Night Queen (Elven-Trinity Book 6)

by Mark Albany

  But one had to question if they even could hold the position against an army of such a size. The vastness of it could be seen spreading across hundreds of miles until they disappeared from sight, burning and destroying everything in their way. Hundreds of thousands. Perhaps millions.

  The undead moved across the land like a wave, peppered here and there by the larger, more powerful monsters that controlled them. Golems and hellhounds for the most part, although I could see more than a few forms that I didn’t recognize.

  They were all surging and rushing towards us. I’d known that they were coming in force and had even had a good notion of how many there were from my own eyes, but seeing them all moving towards us like that had my breath catching in my throat.

  “We need to fall back,” Braire said softly.

  I nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to keep the feeling of my heart sinking down into my gut from overwhelming me. The question of how we were going to be taking that on successfully was a hard one to answer, but we were going to have to find some way.

  There was literally no other option for us.

  I reached my hand out and placed it on Braire’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around the wolf’s neck. The creature’s gleaming eyes turned on me and I could hear a low growl coming from its throat, but Braire whispered a few words to calm him.

  It leaned in and pressed a light lick to my knuckles by way of apology as Braire placed her hand over mine.

  “It’s going to be all right,” I whispered.

  She nodded, trying to smile, but it just looked like a grimace, and felt like one too, over our connection. I knew I could trust her to be the warrior that I knew her to be, but even she needed some help remembering it sometimes.

  “We’ll find a place to camp and watch over the army that’s coming to set up the defenses,” I said, moving over to mount up with the rest of them, lightly patting my horse’s neck. “From there, we will... well, we’ll get some rest.”

  The rest nodded, and we quickly moved out, heading towards a small thicket of trees nearby, the remnants of the forest that would grow larger the further south we headed. For ourselves, we headed about as deep as we could while still remaining close enough to be able to overlook the troops that had arrived and were already working to dig the trenches and set up spikes as defenses for the rest of the army even as night was beginning to fall.

  A fire was lit as night fell, but there wasn’t much conversation between us as we prepared an evening meal. The image of the horde advancing on us was still too fresh in our minds.

  Finally, Norel could stand it no more.

  “We won’t be able to beat an army that large while it’s being held together and coordinated by Abarat,” the elf said, her voice low and somber, looking around at the rest of us.

  Braire found herself next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder as my arms wrapped around her, pulling her in close to me as I placed a light, tender kiss on the top of her head.

  “I don’t think that we really have any other choice,” Faye said, speaking what she knew was on all of our minds. “We need to find a way to reach Abarat and kill him before his horde does the same to us.”

  “Do we even know where to start looking?” Lyth asked, looking around. “He could be in the middle of his army, and we wouldn’t be able to reach him in a hundred years. Not on our own, anyways.”

  I nodded, agreeing with the sentiment, but really didn’t have anything to add to what they were discussing. Between Faye having served him as long as she did, to the others that had fought alongside him in the war, all of the others in our group knew the elf in question better than I ever could. There was nothing I could say that would really add to the discussion, except maybe encouraging them.

  Braire appeared to sense that, leaning in and placing a light kiss to my neck as her hand drifted down over my side, pulling me in closer to her. The touch over where Norel had healed a few hours before had me shivering gently. It was still sensitive, even after having been healed.

  She smiled when she felt me tremble against her, letting her hand drift a little further down, lightly grazing over my thighs and pulling me closer to her as the hand came up the inside, her fingers lightly caressing where she could already feel me growing against her.

  “Do you think now is really the time for that?” I whispered softly, tilting my head as she turned her head to look into my eyes.

  “No time like the present,” she replied, leaning in to lightly place a kiss to my cheek, my jawline, and then my lips.

  She pressed the last with a bit more intensity, letting her tongue slip into my mouth as her fingers started caressing my growing bulge, smiling when she could feel it growing harder and larger from her ministrations.

  A rush climbed slowly up my spine, sending goosebumps over my skin as her fingers slipped under my trousers. She tilted her head, dropping down to place light kisses down my neck and shoulders as her fingers wrapped around the shaft, stroking it slowly.

  I noted that the conversation around the campfire had come to a sudden stop as all eyes rested on me and Braire. None of those present seemed to disapprove, and all wanted to continue to watch. I tilted my head when Norel turned to look at Lyth, who was clearly aroused and licking her lips, leaning in to place a light kiss to the elf queen’s neck.

  Lyth looked surprised by the sudden touch, but she knew I could feel her arousal growing alongside mine as Norel’s hands found her breasts, gently kneading them and pulling her in closer as Faye seemed content for the moment to watch and enjoy the view. It wasn’t going to last, if the building need in the fae woman was anything to work with on my end.

  Braire, for her part, chose not to be distracted by what was happening around her, choosing instead to focus on me, dipping her head down, helping me to pull my shirt off, and letting her kisses trail all the way down my chest, moaning softly with each light touch.

  The arousal spread through us like wildfire, and I could see that Norel’s hands had followed Braire’s example, slipping between Lyth’s slim, firm thighs as the elf queen’s hands started to explore, trying to watch Braire and me while enjoying the feel of Norel’s firm, heavy, not yet bare breasts in her hands, as Norel started to undress.

  I looked down to watch Braire pulling her own clothes off while pulling my trousers down far enough to reveal my hard, throbbing cock, letting her breasts lightly rub over the head before allowing her head drop down, her tongue flickering out to lavish the shaft with her attention before I reached down, placing my hand on the back of her head and helping her take the member into her mouth.

  I looked up, indicating for Faye to come over to join us. The fae smiled, pushing herself up and lightly discarding her own clothes as I watched her skin ripple and her appearance change. By the time that she knelt down next to Braire, she was the spitting image of the beast mistress herself.

  Faye took a moment to run her hands over Braire’s bare skin, leaning in to place a light, playful kiss to my lips as her fingers drifted between Braire’s thighs, discovering her drenched pussy waiting.

  One hand remained there, drawing low, muffled moans from Braire as she enjoyed the taste of my cock in her mouth. Faye’s other hand drew Braire away from me with a grip in her hair, turning the beast mistress to her for a kiss.

  Braire appeared a little surprised to be looking herself in the eye, but the moment of hesitation quickly passed as she leaned in, kissing Faye hungrily as she continued to stroke my cock with her hand.

  As arousing a sight as it was, the growing hunger inside me was not so easily sated. I pulled Braire and Faye closer to me, feeling Braire’s lips press against mine with the same enthusiasm as Faye moved down, eagerly taking my shaft into her mouth and slowly bobbing her head over it.

  “Hey!” Braire protested, seeing her position so quickly removed. Faye moaned in response, not willing to relinquish her control of the shaft as I guided Braire down between my thighs next to Faye, letting her suck gently on my bal
ls as both women appeared willing to play, touch, and toy with each other.

  My left hand drifted through Braire’s hair, feeling the runes heating up in my hand, with Braire’s reaction coming a moment later.

  “Oh... gods,” she whispered, eyes closed, fingers digging lightly into my thighs as the magic flowed through her body, culminating in her pussy as she gently pressed herself against me. She shuddered gently as the driving force started to push her towards the edge, her body crashing against me as she came hard.

  Faye paused to watch, still keeping me in her mouth until my hand started bobbing her head again for her, filling her warm mouth and pushing in deeper, feeling her throat tightening, eyes bulging as she pushed herself in deeper, taking me in harder, fucking me with her mouth.

  I looked up, realizing that Norel had just climaxed as well, realizing that Lyth had buried her face between the elf’s thighs, using her lips and tongue to push Norel to her own orgasm, with a little help from her connection with Braire.

  I motioned for both to come over and join the three of us on the other side of the fire.

  Norel smiled, tilting her head and pulling Lyth up, pressing a light kiss to the queen’s lips before turning her attention over to me. Both elves smiled and were happy to acquiesce to my request, moving around the fire to join us. Lyth dropped down next to where Braire was still recovering as Norel moved over me, straddling over my hips as Faye moved away, once again changing her appearance to match the elf queen this time.

  “Interesting trick,” Lyth said softly, tilting her head, licking her lips, watching Norel slowly sinking down onto my cock, moaning softly as I filled her with a gentle thrust from my hips.

  Norel gasped, dropping down to let me fully impale her as Braire turned her attention on the elf queen, dipping her head down to pay her the same kind of pleasure that she’d given Norel. as Faye, too, my left hand on hers, pulled it over to her breast, covering my hand with hers and kneading it gently.

  “You know what I want,” Faye whispered, running her tongue lightly over my cheek as she watched Norel starting to ride me, gasping for breath and shuddering with pleasure that was spreading over her through our connection. The connection that I could feel with Lyth was getting stronger as well, sending shots of sensation rushing up and down my body as I started to push back against Norel’s movements, gripping Faye as well and feeling the burn in the runes branded on my skin.

  Her eyes rolled back, and Norel could feel the spell rushing through the fae’s body, increasing her pace, and through Norel, Lyth appeared to feel it as well, gasping and moaning as her head fell back, her fingers digging into Braire’s skin.

  I was not immune to the sensations myself, my whole body tensing as Faye suddenly climaxed.

  “Oh... Grant!” she screamed, pressing herself into me, and Norel joined in, her body tightening around me as my hips bucked back into her, filling her with cock and more as I twitched inside her, trying to scream but nothing coming out as Lyth came as well.

  Norel kept on moving for a few more seconds before dropping down against me, gripping me and Faye to her as the other woman shifted back to her original form.

  It felt like my power was brimming as we all lay next to the campfire. My body was exhausted, but my mind was clear. The fears that had been plaguing me weren’t gone, but they seemed less important now.

  As the other four drifted off to sleep, tangled up with me as they were, I couldn’t help but follow suit.

  8

  My eyes opened, looking around and blinking quickly, trying to drag myself from the sleep that had overcome us. I didn’t know how long I had been asleep, but it felt like it had been for far too long.

  And yet, not quite enough.

  I gazed out at the forest, trying to gauge what the hour was, but was unable to tell. There was light in the land around me, but a mist had rolled in, obfuscating everything further than twenty feet from where I was standing.

  What I could see was less than encouraging. The camp was still set up, but the fire had long since burned out. The four women that I had been with the night before were gone, disappeared. There was no sign that they had even ridden away, but the horses were gone too.

  Something was wrong. I looked around, trying to find the sword that I had taken from my waist, and it was nowhere to be found either.

  My attention was drawn away to the flicker of movement I caught in the corner of my eye. I turned around, trying to catch sight of what was moving. I had no weapon, sure, but I was far from defenseless, feeling my left hand starting to burn as power started to flow into the runes on my skin.

  “Who’s out there?” I called, not wanting to move away from the camp. The others might still be returning, and I wanted to be here when they did.

  “Do you really think that is necessary, Grant?”

  The voice behind me was more than familiar. The sound of it made my whole body go warm as I turned around, refusing to believe the evidence of my ears, and as it turned out, my eyes as well.

  I wanted to believe it, but there was just too much in my mind telling me that it was impossible. Even the sight of her long, flowing green hair, the fluttering of her wings and the ridiculously immodest nature of her clothes, showing the gorgeous form that I had spent so much time touching, kissing and enjoying, to the gentle glow at the base of her horns.

  There were a few things that were different about her. The wings that had looked torn and worn before were now perfectly cured, fluttering gently like she was expecting to be able to take flight. Her clothes were a different color too.

  But there was no mistaking her. There weren’t any others like her in the world.

  “Aliana,” I whispered, almost fearing that saying it would make her disappear into the mist.

  But there she stood, tilting her head and smiling at me in the way that she had when she had overseen my training. Like she knew I was doing something wrong, but it was interesting to watch how I failed in order to find a way to help me succeed.

  “Is that you?” I gasped, taking a step towards her, and once again, she remained where she was, giggling softly as I reached out to touch her, making sure that she was real.

  My fingers ran lightly over her cheek, stroking her skin. It felt warm. That same kind of feverish warmth that I remembered, and she tilted her head to press her cheek into my touch, closing her eyes to revel in the moment.

  “Gods,” I whispered, stepping in closer and wrapping my arms around her, pulling her in close in a warm embrace. She hugged me back, pulling her wings around to press me closer to her.

  “How?” I asked, stepping away, but keeping her close to me, my hands on her shoulders. “The last... you were gone. The connection... how is this possible?”

  A flicker of pain crossed her face, marring the happiness that had spread over it when she saw me.

  “You’re... you’re not here, are you?” I said, feeling my throat catching. “This is a dream.”

  She nodded. “It was the only way that I could contact you.”

  “Contact me?” I asked. “What do you mean? What happened to you?”

  “Abarat cut my connection to you as soon as he realized what happened,” Aliana explained, stepping in closer to me, running her fingers down over my cheek, looking deep into my eyes. “He... wasn’t happy to lose control of the emperor the way that he did. His plans for retaking control didn’t involve me, and he locked me in a cell. I don’t think I’ll be able to escape on my own, but I did manage to force myself free enough to contact you this way.”

  “We... I don’t understand,” I said. I wasn’t aware of any way for the link between us to be broken with her still being alive, but I wanted to believe that she was telling me the truth.

  “I don’t have much time,” she said, shaking her head. “You might be waking up any minute, and Abarat might be able to tell that my spirit has escaped his grasp.”

  I nodded. “I’ve missed you, Ali.”

  She smiled, a few tears
slipping from her eyes as she leaned in and pressed her face into my bare chest. “I’ve missed you too, Grant. But I’ve reached out to you to tell you that there is a way for you to find me. And more importantly, find Abarat.”

  I pulled her away, looking down into her eyes, trying to resist the feeling of something tugging against the back of my mind. “How can we help? I’m not sure if you know but the threat that we’re facing... well, the long and short of it is that the only real chance we have to defeat them is to find Abarat, and we can’t do that without your ability to open portals.”

  “I know,” she said, nodding. “I know of a way for you to find him and reach him too. It won’t be easy but then... when is it ever, for us?”

  She had a good point.

  “What can we do?” I asked again.

  “You need to find your way up north,” Aliana explained. “Around Abarat’s force, and into the mountains. Back during the war, Norel and I were able to head into the mountains. It was a long time ago, but Norel should be able to remember a time when we headed up that way, fighting a pair of monsters that helped us to learn how to open the portals.”

  “Norel never mentioned anything like that,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “But that doesn’t really matter, does it? Norel knows how to open them herself, so...”

  “She won’t be able to do it alone,” Aliana said softly, shaking her head. “It’s not that I doubt her abilities or anything, but it is a fairly unique ability, one that even the ancients were not able to pin down. She knows how, but she lacks the ability to open a portal that would be able to reach past Abarat’s army.”

  That sounded about right, since Norel had said something similar herself.

  “How would finding those monsters help?” I asked. “And would those beasts even be there to help us like they helped you?”

  “I would say that they are still alive,” Aliana said with a firm nod. “They were ancient before we even got to them, and... well, Norel and I were just barely able to escape with our lives. They are likely still there and would be able to help all of you to learn how to work the ability. With all of you helping, you should be able to coordinate better, and work through it all to be able to open a portal of sufficient distance.”