As Drake dipped a foot in the water, he gasped with delight. It didn’t feel as good as he’d expected. It felt better. It was just above the temperature of cool bathwater, which meant it was refreshing in the heat but not so chilly he would hesitate to slip in.
He waded in at once, and thanks to how clear this water was, he could even see the sand kicked up with each step of his bare feet. The bay itself was all yellow sand this far up, with a few pebbles that he noticed but which barely bothered him.
As Drake looked off over the bay, he could even see a hint of purple, blue, green, orange, and other colors in the distance beneath the gentle waves. That must be where the coral started. Valentia had mentioned there would be a coral forest. If only he had a snorkel!
Still, the bay gently but steadily descended. Soon he was able to drop into the water and swim without his feet brushing the sandy floor. One slap of the water against his face assured him it was just as salty as he’d expected, so he wasn’t going to open his eyes underwater if he could avoid it. The water was so clear he could see perfectly anyway.
When he glanced back at the beach, he was surprised to see it already a good ways out. He could make out his people enough to tell who were women and who were men (the difference in suit style made that easy) and also see hair color, but that was about it.
Also, while some of his people were already splashing around in knee deep water, his zarovians were fully immersed. Drake grinned as he watched them all floating around like crocodiles, with all but the tops of their long heads immersed as they cruised about in the water. He wondered then if they had aquatic ancestors. Most lizards did.
Another sweep of the horizon out into the bay spotted a few small fishing boats. None were anywhere near close enough to be a threat. He understood the bay to be as protected as the beach for a good ways out, reserved for friends of the noble court and those they chose to bring along. In this case, he was just fine with that privilege.
After all, he remained one of the few people who lots of other people wanted to kill.
Now certain he was safe from threats, Drake kicked into a freestyle swim and moved off parallel to the line of the beach, doing what he could to keep his breathing even. He’d been good at swimming in high school, when he had regular access to a pool, but it had been years. Still, it felt wonderful to just focus on his breathing and his body.
He didn’t drown. That was a positive. He also didn’t feel nearly as confident in the water as he had his senior year of high school, but there were scarcely any waves out here. The floor of the bay was close enough he had no worries. Still, even the zarovians all seemed to be cruising about closer to shore, and he couldn’t hear anyone out here.
Best to swim back before he made Lydia and the others nervous.
Drake turned toward shore and swam back, enjoying himself until the bay got so shallow his knees kept brushing the sand. At that point he pushed up and waded forward, pleased that the air was so pleasantly warm he didn’t shiver. He now had no doubt why Korhaurbauten was so popular with everyone. This was practically a resort town.
Also, as he waded back toward shore, he saw one of the zarovians—actually, that was Korrag!—carrying a single wooden pole toward the bay. What was he doing with that? Emily was with him, so the two of them were obviously up to something.
Once they got close to the water, Korrag passed the pole to Emily, then crouched and began to dig in the sand with his claws. Dirt flew as the zarovian dug into the beach with vigor. His lizardmen would build one hell of a sand castle if they wanted. More like a sand fortress.
Emily planted the pole in the hole Korrag had dug, at which point they both dropped and started to fill it in. Drake finally got an inkling of what they must be doing. They were likely marking off a portion of the beach for their “shrikes and turtles” tournament.
He reached shore by the time Emily rose. She slapped sand off her hands together with satisfaction, then glanced his way with a big smile. “Did you enjoy your swim, lord?”
“I did,” he assured her. “What’s going on here? Is that a goal post?”
“If by goal post, you mean it is a post that shows where the goal is, then yes!”
Korrag was already hurrying back with a second wooden pole.
Drake pointed. “How’d you rope Korrag into this? I thought he’d be floating around with all the others.” He motioned with his thumb over his shoulder. There, at least two-thirds of his zarovian army was now floating on their stomachs or floating on their backs.
“Oh, Korrag doesn’t like to swim. He prefers to eat and sun himself. So, I promised him I’d give him my lunch today if he helped me set up the fencepost for the tournament.”
Korrag reached them with the pole, then slapped it down. “Snacks?” he asked hopefully.
Emily glanced at him. “You are getting so many snacks today.” She hurried off with Korrag and grinned over her shoulder at Drake. “Hope you’re ready to lose, lord!”
Drake ruefully shook his head and headed over to the tarps. Most of his people were still gathered beneath them, which was odd. Didn’t anyone know how to swim?
It occurred to him then that, since most of his people were from a landlocked area, they might not know how to swim... especially if they’d been poor before they came to the manor. It wasn’t like his people did a lot of traveling. Still, they could wade into the bay without issue. As he got close enough to see what everyone was doing, he chuckled quietly.
It was Darion. Apparently, the reason fewer people were swimming was because a small crowd, entirely women, were all listening in rapt attention as Darion related some story or another. The man’s tight suit highlighted his sculpted shoulder and arm muscles.
Drake bypassed the crowd to where his people had laid out several light wooden tables the zarovians had carried down to the beach. His cooks had laid out an assortment of snacks, and Drake eagerly helped himself to some small bits of meat (delicious) and cheese (also delicious). He suspected some of this was from the capital.
A gentle clearing of a throat drew his attention to River. She watched him from across one of the tables. Her dark hair looked like a fashion commercial, and her eyes had a smoky tint. Even without makeup, she continued to look fantastic.
“Do you wish us to bring out lunch, lord?” River asked.
“No, not yet.” He motioned to the finger foods below. “This is fine for now. Don’t want anyone eating too much and getting a stomach cramp.”
River seemed to be on top of things. Drake also didn’t miss the fact that her suit was cut a bit differently from most of the others, with the shorts ending higher up her thighs and long slits down the side of her suit. It also had tiny crystals glittering along its seams. Of course the former courtesan would have the nicest swimsuit on the beach.
Drake walked around the table to stand beside her, then glanced at the crowd nearby. “Your brother seems pretty popular today.”
River’s cheeks colored slightly. “He’s always had a knack for drawing attention. I apologize if it’s causing a distraction.”
“Wouldn’t be your fault if it was, and it’s fine. I just hope he knows what he’s doing.”
“How do you mean, lord?”
“Let’s just say a bunch of broken hearts might impair the operation of my manor.”
River laughed gently. “Then perhaps I can ease your mind on that account. Darion is no Lord Blackmane.” She hesitated. “If that does not cause offense.”
“It does not. That guy was an idiot, and his manor’s still in disarray after he keeled over from a heart attack. From what little Samuel’s told me, his thralls are now in three distinct camps, all blaming each other for their lord’s death. It’s chaos over there.”
“That sounds like a mess,” River agreed diplomatically. “So, let me ease your mind regarding Darion. While my brother plays the flirt, he is also truly devoted in his affections, a fact he tries to hide. When he settles, if he settles... he’s never strayed.”
“I didn’t force him to leave anyone behind, did I?”
“No, lord. Unfortunately, the last woman to capture my brother’s heart was the one who strayed on him. So I imagine it will be some time before he does anything more than flirt.” She tapped her lips. “Though... if I am going to serve in Gloomwood Manor, I should probably clarify how you feel about such matters. I’d hate for Darion to cause a problem.”
Drake chuckled. “So far as I’m concerned, my thralls can date whoever they like so long as it doesn’t get in the way of their work, and it’s all consensual. I understand it gets lonely in my manor. If you decide to join us, you’re probably going to find the place very cold.”
“Yet as a manor lord, you stand apart? In regards to... dating, as you called it?”
Drake eyed her curiously. “I don’t see how I could do anything else. You know how the blood pact works, not to mention I can’t play favorites. I’m the boss. I’m sure with all the politics you’ve encountered here, you know a power imbalance when you see one.”
River nodded with keen appreciation in her eyes. “You truly are a different breed of manor lord.”
“I’d hope so. Other than Lord Skybreak, who’s great, every other manor lord I’ve dealt with has been some kind of asshole or another.” Drake popped another bite into his mouth. “I suppose after you spend enough time with everyone trying to kill you, you get a little strange.”
“I don’t see that as a valid excuse, and thus far, I am quite impressed with your leadership. If your steward does decide I meet her qualifications to serve you, I would be honored to join you. I will miss the capital, but... I would miss my brother more.”
Drake sighed. “Still wish I hadn’t wrecked your life.”
“You didn’t,” River assured him. “You simply guided me in a different direction, and it wasn’t as if I intended to continue as a courtesan for many more years. I was already edging up to the point where my popularity would begin to wane. A change of path is welcome.”
Drake frowned at her. “How’s that possible? You’re gorgeous.”
At her pleased and gentle smile, Drake immediately clarified. “I mean, objectively. That was an objective statement. I swear, I’m not hitting on you.”
River laughed again. “You’ve made your thoughts on such matters clear, lord, a courtesy I appreciate. I also appreciate your kind words, however, the reality is I’ll be twenty-six next year. It’s tough to compete with courtesans five or six years younger.”
Drake mentally unpacked all the unpleasantness in that statement. The capital really was cutthroat. Fortunately, before he could say anything else awkward, the feeling of someone tugging on the leg of his drawers drew his attention.
“Lord?” Anna asked. “Emily tells me we’re about ready to start the tournament.”
He hadn’t even seen her approach, but he didn’t feel too guilty about that. River likely had that effect on everyone. He suspected both her and her brother were going to be very popular in his manor. He also suspected they’d both easily pull their weight.
“I’ll give it my best,” he told her. “So, team captain. Who else is playing with us?”
“Oh! Well, Hector wasn’t certain if he should play and doesn’t know anyone, so I asked him to join our team. I hope that’s all right?”
Drake nodded. “That’s fine, Anna.” She was a truly thoughtful little girl. “Who else?”
A huge shadow fell over the tent. Drake glanced that way and frowned as he recognized the towering form of Cresh. The huge zarovian blocked out the sun from where he was standing, and he wasn’t underneath the tarp because he actually stood taller than it did. One day, Drake was going to figure out how that zarovian had gotten so big.
“What’s up?” Drake asked. “Problem with the zarovians?”
Cresh stared down at him with narrowed lizard eyes. “You asked for me.”
Drake scratched his chin. “No I didn’t.”
“Oh, that was me, lord!” Anna said quickly. “Cresh is also on our team!”
Drake did a mental double take as he looked between Anna, who barely came up to his middle, and Cresh, who was twice as tall as he was. Then, he grinned wide.
“We are going to crush the other teams at shrikes and turtles, aren’t we?”
“We better!” Anna said eagerly.
Author's Note: Next week, Drake plays shrikes and turtles.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Read Ahead on the Patreon
Chat On the Discord
As Drake dipped a foot in the water, he gasped with delight. It didn’t feel as good as he’d expected. It felt better. It was just above the temperature of cool bathwater, which meant it was refreshing in the heat but not so chilly he would hesitate to slip in.
He waded in at once, and thanks to how clear this water was, he could even see the sand kicked up with each step of his bare feet. The bay itself was all yellow sand this far up, with a few pebbles that he noticed but which barely bothered him.
As Drake looked off over the bay, he could even see a hint of purple, blue, green, orange, and other colors in the distance beneath the gentle waves. That must be where the coral started. Valentia had mentioned there would be a coral forest. If only he had a snorkel!
Still, the bay gently but steadily descended. Soon he was able to drop into the water and swim without his feet brushing the sandy floor. One slap of the water against his face assured him it was just as salty as he’d expected, so he wasn’t going to open his eyes underwater if he could avoid it. The water was so clear he could see perfectly anyway.
When he glanced back at the beach, he was surprised to see it already a good ways out. He could make out his people enough to tell who were women and who were men (the difference in suit style made that easy) and also see hair color, but that was about it.
Also, while some of his people were already splashing around in knee deep water, his zarovians were fully immersed. Drake grinned as he watched them all floating around like crocodiles, with all but the tops of their long heads immersed as they cruised about in the water. He wondered then if they had aquatic ancestors. Most lizards did.
Another sweep of the horizon out into the bay spotted a few small fishing boats. None were anywhere near close enough to be a threat. He understood the bay to be as protected as the beach for a good ways out, reserved for friends of the noble court and those they chose to bring along. In this case, he was just fine with that privilege.
After all, he remained one of the few people who lots of other people wanted to kill.
Now certain he was safe from threats, Drake kicked into a freestyle swim and moved off parallel to the line of the beach, doing what he could to keep his breathing even. He’d been good at swimming in high school, when he had regular access to a pool, but it had been years. Still, it felt wonderful to just focus on his breathing and his body.
He didn’t drown. That was a positive. He also didn’t feel nearly as confident in the water as he had his senior year of high school, but there were scarcely any waves out here. The floor of the bay was close enough he had no worries. Still, even the zarovians all seemed to be cruising about closer to shore, and he couldn’t hear anyone out here.
Best to swim back before he made Lydia and the others nervous.
Drake turned toward shore and swam back, enjoying himself until the bay got so shallow his knees kept brushing the sand. At that point he pushed up and waded forward, pleased that the air was so pleasantly warm he didn’t shiver. He now had no doubt why Korhaurbauten was so popular with everyone. This was practically a resort town.
Also, as he waded back toward shore, he saw one of the zarovians—actually, that was Korrag!—carrying a single wooden pole toward the bay. What was he doing with that? Emily was with him, so the two of them were obviously up to something.
Once they got close to the water, Korrag passed the pole to Emily, then crouched and began to dig in the sand with his claws. Dirt flew as the zarovian dug into the beach with vigor. His lizardmen would build one hell of a sand castle if they wanted. More like a sand fortress.
Emily planted the pole in the hole Korrag had dug, at which point they both dropped and started to fill it in. Drake finally got an inkling of what they must be doing. They were likely marking off a portion of the beach for their “shrikes and turtles” tournament.
He reached shore by the time Emily rose. She slapped sand off her hands together with satisfaction, then glanced his way with a big smile. “Did you enjoy your swim, lord?”
“I did,” he assured her. “What’s going on here? Is that a goal post?”
“If by goal post, you mean it is a post that shows where the goal is, then yes!”
Korrag was already hurrying back with a second wooden pole.
Drake pointed. “How’d you rope Korrag into this? I thought he’d be floating around with all the others.” He motioned with his thumb over his shoulder. There, at least two-thirds of his zarovian army was now floating on their stomachs or floating on their backs.
“Oh, Korrag doesn’t like to swim. He prefers to eat and sun himself. So, I promised him I’d give him my lunch today if he helped me set up the fencepost for the tournament.”
Korrag reached them with the pole, then slapped it down. “Snacks?” he asked hopefully.
Emily glanced at him. “You are getting so many snacks today.” She hurried off with Korrag and grinned over her shoulder at Drake. “Hope you’re ready to lose, lord!”
Drake ruefully shook his head and headed over to the tarps. Most of his people were still gathered beneath them, which was odd. Didn’t anyone know how to swim?
It occurred to him then that, since most of his people were from a landlocked area, they might not know how to swim... especially if they’d been poor before they came to the manor. It wasn’t like his people did a lot of traveling. Still, they could wade into the bay without issue. As he got close enough to see what everyone was doing, he chuckled quietly.
It was Darion. Apparently, the reason fewer people were swimming was because a small crowd, entirely women, were all listening in rapt attention as Darion related some story or another. The man’s tight suit highlighted his sculpted shoulder and arm muscles.
Drake bypassed the crowd to where his people had laid out several light wooden tables the zarovians had carried down to the beach. His cooks had laid out an assortment of snacks, and Drake eagerly helped himself to some small bits of meat (delicious) and cheese (also delicious). He suspected some of this was from the capital.
A gentle clearing of a throat drew his attention to River. She watched him from across one of the tables. Her dark hair looked like a fashion commercial, and her eyes had a smoky tint. Even without makeup, she continued to look fantastic.
“Do you wish us to bring out lunch, lord?” River asked.
“No, not yet.” He motioned to the finger foods below. “This is fine for now. Don’t want anyone eating too much and getting a stomach cramp.”
River seemed to be on top of things. Drake also didn’t miss the fact that her suit was cut a bit differently from most of the others, with the shorts ending higher up her thighs and long slits down the side of her suit. It also had tiny crystals glittering along its seams. Of course the former courtesan would have the nicest swimsuit on the beach.
Drake walked around the table to stand beside her, then glanced at the crowd nearby. “Your brother seems pretty popular today.”
River’s cheeks colored slightly. “He’s always had a knack for drawing attention. I apologize if it’s causing a distraction.”
“Wouldn’t be your fault if it was, and it’s fine. I just hope he knows what he’s doing.”
“How do you mean, lord?”
“Let’s just say a bunch of broken hearts might impair the operation of my manor.”
River laughed gently. “Then perhaps I can ease your mind on that account. Darion is no Lord Blackmane.” She hesitated. “If that does not cause offense.”
“It does not. That guy was an idiot, and his manor’s still in disarray after he keeled over from a heart attack. From what little Samuel’s told me, his thralls are now in three distinct camps, all blaming each other for their lord’s death. It’s chaos over there.”
“That sounds like a mess,” River agreed diplomatically. “So, let me ease your mind regarding Darion. While my brother plays the flirt, he is also truly devoted in his affections, a fact he tries to hide. When he settles, if he settles... he’s never strayed.”
“I didn’t force him to leave anyone behind, did I?”
“No, lord. Unfortunately, the last woman to capture my brother’s heart was the one who strayed on him. So I imagine it will be some time before he does anything more than flirt.” She tapped her lips. “Though... if I am going to serve in Gloomwood Manor, I should probably clarify how you feel about such matters. I’d hate for Darion to cause a problem.”
Drake chuckled. “So far as I’m concerned, my thralls can date whoever they like so long as it doesn’t get in the way of their work, and it’s all consensual. I understand it gets lonely in my manor. If you decide to join us, you’re probably going to find the place very cold.”
“Yet as a manor lord, you stand apart? In regards to... dating, as you called it?”
Drake eyed her curiously. “I don’t see how I could do anything else. You know how the blood pact works, not to mention I can’t play favorites. I’m the boss. I’m sure with all the politics you’ve encountered here, you know a power imbalance when you see one.”
River nodded with keen appreciation in her eyes. “You truly are a different breed of manor lord.”
“I’d hope so. Other than Lord Skybreak, who’s great, every other manor lord I’ve dealt with has been some kind of asshole or another.” Drake popped another bite into his mouth. “I suppose after you spend enough time with everyone trying to kill you, you get a little strange.”
“I don’t see that as a valid excuse, and thus far, I am quite impressed with your leadership. If your steward does decide I meet her qualifications to serve you, I would be honored to join you. I will miss the capital, but... I would miss my brother more.”
Drake sighed. “Still wish I hadn’t wrecked your life.”
“You didn’t,” River assured him. “You simply guided me in a different direction, and it wasn’t as if I intended to continue as a courtesan for many more years. I was already edging up to the point where my popularity would begin to wane. A change of path is welcome.”
Drake frowned at her. “How’s that possible? You’re gorgeous.”
At her pleased and gentle smile, Drake immediately clarified. “I mean, objectively. That was an objective statement. I swear, I’m not hitting on you.”
River laughed again. “You’ve made your thoughts on such matters clear, lord, a courtesy I appreciate. I also appreciate your kind words, however, the reality is I’ll be twenty-six next year. It’s tough to compete with courtesans five or six years younger.”
Drake mentally unpacked all the unpleasantness in that statement. The capital really was cutthroat. Fortunately, before he could say anything else awkward, the feeling of someone tugging on the leg of his drawers drew his attention.
“Lord?” Anna asked. “Emily tells me we’re about ready to start the tournament.”
He hadn’t even seen her approach, but he didn’t feel too guilty about that. River likely had that effect on everyone. He suspected both her and her brother were going to be very popular in his manor. He also suspected they’d both easily pull their weight.
“I’ll give it my best,” he told her. “So, team captain. Who else is playing with us?”
“Oh! Well, Hector wasn’t certain if he should play and doesn’t know anyone, so I asked him to join our team. I hope that’s all right?”
Drake nodded. “That’s fine, Anna.” She was a truly thoughtful little girl. “Who else?”
A huge shadow fell over the tent. Drake glanced that way and frowned as he recognized the towering form of Cresh. The huge zarovian blocked out the sun from where he was standing, and he wasn’t underneath the tarp because he actually stood taller than it did. One day, Drake was going to figure out how that zarovian had gotten so big.
“What’s up?” Drake asked. “Problem with the zarovians?”
Cresh stared down at him with narrowed lizard eyes. “You asked for me.”
Drake scratched his chin. “No I didn’t.”
“Oh, that was me, lord!” Anna said quickly. “Cresh is also on our team!”
Drake did a mental double take as he looked between Anna, who barely came up to his middle, and Cresh, who was twice as tall as he was. Then, he grinned wide.
“We are going to crush the other teams at shrikes and turtles, aren’t we?”
“We better!” Anna said eagerly.
Author's Note: Next week, Drake plays shrikes and turtles.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Read Ahead on the Patreon
Chat On the Discord
