“I don’t mean that. I just feel--”
“Shh. Don’t go there.”
I looked down at the water, enjoying her presence and the cleansing touch of nature.
“Are you worth it? Selling my soul to Astaroth?”
I didn’t know why I’d asked such a stupid question, but I had. She pulled away from me. I could feel her icy glare against my back, but I didn’t move, afraid of how she’d react, what she’d do, if… If she would leave me.
“Depends on what you want from me. If you want me to stay at home and be a housewife or something, then you’ve made a mistake in claiming me.” Lilith moved in again and embraced me. “But if you want me to be your lover,” she whispered seductively, “or conquer the world with you, I could live with that. As long as you keep getting stronger and manage to suppress Astaroth. I don’t want to interact with him, unless it’s unavoidable.”
I sighed and dipped my head into the water, washing away the blood and dust from earlier. A serenity engulfed me, unlike anything I’d ever felt. This is what life should be like, no? Two great women beside me, a monstrous wolf as a faithful companion, loads of money and power. True, terrifyingly real power.
“What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Alpha asked, startling me.
“Nothing much. Why?” I replied, angry at the interruption.
“You do realize what you’ve done, right? Killing off innocent women. Slaves, that have been mistreated for a long time. And for what? For the very person… no, not person, for the very demon that had kept them there and had done gods know what to them?”
I remained silent. He had a point, and I knew that he was right, so there was no need to rub it in any further. I just couldn’t understand why they didn’t see her the same way I did. She was a goddess incarnate.
“Can you check on the other two? Spread out your feelers and see where they went off to exactly.”
“No need to. She said not to follow them and that she didn’t owe you anything anymore.”
I frowned and swam up, taking a deep breath, spitting out what water had entered my mouth. I ran both hands along my face and hair, rinsing out the extra water.
“She owes me much more than she’s given. I didn’t kill her right away during the ambush and I saved her brother, almost dying in the process.”
I turned my head to Lilith, who floated on her back beside me in the water. Her breasts stuck out, perfect even in that position. I almost growled as I moved toward her.
“They’re off toward Ithice. Said something about checking for any survivors.”
“Shit,” I cursed out loud and ground my teeth. “What the hell did they go there for?”
“Huh?” Lilith asked as she put her arms around me. “What’s wrong, master?”
“The girl and her brother went to Ithice to check if anyone survived. You burned that village to the ground, so going there is idiotic.”
“No, I didn’t,” she replied and pushed off me. “I never set foot in there. Well, not in the last ten years or so, at least.”
“Then who did?”
“Don’t ask me. I had nothing to do with it. But if you want, I can try to track them for you. I am hungry, after all, and need to replenish my magic reserves. And I’m lacking blood, as well.”
“Let’s go. I don’t want that idiot to die right after being reunited with her brother,” I replied and swam toward Alpha. “You up for it, big guy?”
Alpha got up and surprised me, since he’d gotten even bigger than he had been when I had left him outside of the cavern. He’d eaten all of the corpses, sure, but did it make that much of a difference?
“How long are you going to keep growing?” I asked and stood beside the wolf. His back reached up to my shoulders on all fours.
“Probably done, actually. The hunger disappeared halfway through. I forced the rest down, but threw them up back behind the cavern.”
“I see. It’s good you won’t keep at it, since you wouldn’t fit through any normal doors if you did and people would probably be frightened of you. Wait, are you visible to everyone now? You look kind of substantial, more than before.”
Alpha shrugged and poked me with his paw.
“Guess so.”
“So, you two can communicate telepathically?” Lilith asked as she got out of the water and stood beside us. Her body gleamed as the sunlight danced across it. She unfurled her wings and took flight, circled around us slowly and dropped back down beside us, now dry.
“We can. Sometimes I forget to and speak out loud. From now on, I should stick to that.”
“Or not,” she replied. “I can open a mental link to both of you. Once you’ve had a taste of my blood, we can speak over vast distances. In any case, you’ve had some of my blood, so all that’s left is to feed the wolf some of it.”
Alpha snorted and turned toward the forest.
“Tell her to stay away from me. One demon in the family is more than enough.”
I sighed and waved him off. He’d have a change of heart once Lilith showed how good she was, and how useful she could be. Alpha would change his mind, I was sure of it.
“Open our link, then. I’ll relay anything that needs to be said between you and Alpha, if the need arises,” I said and turned to her. I frowned.
She wasn’t naked anymore, instead, she was clad in armor. Nothing too spectacular, just studded leather in a bright crimson and pitch-black color scheme. Not that it would do her any good, considering how much it covered. All the armor protected were her breasts, and about a foot down from her hips thanks to a leather skirt. And from the way she stood, I could see she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
“Too much? I could always opt for naked, if you make me,” she whispered.
I turned away from her. She was doing this on purpose, and I disliked it. Sex, sure. Nudity, great. But trying to make me feel uncomfortable, no thanks.
“When we’re out in public, which means in the city, on the road or any place where people could easily run into us, I’d prefer you wore more modest clothing. When we’re alone, you can walk around naked all day long, I’d even prefer as much. That way I can explore that divine body of yours whenever I get the chance.”
An angelic laughter came from Lilith’s mouth, entrancing me.
“Very well,” she replied after a few moments. With a snap of her fingers, the armor became slightly more modest, covering her legs a bit more and moving up her stomach to become one with the chest piece.
“Thank you, milady,” I said with a bow.
“You’re hopeless. Bloody idiot. Come on, or we might find them dead in Ithice,” Alpha interrupted. “Get on, or walk for all I care.”
He was not amused, that much I felt through our link. But he’d better get used to it.
“Lilith. Provide me with an aerial view. I’ll ride on Alpha’s back toward Ithice. I reckon you know where it is?”
“Yes, I do,” she replied mentally, startling me.
I smirked and nodded to myself. She almost sounded even better in my mind.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Alpha hadn’t become any faster, luckily. Even then, because of the way he moved in between the trees, rocks and anything else that got in our way, I’d gotten sick pretty quickly so he slowed down.
“Why aren’t you talking to me?” I asked, once he had slowed down again.
“You don’t need me anymore, do you? The fact that she’s in your life now, stronger than you, means a lot. Especially to me. I was the one you relied on, and now? What am I to you?”
I was at a loss for words. In all honesty, I had no idea what he was in the first place. From what he told me, we were basically two halves of one whole, so even talking about emotions seemed superfluous.
“Whatever you want to be, except this. Aren’t we inseparable, two sides of the same coin? So even thinking anything less is plain stupid. And why the hell are you jealous in the first place? It’s not like we can be romantical
ly involved or anything of the sort.”
Alpha remained quiet and came to a stop.
“We’re there. I can feel a large presence up ahead in the ruins.”
Lilith dropped down beside us just then and hissed, her tongue long and thin, almost snakelike.
“Kravnians. A cohort of them up ahead. There’s a long train of slaves in their midst.”
17
“Shit. That fucking idiot!” I cursed under my breath. “Why couldn’t she have acted like a normal human being and waited with Alpha until we came back. But no, she had to come here and get captured. Bah!”
I got off Alpha and walked up to the tree-line. The foliage here wasn’t as thick, and we would be easily spotted by any one of the soldiers if they just looked in our direction.
“What’s worse, they have magic users. Plenty of them. One is quite powerful, at that,” Lilith said as she knelt beside me in a thick bush. Her unnerved gaze showed me just how worried she was.
“What do you think?” I asked mentally, focusing on her.
“The Kravnian’s are generally a militant people, thriving on black magic and curses. It would be foolish to attack them head on. I might be strong, but most of my reserves were depleted against you and Astaroth. He could probably kill them all, but you would still sustain damage, if they managed to hit you. And our goal isn’t to die over some stupid girl that couldn’t follow orders, right?” she replied.
“Yeah. No, wait. I promised I’d get both of them to Homitage. I can’t go back on my word just like that. We need to come up with something.”
“Will you need me?” Alpha asked, interrupting us.
“Yeah, if you want to fight. Think you could go invisible long enough to check out the enemy forces?”
“No way. They have magic users. The moment I get in close, I’ll be attacked.”
“Do you want to go at it the old-fashioned way?” I asked, grinning from ear to ear. Alpha curled his lips up, revealing dangerously large teeth.
“Sure. Want me to go in first?”
I shrugged. He was far more durable, so why not.
“You wreak havoc where they’re most clustered together, but don’t overstay your welcome. I’ll flank them once they’re busy dealing with you.” I turned to Lilith. “He’ll attack them head on, and I’ll attack them near where they’re keeping the slaves. Can you use magic or something to deal with their magic users? I mean, I don’t even really know what you’re capable of, to be honest.”
She chuckled and winked at me.
“Sure thing,” she replied. “Don’t die out there. It would be a shame if I was left masterless the same day I was subdued.”
I sighed and turned away from her. I got up, hiding in the tree line's shadow. The camp up ahead was just west of Ithice. The town lay in ruins, and smoke still wafted through the air. The ten-foot high wall was ruined, along with the buildings. Dead men, women and children were put on display, impaled on long pikes and lined around the village. It was a horrible sight that sent chills down my spine. Then I got angry. How dare they do this to citizens of the Krafnian kingdom?
“Hey,” I said, drawing the attention of both of them. “They need to die. All of them.” I didn’t look at my two companions, but I could feel the bloodlust emanating from both of them, especially Lilith. She was a wicked thing, completely in a league of her own.
“Ready?” Alpha growled and flexed his neck in response. I nodded slowly, summoning both of my swords. The white flash illuminated the area around us. I didn’t care if we’d been spotted or not.
“Al, destroy them all,” I said through clenched teeth and stepped out of the clearing. My better half, however, was already halfway between the opposing army and the two of us. His speed and ferocity were nothing short of savage. Without regard for his own safety, he slammed head first into a group of unsuspecting soldiers, biting and clawing at their exposed necks and limbs.
Screams of pain and terror filled the clearing as Alpha wreaked havoc and carnage. Within the first few seconds, he’d mauled over a dozen soldiers.
“Form a wall around the creature and kill it with arrows and magic!” I heard one of the officers say. And then I spotted him, as he ordered his troops around and got on a magnificent horse, bred for war. Within seconds of the command, soldiers grabbed their weapons and shields. They encircled Alpha who had more than enough power to smash through the shields, but due to the wall, he’d been encased. Less room for him to maneuver would mean an easier target for the enemy.
“Shit,” I cursed. “They’re far too disciplined to flee. I’m going in, Lilith. Please, provide support from above.”
“Sure thing, master,” she replied with a wink and blew me a kiss.
“What a woman,” I said under my breath and circled toward the opposite flank. Alpha had gone in an almost straight line when he had charged the enemy. “Can you move a bit to the northeast?” I asked over our link.
“What do you think? It’ll be miracle if I manage to get out of this at all.”
“Whatever,” I muttered in reply and came up on their south west. My blades whirled in a primal dance, cutting and slicing whatever came into reach. Blood drenched my hands, blades and clothing. I made my way toward the officer, jumping over halberds, swords and war-hammers.
“Stop him! Encircle the attacker and use the halberds!” the officer called out and pointed his finger at me. I grinned, happy to take some pressure off Alpha. A massive ball of energy slammed right in between my wolf and me, sending scores of soldiers flying in all directions. Lilith landed with an otherworldly grace in between us and used her blood whip to drag a soldier toward her. Within seconds, she pushed him to the ground, drained of all his blood.
“Leave no prisoners!” I called out and threw my right blade toward the officer. It slammed home and cut straight through his right arm, the force behind the throw knocking him to the ground. Dozens of soldiers rushed to his aid, and put up a shield wall in between us. But I didn’t have the time to concern myself with the officer’s fate, as more soldiers attacked me. I darted in close to the nearest group, and stabbed both blades into their chests, killing them outright as I ripped the blades out again, cutting them in half.
I felt a sharp pain in my back and was forced down as a war hammer struck home, crushing my left shoulder with the blow. I caught myself with one hand as I sank to my knees, rolled to the side and cut through three pairs of legs. The soldiers howled even more than I did as they toppled over each other.
“Don’t you dare die on me!” Lilith’s voice rang out in my head, giving me new power.
“Don’t worry. I want to claim you tonight,” I shot back and lunged in, between the shields, and rolled toward Lilith.
“I’ll hold you to that, master,” she said playfully and shot another ball of energy toward me. The wall of meat and metal between us scattered in all directions as the magic ball exploded.
“I can’t take much more,” Alpha said, followed by a soul shattering howl. Soldiers fell to their knees, clutching at their ears from the pain Alpha had caused them.
“Retreat and come back when you’ve had a breather,” I replied, barely able to stand. The pain in my shoulder was all too real, and it hurt like a bitch.
“Here, drink,” Lilith said as she ran up to me, holding her slit wrist up to my mouth. I gulped the blood down without a second thought. Within three heartbeats, the pain alleviated as my shoulder moved on its own accord, trying to set itself back into the socket.
“Fuck!” I cried and dropped my blades as a gust of wind sent me flying, followed by a fireball that slammed straight into my chest, singing my skin.
“Mages! Alpha, take care of them!” Lilith called as she rushed to catch my almost lifeless body. I barely had the strength to keep breathing through my burned lungs. Lilith lowered me to the ground and leaned in. “Shut your ears, master. And tell Alpha to do the same.”
I was barely coherent and had no idea what she meant, but I decided to fo
llow her lead regardless.
“Al, shut your ears. She’s going to do something.”
Alpha didn’t reply, but I knew he’d heard me when I saw him press his body against the ground, paws held over his ears just as Lilith flew straight at the biggest concentration of soldiers and two mages. She launched an energy ball that knocked most of them down, before she landed amidst their mass.
“All Kravnians, I command you to die!” she screamed. Her voice surged in power and pitch, reaching ear shattering mere moments later. The soldiers fell to their knees, dropped their weapons and shields. The mages however, weren’t even fazed. Lilith winked at me before she stepped toward the group of thirteen and used her whip to gather up three soldiers and drain their blood. Then she started making her way over to the mages.
“Al, help her!” I ordered and forced myself to stand. I breathed heavily, trying to calm myself enough to focus on conjuring my spirit blades. I needed to help the two. We’d barely killed a fifth of the cohort.
The majestic wolf darted into the thick of the soldiers, knocking shield walls over and ravaging the enemy with a renewed fervor, stopping next to Lilith, putting himself in between her and the magicians. I chuckled. Good boy Al. He forgot his pride easily enough.
“Die!” Lilith yelled as she held both hands up, palms toward the mages. Two ballista bolt-sized javelins came out of her palms and hovered in mid-air. Her head shot up as if she’d been hit with an uppercut, but it was all part of the act, I thought, as she pulled her hands back and launched the bolts toward the enemy.
Shimmering shields appeared around each of the mages as the bolts streaked toward them, but they weren’t strong enough. The left bolt struck the fire mage that had scorched me with his fireball and passed right through him, impaling two more mages, before the bolt landed in front of the forth. The right one did even better, killing or maiming five. Lilith pulled back her hands, ripping the bolts free, and with them, a pool of blood returned to the demon queen and revitalized her.
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