Chapter 46: Harmony

We spent three full days packing, two days shopping in Brisbane, one in Sydney, two in New York and three in Paris.

We also visited about thirty other places in the two weeks as we did a worldwide tour of Earth. The longer stay in Paris was just because Crystal and Pearl wanted to go there at least once and they wanted to hit the fashion shops. Us blokes were outvoted.

Apparently, Crystal and Pearl had three votes each to our one. I have a feeling they were trying to hoodwink us, but Mike and I played the long-suffering husbands and went along with them. We did enjoy the interesting places we stopped in, and they kindly answered all of my dumb questions.

Mike was teaching me a lot on the score of being a husband. I was learning how to deal with a wife from Earth. I think the girls were tickled that Mike and I were getting along so well, unless we played the man’s card and disappeared into my workshop.

Mike cracked me up when he put a sign on the container door saying ‘Wives not allowed in Men’s Den, Com first’. Mitch, of course, was included with us men, and somehow Boo was too. Bobette and Gemma stuck with the ladies.

I don’t know about the wives, but we had a shit load of fun in that Den. We even ended up with a huge vidscreen and two big couches to laze around on. Mike brought Boo and me the latest Peepers on the market and upgraded his and Mitches so they could teach me the latest games.

Peepers are an interactive shade that goes over your eyes, and you can do a lot with them. Mike even got me a suit in my size, and you felt like you were in the game for real. We got into a bit of trouble when the wives came back from a shopping trip and found all four of use rolling around on the floor in hysterics.

Boo had a seriously competitive streak, and then his protective side would come out. He was mad in the games. I told him I should change his name to Kamikaze. He just grinned and asked what we were playing next.

Anyway, we finally headed to Harmony, and I had to put my Emperor’s hat on. Lee graciously accepted us into her splendid home and Sean rescued us blokes and took us for a tour of the island. Then the crowd turned up.

Damn, those people knew how to party. Daniel had mentioned Wizards’ Weekends, and I got to experience one first hand. Seriously, even my head was spinning when I was trying to work out who was related to whom and how.

They were seriously cool people and just included us as if we were part of the family. Crystal got to catch up with Michael, and we let them wander off for a private chat. They sorted out a few things and seemed much happier when they came back from their stroll in the gardens.

Crystal later told me that Mike had been correct and Michael had finally let her go and realised he had a good thing with Janet. I’m not a hundred percent sure, that he had totally eradicated her from his heart because he did give her a few wistful looks.

However, he didn’t act on whatever he was thinking and stuck close to Janet unless he was with us blokes. He did eye me up and down, and I told him what Daniel was up to and how proud I was to have his son married to my daughter.

I think he came around a bit and was glad that Daniel had turned out so well. I’m not sure I’ll ever be as close to him as I’ve become to Mike, even though he was closer to my true age. It’s funny too, because Mike lived with Crystal a lot longer than she was with Michael.

Maybe it was the fact that we understood her better than Michael got a chance to. I do feel a little bad for him, but she was mine now, and I intended to keep her. Here is another odd thing. With all of the beautiful women around me, I found that while I appreciated their beauty, I wasn’t remotely interested in any of them.

Sean came up to me at one point and stood beside Mike and I. “Kyle and I have a bet going,” he said.

“Oh! Should I ask?” I replied.

He grinned, “I reckoned at least two years, but he reckons only one,” he said and glanced at my inquiring look. “Until you choose a second wife,” he qualified. He then chuckled, “Though in your case it maybe even longer unless fate jumps in like she did for me.”

“Don’t get me wrong, we love Donny, she is very special to Lee and I. However, even she knows Lee will always come first in my heart,” he said.

“Yes, I think that will happen in my case too. I fully expect Crystal to find me another wife or two, but I can assure you that right now I’m not looking,” I told him.

“Me either,” added Mike and we grinned at him.

“I found it interesting learning about the Pix boxes. I know the decad boxes are a bit looser, but I have noticed apprentices tend to end up with their wizards,” mentioned Sean.

“I have too; especially with the number they have on Amity. Even Storm ended up with a husband and two wives,” I replied.

“Yeah Kyle has the same, and I don’t think he plans to add any more for some time. They seem to couple up, but they are still bonded very deeply to each other. Lee thinks we should find our fourth for Donny,” Sean said.

“You may need to take her for a visit to Amity,” I replied.

Sean chuckled, “Yes, I think that may be on the cards. So what are your plans for Pearl and Mike here?”

“Oh, she is a potential Queen. I understand Topazionia still has only a settlement on it, but no wizard?”

“True, but Kyle’s son, Billy isn’t old enough,” Sean, told me.

“Yes, I understand that some of Lee’s boxes aren’t claimed for similar reasons. However, if she promoted a few wizards to Queens, then it wouldn’t be a problem. Traditionally a Queen looks after a continent, and then her wizards look after the nations within it.

“Well, we know we can’t have too many Queens without an Empress,” he said.

“True, do you have any objections to becoming a Magnate?” I asked him.

“What?” Sean blurted out.

“Donny will still be your consort unless you wish to make her one of your new Lord Wizards but that will be up to you and Lee to decide. Personally, I think she may be happier as a Royal Consort. I believe Gary would make an excellent Lord and your friend Nick Clark should be a Regent. He has a lot more potential than I think even he realises,” I told Sean.

“Oh shit! You have a box for Lee for don’t you?” he said looking at me wide-eyed.

I grinned at him, and he cracked up. “She has got to learn to stop micro-managing. From the people I have met here today, I have an idea mapped out, but you and Lee should be better at determining the status.”

“As Empress, she can easily move people from a decad to one better suited for that region. I did it on Amity, and it seems to be working better for all concerned. The people like having their wizards close and accessible. Lee had been training hers to be Queens even if she wasn’t aware of it.”

Sean nodded, “She likes to go exploring but often find the issues here bog her down.”

“Well, that is one excellent thing about being an Empress. We only need to look after the big picture issues so we can find some time out to do our own thing. With the way we communicate, a Queen can call on us, and we can get just about anywhere in a blink of an eye.”

“I plan to make Lee a ship like mine while I’m here. Spacevans are the only way to travel,” I told him with a big grin.

“What Earth-shattering events are you three so deep in conversation about?” asked Lee as she approached with Crystal and Pearl.

“Sean wants a Spacevan,” I said.

“He would,” Lee said rolling her eyes.

“Lee, you have got to see his workshop, I bet I’ll have a bloody hard time getting you out of it,” Sean said grinning at her.

“On that little ship?” she said in disbelief.

“Yep! And it’s not so little, he uses this spell that makes his containers huge,” Mike put in.

“Like our satchels,” Lee said in understanding, and I could see the wheels turning in her head when she understood just how the spell could be used.

“He carts around enough gear that he could live out of that Spacevan for years,” Mike added.

“Very handy for when you’re shifting house,” I added with a straight face. Mike and the girls laughed, as they knew just how much crap we had fitted into it, and that was before the shopping trips.

“And it can jump from hovering over a portal on a planet to another planet with a portal with a blink of the eyes,” Crystal added.

We all saw Lee’s eyes light up with this knowledge. I sent to Crystal, ‘sold’, and she stifled a giggle.

“But then again, she won’t need one now that she has found what she has been looking for,” I said just to stir the pot.

Lee looked at me a little confused and then stepped back and gasped when the boxes appeared. I decided I wasn’t going to have an argument with Lee about this issue. Meeting her people and talking to Sean had confirmed in my mind that it had to happen.

“Ah crap! You bastard, you set me up,” Lee said, but her eyes were glued to the box.

“Sorry, but I’m doing it for your own good, things need to change Lee,” I said.

Lee looked at Sean, and he smiled his love at her. “I’m afraid I agree,” he said and took her in his arms.

I then noticed we had attracted a crowd. A bloke, who I vaguely knew of as Qu, suddenly blinked beside Lee, “So, have we got to do this all over again, my Queen?” he asked Lee.

Lee chuckled and said, “Qu, no one can do it like you do.”

“Hey! I’m not being left out this time,” another man said, as he appeared beside Qu.

The two men grinned at each other. Then their wands appeared and changed into staffs. They wiped their hands over their bodies and were now wearing splendid outfits that I soon realised were their Royal Guard attire.

Each marched up so that they stopped on either of the box. They rapped their staffs on the floor. The booming noise that they made was quite impressive.

Then Qu said in a voice that carried, “Ladies, Gentlemen and Thespians, tonight we have the honour of witnessing our beloved Queen Lee take the next step in her evolutionary process and become our Empress.”

“My Lady,” the man I later learned was called DT said and waited for Lee to step in front of the box. Once she was in position Qu said, “Do you Jade Warrior Queen Lee Watson promise to serve the one people to the best of your ability for as long as you live?”

Lee said clearly for all to hear, “I do.”

DT got the next line. “Then please place your hand on the box and ask for it to accept you,” he said solemnly.

Lee did so and the box opened, as I knew it would. I’d made it for her after all. Qu then reached in and pulled out the crown. Lee had sucked in a big breath as her bling disappeared but otherwise made no sound. She turned and knelt, and Qu stepped up beside her and placed the crown on her head.

She sighed and smiled as the men alternated placing the items on her, leaving the cape until last. They helped her to her feet by offering her their arms to lean on and still holding her arms on theirs, they rapped their staffs again.

Together the proclaimed, “Long live the Tourmaline Empress, Long live Empress Lee.”

My ears then rang from the cheering and whoop-whistles. I got the impression that not a soul in the room was displeased with this event happening. Lee was then engulfed by her family and friends.

I looked at Qu, “Do you think they can handle Sean getting his box?”

He grinned, “Oh I think they will love that just as much. As you may have guessed, we think highly of these two people. Sean was the best Captain that I have ever worked for. His people would support him in any situation even back then. Then we met Lee, that lady saved all of our arses on the ship, when we were coming here.”

“Since we have been here and on Utopia, they have been tireless in making sure we are happy. She’s crafty too, you have got to be one of the few people I’ve seen get one over her, so you can’t be too bad in my books. She really didn’t see that coming, and she often sees a lot of things before anyone else.”

He glanced over the crowd and then looked back at me, “You got his box?”

I nodded, and it appeared beside Lee’s. He grinned and signalled DT. They moved into place and banged their staffs. The room went quiet suddenly, and Qu flicked his eyes at Sean who sighed and came to stand before them.

There were giggles and chuckles as he did. The boys did their thing and going by the grins in the crowd, they were just as happy with the little show and Sean becoming Lee’s Magnate. I thought it was quite cute.

Qu explained to me, while Sean was being congratulated, how the coronation came into being. He said it was because Lee was reluctant to accept her Queen’s box. “Well you’re going to have to do it a couple more times,” I told them.

They looked at me with delight, “Are we getting new Queens too?”

“An Empress has got to have Queens,” I said. “Then Lee can sort out their decads. We’re doing it a bit backwards, but I think in this case since we need to shift a few people about it will work out better this way.”

“Fine by us, just tell us where and when,” Qu told me.

“I think we will have to spend a bit of time getting it sorted out, but I’d say we will be having a party by next weekend,” I told them.

“Good, we might even set up a bit better. In Lee’s case, you probably did the right thing. For some bloody reason, that woman thinks that she is no one special,” Qu said.

“I heard that!” called out Lee.

We all chuckled as Lee was well away from us. She hugged whoever was congratulating her and grabbing Sean, she headed back to me. “Here it comes,” I said.

“It’s all right my love,” Crystal said patting my arm. Then she added, “However, we just might stand over there. I’d hate to get blood on my new dress.”

Lee marched up to me; she reached up, grabbed me by my ears, pulled me down and laid a big wet pash on me. I was scarlet and throbbing by the time that she let go of me. “Damn,” I said and shivered from head to toe.

“You are just lucky you’re too damn big to be put across my knee,” she scolded me.

“Yes ma’am,” I said as contritely as I could. “You know Daniel is going to tan my backside when he finds out I promoted you and that you kissed me.”

Lee chuckled and said, “That boy would crawl into my bed faster than I could blink if I let him.”

“I now know why,” I told her and shuddered.

Lee’s laughter rang out. “So now I have to learn how to be an Empress,” she said.

“Do you want to know the most important thing I learnt about being in power?”

“I’ll give. What?” she asked.

“Delegate,” I said. “Find the right people for the job and then let them do it. You only have to watch Storm and our good friend Bron in action. That is what they do too, so I know it works. We are big picture people. We monitor and only step in when all else fails, or things are getting dangerous, and we can prevent them from getting worse.”

“Before I left Amity to come on this little jaunt that is what I did. I found people to put in charge and left them to it. They know if they need me, they only have to call. I’ve had half a dozen calls since I left, and in each case, they just need a little reassurance that they were doing the right thing.”

“As they become more experienced, I’ll get fewer calls. You probably solve more problems in your little get-togethers than you realise. The biggest problem you have is that your people are stretched too thin. It’s stressing you, and it is stressing them.”

“You should have promoted someone to a Queen on Utopia at least, and it wouldn’t have caused a problem because they are different planets. You could have then had a few more decads to spread around,” I said.

“Shit, I kept thinking I should do that, but I just wasn’t sure,” she said. “Will my box go to him?” she asked me.

“No, it belongs to Trixy,” I told her. She frowned, and I grinned. “However, I just happen to have a couple of Queen’s boxes. An Empress can have ten Queens.”

“Will it matter if half are on the other planet?” she asked me.

“Things have been very stable with you operating both so no I don’t think so,” I told her.

Lee tapped her lip thoughtfully, she then looked at me slyly and sent me a thought, ‘Got another emperors box?’

‘It would solve a few problems. Are you ready to trust him?’ I thought at her.

‘With my life,’ she sent back without hesitation.

I looked over at the man in question and knew that she spoke the truth. I walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. I then looked deep into his eyes. I smiled and said, “Thank you, I have what need to know.” I walked back to Lee and winked at her.

She chuckled and said, “I think we need to have a little meeting tomorrow.”

“I agree,” I told her.

I’d watched her, as she made sure she talked to everyone, and she touched them before the party broke up for the evening. I found that I really like her people. The fact that they all loved Lee was never a question. I was starting to understand Daniel’s obsession with her.

Pearl and Mike had been welcomed into the fold as if they had always been of one of theirs and had just come home from a holiday. I was a little surprised by quickly they accepted Crystal and me. Sean joked that it was because we were Aussies.

I pointed out that I wasn’t an Australian. Sean had grinned and said that for all intent and purpose I was. David was my dad, and I’d said that my people had adopted their norms from Australia because of my fascination. He said that my people had even acted like Aussies when we incorporated the Keltrians.

From what I’d said, they were told to obey the laws already set, but I’d still allowed them to keep those aspects of their culture that didn’t conflict with the laws of the land. It made me think of the big meeting I’d had with them when I had laid out the law for them.

I mentioned that we had over time, adopted some of their customs. Sean smiled and said, “If you looked at Australian history that is pretty much happened each time new people moved to Australia too. We are adaptable people.”

“I suspect it is why so many magicians keep popping up from Oz. A lot of people who had been persecuted in their own countries still come to Australia. Don’t get me wrong, we still have bigoted people and people that try to hold onto all aspects of their old cultures without appreciating the fact they moved because they wanted a better way of life.”

Changing the topic a little he said, “Lee is a bit worried about the new planet, Terra. If things don’t settle down there soon, I’m afraid of what she will do. Now you have made her an Empress. May the Goddesses have mercy on their souls if she loses her temper with them.”

“From what I’ve heard, she often comes up with rather unique solutions,” I replied.

Sean chuckled, “That she does, that she does.”

Lee called her wizards and High Mages to a meeting the next morning, after breakfast.

For the most part Crystal, Pearl, Mike and I were bystanders. I think we were fascinated with the way Lee and Sean operated and Crystal said to me at one point, “We can learn a lot from those two.”

I could only agree. I loved the way Lee got input from all of her people. Tossed out an idea and let them run with it unless they got side-tracked and then she brought them smoothly back to the topic at hand. I realised she did know how to delegate but had been worried if her people had really been ready for such a big change.

I think her promotion, and the fact I’d instigated it and not her, was the catalyst that she needed. It was hard to believe the woman had any uncertainties or insecurities but I suspected that my entities and my confirmations that she was the right person was the sign she had been waiting for.

The crowd went home at the end of the day, and I got a Cook’s Tour of Harmony and then Utopia.

I got invited to lecture at their school and was honoured.

The class I enjoyed the most was the kids. Lee had such talent to work with; I was amazed. For my first lecture, I got brought into this Auditorium and looked at all of the eager faces wondering what I was going to tell them. I was surprisingly nervous.

Then I remembered Bron’s play, and I had an idea. I’d agonised the night before and prepared an elaborate speech. However, it went out the window. I pointed to one of the kids and said, “Do you have a crystal cavern here with a dais?”

The little girl said, “Of course.”

“Good, then I want you to take all of the kids and go there. Make yourselves comfortable so you can all see the dais and wait for me.”

The got up and filed out, and I blinked. Bron nearly jumped out of skin when I appeared “Shit,” I said when I saw him. I’d forgotten he was pregnant. “Damn, Bron I need help, I have to talk to a heap of kids, and I was going to grab you and get you to do a little show for them,” I said crankily at my own stupidity.

Bron chuckled and said, “Come here.” I did as he asked and he touched me on the temple and closed his eyes. “That’s one I do for the little kids, will it help? Though you have a good story yourself about how you and Daniel defeated a bad Wizard Queen and Pirates. Kids love those sorts of stories.”

I hugged him and asked him how he was doing. He smiled and rubbed his big belly. “Surprising well. Greta says he is doing fine and I shouldn’t have any problems.”

“I’m pleased to hear and see that you are handling this pregnancy well,” I told him with another hug. I then transported back to Harmony and the dais. I looked around the room and decided it needed a few alterations. The kids had arranged themselves around the dais.

I asked them all to stand and move, so they were all in one area and pointed to where I wanted them. I then pulled my wand even though I didn’t need it, but decided it would look more theatrical, and I raised the floor on the other side into five curved tiers.

I split it into three sections with the middle one being the widest and a set of stairs between each section to giving access to the top tiers. I added backrests leaving enough room for feet behind and someone room to shimmy past anyone seated. I softened the seating section to make it comfortable but didn’t form individual seats.

People varied a lot in height here, and this meant people had as much or as little room as they needed. I was amused by the oohs and ahs behind me. I then told the kids to find a seat. Once in place, I said, “I was going to give you all a long speech but decided you really wanted to see some magic.”