by Plum Pascal
“What Shadow King need Noni help with?”
“I need to see Thoradin,” I say. “Do you remember when we talked about him?”
Thoradin was my lead Centurion and my friend. He was killed and Noni told me his spirit was in The Veil.
“Oh, yes. The big stone man. Noni like him.”
“Can you take me to him?” I ask. When Noni nods her little head, I can’t help the smile that lands on my face. She pats my cheek and scurries off to grab her coat.
“Winter coming soon,” she says. “Will be good to be prepared for it.” Noni leads me outside.
“When did you first see Thoradin?” I ask her.
“When he first come here,” Noni replies. “When Master busy, Noni like to help spirits find their way to a place where they be happy.”
“How do you take them to this place?”
“There be portals that help Noni get around. She use the portals to take the spirits.”
“Is that where we’re going?”
“Yep! Noni take you there.”
She scampers alongside me. I look around the forest, taking in the landscape. I’ll never get used to this place. Not when the trees are bare and towering over me, backlit by an endless sky filled with millions of swirling galaxies. Here, I don’t have to worry about turning to stone. That’s when I remember Pyre’s promise—that he’s working on some type of magical elixir that will keep me from turning to stone while we’re in the realms. I can only hope he’s successful. As it now stands, the only reason I haven’t been doomed to my gargoyle form is owing to Eilish. There’s something about her light and dark magic that allows me to keep my mortal form.
We arrive at a stone slab surrounded by a circle of rune-marked rocks. I have to take a break and rest after the walk. It wasn’t far but it’s exhausted me, all the same. I lean on a large outcropping of dark rock and breathe in deeply.
Noni takes a piece of chalk from the small pouch that hangs around her waist and begins scrawling symbols on the stone.
“Stand back, Mr. Dragan.” She hurries over to my side, hand fisted in my pant leg, dragging me back a few paces. With a few whispered words, purple light flares at the heart of the stone slab. It crackles like lightning and breaks open like shattered glass.
“Come. Quick, before it close.”
That strange feeling of cold reaching down into my soul rushes through me as I step beyond the portal. My vision briefly goes black before clearing once more. I stand in the center of what appears to be a graveyard. Noni climbs up my side and onto my shoulders. She stretches one arm, pointing to a cave partially hidden along the rock face of what appears to be a canyon.
“The stone man in there, Mr. Dragan.”
I follow Noni’s lead once again and head towards the cave. Spirits roam the graveyard and I wonder why Thoradin chooses to stay in such a grim place. “Noni, did the stone man say why he remains here?”
“Him say it remind him of home. And he protect the spirits here.”
We come to the mouth of the cave and Noni rubs her hands together quickly, causing sparks to fly. A tiny ball of fire appears in her palm and she smiles victoriously. I walk deeper into the cave until I reach the back. Something shifts. Something large. Then, I see it: Thoradin’s face appears among the stone. His eyes open and he steps into the light, removing the magical camouflage, his gargoyle stone breaking apart as his mortal form appears.
“My liege.”
“I come as a friend, Thoradin. Not your king.”
Despite my words, Thoradin takes a knee and lowers his head. “I’m sorry I failed you,” he says.
“You didn’t fail me. I failed you,” I say as I reach out and wrap my fingers around his upper arm. “I wasn’t the king I should have been.”
“You were always a good king to me, liege.”
I shake my head, as my old friend notices Noni and holds his arm out to her. She walks over to him. It’s strange to see the gargoyle pick the little brownie up with such gentleness. He regards her with something akin to affection and friendship.
I walk with them through a secret passage in the cave and come to an outlook above a large valley.
I shake my head and inhale deeply. “You weren’t supposed to die.”
“We all set out on this journey knowing death was a possibility,” he says and his tone is flat. “The outcome is unfortunate, but I wouldn’t change what happened. I died so that others could live. I see it as a fair trade,” Thoradin huffs. “After the balance is restored, I’ll cross over into the afterlife. All the spirits here will, unless we choose to stay, I suppose.”
“Do you want to go to the afterlife?”
“I do,” he nods as he turns to face me. “But only if you let me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to release me, liege, and everyone else you lost.” He grows quiet for a few seconds and only the wind whistling through the trees speaks to us. Then he faces me once more and speaks again. “You must let go of the past and the mistakes you made. The war isn’t over, my liege. It never was.”
“We have a real chance now,” I start but Thoradin shakes his head.
“Variant is not the real threat.”
I eye him with interest. “What do you mean?”
“Someone else pulls Variant’s strings.”
“Who?” I ask.
Thoradin shrugs. “I don’t know, liege. I see truth in bits and pieces here. It comes on one wind and is stolen by another.”
After a few more minutes with my old friend, Noni and I make our way back through the cave. We stroll slowly towards the portal and Thoradin stops us right before we cross the threshold.
“One last thing…” he starts as I turn to face him. “Death is never the end,” he promises. “Baron and I are proof of that.”
###
Flumph
The Veil
“Wake up! Wake up, Mr. Flumph!”
That fuckin’ brownie squeakin’ in my damn ear again. She do this every mornin’, but it extra annoyin’ this time. I shove her ass off me an’ giver my tough face, lookin’ all mean-like. She don’t understand. She never do. It make me mad, but Noni always givin’ me them sad eyes. But I ain’t gonna be walked all over again. Nope, not when I a badass with my fuckin’ crossbow.
“Mr. Flumph, Noni going to the Unseelie Kingdom.”
“What the hell you talkin’ about? Why?”
“Cause Noni not hear anything for a long time. Master say if the Unseelie quiet, that no good and Unseelie must be checked on. But Noni not allowed to go by herself. She want Mr. Flumph to go with her.” She wiggle herself off my bed an’ I wanna throws a pillow at her for wakin’ me up. I jump down an’ slip my fuzzy little toes into my new boots.
Least the necromancer know how to treat us sprites. I been misstreated since I started helpin’ these fuckin’ giants. It nice to finally gets some damn respect ‘round here. Noni follow me down the hall to the kitchens, wheres all the good shit is. I take out them sweetrolls while she hobbles her ass right up to me. That smile, real creepy-like. “No! I ain’t goin’.”
I goin’.
Next thing I fuckin’ know, I’m halfways across this stupid forest an’ on my way to the portal that take us right to the Unseelie Kingdom. Right where I don’t wanna be. “Can’t believe I let you talks me into this stupid shit!”
“Come on, Mr. Flumph. It an adventure. Noni love adventures.”
“You ain’t the one flyin’ with a brownie on yer fuckin’ back!”
“Noni heavy?”
“Well, you ain’t light, that for sure!” Actually, she is light. I guess Shadow Dick was onto somethin’ when he say I like the sound of my own complainin’. I got a real sexy voice, so ‘course I do! Good thing I asexual, otherwise I be up to my fuckin’ neck in naked people tryin’ to get a piece o’ Flumph.
Noni take us right to the front door o’ the big freaky castle. She outta her mind if she thinks I goin’ in there. And then, whatta yo
u know? I’m actually fuckin’ goin’ inside.
Theren and his big dumb soldiers don’t even sees us, ‘cause Noni can make us all invisible an’ whatnot, but it still scary as fuck. She take me right into some weird meetin’ in a big echoey room where Aima an’ Assface—er, Kolvar the satyr—kneel before Cambion’s fuck-head brother. Then, I hear some real fucked-up shit.
“Aima Nafliari, former advisor to the throne, I hereby sentence you to execution by soulfire. Kolvar Zylioth, Chieftain of Banefire Horde mercenary clan, you are sentenced to the same fate. Let the judgment be passed and may the gods turn a blind eye to your suffering as you face the executioner on the full moon.”
That only three days away! Fuck. Fuck. Shit. An’ more fuck!
Noni gasp. We hurry back to the portal, an’ she cryin’ real hard-like.
“What a soulfire?” I ask.
“It burn the spirit, Mr. Flumph. That mean no afterlife, no rebirth, no soul, no Veil, no nothing. Just... just nothing but darkness. Noni don’t like nothing. It not natural. There’s got to be something, Mr. Flumph. Come on. Noni tell the others.”
THREE
Eilish
The Ashland
My hands tremble as I lean Pyre against the trunk of a felled tree. He breathes deeply, but I know each step is painful for him. My healing is all but complete, despite the hunger that continues to rise inside me. I need to feed. Pyre is too weak to be much good, so I have to control myself. What terrifies me most is that I can feel the hunger rising, but there’s little to no warning that the succubus side of me is taking over.
Flumph says my eyes turn black and I smell sweet, almost syrupy, but I’ve never actually seen myself. But I know each time I’ve fed from Baron, a strand of my hair turned black. From what the Midnight Queen said about me needing to balance the light and dark within me, I figure I need lovers from both light and darkness. Morrigan called me the manifestation of the balance, which means I risk losing one side to the other, if I’m not careful.
I feel so out of control whenever I feel the seduction take over.
“Pyre, why do I feel differently when I use my angel abilities than when the succubus takes over?” I ask. Pyre is somewhat a mentor to all of us, as well as a friend and a loyal ally.
He blows a strand of crimson hair from his brow. Those sightless eyes flutter closed, and he takes a deep breath. “One is instinct, one is skill. Your angel abilities are a gift, but they must also be nurtured and strengthened over time. It’ll take many years of practice and discipline for you to fully master them. The succubus,” he continues with a sigh, “that side of you is something that can’t be taught, only managed. It’s like your heartbeat, something that’s just part of who you are. You have no more control over it than you do a surge of adrenaline or the need for food and sleep.”
“I hate that,” I mutter.
He nods, but his attention isn’t mine. It seems as if another conversation plays out in his mind. “Just accept it.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’ve got unlimited power.”
“All power has its limits,” he replies. “And remember, this power didn’t come without its pound of flesh. It cost me my soul and bound me to the spirit world. You must still figure out what your power will cost you.”
I help Pyre to the ground so he can rest as I turn to scout ahead. I feel his hand around my wrist and I glance back at him.
“Your need,” he starts.
“I’m doing everything I can to try to suppress it,” I answer, swallowing hard.
“Let me touch you,” he replies.
“You don’t have the strength. You need to rest, Pyre.”
But his fingers are already moving down my waist and before I can stop him, I feel the heat of them between my thighs.
“Pyre, this won’t help me,” I breathe heavily, as he begins to tease me over the leather of my pants.
“I know,” he answers in a breathy voice. “I can’t feed your hunger, but I can… feed my own.”
“Your own?” I ask, surprised.
“Touching you and feeling you… does something to me,” he answers before taking a deep breath. “I feel… alive in a way I have not felt in a very long time.”
I don’t know if he uses his magic or I’m just not paying attention but suddenly my buttons are undone and I feel him pulling my pants down my thighs. And then his fingers are back on me, slipping inside my already wet flesh as he teases my clit. I close my eyes and grind against him, wishing he hadn’t pledged himself to remaining celibate because I need him.
I want him.
I moan as he plunges two fingers inside me and I feel myself gushing around them, taking him even deeper inside me as I sit down on him.
“Your scent is so thick in the air,” he growls.
He pulls his fingers out and maneuvers me so I’m above his face, straddling his head. He pulls down on my back, forcing my pussy above his mouth. When I feel his tongue lapping at me, I arch up and open my eyes, noticing the pronounced bulge in his pants. I immediately free him, wanting to feel his engorged cock in my hands.
He groans as soon as I pull him out and I run my hands up and down his shaft, watching as beads of his desire drip down his head. I feel his fingers pushing into me and I grind down on them as I take as much of him into my mouth as will fit. He lifts his hips and fucks my mouth as I fuck his fingers, wishing I could feel his throbbing length pushing into me.
I feel myself losing control as an orgasm seizes me and my entire body shakes. In response, Pyre loses himself within my mouth, emptying his seed as he breathes out deeply.
“I wish,” he begins but then shakes his head, as if he can’t finish his sentence.
“You wish?” I ask as I return him to his pants and I rest against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
“I wish I could feel you properly, the way nature intended.”
“Me too,” I answer. Then I realize the implications of what we’ve just done and I lean up on my elbows, studying him. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I feel… energized. Better.”
I nod, hoping I haven’t further weakened him. That’s when I take a look around me, allowing my surroundings to sink in. The forest is different here. The trees are less dense. I can see beyond the thick, gnarled branches, toward what appears to be open land. I stand up and walk forward, reaching the edge of the forest. There, I see miles on miles of flat, gray stone. Cracks litter the ground, but there’s nothing else in sight.
A loud screech startles me and I jump behind a tree. I search the stretch of land before looking towards the sky. Winged creatures soar across an ebony sky filled with dark clouds that block the stars. One flies over the moon and I see right through the fleshy membrane that allows them to slice the air with the quick, precise movements of their wings. These aren’t creatures I’ve ever seen before.
Ash begins to fall like snow and I race back to Pyre to tell him what I saw. “What do we do? Can we go around them? Maybe take another path?”
“No. It’ll add another six days to our journey. Remember, time here doesn’t pass the same as it does in the realms.”
“So?”
“Do you really want to wait to see what happens if we give Variant an extra month to plot against us?”
I shake my head. “No.”
Pyre looks up at the sky with his unseeing eyes. “We must move through the harpies, but very carefully.”
“Is there any way we can cloak ourselves?”
“I’m no threat to the Harpies and they are no threat to me. We’ve lived in harmony for millennia. You, however... they’ll sense your soul.”
I hope that sounds more ominous than it really is. But, then again, this is Pyre—he rarely does anything that doesn't involve immense danger. "I just need to know if they'll attack me. I have my dagger, but I counted six of them."
“In a world where death rules, the living are not welcome. Yes, they will attack, and they’ll do so without remorse,” h
e answers stoically. “We can’t beat them, but if we move fast enough, we can make it to the other side of the Ashland. They can’t cross over.”
I can’t see any other way around it, so I push my shoulder beneath Pyre’s to help him regain his balance. He takes a minute, looking nauseous, and I feel guilty. If I hadn’t insisted on going to rescue the Midnight Queen, Pyre would be safe in his home right now. But what’s done is done. There’s no going back. And Pyre supported our mission anyway.
Pyre steadies himself and we creep along the edge of the forest. He steps out of the tree line first. The Harpies stop. They hover in the air and create a terrifying formation in the sky as if they’re honoring the Guardian of The Veil. Pyre continues to walk for a few more steps before he signals me to follow. For a moment, they just watch me. I take careful, measured movements, hoping they don’t see me as a threat or... a snack. One swoops down, stopping just inches from my face.
When I look at her, I see a beautiful but grim demonic angel. I feel a connection to the Harpy and wonder why. A split second later, she hisses, bearing her fangs at me. Her talons reach for my throat and I drop to the ground before she can touch me. I roll across the stone and then leap into a fighting crouch.
The Harpies swarm, falling from the sky in absolute grace. Their wings expand right before they hit the ground and I take off at a dead run. Pyre is in front of me. His long legs eat up the distance, but I’m right on his heels. Suddenly, I find myself yanked into the air by a pair of claws around my shoulders and I scream.
I’m maybe ten feet in the air when the harpy tosses me to another one flying just beside us. That one grabs me with her talons as her screech interrupts the quiet sky. I scramble to grab my dagger from my waist band and once I have it in hand, I slice through the Harpy’s clawed paw. She instantly releases me, causing me to hit the ground so hard I bounce. The air is knocked out of my lungs and I struggle to take a breath.