Wraith King

by Jack Porter

  I looked at her, stunned. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering her treatment of me so far, but to volunteer forces just to get me home was unexpected.

  Alayna stood, too, and all pretense of cheerfulness had vanished. The air almost crackled with tension. “That is an act of war! The Seven must approve of it first.”

  “And which of you would not approve an act against the Wraith King? You, sister?” Nya looked from Alayna to the other elves seated on the dais. “Who else? The Wraith King has long sought to enslave our people. He already has a firm hold on the humans, forcing them to pay tribute with slaves and by letting their slavers pass through their lands unaccosted. The wraith raiding parties venture further into our lands every week, and as you know, I was set upon by one yesterday. And a few days ago, I was taken prisoner. The time to act will not get easier. Or would you rather see the entire land of Hell fall to the Wraith King?”

  Something in my brain clicked, and I shot a look at Nya. She caught my gaze.

  “Can I say something?” I interrupted, hoping it wouldn’t get me beheaded. “It seems too big a coincidence that Nya has been attacked by wraiths twice in the space of a week.”

  A hush fell over the rulers. When no one ordered my death, I continued. “How is it that one of the most heavily protected elves in the realm is attacked at all, let alone twice in such a short period?”

  The brunette elf nodded approvingly. “The human gives voice to what I have been thinking.” She stood. “Alayna, I move to send a party out to gather more information.”

  “I have more information,” Nya said, her eyes defiant. “The Wraith King journeyed north a month ago to see the slave ships from the River Dread. He is returning to his kingdom within the week.”

  Alayna scowled. “Why have you kept this from us?”

  “Because it was not relevant until now,” Nya spat. “I command our archers, and I will take them to ambush the Wraith King on the road. Then we won’t have to fight our way through the Black Mountains at all.”

  “Except to deliver your human friend to the portal, if that is what he truly desires,” the brunette said. She looked at me thoughtfully, and I made a mental note to ask Nya her name later.

  “Yes,” Nya said, “except that. Only it will be much easier once the Wraith King is dead.”

  Alayna paled, if that were possible. “And then what? His hosts will attack us here!”

  Nya stalked toward Alayna. “Are you afraid, sister? We don’t know what will happen once the King is vanquished.” She turned and marched down the steps, pausing by my side and turning back to face the other rulers. “I, for one, am willing to take that risk. Let me know your decision in the morning, whether you will support me or not. Either way, we ride for the Dead Pass at first light. I will welcome any help we can get.”

  26

  “One day?” I asked Nya as we walked out. I tried not to let my voice squeak, but I think it sounded a little panicked.

  “It will take us a week to get to Dead Pass, and we must be in position before the Wraith King gets there.”

  “But do you know for sure he’ll be there?” I asked as Nya’s guard followed us out of the main keep.

  “I do. It’s one of the reasons I was out alone when the slavers captured me.” Nya glanced at my belt. “You need your whip, human. I told you not to leave your rooms without it.”

  “I didn’t think I needed it.”

  “You thought wrong,” she replied icily.

  “Yes, I’m beginning to see that. What’s up between you and Alayna?”

  “Too much to tell now. There’s much to prepare for. Get the succubus.”

  “You want to take her with us? Is Ilana suited for this trip?”

  Nya laughed. “More suited than you, human. And she will not be welcome here if I am away. Now go. Get rested, and make sure you are ready at first light. A servant will bring you supper.”

  I jogged off in the direction of the tower where my chambers were located, and Nya took her guard toward the stables. I hadn’t really appreciated just how enormous this place was, but looking at the stables, I realized they cut way back into the mountain, with grassy paddocks above and below. Already, the sounds of battle surrounded us. Metal clashed on metal. Horses whinnied. Elves, both male and female, ran around on errands.

  Once in my rooms, I grabbed my whip and secured it to my belt. Wishing for a real sword, I thought to go down to the armory to see what could be done. But there was a brief knock on the door, and Ilana walked in.

  She looked radiant in a black floor-length shift that accentuated her perfect curves. I drew in a sharp breath.

  “Did you mean what you said?” she asked. “About wanting to leave Hell?”

  I felt cornered. Trapped. This succubus could have any human or elf she wanted—male or female, I assumed—and yet she asked me this question as if the wrong answer would kill her.

  But I wasn’t a liar, and I couldn’t bring myself to even tell her a half-truth. “I do.”

  She turned and closed the door with her on the inside.

  That was unexpected. I had thought she would stomp off at the first mention of me leaving.

  “But I am bound to you,” she said.

  I gulped. “Bound?” I repeated weakly.

  “Do I not please you?” Her voice had reached that sultry tone again, with the promise that she knew very well that she did please me.

  “Of course you do. But what do you mean, bound?” I asked, trying to keep my head on straight. Nya had said we needed to be rested, and although my aching muscles cried out in protest, I was already well on my way to another tumble in bed with the succubus. If I was reading her correctly.

  Ilana sat on the edge of the bed, her wings resting behind her, her legs spread in a relaxed, come hither sort of way.

  Damn it.

  “It means, human,” she said exasperatedly, “that I can’t leave you unless you send me away or kill me. I belong to you now.”

  “I thought it was the other way around,” I said. “I thought you were supposed to kill me.”

  Ilana scoffed. “Don’t believe all those old stories. It is true that only men with enough stamina survive until morning.”

  “You’re a tease,” I said. “Are you saying I have enough stamina?”

  She hooked a finger on her lower lip playfully. “Yes. Didn’t you hear what everyone has been telling you today, including Nya?”

  “Well, yeah, but I thought they were joking.”

  The succubus smiled, drawing me closer. Before I knew it, I was standing between her open legs. “You must have magic flowing through you, human,” she said, “or you would not have survived picking up that whip, or survived a night with me. I figured as much when I offered. Speaking of whips, I’ve just thought of how we can pass the time this evening…” And she stroked my whip seductively.

  I took a deep breath. “Can’t, sorry,” I said, my heart skipping a few beats at her innuendo. “We’ve got to be ready to leave in the morning. You too. We’re going to ambush the Wraith King.”

  Ilana pushed me away. “What?” she asked sharply.

  “Nya knows where he’s going to be, and she’s leading the archers there.”

  The succubus slid off the bed. “We will die fighting.”

  I felt like she’d dumped cold water on me. “What do you know?”

  She shook her head, and I took her arm.

  “Tell me,” I said. “Do you have information Nya needs to know?”

  “No, Jon-man, but I know how the Wraith King operates. He will expect an attack on this journey, and he will be well prepared and protected. You would do better to storm his castle in the heart of the Black Mountains.”

  “But that’s suicide.”

  She smiled grimly. “The Wraith King is cockier at home, where he doesn’t believe anyone will dare to attack him. But this ambush will be worse.”

  I released her arm and took a step back. “How do you know this?”


  The succubus laughed humorlessly. “I know what I am, human. And so does Nya. Why do you think she has kept me locked in my chambers? I was formed from evil, from the fires of the Black Mountains.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t speak in riddles. What do you mean?”

  Ilana reached out and touched my chest, putting her hand over my heart. “You really aren’t from Hell, are you?”

  “No, I’ve been trying to tell you that.”

  “Succubi were invented by the Wraith King himself. We are his slaves. Even though I am now bound to you, Jon, my true master is the King of the Black Mountains, or the Wraith King, as you call him. He is the one I must return to when you are dead.” Her eyes flashed in fear. “And if you do this, if you ambush him, you will die. If you try to go home through his portal, you will die.”

  I pulled her toward me and held her against my chest. Her horns pressed into my neck. “What happens when you return to the Wraith King?” I whispered.

  “Something I would rather not relive just now.” Ilana shuddered. “But he will abuse me, and use me for himself, and then he will feed me to his Hellhounds.”

  I tilted her head up to look into my eyes. Those red orbs that were now more golden than ever. “If he created you, why would he do that? Why were the slavers taking you?”

  She wrapped her arms around my waist. “Because I ran away after my last victim died. They were returning me to his wrath. To face him. And if we go to this ambush and fail, then I will have walked straight back into his lash. I might as well cut myself up into bits and have the elves throw me to their own dogs so that his Hellhounds cannot get me.”

  Ilana’s words raised the hairs on my arms, and the look of terror in her eyes made my heart ache for her. I planted a kiss on her full lips. “I won’t let that happen, Ilana. I won’t let him take you.”

  She looked at me sadly. “Promise?”

  I kissed her more deeply then, crushing her body to mine. When I pulled away for air, I said, “I swear it.”

  I had no idea how I was going to keep my oath, but I knew for certain that I meant it. In every damn way.

  27

  The host left at first light, with me riding beside Nya on her dappled stallion, and Ilana riding a feisty brown mare behind us. I rode a gelding, which Nya assured me was sturdy, sure-footed, and great for beginning riders.

  As if I needed to be emasculated any more.

  I had a sword at my hip, a plain broad sword that I was under orders not to touch unless we were attacked. My whip hung at my right hip, and a long dagger was sheathed there, as well. Supposedly, we were to keep training on the journey, and I looked forward to the day I could be trusted with unsheathing my sword on my own.

  The pun was not lost on me.

  Nya didn’t say much, and to pass the time, I allowed my thoughts to wander to the time I had spent with the succubus last night. It was the best sex I’d ever had, even better than the first night, and we’d kept up our antics until long after we should have been asleep. When the servants woke us this morning, getting out of the warm bed to put on my riding britches and light armor they’d provided felt like a slap in the face.

  The succubus looked at ease on her mare, wearing her corset once again, along with a black riding cloak that allowed her to hide her wings as best as possible.

  Nya looked simply regal, wearing full armor that still didn’t manage to hide her beautiful body beneath. She also wore a cloak fastened with a pin that was fashioned to look like flames. The fabric was draped over her left shoulder to keep her right arm free.

  According to Syn, the forest was a more protected path to our destination, but since speed was our objective, we circumvented the narrow forest trails and rode openly in the plain. It allowed for faster riding, and since we numbered in the hundreds, it was relatively safe considering no enemy could catch us without us seeing them first.

  There wasn’t much of a road, but the plain allowed us fast travel under the red sky, and by nightfall we had reached a place where the even ground turned to jagged stone, forcing the archers to ride in a single-file column along a trail. It was a perfect place for an ambush, but scouts sent ahead assured us that we were alone in the pass. I rode as close behind Nya as possible because I wanted to talk.

  The rest of the rulers had declined to help, saying that they would not hinder Nya in her pursuit, but that they could not lend aid.

  I was furious for her. Neglecting to send a bigger army meant a greater chance of death, and I told the elf so.

  Nya smiled. “Yes, and I’m certain that Alayna wishes for my death. But she cannot openly kill me, so this is the best route for now.”

  “Don’t you think she’s the one who sent those wraiths after you?” I asked quietly.

  Nya frowned. “It would be a big accusation. I wouldn’t put it past her, but to say so would be the same as accusing her of treason and conspiring with the Wraith King, for only he could organize those scouting parties.”

  “And it’s not possible for her to be in league with him?” I persisted.

  “I’m not sure. It’s more likely that Alayna paid some of my guards to neglect their duties, hoping that I would run into trouble again. Which, of course, is exactly what happened.”

  I shrugged, unconvinced but unwilling to argue the point any further for the time being. If Nya did not want to openly accuse her sister, she must have reasons. And until I was more familiar with the politics of Hell, I wasn’t going to interfere unless I was certain.

  The trail widened a bit so that we could ride side-by-side. I glanced back at the succubus, who was riding next to Nya’s new captain-of-the-guard, Syn. Syn was the dark-skinned elf with white hair who had been from the main gatehouse guards. She eyed Ilana with a curious but guarded expression while the succubus pretended not to notice.

  I winked at Ilana, and she raised an eyebrow.

  “Watch it,” Nya warned. “You almost steered your horse into mine. Luckily your mount is smarter than you.”

  I turned around and grinned at Nya. “You’re just jealous because I didn’t wink at you.”

  “What is a wink?” she asked, glancing at me.

  Behind me, Ilana was laughing. And even though it was at my expense, it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.

  “It’s…” I glanced back. Syn was laughing, too. “Never mind.”

  “I told you,” Nya said, “I don’t get jealous.”

  “I was just teasing you.”

  “About something that I don’t do?”

  I looked at her, careful to make sure I didn’t jerk my horse’s reins and cause an accident. “It’s how human men flirt with beautiful women they want to attract.”

  Nya sniffed. “Sounds silly.”

  I laughed. “I suppose it is.”

  “And you would not wink at me?”

  I coughed to hide my surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Jon.”

  I smiled then, but it was different than before. Less of a joking grin and more genuine. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t wink at you.”

  “Because I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Nya said. Then she urged her horse forward, and it took her out in front of the column to one of her scouts waiting to report.

  “She likes you, Jon,” Ilana said, riding up beside me. Every time I saw the succubus, I forgot about other women completely. I supposed that was because of her natural allure, or maybe it was magic. Either way, I didn’t mind.

  “Doesn’t that bother you?” I asked.

  “A succubus does not have the luxury of getting jealous.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  She grinned temptingly. “Not at all. It does not bother me that you want to fuck her.”

  “I never said—”

  “But the look is all over you. You can’t lie to me. And I don’t care. You can do whatever you want with her, so long as you return to me. In fact, if she were to join us sometime, I wouldn’t mind that, e
ither.” She smiled as she eyed Nya, who was riding back toward us. “She’s very tempting, isn’t she? Look at those breasts. Her armor barely contains them.” The succubus reached down between her legs and touched herself.

  “Ilana,” I hissed warningly, glancing around. “Syn is watching.”

  The succubus let out a low moan. “Let her watch. She’s been wanting to all day.”

  Syn gasped, and her cheeks flushed rosy red. What kind of Hell had I landed in? I had barely survived Ilana. I could imagine bringing Nya into my bed with her, sure, but then I really would die a happy man, because I wasn’t certain I would survive the two of them.

  The succubus smirked, knowing she had planted a thought in my brain and the captain’s.

  But we didn’t have long to think about such pleasant things. Nya’s face wore a look of concern, and as soon as she was within earshot, she said, “Our enemy has already crossed the pass. We are too late to ambush them at the original location.”

  “How long?” Syn asked a little breathlessly.

  “One day,” Nya said. “I have a new plan. We need to be in place by nightfall.”

  “It’s almost like they knew we were coming,” I muttered.

  28

  By nightfall, the Elven archers were camped in the hills above the valley in strategic places. A small contingent had driven the horses back the way we had come, where they would be set loose on the plain to retrieve later.

  As long as we were successful. If not, we had just set loose our escape.

  “This seems like a good place to ambush the Wraith King,” I said to Nya as we ate a cold supper of salted venison. I camped with her and Ilana near the front of the line of archers.

  “But there are fewer places to hide here,” Nya pointed out. “The largest rocks will shield some of the archers, but most of us are going to be shooting from unprotected spots.” She brushed off her hands and looked at me under the fading red sky. The ash in the air was growing, and once again embers drifted down on us. “It surprises me that you didn’t suggest we turn and ride back to Blackhold,” the elf said.