DISCLAIMER: All characters engaging in sexual conduct are 18 years or older, and legally permitted to engage in such activities, irrespective of pet names used for each other, 2000 years in the future they were fine with it..
Kingdoms:
Queen Amice-- Capital Morroco -- Home - Cegramond
Queen Hollis -- Capital Djamena  - Velho southern island-
Queen Isabella -- Capital Tripoli
Queen Gilfa -- Capital Cairo
Nobody looked up from the story Serena was telling. We walk over and sit down in a massive living area with several couches and chairs, sitting next to Nora and pull her in. Okay, not as plush as I thought they would be, the furniture looks amazing but this couch is stiff.
"She's talking about the first time she met the elves when they came to visit during her time as queen. They pushed the banking system across all of the realms," Nora whispers.
I'd read a dozen books on that topic and if it was a good thing or a bad thing as the less populated realms lost quite a bit of their value in currency. The Inquisition was supposed to prevent things like that, but they were dependent on the rich as they only received money from the richest families to train their children with no taxes in return. Serena was talking about how they talked openly about how the Elven way was the only way.
"Many lost more than half of their value." Serena said and Abi holds up her hand.
"What would you have done?" Abi asks and looks over at me.
"I'd have given each realm the same amount of currency. We preach that each realm should be equal, no realm above another, no alliances allowed, but you saw the two that received the most currency immediately work together, took on the third, then bullied the inquisition and they came after us last as the smallest of the four, The entire council was bought in because they were paid much more from them than us, so they had every incentive to allow it.
"Is it still that way?" Catalina asked.
"Up until you stopped it, it is still the reason why the Inquisition can not function long term. No offense," Serena looked over at me, "This will only hold short term, twenty years a most before it starts all over again. That got way too serious, listen to me, I was just going to mention the Elves were hear since we are going to see them."
"How do we fix that? Abi looks over at Nora.
"Serena, would you like to come to work with me tomorrow? We are going to introduce this as a systemic problem. We should probably address this before we lose the people that would listen." Nora replies without lifting her head out of my lap as I rub her shoulders.
"Wait, I was;" Serena looks around the table and then smiles, "I got roped into one of your crazy stories, that didn't take long." She smiles bigger. "Ha, crazy."
"Isn't it though?" Denae answers, "I felt the same way when James did the same thing to me, the next couple of days could be busy for you Mom." Denae laughs.
Back at the house, the beds reappeared in the common room and Nora said we needed to hurry as she had to get up early tomorrow with the time difference.
"Wait, why are we getting kicked out of the room?" I ask and Nora stops.
"That is a good point, I love you and all, but Mazarine doesn't kick in her sleep."
"I kick in my sleep?" I ask and get everyone saying yes.
"More like flop around from side to side." Cat says and Neivia laughs.
"Yes, that also."
"Nevermind, I'm not sure I want to sleep here anymore," I say as Nora makes another bed and pulls me down into it. "Ha, like your the victim; leg kicker." she replies crawling on top.
"Don't listen to them James," Mazarine says and I nod back to her for helping me out here.
Nora is pulling my clothes off, jostling me around. "Would you like to wait until tomorrow so you can sleep?"
"Nobody gets to sleep while this is going on, we can feel it in the bond, lift. your.hips." Nora grunts and pulls my pants down and off. "Ahh, much better." She scoots up, and starts laughing with the look on my face.
"Oh shush, I've been patient long enough."
"We could have just made them disappear?"
"Oh yeah, was caught up in the moment." Nora smiles and slides up my stomach like a snake, reaches under and slides me in after a kiss.
"Oh, just like that huh." I whisper and groan.
"Mmhmm, if I have to persuade Velho to give money away, I'm going to need motivation."
"If you can do that, we'll all take care of you." Reaching down I pull her up for another kiss and start pushing into her fast holding her in place.
"Mmmmmmphm." She hmmms and haws into my mouth, she loves getting held still with a fast pace, has to be the hardest woman to please out of everyone, and takes the longest unless ganged up on.
"Don't slow down," Nora says the moment I take a break and go a bit slower. Well, I guess since I have no appointments tomorrow I can get the workout now, picking the pace back up again. Putting so much into hammering her out, I can only focus on making myself breathe until she gets quiet and holds her breath through an orgasm and pushes it back out in a whoosh.
"Hooahh, goodness," she goes back to sliding up and down, undulating her hips and just grinding slowly. "I knew you were special the first day I met you, but this, this, never crossed my mind." Leaning down, "You know how many times I've imagined us in the Library?" She bites my earlobe. "That's what I want."
"Anytime, anywhere love, that sounds a bit naughty though."
"That's the point." I get an eye roll from Nora of all people, that's new.
"Okay then."
The next morning we were called to Tahareesa's. Serena and Nora went to Velho,
"Good morning, Tahareesa." The ladies say in almost unison, I follow it up and we take a seat at the table, it was lunch time here, but we just finished breakfast so even I passed on that offer.
"You seem worried?" I ask as she replies and sits at the table.
"Mother sent messengers over the last week, we have three allies and two that stand against."
"Against what?" I have my suspicion based on how she was leaning, normally, she was always upright and graceful.
"Everything, many are two or three generations from the founding, most have never met Ian and like the twenty or so generations of humans, have no idea who he is or was."
"So? They don't want to allow the humans in, or do anything about this, not believing it will happen." I ask and get a nod from her. "Queen Hollis was saying the same thing about many of her people. As long as we get them to the right places, if nothing happens, we've lost nothing, and if something does happen, we can stop it. With the rings, nobody is going to be staying more than a few hours at a time."
"That is what is keeping this going, but Traeliorn Carnorin of the Sea faction is also against what they fear, your existence."
"Ahh, I've only read about them as a myth?
"They vanished once humans started to explore the seas and only came back since that is no longer happening, well, that and we no longer have to hide from you. They explore, the only ports are the ones they make, but they've been growing over the last two thousand years."
"The reason you want us in here most of the time is that you are worried about what the humans would do to us if they knew, how is this any different?" I ask.
"Well, I had hoped that we would be better," Tahareesa replies and still looks depressed about it.
"I'm not a big fan of it either." Cat replies.
"So, stay with the faction that agrees and try not to stir things up with our presence?" Cassandra asks. "Like we are doing here," she waves around the room.
"Yep, look, I understand how some would consider this hate an issue, but, hate when you're all powerful seems a minor issue compared to the hate for those with no power to throw around. I will not lose one of you to some idiot's hate, but when it comes to fixing things that need fixing, we start with those that can't just move to another place on a whim. And if that swarm of people makes it through the woods, fixing Velho, the realms and the currency distribution won't have any meaning."
"Okay, so what other news do you have Tahareesa, is the staff ready to go home?" Abi asks ending that conversation.
"In a way, this was their home also, many will try and get or create another station either in this or another city. They take care of the place and learn, they were chosen to be the next group to integrate with the humans." She pauses, "I've missed running around with you for the last couple of days now since I've been getting out more."
"That we can fix today." Cassandra answers. "You," she looks over at me, "are free today as we are going shopping and packing what we need for the trip."
"Wait? Who's going to carry our stuff?" Neivia asks immediately looking right at me.
"Too late," I reply opening a portal and stepping into the back room in the library Nora reminded me of the night before, I could read a few more of the series I'd never gotten to after finding the weave answer." The first step I take, alarms go off so I exit and walk towards the Librarians desk.
'She's new?' Watching the woman walking toward me seems more curious than concerned.
"Any way to turn those off?" I ask and she stops.
"Who are you and how did you get in there?"
"James, I've been using the room for a while now to figure some things out, I was going to finish off another series on Alchemy today."
"Ah, you are Nora's charge?"
"Exactly, you are?"
"Oh sorry, Aire Preshana, I don't have the ability to turn that off, yet." Several guards enter the library and walk around her desk towards us.
"Oh, that's okay, I can't turn the alarm off, there you go, the old wards only prevented humans from getting in, the new ones will stop Elves also."
"I have so many questions for you." Alea waves the guards away, she turns using the same Matronly or Motherly or whatever stance they take when talking to us youngsters.
"Give me an hour or two and we can go get something to eat and you can ask whatever you wish." I turn and start walking back to the room. It's nice, not being teased for just talking to another woman.
The "Alea Holabalar Chronicle's of Advanced Alchemy is still sitting on the desk where I left them. 'So much good stuff in here and nobody uses it.' A five-book series each book thick with steps and pictures. This is exactly where I would be if the Weave series was a bust. So much information on how to combine the various ingredients and get so many of the same magic results across most of the paths. Like most of the books in here, they predate the new form of magic.
Halfway through the third book was shown to be recipe after recipe with notes on the benefits and possible side effects. The thoughts of Ian Cole came to mind and I started looking for any books on the founding of our realm, checking the dates to see if anything from two thousand plus years ago might mention anything about him, skimming book after book with nothing found.
Walking and securing the door, pulling over the same chair I would use when talking to Nora, and seeing Aire doing the exact same thing, turning with the same look, it was a strange feeling.
