Gray found Atena sitting at a table at the very corner of Tabrum Inn. Her eyes looked dull and monotonous as usual, but she had gotten a little scar under her chin, and she had started wearing shorts. That was good. He liked her toned legs.

“Got tired of hiding your amazing body?” Gray smiled, approaching her.

“I hate you, my lord.”

“That’s my girl,” he fell onto the hard chair. “Let’s get to business, what did you find?”

Two months ago after Gray had met Sia in the bathhouse in some sort of dream state, he had brought back Atena and fed her with the new information. He had given even assurance on how her sister was living, and the girl had gotten to the job eagerly.

“The village you saw in your dream is Hermars. It is in the eastern parts of Adula. Very rural. To get there you must cross the Pyra Lake, which is famous for the dangerous beasts lurking there. And the east isn’t a side that attracts most people.”

“Because of the lake and its beasts?”

“Because of strong witch magic.”

Gray shivered. His initial suspicions seemed to be true. Of course, Sia was going to the damn witches. His life loved giving bigger problems to him.

“Go on.”

“I crossed the river, and reached the village, all the time disguised as a fisherman’s daughter who lost her way. And that is when I realized the village was different.”

“How?”

“They don’t respect the rules of the queen, and any attempts of military control have resulted in a rebellion. They only follow the rules of a place called the Cove. And the cove is the place you described in your dreams.”

Gray recalled the structure with the naked statues and the naked woman.

“And why do people love this so-called cove? Witch magic?”

“No, because the cove provides them exactly what they need. When the lands are dry they provide water to the farmers, when disaster strikes they provide shelter to the lost, and when innocents are harmed they punish the criminals. The cove is like a law entity, but with no relation to the monarch of the kingdom.”

“Please tell me you entered the cove.”

“I did. I went in as the fisherman’s daughter who lost her father and seeks shelter. A woman accepted me at the gates, then stripped all my clothing and took me in naked.”

“The woman and girl in my dreams were naked too. Maybe it is a tradition.”

“It is. Only women are allowed in through the gates, and no man is ever allowed to even gaze at what’s inside. Once during my stay, a young man tried to sneak in, and he was castrated right in front of the entire village and fed to the dogs.”

“Very interesting cult of women. They didn’t castrate me when I went in there.”

“Maybe because they couldn’t. You were just in as a vision.”

It could be true. And the naked woman looked as if she was expecting him.

“But you said the cove supports villagers. So do they dress in clothes when they walk outside?”

“No. Everything related to civilian duties is done by an army of twelve armored soldiers. They don’t talk, they just do what the lady orders.”

“Lady?”

“There is a woman called Aya, she is the one you saw in your dreams. Silver hair, long, middle-aged, and she accompanies a girl called Laya with her.”

“So she owns the place,” Gray tapped the table. The barman came with their drinks. A mug of ale for Gray and a glass of water for Atena. Gray smiled. “After this is over we’ll buy some strong wine and fuck till night.”

“You are the worst, my lord.”

“And you are the smartest soldier I’ve seen,” Gray tickled her bare legs with his feet, and Atena gave a shiver.

But he didn’t get any more resistance, which Gray took as a good sign. “Go on.”

“I stayed a few days in the cove until they provided me a home, and I learned a lot in there. Aya is the leader in the cove, and the little girl called Laya seems to be closely related to her. Apart from those two, there are ten other girls in the dorms, all naked.”

Gray wanted to drool. He should have taken a look around the place when he had the chance.

“Nudity seems to be a part of them. Aya says clothes only restrict our connection with nature. Every morning we wake up and pray to a naked statue in the center where a man and woman have sex. Aya says it’s the world’s first man and woman, then gives us a short lesson about love and reproduction.”

“What a strange fucking cult,” Gray swirled his ale. “But you haven’t told me anything to interest me yet.”

“I’m getting to it,” Atena snapped. “On the first day I entered itself, I saw a woman apart from the little girl staying with Laya. And that woman matched the exact details you provided. And her name is Sia.”

Gray sacrificed a few moments to picture it.

Ah, Sia is naked in a cult full of naked women. This world is too cruel for me.

“Sia seems to be Aya’s most trustworthy member. Every day that woman and Sia go to a room in the basement and come back in the evening. And then Sia takes care of finances, and even cooks and prepares dinner for everyone. She’s a really good cook.”

“I know,” Gray grumbled. “And I miss her cooking. Is that all?”

“I stayed there for four days, and when they finally provided me housing, I stayed there for one day before escaping.”

“Did you speak with Sia?”

“No, she’s too busy to speak with us. But I met her on the first day when….” Her face was getting red.

“What?”

Atena’s next words came in a whisper. “…when Aya called me to her room and told me to suck her breast.”

“What did she think you were? An infant?”

“I know!” Atena snapped. “But she said it would cure me after my travels. S..so I did it. She was right, I don’t know what magic it was, but it made me feel…strong.”

Gray remembered Kitra offering her breast when he was kicked down by Julius. That was the last nail in the coffin he needed. Aya was either a witch or a fairy, and considering the village was popular for witches, there was no way Aya could be a fairy. And if Aya was a witch….then Sia…

“When I walked out of the room Sia talked to me,” Atena said, her eyes scrutinizing Gray. “She asked me where I was from. And then she touched me in my…” Atena was reddening again. “…crotch-”

“Oh Atena, you shouldn't make me so horny.”

Atena glared. If Gray wasn’t her master, he would be dead meat by then. “When her fingers probed inside I felt something jolt inside me. Sia’s eyes widened too. Then she withdrew her hands and put them in her mouth.”

“If this is some trick to turn me on, it’s working.”

Atena’s ears were redder than her cheeks. “I swear by the name of the fairies I tell the truth! She seemed to taste it, and then she smiled at me and walked away. We never talked again.”

Gray fell into thought. A strange cult, and even stranger magic. But it was witch magic, and he needed to be careful.

“Should I go there again?” Atena asked.

“No, by next week this town will be a war zone because of the election. I’m clashing heads with the duke’s daughter so I need all the help I could get. You will stay here, with your sister, and help me in need. Once this is over, we’ll focus on Sia.”

Atena’s face lightened at the news. Guess she wanted to see her sister more than anything.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“But first, I need to reward you for your hard work.”

She arched an eyebrow. “With money?”

Gray grinned. “With money, and sex.”