Metal Mage 12

by Eric Vall

  Taru sent me a small smile that I couldn’t help returning.

  “S’pose that’s one way to see it,” Haragh muttered.

  I nodded as I kept on smiling at Taru, but then I realized what I was doing, and I abruptly turned around and sparked my magic.

  “Alright, so let’s get you guys set up in here,” I said a little too loudly.

  “We don’t need anything fancy,” Haragh told me, “just enough to get by on. Although, Taru likes a softer bed than I do, so do you think you can work it out so the right side of the bed is a little firmer than the left?”

  “Easily,” I assured him.

  Then I set to work making a bed fit for a king with four steel posts reaching to the ceiling, and I formed small bows of pine along them so they resembled the trees in the forest of Jagruel. I had Taru test her side of the bed four times until I was positive she wasn’t just being polite when she said it was good, and then I made a large pedestal above the headboard so she could keep her giant ruby close by.

  While the ogre woman unpacked her things, I continued altering the shelving on the wall to accommodate all her trinkets, and I formed a mount for her massive club, too. Once I finished the double sinks in the bathroom, I added some more pine boughs in the doorway to fancy it up a bit, and I was just putting the finishing touches on the living space when Urn poked his head in and let out a low whistle.

  “Not bad,” the Terra Mage muttered, and I glanced over to see Haragh watching me with a deeply furrowed brow.

  I swiftly straightened up and shrugged. “It’s alright.”

  “What’s that you just made?” Urn asked.

  “Um … it’s a vase,” I mumbled, and I stepped to the left to casually block the two men’s view. “We’ve got a ton of flowers in our car, and I know my women have been wanting to give Taru something, so now she has a spot to keep some flowers.”

  Haragh nodded slowly as he kept his brow furrowed, and I gruffly cleared my throat when Urn did the same.

  “So, it’s done!” I decided. “Did you need something, Urn?”

  “Just thought I’d let you know we’ll be in Tellish in about thirty minutes,” Urn replied as he glanced at Haragh.

  I nodded. “Awesome.”

  I headed straight for the door without another look at either of the ogres in the room, but I could feel Haragh’s gaze following me all the way out. Urn kept watching me, too, as we inched our way around the horses, but then he nudged my arm, and I looked over my shoulder.

  “What the hell was that about?” Urn asked in a low voice.

  “What?”

  “A vase?” he snorted. “The frilly metalwork … the skylights?”

  “Haragh’s my best friend,” I said with a shrug. “Just wanted to make sure he’s got the best.”

  “Alright, then,” Urn muttered. “If that’s the way you feel about it, I know we’ve become pretty good friends, and I can’t stand the smell of that Rosh Kurna’s got up front. I certainly wouldn’t mind my own--”

  “You’re not getting your own car,” I sighed as we finally reached my own sleeping quarters.

  “Why not?” Urn grunted.

  “Because you don’t need one,” I chuckled. “Taru’s in a delicate way, and not only is she bigger than anyone on this train, she’s an absolute peach, and she deserves--”

  I cut myself off as Urn’s brow furrowed just as much as Haragh’s had.

  “They deserve,” I corrected. “They deserve some privacy.”

  Then I promptly entered my car, and I sidestepped around the bushels of flowers and parcels littering the floor.

  “We’ll be in Tellish in twenty minutes,” I announced.

  “Tellish?” Cayla gasped, and she dropped the bundle of lace she’d been admiring with Shoshanne.

  “You’ve heard of it?” I asked.

  “Mason, weren’t you paying attention at the castle?” the princess scolded. “Lady Emonie presides over Tellish! We’re not even close to being prepared to meet with her. Look at your hair!”

  “What’s wrong with it?” I snorted and scruffed it around a bit.

  Cayla let out a tense huff while she began rifling through her clothes, and Urn smirked when I sent him a shrug.

  “I’ll let you get back to your own women,” the burly mage muttered.

  I ignored the tone he used when he said this as I pulled my sketches over, and by the time he’d left, Cayla was already listing the things she needed to do while her fingers deftly twisted Deya’s hair into an elaborate updo.

  “Cayla, this isn’t a ball, we’re here on business for the Order,” I reminded the woman. “I don’t think Lady Emonie is going to care if--”

  “Take off your clothes,” Cayla ordered, but when I grinned, she narrowed her eyes. “To change, Mason.”

  “I’m not changing,” I informed her. “I’m a Defender, and this is what Defenders wear. Lady Emonie can deal with it.”

  I dropped down onto the bench at the table, and Cayla flushed in panic as her blue eyes widened at my insolence.

  Shoshanne patted the princess’ back for reassurance, though.

  “Mason looks so handsome in his armor,” the healer pointed out. “I bet it’s been a long time since Lady Emonie had such a good-looking armored man around to entertain.”

  Cayla froze with her fingers latched in Deya’s pink hair. “You’re absolutely right. Mason, mess up your hair and put some dirt on your face. Make it look like you were just in a battle. Aurora, add a few smudges of soot. Can you make him smell smoky? Smoky’s sexy.”

  “No, she cannot,” I chuckled. “Focus on yourself.”

  Our sleeping quarters were a blur of bare asses and nipples while Cayla frantically bossed the women around, and she had them running from one compartment to another to try on at least a dozen different dresses.

  Stan just shook his head as he sat on my shoulder and watched them, but Aurora escaped Cayla’s frantic fingers long enough to mosey on over. Then she posted herself beside me and crossed her arms over her bare breasts.

  “Why did Urn say ‘your own women’ in such a weird way?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said with an innocent shrug. “I think he’s jealous Haragh and Taru have their own car.”

  Aurora cocked a brow at me, and when I remember I was talking to a woman who always saw straight through me, I set my sketches down and sighed.

  “I made her a vase. So what? Can’t a guy make a vase for his best friend’s girlfriend?”

  “You made Taru a vase?” Aurora grinned. “That was thoughtful of you. I take it you’d like us to send her some of our flowers to fill this vase?”

  I shrugged again. “I don’t care. If you want to.”

  “Oh, Mason,” the half-elf sighed. “You are treading some thin ice.”

  “I’m not,” I groaned as I knotted my fingers in the roots of my hair, and I braced my elbows on the table so I could avoid her gaze in the process. “It’s just a vase.”

  Something about the way Aurora patted my head and walked off was even worse than if she’d stood there forcing me to talk about it, but Shoshanne smiled when she caught my eye.

  “I think it’s considerate of you,” the healer told me.

  “It’s not considerate, it’s completely neutral,” I whimpered. “Let’s never talk about it again.”

  Then I diligently turned my attention to sketching out the finer details on the trigger assembly as well as the muzzle device.

  Now that I was back in my own sleeping quarters, though, I realized it was a little over the top to alter Taru’s side of the bed so many times, and the look Haragh had sent me refused to leave my mind.

  I knew I had absolutely no interest in his woman, but this made it all the more confusing to me why I couldn’t stop myself from going all out for Taru. She really didn’t need a vase, let alone one with fancy filigree all over the sides, and yet, I’d made her one.

  She was just so sweet, and I kind of thought of her as my kid
sister. If my kid sister could break me in half with her bicep.

  I let out a sigh as I furrowed my brow, and I decided I wouldn’t lift a finger for the ogre woman from here on out.

  Problem solved.

  By the time the train began to slow outside of Tellish, my women looked like queens in draping gowns that dusted the floor at their feet, and Cayla had managed to get their hair done up in record time.

  Aurora had lit flames around the car for them to get ready by, and the sight of them in the firelight redirected my thoughts better than anything else could have.

  All of them wore matching, deep green silk that was a shade I’d never seen before on Earth, and the cut of their gowns varied from revealing to modestly sensual. The deep V that exposed Cayla’s porcelain skin from cleavage to naval was probably my favorite, but the equally deep drop of Aurora’s gown in the back was a close second. Deya kept trying to cinch her gown so her tiny belly bump would be more noticeable, and the oriental cut of Shoshanne’s made her neck appear even more slender as the green fabric clung to it.

  Standing side by side with wine-colored lips, my women looked like a band of enchantresses some witch might have sent to seduce me, and if that were the case, it was already working.

  Then they held out their palms, and when I realized they had the diamonds I’d made for them in hand, I sent my magic over to lock the collars and cuffs around their throats and wrists.

  I couldn’t keep my eyes off the strange sheen of the deep green fabric as they stooped to strap on their black heels, and the way their diamonds glinted with the subtlest movement was mesmerizing to the point that my mind went blank.

  “Ready?” the princess panted as she turned to me, and I refocused to find her flushed in the cheeks.

  “You all look so beautiful,” I told the women as I admired every inch of the strange fabric clinging to their figures.

  “Do I?” Cayla asked.

  Then she nervously plumped her tits up until they were on the verge of tumbling out of that deep V.

  “You know you are,” Aurora chuckled, “and I think we can all tell Mason’s drooling over there.”

  Deya giggled and sent me a coy wave as I realized my jaw had gone slack, and I blindly shuffled my work around as my eyes drifted to her belly. I knocked half the parchment to the floor, though, and once I scrambled to catch it all and got to my feet, my women were giggling along with the beautiful elf.

  “We look perfect,” Cayla decided. “Mason, you should really mess your hair up a bit, though. Are you sure you don’t want to smell smoky? Smoky is sexy!”

  I only sighed as the train came to a stop, but when I looped Aurora’s arm in mine, Cayla hopped up to mess up my hair before I could stop her.

  “You’re ridiculous,” I chuckled. “I look fine.”

  “Yes, you do,” Deya murmured in appreciation.

  “Just a little more,” the princess hissed. “You’re not disheveled enough!”

  “Cayla, don’t--”

  I dodged her next attempts while Shoshanne chuckled until she was pink, but after I crashed into the walls a couple times, I finally managed to catch Cayla’s arms and lock them at her side.

  Then I pinned her against the steel door so I could give her a sound kiss to rein her in, and when the voices of the Defenders began to file past outside, I left the woman with a warning bite.

  “Ohhhhh…” Cayla’s limbs were limp as she blinked up at me, and I grinned at the submissive glint I saw in her blue eyes.

  “Have I made myself clear?” I murmured. “I’m the boss around here.”

  Cayla’s wine-red lips curled up at the corners. “Yes, my lord. I’ll do anything you demand.”

  I should have known she’d pull a stunt like that, but I still found myself furiously fighting an erection the second the words left her mouth, and she chuckled as she grabbed the door to open it.

  The cool night air broke over me as the princess dragged me out onto the platform, and I was grateful for the darkness while I warred against my arousal.

  Kurna still laughed at the sight of me while he came along, though, and his teeth glinted in the moonlight as he nudged my arm.

  “You alright, baron?” the brawny mage asked. “Look a little distracted, but I can understand why. Ladies, you put the moon to shame this evening.”

  “Thank you,” Cayla purred, and she shrugged so nonchalantly, no one would have guessed she’d spent the last twenty minutes losing her mind.

  Then Kurna turned a shit eating grin my way. “The red lipstick looks good on you, too. It really brings out your eyes.”

  Shoshanne giggled while I swiped my lips on my sleeve, and as we all turned to follow the Defenders along the platform, I left a firm slap on Cayla’s ass.

  “Lady Emonie would have loved it,” Aurora chuckled.

  My mind felt torn in ten different directions after the long day, but the steady clicking of my women’s heels along with the night air cooling my brow steadied my nerves. The moon shone full above us as we made our way toward the station, and aside from the conversations taking place amongst the Defenders in the dining cars, the world was much quieter than it had seemed in hours.

  Defender Urn was already speaking with Lady Emonie when the station came into view, and the dower woman had five stately guards stationed at her back like metal statues. Four of the elderly noblewomen I’d seen her with at Temin’s castle flanked her on either side, and they all wore decadent dresses that could have been made for queens.

  Meanwhile, there was no fanfare taking place in the silent streets of Tellish, and I got the impression Lady Emonie wouldn’t have stood for such a gaudy display.

  Instead, she and her small band stood in the torchlight while they gave off an air of archaic wealth, and even my Defenders were standing straight as rails while they remained in a perfect line behind Urn.

  Kurna stood a little taller as we got closer, and I quickly straightened my hair, but then Cayla’s hand shot out to mess it all up again.

  Before I could retaliate, Lady Emonie turned our way.

  Her eyes glistened when she saw us coming into the torchlight, and the first thing she did was eye my women from the ground up. I could tell by her faint smile that she was impressed, but the guards behind her seemed to have forgotten what they were there to do as their helms instinctively turned to get a look at my women as well.

  “Lady Emonie,” Cayla said as she dipped into an elegant curtsy. “What a pleasure to see you again.”

  “The pleasure is mine, I assure you,” Lady Emonie replied, and she offered a gracious bow of her head. “I must say, I was fond of this particular shade when I first began producing it, but you have all done it justice beyond my wildest dreams. Anyone else will fall drastically below my expectations from now on.”

  “You’re too kind,” Cayla murmured. “I don’t believe you’ve had the opportunity to meet all of Defender Flynt’s ladies. This is Defender Aurora Solana, who I’m sure you have heard was recently made a head of the Order of the Elementa. Miss Deya Naera travels from House Quyn. She’s the only granddaughter of the great Qadir who forged the first Halcyan blade. Mage Shoshanne is head healer of the Order, and she has personally restored nearly two hundred of our lost mages from the Master’s control.”

  My women blushed from Cayla’s elaborate introduction, but I could tell Lady Emonie was well pleased with everything she heard. I couldn’t help smiling as I glanced sidelong at them, either, and while the princess chatted airily with the noblewoman, I kept Shoshanne upright as I felt her knees beginning to tremble from the way the noblewomen were looking her over.

  Then Lady Emonie turned to me, and her fan immediately unfurled to flutter at her breast.

  “Defender Flynt,” the dower woman murmured. “How wonderful of you to grace us with your presence.”

  “You look very well this evening, Lady Emonie,” I told her, and when my words brought a tinge of pink to her withered cheeks, I cracked the same charming grin
she’d been so fond of at Temin’s castle.

  Her fan fluttered faster as I bowed, and when I looked up, all four of the noblewoman’s companions were whipping out their own fans now.

  “I do hope you’ll all join us at the palace this evening?” Lady Emonie requested. “I’ve had a banquet prepared in honor of you and your soldiers, and I would be more than happy to set you all up with accommodations for the evening as well.”

  “We couldn’t infringe on you like that,” I assured the noblewoman, “but we’d be honored to join you for your banquet.”

  Lady Emonie bowed her head in understanding, and then she motioned to one of her guards.

  “Inform the manor we will dine at once,” the noblewoman ordered, then she nodded politely to the Defenders as a means of inviting them along.

  When she offered her arm to Cayla, though, I could hear my women’s hearts racing, and as we all followed the procession into the streets, the princess discreetly turned a gaping expression over her shoulder.

  Before I could chuckle, Cayla was composed and stoically looking ahead once more, and we continued toward the palace with the nobles ahead of us, and the Defenders followed after.

  Tellish looked like an old English village with stone buildings and thin, cobblestone streets, and the candlelight flickering in windows above the shops made it feel more welcoming than any place we’d visited today. There were no nosy citizens spying behind curtains, either, and I had to admire the way Lady Emonie walked so comfortably through her town.

  It was clear she did justice to her position, and the fact there wasn’t a single pile of horse shit to step around was astonishing to me. The dark oaken doorways and iron posts were well kept despite their obvious age, and the palace up ahead was as stately as any I’d seen in this realm.

  The grounds were pristinely kept while the pathways didn’t have a rock out of place, and when I saw the moat and bridge coming up, I couldn’t help tightening my hold on Deya’s arm.