After Lunch I went to the library. I hesitated at the door. Did I really want to talk to Freydis today? I certainly wasn’t ready to confront Li. I had no desire to see her angry—or worse, disappointed. Maybe talking to Freydis would be a nice distraction. Just a pleasant chat, I’d already given Freydis a hard enough time.

  I found the golden haired elf reading at her desk in the dim mp light.

  “Good afternoon,” I said.

  Freydis looked up at me with a calm expression. “Hello,” she said ftly.

  “Did you er— is Power of Mastery avaible?”

  “Yes, it’s reshelved. You can find it on the third floor.” She looked down at her book.

  “Thank you,” I said as I walked by.

  She seemed so calm compared to our st exchange. Maybe she talked to Saoirse? I noticed dark rings under her eyes. It reminded me of Castletún, how people looked in the morning, or after a long day of work, or really any time for that matter.

  “How are you?” I asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said, not looking up.

  “Come out for a walk with me.”

  “What?” She furrowed her brow at me.

  “A walk. Just through the garden. I feel bad about teasing you before. I’d like to talk to you for a bit.”

  She gred at me.

  “Just talk,” I said, holding my hands up. “No tricks, promise.” I crossed my heart.

  Freydis pursed her lips. “Did you really mean what you said? About how much you love books?”

  “Absolutely. Books really mean a lot to me. Back in Castletún they were my only escape from long, hard days in the workhouse.” I was exaggerating a bit, but it was true that books brought me a lot of comfort. From time to time at least.

  She stood up, pressing her dress ft. “A short walk.”

  The round faced elf took a deep breath as we stepped out into the light. Her cheeks turned a light pink and the rings under her eyes vanished.

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  “What?” she asked, face askance.

  “Nothing, lovely day isn’t it?” I resisted the urge to compliment her. This was a rare opportunity to get to know this withdrawn librarian. Flirtation would have to wait.

  We walked around for a few minutes without speaking. It was a nice change from my eventful afternoon.

  “Is everything alright with you?” Freydis asked.

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “You seem different today. Sort of down.”

  “Oh, well. I suppose I am a little.” I panicked. Did she know about my harem? It seemed the whole town did, but she was a shut in. Either way, there’d be no sense in trying to hide it from her. Plus, getting vulnerable might be just the ticket to getting through to her.

  “It’s my—” I suddenly felt self conscious. I’d grown used to calling them my women or thralls behind closed doors, but it felt a bit callous out here in the sun with the uninitiated.

  “It’s my girlfriends,” I continued. “I promised them a big day of romance yesterday, but I got sidetracked and found myself a day’s walk from the vilge. They’re furious with me now.”

  “Oh.” Freydis reddened. “Is that Lavendu and Saoirse?”

  “Saoirse’s not mad actually, it’s just the rest of them.”

  “The rest?”

  “Yes. And they have every right to be. I’ve been so busy working on my light magic, I’ve hardly had any time for them.”

  Freydis was silent.

  “Sorry, is this too personal?” I asked.

  “No,” she murmured. “I just have a lot of questions.”

  “By all means, ask away.”

  “How many girlfriends do you have?” she asked slowly.

  “Seven, as long as none of them leave me over this.”

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  We decided to extend the walk into the forest. Freydis did open up. I learned she had an affinity for atses and books about foreign nds. She loved learning about the different foods and customs, particurly the ceremony and manners around dining in high society. She was fond of cheese and cake.

  “I remember we used to get the most delicious gouda from Castletún,” she said, longing in her eyes.

  “The Eidlehouse factory!” I said.

  “Yes! Exactly! Sooo good.”

  “That was the best. I really miss it.”

  “Do they not make it anymore?”

  I shook my head. “They were bought by another factory a few years back. Now all they make is Wiz Velta. Horrible stuff, it doesn’t even have dairy in it.”

  “How does one make cheese without dairy?”

  “You don’t want to know, trust me. The best thing to do is give that cheese a wide berth. And anyone who's eaten it for that matter.”

  She chuckled.

  “Looks like rain,” I said, looking at a dark mass of clouds gathering at the end of the valley.

  Freydis sniffed a deep breath in. “Snow,” she corrected.

  I shivered at the thought of it.

  “You don’t like snow?” she asked.

  “The snow disappoints me. I loved it when I was a child, but ever since I started at the workhouses it’s been nothing more than a signal of the bitter cold to come. My hands would hurt so much trying to work those machines through the winter.”

  “At least you don’t have to worry about that here in Itán. There are no machines here.” Freydis smiled at me.

  It was a sort of relief, talking to Freydis. She wasn’t at all like the other’s. She seemed immune to the dark cloud that usually hung over people when I talked about Castletún and the workhouses.

  “So what are you going to do about your girlfriends?” She asked, surprising me with her blunt and personal inquiry.

  “Ah, well. I guess the most important thing is to make sure they understand I wasn’t trying to hurt them and to make sure I’ll give them the attention they deserve going forward. I truly care about each one of them. I don’t think I’ve done a good job of letting them know that.”

  “Hmm,” Freydis said with a smile. “You should tell them you’ll do something to make up for it. Get them a present.”

  “That’s a lot of presents. I’ll have to make sure they’re each as good as the others.”

  I was surprised how much Freydis opened up as we continued down the trail. But I suppose it made sense. It seemed she didn’t really have any friends, other than her mother. Now that I was through her barrier, she was probably thrilled to have someone to talk to.

  Maybe things were going too well. Would it upset the others if they knew I was pursuing another thrall right now?

  “I met your mother the other day,” I said. “At the flower stand. She’s a really lovely woman.”

  “Maybe you should join us for dinner one of these nights. We’ll treat you to a formal elven feast.”

  This was going better than I thought.

  “I’d love to,” I said. “Will it be just the three of us, or is your father coming too?” The thought of meeting all my girlfriend’s parents loomed over me all of a sudden.

  The round faced elf looked down. “I—I don’t know my father.”

  “I’m sorry. Did he pass away?”

  “No…” She pouted. “At least, I don’t think so. My mother won’t tell me a thing about him.” She huffed, bunching her hands into tight fists.

  “So you’ve never met him?”

  “I don’t even know that! He could be long gone or bloody Mr. Alvin for all I know!”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Freydis took a deep breath and fttened her dress, turning her chin up. “It’s not your fault. I think I should get back to the library now.” Her voice was curt, her manner stiff. “Thank you for the walk, Jethro. I’ll be in touch about dinner.”

  And she walked off, back toward the vilge.

  “Lawks,” I said to myself. “I forgot to get the book.”

  ***

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