Finally in Krogga, Gregory found himself pulled into the solstice tournament to celebrate Krog. Invited by both the high priest and Council of Krogheim, Gregory and Jenn did their best to show that some magi had honor. While both of them lost to Ragnar Ivarson, the youngest High Champion in Krogga, that’d only set the stage for what the next year was going to be.

The weeks after the tournament were a whirlwind of ambassadorial visits and discussions, but eventually, a key meeting took place when Ragnar brought his sister, Verka, to visit the family. Having three reborn gods in the same room required some secrecy so they could even attempt to have a conversation, but they managed it.

Finding both Krog and Vera reborn was shocking to Gregory and his wives, but they accepted it. Verka didn’t balk at having to complete the steps to marry into the family, either, even if it would be years before they could wed…or so they all thought.

Ragnar’s raid into the empire saw the city of Bloodrock become part of Krogga once again. That short war changed many lives; the most notable was General Ruzi, who, for the first time, lost a war that he’d been leading. The winner would be decided with an agreed-upon set of honor duels to end the stalemate it had become— following the empire’s loss, Ragnar invoked the clause he’d added to name Gregory as the one to marry Verka.

Returning to the embassy, Gregory and his family knew that life was going to get busy before the solstice. They would have to attend their duties as assistant ambassadors, plus more. What they were really looking forward to was when Verka officially joined the family as a wife near the solstice.

None of them knew what machinations had been put into play by others. Their lives had a lot of joy coming soon, but there was also hardship and pain hiding just out of sight…they’d be tested to overcome something they never expected.