by Eric Vall
As they should.
I turned back to Kinba and snorted a plume of smoke into his face. “Good. I’m glad to see you have some intelligence and reason in that stubborn fucking head of yours.”
Then I stepped back to allow the lion Demi-Human to clamber to his feet, and I looked over to see Ravi and the dryads approaching from my right side.
“You four alright?” I asked with some concern.
“Never better!” Polina chirped, and a wide grin spread across her green face. “Lookie what we did!”
She pointed off behind her, and I followed her finger to a dozen or so lion Demi-Humans who were trussed up with what looked like spiny cactus rope. That had to hurt.
“Good job, ladies,” I chuckled. “I’m proud of you.”
“We tied them up real good and quick,” Trina said as she came over to lean against my leg and bat her eyelashes at me, “just so we could watch you make that kitty man cry.”
“It was so amazing, Lord Evan,” Marina sighed and swooned. “We thought you were going to eat him!”
“Oh, that would have been so much fun!” Polina pouted.
“Well, you might get your wish,” I snorted and turned back to Lord Kinba. “I still haven’t decided if I like what I’m going to hear from him.”
“Kill me, if that’s what you’ve come for,” the lead lion declared as he met my eye and raised his chin, “but spare my people. They have done nothing wrong.”
“Yeah,” I growled, “that’s not how I’ve heard it. I’ve heard your House is a collection of bastards and oppressors.”
“You’ve been listening to the gossip of Houses Onca and Jubatus, I see,” Kinba sneered.
“I don’t give a shit about gossip,” I snarled, “and I honestly don’t give a shit about this little spat between the Houses of Tikal. All I know is that it ends now.”
“By who’s decree?” the lion Demi-Human scoffed.
“By mine,” I growled, raked my talons across the stone pyramid steps, and left behind deep gouges.
“Because Lord Rodion sent you on his behalf?” Kinba laughed in derision.
“Because I am the future king of Rahma,” I declared as I drew myself up to my full imposing height and glared down at the puny lion. “One day soon this city, this land, and this kingdom will all be mine, and if you will not bend the knee to me now, well then, I can just find a new batch of lords to rule over Tikal. Because Tikal is my city now, not yours, not House Jubatus’, not House Onca’s. Mine. And if you don’t like how I run my city, then I can help you find a new one. Preferably in the afterlife, if there is one.”
Kinba blinked at me in shock, and somewhere behind me the dryads moaned in pleasurable unison.
“I love sexy badass time,” I heard one of the sisters stage whisper.
“I really hope the kitty man cries again,” another one giggled.
“I hope Lord Evan eats him,” the third dryad sighed.
The lion Demi-Human paled as he heard this, and I flashed him my three-foot long fangs to drive home the point.
“So, what say you, Lord Kinba of House Oel?” I asked as I towered over him. “Will you agree to end this feud between the Houses of Tikal, turn over your prisoners, and receive your daughter home safely in return? Or will you continue to be stubborn to your grave?”
At the mention of his daughter, Lord Kinba’s whole demeanor changed. The glare of hatred faded from his face, and the lion was no longer a warrior, a lord, or a tyrant. He was a father, afraid for his child.
“Aaliyah is alive?” he murmured with wide eyes. “She is alright?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “I’ve spoken to House Onca, and they haven’t harmed her. And they aren’t going to without my leave. I’ve also spoken to House Jubatus, and both Houses have agreed to release their captives if you return Lord Chax to his people.”
Lord Kinba frowned and considered this for a long moment.
“And what then, dragon?” the lion finally asked. “What will happen to the Houses of Tikal?”
“If you all return your captives without further conflict, then I’ll let you all live,” I sneered. “Then we’ll talk about you swearing fealty to the crown of Rahma again, and we’ll figure out how to bring Tikal back to its former glory.”
“Why?” Kinba abruptly asked.
I frowned. “Why what?”
“Why would you aid us in fixing our city?”
“I don’t think you heard me earlier,” I laughed darkly. “This isn’t your city anymore, it’s mine. And my cities aren’t allowed to be anything but great. So, we’ll have to fix it up. Bring in more trade, fix your crop problems, make Tikal a destination location once again. You can be there to see all this happen.”
“But only if I swear my fealty?” Kinba smiled without humor.
“You don’t really have any other options,” I bared my fangs, “but I think it’s a pretty sweet deal. I’d take it.”
Lord Kinba pursed his lips, and his orangish-brown eyes flickered behind me to take in his people. A host of emotions flared across his face before his gaze finally met mine again.
Then he slowly, and painstakingly, bent his legs and kneeled before me.
“I accept your proposal, Lord Dragon,” he muttered with his head bowed to the ground, “as long as my daughter and people are spared and allowed to live in this great new Tikal you speak of.”
“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today,” I snorted a plume of smoke around the lion, “but I am glad you made the right decision, Lord Kinba. Now, tell me, where is Lord Chax? I promised his sister we’d return with him by day’s end, and I always keep my promises.”
Chapter 15
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Chax,” I rumbled to the leader of House Jubatus.
The male cheetah gawked up at me from the broken steps of House Oel’s pyramid, and he looked a little worse for wear due to his imprisonment. His clothes were tattered rags that hung off his gaunt frame, dirt and sand was smeared across his face, and it looked like one of his ears was missing a tuft of fur. He was alive, though, and his bronze eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he continued to stare up at me in shocked silence.
“I think you broke the kitty man again,” Polina stage whispered from beside my right foreleg.
“I-I am not broken,” Lord Chax stammered and shook himself from his stupor. “I just … never dreamed I’d meet a dragon in my lifetime, let alone have one for my savior.”
“You’re welcome,” I smirked down at the cheetah, “but you have your sister to thank as well. It was because she agreed to work with me that you get to go home today.”
“Imani?” Chax gasped and stumbled forward. “You … spoke with her? She is well?”
“Alive and perfectly well,” I reassured him, “and she’s waiting for you as we speak.”
“Then, may we leave, Lord Dragon?” the cheetah Demi-Human asked as his eyes darted around nervously. “I do not wish to remain here any longer than is necessary.”
“I don’t blame you,” I chuckled, “but you have nothing to worry about any more. The Houses of Tikal have tentatively agreed to a ceasefire. We still have some details to hash out, but you and your people won’t be harmed, captured, or killed ever again.”
“How?” Chax gaped up at me. “How did you accomplish this, oh mighty Lord Dragon? Tikal has been at war for generations.”
“I can be very persuasive,” I rumbled and flashed my fangs.
“Indeed,” Lord Kinba muttered from several feet away.
I whipped my head around and glared down at the lion Demi-Human, and he was cowed under the weight of my stare.
“That’s what I thought.” I snorted.
“When will my daughter be returned to me, Lord Evan of Hatra el Shamash?” Kinba asked as he raised his head and met my gaze for a moment. “I have released Chax as you ordered.”
“Hmm,” I tilted my head in thought, “well, I was going to fly Chax home and then bring the jaguar advisor
s back to House Onca before I picked up your daughter, but I don’t really feel like playing taxi. So, what is the most central part of Tikal? A location equidistant from each of the Houses’ ancestral seats?”
Kinba frowned, and his tan ears twitched atop his head. “I … do not know.”
“Seriously?” I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t your House used to rule this city?”
“I do not know all of Tikal’s secrets,” the lion Demi-Human sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Useless,” I muttered and rolled my eyes.
“If I may, Lord E-Evan,” Chax spoke up as he tentatively stepped toward me, “I think I know of such a place.”
“Oh?” I craned my neck down to be on level with the cheetah. “Where?”
“T-There is a grand fountain in the center of Tikal,” he stuttered and tried not to look terrified to have me so close. “It u-used to be the site of the city’s bazaar and merchant quarters, so it was relatively near to all the Houses’ palaces.”
“Perfect,” I flashed my fangs in a grin, “thank you, Lord Chax.”
“O-Of course,” he murmured and bowed his head.
I sat back on my haunches and quickly summoned a silver messenger dragon.
“Tell Alyona, Laika, Nike, and Jai to meet us at the fountain in the center of the city with Lord Kinba’s daughter,” I instructed, “and tell Imani of House Jubatus to do the same with Jai’s advisors.”
The silver dragon dipped his head, and then it shot off into the sky, split in two different directions, and headed toward the east and south.
I watched the messenger wink out of sight, and then I turned back to Lord Kinba.
“You will be accompanying us,” I instructed, “and you’ll have your daughter back soon enough.”
The lion Demi-Human nodded before he turned to his men and started to give them orders.
“Will we be flying there, Lord Evan?” Ravi asked as she came up beside me.
“No,” I smirked, “I think I want to see this new city of mine more fully. So, we’ll be walking, but you’re more than welcome to ride along on my back.”
“Oooh, I call sitting up front!” Marina cried out before she started to scramble up my tail.
“No fair!” Polina pouted, and then she and Trina dashed off to overtake their sister.
“If you don’t mind, my lord,” Ravi smiled sheepishly up at me, “may I perch on your head in my phoenix form? I’d like to see your new city from above, if that’s all right.”
“Perfectly fine with me.” I nodded before I turned to the cheetah Demi-Human standing awkwardly beside me. “Lord Chax, would you also like a ride?”
“N-No,” he stuttered and waved his hands in front of him, “thank you, Lord Evan, b-but I’ll be fine walking. It’ll feel good to stretch my legs again.”
“Suit yourself.” I shrugged and then raised my voice. “Kinba, we’re moving out! Come along.”
The lion Demi-Human scowled at being ordered around like a child, but to his credit he followed after me as Lord Chax led us away from House Oel’s ancestral seat. A half dozen lions trailed behind their lord in a protective semi-circle, but they looked uncertain as they glanced between their puny spears and my enormous form.
It really fucking rocked being an awesome dragon.
Our eclectic entourage strolled through the streets of Tikal at a leisurely pace. The sun was high above our heads, and in the noonday light, I was finally able to appreciate the city in more detail. As we traveled south, I could see how the buildings began to transition between the different biospheres, and Demi-Humans and humans alike began to peek out from alleyways and windows. A continuous murmuring followed us as we went, and I heard the word “dragon” and “amazing” muttered more than once.
“It’s really pretty here,” Ravi sighed from where she was perched atop my head. “You know, when we’re not being shot at, attacked, or darting through the shadows in the middle of the night.”
“I agree,” I chuckled. “Maybe when we return to Hatra, we can stop by here again. It’ll be cool to see how the city will have improved in a few months’ time.”
“You mean ‘your city?’” the phoenix teased. “I overheard what you said to Lord Kinba.”
“Yeah?” I laughed. “You liked that?”
“I did,” Ravi admitted. “As the sisters would say, it was very sexy and very badass. I can’t wait to see how many more cities you’ll claim.”
I smirked at the thought. First, I started with hoarding women and treasure, and now I was collecting cities. It was fucking awesome. I was already on my way to being a Dragon King, but now I was leaning toward Dragon Conqueror, too.
How long until I was a Dragon God?
“Lord Evan!” one of the dryads called out and drew me from my musing.
“Huh, what?” I asked.
“I think the fountain is up ahead! We can sense water!”
“And plants!” another sister added.
I craned my neck up to look out over the city streets, and the dryads were right. Down the block, the road opened up into a wide plaza, and a massive fountain stretched up toward the sky. The fountain itself was an impressive sight. It stood several stories tall and was made out of the finest golden granite. Three statues of a cheetah, a lion, and a jaguar stood back to back as they faced in the direction of their respective Houses, and water poured out of their snarling maws. The statues themselves stood on pedestals, but below them stretched a wide pool of water, and a myriad of reeds, lilies, and other water-growing plants grew out from the pool’s depths. It looked like it had been a while since the fountain was maintained, so the plants were wild and unkempt, but I thought it looked more ruggedly beautiful this way.
Still, it meant that the city needed some repair. It was a good thing I was great at rebuilding.
Our party came to a stop before the lion’s statue of the fountain, and I looked around to see the citizens of Tikal had followed after us and were now spreading out across the plaza.
“Lord Evan!” Ravi suddenly gasped from on top of my head, and then she alighted on my snout to gesture off to the right. “Look!”
I followed the phoenix’s instructions, and a grin split my maw.
A group of cheetah Demi-Humans were coming down the opposite street, and at their head strode Imani. The female cheetah walked with her head held high, and behind her two jaguar Demi-Humans were prodded along by a sullen looking Chidi.
“And there’s Milady and Laika!” one of the dryads cried out, and then I felt all three of them begin to shimmy and slide off my back.
I looked down the street to my left, and sure enough Laika was steering a wagon with Alyona and Nike seated beside her. Jai and his jaguars surrounded the wagon, and Jai held a pretty lion Demi-Human girl by the upper arm. She wore a dirtied gold wrap around her breasts, and her wild, curly honey-colored hair was an untamed mane around her aristocratic face, but her eyes were a piercing and intelligent orange with very little brown to speak of.
All in all, Lord Kinba’s daughter was pretty hot, but I’d find time to study her beauty later.
All parties came to a stop around the fountain, and then a still beat of silence passed.
“Leaders of your Houses,” I announced and broke the silence, “come forward with your prisoners.”
Laika, Alyona, and Nike immediately jumped down from their wagon and began to make their way toward me, and Jai trailed at their backs with Aaliyah still in his grasp. Imani stepped up next with Chidi and the jaguar advisors at her side, and then I shifted back into my human form to stand beside Chax, Kinba, Ravi, and the dryads.
We all formed a large circle facing each other, and the air was tense as loved ones stared longingly at each other, and enemies glared and stifled sneers.
Finally, Alyona broke ranks and walked into the circle with Laika and Nike flanking her.
“I knew you could do it, my love.” She smiled as she came to a stop before me. “Diplomacy worke
d after all.”
“Yeah, kinda,” I chuckled, “but I’ll tell you about it later. Everything go alright with House Onca?”
“Jai wasn’t happy when he learned you disappeared,” Nike snorted before he flashed me a grin, “but we kept him in line, and the lion girl wasn’t harmed.”
“Good job, brother.” I smiled at him in return before I glanced around the circle. “So, how should we do this?”
“I think you should declare the captives are free to return to their families and Houses,” Alyona suggested as she looped her arm around mine. “It’s what a king would do.”
“Sounds good to me.” I smirked before I raised my voice and addressed the gathered Demi-Humans. “Prisoners of Houses Onca, Jubatus, and Oel, you are freed from your captivity, and I declare the feud that has embroiled Tikal for centuries over. Does anyone object?”
Silence answered my question.
“That’s what I thought,” I chuckled, and then I glanced over my shoulder at Lord Chax and jerked my head at him.
The cheetah Demi-Human didn’t need to be told twice, and he sprinted away from the members of House Oel toward his sister.
Imani ran forward and met him halfway, and the siblings shared a tender and grateful embrace.
The moment Imani and Chax were reunited, Chidi released the two jaguars, and they jogged over toward Jai. The three jaguars also embraced and clasped arms, and a relieved smile spread across Jai’s face.
Then a voice rose up above the mutterings of the crowd.
“Aaliyah!” Lord Kinba croaked as he staggered forward.
Jai’s men released the young female lion, and she immediately bounded forward and threw herself into her father’s arms. The two collapsed to their knees as they embraced, and I thought I even spotted tears streaking down Kinba’s face.
Maybe the bastard had a heart after all.
“Mission accomplished, my lord.” Laika smirked and nudged me with her hip.
“Not quite,” I chuckled as I looked out over the relieved citizens of Tikal, “but it’s a start.”
“You have done a fine job, Lord Evan,” Alyona said as she leaned her head against my shoulder. “My father would be proud.”