Night Cursed

by Mark Albany

  Night Cursed

  Ice Reavers 2

  Mark Albany

  Mark Albany

  Copyrighted Material.

  Ice Reavers 2: Night Cursed Copyright (c) 2018 by Mark Albany. Book design and layout copyright (c) 2018 by Mark Albany. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are product’s of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from Mark Albany.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  About the Author

  Introduction

  This is an epic fantasy book with very adult situations. It also has modern terminology, in my attempt to make this epic fantasy story more digestible to all. I sincerely hope you enjoy the read and will consider grabbing book two.

  Thank you for reading.

  Check out my Readers’ Facebook Group

  Enjoy my map of the kingdom? This one is for the first book, but I hope to do an expanded one soon!

  You can see it on my Facebook Group too, get a chance to zoom in more, and ask questions.

  Chapter 1

  Even as the captain of the guardsmen, war had never been a part of my life. Honestly, I’d never been part of a large-scale war before. Sure, King Nyle had engaged in the occasional summer skirmish over territories or disagreements with the other monarchs of the region, but those weren’t my battles to fight. My job was to handle the poachers and the bandits, even the occasional deserter when they crossed our paths, in order to keep the kingdom of Radon running smoothly.

  My father had seen plenty of conflict. I still remembered the look in his eyes whenever he came back from a battle. It was a sunken sort of look; one that hinted at the worst kind of inner reflection. The kind that asked why he had survived when so many others had died.

  In the end, he didn’t get around to surviving either. I decided then and there that I would be a guardsman: nothing more, nothing less. When the option arose for me to be elevated in the ranks, I turned it down. I was happy where I was.

  And yet here I was now, overlooking a battlefield.

  I asked myself the same question my father must’ve asked himself many times before me. Why had I, Braks, survived when so many others had died?

  I shook my head. Death and destruction surrounded me, and yet, here in this spot right now, I hated how peaceful it all seemed. Nobody wanted to come close. The memories were still too fresh, as were the graves of loved ones so recently buried. The whole place still smelled of the massive creature that my ice monster had torn to pieces and thrown on the shore.

  Despite all that, watching the sun rising over the comforting silver gleam of the castle still brought a smile to my face. The bad smells lingered, along with the horrid memories of what I’d done to free my people of the Trelans, but they fell away at the sight of the towers rising into the sky. The walls, still in need of repair, pushed up into view. It was a sight that had always enchanted me right from when I’d been a child. It felt sweeter now, though. Like I was looking over the fruits of my labors.

  Well, that’s just sickening.

  “What?” I asked aloud. I’d been learning to keep my conversations with the Darkness, as I’d taken to calling it in my attempt to push Legent aside, quiet and hidden when I had company. We were all alone here, though, and it was more comfortable talking to it out loud than having to direct thoughts and sensations. It was difficult, especially as the Darkness was a piece of me that knew if I was trying to hide something.

  The interesting part was that while it was in my head, that went both ways.

  It’s the destruction and chaos that makes it all worth it. All the rebuilding is just a preparation for when we come through this place again.

  “I know you’re at least partially joking, but these people were, and still are, my friends” I leaned back into a rock that was jutting out at the top of the hill. “Their deaths meant something, and I’m not wasting it by letting you unleash carnage on all of them just for the hell of it.”

  Who said anything about just for the hell of it? You must know that the Trelans will return, and you’ll need to unleash me again to beat them back again. There might be some collateral damage, yes, but you can just call that the cost of doing business with an entity like me.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun, drawing my dagger from my belt. My hand was quickly intercepted by long, elfin fingers wrapping around my wrist. I could have pushed through it, kept moving, and the thought occurred to me to do just that. But I relaxed, looking up into Kalna’s pale yellow eyes.

  Dark elves weren’t usually known to work with humans, but so far, she had been an invaluable member of our little team. More than that, she was a close friend… and then some.

  I put my knife back in its sheath. She smiled, showing off her semi-sharp canines as she dropped down next to me. Her pearl-white hair was tied up in the bun she usually wore it in, and she was dressed in the light leathers that she liked. She wore those a lot. As functional as they were, I wondered if she actually found them comfortable, or if it was just out of habit. Assassins underwent training that would floor a man like me. I figured they had to come out of that with some oddities.

  I could stand the oddities, I mused as she pressed her head into my chest and took a deep breath.

  “You always come out here in the mornings,” she whispered after a few moments of silence. “A morning ritual? Or are you actually looking for something?”

  “A bit of both, I guess.” My head dipped as I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling her scent. “My dad brought me up here when I was a kid, and I just kept on coming. Helps a bit with scouting too. Besides, from here, I can tell what the reconstruction crews are doing wrong, and help them fix it.”

  Kalna nodded. During the battle, we had foregone the use of ladders. I’d made some by creating massive formations out of ice, giving our troops the outcroppings needed to scale the walls, but they’d done their damage. The walls needed extensive repairs. Thankfully, I had an army of, basically, dead men who needed no rest, food, or water to keep working.

  It was draining to keep them around, though.

  My attention was brought back to the moment as I felt Kalna’s fingers on my jawline. I hadn’t shaved yet today, so there was a little bit of bristle running across her fingers.

  “How are you feeling?” she murmured, pushing herself up and closer to me.

  “Better with you around,” I answered, honestly enough.

  She smiled and leaned upward to press her lips to mine. “That’s sweet. You were talking to it again, then?”

  I nodded. “Harder and harder to ignore it now that it has a voice.” It had ceased talking now, though. It never said as much, but I could feel that it didn’t like Kalna. It wasn’t fond of Eira or Leena either, in all hone
sty, but Kalna had been the one to put the most work into helping me control it. It wasn’t happy about that and I could feel it receding to the back of my mind for the moment.

  She moaned, leaning in to kiss me again. “Let me take care of that for you.”

  I smiled, letting her slip over onto my lap as she undid her bun, straddling me as she put her hands on my temples. Our connection surged into something almost tangible. I ran my fingers up her back, climbing up along her neck and threading through her hair before releasing it in a neat, pale cascade down her shoulders.

  I could feel her almost-instant arousal just as much as I knew she could feel mine. We were very much aware that Eira and Leena were also connected, so they felt it just as we did. We’d discovered on our previous mission that we had this mental bond that became active when we were intimate with each other. Their reactions mirrored ours. I sighed softly, my hands brushing down Kalna’s shoulder, over her back, and with a low growl, gripping her ass and dragging her closer to me. She grunted and moaned, leaning in to kiss my lips again, capturing the bottom lip and pulling away, tugging at it gently.

  “You think we have time for this?” She was already breathless.

  “Always,” I murmured back.

  She shifted higher and pressed her firm breasts against my cheek as she worked quickly to push her trousers down. Not all the way, but enough to reveal a slim tuft of white hair that guided my eyes down to her pussy. My hands weren’t idle. I did the same to my pants, pushing them down just enough for my cock to come free. It was already halfway to full mast. Kalna greedily reached down to run her fingers over the head and shaft. I hardened until I was pressing into her pussy, even though she was still pushed up. She guided me down until I could feel her wet hole then sank down on me, her warm body wrapping perfectly around me.

  She moaned and pushed her hips down until I filled her up to the brim, grinding against my lap in slow, undulating motions. I gripped her shirt at the top, pulling it down roughly and feeling the material pull until her breasts came free. She grinned, not saying anything as she started to ride me.

  My head dipped down, my lips parting to take her nipple into my mouth and suck gently. She started to rise and fall on my lap, picking up the pace until her thighs were slapping gently against mine, joining with the wet sounds of our sex, as well as the rough growls and moans from both of us.

  My left hand snaked down, giving her firm, round ass a rough smack—hard enough to leave a bright red hand print.

  “Faster.” I reached up to grab a handful of her hair, pulling her head back, making her arch her chest into me. She moaned softly as she started to work my cock harder.

  I could feel that Leena was playing with herself in the same way that she could sense that Kalna and I were fucking. I assumed that she was somewhere private, although knowing her as well as I did I couldn’t be sure of that. Her fingers slipped into her pussy as she squeezed her nipple.

  Eira was similarly aroused, but more capable of control. She was picturing me bending her over and taking her roughly, while Leena imagined being on her knees as I fucked her mouth.

  The combined arousal of the four of us drove me wild.

  Kalna quickened her pace. Her hands ran through my hair and messed it up before she slipped her hands under my shirt to feel my chest. Her mind was jumping from Leena’s fantasies to Eira’s. Her eyes closed, and her moans got louder, suddenly not concerned that we were in a very public place. I could feel her pussy tightening, her mind on Leena as the woman came hard on her fingers, hard enough to catch Eira off guard.

  “Please, Braks,” Kalna whispered, letting her nails dig into my chest as I smacked her ass again. “Come inside me. Please.” Her words became a whine as she couldn’t control herself anymore. She bucked hard into my lap, gasping for breath as she pushed herself against me. My hips returned the favor, pushing her up as my cock twitched inside her, pumping her full of my climax.

  “Oh, fuck,” I groaned, leaning down and letting my teeth sink lightly into her shoulder. Kalna settled down on my lap, letting me fill her again as she came down from her orgasm, holding me closer. I knew Leena and Eira would both want their turn when we came back, and I would be more than happy to oblige.

  The sentiment was shared by the elf on my lap as she chuckled softly and placed a light kiss on my neck.

  “You’re amazing,” I whispered, pulling her back so I could kiss her lips. She smiled, not bothering to put her clothes back on to cover herself as she leaned into me with a contented smile.

  “Yes, I am.” She grinned, licking her lips. I chuckled as I leaned back against the rock behind me, looking at the view.

  From this position, we could see over most of the castle, the village, and even the sea.

  Kalna came to that realization just as I did. She giggled again, quickly pulling herself up from my lap and putting her shirt and pants back into place. I did the same. Once finished, she settled down next to me, nuzzling my shoulder.

  “Feel better?” she asked.

  “You already know I do,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. I was interrupted though, when she leaned forward.

  “Huh,” she grunted, narrowing her eyes. I followed her gaze out to the village. There was nothing out of the ordinary there, but her eyes were on the massive body of water directly adjacent. Her eyes were better than mine had been back when I was just a regular human, but with the new power in my body, I could see as clear as day that there was a ship moving across the water.

  It wasn’t just any ship, either. It had a great colorful sail, which was connected to two hulls instead of one. I’d seen this sort of ship before. There were a handful of massive islands a few hundred leagues off our shores—too far for any of our vessels to reach—but these oddly-made ships made the trip easily and often visited the villages and cities up and down the coast. They were a peaceful people, bringing a great many exotic goods for trade.

  The ship was heavily damaged, however. I could see holes in the hull. While the design kept it from taking on too much water, the vessel was still barely limping across the ocean’s surface.

  Leena and Eira sensed our sudden change of mood. I wasn’t sure if they could see what we saw, but they were certainly moving toward us quickly. Kalna made an attempt to fix her hair as we pushed ourselves to our feet, then we took off at a jog toward the village.

  Chapter 2

  Leena and Eira caught up with us on the way to the village. The two of them were riding horses and brought a couple for us, making the trip a lot faster. There was no mention of the time Kalna and I had shared on our own, though there were a couple knowing glances and a sly grin from Leena tossed our way as we mounted up.

  We arrived at the village docks, where a small crowd had already gathered, watching the ship sail into port. The ship was larger than it seemed at a distance.

  As it drifted in closer, it became more apparent what had caused the damage to the twin hulls. The foul smell immediately struck me, but I couldn’t quite place it until I saw the inky black stains on the wood.

  The clopping of hooves and neighing of horses approaching sounded. I turned to see Olin arriving with a handful of other survivors from the battle, who he’d elevated to the position of guard. Olin was starting to look the part of a king more and more. He wasn’t decked in any of the finery, since most of that had been looted by the occupying soldiers, but he was wearing a silver crown. He even had a bit of a beard starting to come in.

  The man was like a younger brother to me, and I couldn’t have been prouder of him.

  Olin quickly jumped off his horse and jogged over to the docks, where the four of us were standing.

  “What’s the situation?” Olin asked, trying to put on his most imposing tone.

  I shrugged. “I remember some of those island kingdoms having ships like that. Though the most interesting aspect is the holes in the hulls.”

  Olin nodded sagely. “What’s odd about them?” he asked in a low voi
ce.

  This is the man to lead us? Really?

  The ship started approaching one of the quays. “Note the black marks around the holes. Not burn marks, but maybe the stuff left behind from tentacles that made them.”

  Olin shuddered. “Those sea monster things, yes?”

  I nodded, gripping the dagger at my waist. I really wished I’d brought a sword with me. Sure, my sword had been cut in half by the Grand Marshall, and so far, there hadn’t been much need for me to take up a new weapon. Sure, the thought that the Trelans were coming back persisted, but if push came to shove, there were a lot of weapons left by the dead that I could use.

  The Grand Marshall’s axe came to mind. It had seemed to be infused with some magical powers, so I’d had it locked up in the vault where Olin’s bow was stored.

  The ship came to a halt in front of the dock. I noticed that the rest of the men on shore were apprehensive and had their hands ready on their weapons. We had no idea what this ship was carrying, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

  The side of the ship fell away, connecting a gangplank to the dock as the rest of the guards drew their weapons. I was tempted to do the same but held off. For now.

  A massive man stepped forward. He looked more bone than muscle. He was almost seven feet tall, with deeply tanned skin, long, curly brown hair, and large black eyes. He had a studded club in his hands as he scanned the men that had gathered there to greet him. He looked tired, hungry, and like he could use some respite from the sun.