"I am glad to meet the two of you formally. Although I have met Lark before, he was not as he is now. And other than myself, he is probably the only one more feared by Narissa's people."
Sitting across from Lark and I was Serin Aegis, Lord of Haven. We had been invited to lunch and tea in his home. He may have been Lord, but he was a normal human. Well, he was supposedly a 'higher human', which probably explained the amount of magic radiating off him.
A changeling then walked in. She leaned ove and kissed him, and Serin smiled, "Olma, I am having a formal meeting with Lark and Sophia." Serin blushed a bit. He may be a leader, but he was still a reserved boy in love.
"I don't think they would mind Darling."
I had heard their relationship was different. Most of the time, a changeling didn't take a single mate. They tried to get genetic code from as many different races they could over a lifetime. Changelings grew stronger the more they could diversify the genetic code in their gene pool. But Olma and Serin's relationship was different. Olma was [beholden]. It was an innate magic of the Changelings. While most changelings focused on having many partners through a lifetime, when a changeling determines one person to be worth all of their life, they become [beholden]. Usually, it is because the person is a fairly powerful person, which in Serin's case was true. However it was deeper than that.
It was true love. And that was a rarity among any race, let alone the changelings.
So I was happy to see it. What girl wouldn't enjoy seeing a couple in love?
Of course, there was Avea, Serin's Construct. But Serin was less a husband and more of a genetic donor for Avea, who was more focused on her motherly duties than tending to registered user.
It was a stark contrast to the Constructs that Lark and I had met while walking through the park.
The conversation continued, "So I have heard that you are requesting I get you a copy of the [greater shadow clone] spell and the [shadow double] spells. I have looked into it, these are fairly expensive spells and while Haven's resources are able to acquire this from the Adventurer's Guild, the cost is steep. If we went about handing out high level spells just because someone asked, we would go broke. And if we did it for just you, we would be accused of favoritism."
Serin sipped his tea. Olma had left the 'boys to do business' and was assisting Avea in the kitchen. Lunch was still being prepared. Lark started, "I don't have much, Lord Serin. But it is important. So what is it you ask of me, and I will do."
Serin smiled, "That was about the answer I expected from one of my more distinguished Captains, Lark. But what about Sophia. What is your answer?"
I looked at Lark and he nodded. He then let me use his voice.
"Lord Serin, should you purchase these spells to impart to us, I will consider us even."
Serin's smile grew wider, "And that was about the answer I expected from you."
I smiled and Lark adjusted himself. Serin then looked at Lark, "Captain Lark, there are two possibilities to what Sophia is talking about. The first would be my inability as a leader to ensure that her race was not mistreated, which it most definitely has been. And while there hasn't been any serious violations of the law, there have been enough instances where the gross misbehavior of my citizens has justified her asking for recompense from the Sovereignty. If this is what she is referring to, it alone would be justification."
Lark looked dumbfounded. Serin continued. "The other that she mentions is the 'protectorate allocation'. Every member of the protectorate, you two included, is authorized to have a spell or skill imparted by me. As long as I know the spell or skill, I offer to do this once every week. However, you Lark had yours deferred due to a lack of control. I say 'deferred' and not 'denied' because I, the lord of this land, would never deny what is owed to a citizen. However you have over 100 spells and or skills I owe you and I don't have the time to devote imparting them all, as it would take several weeks of my consistent attention."
"Additionally, every protectorate race gets to make a pick of what the next acquired skill or spell is. The Parasites, having several members of the protectorate, have never been given a pick. It's about time they were given their choice, and I would be remiss in my duties as Lord if I was to ignore an entire race of my nation."
Lark smiled, and I smiled at Lark. I then spoke to Lord Serin.
"Lord Serin, why then did you ask us separately?"
Olma then came by with Lunch, a beautiful tray of small sandwiches. She kissed Serin on the forehead again.
"I wanted Lark to know that it's probably best to let you do the negotiations." Olma tussled Serin's hair and grinned, the deeper meaning of this statement not lost upon myself, or his [beholden].
'Let her be in charge, and life will be easier.'
I wondered how long it would be until Lark figured that out, and sat with a pleasant smile.
We ate lunch, Olma joining us. She asked about what our day was like together. It seemed that she also enjoyed seeing a young couple, and that is what she saw us as. I felt a warm sensation in my body, and as I looked over and saw lark reach for his chest, I couldn't help wonder, did I impart the feeling to him? Or did he feel it himself.
Lunch was concluded. I looked at Lord Serin, "Lord Serin, when would you like to expect us to receive these spells?"
"Well, you two got the [greater shadow clone] spell shortly after you drank your tea, which I spiked with a potion to ensure there was no brainburn. My wife is fairly good at making drinks, and you would never have noticed the spell had you not looked at your [status]. As for the [shadow double], your time limit for me imparting a skill will be expiring in roughly 6 minutes, so you will receive it after we bid our goodbyes."
I checked my [status] and I could tell Lark checked his. This sly Lord had no intention of refusing us these spells. I looked at him in shock and watched as a sly smile crossed his face.
This is what it took to be a Lord.
"Thank you Lord Serin, and I will give Lark his voice back, so he can thank you as well."
As I gave it back Lark stammered out some thanks. He was incapable of casting the spells, but they held a special place in Skygge culture, as upper level shadow magic was the domain of the Nobles and Royalty.
I was just happy for what the future entailed.
***