Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  “Counsellor Dalona informed me that Queen Nadiel was most surprised by the inclusion of some of her people’s cuisine on last night’s menu,” Broda mentioned. “Apparently, the dish was to her liking and the fact that we weren’t aware of her attendance until yesterday made it all the more impressive that we prepared something special for the occasion.”

  Khorim seemed ready to add something else when a soft knock came from the door, alerting us that the others had arrived and would be admitted shortly. Each of us quickly took up the positions we had carefully planned for their entrance and waited with great anticipation for the royals to finally join us.

  After just a moment, Aiva opened the door slowly and King Nerec of Lorida and his entourage led the procession of rulers into the summit. Behind him trailed Queen Líann and Queen Nadiel, with Broda’s uncle entering last as Aiva closed the door behind them. I stood in front of them as they filed in, with my companions arrayed beside me. Laying on the floor at my feet was Bane, in all of his majesty and now larger than a draft horse, at least when he was standing.

  The entire procession ground to a halt as they caught sight of him resting there. The sudden appearance of, what was to them, a dragon in their midst set a jolt of shock through both the monarchs and their attendants, a state of affairs that I had not only anticipated but counted on as well.

  “Be at ease,” I said as I walked around his bulk and approached them. “Bane is my familiar, and he will cause you no harm.”

  Líann looked to me as I spoke and noticed for the first time what I was wearing, and her pale blue eyes flew wide open in shock.

  Instead of the formal attire that such meetings required, each of us had worn our God-forged armor, weapons, and gear. Every piece that Nentai has given us was in the room, including Bane’s Halter, even though it could not be seen. The display was a blatant attempt to impress them, just as it had the dwarven King, and if Líann’s reaction was any indication, it was having its intended effect.

  “Do you know what you’re looking at?” I asked her as I approached a little bit closer.

  “Not precisely,” she admitted. “But I know that I’ve never seen it’s like before.”

  As she continued to stare, I pulled the grip of Retribution from my arm and let it come to its full form before her eyes. I extended the weapon towards the queen and opened my palm, exposing the glowing green emerald embedded in in its grip as I offered it to her.

  “Take it from my hand and you will learn not only what this weapon is, but also where this and every other Artifact before you has come from.”

  Líann’s fingers trembled as they wrapped around Retribution’s grip, and when she took hold of it, a look of total shock came over her face. For a minute it seemed that she could do nothing but stare blankly into space, and I was about to try to prompt her for a response when she finally spoke again.

  “Raithe gave you all this?” Her voice waivered as she asked.

  “No, Líann,” I replied addressing her by name. “The gifts my companions and I wear come from each and every one of the Gods. Nentai and Set presented them to us after they bestowed the blessing of the entire Pantheon upon our mission.”

  “So that there is no confusion over what that means, I will tell you now. I am going to unite the Realms of Arrika—each and every one of them. Under my banner, they will conduct themselves as we do here in my own Realm, by honoring the dignity of every single person, regardless of who they are. The old feuds and grudges between the various peoples will no longer be tolerated. Once we are united as one, I will lead the people of Arrika into the heart of our enemy’s territory and eliminate the scourge of the Dark Lands forever. Only when that is accomplished, will I be able to achieve my most treasured goal; to bring justice and peace to the people.”

  “With the Realms united and the threat of the Dark Lands removed, we will finally have the resources to protect our people from harm. Rather than fighting amongst ourselves, we can focus our efforts on preventing the brutal and cruel animals among us from preying on the innocent. We can finally end the senseless slaughter and abuse that goes unpunished throughout the land and bring justice to those who would cause harm.”

  “I told you she was special,” the dwarven King spoke unexpectedly as I finished. “Dreya Sintári has been sent to us by the Gods themselves to heal our broken lands. Now I will take this opportunity to repeat the oath I’ve already made, this time with my fellow leaders as witnesses; if they have any wisdom at all, they will follow my example.”

  With that, the King once again drew his weapon and looked me in the eye as he knelt before me.

  “Empress Dreya Sintári,” he began by invoking the title we had been keeping secret. “I pledge my allegiance to you and your cause. My Kingdom and my people are yours to command, and I swear to defend you until my last breath.”

  “I have no weapon,” Líann whispered to herself.

  “Then swear upon mine,” I offered her. “I can think of nothing more fitting than to make your oath with a God-forged weapon in your hand.”

  Líann trembled as she fell to her knees and her arm shook while she tried to hold Retribution steady in her grasp. I reached down and steadied her hand, and she took a deep breath to gather herself before speaking.

  “I Líann, Queen of Íforn, pledge myself and my Kingdom to you,” she spoke slowly. “From this day forward, we shall follow your word, and I will be your most loyal servant.”

  Wow, that was certainly something, I thought as I helped Líann back to her feet. Our eyes met as she handed Retribution back to me, and I could tell from her expression that, while she was completely overwhelmed by the situation, she’d meant every word that she’d said.

  “May I?” Nerec asked as he gestured towards the Artifact in my hand.

  Wordlessly, I handed it to him and he followed the lead of the two monarchs before him and took a knee in front of me.

  “Empress,” he took a moment to absorb the word before continuing. “As the King of the Kingdom and people of Lorida, I swear my loyalty to you. Where you lead, I will follow, and as you command, it will be done.”

  Nerec then rose to his feet and handed Retribution back to me before taking his place beside Broda’s uncle once more. Oddly, Líann remained close to me still as Nadiel approached.

  “What will this mean for my people?” She asked as she took the Artifact from me in turn.

  After thousands of years of mistreatment, it didn’t surprise me that Nadiel expressed her concern for them even as she committed herself to submitting to my rule. So, before I let go of Retribution, I answered her question as honestly as I could.

  “It will mean much, Nadiel,” I replied solemnly. “There will be war, and with it, there will be death. But it will not be another war without purpose, for when we are victorious, your people, and the rest of the people of Arrika, will live their lives free from the violence and senseless abuse that have plagued these lands for far too long. I will not make you any empty promises, Nadiel—but I swear that I will see this through till the end, and I will not rest until it is finished.”

  “Lies are usually spoken in soft, comforting words,” she responded as she took a knee. “But your words ring with the harsh tones of truth, Empress.”

  “I, Nadiel, Evoker of Fire,” she began with her own title. “On behalf of myself and the nation of Isouri, offer our service to you, Empress Dreya Sintári. Our people shall join you in your cause and heed your words from this day forward.”

  When Nadiel finished, a silence came over the room. In the span of only minutes, four Kingdom’s had submitted themselves to my rule, giving me dominion over a quarter of the Realms of Arrika in an instant. I suddenly realized that I had no idea what that actually meant. Even though we had talked about this moment among ourselves, our planning had never ventured beyond luring the nations to our cause.

  “Forgive me, Empress,” Dalona interrupted my thoughts. “But now that the Realms have sworn their allegiance to you
, perhaps you may wish to leave the details, and the drafting of your Imperial Charter, to us and your representatives.”

  As I looked on, a host of functionaries from each of the Realms had begun taking their places at the massive table we had constructed for the occasion. Obviously, a union such as we had just formed would require a great deal of structure, not to mention the dictates of the Imperial Charter that would have to be signed by each nation that came under my control. A rather daunting project, and one that I wanted no part of beyond ensuring that the tenets of my Realm were included. So, with a smile curling up the corners of my mouth, I passed the responsibility on to my dear friends.

  “Ambassador Broda, Chief Minister Venna,” I practically beamed at them. “This tremendous honor seems to fit under your areas of responsibility.”

  “But…” I heard Venna protest as I walked quickly from the room.

  You handled them well, my Sintári. Bane sent to me as he followed closely behind me. I only wish that you would have shown them your magnificent eyes.

  ‘Yes, well, not everyone feels that way about them.’

  They know nothing.

  I led Bane through the Palace, towards the closest exit where he could take to the sky. At his size, navigating some of the passageways had become difficult, so it was easier for him to fly upstairs, rather than walk the corridors. As soon as Bane lifted off, I turned to resume walking to my chambers, but Aiva and Karina redirected me.

  “We’ve got a slight detour, Empress,” Aiva almost smirked. “But don’t worry, Bane knows where we’re going, so he’ll meet you there.”

  Despite my repeated demands to know where we were headed, the two little… wenches refused to answer any of my questions. I was about stop in the middle of the hallway and throw a tantrum when Tási’s patience finally wore out.

  “Stop it already!” She admonished me. “You’re acting like a child. I know where they’re taking us, now just shut up and let it be a surprise.”

  Her scolding left me sufficiently rebuked, and I followed along meekly as they led me higher and higher up the stairs until we reached a floor that I recognized.

  “This is the barracks, the real barracks,” I noted as I looked around and saw that every single one of my guards were present. “Why would you bring me here?”

  “We didn’t bring you here,” Tási replied in amusement. “We’re bringing you to the next floor.”

  The level we were on was designated as the home of the Imperial Guards, and only a single staircase led to the floor above, a floor that was completely dedicated to a single purpose; to serve as the permanent residence of the leader of the Empire.

  “It’s ready?”

  “Yes, it is,” Tási replied with a broad smile. “It was the best thing we could think of to offer as a gift in honor of your success today.”

  “I have to see it now!” I shouted in excitement as I ran up the stairs and left them all behind.

  Aiva and Karina rushed after me, and I heard Tási’s laughter echoing through the air between their shouted calls for me to wait for them before I burst through the heavy double doors and into the residence’s grand entry. My original thought was to hurry through each of the rooms and get a quick peek at everything, but the sheer grandeur of that first chamber stopped me dead in my tracks.

  Like the Grand Hall below, the walls had been carved by both the dwarven and elvish masons, each lending their particular style to the work. A high, vaulted ceiling rose from the top of the walls in graceful arches that were highlighted with veins of metal and precious stones. Even the floors had been polished to a high shine, rivaling the finest marble, on top of which the room was lavishly decorated with furnishings of fine wood and soft carpets.

  “An Empress must make a good first impression, don’t you think?” Tási said as she calmly slid up beside me.

  “This is amazing,” I replied in awe.

  “The rest is done in the same way, Empress,” Tási added, but this time she uttered my title as a term of affection, not in the subtle mocking fashion that she sometimes used.

  “I could get used to you saying it that way,” I said as I took her hand in mine.

  “Come, let me show you around,” Tási smiled as she pulled me farther inside.

  My new home encompassed an entire floor of the Palace, and in addition to the rooms that made up the formal residence, it also included my official offices, several meeting rooms, and even a full guest suite, all of which were finished in the same exquisite fashion as the formal entry. It was almost too good to be true. The sheer beauty of it all was simply amazing, and the amount of labor that had to have gone into it boggled my mind.

  “They did it for you, Dreya,” Tási said as she recognized my thoughts. “They did it all to repay you for what you’ve done for them. You’ve earned this.”

  “Not yet I haven’t,” I replied softly. “Someday I will, but not yet.”

  “I know that there is much more left for you to do,” Tási conceded. “But don’t diminish what you’ve accomplished already. Just founding this Realm alone is an incredible thing, and bringing four Realms together is simply unheard of. You are already a world-changer, just like Thola said.”

  She was right in a way, and I couldn’t deny it, but deep inside I still felt like it was too early to start congratulating myself. Every day, all across Arrika, bands of goblins and orcs raided the Kingdoms and murdered their citizens. Worse still were the other bands of marauders, the humans, elves, and dwarves who preyed on their own, pillaging and abusing any who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. Sadly, those vile bastards would be the last that I finally turned my attentions to, as uniting the Realms and conquering the Dark Lands had to be accomplished first before I could wipe the filthy criminals from the face of this Earth.

  “I know that look,” Tási said, reading my thoughts. “Come with me, there’s one more surprise for you.”

  She led me back through several rooms of my private chambers and into the large study that was off the massive master bedroom. One of the walls was nearly completely covered by massive drapes, but when Tási parted them, she revealed a huge set of glass doors that offered a perfect view of the expansive balcony outside. From its towering heights, I could see the entire breadth of the valley laid out before me, with the towering mountains off in the distance. Yet what drew my vision most was the sight of Bane patiently waiting for me just beyond the wide opening.

  Welcome home, Sintári, he greeted me as Tási pried open the doors.

  As Bane had grown, he’d retained his graceful form, but could no longer get into my temporary quarters downstairs and had been effectively banished from me for some time. But with the huge balcony just outside, he could not only land right outside my window, but easily stride inside through the massive double doors.

  I thought it was odd that this lone room had been left nearly unfurnished when Tási first led me through, but the reason for the sparseness became clear when Bane entered and curled up on the floor beside me. This wasn’t my study as I had assumed—this was his room, Bane’s own refuge right next to where I would sleep at night.

  “Can we sleep in here together tonight, like we used to?” I begged Tási.

  It felt like it had been forever since the last time we had all curled up together for the night. Even though we still saw each other and spent time together almost every day, it just wasn’t the same. Back then, it had been my body that Bane fell asleep on, and even though those roles would be reversed, I had an almost desperate need to hear his purr and feel his heart beating beneath me once again.

  “That was the plan,” Tási smiled back at me.

  “Shall I have them bring up the pillows?” Aiva called out from just inside the doorway where she had been observing from a respectful distance.

  “Yes, please do,” Tási replied.

  “Tási,” I responded when Aiva’s presence triggered my memory. “Didn’t Ella promise that she was going to make sure that
we no longer had need for the guards to be so intrusive once we moved in here?”

  “Yes, she did,” Tási replied, forcing me to ask the next question.

  “Then why was Aiva following us around up here?”

  “Because we left everything open for you to see during your first tour,” Tási responded.

  “Will you stop dragging this out and just tell me already!”

  “Alright, alright,” Tási finally relented as she strode back to the large glass doors.

  When she reached the doorway, Tási pulled closed a pair of gates that were secured to the outside walls. But these were no ordinary shutters—the gates that Tási drew in were worked from pure Khelduin and fashioned into the shapes of curling vines and leaves. With the gates shut, the entrance from the balcony was completely sealed off from any intruder, but the effect was far from oppressive, as the light and air still filtered through almost unobstructed between the shimmering silver strands and foliage.

  “There are identical ones on every window of the entire floor,” Tási revealed. “No one is going to get through them without creating a great deal of noise. And while these do make things much safer for you, I’m afraid that there will still be guards posted in every room, even inside your chambers when you are not in residence. The risk is simply too great for us to do otherwise.”

  “You promised me that would end!” I protested.

  “Yes, we did,” Tási replied firmly. “But things have changed, and so has the level of danger. We thought these barriers would be enough, but Khorim’s men recently discovered another assassin, and we just can’t rely on passive measures to protect you anymore.”

  “Why wasn’t I told about this assassin?”

  “With the summit so close, we didn’t want to worry you. He escaped outside the Garrison wall before we could apprehend him,” Tási confessed. “We’re pretty sure the archers wounded him before he fled into the forest, but they lost his trail and we never discovered the body.”

  Yet another assassin, even after we’d killed the first three. And this one had obviously not arrived among one of the caravans, but had managed to sneak into my Realm anyway. The level of skill he must have possessed to do so made me understand Tási’s decision to go back on her word. And while I did understand the need to keep the intrusive security measures in place, I was still disappointed by it.