by Dante King
That laser etched a deep furrow into the battlefield, raking from one end of the clearing to the other. Everywhere it touched, the ground exploded as if landmines had been placed just beneath the surface. I saw angels blown to paste, demons disintegrated as they failed to get out of the way in time. I opened myself to my bond with my harem almost as a reflex, checking to make sure they were alright.
They were. But what was happening wouldn’t keep them that way for long.
The canyon Queen Titania had scorched through the center of the battlefield cracked open. As the walls of earth retreated, heat filled the arena. A horrifying glow spilled from the ground, and for a few moments I thought the Dark Queen had somehow cut a portal through the Realms, opening a path to Hell itself.
But no. There was just a river of lava beneath the spot Queen Titania had chosen to fight us on.
“She planned this the whole time,” I realized, my blood going cold. “Fuck, we’re trapped like rats. She’s going to kill everyone!”
The river of lava became a lake. The walls of the canyon pushed further and further back, until the entire center third of the battlefield became a no man’s land. Every demon that could take to the air did—and those who couldn’t looked for someone to save them. I caught a glimpse of Raquelle soaring into the air on her black and white wings, a squalling Poppy screaming with fright in her arms. The rest of my harem could fly, which made them safe for now. But none of them could fly forever, and soon, there’d be no safe place to land.
Lilith could see the score as clearly as I could. “She’ll destroy the whole battlefield if we don’t kill her now,” the demoness hissed. “You’re right, Luke—this was her last-ditch fail-safe if the battle went bad. Titania can likely survive the lake of lava longer than any of us—she’ll be the only one to walk free once the battlefield is consumed!”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Holofernes rumbled.
“That’s the spirit,” I said, gazing up at the titanic monster. “We don’t have time for a long battle of attrition. Given the circumstances, I think our best chance is to attack together. How’s a good old fashioned suicide run sound?”
Lilith snorted. “Never thought I’d end my life as a kamikaze,” the Headmistress of the Infernal Academy said, shaking her head. “But then again, there’s a lot of things I thought I’d never do before meeting you, Luke. Like taking a tentacle a foot deep in my—”
“Enough,” Holofernes snapped, shaking his head with derision. “I tire of your endless lusts.”
“Says the Headmaster whose school does more whippings than an entire legion of flagellants,” Lilith retorted with a smirk. “Come on, let’s do this. Do or die, right?”
It most certainly was.
With a little nod of respect from both Headmaster and Headmistress, the three of us tore into the air like bats out of Hell. Each of us charged up as we ascended toward the mammoth form of Queen Titania, reaching for every ounce of power our bodies could hold.
The Dark Queen sneered down at us, chuckling like tectonic plates banging together. “You’re too late!” she laughed, kicking apart one of the few islands left in the sea of lava. “You know what the difference is between you and me, Luke Bell?”
“Only one of us is going to be dead in a minute,” I shot back, climbing toward her stupid, smug face.
Titania shook her massive head. “I’m not… sentimental, like you. I’m more than happy to sacrifice as many pawns as it takes to win. Are you? You’d better check on your pawns, Luke, if you want them to survive the battle.”
It was a trick. A distraction. Had to be. But I opened my senses anyway, to check on my harem girls. Just for a moment, to touch base and make sure they were alright before I reenacted the Death Star trench run down Queen Titania’s throat.
What I saw nearly knocked me out of the air.
My harem was clustered near a corner of the battlefield, flying around an inky finger of rock sticking from the lava sea. They circled the tiny island, each taking turns to rest for a few precious moments before streaking skyward to stay above the churning magma. They looked like they could do that for quite a while yet—that wasn’t what turned the blood in my veins to icewater.
They were under attack. Queen Titania’s Unseelie forces had regrouped around the titan’s legs and pressed the attack, assaulting the corner of the battlefield where my harem had sought refuge.
Suddenly, I understood exactly what Titania meant by ‘sacrificing pawns’. Her forces charged heedlessly through the lava, sinking and burning and dying by the dozens. But it didn’t matter—even decimated by battle, she had more than enough troops left to fill the gap. The living climbed over the dead, closing the distance between what was left of her army and my girls.
It’s the bridge all over again, I realized.
Queen Titania’s control over her troops was so absolute, she could command them into a kamikaze attack and they’d obey. It didn’t matter how many of her people she lost, as long as enough reached my harem to rip them apart. Any minute now, they’d be there.
Once that island fell, my girls would have to touch down eventually. First one, then the rest would die.
“You’re insane!” I roared, firing a bolt of flame at Queen Titania’s face. “You’re murdering your own people!”
The titan shrugged, moss and dirt falling from her mammoth shoulders. As it fell into the lava below, smoking and burning, she said in a haughty tone: “They are glad to die. If you could see their faces, Luke, you’d know that they were smiling as they jumped into the lava…”
Okay, that creeped me right the fuck out. “You won’t stop me,” I growled, flying faster. My wings beat against the current, and I had to trust that Holofernes and Lilith were keeping pace behind me. I couldn’t afford to look back. “All I have to do is kill you, and I’ll break your control. Your army won’t kill themselves to kill my harem without you whispering in their minds!”
Another of those shrugs. “It matters not to me,” Titania growled. “Look—the little one is going to fall!”
My mind screamed that it was another trap. Still, I refocused my attention, flashing across the battlefield into the minds of my harem girls. The little one could only refer to Poppy—and as I slipped into her mind, I felt utter terror.
Fae covered the finger of rock, keeping my girls from landing safely. They fought, but with Poppy in her arms, Raquelle couldn’t do much to stem the tide. The Fae struck at the redheaded angel again and again, intent on bringing her down.
When I came back to myself, I was right in Queen Titania’s face. The titan peered at me intently, holding back her fury for the moment.
“What are you doing?” Titania asked, her massive brows furrowing together. “When you disappear like that, where do you go?”
Her moment of hesitation was exactly what I needed.
Gripping the pitchfork in both hands, I thrust it forward, aiming at a spot just above the bridge of her nose. Her sloped, moss-covered forehead gave beneath the sharp tines of the pitchfork as liquid fire exploded from my weapon. It poured down her face, searing the cruel face of the building-sized titan.
Twin beams of energy struck the titan from either side. I didn’t need to look—I knew Holofernes and Lilith were attacking with everything they had.
I drove the pitchfork deeper into Titania’s face, then deeper, seeking her brain. A pitchfork lobotomy was my only chance.
If I could disable her before her goons pulled Raquelle and Poppy into the lava, I could win the war right then and there.
I could be the Lord of Hell, with my harem by my side, and rule over the Infernal Realm forever and a day.
Inhuman screams tore from Titania’s throat as my pitchfork drilled deeper. A massive hole had opened in the Dark Queen’s forehead, with lava pouring from the wound like pus. I didn’t let up for a moment, howling with demonic rage as I unleashed the Beast inside.
“Die!” I commanded, drawing back the pitchfork and ma
king a final, desperate stab into Titania’s brain. “Fucking die!”
I could feel Titania’s brain pulsing through the membrane of her skull. I was inches away—my beam of unholy fire bored through her like a power drill, seeking her weak spot. Another thirty seconds and the Dark Queen of the Fae would have been dead or incapacitated, unable to command her troops to kill my harem. The war would have been won. Would I have been able to kill her before her army did the same to Christina, Mareth, Eiko, Raquelle, Poppy? Would I have won the world, only to lose one of my girls?
I’d never know. Because I didn’t get the chance.
A flash of light on the horizon caught my attention. I hesitated to look for a single instant, focused completely on my task—and in that instant, the entire world ripped itself apart.
Something tore through the wall Queen Titania had erected around the arena, punching through it like it was made of paper. It had the head of a serpent and the wings of an eagle, and moved like the wind as it tore across the battlefield.
As large as Titania was, this thing made her look like a child’s toy. I’d never seen a creature this size before—not in this or any Realm.
The triumphant look I’d expected on Queen Titania’s face didn’t materialize. She looked even more shocked and upset by this newcomer than I did.
The titan twisted away, growling as smoke poured from the gaping wound in her forehead. I moved with her, trying to punch all the way through her protective armor and into her brain, but the Dark Queen had already begun to flee.
Whatever this creature was, it reduced a monster as powerful as Titania to outright panic.
What the hell was I facing?
The wall around the battlefield dissolved.
Titania’s army froze, blinking rapidly as Titania’s control over them faded. Then they saw the serpentine monster bearing down on them and ran, pure terror filling their faces as they fled. I could see my harem touching down just outside the battlefield, safe on the other side of the lava sea. Relief flooded me as I realized they were safe.
Then I was face to face with the monster, and I could think of nothing else.
How could I have ever called myself the Beast? Compared to the thing floating before me, I was a speck of dust. Even Titania was little more than a puppy dog compared to the serpent—this thing was the true Beast. I’m not sure how I knew that, even then, but as I looked into its piercing black eyes, the knowledge whispered in the back of my brain.
This thing was older than dirt. Older than the Realms. It had seen stars be born and die, galaxies wither away to dust.
It took one look at me and snorted, black smoke pouring from its nostrils. Then, in a flash, it tore across the other side of the battlefield, leaving us behind as if we were of no more concern to it than ants would have been to you or me.
I hung in the sky for several minutes, watching the creature disappear over the horizon. Wherever it was going, I did not envy those at its destination.
Once it had disappeared fully, I flew down to the newly formed shore of the lava lake to check on my harem. Titania had fled the battlefield, and her army followed her. The Dark Queen of the Fae had abandoned the field.
We’d won. For today, at least. But the appearance of that strange creature made one thing perfectly clear.
We’d just started a whole new goddamn ballgame.
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Steam poured from the stones. The lake of lava created by Queen Titania had begun to harden almost immediately after she fled the battlefield, and by the time I’d verified each of my harem girls were safe, the sea of smoldering magma had already become a glossy black patch of rock on the grassy landscape. You wouldn’t have wanted to walk on it, but in a few weeks, it would make a pretty cool landmark in the Fae Realm. An obsidian beach?
Yeah, okay, maybe not. I wouldn’t be setting up shop here any time soon, that was for sure.
My girls lay splayed on the grass, too tired even to joke about celebrating our survival with some sex. Each of them had stretched themselves to the limit between fighting Titania’s army and keeping each other alive over the lava sea, and now they were going to need some recuperation before we could limp our way home. I was more than happy to give it to them.
After all, I had some thinking to do.
“I can’t believe we’re alive,” Raquelle groaned.
The redhead lay on her stomach in the grass, her brilliant black and white wings covered in soot. The heat had torn away patches of her feathers, until she looked like one of those online prank videos where someone makes a ‘mistake’ with an electric razor at the barber shop. It would grow back, I knew, and she’d look as beautiful and fierce as ever. But right now, she looked frazzled.
“What in the world was that thing?” That was Christina, who lay snuggled up against me on her back. Her tits rose and fell rapidly like she’d just finished a heavy workout, her nipple piercings pushing through her demonic chest armor. “Titania took one look at it and ran for the hills. I’m scared to even think what the fuck it could be…”
Mareth sat cross-legged by the cooling lake of lava, her face a study in concern.
“I think I might know,” the succubus said, looking over what remained of the battlefield. “But I don’t want to say. Because if I say it, it might come true—and fuck, if what I’m thinking is the truth, then we’re all in a lot of trouble…”
I’d followed Mareth’s train of thought even further than she guessed. But I didn’t want to panic anyone—not yet, in any case.
“Godfrey,” I grunted, reaching through the bond connecting me to my harem. “We’re going to need a pick up, my man.”
The cheerful voice of my battle tank filled the air. “I’ll be there as quickly as I can, Master!” the hovercraft trilled, his voice carried by magic from wherever he’d gotten himself off to. A pretty neat trick, if I did say so myself. “I am currently in the Infernal Realm, securing medical attention for Maddie. As soon as I am able, I will return to you!”
“Maddie,” I whispered, watching the expressions on every member of my harem fall simultaneously. “Godfrey, how is she? Don’t hold anything back. Be honest with me.”
I saw the angel in my mind’s eye, tumbling from the sky as ten thousand volts coursed through her beautiful body. How could anyone come back from that?
“I won’t lie to you, Master! In fact, I am completely incapable of falsehood!” I didn’t really appreciate Godfrey assuring me of this fact, given the circumstances. “Maddie is gravely injured. For a great deal of the trip back to the Infernal Realm, I was unsure of whether she would make it or not.”
“Fuck,” Christina sobbed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Oh Maddie, oh sweetheart…”
“Maddie is currently in stable condition, being treated by the best specialists the Infernal Academy has. She has not regained consciousness, but her injuries no longer appear to be life threatening. But, Master…”
“But what!?” I snapped. “I told you not to lie to me, Godfrey!”
The vehicle sighed. “The surgeons of Hell have done their best to treat Maddie, Master. But she’s still unconscious. It appears that nothing they’ve been able to do has the power to free her from her coma. They’re beginning to suspect magical influences.”
“Queen Titania,” I growled, the realization flooded me. “She’s behind this.”
Judyth had pulled the trigger. But Queen Titania had handed her the bullets—and even now, the Dark Queen of the Fae’s power kept Maddie from getting better.
What would happen if we didn’t pull her out of that coma?
My harem would remain incomplete until she was back with us in her proper place.
No, not just my harem. My family.
“We’ve got to track her down,” Christina said, sitting up. “That bitch has her claws in Maddie’s soul. We’ve got to make her let go!”
Just then, I heard footsteps.
I turned to see three figure
s making their way around the edges of the obsidian lake: Holofernes, Lilith, and Siobhan. The Headmaster of the Celestial Academy, the Headmistress of the Infernal one, and the woman who would soon be Queen of the Fae.
A leader for each Realm. And all of them swore fealty to me—or at least respected me enough not to try and stop me.
“Luke,” Lilith purred, grinning down at me. In comparison to the rest of us, the Headmistress didn’t have a hair out of place. Her power was great enough that she’d been able to recover after combat almost immediately. I made a mental note to pick up a couple of tips from her later. “The battle wasn’t a total victory, but we’ve made great strides today. Great strides.”
“With the Unseelie on the back foot,” Siobhan said smoothly, “we’ll be able to conquer the rest of the Fae Realm with ease. A united Fae will be able to resist Queen Titania—and free your friend.”
“You have bigger problems to worry about.”
Everyone froze. That voice had come from somewhere above us, crackling with power. Lilith wore an expression of shock and dismay, while the rest of my harem just looked awestruck. As for me, an almost irresistible weariness stole over me at the sound of that voice.
I knew exactly who it was, of course. It could be none other than the man himself.
Lucifer landed at the edge of the burning obsidian lake, the molten metal troubling him not at all. Despite this impressive display of power, the Prince of Darkness looked more haggard than I’d ever seen him. Large bags hung beneath his piercing eyes, and more wrinkles than normal covered his forehead and cheeks. His jet-black hair had a white streak running through it, which made him look either like Rogue from the X-Men or Paulie from The Sopranos. I couldn’t decide which.
Lilith shrank away at the sight of her ex-husband, stepping aside to admit him into our circle.
As he came before me, I gasped. Lucifer’s clothes were dirty and torn, and there was evidence of several wounds on his body that had yet to heal. What the fuck had happened to the master of Hell?