Page 134 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume Two

“I’m trying to track all of the mages we find and their families. What’s your full name?”

“Nikki Bos.”

Gunter mentally noted that. The name didn’t ring an immediate bell, which was interesting.

“And, er, sex?”

“Three times a day.” Nikki shot him an outrageous wink.

Gunter snorted, amused, but that didn’t answer his question. And clearly, he could have phrased that better. “I mean, male, female…?”

“No mercy for either,” Nikki assured him brightly.

Oh god, no wonder Nikki and Ravi got along so well. They were both comedians at heart. Exasperated, Gunter rephrased again. “I’m trying to figure out what pronouns you want me to use?”

“Ohhh. Thanks for asking. They/them, please.”

“Thanks. I thought Ravi said so, but I wanted to make sure I had it right.” Gunter ushered Nikki a little farther in, directing them toward the bedroom. “You have to be exhausted. Why don’t you take a nice relaxing bath, and then you can get some sleep? When you wake, you can get something to eat and explore the castle.”

Nikki was quick to step into the bedroom and peer into the bathroom. The noise of appreciation made it clear Nikki liked what they saw.

“You relax. I’m just going to grab a shower and prepare for Hoheit’s return.”

Gunter slipped out of Nikki’s room and closed the door behind him, smiling to himself. That was it. Nikki was already feeling more settled if they were being sassy. Sleeping safe and sound would just reinforce nothing would happen to them in Burkhard. They would be more at ease and forget all about him.

He was still patting himself on the back as he stripped out of his dirty clothes and stepped into the warm shower. He sighed as water pounded on tense muscles in his shoulders, as relief washed over him all over again. Ravi was safe and was going to be home again in a matter of minutes. All of his family was safe. New mages had been saved. And while the Jaeggi continued to be elusive, they would be stopped very soon.

Nikki might even hold the key to eliminating the Jaeggi.

The mage didn’t seem so bad. A little clingy. Justifiably nervous around mages. Sassy, too. And frightening when it came to impulsive spell crafting. But there was a sweetness to their enthusiasm and innocence. Maybe after they had some time to acclimate to the castle and the Burkhard Clan, Gunter would be able to chat with them about their past. They probably had some interesting insights into the Jaeggi and might even have some critical knowledge about a lost mage clan.

Yes, Nikki would be quite useful for the clan.

Gunter finished his shower and dried off. He quickly dressed in a fresh suit, fully anticipating a round of meetings with Alric as soon as he arrived in the castle with the other kings. He stepped into the bedroom to search for a pair of cufflinks that would match his tie when his eyes fell on Nikki.

Curled up at the foot of his bed.

Asleep.

This was bad.

Nikki really had no idea what to do with themself.

It was a combination of being in a new place—a territory they didn’t know yet—and not having anything assigned to them. With the Jaeggi, Nikki had mostly been a magical battery, but even still, they’d had a routine of chores they were responsible for. Not that Nikki missed the routine whatsoever, but having something to do would be nice.

The main problem was Nikki had only dreamed of being free. And those dreams had mostly been wrapped up in totally unrealistic ideas of a dragon swooping in and saving them from the evil Jaeggi, falling instantly in love with Nikki, then flying them both off into the sunset. The dreams may have gotten a boost a month ago when the interview with King Alric and Consort Cameron came out.

Nikki maaaay have watched it a few hundred times.

Anyway, Nikki had no idea what to do with all this newfound freedom. Typically, all Nikki had been allowed to do was watch television and read books. Anything internet-related had been strictly off-limits, and even their board games, television channels, and books had been carefully screened. None of that was in play at Burkhard. Nikki hadn’t been given a single restriction yet. And frankly, was quite wary of it. They’d been completely left to their own devices all day today. And yesterday. And the day before that. It was afternoon now, and not once had someone come looking for them. On the one hand: ooooh. All the possibilities.

On the other, it didn’t make any sense.

No one housed and fed a complete stranger without wanting something from them. That lesson had been engraved into Nikki’s soul. The dragons would rescue a mage, of course, no question. But then what? What did they intend to do with Nikki? What about the Burkhard mages? Nikki didn’t really think they could be trusted, but…the dragons trusted them. Which said something, there. None of this made sense.

So, what could Nikki do from here?

Nikki was the boss of themself. And that was absolutely the problem.