Diavla pored over the maps for the hundredth time. Piper was squeezing in, almost under her left arm, as usual. The child loved maps. Diavla smiled down at the golden mop in the way of her elbow, and didn't complain.

  Eubexa had read many of the names aloud, and Diavla had committed them to memory. Piper had as well. Kervan was convinced that she had a graven soul like his. It was the first time he had ever met someone else who could recall things with perfect accuracy. As a result, he enjoyed the child's company, and was happy to exchange language lessons with her. But somehow, the child always seemed to know when Diavla was bringing out the maps.

  Now, Diavla stared again at the map of Baria, tracing their route with a fingertip. We're almost to Southby. After that, Grange is the next human town. Beyond that is Fort Fury, at the border of Baria and Redhill. If we can get past Fort Fury, we won't have to worry—as much—about getting seized by nobles or the King. But, also beyond Fort Fury are the mountains, and it won't be long before snow blocks the high roads.

  Nobody in their group knew whether the pass south of Fort Fury was one that became unusable in winter. Tom was gambling that it was not, or that they could make it, through whatever snow fell, in time to reach the city of Kelligar. If they got to Fort Fury and Tom decided they wouldn't make it, his proposed plan was to turn west and find a small town to host them for the cold months.

  After a few minutes of staring, fruitlessly willing the map to tell her something she didn't already know, Diavla put them away carefully. She had experimented with giving the task to Piper, but the child had torn a small rip in one sheet, despite trying to be careful. She was nimble enough, but had little experience with writing materials and how fragile they could be. Despite her pleading for another chance, the elf always put the maps away herself.

  “Maps are fun,” Piper said in Elvish. “Very pretty they are.”

  “Yes, they are very pretty. Tomorrow, you will go into Southby for us. Are you excited?”

  “What is 'excited'?”

  “Happy, wanting, move a lot?”

  “Oh, excited. Yes. I am excited. I will looking for my mother.”

  “You say, 'I will look', or 'I will be looking'.”

  “I will be looking for my mother?”

  “Very good.”

  “Thank you, Miss Diavla.” The child sighed. “Learning words is small work. Learning where words go is big work.”

  “You are doing very well, Piper. Small work is 'easy.' Big work is 'hard'.”

  “Thank you, Miss Diavla.”

  Just then they felt a lurch as the wagon stopped. Tom called out that he was going to check a campsite, or words to that effect. It was easier to understand Western than to speak it. Piper peeked out the back of the wagon, carefully avoiding Sheema. The child is very considerate. Either that, or she's scared of Sheema for some reason. It's too bad human hearing is so poor or I'd ask her to tell me which it is. But of course, we wouldn't want Sheema to overhear that conversation.

  In the other wagon, Diavla heard Arven say, “There aren't any strangers around. I'll go check the campsite, too. Humans have a hard time finding water.”

  A few minutes later, the men returned, and Tom and Kevin guided the oxen to pull the wagons along a narrow path to a very small clearing. There was a little daylight left, and Piper grabbed her cloak around herself and jumped out the moment they had stopped. She's so eager to be helpful. Poor thing is probably afraid we'll abandon her if she isn't useful. Which many people would do, but Tom is not that sort.

  That steered Diavla's thoughts back to her favorite subject. I love that he is strong and powerful enough to be merciful and generous. It's hard to imagine Tom poor, but he insists that he had been doing very well to save up two gold by his eighteenth birthday.

  Eighteen. Sweet spirits. Even after weeks together, it still bothered Diavla to think about Tom's actual age, instead of the equivalent thirty-five years or so in elven maturity. When I put it that way, it feels like I'm stealing from a new mother, but we're almost the same age if you translate properly, she told herself firmly. Eventually, she'd believe it in her soul, she hoped.

  He certainly looked older, and definitely felt older, especially when they were intimate. Diavla smiled and suppressed a shiver of anticipation. She still couldn't believe how mad for sex she was these days, sharing her body with Tom and Varga every night.

  We've dodged death multiple times; we even fought a demon. I almost lost him, more than once. It's perfectly natural to be thankful for what I have, and to savor it. Especially as it keeps getting better almost every time. Spirits, I had no idea how wonderful sex was. I can only imagine how good it will be another month from now!

  The wind was bitter, though Tom, Kevin, and even Piper seemed relatively unaffected by the cold. They're just used to this climate. They didn't spend their years living in a semi-tropical fishing village, where it never got this cold.

  It was difficult to get the fire started, but Diavla was getting better and better at calling the spirits to help her with that. She'd never be throwing balls of fire around like the great legends, of course, but a candle's worth of fire was plenty to light kindling, once they had enough rocks to shelter it from the worst of the wind.

  When everyone turned in, Brallik was keeping the first watch for a change. Sheema and Kevin took the smaller tent. Eubexa and Piper stayed in their wagon, and Rillik joined them to sleep because there was more room. Arven, Kervan, and Orvan slept in the men's wagon. Tom and Varga got into the larger tent first, and Diavla followed soon thereafter. To her surprise, Varga and Tom were talking and still fully clothed when she got in.

  “Diavla, Varga wants to talk,” Tom said, quietly for a human.

  “What is it?” Tom and Varga made room for her in the middle.

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  “Sheema asked me for a favor.”

  “What is a 'favor'?” Tom asked. Varga looked to Diavla.

  She explained for Tom using Elvish words he knew. “I do a favor, you ask me to do a thing and I do it. Someday, you do a favor.”

  “Oh. A favor. I understand.” Tom peered across at Varga. “What favor Sheema did ask?”

  Varga hesitated, then admitted, “Sex.”

  Diavla stared at her friend and lover, emotions churning in her soul. “What?”

  “She wants me to join her and Kevin tonight, at least for a little while. Is that...all right with you?” Varga was understandably nervous. Tom was quiet, his gaze on Diavla.

  “Why?” she asked, a bit more bluntly than she intended.

  “Apparently, she doesn't like how much Kevin is feeling for her. He's young, and she enjoys the erotalsh but doesn't like the idea of tolanor with him.”

  “And she wants...what?”

  “Mostly, I think she just wants me to have hot sex with Kevin, so he isn't so...targeted only at Sheema.” There was a pause. “If you don't like it, I'll tell her no.”

  “Sheema wants you and Kevin?” Tom was asking human-quietly. He probably had missed some of that conversation, but got the most important part. His gaze shifted to Diavla. He can probably see me better anyway. Varga's face is probably a blur to him.

  Varga nodded. “Yes.”

  Tom looked troubled. “I do not say no, but I do not like it.”

  “You do not like me and Kevin? Or you do not like me and Sheema?”

  “I do not like you and Kevin. You and Sheema...I want Diavla happy.”

  So, Tom doesn't mind sharing Varga with Sheema. Possibly he is fine with more women, but not with another man. And maybe he wants Sheema, Diavla added darkly. Who am I fooling? Of course he wants Sheema, damn her tits and her pretty face. She fumed for a few moments, trying to get herself under control.

  “Di?” Varga asked nervously.

  “I don't care about you and Kevin, Varga. I don't care about you with almost anyone, honestly. Your body is yours, and you are good at finding sex and enjoying life. I would not take that away from you.” She sighed. “But did it have to be Sheema, of all people?”

  Varga took a deep breath. “If Sheema wasn't...participating, would you mind if she was there while I screw Kevin? He's probably insecure about sex like Tom is, and will want her there to make sure she is fine with it, just like Tom is watching you, checking whether you are all right with it.”

  Diavla turned that over in her soul for a moment. Sheema isn't stealing Varga. Spirits, nobody could steal someone who will gleefully jump into their arms. And I obviously matter a lot more to Varga than Sheema does. If anything, this is taking Kevin away from Sheema a little bit. Sure, it's what she wants, but... Diavla wasn't proud of it, but she couldn't help but like the idea of Kevin being less enamored of Sheema.

  “I...would accept that,” she told her redheaded lover. She tried to envision the mechanics of it, what they would want to do together. “Obviously, you can hug and kiss Sheema, in or out of bed. And I don't mind...touches, but...not down low.” She sighed. “I'm sorry, I know it's rude of me even to ask that, but—”

  Varga seized her hand and gave it a squeeze. “That's fine, Di. That's totally fine. The restriction doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I just want you to be happy and not to hurt you. I can get sex anywhere.”

  “Yeah, you really can.” Diavla smiled at her friend, then shook her head. “All right. You still have to convince Tom, though.”

  “Thanks, Di. You are wonderful.” Their human had been watching and not saying anything for a bit. Now, Varga rolled over and started stroking Tom's chest.

  “Tom,” she said in a wheedling tone, “Can I go out to play?” Diavla snorted, and Tom actually looked at her and rolled his eyes. They shared a smile. Varga is Varga. He still looked hesitant, though, so Varga's hand slid downward. “If you say yes, I will—” She stopped as Tom grabbed her hand.

  “If I say yes, you will. If I say no, you will,” he pointed out.

  Varga nodded. “Yes, Master. You are right. Please?”

  Ooh, calling him Master right now is a dirty trick, Varga. You know he's sensitive about not abusing us as his slaves. You took his observation of simple fact and made it sound like a command. He—

  Diavla was startled as Tom grabbed Varga by the hair. She could hear her elven lover's breath catch. “Yes. I am right,” he told her, and now it was a command. He pushed her chin up with his other hand and stared in her direction. Diavla knew he couldn't see Varga's expression, but it was easy to forget sometimes, because he was a good actor.

  “You...will be clean...and not sick...when you come here,” he commanded.

  “Yes, Master.”

  He released her. “Go. Have fun.”

  “Thank you, Master.” Varga kissed him, then rolled over and kissed Diavla. “I got him all warmed up for you,” she whispered. “Now, you have him all to yourself.”

  “Hurry back. I may need reinforcements,” she joked. She looked at Tom's expression for a moment, then shivered. “On second thought, take your time,” she purred.

  Varga started to leave, then paused. “Actually...I have a present for you. Come with me a minute? It'll be worth it, for both of you, I promise.”

  “Now?”

  “Now is perfect.”

  Diavla sighed at Varga's grin. What trouble is she causing now? She's probably going to give me some wine or something.“Tom, I go. I come back very soon.”

  “Go fast, come back fast,” Tom grumbled, settling on his back.

  Diavla followed Varga over to the women's wagon and inside. Varga excused herself to reach past Eubexa for something. “Take off your clothes, quick.”

  “Varga...?”

  “Trust me. I've been meaning to give this to you ever since Rivermarch. Tom's going to love it.”

  Feeling unsure, Diavla did as she was bid, while Varga fumbled with something behind her back. Finally, she turned around, shivering. “This better be...What is that?”

  She stared. “Is that...some kind of corset, or...?” The assembly of black leather straps in Varga's hands looked complicated, but Varga appeared to be expecting her reaction. She was already holding part of it in a particular way. “Here, put your feet through these.”

  “Varga, what is this?” Not wanting to stay bare any longer than necessary, she did as Varga asked.

  “I saw Tom talking to the leatherworker in Rivermarch. They went in the back for a minute, remember? I peeked through the curtain.”

  “Because of course you did.” Diavla felt herself turning red as Varga worked around her. At a gesture, she put her arms through a couple more holes in the...harness?

  “And the leatherworker showed Tom this. He wanted it, Di. He wanted it badly, but didn't feel comfortable spending the coin. So, I went back and got it for you.” Varga pulled on a final strap. “There. Now, put on whatever you feel comfortable wearing over it, and go have fun.”

  “I don't get it,” a high-pitched voice called out suddenly. They turned to look at Piper, who was frowning in disapproval at Diavla. “She's a girl, not a horse.”

  “It's a joke,” Varga said at once. “A game. But only for adults, and it's a secret, so don't talk about this, all right?”

  “All right...” Piper shook her head dubiously, obviously thinking that the adults were crazy. “I won't tell.”

  “Thank you.”

  Diavla threw on some of her clothes, picked up the rest, and wrapped her cloak around her for the short trip back to the tents.

  “Have fun,” Varga said gleefully.

  “You, too.” They climbed into the respective tents.

  Tom immediately tied down the flap to block the wind better. Diavla took a deep breath, feeling nervous. “Tom, please close your eyes.”

  “Close my eyes?”

  “Yes. Very soon, I am good.”

  Tom raised his eyebrows at her. “What did Varga do?”

  “You will see. Do not look.”

  Tom sighed. “All right.” He lay back and closed his eyes. Diavla quickly shed all of her clothing except the black leather...thing, then made sure the lantern was illuminating her. At the last moment, she picked up the cloak and put it back on.

  “Now, Tom. Look.”

  He opened his eyes at stared at her, curiosity sparkling in his expression. She took a deep breath, then pulled the cloak open. Tom immediately got up on one elbow, staring. “Varga gave me this. She—” She stopped abruptly when she saw the expression on his face—hungry, almost desperate, as he looked her body up and down.

  He reached up slowly, took hold of a strap, and pulled her towards him with a yank. Diavla squeaked as he rolled over on top. A moment later, he was pulling on her hair and kissing her.

  For a long while, neither one of them spared a thought for anything but each other after that.