“Are they going to retaliate?” I asked.
Xot shrugged. He either didn’t care or didn’t know. So, I asked a different question.
“Where are we?”
“Gatterlan,” he answered.
Shit.
We were in the home of the most powerful family in Ashmouth.
The Tawrets.
Brynn’s mother was probably somewhere in the manor house. I hadn’t killed her when I landed on her, but she damn sure wouldn’t be happy with me. Especially now that Brynn was no longer interested in being my wife.
I was the Champion of a woman who no longer wanted me.
And, someday, I was going to become a demon for real.
Wonderful.
Xot took a thick cigar out of his mouth and nipped off the end with his own sharp teeth. Taking out a match, he snapped the sulfur end and raised it to the end of the cigar. Puffing, he breathed it into life.
“Want one?” he asked.
I shook my head.
What a cluster fuck.
Crawling out of bed, I went to a washbasin and cleaned up, while Xot’s cigar smoke encircled the room.
When I was done, I looked around for clothing.
Xot pointed at a massive armoire. “They rolled that in a few hours ago, for you.”
Opening it, I found several outfits that were almost a perfect match for me.
Someone knocked on the door and then came into the room.
I don’t know who was more surprised. Me, or the pretty woman who was dressed as a french maid.
“Master,” she said with a curtsey.
I decided not to cover myself up. I mean, what was the point?
Turning to her, I asked. “What do you want?”
“My Lady sent me to help you dress, and to… um… service any of your other needs.”
I looked her up and down. She was pretty with her hair tied up in a bun. And, her smile was both mischievous and radiant. But, I wasn’t in the mood. Not at all. Losing Brynn had been a gut punch that I wasn’t over yet.
“I will… if you’re not interested,” Xot blurted out. “I mean… damn... that’s a fine woman.”
I sighed and turned away from both of them.
The woman moved up near me and then started going through the wardrobe like I wasn’t standing naked next to her.
“All of your clothing has been properly altered to compensate for your tail,” she mused.
Then, she stopped and looked at me quickly.
“I hope that I didn’t offend your Lordship.”
“Why would that offend me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She peeked down at my tail and then back up at my face. Then, before I could answer, she glanced back down at my manhood and blushed.
“The black smoking jacket with a gray shirt and black pants would look smashing for dinner tonight,” she offered, looking back at the clothing.
“Alright,” I said.
“Do you want underwear?”
I swallowed hard. I wasn’t used to a woman picking out all of my clothing.
“Yes,” I answered.
Opening a drawer, she pulled out a pair of silk boxers.
Turning, she knelt and held them open for me.
I wasn’t sure what to do, much to Xot’s amusement.
“Poke her in the eye, boss,” he chuckled. “I think she’d…”
“Knock it off,” I snapped.
Xot kept laughing but looked away.
I slipped both of my legs into the proffered underwear. Before I could pull them up, she did it for me.
Her fingers accidentally caressed my length.
Or, that is what it felt like until I saw a gleam in her eye.
Turning away, she grabbed the dark pants and repeated the process.
And, once again, I felt the lite brush of her fingertips.
Even though I was hurt by Brynn’s decision, the maid’s attention was nice. It was actually raising my spirits. And, if I weren’t careful, it would raise a lot more.
From this angle… when I looked down, I was getting quite the show. Her top was very revealing, and the maid had beautiful breasts with tiny freckles on them.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
Xot laughed.
“Genevieve Bacchus,” she answered, looking up at me. “But you may call me Jenny.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked away and nodded. If I weren’t careful, I would miss supper all together.
Standing up, Jenny turned, making her skirt swirl.
Shit.
Jenny didn’t believe in granny panties. That one glimpse was impressive. Black silk, lace, and ruffles.
Turning back to me, she held out the gray shirt. I put in one arm and then the other. Jenny smiled and buttoned up my front.
Then, her hands tucked it in.
I was growing harder by the second. A fact that Jenny made sure to notice.
With a tiny giggle, she turned away again, giving me another show.
My left hand began to tremble. Clamping down on my emotions, I put on the dark suit jacket, demanding that my equipment below my waist behave.
Jenny placed a grey patch of cloth in my jacket pocket for an accent. Then, she stepped back with a smile.
“It fits you well, Milord,” she murmured. “Do you need anything else?”
I could feel the sexual tension leaking out of her.
“Not now,” I replied.
“But, maybe later,” Xot answered with an evil chuckle.
The maid tittered. Then, she said, “You are wanted in the Banquet Hall, presently. Do you need directions, or shall I escort you there?”
Xot stood up. “I will take him.”
Jenny bit her bottom lip and then nodded.
Before I could say anything more, she curtsied and hurried out of the room.
“Jesus,” Xot whispered. “What is it with you? Women practically throw themselves at your feet.”
- 21 -
“Brynn left me,” I snapped, annoyed with the Xot’s comment.
Xot looked like he had swallowed a rock.
Standing up, he snubbed out his cigar and then slid it back into his pocket. Gesturing to the door, he motioned for me go first.
When I moved forward, he yelped. A long black snake slithered across the floor, heading in my direction. Xot jumped behind me and then prepared to sprint away.
In the snake’s mouth was an uncut ruby.
Taking a chance, I stood still.
The snaked slithered around my leg and flowed up my body until it reached my arm. Then, it stiffened and turned into a walking stick. The snake’s mouth morphed and twisted until a black bird of prey formed the walking stick’s handle. The red rube shifted, so the beak held it.
I had forgotten about my soul’s promise.
“What in the fuck is that?” Xot grumbled.
The staff, now a walking stick, felt sturdy in my fingers, but I didn’t want to go into the room downstairs with an obvious weapon in my hands. Sensing my thoughts, the stick changed again. As swift as a serpent, it flowed up my fingers and disappeared in my coat.
Frowning, I removed the jacket and unbuttoned my shirt.
The serpent had imprinted on my skin like a tattoo.
“Shit, Boss,” Xot said. “That’s wicked cool. Can you get me one?”
“No,” I said, trying to stay calm. I could feel the serpent-bird moving just a bit under my skin, as it tried to get comfortable.
Rebuttoning my shirt, I put on my jacket.
What had I made a deal with?
And, if I remembered correctly, I had promised it all the souls in Hell.
Shaking my head, I followed Xot out of the door.
My fuck ups were piling one on top of the other, like dead bodies in a funeral home.
The walls outside of my room were dark brown wood that gleamed in the light of the gas lamps that were placed every ten feet or so. Old pictures of previous Tawrets were hanging on the wall. Tak
ing a step forward, I discovered the carpet beneath my feet was thick and expensive. I could almost smell money in the breeze.
“This way, Boss,” Xot said.
“Why are we going to dinner?” I asked.
Then, I shivered as I felt the sun go down. Everywhere around me, I felt monsters awaken, as the Lord of the Sun covered his shining face. Shaking, I realized that I was one of them now, even more than before. Only the genuinely damned burned in the sun… like me, or could feel it snuffed out at dusk.
“You have been ordained as Lady Brynn’s Champion,” Xot explained, as we walked through a manor house the size of a small town. Dozens of maids and butlers scurried here and there.
And, even stranger…
They all bowed or curtsied to me.
It felt strange… but exhilarating. I had always wanted power so I could protect myself and take what I wanted. But, this was a different sort of power.
And… I liked it.
We reached a massive gray stone stairwell that went both up and down. A huge black metal chandelier with thousands of candles hung in the center of the spiral staircase. A black chain led up to another chandelier and down to several others.
Men and women in clothing that matched mine were walking down towards the smell of something wonderful.
Sniffing, I smelled steak, carrots, potatoes, and even stuffing. Breathing in, I focused on the meat.
Venison, beef, and pork.
I had to grab ahold of my stomach before it forced me to sprint down the staircase.
The other people, all humans, stared at Xot, and I like we were excrement. That stifled my hunger, just a little.
Xot and I slid into the stream of assholes who were descending the stairs. I wanted to lash out at them, screaming that I was just as good as them if not better.
But, now that my gray goblin skin was evident, not to mention my tail, fighting with them would be pointless. The Church of the Flames was influential in the human led pockets of light because they happily burned people who they labeled as monsters.
And, goblins were all considered monsters.
Ever since the Darkness had fallen on the world, humanity had sunken into its most paranoid and primal state. And, the Church fed on that fear.
The rich and powerful, like the Tawret family, didn’t need to worry about the church’s bigotry. Which was good, because Brynn was as inhuman as I was. Hell, as far as I knew, several of the Tawrets were Basilisks.
Mary was a member of the church, which irked the hell out of me. But, she hadn’t said or felt anything unacceptable toward me since we had bonded. I wondered how she would react when she saw my goblin skin on display.
I might just lose another woman who I was bonded to then.
That thought turned my already dark mood, even blacker.
Xot and I walked down the white marble stairs and entered a huge great room that was part of the corridor and part ancillary room. To my left was the sitting room where I had talked to Addisyn when I had spirit walked. To my right was a circular greenhouse that was smack dab between two large hallways. Black ornate metal guard rails encircled the greenery to keep out any undesirables that might wander by.
Past the ferns and plants, I could hear dozens of people chatting. Together, they made quite the ruckus. Xot led me to the doorway of the banquet room. A massive stone fireplace big enough to cook a full boar was crackling to my left. Running down the center of the room was an overloaded banquet table. Dozens of covered containers held the steak and pork that I had smelled.
The ceiling soared upwards, at least a hundred feet. Hanging from the rafters were war banners and two more substantial metal chandeliers.
The talking ended abruptly.
Every single human turned and looked at the two goblins who were invading their sanctum. Shit, there had to be three hundred of the most influential people in the pockets of light staring at me.
Fuck’um.
I lifted my chin and stared back at them, baring my teeth. Someday, I would slaughter them all.
I made that decision as I stared them down. The light was no longer my friend, and I was tired of acting like it mattered. Monsters in the Darkness were vicious, but at least they were honest. The men and women that hid in the light and burned people like me needed to be wiped out.
If I was going to be the King in the Darkness, then I would start by snuffing out the light of Ashmouth.
And, I would destroy their God’s Be Damned Church.
“Snuff the Flame,” I whispered to Xot.
“May the Dark Lady be Praised,” he whispered back.
- 22 -
We were alone amongst our enemies. Even the servants were human.
Addisyn Cantrell stalked toward me in a ball gown. Everyone watched as the beautiful woman marched right up to me.
Not a mark remained from when I had crashed into her. Addisyn’s blonde hair hung under her ears, arching toward me. I could see a few gray hairs in it, but I had the feeling that Addisyn wanted them there… to warn others that she was old enough to be dangerous.
Her green eyes glared at me.
“You might be her champion, but you can eat with the other slaves,” she said, pointing to a door next to the fireplace.
Well.
Wasn’t that nice?
“My husband will eat with me,” Brynn snapped from the other side of the room. “Unless someone else wishes to be My Champion.”
Every eye turned towards her.
She had just admitted that a new husband might be best.
In front of everyone.
God Dammit.
Addisyn turned toward her daughter and raised an eyebrow. “Have you finally come to your senses?”
Brynn grinned and replied, “If a challenger will take my champion’s place… I would accept their offer.”
Silence.
Pure.
Unadulterated silence.
The only noise was the crackle of the flames in the fireplace.
“Will you renounce your marriage?” Addisyn asked. I could almost feel the anticipation and excitement flowing through her.
Brynn raised an ornate fan to her lips.
“Without a new champion… how can I?”
“You do understand that your mongrel can’t renounce his title?” Addisyn mused. “Only death will relieve him of it.”
“Then it is good that I have arrived,” Tian declared.
The Necromancer swept into the room. She was dressed in a ball gown, like the other women, but hers was midnight black. Not even a silver button broke the darkness that surrounded her. Tian’s dress was made entirely of Midnight Spider silk from the hatcheries in Abandon.
Several women gasped at the display. Tian’s dress had to be worth millions.
James and Candace stood behind her, covered in black as well. Both James and Candace were dressed in dark slacks and black shirts.
When the women saw Candace, the whispering began anew. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Candace was undead. Her skin was pale again, and dead white eyes stared at the crowd without emotion. Swords, daggers, and several pistols were attached to a wide belt around both of their waists.
Addisyn snarled. “Mockery Shufen. You were not invited to this dinner.”
“My husband is the honored guest,” she replied with a grin, as she swooped in and gripped my arm. “So, I am his plus one.”
Addisyn stared at me in shock.
I glanced at Brynn.
She looked equally irritated.
“He cannot have two wives,” Addisyn growled. “It is…”
“Mages can have as many wives as they want,” Tian replied. “It is a tradition. In fact, I believe that he has… hmm.”
Looking up at me, she winked. “Five.”
With a smile, she looked at Addisyn. “Yes… five wives. I believe that is the correct number.”
Then, she looked at Brynn. “So, losing one will be… uneventful. We can always find another.”
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