by Eric Vall
“I see your strategy here,” Mona huffed as she crossed her arms, and then her eyes narrowed at the princess.
“Oh?” My fiancée’s eyebrow raised.
“You are pouring Lord Evan’s blood into my line,” the centaur continued. “It will make my city and my people connected to him forever.”
“Of course,” Alyona said with a casual shrug. “As it should be. He will one day be king, and the purpose of our trip to the cities is to ensure we are all united. My fiancé is a wonderful lover, he will please you in bed, and he will provide you with the daughter you so desperately need.”
“You are reducing me to a concubine status,” Mona pointed out as she pursed her lips.
“Of course not,” Alyona scoffed. “You didn’t even ask about marriage. Lord Evan can have multiple wives, if that is what you wish. Is that what you wish?”
Mona hesitated for a moment, and then her eyes fell down to the floor between us.
“The centaur queens do not take husbands,” she finally stated. “We are allowed to take multiple men and have children from the strongest of our people, so that we make the strongest of offspring.”
“But you are part of our kingdom, and Evan is the strongest male in existence,” Alyona stated. “If those are the rules your queens are expected to follow, then it no longer makes sense to have other men as lovers. Lord Evan should be the only one.”
“Your logic is correct,” Mona sighed as she began to nod her head. “I do want powerful children.”
“And you will get that with my fiancé,” Alyona said as a proud smile spread across her beautiful face. “He will give you the daughter you need, and many more. This is the best decision for your people. Do you agree?”
“Yes,” Mona said as she nodded her head. “I will agree to your terms. Lord Evan will be my only lover, and I will bear him many more children.”
“So, we have a deal?” I asked with a grin.
“You have a deal,” Mona said more firmly, and she looked at Alyona as she clasped her hands. “Thank you, milady. I am grateful.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” Alyona replied with a smile.
“Well, then, let’s go.” I started to rise from my chair, but before I could fully stand, the queen raised a hand to stop me.
“We have made a deal, and we will mate, but not tonight,” she said. “We have a celebration with the city tonight, and I want to be able to appreciate the experience. Contrary to what some believe about centaur queens, I do not simply mate with anyone at any time.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded, though my arousal was not as easy to calm down. “When would you like us to do it?”
“Tomorrow,” she answered firmly. “That gives me some time to ensure I’m pregnant before your party will want to leave.”
“Tomorrow it is.” I grinned at her again. “In your chambers, I hope?”
I had to live out this daydreaming fantasy I’d had several times now.
“Of course.” She looked at me quizzically. “Where else?”
“No idea,” I chuckled. “So, what do you need for this celebration?”
“Oh, nothing from you.” Mona seemed relieved at the change of subject, but I mostly had to talk about something else before I stood up again.
“I can help,” I offered. “Are you sure I can’t do anything?”
“I can’t let the hero do any of this work!” she teased, and her jade eyes glinted alluringly.
Then River strode into the sitting area, and our casual conversation ended.
“Your Highness, the food is ready,” he announced.
“Wonderful!” Mona clapped.
“I’ll let the others know,” the centaur commander volunteered, and then he rushed into the hallway to bring the rest of my group to the party.
I stood up and offered a hand to the queen and another to my princess, and they both smiled and took my hands as I pulled them to their feet. Then we walked into the dining hall, and the queen sat at the head of the table. I sat to her right as several centaurs in human form walked into the room and carried plates piled high with food, and Alyona sat next to me.
The dishes were filled with stacks of meat, fruit, and bread. One plate held some kind of meat patties that smelled like sausage with a yellow sauce poured over them, and another dish contained the sliced meat we’d eaten for breakfast a few days ago. There were no veggies this time, but my mouth watered as a servant set down a tray of various fruits that had been diced and skewered. The fruity juices smelled almost as good as the meat.
I’d already decided to wait for the others before I started eating, but a servant set a basket of bread down in front of me, so I snatched one up and bit off a hunk. The bread was sweet and soft with a hint of cinnamon. The flavor was delicious, and I stuffed the rest of the slice in my mouth.
“Already getting started?” Laika teased as she strolled into the room.
“Uhhhhh … ” I tried to deny it, but I had a mouth full of bread.
All three women laughed at my predicament as the rest of the group began to trickle in.
Finally, everyone had arrived, and we all ate until we were stuffed.
I yawned and stretched as I prepared to finally get to bed and relax.
“Oh, no, this is just the beginning,” Mona laughed.
Then I heard the music start from outside the castle, so we got up and followed the queen out the palace doors to the courtyard.
Lanterns of several different colors had been hung along the walls of the palace and the buildings in front of it to light up the courtyard. There was also a table full of jugs that smelled suspiciously like the cactus juice we’d drank in Tikal. A group of musicians stood against the far wall and played their upbeat tunes, while several centaurs made their way into the grassy area and started dancing.
“Come on!” Ravi grinned, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into the center of the courtyard to dance.
The phoenix’s lithe body moved to the beat, and soon my other women joined in on the dancing.
There would be no sleep for me tonight.
But I was more than okay with that.
Chapter 15
As the sun streamed in through my bedroom window the next morning, I rolled over and rubbed my eyes. Alyona looked peaceful in her sleep as she snored softly, and Ravi was curled into the princess’ other side with her fiery orange hair fanned out in all directions. The two women were unfortunately clothed, and I ran my fingers through my hair as I remembered how drunk they were off the cactus juice last night. While I’d hoped to enjoy a long night with both my lovers, the women were giggling so hard after we left the courtyard celebrations that they’d collapsed onto my bed in a snoring heap before I could even take off my boots.
They were pretty adorable, though, and I loved them, so I didn’t mind too much.
Considering last night’s activities, both of them were probably at least a little hungover, and I was starving, so I decided not to disturb them and slid off the bed.
After I pulled on my black boots, I eased the door open and stepped out into the hallway. Then I gently shut the door and strode to the dining hall. I could smell a blend of foods cooking, and I inhaled the scents as I walked into the room and sat down to wait. I smelled the sliced, bacon-esque meat, the sweet bread, and something that reminded me of scrambled eggs. The perfect aromas of breakfast food made my stomach growl with hunger, and my mouth was starting to salivate.
Suddenly, just as I was considering walking into the kitchen myself, an orange magical fox jumped onto the table in front of me. The messenger sat down with his bushy tail swishing from side to side behind him. Then he opened his mouth, and I heard the response from Ruslan in Hatra.
“I am to let you know that ‘Junior’ is a ridiculous name, even as a nickname,” the fox reported in my adoptive father’s voice, and I could practically envision Valerra glowering over my joke. “There, I told him! Now, let me finish. But your mother and I are doing great! We are gaining ma
ny more citizens by the day, and Hatra is thriving! And Valerra says hello. Yes, I told him you said hello because it’s nice.”
Then the fox disappeared with a little poof of dust, and I chuckled at the response from my family in Hatra. It seemed my father was trying to teach Valerra the diplomacy I was learning from Alyona. Dragons may not be the best students for those lessons, but at least everyone was trying.
As I smiled to myself, the kitchen staff finally brought in three large trays of food and set them on the table before me. The servants each lifted a lid to reveal my breakfast, and my grin widened as I filled my plate with the meat and eggs. I also pulled a piece of bread from the basket and poured some of the fruity jam I found onto it.
Just as I took a bite out of the chunk of bread, Alyona breezed into the room, and she had changed into a violet robe with white flowers adorning the collar and arms. Her black and white hair fell in waves to the middle of her back, and her amethyst eyes almost glowed with excitement.
“Good morning!” the princess said as she glided around the side of the table and wrapped her arm around my neck. “You could have woken me! It’s going to be a good day today.”
“It is?” I questioned around a mouthful of bread.
“Yes!” Alyona giggled. “I’m going back to the history keepers, silly!”
“Ah,” I exhaled.
My lovely, brilliant fiancée was excited about research, and I could only imagine what she would have been like in an Earth college setting. She would’ve been some combination of hot and nerdy, and I definitely would have wanted to fuck her.
“I wonder what all they’ll know about Colaruma,” Alyona thought out loud. “Maybe I should ask them about the Green Glass Sect, too?”
“It couldn’t hurt.” I shrugged. “They might know something that would help us out.”
“I’ll ask about the Sect, too, then,” the princess agreed before she let out a long sigh. “I wish I could ask them about a million different things. I’d love to know how far back their history goes, how they choose the history keepers, what history is important to them … Oh, I have so many questions!”
“I’m not sure how many of them you should ask,” I snickered. “They might kick you out if you ask too much.”
“You think so?” Alyona’s violet eyes widened, and she covered her mouth. “I wouldn’t want to offend them.”
“I’m kidding!” I laughed. “I have no idea what would offend them. You probably know better than I do.”
“Okay, good.” The princess sounded relieved as she stopped pacing and sat down next to me. Then she grabbed a roll of bread, tore off a small piece, and munched on it while she stared out the window in thought.
“Good morning!” Ravi chirped as she skipped into the room.
The phoenix picked up a piece of fruit from the bowl on the table and sank her teeth into it. The pink juice dribbled down her chin, so she used her sleeve to wipe it away. She was dressed more comfortably today in an orange robe that matched her fiery hair, she’d tied the white belt around her waist so the robe was tight around her thin frame, and her pale skin nearly glowed with excitement for their trip to the history keepers’ temple.
She would also be on my list of hot nerds I’d like to fuck.
“Are you ready to go?” Alyona asked Ravi, and a wide grin cracked across the princess’ beautiful face.
“I am!” Ravi grinned back.
“Hold on, ladies,” I interjected as I held up a hand. “Laika or Nike needs to go, too, and I’m walking with you there. I know we’ve made good friends here, but the history keepers weren’t my biggest fans last time. I don’t trust them.”
“I can understand, my love,” Alyona said with a smile. “We can wait a few more minutes, then. Oh! You said you’re coming back to the castle after that, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how long you’ll be there, so I don’t want to be in the way,” I grumbled.
“Well, I imagine you can find something to fill your time,” the princess giggled, and she looked at me with a twinkle in her amethyst eyes. “And I have a spell to cast for it.”
“Oh?” I raised a brow.
“I believe the queen has plans for you,” she hinted.
Oh, fuck, yeah. I’d almost forgotten.
“I’m sure the queen would be appreciative of my company.” I smirked.
“Here,” Alyona said as she reached into her spatial storage and pulled out a tiny vial of a blue-tinted liquid. “Drink this while I say the spell.”
I popped the lid off the vial and took a swig of the bitter potion as the princess murmured a quiet spell. I didn’t feel anything different, and I looked at her in confusion.
“It just affects your seed,” she explained with a giggle. “You shouldn’t even notice a thing.”
“Great,” I laughed. “How long does it last?”
“Just for a day,” Alyona replied. “After that, you’re back to whatever nature gives you.”
I nodded in understanding as I heard a set of boots plod down the hall.
“Thank the gods, I’m starving.” My wolf-warrior appeared in the doorway and sighed at the sight of the breakfast food.
Laika plopped onto the chair next to Alyona and piled eggs and meat onto her plate. Then she stuffed a few bites into her mouth with her eyes closed.
“Feeling alright, Laika?” I chuckled.
The wolf Demi-Human seemed a bit hungover from last night’s festivities.
“Better now,” she answered as she shoved another bite into her mouth.
“Would you mind accompanying us to the history keepers’ temple?” Alyona asked Laika.
“Of course not, milady,” the wolf answered after she swallowed her food. “I feel better being with you, especially after that one centaur turned out to be a traitorous bastard.”
“Great!” Alyona clasped her hands together and grinned again.
Even the wolf’s hungover mood couldn’t bring down the princess’ excitement.
“As soon as we finish breakfast, we’ll walk down there,” I decided. “I’ll be coming back here, though. I have, uh, plans. Plus, Nike and I need to plan our route to Colaruma and then to Kana.”
“Why are we going to Colaruma?” Laika asked, and her gray wolf ears perked forward with surprise.
After a second, I realized we hadn’t updated the wolf woman on the information we’d gathered from Jacob.
“I guess we all forgot to loop you in after we interrogated the Sect guy in the forest yesterday,” I said with a furrowed brow. “He said Colaruma is the next big place for the Sect. What do you know about it?”
“I just know it’s on the other side of the Golden Plains,” Laika replied with a shrug. “I’ve never gone there, though.”
“Well, that’s why we need to go see the history keepers,” Alyona chimed in. “No one seems to know anything about it.”
“Yes, that makes sense.” The wolf rubbed her chin in thought. “I’ve never actually heard of anyone going to Colaruma. It’s just a spot on the map.”
“Maybe that’s what the Sect likes about it,” I mused. “It’s not well-known, and it sounds like it’s small enough to not have much foot traffic.”
“They must be working on something big, then,” Alyona said as she templed her fingers. “Once we get some more information, we should leave as soon as possible.”
“I agree,” I said with a nod. “If you’re ready, we can head to the temple now.”
“Yes!” Ravi squeaked and shoved her chair back from the table.
The rest of us followed suit and rose from the dining table just as Mona appeared in the doorway.
“Did I miss breakfast?” the queen asked.
The centauress glided into the room, and her gold dress wrapped around her slender body and accentuated her hourglass shape. Her russet hair was braided from the top of her head and swayed down to the middle of her back, and she wore less gold jewelry than normal today, with only a gold chain necklace and an
klet that jingled when she walked. Her bronze skin glistened from a fresh bath, and I could smell lavender and mint as she sauntered past me to sit at the head of the table.
“No, Your Highness,” Alyona answered. “We just finished ours, and we’re headed to the history keepers’ temple again, if that’s alright.”
“Of course,” Mona responded with a smile. “I assume you’re going to ask them about Colaruma.”
“Yes,” the princess confirmed. “We must know what we’re in for.”
“Very true,” the queen agreed. “Running into battle blind is a sure way to lose.”
“Would you like to go with us?” I offered.
“I’ll just wait for you here,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I need to eat and get my morning report from the Solas.”
“Alright, we’ll be back soon,” I informed her as the rest of us headed to the door.
“I certainly hope so,” the queen chuckled.
I looked back to see her large green eyes were bright with lust. She hadn’t forgotten our plans, either, then, and a growl bubbled in my chest as I imagined finally getting to take the queen as one of my mates.
I wouldn’t have to wait much longer now.
I reluctantly tore my gaze away from the gorgeous queen and followed my other women out to the palace doors and then outside into the sunlight.
We turned toward the temple and began to follow the trail that weaved around the castle, and it seemed the centaurs were back to their normal activities. When we passed the farmlands this time, the men were outside tending to the crops and animals. It didn’t look so much like a ghost town anymore. The market was crawling with vendors and buyers, and Lumin’s citizens carried baskets of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as cloths and various items they’d forged.
The city was bustling again, and my inner dragon preened at the thought that we’d rebuilt yet another city despite the efforts of the Green Glass Sect and the harm caused by the Breach.
It didn’t take long to reach the white temple that housed the history keepers. We walked up the path to the porch, and Alyona rapped lightly on the wooden door. A moment later, the history keeper Senan opened the door and smiled broadly at the women, but then his gaze settled on me, and his smile faded a little.