The night after his mother miraculously showed up in the capital, Drake actually got a decent amount of sleep. The stress and adrenaline caused by running on all cylinders for days seemed to catch up with him all at once, allowing him to drift right off. With all of his enemies defeated or in retreat, he slept soundly for the first time in what felt like weeks.
When he woke in the early morning, rested and ready for the day, he smiled as he remembered that both he and his people would finally get some time to relax. Today was beach day, and he was going to build a bunch of sand castles with Anna. And did they have beach volleyball here? He was going to teach his folks how to play beach volleyball.
Also, he was going to swim. He’d been longing to slip into the clear, warm waters of the Alicean Bay since he first saw it below while riding in his carriage along the Noble Road. Given how temperate and pleasant it was here, he imagined the water would be just about perfect.
He slipped out of bed, stretched, and took a moment to sit in silence and enjoy the warm air... as well as the fact that no one was trying to kill him today. He had no idea if Sky would decide to join him or not. If she did, they’d talk business, but he was also determined to get her to have some fun. And a beach, with Sky, could be all sorts of fun.
So long as she wasn’t secretly his cousin.
As Drake walked to the single chest of drawers where his thralls placed his clothing after it was laundered each day, he was surprised to find something new. There was a tunic like those he’d worn, but without sleeves, more like a tank top than anything.
There were also pants, however, they were tighter than the flowing silverweave he usually wore. He tried them on and discovered the cuffs ended about halfway up his calves, which felt weird. Like he was wearing pants that were too short for him.
The clothing otherwise fit him like a glove, and as he rubbed his hands across the smooth, slick material, he began to get an idea of just what these must be. Drawers. Silverweave drawers. He suspected only manor lords got these.
He had hoped for something more comfortable for beach day. Would he have to wear this tank top the whole time? He supposed having a shirt on would cut down on sunburn, and if they didn’t have sunscreen here, they might have to cover up a bit more.
He shrugged on the top and found it comfortable enough. At least it was breathable. It rested on his skin rather than suffocating it, and he imagined water would flow right inside. He could still immerse himself in cool water without feeling like he was swimming in a shirt.
The odd nature of his “drawers” begged a brand new question as well. If this was what male swimsuits looked like in this realm, like some old-timey outfit worn by a circus diver from the 1920s, what did female swimsuits look like? He had initially imagined everyone in swim trunks and bikinis, but that was how beach days went on his world in his time, where factories had all sorts of fancy materials and standards of dress were different.
He found he was able to don his standard silverweave tunic over the tank top, and he was able to slide on his silverweave pants as well. Double protection. He pulled on his boots and decided the first thing he was going to do when they got to the beach was strip back down to his drawers. He was already getting hot with these two layers of clothing.
He knocked on the door to have it open immediately. He found Valentia waiting. She was sweating visibly despite wearing only her normal battle maid uniform, so he suspected she was likely wearing her “drawers” under her outfit today. The poor woman must be roasting.
“Lord Gloomwood.” Valentia smiled. “I was just about to rouse you. We are preparing to depart for the beach.”
“Good thing I got up, then,” Drake said. “Any problems to report?”
“None. The noble court has granted our request for the use of the beach, and capital guards will be on staff to guard all pathways that lead to it. Sachi has insisted on joining them. She will not be joining us on the actual beach today.”
“Oh, right.” He should have known catgirls would hate water. “Well, as long as she doesn’t mind spending all day on guard duty. I feel like she should get to relax.”
“For her, I suspect, prowling about all day on cliffs searching for enemies of Lord Gloomwood is quite relaxing.”
Drake chuckled. “You might be right.”
“Loooord!”
Anna darted around the corner. She came running right at him, and damned if she didn’t look adorable today. She had a set of “drawers” similar to Drake’s, with a modest top and pants that went to her ankles. Hers also had a little frilly skirt on it.
“Stop,” Valentia said gently. “This man is still Lord Gloomwood.”
Anna skidded to a halt beside Valentia. It was likely only the woman’s caution which kept her from launching into a tight hug. Drake appreciated the save. He wouldn’t mind giving Anna a hug, but not where all his blood thralls could see and think he’d gone soft.
“I can’t believe we’re going to a beach!” Anna shouted. “I’ve never been swimming!”
Drake grinned at her. “Can you even swim, squirt?”
“I don’t know, lord, but I want to try!”
“I’m sure we’ll be able to find some water that’s shallow enough.” Drake glanced at Valentia. “There’s no rip currents out there, are they?”
Valentia visibly considered. “I don’t believe so. The bay remains shallow enough that an adult can walk in the water all the way out to the coral. Walking on coral barefoot would not be advisable, and also, you could damage it. We would not want that.”
If only they had snorkels in this world! Drake would have loved to snorkel today as well. He’d have to pitch the idea to Goktul back at the manor and then try it next time he visited the capital. Given the job Goktul had done with his crossbow, he suspected the crotchety zarovian smith could build just about anything Drake would design for him.
Tamara walked into view wearing her standard servant’s outfit, smiled at Drake, and approached. “Lord Gloomwood, we have prepared snacks for the beach today. They should keep on the walk, but we may wish to eat about an hour after we arrive if we want them fresh.”
“That’s about lunch time anyway, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.” Tamara adjusted her spectacles on her nose. “We also have materials to prepare a supper, though we won’t start preparing that until late afternoon.”
Drake nodded to assure her all that was acceptable. “Sounds good. Thanks.”
“I’ll let the staff know,” Tamara said. “Excuse me, lord.”
As she left, Anna looked at Valentia. “Will you come swimming with me?”
“I might,” Valentia said calmly. “If only to prevent you from drowning.”
Drake chuckled. “So what will you do if I start drowning?”
“It should be a simple matter to freeze the water around your body. I should have no difficulty suspending you in ice that will keep you afloat.”
As Drake imagined ice crystalizing around or beneath his body, freezing him on a warm day, he shivered involuntarily. “Fortunately for both of us, I can swim.”
“Then I see no reason I should need to save you from the water.”
“I’m going to go help the others!” Anna said. “But I can’t wait to wade!”
“And we’re going to build a sand castle,” Drake reminded her.
She stared up at him in wonder. “What’s a sand castle?”
“You’ll see. Now get going.”
She bowed once more—he couldn’t stop her from doing that, yet—and then hurried off with a big grin on her face. Drake hoped she got a hundred more days just like this one.
The days she’d had before now had been so horrible she deserved all that and more. And to be fair, that was true of most of his people. Finally, they were going to get a break.
The trip out to the beach took over an hour, and the path down to it was narrow and covered in loose scree. Drake was glad he’d worn boots instead of sandals. He’d just have to hope he could take his boots off once he arrived on the beach, if the sand was soft.
Sky and her people had declined to join them. She’d sent a messenger with her regrets and a promise to attend the next time they went to the beach. Since she couldn’t lie, Drake knew she meant it. She just had too much to do without a steward to take a day off.
Once they rounded the last narrow corner in the path, he grinned in delight. Ahead lay a slim stretch of gorgeous yellow sand beside a flat expanse of shimmering water that was just the faintest shade of blue. The sun was almost to its zenith in the sky, and only two of the three moons of this world were visible. The last had gone into full eclipse yesterday.
Valentia and Nicole walked ahead of him with some of his other thralls, while Lydia and Emily walked behind with the others. Robin, Gaby, and Carl remained an inseparable unit parked somewhere in the middle, though Darion had fallen in with them today as well. That was good. That gave his JV team a healer as well, and it made sense to let them bond.
River and Hector were both in the crowd of thralls somewhere as well. Neither was sworn to his blood pact yet, but it had felt silly to Drake to leave them stuck alone in his royal chambers. He had no fear either would try to assassinate him today, and stuck in the middle of this crowd like this, he doubted anyone could even get close to him.
Not with his watchful battle maids ready to leap to his defense. He understood the “spirit knives” that Lydia and Nicole carried to be something they carried all the time. Emily had Chopper, and Valentia, of course, had flashfreeze.
His people also weren’t the only ones on duty today. He’d spotted multiple capital guards along the sides of this narrow path, all sent by the noble court to serve as his security detail. He knew Sachi was ranging about as well, looking for threats.
No enemies would get within a mile of this beach today, which meant he could relax and enjoy himself. Better yet, so could his zarovians. His lizardmen army hadn’t gotten to do anything but stand guard and be bored this whole trip, and he had no trouble spotting Cresh’s towering form leading about ten of them. The big lizard’s mouth hung open. Given he was now panting happily like a big dog, Drake assumed he was enjoying himself.
Anna, walking right at his side, gasped in delight as she took in their surroundings with wide and eager eyes. Drake sort of regretted that they’d left Jeremy, her father, back at the manor. The man seemed to be recovering bit by bit from his extensive trauma. A day playing at the beach with his adorable daughter might have helped him.
Next time, perhaps, he’d bring Jeremy to Korhaurbauten with him. And Olivia and Zuri too, since neither had gotten to enjoy a day at the beach. They’d likely be very jealous when they got back to the manor and the other thralls told them how much fun they’d had today.
His mother walked at his other side, and she carried herself like a manor lord. The way she walked, confident and ready to throw down, reminded him of Lord Frostlight, which, given Lord Frostlight had been a murderous assassin, wasn’t exactly comforting. It was still difficult to accept his mother had once been a ruthless manor lord in this world... and that she’d owned a whole manor full of slaves.
His mother didn’t see it that way, of course. She’d never harmed her people, and to her and this world’s culture, the willingness of people to join a blood pact was simply proof of their loyalty to their manor lord. To her, voluntarily joining a manor lord’s blood pact was the ultimate gesture of faith and trust... and arguing about that was pointless, since she’d already agreed to accept his changes to the blood pact.
Still, it got him to thinking. How many people had his mother killed during her reign as Lord Gloomwood? How many people had she ordered executed? And just what had happened that led to her own battle maid killing her fiancé out of jealousy?
Whatever had happened twenty-five years ago, it had been enough to cause her to flee her very world and settle on Earth. There, she’d had him. She’d then remained in exile on a world that was not her own, unable to lie when everyone else could.
Even with no money or belongings, she’d sheltered and taken care of her son in a world she must have known very little about when she arrived. Ending up on Earth must have been just as traumatic and strange for her as it had been for him to end up here, but he’d had a whole manor to help him adjust. She’d had only herself.
Accomplishing all that his mother had could not have been easy. It was a reminder that, as much as he resented how Marissa had forced him to fend for herself as a teen, she was an intelligent and powerful woman in her own right. He was also no longer simply her son.
He was a manor lord now. He was Lord Gloomwood. Therefore, the fact that he had a former Lord Gloomwood to advise him was a boon he would both accept and take advantage of to help himself and his manor. Marissa wasn’t just his mother. She was a valuable resource, and he’d already proven it was possible to run a manor without a blood pact.
Sooner or later, he hoped, she’d agree with him. Once they finally got back to his manor and she was able to explain everything about why she’d called off her betrothal to the former Lord Proudglade and gone into exile, maybe what she’d done would even make sense.
As Drake took his first step off a dirt path covered in scree onto what looked to be soft, warm sand, Anna gasped and clutched his hand. “There’s so much sand!”
Drake didn’t pull his hand away. “Just don’t go in the water without someone to go with you. You are not allowed to drown today. That’s an order from your manor lord.”
The night after his mother miraculously showed up in the capital, Drake actually got a decent amount of sleep. The stress and adrenaline caused by running on all cylinders for days seemed to catch up with him all at once, allowing him to drift right off. With all of his enemies defeated or in retreat, he slept soundly for the first time in what felt like weeks.
When he woke in the early morning, rested and ready for the day, he smiled as he remembered that both he and his people would finally get some time to relax. Today was beach day, and he was going to build a bunch of sand castles with Anna. And did they have beach volleyball here? He was going to teach his folks how to play beach volleyball.
Also, he was going to swim. He’d been longing to slip into the clear, warm waters of the Alicean Bay since he first saw it below while riding in his carriage along the Noble Road. Given how temperate and pleasant it was here, he imagined the water would be just about perfect.
He slipped out of bed, stretched, and took a moment to sit in silence and enjoy the warm air... as well as the fact that no one was trying to kill him today. He had no idea if Sky would decide to join him or not. If she did, they’d talk business, but he was also determined to get her to have some fun. And a beach, with Sky, could be all sorts of fun.
So long as she wasn’t secretly his cousin.
As Drake walked to the single chest of drawers where his thralls placed his clothing after it was laundered each day, he was surprised to find something new. There was a tunic like those he’d worn, but without sleeves, more like a tank top than anything.
There were also pants, however, they were tighter than the flowing silverweave he usually wore. He tried them on and discovered the cuffs ended about halfway up his calves, which felt weird. Like he was wearing pants that were too short for him.
The clothing otherwise fit him like a glove, and as he rubbed his hands across the smooth, slick material, he began to get an idea of just what these must be. Drawers. Silverweave drawers. He suspected only manor lords got these.
He had hoped for something more comfortable for beach day. Would he have to wear this tank top the whole time? He supposed having a shirt on would cut down on sunburn, and if they didn’t have sunscreen here, they might have to cover up a bit more.
He shrugged on the top and found it comfortable enough. At least it was breathable. It rested on his skin rather than suffocating it, and he imagined water would flow right inside. He could still immerse himself in cool water without feeling like he was swimming in a shirt.
The odd nature of his “drawers” begged a brand new question as well. If this was what male swimsuits looked like in this realm, like some old-timey outfit worn by a circus diver from the 1920s, what did female swimsuits look like? He had initially imagined everyone in swim trunks and bikinis, but that was how beach days went on his world in his time, where factories had all sorts of fancy materials and standards of dress were different.
He found he was able to don his standard silverweave tunic over the tank top, and he was able to slide on his silverweave pants as well. Double protection. He pulled on his boots and decided the first thing he was going to do when they got to the beach was strip back down to his drawers. He was already getting hot with these two layers of clothing.
He knocked on the door to have it open immediately. He found Valentia waiting. She was sweating visibly despite wearing only her normal battle maid uniform, so he suspected she was likely wearing her “drawers” under her outfit today. The poor woman must be roasting.
“Lord Gloomwood.” Valentia smiled. “I was just about to rouse you. We are preparing to depart for the beach.”
“Good thing I got up, then,” Drake said. “Any problems to report?”
“None. The noble court has granted our request for the use of the beach, and capital guards will be on staff to guard all pathways that lead to it. Sachi has insisted on joining them. She will not be joining us on the actual beach today.”
“Oh, right.” He should have known catgirls would hate water. “Well, as long as she doesn’t mind spending all day on guard duty. I feel like she should get to relax.”
“For her, I suspect, prowling about all day on cliffs searching for enemies of Lord Gloomwood is quite relaxing.”
Drake chuckled. “You might be right.”
“Loooord!”
Anna darted around the corner. She came running right at him, and damned if she didn’t look adorable today. She had a set of “drawers” similar to Drake’s, with a modest top and pants that went to her ankles. Hers also had a little frilly skirt on it.
“Stop,” Valentia said gently. “This man is still Lord Gloomwood.”
Anna skidded to a halt beside Valentia. It was likely only the woman’s caution which kept her from launching into a tight hug. Drake appreciated the save. He wouldn’t mind giving Anna a hug, but not where all his blood thralls could see and think he’d gone soft.
“I can’t believe we’re going to a beach!” Anna shouted. “I’ve never been swimming!”
Drake grinned at her. “Can you even swim, squirt?”
“I don’t know, lord, but I want to try!”
“I’m sure we’ll be able to find some water that’s shallow enough.” Drake glanced at Valentia. “There’s no rip currents out there, are they?”
Valentia visibly considered. “I don’t believe so. The bay remains shallow enough that an adult can walk in the water all the way out to the coral. Walking on coral barefoot would not be advisable, and also, you could damage it. We would not want that.”
If only they had snorkels in this world! Drake would have loved to snorkel today as well. He’d have to pitch the idea to Goktul back at the manor and then try it next time he visited the capital. Given the job Goktul had done with his crossbow, he suspected the crotchety zarovian smith could build just about anything Drake would design for him.
Tamara walked into view wearing her standard servant’s outfit, smiled at Drake, and approached. “Lord Gloomwood, we have prepared snacks for the beach today. They should keep on the walk, but we may wish to eat about an hour after we arrive if we want them fresh.”
“That’s about lunch time anyway, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.” Tamara adjusted her spectacles on her nose. “We also have materials to prepare a supper, though we won’t start preparing that until late afternoon.”
Drake nodded to assure her all that was acceptable. “Sounds good. Thanks.”
“I’ll let the staff know,” Tamara said. “Excuse me, lord.”
As she left, Anna looked at Valentia. “Will you come swimming with me?”
“I might,” Valentia said calmly. “If only to prevent you from drowning.”
Drake chuckled. “So what will you do if I start drowning?”
“It should be a simple matter to freeze the water around your body. I should have no difficulty suspending you in ice that will keep you afloat.”
As Drake imagined ice crystalizing around or beneath his body, freezing him on a warm day, he shivered involuntarily. “Fortunately for both of us, I can swim.”
“Then I see no reason I should need to save you from the water.”
“I’m going to go help the others!” Anna said. “But I can’t wait to wade!”
“And we’re going to build a sand castle,” Drake reminded her.
She stared up at him in wonder. “What’s a sand castle?”
“You’ll see. Now get going.”
She bowed once more—he couldn’t stop her from doing that, yet—and then hurried off with a big grin on her face. Drake hoped she got a hundred more days just like this one.
The days she’d had before now had been so horrible she deserved all that and more. And to be fair, that was true of most of his people. Finally, they were going to get a break.
The trip out to the beach took over an hour, and the path down to it was narrow and covered in loose scree. Drake was glad he’d worn boots instead of sandals. He’d just have to hope he could take his boots off once he arrived on the beach, if the sand was soft.
Sky and her people had declined to join them. She’d sent a messenger with her regrets and a promise to attend the next time they went to the beach. Since she couldn’t lie, Drake knew she meant it. She just had too much to do without a steward to take a day off.
Once they rounded the last narrow corner in the path, he grinned in delight. Ahead lay a slim stretch of gorgeous yellow sand beside a flat expanse of shimmering water that was just the faintest shade of blue. The sun was almost to its zenith in the sky, and only two of the three moons of this world were visible. The last had gone into full eclipse yesterday.
Valentia and Nicole walked ahead of him with some of his other thralls, while Lydia and Emily walked behind with the others. Robin, Gaby, and Carl remained an inseparable unit parked somewhere in the middle, though Darion had fallen in with them today as well. That was good. That gave his JV team a healer as well, and it made sense to let them bond.
River and Hector were both in the crowd of thralls somewhere as well. Neither was sworn to his blood pact yet, but it had felt silly to Drake to leave them stuck alone in his royal chambers. He had no fear either would try to assassinate him today, and stuck in the middle of this crowd like this, he doubted anyone could even get close to him.
Not with his watchful battle maids ready to leap to his defense. He understood the “spirit knives” that Lydia and Nicole carried to be something they carried all the time. Emily had Chopper, and Valentia, of course, had flashfreeze.
His people also weren’t the only ones on duty today. He’d spotted multiple capital guards along the sides of this narrow path, all sent by the noble court to serve as his security detail. He knew Sachi was ranging about as well, looking for threats.
No enemies would get within a mile of this beach today, which meant he could relax and enjoy himself. Better yet, so could his zarovians. His lizardmen army hadn’t gotten to do anything but stand guard and be bored this whole trip, and he had no trouble spotting Cresh’s towering form leading about ten of them. The big lizard’s mouth hung open. Given he was now panting happily like a big dog, Drake assumed he was enjoying himself.
Anna, walking right at his side, gasped in delight as she took in their surroundings with wide and eager eyes. Drake sort of regretted that they’d left Jeremy, her father, back at the manor. The man seemed to be recovering bit by bit from his extensive trauma. A day playing at the beach with his adorable daughter might have helped him.
Next time, perhaps, he’d bring Jeremy to Korhaurbauten with him. And Olivia and Zuri too, since neither had gotten to enjoy a day at the beach. They’d likely be very jealous when they got back to the manor and the other thralls told them how much fun they’d had today.
His mother walked at his other side, and she carried herself like a manor lord. The way she walked, confident and ready to throw down, reminded him of Lord Frostlight, which, given Lord Frostlight had been a murderous assassin, wasn’t exactly comforting. It was still difficult to accept his mother had once been a ruthless manor lord in this world... and that she’d owned a whole manor full of slaves.
His mother didn’t see it that way, of course. She’d never harmed her people, and to her and this world’s culture, the willingness of people to join a blood pact was simply proof of their loyalty to their manor lord. To her, voluntarily joining a manor lord’s blood pact was the ultimate gesture of faith and trust... and arguing about that was pointless, since she’d already agreed to accept his changes to the blood pact.
Still, it got him to thinking. How many people had his mother killed during her reign as Lord Gloomwood? How many people had she ordered executed? And just what had happened that led to her own battle maid killing her fiancé out of jealousy?
Whatever had happened twenty-five years ago, it had been enough to cause her to flee her very world and settle on Earth. There, she’d had him. She’d then remained in exile on a world that was not her own, unable to lie when everyone else could.
Even with no money or belongings, she’d sheltered and taken care of her son in a world she must have known very little about when she arrived. Ending up on Earth must have been just as traumatic and strange for her as it had been for him to end up here, but he’d had a whole manor to help him adjust. She’d had only herself.
Accomplishing all that his mother had could not have been easy. It was a reminder that, as much as he resented how Marissa had forced him to fend for herself as a teen, she was an intelligent and powerful woman in her own right. He was also no longer simply her son.
He was a manor lord now. He was Lord Gloomwood. Therefore, the fact that he had a former Lord Gloomwood to advise him was a boon he would both accept and take advantage of to help himself and his manor. Marissa wasn’t just his mother. She was a valuable resource, and he’d already proven it was possible to run a manor without a blood pact.
Sooner or later, he hoped, she’d agree with him. Once they finally got back to his manor and she was able to explain everything about why she’d called off her betrothal to the former Lord Proudglade and gone into exile, maybe what she’d done would even make sense.
As Drake took his first step off a dirt path covered in scree onto what looked to be soft, warm sand, Anna gasped and clutched his hand. “There’s so much sand!”
Drake didn’t pull his hand away. “Just don’t go in the water without someone to go with you. You are not allowed to drown today. That’s an order from your manor lord.”
