A Soldier's Life

Chapter 189: Flirting with Fire

I entered the bath to find Zyna lounging in the recessed tub, dense steam wafting off the surface. Only her shoulders were visible above the water through the haze, but hints of her generous chest peeked just under the surface. I wasn’t bashful, and strangely, the first question was, “How did you heat the water?” I hadn’t seen a way to heat the water and was curious. I had planned to use my thermal stone.

The High Mage laughed softly. “Fire mage, remember? I would ask you to join me, but the water is hot enough to boil a sausage,” she said good-naturedly as her eyes wandered over me.

I assumed she had some spell to protect her from the heat. I probably should have left and come back when she was finished, but since she didn’t seem upset at my presence and there was no real taboo about nudity, I leaned against the wall to continue the banter. “Thank you for the cookbook.” I wondered if she would bring up the assessment table in our conversation.

The mage smiled, her full lips turning up into a smirk. “It is such a waste of dungeon resources to cook a dungeon’s harvest for the mage aspirants. I also assumed you were ignorant of their true value, but since you stored your harvest in your dimensional space...” She drifted off while smirking.

“So you expect me to cook for you too?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Is this some sort of payment for the armor?”

Zyna tittered cheerily, “If you wish. Ignis is the best armorer in the Imperial Legion. It is a travesty that many legionnaires don’t want their armor made by a graying old woman.”

I wondered if the old smith was part of their conspiracy. “She said you found her thirty years ago?” I asked as the steam settled some, revealing the outline of her body beneath the water. I had to remind myself that the Telhians did not shy from exposing themself, but it was hard not to have my eyes drift. Zyna seemed to like the attention.

“How old do you think I am?” Zyna’s smile evaporated, and I sensed a trap.

“Thirty?” I guessed immediately to a hearty laugh from the fire mage that rippled the water. I recalled she had told us her true age when she joined us to hunt the summoner—but you always guessed much lower.

“So, one of these favors is you remain forever young? Doesn’t seem like a bad deal to me.” I was confused as to why Zyna was part of the treason. She had been raised to a First Citizen by the Emperor, and she had eternal youth bestowed on her by him.@@novelbin@@

She signed heavily and considered her next words carefully. “I may have the body of me in my prime, but the Eternal High Mage can just turn the clock back on my physical form, not my mental state.”

Realization flooded me. The Emperor was three hundred years old mentally and ruling an Empire. Then I cursed myself, getting angry but not showing it. I had selected slow aging, hoping to live a dozen lifetimes. I fucked up choosing that spell form if my mind was going to turn to mush with the centuries. “So, there is no way to mediate the degradation of your mind or the mind of the Emperor. How far gone is he?”

Surprise crossed her features, and I momentarily prepared to defend myself as I sensed Zyna channeling aether and a spell forming under the water, but she released her hold. I don’t think I was supposed to know about the Emperor or his compromised state.

“Yes. My mind is going. Maybe another thirty or forty years before the deterioration starts to get bad. There is no cure.” She looked me over in new appreciation. “You are smarter than you look. The Emperor’s mind has long expired. With some stamina potions and a few mental essences, he can remain lucid for a day or two before regressing again. But the effects diminish every time. If you voice this conversation beyond these walls, you will find yourself dead,” she said ominously. Her eyes glowed red briefly to reinforce the warning. With her flirtatious nature gone, I was finding out I was not as safe as I assumed.

I considered broaching the topic of the tablet reader, but I had too many other questions. “Why are you all not concerned that I am an otherworlder?”

She relaxed into the tub, the tension lifting some. “Think you are special?” She grinned knowingly. “It is believed everyone on Desia is descended from an otherworlder. Our ancestors were brought here by the Titans in the past to serve them. The arrivals have slowed over the millennia but are not infrequent. You need to realize the Telhian Empire is just a tiny corner of Desia. Bloated, naked bodies will wash up intermittently along the coast, and they are not from shipwrecks but unfortunate people brought here in the middle of seas.” She raised herself slightly, showing the top of her chest. She was no longer flirting and just getting comfortable.

“What causes it, and can I go home?” I pushed off the wall and stepped forward, anxious about the possibility of going home.

“No one knows. The popular theory is there are artifacts buried deep in the earth near the ley lines by the titans that get saturated with aether over time and activate intermittently.” Zyna stood, stepping out of the tub, her body steaming. I tried to keep my eyes up, but they may have drifted. She defiantly looked half her age, and her body appeared fit.

She wrapped herself in a toga, making to leave the bath to me. I asked one of many pressing questions. “Can you consume an affinity essence and physical essence at the same time?”

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The topic change had a confused expression crease on Zyna’s face. She had probably thought I would continue asking about other worlders. As her expression relaxed, she answered, “It is generally accepted to wait a day between consuming essences unless they are the same type. Then you can consume one an hour until you exhaust your body reserves.” Her forehead creased in thought, “I have a friend in the Research College. He would know better than I.”

By her look, I could tell she had puzzled out that I had essences and maybe was curious about what I might have, but she didn’t press. She started to walk out toward her bedroom. “Drain the tub when you are finished. Should I call for a meal from the kitchens?” Her hopeful tone told me she was seeking my dungeon harvest.

“I’ll prepare something for you,” I replied, agreeing to cook. I needed to be cautious about how often I did this, as I believed she was unaware of how much food I had in my dimensional space. Even though we were allies, the more they underestimated me, the better it was. I would have to thank Castile for laying the groundwork by suggesting I had average imprinted spell forms. They didn’t realize just how high my affinities were.

I was surprised they hadn’t forced me in front of a reader. Maybe, as Zyna said, I was not that special in their eyes; I was just another person with a few spell forms but without the ability to become a true mage.

I showered briefly in cold water, soaked in the still-hot recessed tub, and then dressed in comfortable clothes I bought in the capital before we marched for Sobral. The pantry was still empty, and I would eventually need more ingredients. While cleaning, I discovered a thermal stone embedded inside an oven and stovetop. At least I could leave my thermal stone in my space.

Dinner was mashed purple potatoes with medium rare bear steaks. I brought Zyna a plate to the sitting room where she was reading and obviously waiting. She took the plate, cut off a chunk, and chewed. A throaty, sensual-sounding moan of pleasure echoed from her. She scooped the plain potatoes and repeated her pleasure.

“You have no idea how this tastes to a High Mage, Eryk.” She had called me by my name, which was a good sign for our relationship, but paused to chew some more. “It is like you never realized you were hungry until you actually start eating aether-rich food. It has been too long since I enjoyed something this fresh from a dungeon.”

“I could do a better job preparing the food if I had a full pantry,” I stated.

Through mouthfuls, she answered, “Write down what you need. You are not leaving the Mage College to go into the city. As I said, it is for your own protection. I will have porters who service the Mage College get you what you need.” She then ignored me while she ate, quickly devouring the meal and clearly surprised and disappointed when it was gone.

Zyna reclined, her hands on her stomach as I had prepared a legion-sized portion. “Can I walk the Mage College grounds then?”

“Not yet. After your Imperial armor is finished, and you have attended a few classes with me. I want the other instructors and students to know you are mine. That way, they will not cause you trouble. Most of the students here are the children of First Citizens or related to them. You can be sure you already have enemies within the walls, whether by your previous actions or being my bodyguard.” Zyna stood, ready to leave with the book she had been reading.

“So, I am trapped in your apartments until then?” I said, a little irritated. There had been half a dozen small libraries in this tower alone. Although I couldn’t make use of the books, adding them to the amulet for future review would be useful.

Zynga smirked knowingly but was off target on her assumption, “Don’t worry. I will find a reason to punish Renna, Flora, and Livia to come here in the afternoons.” Her expression and tone changed. Maybe she thought I was rejecting her in favor of Renna? “Perhaps as a return courtesy, you will not waste too much of the dungeon harvest on them.”

It looked like she was done with me for the evening, but I had another nagging question that I needed answered for peace of mind, “Will the tablet reader table be a problem?”

Her eyes lit up, “The ancient elven reader in your room? An interesting piece of history from Caelora. Did you know the First Legion artificers were the first to create the readers, and the other kingdoms and races copied them?”

“Yes. Someone told me that.” I said cautiously, recalling what Raelia told me in the dungeon.

“If you transported the table, it demonstrates you have an impressive size. Makes me question how big you actually are.” She smiled at my discomfort, not because of her obvious innuendo but because I wanted to keep my secrets.

The moment hung. “Castile spoke highly of you, and from our time together hunting the summoner, I agree with her assessment. Step lightly and watch your words around Antonia and her other agents. She will act if she considers you a threat to our plans.”

I spent the next ten minutes writing out a shopping list. Zyna showed me how the larder had a heat sink stone in it. It was the opposite of the thermal stone and pulled the heat out of the air. It kept the room at a freezing temperature as long as the heat sink was charged with aether every other day. Then Zyna went to meet with Castile to prepare her for the escort mission.

I was left alone, with only a few hours of daylight remaining. I felt more uncertain about using the dreamscape amulet now, but I would still use it for the time being. Even being caged as I was, it was the safest I had been during my entire time in this world. Zyna’s warning about Antonia made me doubt my importance to their plan—I was expendable, and it seemed like my involvement was merely a favor to Castile. It appeared their plan involved the Emperor and most likely included removing him from power. As long as I wasn’t involved in confronting the Emperor, I would be content to play along.

I settled in my bed, sliding between the silky weasel pelts. With a glowstone, I studied the book on cooking with dungeon ingredients. It stated freshness was the most important factor. Since dungeons were so close to ley lines, the flora and fauna within were saturated with aether. The book touched on some common ingredients and how to prepare them. I paged through the book, stopping to read interesting chapters.

When I finished the book, it had other books to reference in the back. All the books referenced preparing dungeon harvests. Most of the books dealt with alchemy ingredients found in dungeons. I knew the 2000-year-old ginseng would eventually be extremely valuable. Tomorrow, I committed to cleaning the alchemy lab. Hopefully, Zyna could get me some basic alchemy books so I could practice the basics.

My path forward set, I entered the dreamscape after securing the door from the inside.

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