by Eric Vall
The blaze was nearing the ceiling now while Aurora continued to burn at the center of it all, and when my women burst into applause, the whole room was doused in a flash.
Then Aurora gasped as she braced her hands on her knees from the effort, but she was completely unscathed, and not only had her clothes remained intact, but the training hall looked like nothing had even happened.
“Damn!” I whooped. “Are you serious? You figured that out in only three days?”
Aurora chuckled as she straightened up, and even though her grin was an exhausted one, she glowed with pride.
“Hell yeah,” the half-elf panted.
I laughed heartily as I came over to wrap her in my arms, and she smelled like smoke and pine as she giggled against my chest.
“I can’t believe this,” I chuckled.
“What can I say?” Aurora sighed. “You inspired me.”
“Bullshit,” I snorted as I released the half-elf. “That was all you.”
“You gave me the idea, though,” Aurora informed me. “I was working on sending my magic outside myself, and I saw you forming parts for the AR-15 without moving. So, I practiced forming little rings of fire at first in the same way, but when they kept leaving soot behind, I tried limiting the way my magic interacts with its surroundings.”
I shook my head as another laugh escaped me. “Yeah, I get no credit for this. You’re just completely amazing.”
“True,” Aurora allowed, “but it’s Shoshanne’s turn, now.”
I nodded as we rejoined the other women near the wall, but I couldn’t help noticing Dragir looked like a terrified statue in the entrance.
“Not bad, eh?” I called.
Aurora snorted when the elf barely managed a tiny nod, but I figured he’d recover eventually, so I turned my attention to Shoshanne.
The healer was heading to the center of the room, and she had a nervous smile on her face while her eyes shone with a hint of excitement.
“My thing isn’t as impressive as that,” Shoshanne admitted, “and I haven’t tried this yet, but I read about it, and I think I can do it.”
“Alright,” I chuckled. “Let’s see.”
Shoshanne took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, and I could feel the air energize with the static of her magic a moment later. Then the Aer Mage opened her eyes and raised her palm in front of her like she was holding something, and when she began turning her other hand above it, my gaze locked on her palm as I recognized the gesture.
It was the same movement Aloshi had made before she hurled a cyclone at me, and my pulse quickened as I watched a small spiral form in Shoshanne’s hand. It wasn’t as large as Aloshi’s had been, but it was the same maneuver, and I could tell the caramel beauty was close to accomplishing the same feat.
“Holy shit,” I gasped. “You figured it out.”
“Not really.” Shoshanne grimaced. “This is all I know so far, and it’s only a start.”
“Try to build it up,” I said with a grin.
Shoshanne nodded, and she cupped her hands around the spiral while she furrowed her brow.
At first, nothing happened, but the longer she concentrated, the faster the spiral spun around, and as Shoshanne slowly moved her palms apart, it began to expand. The wind whistled louder while the spiral continued to grow, but instead of remaining as a cyclone, it suddenly erupted into a whirlwind the size of a beach ball.
“Mason … ” Shoshanne whimpered while she struggled to contain the growing orb, and as the wind whipped itself into a frenzy between her palms, I sensed how much power was building up in the center.
“Uh-oh … ” I muttered, and I raised my voice above the high-pitched whir of the wind. “Ease up!”
“I can’t!” the Aer Mage shouted. “It’s … too erratic!”
My heart pounded heavy as my women backed up to get behind me, and I realized whatever Shoshanne just created would cause a lot of damage if she lost control and let it explode in here.
So, I cupped my hands around my mouth to holler above the noise, and Shoshanne staggered as she winced from the effort of containing her magic.
“Throw it toward the back wall!”
The Aer Mage’s eyes went wide. “No way!”
“You’ve gotta do something with it if you can’t rein it in!” I shouted, and Shoshanne nodded as her arms began to shake.
“Now!” I ordered.
Then the Aer Mage shifted her stance and chucked the whirlwind toward the opposite wall as hard as she could, and everyone shrieked as all eighteen-hundred square feet of stone blasted apart.
“Shit!” I yelped as I dove forward, and I summoned my powers before the ceiling could collapse.
Shoshanne’s hands flew to her cheeks as we all watched the whirlwind barrel into the woods, and massive oaks were torn up along with their roots in its wake. Boulders flew up into the air as the ground broke open from the force of the wind, and everything that came into contact with the whirling orb was thrown straight out to the side for hundreds of feet. It was like watching an enormous, translucent wrecking ball bulldoze the foothills, and Shoshanne’s creation was still going strong when it travelled too far for us to track it.
All of us remained in a stunned silence as we stared at the woods through the gaping hole in our house, and when Shoshanne slowly turned around, she was trying to form words but couldn’t do much more than shake and forget to blink.
“That … was more impressive than my thing,” Aurora muttered after a moment.
Then I started chuckling as my women did the same, and eventually, all of us were laughing while the pale Aer Mage just stood there.
I got the wall repaired and was coming over to her before she managed to blink again, and when I rubbed her arms to bring her back around, she was ice cold.
“I-I didn’t mean to do that,” Shoshanne stammered.
“Yeah, I know,” I chuckled, “but you did, and it was fucking awesome.”
“Do it again!” Deya urged as my women ran over, but the healer fervently shook her head.
“I am never doing that again,” she whimpered. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
“Yeah, we saw,” Aurora snorted. “Which is why you’re doing it again.”
“Maybe not in the house, though,” Cayla suggested.
“I’m not doing it anywhere,” Shoshanne informed us. “I only wanted to learn to make a cyclone, not tear a path of destruction across the world. We have no idea when or if that thing will burn off steam, or how much damage it’ll cause before it does. And it’s all my fault!”
My women rolled their eyes in disappointment as the healer remained stubborn, but I casually nudged her in the side.
“You know, with a skill like that, you could take down a mage like Aloshi within minutes,” I pointed out.
Shoshanne’s brown eyes snapped to mine, and my blood heated on the spot as I recognized the same cold-hearted stare I’d seen when she watched Deya butcher my assassin.
Suddenly, she didn’t look like my modest and worrisome healer anymore. She looked like a woman who would do absolutely anything for me, and I grinned as I realized I was looking at Shoshanne’s mommy demon right now.
A mommy demon who could create a force like that on her first try.
Then the healer’s lips curled up into a ruthless smirk. “I suppose I could practice it a few more times … if it means I get to kill that bitch who tried to abduct you.”
My women erupted with cheers in their excitement, and while I dragged Shoshanne into my arms to kiss her, Aurora and Cayla began eagerly listing off the ways our Aer Mage could use this new talent. They covered everything from breaking open the walls of the Master’s fortress to demolishing his minions by the hundreds before I finally resurfaced, and then I just nodded in agreement to all their ideas while I admired the caramel beauty blushing in my hold.
“You would encourage this kind of unbridled behavior?” Dragir scoffed from the entryway, and his voice was r
ough with fear.
“Yeah … I’d encourage this and a hell of a lot more,” I informed him.
My women giggled in approval, and while I considered the four deadly beauties surrounding me, the hint of bloodlust in their eyes convinced me Nulena had been right.
All I had to do was step back and let this side of them run wild, and they’d bring the Master and every one of his minions to their knees for me no time.
Chapter 23
“You’re so tense,” I chuckled as I eyed Dragir in the passenger seat, and the silver-haired elf snorted.
“Of course I am tense,” Dragir muttered. “My sister is in love with a man who would encourage his women to wield powers that could destroy thousands.”
I shrugged. “I don’t see why that’s a problem.”
“It is a problem because magic as potent as what your healer and Ignis Mage possess could endanger more than just the Master,” Dragir shot back. “Magic relies on restraint, otherwise you will suffer the same fate as the elves. My kind did not respect that rune magic could be too powerful, and nothing has been the same since.”
“It won’t come to that,” I assured him. “A mage who wields their element without restraint is more likely to destroy themselves faster than anyone else. What you saw Aurora do back there isn’t possible without strict control, and once Shoshanne practices her craft, she’ll be in the same place. It’s not their powers that are unrestrained right now, it’s their inclination to destroy their enemies, and this side of them is … circumstantial. Personally, I think it’s awesome.”
“You will find it less awesome if it harms Deya one of these days,” the silver-haired elf pointed out. “Your magical women could lose control and endanger her life.”
“Actually, your sister’s the most out of control one among them,” I informed the man.
“I doubt that,” Dragir snorted. “My sister is a sweet and quiet girl who respects that safety is more important than anything else. Before she met you, her greatest exertion was running in the jungle with Ruela, and she was perfectly content to live a passive life.”
“Are you sure you know how your sister felt about her life in Nalnora?” I checked. “Because from what I’ve seen, her favorite things involve going on adventures, stealing sparkly jewelry, being useful to the people she loves, and killing shit. I think you’d be surprised how effective she is in those categories. Out of all my women, Deya’s caused the most damage to the largest creatures.”
Dragir chose not to respond as we neared the gates of Serin, and I could tell he didn’t believe a word I said. He preferred to think of Deya as his sheltered little sister with the sweet smiles and endless reserves of patience, and while it was kind of endearing to see him desperately holding on to this idea, I knew better.
Not only had my beautiful elf undergone extensive training so she could wield any weapon with sharp precision, but she’d fought beside me enough times to prove she could hold her own. The side of her that liked mauling griffins was honestly out of my hands, but when it came to her newfound mommy demon, I wasn’t encouraging her lack of restraint.
I cautioned her against losing control all together, but considering my rune had turned me into an out of control killing machine for a while there, I could understand it would take some time for Deya to get there.
For now, though, knowing my women felt as fiercely devoted to me as I did to them made me appreciate their violent sides all the more.
At first, it had been my fear something would happen to my family that brought all of this about, but now that I saw how much we were willing to do for each other, I not only felt better, I felt like life was about to get a whole lot more fun.
And bloody. Really, really bloody.
Explaining any of this to Dragir would probably only complicate things, though, so I let him glare out the window while we drove through the quarters of Serin.
The number of citizens who removed their hats and bowed as we drove by seemed to cheer the elf up a bit, and when the king’s guard parted the castle gates with crisp salutes, his smug demeanor suddenly returned.
“You should take this castle from this king,” Dragir said while I parked Bobbie in the courtyard. “Your army could accomplish as much, and it is large enough to contain your women.”
“Contain,” I snorted. “You make them sound like wild animals.”
“They will be soon enough,” Dragir sighed while we climbed out of the Mustang, and I chuckled at his sage-like nod.
Then I saw Temin emerge from the castle entrance, and he must have heard Bobbie making her way here because he didn’t seem surprised to see me. He looked more like he was trying to escape, so I led Dragir over to meet Temin at the base of the castle steps, and when I noticed the scowl line etched between the king’s eyebrows, I wondered if he had bad news for me.
“Everything alright?” I asked.
“Yes,” Temin chuckled as his expression cleared. “Forgive me, I’ve been dealing with a rather large dilemma amongst the court for the past five hours. The nobility are in an uproar, as if I don’t have bigger things to deal with.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“No, in fact it would be best if you leave this one to me,” Temin replied. “Thirteen noblemen stormed the court at seven o’clock this morning in an attempt to frame you for a murder.”
I didn’t have to feign being surprised.
Ralish had only been dead less than half a day, and it seemed a little early to be framing anyone considering I knew how shady these nobles’ dilemma was.
“Wow … ” I muttered. “That’s a little rude. Who was murdered?”
“Baron Ralish,” Temin snorted, “and I can’t say I’m too surprised he’s dead. He was an irritating man with little interest in the greater good, as I’m sure you noticed at the meeting. Still, it’s difficult to believe the gall of these nobles sometimes. Accusing a head of the Order of murder with a war already underway … preposterous.”
I smirked. “Yeah, this hardly seems like an ideal time to pull a stunt like that. I think I’ve got enough on my plate.”
“So I’ve heard,” Temin chuckled, and I furrowed my brow at the amused glint in his eye. “I wish you could have experienced the utter shock of my court when two of my most reputable lords announced to the hall that you could not have killed Baron Ralish last night on account of being fully occupied with whipping your women in the far north.”
I felt the color leave my face as Dragir looked over at me sharply, but I had a feeling I knew who these two reputable lords were, and that Nulena was the reason they’d happened to meet me in Garioch.
“Was one of the lords named Vernich?” I asked
“Yes, he and his brother-in-law were scheduled to address the court this morning regarding the trade route through Cedis, but they arrived a little behind schedule,” Temin explained. “Apparently, they were alerted to the presence of some elusive beast and took an impromptu trip up to Garioch. When they heard the uproar taking place in the great hall this morning, they laughed for several minutes before speaking up on your behalf. I must say, it greatly improved my mood. You’re the only baron I’ve ever had who could use hot iron as an alibi without any dispute amongst the court.”
Dragir crossed his arm as he turned to face me head on, and his glare was enough to make flowers wilt.
Temin arched a brow at the formidable elf while I nervously shifted my weight, and I struggled to keep my tone casual as I realized I definitely should have made introductions sooner.
“So … this is Dragir,” I informed the king. “He’s one of my allies from Nalnora. He’s also Deya’s older brother.”
Temin’s crude smirk dropped, and he considered the ominous cast of Dragir’s serpentine eyes before he took note of the serrated Halcyan blade on his hip.
“An honor to meet you, sir,” Temin said as his voice cracked. “Please excuse my crass behavior. I assure you, your alliance with our kingdom is both a privilege and an hono
r that I do not take ligh--”
“I am not bowing to you,” Dragir cut-in, and his lethal tone made Temin pale a few degrees. “Not ever.”
“Th-that’s perfectly acceptable,” the king stammered. “I would never expect an elf to stand on such ceremony in my kingdom, and might I add Defender Flynt is our most respected and--”
“Yeah, he’s not gonna stop looking grouchy, so you don’t have to bother,” I muttered, and Temin clamped his mouth shut. “We were just on our way to check on Wyresus’ progress with the Elven Scrolls.”
“Fantastic!” Temin exclaimed as sweat beaded on his brow. “How absolutely wonderful.”
I grinned at the king’s panicked enthusiasm. “Aurora and I got the Defenders stationed at their posts, and we’ve already received word of several attacks in the far south, but our defenses are holding strong with very few casualties.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” the king replied as he turned back to me and regained some of his composure. “The new laws Defender Solana delivered before your departure have already been passed, so everything is in order for you to carry out any advancements you deem necessary.”
“Then all we’ve got to do is keep our eyes out,” I said with a nod. “At the first opening, I’ll get our troops prepared for an offensive attack. With any luck, we’ll bury the Master in the ground by the end of the month, and you can focus on all those heirs you’re lacking.”
Temin chuckled in agreement. “Yes, you as well.”
Then the king blanched again as he caught Dragir’s eye, and I forcefully nudged the elven warrior across the courtyard while he kept Temin in his sights as long as possible.
We were halfway through the tunnel that led to the Oculus before I risked another look in Dragir’s direction.
“I know that sounded bad, but I can explain,” I tried.
“The fact that you would discuss my sister as you do with your king is only half as disturbing as--”
“Hold on,” I hissed, and I lowered my voice so it wouldn’t echo around the blackened tunnel. “First of all, I don’t discuss your sister like that, the heir thing was on account of Haragh expecting a baby, but more importantly, I was not whipping or scalding my women last night.”