16
Willow
By the time I arrived back at my building and arranged to stable for my new horse, I was feeling cranky. It had been far too long since I’d last ridden a horse and my muscles certainly let me know it. Then I left the stables and hobbled my way to the bubble station. I groaned. My meeting with Father and the ride back across the city had taken so long that there was a lunch hour rush time queue at the station. It wouldn’t be any use to call for a Flyt as they’d be bust now as well. There was nothing for it but to wait.
By the time I arrived at the masons’ guild, I was late for our meeting. The acolyte who met me at the door looked far from impressed. “I’ll let Master Granite know you’re here,” he sniffed. As he stalked away, I could hear him muttering about the rudeness of the noble class. I didn’t have long to wait, fortunately.
“Ah, young Igneous said finally made it,” the rotund older fae said. “We had begun to wonder if you’d changed your mind.”
“No, I do apologize. I was summoned to the palace and thought I’d be back in plenty of time, but I wasn’t.”
“Oh, dear. Nothing serious, I hope?”
I shook my head. “Just family matters that could have waited, but when the head of the House decides otherwise, you know how it is.”
Master Granite cleared his throat. “Yes, indeed. Now, we’ve looked over the existing floor plans and what is proposed and have come up with a solution that fits within the strictures of your building’s structure. I believe I saw you obtained an open change of design permit already, so if you’re happy with the sketches young Igneous is about to bring to you, just shimmer us to arrange an appointment to do the works.”
“And how long will this take?”
“Two floors, medium complexity, building on a stable magical field fairly close to a ley line, so,” he pursed his lips, “two master masons and a team of acolytes, one on each floor, be done in a day.” That was excellent news. “We’ve included a list of options and how much each will add to the base price, for easy costings.”
“Sounds great,” I said. “How long is the wait to book the works?”
“We currently have a three day wait time,” Igneous said, reappearing with a roll of parchment in his hands. He still wore the look of disdain on his face as he regarded me and his tone dripped with it.
“Igneous!” Master Granite reprimanded him. “That’s no way to speak to a supplicant, especially one with such a prestigious project.”
“I meant no disrespect,” Igneous muttered, jamming the parchment at me. I took it from the angry young fae.
“Take yourself to Master Bentonite and tell him I’ve sent you for an attitude adjustment again.” Master Granite turned his attention back to me. “I do apologize. Young Igneous is only half Dwarf. His mother is a Brownie, and when he reached puberty, he believed he’d be chosen to apprentice to a baker. I think he hopes we’ll send him back and tell the board they made a mistake.”
That did sound unfortunate, especially as I knew precisely how young Igneous was probably going to find himself corrected.
“I understand. I’m sure you’ll manage to make him see his place is right here. I’ll take these and have a good look at them tonight.”
I turned to leave, feeling his eyes on me as I slowly walked away. “Epsom salts will help that,” he called out helpfully.
So it would, followed by a massage and accompanied by one of the tonics I had in my medicine cabinet. Just a few thousand steps to go to get to the bathroom. Down the twelve steps, a turn left, a few hundred paces to the bubble station, and I’d be on my way. Shit, this hurt. I made a mental note to see about finding out if the horse was trained to pull a carriage. That I could cope with, no strained muscles. My ass hurt and not in a fun way, damn it. If it was going to be sore from riding, it better be from me riding someone’s ass. That someone being that naked bit of dangerous that I left sleeping in a cage in my room.
He was awake now, I knew. I’d felt the quiver of magic as the locking spell released as Keeper released him. That was followed up by a shimmer message moments later as she called me for further instructions. I wanted to be there, have him bath me, rub oil into my aching muscles, and suck me off. Yes, indeed, that would make me feel so much better. Then when the potion, bath, and the blow job had done their work, we could spend some quality time going over the rules he needed to know for now. The crucial ones, such as how to behave in public and at court, as well as his role within my household and how he was to fulfill it.
I reached the bubble station, thankful that the rush had died down enough that I was able to catch one pretty much straight away. Then I was off the weightlessness of floating over Wynter soothing my aching body. I didn’t bother looking down at the city below me as I passed over. I’d seen it so many times that it was no longer a novelty. Instead, I closed my eyes in blessed relief and indulged in a bit of fantasy, running a scenario through my head of how I would handle Ghost when he rebelled against what I told him. Because it was definitely going to be a when and not an if. I smiled to myself, feeling my fangs drop in anticipation. Oh my, yes, I looked forward to quelling his all too short-lived rebellion.
