by A Lonergan
“Get up.” Balam urged.
I shook my head and kept my eyes closed. “No, I think I’m done.”
Abaddon laughed from somewhere as Balam’s boot connected with my shoulder. “I said get up.”
“I don’t think so. Send my best regards to Cal. Wish him well for me.” I pouted.
“I will do no such thing. If you don’t get up, we will leave you here to freeze.” Abaddon said.
“So be it.” I shrugged my shoulders against the mountain and rocks ripped through my cloak to try to pierce my skin.
“She’s dramatic,” Abaddon said to Balam. “Maybe we should leave her. You know Hel wouldn’t have this kind of behavior.”
Balam chuckled. “Hel is more dramatic than this little human.”
Abaddon stopped laughing. “What did you call her? You know-”
I opened my eyes at the pause of conversation to find Balam pinning Abaddon to the ground saying something in his ear. I sat up curiously and tilted my head to get a better look. “This explains the bickering.”
“What does?” Balam asked as he shoved the other demon away from him.
“The sexual tension. You need to let it out?” I raised my eyebrows.
“You think I’m gay?” Balam’s orange eyes seemed to get brighter as he stared at me.
I looked between the two demons. “You two haven’t stopped bickering and there has been a lot of physical connection happening today. Why not? There is no shame in it if you are.”
Abaddon bent over at the waist and barked out a laugh. “She thinks you’re gay!”
“You too,” I said seriously. That wiped the grin from his face.
Abaddon scowled. “Certainly not.”
“When you two are ready to come out, I will accept you with open arms.” I was completely serious too. They didn’t need to hide their sexuality for my benefit. I didn’t discriminate.
Abaddon puffed up his chest and made a few noises in the back of his throat before he stormed away. He called over his shoulder before he disappeared. “I will have you know that we all want to marry you. The horsemen can’t be gay.”
What now?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Balam
Leave it to the healer to out the entire operation. Hel had been very specific when she had said to keep the entire mission under wraps and here I was doing that and Abaddon’s pride got in the way. I wasn’t sure if Willow was trying to bait us, get rid of the constant quarreling or she was serious. Either way, I couldn’t let her comments get under my skin. If anything, I could see where her assumptions came from and it was amusing. Abaddon’s conquests were unparalleled but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell Willow. No, let her assume the worst if it kept our secrets safe.
Hel wanted to be the one to tell Willow the rest of her destiny when she was ready. It wasn’t our place to ruin it all in the blink of an eye because of a misunderstanding. I wanted to keep my head on my shoulders. Hel was known for being brutal and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that. I gave the little human a slight smile and chased after my apparent lover.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cal
Bea was waiting for me in her library a few days after the feast. She gave me a hungry smile and leaned toward me when I approached her. She frowned when she saw Nico following so close behind me. Her eyebrows creased and she took a step back.
“Since when do you bring your royal guard with you to read?” Bea asked as she sat at our usual spot. She had several books piled high on the wooden masterpiece she called a table. The dark wood shined in the candlelight but I could tell Bea wasn’t happy. The energy in the room shifted immediately.
“Nico isn’t only my elite but also one of my closest friends. I wanted him to meet you.” I hoped that smoothed things over for her. I didn’t want her to be upset with me. There was nothing like a cross woman and I didn’t want to deal with it today.
She curtsied. “Hello, Nico. I am Princess Beala, but you can call me Bea.” Nico nodded his head but didn’t speak. Bea looked at me with anticipation and excitement. “When will I get my prize?”
Nico chuckled in my mind. I had filled him in before I brought him along. I hoped his presence would help curb her growing interest in me or it would focus it on someone else. I had a feeling she had never been around a man other than her father and his guards. If that. But she ignored Nico.
“About that.” I smiled triumphantly. “I would love to meet your sisters.”
The smile dropped from her face. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
She bowed her head and her face grew red. “I don’t think I’m following. Don’t you enjoy my company?”
I smiled at her, hoping it would ease her growing anger. It was stifling. “Of course I do, but a bet is a bet.”
“He didn’t offer you my hand?” Bea looked around the room like she was seeing it for the first time. “I don’t understand.”
She whispered to herself for a few moments before a tear escaped down her face and she rushed from the room.
“How awkward,” Nico said when she was gone. “Did you have feelings for her?”
“I hardly know her,” I said as I opened the first book.
“You hardly knew Willow,” Nico smirked. He was trying to stir trouble.
“That’s completely different,” I replied stiffly.
“Is it?” Nico hummed and browsed the shelves of books while I thought of his words. He wasn’t wrong but I wasn’t about to admit that. I had always been drawn to Willow since I first laid eyes on her. I didn’t know why but I had continued to want to know more and more about her. Now all I could do was beat myself up on how I had done wrong by her.
After a few hours, Bea held up her end of our bargain and six women marched into the library. Each of their hair was the color of the rainbow. They all resembled one another but looked starkly different at the same time. Nico stared at them in awe.
Bea cleared her throat and spoke confidently. “King Cal, these are my sisters. My father is angered with me for spending so much time with you without his approval. Because of this, he is requiring that you spend equal time with each of my sisters.”
Bea didn’t stay for them to introduce themselves to me. Instead, she marched from the room with her head held high and all her sisters looked at me timidly. All except the one with a darker shade of blue hair than Bea’s. She made her way to the couch on the other side of the room while all the other girls made their way to me. All their names jumbled together and all I could do was smile at all the female commotion.
“Lucky bastard.”
I looked Nico’s way and gave him a fake smile. All he had to do was say one more thing and I was going to send all the attention his way.
The youngest sister yanked me down to be eye level with her. “I’m Shae. I’m the youngest and I will be the most successful at bearing you children.”
I blinked in surprise and heard Nico snort in my head. “That’s a good attribute to have.”
How did one respond to that?
Two of the sisters threw their hands in the air and stormed out of the room like they were out of the running because Shae had said she was the most fertile.
All their hair and eyes seemed to swirl into one another and I had to close my eyes to concentrate. “Is there any way I can possibly have time with each of you? Alone? This is fast.”
The sister sitting on the other side of the room laughed. “What? You can’t handle knowing how fertile your females are? Or you want to sample us all and don’t want to hurt feelings?”
“To be honest,” I squared my shoulders and pushed wandering hands from my chest. “I am feeling a tad overwhelmed and I don’t want anyone to feel left out. I am not really looking to know someone’s fertility score at the moment, but I suppose it would be an added plus in the future if I decide to marry.”
The pink-haired sister frowned up at me. “What do you mean if you decide to m
arry?”
My stomach dropped again. These women were ready to be sold off to the highest bidder. I pressed my lips together. “Yes, I would like to marry for love. I know that isn’t always the case but I try to be different.”
Two more sisters shook their brightly colored heads and left the room. Which left me with the grumpy one on the other side of the library with a large book in her hand and a frown on her face.
“I guess it’s just me and you then.” My shoulders slumped as I sunk into the chair opposite from Nico. He looked far too amused.
“Don’t get any ideas. I am only here to appease my father and Bea.” the woman remarked.
I chuckled softly. “Good, because I wasn’t speaking to you. I was speaking to my elite here. I would rather the quiet anyway. I have much work to get done and I don’t need any distractions.”
I didn’t look up but I must have said the wrong thing because booming laughter filled my mind and Nico muttered, “You have really made her angry now.”
I could have rolled my eyes but instead, I picked up the book I needed to study and ignored the insufferable wench.
Chapter Thirty
Willow
Sweat rolled down my face and dripped onto the dried dirt beneath our feet. The demons had removed their shirts days ago and as much as I would have loved to enjoy the show, I couldn’t with how hot I was. My chest heaved with every step I took and no matter how much water I drank, I could never relieve my thirst. My tunic was beyond repair at this point. I ripped it from my body and wrapped it around my head. Anything to keep the sweat from my eyes and the heat from my scalp.
I pulled at the band around my chest and then realized my mistake. Abaddon’s bright yellow eyes grew dark quickly. His breathing picked up and I didn’t know how he could have any other mood but irritability at a time like this. Demons were certainly strange creatures.
Balam slapped him on the back of the head. “You act like you have never seen a woman before. It hasn’t been that long, has it?”
Abaddon growled at him. “It has been a while since Hel warmed my bed, yes.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I wondered if the horsemen were her own private harem.”
“We are whatever she wants us to be.” Abaddon snarled. “You speak of her in such a disrespectful manner.”
“I hardly know her.” I shrugged and continued across the desert. I wanted to kick my boots off but I knew I would regret it as the dried dirt turned to sand before my eyes. My calves protested as we continued on through the desert.
“You don’t have to know a God to respect one.” Abaddon spit.
“All I am worried about right now is making it through this wasteland alive.” A gust of wind came out of nowhere and kicked sand up into my face. I closed my eyes and stood there while the sand storm berated my cheeks.
My magic crawled up my body created a shield around my face. Abaddon didn’t seem bothered with the sand raining down on us and Balam didn’t seem to be concerned either. They both stared at me. I rolled my eyes. “Mortal here. I would rather not lose my eyes to the unrelenting weather here.” Abaddon shook his head at Balam and I knew there was something that I was missing. I scowled. “What? Why do you keep looking at Balam that way?”
Poof. Abaddon disappeared again. I growled in agitation. “Why does he keep doing that?”
Balam laughed before he grabbed my hand in his large one and hauled me across the deep sand. My calves ached and my feet burned with each step. The sand was the most miserable out of all this climate change. “To be honest with you, I couldn’t wait for him to leave. I hate having to share conversation with him.”
“Why did he leave though? You were both clearly communicating about something you didn’t want me to know about.” I wasn’t going to let him change the subject on me. I wanted answers.
“Because there are somethings we aren’t allowed to discuss. Things we can’t tell you yet and he doesn’t like being put on the spot.” The sand died down and Balam finally let go of my hand. My feet continued to sink into the gritty land but I could handle it without the attack on my skin.
“I’m going to continue questioning him then.” I shrugged. “When he gets on my nerves.”
A massive smile cracked across his face and it stopped my heart. I had to blink a few times to break myself out of the spell he had cast upon me. “I like that plan.”
I looked down at my boots sinking into the sand and nodded my head. How dangerous would it be for us to be alone now that Abaddon was gone? I chewed on the inside of my lip and banished the thought. He would be back and there was no telling when he would pop back up.
“We should be there in the next few days.” Balam’s hand found my arm. “Are you ready to see Cal?”
I shrugged his hand off and nodded again. There was no use in getting worked up over the inevitable. “I suppose. I am curious to know his side of things but there is nothing left to fight over between us. I am merely apart of all of this to help him win a war and that is all. I enjoy his companionship but I don’t know why we are acting like things will go back to normal after all of this is over.”
“Why do you say that?” Balam took a sip out of his water skin and a drop of water rolled down his chin.
“Because I don’t know what I want out of life. I spent all of my life as a slave to a man that didn’t care about me. I don’t want to be stuck in a castle for the rest of my days. Now that I see there is much out there, I don’t want to be stuck behind a wall. I want to know who I am without a king overlooking me. I want to explore my magic. I want to love and live and run if I want to. I want-” I paused, out of breath and slightly embarrassed.
Balam’s eyes glowed with curiosity and interest. “Go on. I want to know what you want.”
“I want to wear whatever I want, and that means no dresses. Ever.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“But I’m sure you would look amazing in a gown.” Balam raised his eyebrows.
“You will never live to see that day come around,” I smirked.
That night we sat around a fire and if it hadn’t been for the food cooking on it, I would have insisted on going without the heat. My body had suffered enough from the sun already, I didn’t need more damage from anything else.
“I was thinking,” Balam started.
“Uh, oh,” I interrupted.
Balam rolled his bright eyes. “I think we need to get a move on with training you. I don’t know how they are going to be in the Artrovian kingdom, if Cal even there still, and we could be separated.”
“We could insist we stay together.” I shrugged. I didn’t see what the big deal was.
“Artrovia is a vast kingdom. They have their magic and then they have their creatures. It is very similar to Rosalia, except they have giants.” Balam pulled the skewer off of the fire and handed me mine. I stared at the steaming meat before he continued. “They don’t take magic lightly in their kingdom. They love to gain new assets. Our magic will be scanned when we walk through the gates to the castle. Everything around the castle is incredible, but being inside the city gates is different.”
“What do you mean?” I poked the meat to see if it had cooled down enough before I started to blow on it. My stomach growled in anticipation.
“Their kingdom is broken up into different sects, based on how powerful your magic is. If you have weak magic you are forced to serve inside the castle or you live in the slums outside the city gates. Everyone inside the city gates has the finest magic imaginable or they have a talent that sets them apart.”
“So you’re afraid they’ll force me to do what?” I pulled a piece of meat off the end of the stick with my teeth and hissed as I chewed. It was still much too hot.
“I’m afraid they will see us as a threat. Both of our magic together is imaginable power and if Abaddon comes back, we could end up seeing the side of a jail cell.”
“I thought they wanted assets.” The meat was too tempting and I had to hold the ske
wer away from me before I burned my mouth again.
“They will shackle you.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “What about you?”
“I will be able to get back to Hel, but I won’t be able to get to you if they separate us.” Balam chewed his food with his mouth closed like it wasn’t steaming. He finished off the entire skewer while I still stared at mine in envy.
“Do you have a plan?” I poked the little pieces of meat again.
“No,” Balam tossed his stick into the fire.
“Then we should probably put one together.” I was done waiting for the meat to cool and chewed the food right off of the stick.
“You are a heathen,” Balam said in disgust.
“I am not.” I rolled my eyes.
“You look like a heathen, smell like a heathen, and even eat like a heathen. You must be a heathen.” Balam sat back against the tree line and crossed his arms over his chest. “You will have to bathe before we enter the kingdom. They will never take us seriously with your stench.”
“Last I remembered you haven’t bathed lately.” I pressed my nose against my shoulder self-consciously and tried to sniff myself.
“We could pitch a tent tonight or we could search for a water source. Our skins are low and the sand in my leathers is uncomfortable.”
I devoured the rest of my dinner and tossed my stick to join his. “Want to teach me something tonight too? Might as well learn as much as I can if we aren’t going to be sleeping.”
His eyes darkened and he threw a mischievous smile over his shoulder as he put the fire out. “Oh, I can certainly teach you a thing or two.”