Niles

  Niles was confused and more than a little frustrated. He’d had a great time with Birgit over the last couple of weeks, but she was really making it hard for him to be professional about their relationship. It had taken all of his self-control not to react last night when she’d practically crawled on top of him. Did she not realize how that was going to make him feel? It was almost as if she wanted him to try something. Had it been some kind of test, or was she just so naive she didn’t realize how rubbing up against a guy like that would turn him on? Maybe kappa were wired differently from humans. Well, they’d be back in Hazzerbog tonight, and he’d be back to sleeping on the floor. All he had to do was ride with his arms wrapped around Birgit for several hours, trying not to think about how soft and nice she felt. Maybe he should just hook up with Farah when they got back. He was pretty sure she’d let him do anything he wanted with her as long as she got to feast on his magic while they were doing it. Sure, it wouldn’t be a healthy relationship, but he’d been here for almost two months surrounded by exotic women, and he didn’t know how much more he could take.

  But what was he going to do if Birgit couldn’t find a way to send him home, and this was permanent? Would he have to be single for the rest of his life, since he wasn’t considered a real person here? Not that he was looking to settle down right now. He actually liked the idea of exploring this world for a while. He’d had a blast visiting Hazzerbog, and he felt like he’d really helped out. It was great that crystal hunting was both exciting and helpful to keep monsters from threatening the area, and according to Birgit, they’d made a small fortune on their hunt in the wilderness over the last two days, and that had been fun, too. He was really starting to have a good time with Birgit, but what was he going to do when she got married? Sure, Sinelos was out, but from what he’d heard, most of the students at the academy were expected to at least be engaged by the end of the semester, and Birgit already had Bonzo and that Frip guy sniffing around. There was no way her husband-to-be was going to be okay with her going off on camping trips with him all the time. Maybe her husband would have a pretty familiar and they could double date.

  Arriving back at Hazzerbog, they got a warm greeting, though Birgit’s mother had an odd expression on her face when she looked at Niles, and she ushered Birgit off to talk almost immediately, leaving Niles to tell her younger sibling about the hunt. Birgit’s mother gave him an even stranger look when they finished their secret meeting, but it was time for dinner by then.

  Once everyone had gathered in the dining hall, Birgit pulled out the crystals to show everyone, and the looks on their faces were priceless. They couldn’t believe how many they had and how big they were. For some reason, this prompted another whispered conversation between Birgit and her mother, during which they both looked over at Niles. Whatever they were talking about had them both worked up, but they both schooled their expressions before rejoining the gathering.

  Over dinner, Birgit told everyone all about the hunt, except for their sleeping arrangements, of course. Birgit was good about sharing the credit with Niles, maybe even too good.

  “Dear, do you not think Niles is simply the most wonderful familiar for our daughter?” Birgit’s mother said once Birgit was done with her story.

  “Yes, I suppose he is quite a warrior,” the baron agreed. “Thank you for keeping our daughter safe, Niles.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Niles replied. “You’ve raised a wonderful daughter.”

  “Such a devoted familiar,” Birgit’s mother said with a warm smile. “And did you see all those crystals he found? I dare say, with him by our daughter’s side, she will never want for anything. And did Birgit tell you her magic potential is already at least three times what it was when she first summoned Niles? She could well be the strongest mage in Deca after a few years with him. It is truly remarkable.”

  “Yes, yes,” the baron agreed, “simply remarkable. It will almost be a shame when Birgit gets married off and moves away. Why I am half-tempted not to approve of any young gentleman she brings by, just so she will have to stay here and go on crystal hunts with Niles. Ha, if that was a typical hunt for them, they could make Hazzerbog the richest barony in Deca in under a decade.” The baron laughed at his own statement.

  The baroness shared a look with Birgit and smiled.

  “Here, try some of this wine, Niles,” Birgit’s mother pressed as the meal progressed. “It really is an excellent vintage.”

  Nile shook his head, “Thank you, but no. I am a guardian familiar, after all. Have to keep my senses sharp.”

  The baroness smiled and reached over to pour him a full goblet, anyway. “I do admire your devotion to my daughter, but surely she is safe here. And you have certainly earned an evening to relax and enjoy yourself.”

  Birgit came to his rescue. “Niles does not drink, for personal reasons.”

  “A young man with self-control, such a rare and precious thing to find,” the baroness said, putting the bottle down. “So, what do you think of Hazzerbog, Niles?”

  Niles smiled, glad to move off the topic of alcohol. “I really like it. The people are friendly. There’s some really nice scenery, plenty of room, and a vast wilderness to explore just south of the border.”

  The baroness smiled. “I am so glad you like it. I have noticed you spend quite a bit of time on our plane. How does it compare to yours?”

  Niles took a sip of tea to give himself time to form a response. “There are some things that are the same: gravity, sky color, seven days. It has many of the same, or at least very similar, plants and animals. The structure of our government is quite different, though, and there are only humans like me on my plane.”

  “Oh, and what do you think of the people here?” the baroness asked, spreading her hands. “In particular, what do you think of our women? Are they as pretty as your women?”

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  The sudden narrowing of the question surprised Niles. This felt like more than just a casual icebreaker, so he thought carefully before answering. “Well, beauty is a very subjective thing. My people have a saying: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

  The baroness leaned forward, not letting go of the topic. “And what of your eye. Do you find the women here attractive?”

  She was definitely fishing for something. Since he was around her daughter all the time, it might be safer to say no, but that would be a lie, and it would also be pretty insulting to all the women at the table. “Well, sure, there are lots of pretty women here.”

  “Ha, well said, Niles,” the baron cut in, lifting his goblet in salute. “Now, here is an idea, dear. Once Niles’ contract with Birgit is done, we should fix Niles up with some pretty lass from the town and get him to settle here. What do you think about that, Niles? We have some lovely kappas, goblins, nagas, and even a troll or two. Maybe we could even fix you up with one of each. You could go crystal hunting any time you wanted. There would be a minor tax, of course, but I take pride in the fact that the tax rates here in Hazzerbog are among the lowest in Deca. You could make an excellent living, and the influx of crystals would be a real boon to our economy. And with four lovely young ladies to help you manage your household and keep you company. You could live very well indeed.”

  Niles' eyes went wide. “Is that even possible? I thought that as a familiar, I was considered a monster unless I had a familiar contract.”

  “Oh, you would have to have contracts with the ladies, of course,” the baron confirmed. “But almost everyone has a little bit of magic. We could have someone else prepare the contracts. They would just have to have enough to activate it. And from the sound of it, you can give anyone all the magic they need. Why I imagine once word gets out that you can actually increase someone’s magic potential, you will have women lining up for miles to become your mage-wives. They probably would not have the magic to summon you, at least at first, but if you were settling here full time, that would not be a problem. Mage-familiar marriages are not common, but they are not unknown. So, what do you say? Should I start looking around for a match or four for you?”

  The baron actually sounded serious.

  “Dear,” his wife cut in before Niles could answer. “Do not go trading off our daughter’s familiar while she still has him under contract.” She was glaring hard at her husband.

  The baron laughed, not seeing the glare. “Yes, yes, you are right, of course, dear.” But then he turned to Niles and whispered conspiratorially. “But do keep it in mind as an option. I am sure Birgit will get married soon, and I suspect her new husband might be a wee bit uncomfortable having her traipsing around everywhere holding hands with such a strapping young man as you.”

  That gave Niles much to think about. Maybe he wasn’t in as bad a position as he thought. Fortunately, the conversation drifted away from him as his thoughts began processing this crucial new information. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he missed it when Birgit announced she was tired and ready to turn in.

  “Niles,” Birgit said, squeezing his hand to get his attention. “I said I was tired and was going to turn in. Will you escort me, please?”

  “Oh, sorry, yes, of course, I will,” Niles answered and promptly rose, helping Birgit up with the hand he held.

  “You seemed quite distracted tonight,” Birgit noted as they walked to her room.

  “Sorry, I guess I was,” Niles agreed. “Was what your father said about me being able to, essentially, get married and stay here true?”

  “Yes,” Birgit said, “but I thought you wanted to go home?”

  Niles bobbed his head side to side. “I do and I don’t. When I thought my only option was to be someone’s pet, I certainly didn’t want to stay, and I don’t like being trapped here, so I would like the option of going home. But by now I expect everyone back home thinks I’m dead, and if I have the option of a familiar contract that is more like a marriage contract, that might not be so bad if I could find the right person, of course. I am really starting to like your world. You know, from the sounds of it, not everyone back at the academy has good prospects for marriage like you do now, so maybe I could find someone who’d rather have a really good familiar husband than a so-so regular husband. Maybe Pam would familiar-marry me just to keep Farah happy.” Niles laughed and looked over at Birgit, but she was not laughing. Her face had turned a pale green, and she looked like she might faint. “Are you alright?”

  Birgit staggered a step and leaned against Niles. He quickly put an arm around her to support her.

  Brigit took a deep breath. “I am fine, just a little light-headed for a moment. I must have had too much wine with dinner. Just help me to my room, and I will be fine.”

  Fortunately, they were almost to her room, and Niles had no trouble getting her there. She really must have had too much to drink, because she forgot to warn Niles she was about to change and started undressing while he was still looking at her. He quickly turned away before he saw anything.

  “Would you hold me again, like you did last night?” Birgit asked quietly as she changed. “I slept so well with your magic coursing through me all night.”

  Niles laughed. “That’s going to be hard to do from the floor.”

  “My bed is bigger than that sleeping mat was,” Birgit pointed out. “We could share again.”

  “I don’t know if that would be a good idea,” Niles said.

  “But it is not fair of me to make you sleep on the floor when we have already shared a bed,” Birgit countered, “and my magic potential will grow so much faster if I stay in contact with you at night… You can turn around now.”

  Niles turned to see Birgit in her shift, sitting on the bed. He wasn’t sure what to do. The stone floor was not at all comfortable, even with a bedroll. Besides, they had just shared a bed, and nothing had happened. But she really looked pretty, sitting there in just her shift. It was going to tax his willpower again, but it was not like he was going to force himself on her or anything.

  Niles rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose, if you are sure this is what you want.”

  “It is,” Birgit confirmed.

  It was almost too bad Birgit had gotten to such a high rank at the academy. If they had just lost that match against Yarl, she might not have any good prospects. Maybe he should still try to convince her to familiar-marry him. He liked her, and they made a good team. No, that would be selfish. He was pretty sure she was crystal hunting just for the money, not for the excitement like he was, and she had the chance to be a noble if she married someone like Frip. Marrying him would just make her an oddity. Besides, he could still remember how frightened she’d been of him at first. She seemed to be over that now, but she obviously was not attracted to him.

  No, he would do all he could to raise Birgit’s magic potential while they were still together, but when they got back to the academy, he would have to keep his eyes open for someone who loved crystal hunting like he did and didn’t have any desire to raise their social rank through marriage, or he could always take Birgit’s dad up on his offer. Maybe there were other kappa in Hazzerbog as pretty as Birgit.

  “Oh, and Niles, you do not have to wear a shirt.” Birgit added. “It will make it easier to absorb your magic without it.”