Lottery King 7, page 11
“Myanmar has one of the greatest gaps in wealth distribution in the world,” Ivis said.
We all turned to look at my half-dryad wife, and I gave her an admiring half-smile.
“The poorest populations own less than twenty-three percent of the country’s overall wealth,” Rune explained. “And what’s worse, the poorest people make up nearly half of the total population.”
“Shit,” Poppy hissed silently.
“Meanwhile…” Rune nodded slowly. “The wealthiest members of society make up a tiny fraction of the overall population.”
“And I thought it was bad in the US,” I muttered.
“Myanmar is far more divided than America,” Rune said. “And the numbers you’re thinking of are only the human population. Matters within the paranormal populations are even worse. The wealthy paranormals in Myanmar are far more wealthy than even the wealthiest humans, and the poor paranormal population is far larger than the poor human population.”
“Is that why the people riot?” Dinah asked.
“The enormous disparity between the top percent and bottom half has caused disquiet for decades,” the scout leader said. “There has long been discord among the population, but it has become violent lately. People have taken to the streets in droves, accounts of vandalism are rising, and the local human police force have given the impression of giving up.”
“They are surely overwhelmed by the entire situation,” Helena hummed.
A group of servants arrived at that moment with food and drinks on two trolley carts, and they silently set everything out for us before they left without saying a word. My lovers and staff began making selections of the food while I was stuck inside my own thoughts for a moment.
I couldn’t help but think of the attempted uprising the Machités gia tin Elefthería had stirred up in Athens, and I shook my head.
Gemma and I had just been discussing the gorgon leader of the so-called freedom fighters in Greece. Now, it sounded like a similar political discord was ramping up in Myanmar. And the region was the last known whereabouts of three ancient teachers Koschei had his eyes on.
I stared at the dozens of pushpins crammed into the small area of the huge map, and I tried to come up with any good reasons not to go to Myanmar and see for myself what the situation really was. But I couldn’t come up with any reason to stop us from pushing harder into the region.
I knew for a fact that, at the very least, we needed to track down those three teachers who’s trails had gone cold in the area. Even if they were dead somewhere in Myanmar, we needed answers, and there was something about the discord, rioting, and apparent anger in the region that nagged at me.
If we were looking for disciples or acolytes of Koschei’s, this felt like the best place to start looking.
Besides, there was clearly some bullshit going on with the representatives in this area. They clearly weren’t doing their jobs to the fullest extent of their duties. They either needed replacing or a stern talking-to by their king to remember what their responsibilities were to me and the people of their region.
Myanmar needed the king’s touch.
“We need to investigate deeper into Myanmar,” I decided. “Even if we can’t find the teachers here, there is some kind of bullshit going on with my representatives in the area. I need to give some corrective attention to the region, and I need to do it in person.”
“I think you’re right,” Helena agreed right away.
“Me, too,” Poppy said, and Dinah nodded emphatically beside my fae wife.
“I agree,” Gemma said with a distinctly authoritative voice.
The mermaid commander had stood up and walked over to the huge display of details, discoveries, and intel. She stood staring at the board for a moment before she turned around and nodded.
“Myanmar has a lot going on right now,” Gemma said. “The region needs the attention of our king.”
“I think so, too,” Nyxx said. “There’s too many threads leading that way to ignore.”
“Should I begin arranging things, your majesties?” Rune asked, and then he grimaced with uncertainty as he looked at Nyxx and Gemma. “Commander and… Nyxx?”
I smirked at Rune’s internal struggle at how to address us all with convenience, and he scraped a hand through his golden hair.
“Beg all your pardons, my king,” Rune said with a friendly smile. “But would you please marry them already so we can all just simplify the title thing?”
All six of my ladies burst into giggling laughter, and a boisterous laugh exploded from my chest, too.
“I’m working on it, Rune,” I assured him through another laugh. “But to answer your question, yes, please begin making whatever arrangements we need. I expect we’ll be staying in Myanmar for a bit.”
“I’ll make sure you all have suitable housing, your majesties,” Rune said with a smirk.
“Do I own property there?” I asked.
“Actually, your majesty…” Rune said, and he raised his very blond eyebrows. “You don’t.”
“Wow,” I chuckled with surprise. “Well, rent a place, buy a place, I don’t know, whatever you need to do, you have my permission to do it.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” Rune laughed. “There are many high-quality mansions available for rent in the city that will suit your needs quite nicely.”
“Great.” I nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
“When will we go?” Dinah asked, and she glanced between Rune, me, and my other ladies. “We’re all going, right?”
“Of course.” I smiled. “I’ve finally got you all together, I’m not separating us now.”
“Good.” Gemma grinned in a way that told me there wasn’t an ice cube’s chance in hell she was going to be left behind.
“Firo,” I said.
“Your majesty?” The dragon-man nodded respectfully.
“I want you to stay here and keep working with Sveta and the haljita,” I instructed. “I intend to leave you in charge of everything that’s happening. I trust you to know how I would do things, and I trust you to keep everyone here safe.”
“Are you certain I shouldn’t accompany you, your majesty?” Firo asked in the most polite tone he could possibly use to argue with his king. “I must admit, I’m uneasy with the idea of you traveling to an area that could pose very serious danger.”
“King Michael will hardly be alone, Firo,” Nyxx pointed out. “We’ll take three full teams of shadow nymphs with us.”
“Besides,” Gemma joined in, and she gave Nyxx a nod. “His majesty has a hardened merfolk commander and a general of shadow nymph armies at his sides now.”
Nyxx laughed deeply at the unofficial title, and my wives and I chuckled at the truth of it all.
“Well…” Firo smirked. “I can’t exactly argue with that, can I? Very well, Nyxx, Commander Gemma, I will leave the king in your very capable hands.”
“We can call in more reserve teams that are familiar with the area, too,” Nyxx said. “That will give us a bit of home turf advantage. It’s always good to have some locals on your team.”
“Great,” I said. “Rune, Firo, I trust you’ll coordinate to arrange all the security details?”
Rune and Firo nodded in agreement, and I sighed as I stood up from the table.
“Alright, I’ll leave you to it, then,” I said. “Would tomorrow be too soon to depart?”
“No, your majesty.” Rune shook his head, but there was a bit of tension in his face as he answered. “I can prepare everything that quickly.”
“Alright.” I grinned. “Don’t hurt yourself getting it done.”
“Never, your majesty,” Rune said, and the tension left his face as he gave me a grateful half-smile.
“Let me know if there’s anything else,” I said.
My six ladies moved to join me as I left the room, and I had a sensation of being a boy band star from the nineties with my flock of groupies. The biggest difference was that I loved them all as much as they loved me.
“How about we go up to our rooms and relax for a bit?” I suggested. “I’m feeling the back-to-back travel days right about now.”
“My internal clock is somewhere around…” Gemma’s face screwed up as she did the mental math. “Fourteen hours ahead? Behind? I’m not sure, but I’m exhausted.”
“I’m sure you’re all confused on the inside,” Ivis said. “The time changes were always the worst part of travel for me.”
“I agree!” Poppy said emphatically. “My body likes to stick with the clock.”
“Come on,” Helena laughed lightly. “Let’s just lounge around tonight and catch up with each other.”
“I feel like we’ve never all been together like this,” Ivis giggled.
“We haven’t,” Dinah said.
“It’s so great to have you all with me,” I said with a smile.
We arrived at our rooms a moment later, and I held the door open for my six gorgeous ladies.
“Oh, wow,” Gemma breathed as she walked inside. “This place is insane.”
“Isn’t it wild?” Poppy squeaked, and her iridescent wings fluttered with excitement. “It’s the biggest building I’ve ever been inside.”
“It’s the biggest building I’ve ever seen!” Dinah laughed.
“It’s honestly fucking huge,” I chortled in agreement. “I don’t want to think about how many bricks or stones went into making this place.”
We laughed and speculated on how many windows, doors, bricks, and hallways this castle had for a while before we moved onto other topics of conversation. For a while, all six of my lovers chatted among themselves, and I just enjoyed the absolute pleasure of us all being together like this for the first time. It was wonderful to feel like my whole heart was in one place, and I never wanted to be apart from them for another moment.
Around dinnertime, a soft knock came at the door, and Gemma shifted into high alert mode. She must have assumed the knock would mean trouble, but when I opened the door, it was just a dinner service for us like I’d expected. The staff here was used to keeping a tight schedule for Koschei, and they had easily shifted into tending to the needs of my lovers, my staff, and myself.
I looked forward to the moment I would be able to release them all from such duties, but then I realized that might leave them without any kind of employment. An idea started to brew in my mind as we dug into the rich and heavy food that was so common here in Russia. I decided I would do my best to make sure all the servants here who wanted gainful employment would have it even after my work was done.
After all, what kind of king would I be if I freed these people but didn’t ensure the stability of their futures?
By the time we were done with our food, Gemma was fighting off back-to-back yawns, and I gave her a loving smile.
“You can go to sleep if you want,” I murmured.
“I’m having so much fun talking with you all,” Gemma said, and she gave me an adorable pout. “But I am really damn tired.”
“I’m honestly exhausted, too,” Dinah said.
“Oh, my goddess!” Poppy shouted, and then she grimaced apologetically for the volume of her voice. “Sorry, that was way louder than I intended. But we haven’t told Gemma the news!”
“What news?” Gemma asked.
“The good news,” Poppy said with extra emphasis on the second word. “The haaaappy news.”
“Oh, duh!” I laughed, and smiled at Dinah. “She means your… or our news.”
“What news?” Gemma demanded with a laugh.
“I’m pregnant,” Dinah said, and a huge smile took over her brown face.
“What!” Gemma cried with excitement. “Really?”
“Uh-huh.” Dinah nodded enthusiastically.
“How far along are you?” Gemma asked.
“Not far,” Dinah giggled, and she looked to Poppy for confirmation. “I’m due in July, I think?”
“Probably,” Poppy said. “We’ll need to see a healer soon to nail it down, but that’s what I estimated.”
“That’s so exciting!” Gemma said, and she pulled my Filipino bride into a warm hug.
We stayed in the sitting room and chatted happily about the news of our growing family for a while before we moved into the bedroom. My ladies changed into their various selection of clothing for sleeping, and Gemma got entirely naked without an ounce of hesitation.
Dinah blushed and averted her eyes with the same modesty she’d had in the beginning of our more intimate relationship.
“I’m sorry,” Gemma said in a light tone. “I’m used to sleeping naked, but I can put something on if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s fine,” Dinah said. She blushed but bravely brought her eyes up to meet Gemma’s friendly smile. “It won’t be the last time I see you naked.”
“That’s for sure,” Helena said with a sultry smirk in my direction,
I narrowed my eyes at my sexy harpy and her suggestive comment, and she responded by winking at me. A hearty chuckle escaped my throat, and we all climbed into the bed together.
It was a very good thing the bed was so large because there was no way we would have all fit together otherwise. I let my ladies silently sort out who would sleep where, and they seemed to agree that Gemma be allowed a spot right beside me. Ivis cuddled up on my other side, and I realized they often cycled through in turns from one night to the next. I hadn’t even noticed the pattern until now, but I was amazed at how effortlessly they worked to share me with one another.
A round of softly spoken goodnights went around, and I laid in awe of the reality around me for only a moment or two before I fell deeply asleep.
My unconscious mind presented me with the peaceful and happy future that waited for us after the struggles of my responsibilities were sorted. I sat surrounded by my six wives and a herd of children with scales, wings, bright blue, green, and red-brown eyes, and a rainbow of hair colors. I felt utterly at peace and contented with everything I had as we picnicked on a hugely sprawling lawn.
A bright glowing light radiated at the edges of my mind, but before I could see the person’s face, a gentle nudge pulled me from the depths of sleep.
“Michael, it’s time to wake up,” Gemma’s voice lured me to the waking world. “We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
“Mmmm,” I hummed.
“He must have been dreaming,” Helena mused from somewhere across the room. “He’s always difficult to wake up when he’s dreaming.”
“He’s so cute when he dreams,” Nyxx laughed, and I opened one eye to smirk at her.
My sexy shadow nymph was in her human form, and I silently hoped she would stay that way for our journey.
“What were you dreaming about, Michael?” Gemma whispered, and I could hear the smile in her voice.
“My family,” I mumbled in a sleep-groggy voice.
“Wake up and say hello to us,” Poppy cooed. “We’re all here.”
“Not all of you.” I smirked as I opened one eye. “There was a whole brood of little people in my dream, and only the first one is here.”
Dinah’s eyes swam with happy tears as she placed her hands over the still-flat plane of her lower abdomen.
“Mmmhmm.” I nodded. “There were like… twenty children in that dream.”
“Twenty!” Poppy laughed with amazement. “That’s a lot!”
“Goodness,” Ivis breathed in awe. “Well, I suppose it’s only, what…? Three babies each?”
I chortled, climbed out of bed, and gestured at our nearby luggage.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get dressed. Knowing Rune, he’ll have our flight arranged already, and we’ll be getting on a plane within the hour.”
We dressed in layers that would suit us in the cold of Russia and the much more comfortable climate of Myanmar, and we soon discovered my estimation of our departure time was spot-on as we enjoyed breakfast in the kitchen.
“Your majesty,” Rune said without preamble as he entered the room.
“Let me guess,” I said. “The jet is ready?”
“Uh,” Rune breathed and smiled. “Well, yes, your majesty, it is.”
“Figured.” I smirked. “Are we taking a mirror portal back to that landing strip we used yesterday?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Rune said. “The shadow nymph teams are already passing through, and your luggage is about to be loaded aboard as well.”
“Great.” I nodded. “We’ll be there as soon as we’re finished eating.”
“I will inform the pilot, your majesty,” Rune said, and he disappeared once more.
My ladies and I finished our breakfast, thanked the kitchen staff, and went outside to find an army of staff and villagers gathered in front of the fortress castle.
Firo and Sveta stopped me as my ladies continued on toward the mirror we would take to the airstrip, and La was waiting with them.
“King Michael,” La said. “We have a few more survivors ready to be released, if you have a moment before your departure.”
“Definitely,” I said.
I quickly severed Koschei’s ties and released mine from six more survivors, and they each sagged with relief at the freedom I’d just given them. La and Firo assured me they would continue working with all the remaining survivors, and I promised I would return as soon as I could to release whoever was ready.
Then it was time to go, and I saw that all my shadow nymph guards had passed through the mirror already. Only my six lovers stood waiting at the mirror with Rune, and I took a deep breath as I walked up toward the mirror.
I knew I could maintain a hold on the lifeline tethers from a distance, but I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to comfortably do so. I’d only been away in California for about a day, and this trip to Myanmar would last days if not weeks.
I found my eyes wandering over toward Vallia’s small home, and the blonde woman was standing out front. She was a few steps further away from her front door than normal, and six shadow nymphs flanked her on either side.
I could feel the power radiating off her like a small sun whose orbit I was caught in.
Then something changed, and I slowed my steps.
