Battling bright an obscu.., p.1
Battling Bright (An Obscure Magic, #16), page 1
Table of Contents
Battling Bright (An Obscure Magic, #16)
Battling Bright | Copyright © 2025 by Viola Grace | ISBN: 978-1-997804-17-8 | ©Cover art by Angela Waters
Battling Bright | An Obscure Magic Book 16 | By
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Author’s Note
About the Author
The first wedding is being held at the Grunwald mansion, and the more Krys tries to keep things under control, the more things spiral outward just to piss her off.
Krys is keeping herself calm and getting the rushed wedding all lined up, the invitations out and back, and accommodating the preferences of a dozen species and dignitaries from around town and beyond.
Her family is behind her, her new cousin is cheering her on, and the complications of having the man in her city starting a courtship make her head spin.
Planning weddings means she has to adapt to anything that comes her way, and the second set of vows for the dragonborn and his wife had to be perfect. Krys’s new career as the exclusive event planner for the mansion hinged on it.
So, as long as she could plan a buffet and entertainment for elves, goblins, trolls, dragons, mages, humans, and a variety of blends... no problem.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Battling Bright
Copyright © 2025 by Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-997804-17-8
©Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.
Published by Viola Grace
Smashwords Edition
Look for me online at violagrace.com and other e-book sellers.
Battling Bright
An Obscure Magic Book 16
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Krys looked around at the gardens and green spaces, and she exhaled. With two days to go before the wedding, the landscaping had been completed, and a lot of enchantments went into making it look like it had always been there. Rose arbours, a wildflower maze, and a vine arch they were all lovely and sturdy.
Sable asked, “How much more to do?”
“Set up the tables, chairs, and food stations, but that is a task for the day of. The caterers are ready. Food is being delivered today so that prep can begin tomorrow for fresh cooking here on the day.”
“So, you own the catering company?”
“Yup. We have six full-time and about sixty part-time employees. The full-timers make the menus for different races, and the part-timers are called in to fulfill the needs of the event. If they aren’t available that night, we just keep calling.”
“How many do you need for an event this size?”
“With four different buffet styles, two bars, and a dessert table? Forty. Twelve of them are on prep, and twenty-eight are on service.”
“That’s a lot.”
“It is, but extranaturals are rather rambunctious at weddings, and the number of humans who are attending is less than two percent of the entire event.”
“Have you gotten the responses?”
“Yes. Currently, we are at one hundred and eighty-five respondents, and from there, you can estimate another twenty percent will just show up. If they have an invitation, they can come in.” She paused and smiled at Sable. “Or if they are on the list.”
“What do you do if they aren’t on the list?”
“Oh, then we get to bounce them, and call the police, and since there are over a dozen XIA officers coming, that would be very bad for the gate-crasher.”
“Why would someone crash a wedding?”
Krys smiled. “Free food, free booze.”
“Oh. Got it.”
“Right. I am going to have to get the favours for the guests.”
“What will it be? Do you have time?”
“There is always time. I have a supplier for special creations, and they keep tons of stuff ready for personalization.”
“Wow. So, to do this, you have to know a lot of people.”
“It really helps. You pay promptly and pay well. That helps, too.”
“So, if I work with you...”
“You will send me invoices and quotes, and I will authorize payment. I will never embarrass you in front of someone else, but we will have words if you get taken advantage of, and then, I will pay a visit to the vendor.”
Sable smiled. “I can hear your knuckles cracking in my mind.”
Krys smiled. “A girl needs her hobbies. Wedding pricing is ruthless, but I have a good team of vendors and entertainers. It’s a nice mix, and we are the touchstone for all of them. The vendors come to us first before the bride or groom. Usually, we know what they want, and they just get to stay in the happy haze of their big day.”
“So, they are to be protected?”
“Yes. They are full of hope and focused on each other, and that is the way things should be. We are paid a percentage for every vendor we wrangle. That is how I make my money, and I make a lot for each event. I provide guidance and planning help as my percentage of the venue rental. The couple needs to enjoy their day.”
“That is a weird structure.”
“You have to know the building, capabilities, and amenities in and out. I have learned all that this week in a cram session. This place even has event kitchens that just need to be activated. So, I had my waitstaff doing a power clean, and all the utilities were put back on while the city got the permits for the food preparation space up and legal. So, now that we have food, refrigeration, and ovens as well as grills, we can get here earlier on the day of or even do a midnight load-in.”
“Why is that important?”
“The faster we can set up and take inventory here, the better off we are. Any changes can be made on the fly when we know what we actually have and make sure nothing was missed back at the main building.” She chuckled. “That happens a lot.”
Sable smiled. “It sounds exciting and busy.”
“It is going to be a madhouse, but only you and I will know all the moving pieces.”
Sabel grinned. “I can hardly wait to get my tablet.”
Krys smiled. “It’s inside. Come on. The Lees should be here soon.”
“I can come along?”
“Sure. They will enjoy your presence.”
“Why?”
“You will see. But when they ask you things, just tell them you are still learning.”
“Why will they be asking me?”
“Hannah’s dad is just like that. Come on.”
They walked from the gardens to the main house. Inside the building, Sable looked around. “I never actually came in here.”
“Well, here you are.” She walked to the sideboard in the dining room. “And here is your tablet. Now, it is only set for view and not for data entry. If you break it, we get you another one.”
“Okay. This is nice. So, how do I get things going?”
Krys took a few minutes to show her how to turn it on and how to use the magnetic stylus to type in her code. It was the month and day of her death.
Sable was grinning and looked at all of the charts. “Green means it’s done? Pink means it is being worked on, and red means it still has to be dealt with. Oh, lots of day-of stuff.”
Krys nodded. “All the clothing is sorted, groom’s and bride’s side. Food is sorted, venue is sorted, and music and photography are sorted. The officiant is sorted, and everything else can be faked on the day.”
“You fake stuff?”
“Oh, yeah. Again, I will meditate and make the entire thing look like the projection of an ancient palace; I will create pillars of ice and statues of the same. I will pull everything out of me to give them the best day I can arrange, but things go wrong, and having a backup plan is all I can manage.”
A rough male voice said, “And that is all we want for our daughter’s big day. Someone with a plan.”
The Lee family had come to see the venue for the weekend following the debut weekend. Introductions to Sable were made, and Mr. Lee had a very warm tone when he greeted her like a long-lost daughter.
“Will Hannah be joining us?” Krys knew that one already.
“She’s splatting gremlins downtown.”
“Ah, well, I will show you the space. Let’s start at the entry and then make our way through the house.”
She took the parents and brother on a tour from the front entryway to the mantlepiece, which caused Mrs. Lee to gasp. “Hannah?”
Krys obscured the details and said, “Okay, keep it covered on the day.”
Mr. Lee said, “Who did that?”
“Oh, the dark elves. They consider a render in stone to be the greatest compliment. Benko thought Sable was worthy of being herself again, and I definitely agree.”
Sable smiled. “He’s very sweet and very attentive.”
Mrs. Lee blinked. “So, you are really...”
“Very dead and made o
Krys showed the ballroom that would be used if there were un-divertible rains. Of course, she could divert anything, but she might be distracted one night. The option was there to bring people in just in case. She loved options.
Mr. Lee said, “So, what kind of food can you manage?”
“Anything you like. Haute cuisine to barbeque to high tea or cocktail service only.”
He looked at her. “Who is your butcher?”
“Faroway’s.”
He paused. “They are very good.”
“My parents would never do anything substandard. They supply the meat order and deli order. We use Mills bakeries for our bread and rolls, as well as pastries for the night buffet. Kaifen-rah provides our vegetables.”
Mrs. Lee said, “And the cake?”
“The catering company is creating the cake. We have two cake decorators who specialize in unusual wedding combinations. Both Neekil and Hannah have been invited to the event here in two days. They will get to see how everything is arranged, and they will sit with the family of the bride so that nothing is awkward. They also know them.”
“Who will they be sitting with?”
“Imara and her boyfriend, Argus, and her familiar Mr. E. Vaia’s auntie Sofi. Also, Imara’s auntie, by the way. So, they are with folks that they know.”
Mr. Lee smiled. “You seem to think of everything.”
“This place is about to get busy, and then things should taper off, but what do you have in mind for dinner and dessert?”
The Lees bombarded her with a list of foods, some familial and some just for the hell of it. She wrote them down diligently. “I will run these past Hannah and Neekil, but this is a solid start.”
Mr. Lee looked at the page of food. “A start?”
“Well, Neekil’s people have their own traditions for celebrations. I have to add some of those in. Don’t worry. A lot of those will be for the evening. No one consumes edible body paint before midnight.” Krys grinned.
The Lees looked appalled and then grinned ruefully. Mrs. Lee said, “Put me down for one of those kits.”
Krys burst out laughing, and they went through the sendoff of the couple, and the Lees were satisfied that Hannah’s rushed wedding was not going to look it.
Mr. Lee said, “Do you know why there is a rush for this?”
Krys blinked and said, “I believe I do.”
Mrs. Lee asked, “Well?”
“They are running low on condoms, and it is either this or a new mega box. She isn’t having a baby without being married.”
The Lees stared at her and blinked then turned to each other and high-fived. Ah. Grandkids.
The Lees left, and Krys turned to Sable. “Do you think you can do that?”
“I don’t know. You seem to know everything.”
Krys chuckled. “I didn’t say that much. I just told them that this week their daughter would be taken care of and that their preferences were first when it came to food.”
“Why is that important?”
“Because every mother wants to know that her child is safe and cared for, and every family wants to feel first at an event like this.”
“I don’t know much about family.”
“Then, you watch and learn, and imagine if you had a puppy, what would you want for it?”
Sable smiled as they headed back inside. “They would need the best food and to be safe and protected.”
“Same thing parents want for their kids, plus vaccinations and minus the neutering.”
Sable laughed and said, “Where can I charge this?”
“There is a charging station in the kitchen, and we are working to rig one in the back yard so you can just set it down, and it will charge. I am also looking into a charm that will do it, but charms and electricity are tricky and need focus, so I will need a weekend without a wedding.”
Sable smiled. “I don’t know. The folks around here are pretty excited. What you are doing here is new, and for now, folks will love to be part of it. I know it is thrilling for me.”
Krys grinned. “The novelty will wear off, and Vaia and Azreen will sell this place and move somewhere quieter.”
“Will you buy this place?”
“Oh, hell no. I can’t afford even to replace the mantlepiece.”
Sable smiled. “Benko would replace it for free.”
“No, he would replace it for you. I don’t ask people to cover for me.”
Sable nodded. “Okay, but if you want to buy this place, I can help.”
Krys looked at her. “Really?”
“Sure. If Azreen and Vaia ever get tired of being here, they can sell it to you, and he will make statues for sale. There aren’t a lot of black elf creations out in the world, so they can go for quite a lot.”
“Wait. You have already made a plan?” Krys was surprised.
Sable smiled. “I like you. You are helping me live again. I never really got a chance to live the first time. Benko is learning about the modern world, and he is having fun doing it with me. That might fade, but I can’t be more than a companion to him unless we engage in some modifications.” Sable chuckled. “That is an interaction that I would have to work myself up to.”
“Why... oh.”
“Yeah, it involves a bit of fingers and his tongue. I am still stone, so I don’t know how much time he will want to devote to me. The dark elves can pretty much have their pick of women.”
“It’s the pheromones. They smell great, and it comes out through their skin. You want to touch them. It makes the female population sitting ducks. In your case, you two have a genuine connection. It glows between you.”
Sable smiled and ducked her head slightly. “It does?”
“It does. If I had been born with more obvious magic, I would have been a compatibility seer. But I wasn’t, and none of the existing seers in that discipline will take on an adult apprentice, so another skill I can do but not brag about.”
“So, stuck with magic you can’t really perfect.”
“Yup. Don’t get me wrong. I am really good at it, but I can’t actually tell anyone what I see. I don’t have the license for it, and I don’t have enough time to work my way through the college programs to get a degree. I need to make a living.”
“Ah. Got it.” Sable paused for a moment, and Benko walked out of the shadows toward them. They had made it to the rear of the property.
Sable turned and said, “Krys, will you copy everything that there is to eat at the wedding?”
“Oh, honey, I won’t be able to eat much. I am going to be running around like crazy, making things go smoothly, but I will keep a charm in my pocket.”
Sable hugged her carefully. “Don’t forget to have fun. Weddings are supposed to be fun.”
The manor lights backlighted the happy couple, and Krys smiled. “It will be fun. Promise.”
Krys went back to the happy couple with her final lists and went over anything that they thought they might want at their party.
Krys smiled. “Anything missing from this vow renewal can be added to the next one in five, ten, or fifteen years. This isn’t a one-shot. This is a celebration that both of you were too young to insist on.”
Vaia smiled. “You hit the nail on the head with that one. Is everything really ready?”
“Whatever isn’t ready, I will fake on the day. Just keep me on speed dial, I will be there in under a minute, no matter how small. This is your day. Both of you. No one is going to get in your face or wreck your day.”
Vaia hugged her. “I have a special dress for you.”
Azreen chuckled. “I can’t believe that you got so many folks to RSVP.”
“Oh, there is a decision compulsion in both the email and the paper copy. They need to commit right away.”
Vaia blinked. “I haven’t heard of that spell.”
“It isn’t a spell. It’s a cantrip. It’s a spell you can use without a license as long as it does no harm.”
“I didn’t know they were legal.”
“They can be carried out by humans without magic if necessary, so they are legal. That’s the loophole I use for most of my stuff. My illusions are licensed, but most of my trickery isn’t. But a cantrip by a magical being can pack a helluva punch.”
