. Thankfully, from what Natalie heard so far, the rumors were reasonably accurate or at least favorable to her. Being the person who actually captured the Heart-stealer earned her all sorts of positive regard. Something probably helped by Uncle Trickster’s followers smoothing things over for her. Argentari proved good to his word so far, and Natalie was officially a citizen of Vindabon held in high standing.

Passing through the crowd, trunk clattering behind her, Natalie couldn’t help but smile. Things were going well, and she was learning just to enjoy the moments of calm. The last three or so months had been peaceful for both her and Cole. Natalie spent much of her time learning from various mentors, be they human, vampire, or ghosts. By contrast, Cole spent his time training priests and soldiers to fight the undead, occasionally consulting with various political leaders. Trying to spread his extensive knowledge about the Duchies and their undead forces to any who’d listen.

On some level, Natalie knew Cole was starting to become restless. He’d not spent this much time in a single place since he became a Paladin, and it made him nervous. But his God hadn’t called him elsewhere, so seemed Cole was exactly where he was supposed to be. Natalie, for her part, was loving the new normal the last few months provided. She was making a new life in Vindabon and learning to enjoy every moment of joy.

She’d also started working to make more of those moments, which was why she’d picked up Cole’s armor. It had taken some scheming, but Natalie got Emma to lie about exactly when the suit of armor would be finished. Saying it would take a few weeks longer than it really would. So that Natalie could pick it up without Cole knowing and have it ready for his birthday party.

The Spring Equinox wasn’t just a festival of renewal and life; it was Cole’s birthday. Or at least the day he’d chosen as his birthday. Natalie had always loved parties, especially birthdays; they are one of the few celebrations just about enjoying people. No religious baggage or serious expectations, just an opportunity to express love and affection for someone.

Reaching the Tenth Temple, Natalie passed by the temple guards and received curt nods. They used to reach for their weapons every time they saw her, so Natalie considered this a serious improvement. Heading toward the dormitory section of the Temple, Natalie found her destination. She couldn’t store the trunk in her and Cole’s room for obvious reasons, so another hiding place was required.

Knocking on the door, Natalie received no answer. After a second of consideration, Natalie opened the door and went inside. A slight prickling tingle spread along her skin as she did. The owner of this room considered it a home and hadn’t invited Natalie. Thresholds hold some level of magical protection, and Vampires have a difficult time passing them without invitation. Thankfully, the aetheric phenomena was anything but consistent, and as the Alukah, Natalie could ignore all but the strongest thresholds.

Dragging the trunk into the room, Natalie found Mina sitting in the center of a meditation circle, running her fingers along a prayer rope. Opening a single eye, Mina let out a tired sigh and shook her head. “I didn’t want to be disturbed, Natalie.”

Shrugging, the unabashed vampire yanked the trunk over to one corner of the room and sat down on it. “Sorry, but I need somewhere to keep this until the party.”

Letting out a slow breath, realizing she wasn’t going to be doing any more meditating, Mina got up and gestured at the trunk. “So that’s it? The armor he ordered, and you basically stole from him?”

Natalie rolled her eyes and got off the trunk, and showed its contents to Mina. The Priestess let out a low whistle as she examined the armor. “I see the smith took inspiration from the imperial laminar style, a bit antiquated but effective.”

Playing with the helmet’s hinged cheek guards, Mina added. “Cole will actually look like a Paladin once he puts this on. Or at least some ancient knight with enchanted armor.”

Picking up a segmented arm guard, Natalie watched the steel change between blue and black as the light played off it. “I’ve heard of blued steel, but I never knew it was actually blue...”

Mina nodded. “It’s something the dwarfs invented. The stuff is in major demand among the templars and similar. They say it can withstand a horse kick without denting, and that's with mundane metal, not true dwarven steel.”

The last few months had also done a lot to expand Natalie’s education. She’d spent countless nights in the Temple library learning as much as possible. With every book and scroll consumed, Natalie better understood how complicated the world was. The more she learned, the less it seemed she knew. But she had learned about templars, the apparently correct term for soldiers serving a God or religious body, and how each Dwarven Hold enchanted their steel in a distinct way with different properties.

Setting the armguard down in the trunk, Natalie said. “I don’t want him to stumble across this before the party, and I need a space to do some alterations to the box without anyone noticing.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mina asked, “And why not ask Morri or someone else about a storage room instead of using my dormitory?”

Clicking her tongue, Natalie answered. “Because they will probably check in with Cole to ensure I’m not doing anything suspicious. Or if not, they’ll probably set a jagging guard outside the storage room out of fear I’m engaged in necromancy or something. Besides, I’ve wanted an excuse to spend time with you, so this provides it.”

Grunting in annoyance, Mina kicked the trunk gently. “Fine, you will just owe me one.”

Smiling, Natalie reached into her satchel and pulled out a set of carving tools. “Great! I can start now.”

Mina blinked in sudden understanding and watched in horror as Natalie pulled a dirty painter’s cloth from her bag and placed it on the floor. Scooching the trunk onto the cloth, Natalie continued unpacking her satchel, revealing the paint brushes, paint, and lacquer. Shaking her head in protest, Mina said. “No, no, no! I thought you were going to maybe carve his name in it, not… whatever the jag this is!”

Natalie shrugged and gave Mina an impish smile, slightly ruined by her fangs. “Don’t you know, once you invite a vampire past a threshold, they can come in whenever they please?”

Rubbing her face, Mina groaned. “I haven’t invited you, and it doesn’t even work like that!”

Realizing, Natalie wasn’t really paying attention and was already sizing up the trunk for her project, the Priestess sighed and muttered. “I should stake you and stuff you into a broom closet until the Equinox.”

Mina did not, in fact, stake Natalie and stuff her into a broom closet. Instead, she showed the holy virtues of patience and charity. Or at least that's what she told herself to curtail the impulse to throttle Natalie. It took Natalie two days and three nights of hard work, but she finished her alterations to the box and had it ready for the party. At the cost of rumors of Natalie going into Mina’s room early in the morning and said room now vaguely smelling of sawdust and varnish.

When Mina complained about the smell, Natalie just shrugged and said. “Plenty more reason to spend the night with Alia!”

The priestess intended to set the vampire on fire until she realized that actually was not a bad excuse. Despite Natalie’s willful disregard for Mina’s personal space, the two did find plenty of time to talk. Natalie told Mina about her ‘adventure’ with the vampiress Pryia while Mina filled her friend in on how things were going with Alia. Both of them had been busy in the wake of the Solstice, so it had been nice to reconnect now that things were achieving some semblance of normalcy.

Alongside the chest, Natalie had been busy with other preparations for the party. As the Equinox crept closer, she felt reasonably certain everything was set, which led her to one final obstacle, getting Cole to the venue without issue. She’d done her best to hide her plans from him and was reasonably certain she’d been successful. Now on the morning of the Equinox, she had schemes to enact.

Cole woke up slowly, he’d fed Natalie and Isabelle the night before, and the blood loss showed. Groggy, trying to retain consciousness, Cole groped around for the water by the bed until someone handed him a glass. Drinking it without even properly opening his eyes, Cole made a satisfied noise and managed to set the glass down without issue. As he finally got the energy to open his lids, he groaned slightly as a familiar weight lay on top of him.

Natalie lay on Cole’s chest and smiled down at him. “Happy birthday Cole!”

Blinking in confusion, Cole tried to understand what she meant. Realization dawned, and Cole muttered. “I did pick the Equinox, didn’t I? I kinda forgot about that.”

Scooching up and leaning forward, Natalie kissed Cole good morning. After not enough time, Natalie broke it and said. “So you know how I’ve been really busy the last week or so? Well, I’ve been preparing a few surprises for you! Now get up out of bed and get ready to go!”

Still befuddled, Cole tried to disentangle himself from Natalie, something her questing hands and lips made a little difficult. Finally, a deep laugh escaped Cole, and he simply tossed Natalie onto the bed next to him. Finally escaping her, he headed for the washroom, and Natalie followed.

Raising an eyebrow, Cole watched as she stripped her clothes off with practiced ease, putting a little more sway in her hips as she did. Admiring the sight, Cole said. “I thought we had plans for the day. If we get… distracted in the bath, that might take some time.”

Her smile brimming with hunger, Natalie said, “Don’t worry, I included this in my schedule.”

Cole laughed again and stripped out of his sleeping clothes. The couple spent the next hour or so getting clean, then dirty, then clean again. At last, washed and dressed, Cole ate breakfast in the dining hall while Natalie explained her plans.

“I figured we could walk the Green Path and then visit the Flower Arch before maybe catching a show in Strausburg. After that, we could stop for lunch, then watch the spring parade. Once that’s done, I have another surprise for you!”

Finishing his scrambled eggs, Cole asked. “Do I get a say in any of this?”

Natalie shook her head and clicked her tongue. “If you told me what you wanted to do, I’d have taken that under consideration. But you didn’t, so in light of your dereliction, I’ve been forced to make plans for your birthday.”

An amused snort escaped Cole. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Fangs flashing, Natalie said. “More than you can imagine. I like parties, birthdays especially. Even more so when it belongs to someone I love, so ready yourself for as much affection and enjoyment I can fit into twenty-four hours.”

Shrugging, Cole deposited his dishes in a passing wash cart and stood up. “As I have no experience with birthdays, I will leave this in your capable hands.”

Natalie swooped low in an exaggerated bow. “As you wish, Sir Paladin.”

Smiling, Cole took Natalie's arm and allowed himself to be led from the Temple. Vindabon was in high spirits; the storm from earlier in the week was gone, and warm spring sunlight gilded the city. A light rain before dawn dampened the city and coaxed the bravest buds out of hibernation, giving many trees and bushes a green tint. But they went unnoticed compared to the utter beauty of the green path. The work of a hundred shamans, magi, and mundane gardeners had gone into the annual spring tradition.

In most towns, the Green Path was little more than a strip of magically coaxed moss looping around the local temple and leading to its door; a meditation trail created on the first day of spring for people to enjoy. Meant to help shake off the lethargy of winter and signify the start of the more active seasons. Everyone in a settlement would walk the path at least once on the Equinox, using the time to ponder the coming season and make oaths of growth and renewal.

Vindabon was not most towns, and its Green Path was more like a garden promenade. Moss and grass had grown up through the gaps in cobblestone and turned a winding section of city road into verdant greenery. Flowering vines and blooming lichen slithered up street lights and the faces of buildings. Even a few trees managed to push themselves out of drainage alcoves and provide dappled shade along the path.

This incredible display of magic ran through the city in a great circuit that touched all ten temples, the city palace, and the ivory tower. Stepping out onto the moss-edged cobblestones, Cole and Natalie joined hundreds of other pedestrians walking the green path. The mixture of fresh grass and moss made the road slightly springy, and Natalie had to resist the urge to jump up and down on it. Cole, for his part, simply marveled at the amount of effort that must have gone into the display of herbamancy.

Staring up at a crooked elm tree that had certainly not been there the day before, Cole idly muttered, “How did they do it?”

Natalie answered with the barest hint of smugness. “It’s sorcery, the combination of different types of magic to do something none of them could do alone.”

Cole raised an eyebrow. “I know that, and I’m impressed you do too. But what I meant is, where do they get the power to make this happen? The sheer size of the working is absurd; you’d need….”

As he mused on the problem, Cole solved it. “The Lych, he helps with this.”

Nodding, Natalie said. “Yep, he and the spirit of Vindabon help make it work; I read about it in the temple library.”

Letting out an amused breath, Cole squeezed Natalie’s hand. “I see you are putting your nights alone to good use?”

Leaning against her partner and enjoying his warmth, Natalie said. “Very much so. Also, you’ve reminded me of a question I’ve wanted to ask. Is your mixing of blood magic and paladin magic sorcery?”

Cole frowned as he considered it. “Technically, yes, but what I’ve done is very shoddy. Little more than using two types of magic together, not using them in concert.”

Natalie didn’t fully understand, but she knew enough to get what Cole was saying. He’d managed to freeze his blood and use it as a weapon. By contrast, the tree-singers behind the green path wove life, aetheric currents, spirits, and botanical knowledge together into an impossible forest. Sure, the green path would quickly wilt away within a few days like any life forced to grow so quickly. But for a short time, it would be beautiful and inspire joy across the city.

Snaking through Vindabon, Cole and Natalie walked and talked, just another young couple among thousands of people on the path. Somehow they went unnoticed, which Cole initially assumed was due to all the interesting sights but slowly realized couldn’t be natural. Both paladin and vampire were, unfortunately, celebrities in Vindabon, and neither of them was doing anything to disguise themselves.

“Alright, I give up; why haven’t people noticed us yet?” he asked, glancing around at the pedestrians who barely reacted to his looming size and scarred face.

Beaming with pride, Natalie reached into a fold of her dress and pulled out a piece of carved bone. Runes covered the etched remains, very familiar runes. Cole took the proffered runebone and asked. “A subtlety enchantment?”

Nodding, Natalie tapped the stone. “A birthday gift from Isabelle. It's a stupidly powerful subtlety spell designed to let us blend in with crowds. After everything, she wanted a way for you and me to have some privacy.”

Impressed, Cole let his aetheric senses brush against the runebone, feeling the vein of red power that connected Natalie and the enchantment. He was getting better at sensing magic and using his sight more subtly. The last six months had forced Cole to grow rapidly, and he didn’t fully know how to feel about his increasing strength.

Cole ignored those worries and said, “I see you are powering the enchantment. How does that work?”

Shrugging, Natalie reclaimed the runebone and danced it between her fingers. “I’ve been working with Isabelle on a few things. I have plenty of raw power, and she knows how to use it well. She said subtlety enchantment is really easy, and ‘even someone without any talent can make a primitive one.’ Which with her guidance I did!”

A flicker of a smile went across Cole’s face as he remembered Isabelle saying something similar to him when teaching the same spell. “Well, it's impressive and incredibly useful; thank you both.”

Pocketing the runebone, Natalie pointed at something in the distance. “But enough about that. Look, we are close to the Flower Arch!”

She was right; they’d gotten close to the city-palace and now could see the monument where the path started and ended. Framing the palace's main gate was a great triumph arch like of the old empire, except instead of marble and gold, it was made of flowers and trees. Two great oaks sprung up on either side of the entrance, with a nest of vines linking them and weaving their canopies into the arch’s roof. Flowering vines of every possible shade and variety covered the oaks, obscuring every centimeter of bark behind blooming colors. Colors forming living murals depicting the triumphs and tribulations of the city.

Stepping closer, Cole and Natalie saw the mighty dragon Vindoric spreading his green wings above a humble hamlet. Followed by the first lords of the city building the original castrum and their eventual defense against the Sidhe. A dozen more sights Natalie vaguely recognized from the histories she’d read joined them, each painted in flowers across the left arch.

Cole was busy looking at a trail of golden alyssum flowers that went from the left arch of history along the bottom of the arch beam and down onto the right arch of now. The trail started with Saint Arka and her battles against the Demons, with the alyssum marking the flight of a single arrow from the past to the present. The arrow landed in the grip of a cloaked warrior who held it up before the city, a glowing blue axe in the figure's other hand, and a writhing demon at his feet. With a deep sigh, Cole inspected his part of the flower mural.

Natalie noticed where Cole was staring and let out a short laugh. Pointing at the brooding shape painted with widow-bells and blue irises, she said. “Oh look, even the city is celebrating your birthday.”

An even deeper and more exasperated sigh rumbled out from Cole, and he rubbed his face in exhaustion. “I really hope Isabelle’s amulet keeps working; otherwise, things will get very difficult.”

Looking up at the mural, Natalie nudged her lover and said. “Well, it could be worse; the solstice ball could be up there.”

Grimacing at that idea, Cole let Natalie lead him away from the arch. “What’s next on your busy agenda?”

Inhuman strength and speed had all sorts of applications, but Cole had never considered getting a great spot to watch a parade one of them. After catching two plays in Strausburg and enjoying a late lunch, the couple returned to the city-palace. Where Natalie showed Cole the full extent of her preparations. In the form of a cat, she’d scouted out a secluded rooftop at the edge of the parade route. After Natalie coaxed Cole to climb up with her, the couple sat on the roof and waited for the Equinox Parade to begin.

Peering down at the three-story drop to the cobblestones, Cole repeated his concerns. “This isn’t exactly legal; we could damage the roof if we aren’t careful.”

Natalie rolled her eyes and bumped her forehead into his shoulder. “Not all of us have your advantage in height, and I want to actually be able to see the parade.”

Accepting that, Cole enjoyed the feeling of Natalie leaning against him. Peering over the roof’s edge, he watched as more and more people filled the thronging streets. Thousands of people had turned out for the parade, and Cole watched as beleaguered city guards tried to clear a central lane on the green path. The reason for this became clear as the thunder of drums came from the palace's main gate. A huge portcullis creaked open, and a force of soldiers marched beneath the flower arch. Clad in solid mail, the soldiers held their shields above their heads, creating a solid platform. Atop that platform was Lady Isibeth Franz, the Elector-Prince’s niece and his heir.

Isibeth held a laurel wreath up in one hand before her, ritually crowning the parade and all its members in ancient glory. In fact, the whole display was meant to mimic the archaic triumphs of the old empire, when legions of heroes marked their victories over the Sidhe with grand parades such as this.

As the shieldbearers and city-regent passed by, marching down the street, they were followed by a stream of mounted knights, each in full panoply and holding a banner high. These were representatives of the leading houses of Vindabon, and Cole idly wondered if Jaerd DeMello or any of the other young noblings he’d dealt with were among the armored troops.

Next came the source of the drumming, a full band of drummers, pipers, and other players, each wearing the city colors. At their head was a priestess of Uncle Trickster wearing the full motley of the festival fool and prancing about without a care. The priestess capered and danced in front of the musicians with nearly liquid grace. Long bells dangling from her dyed hair bounced and jounced, playing a discordant song only Natalie or anyone else with unnatural senses could hear.

After that came pageant wagons from every guild, group, faction, or family hoping to present themselves favorably to the city. The armorer's guild had managed to mount an enchanted anvil to their cart, and a quartet of dwarven smiths hammered away at a glowing ingot, spraying sparks up into the air as two teams of hardy oxen pulled the wagon and its displayed steel. A troop of night companions clad in red silk and little else danced atop a polished stage, and appreciative spectators whooped and cheered at their sensual movements. Members of the Andvari Bank tossed handfuls of miss-minted coins, copper and bronze flashing in the spring sunlight as the malformed coinage found eager hands. Even a crew of drunken ditch diggers sat atop a rickety cart and sang bawdy tunes with zero harmony.

Between the wagons were other troops of smaller size and lesser pedigree. Sky monks sang hymns as they glided by, their feet floating just a few centimeters off the ground. Mercenaries native to Vindabon displayed the skulls of monsters and men, crowing about their victories and strutting with all the bravado they could muster. Foreign merchants rode strange beasts and displayed stranger goods, including a willowy elf from across the sea riding atop an honest-to-aunty stag.

Letting out a contented sigh, Natalie asked. “Are you enjoying your birthday?”

Cole gazed down at the parade for a long moment before answering. “I… I actually am, thank you.”

Beaming, Natalie snuggled against Cole. “I am very glad to hear that.”