Empire Builder 2

by Dante King

  “That’s good news,” Ben said. He watched as she turned to tend to the bushes.

  The dryad was modest and reserved at times, hiding a passionate hunger that he’d seen unleashed a few times in the bedroom. Her deepest desire as a child had been to become one of the Forgotten Ruler’s wives and to bear his children. Ben suspected she’d been as surprised to have her wish granted when they’d rescued her nearly two weeks earlier as he’d been when he was able to grant it.

  Vinata moved with the same graceful motion as the trees she’d planted in this garden. Ben could see how the dryads might become totally invisible in the forest as they waited to defend it from intruders.

  She was scarcely concealed from him though. The way her long, thin legs drew his attention up to her shapely ass, only just clad by her forest underwear, ensured that he could see little else in the garden.

  But when Ben noticed she was doing something strange and interesting, he took his eyes from Vinata’s body and watched. Vinata seemed to be in a state of total focus, as still as a stone as she stood among the greenery. To Ben, she seemed to be meditating. Her chest rose and fell as she took in one slow, deep breath after another.

  After some time, she lifted her hands slowly, pointing her open palms outward. A green glow began emanating from her hands, faint at first, but growing deeper and deeper by the second. The green energy flowed from her hands, traveling through the air to the plants, where it connected with their leaves and flowers.

  When the energy touched them, the plants responded. They shot upright, like soldiers at attention, as the energy flowed through their forms. Then they reached out toward Vinata, as if hoping to touch her palms, to drink the energy from the source. An expression of total concentration took hold of her face, as if she were gaining something from the plants as they gained something from her.

  And when she was done, she closed her palms, the energy vanishing and the plants gently drooping back down. Vinata let her hands drop to her sides, then opened her eyes. Her eyes glowed with a new energy. She smiled, looking like she’d woken up from the most refreshing sleep of her life.

  “That’s better,” she said. She made a slow circle around the room, giving her attention, however briefly, to each of the plants. “And I hope you’re feeling better too, babies.”

  Vinata made her way over to the table and took a seat next to Ben. She smiled and absentmindedly scratched Nipper’s chin as the big cat came over to her, purring. Melody’s children had grown quite fond of the nymphs as well.

  “What this garden needs is more wildlife,” Vinata said. “Birds in the trees, squirrels scampering, perhaps a deer or two.” The wood nymph’s eyes shone as she dreamed of it.

  Ben laughed. “We have a whole forest full of wildlife at the foot of the tower, and you want to have more up here?”

  Melody got to her feet. “I’m going to go get some sun while I wait for our meal. All this talk of small animals is making me even hungrier.”

  Vinata gave an indignant shriek when she heard that. “You can’t eat the animals if I bring them up here.”

  “We live in a house with three carnivores, Vinata,” Ben said. “How do you plan to stop them?”

  Vinata looked down, her bright green eyes troubled. “I’ll find a way.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Ben gave the dryad a kiss on the cheek to cheer her up as Melody walked between the vegetation, searching for a patch of sun to lie in. Ben couldn’t help watching her ass shifting in her tight cutaway shorts as she retreated.

  The garment seemed a bit out of place in a fantasy world, but Melody had found it in the large wardrobe in their shared bedroom. Ben assumed his former self had taken care to stock the tower with clothing that was practical and looked good, rather than a whole heap of medieval dresses. With such beautiful women inhabiting his tower, it would be a shame to dress them up like nuns.

  Pearl followed after Melody. Ben didn’t think the cat monster would benefit much from sunbathing, being covered in fur, but perhaps she just wanted to be near her mother.

  “When do you think your parents will show up?” Ben asked Vinata, tearing his eyes away from Melody’s ass.

  Vinata wrinkled her brow as she thought. “To be honest, I would have thought they’d be here by now. I hope nothing has happened to them.”

  Ben took her hand. “You said they have a large force with them. No doubt it takes longer for them to travel than it did for the mountain ogres who abducted you.”

  “Perhaps you are right,” Vinata said, looking down.

  “As soon as I have the strength to make a trip out into the forest, we will go looking for them,” Ben assured her.

  Vinata smiled. “Thank you, Ben.”

  “Besides, I want to see this temple you spoke of, what was it called again?”

  “The Temple of Flowers.” Vinata’s eyes shone. “You would come to see our homeland?”

  “It would be an honor,” Ben said. “Your people have waited for me for so long, it would only be right for me to visit them in person.”

  “The wonders we could show you in the forest, you would not believe your eyes.” Vinata whispered with excitement.

  “I look forward to it,” Ben said.

  At that moment, the elevator doors hissed again.

  “Imogen will bring the food up shortly,” Lulu declared from behind Ben.

  He turned to see the water nymph approaching them.

  The beautiful blue-skinned undine wore her gilded skirt of seaweed, which reminded Ben of a Hawaiian tutu. Her enormous blue breasts were reigned in by the minimum of gold fabric, forming a regal bikini, fitting for the daughter of a priestess.

  “Sir Gallant the Elder told me to let you know that there is nothing to report,” she said to Ben.

  “Very good,” Ben said. The Elder knight was on duty watching the perimeter of the tower in case any enemies approached. Nothing had happened yet, but it was a wise precaution. As the reincarnated Forgotten Ruler, Ben didn’t expect it to be long before enemies began showing up at his doorstep.

  Vinata looked over at Lulu and frowned. “You lost the crown of flowers I made you.”

  “It wilted in the heat of the kitchen.” Lulu shrugged apologetically.

  Vinata got to her feet. “I’ll make you a new one.”

  The dryad walked over to the garden and began gathering flowers. Lulu came and sat next to Ben. She looked at him hungrily—but she wasn’t hungry for food.

  She crossed one long blue thigh over the other, then decided that wasn’t comfortable and uncrossed and then recrossed them, with the other thigh on top. She wasn’t wearing anything under that tutu.

  “I want more children, Ben,” the water nymph said in a husky voice.

  Ben stifled a laugh. “How about you wait until the children you’ve already got have hatched?” In the ten days since the mages had come, the first egg Lulu had produced had yet to hatch. And that was not the only egg Ben had made with Lulu, either. There was a whole collection of them in his bedroom.

  The blue nymph frowned petulantly. “But I want to make more.”

  “Your maternal instincts are admirable,” Ben managed to say with a straight face. “But they seem to have got a bit out of hand. At least wait until we’ve eaten.”

  Lulu huffed. Her angry face was almost as endearing as Vinata’s gentler features.

  “When are the eggs going to hatch?” Lulu asked. “You said Nipper and Pearl only took a day. It’s been ten days already and none of the others have hatched.”

  Ben shrugged. “This is new territory for me as well. Even Melody doesn’t know why they haven’t hatched yet. How many eggs do we have now?”

  “Thirty,” Lulu answered, without hesitation. She’d become cluckier than a hen, watching the eggs every day.

  “Well, just think what it will be like when they all hatch,” Ben consoled her.

  Lulu smiled, somewhat appeased. “That’s why I’m so impatient. I can’t wait to see what kind of offsp
ring we each bear. And those hybrid eggs, especially the ones from Vinata, Melody, and me together...who knows what those will look like?”

  “I’m impatient too, don’t get me wrong,” Ben assured her. “That’s why we have to keep fighting in those dungeons. I think Melody must be right; it has something to do with my power.”

  “What do you mean?” Lulu asked.

  “I have to get stronger before the eggs will hatch,” Ben explained. “They need me to be close by, and they need me to have great power. I guess I have to incubate them with magic somehow.”

  Lulu laughed at that. “That sounds like a very strange idea.”

  “No stranger than the eggs themselves,” Ben remarked.

  “That’s true,” Lulu said.

  At that moment, Vinata approached silently from behind Lulu and put a crown of woven flowers on the water nymph’s head. The undine jumped with surprise and reached a hand up to touch the crown.

  Vinata laughed and turned to Ben, another wreath in her hands, woven of many small flowers of different colors.

  “You must wear this, Ben,” she said, holding the crown out toward his head. “I made one for everybody.”

  “Isn’t that the sort of thing women wear?” Ben asked, eyeing the wreath skeptically.

  Vinata shook her head. “The Priests of Flowers among my people wear them too.”

  “Are you saying I should become a Priest of Flowers?”

  “Perhaps,” Vinata said, placing the crown on his head. “The Forgotten Ruler was always devout and paid his respects in our Temple. If you want the power our Temple has to offer, you have to be ready to sacrifice something in return.”

  “In this case my dignity?” Ben asked, with a wry grin.

  “On the contrary,” Lulu exclaimed, grinning. “The flowers suit you well.”

  Ben met the woman’s words with a smile.

  He did take the crown off to inspect it, however. “Blue, red, and purple flowers,” he murmured.

  “And vines of green to bind them together,” Vinata added. “To symbolize the four powers: physical, mental, emotional, and magical.”

  “Maybe it is a fitting crown for me.” Ben put it back on his head, appeased by the explanation.

  Melody walked back from where she’d been in the garden, rubbing her stomach. Her tail twitched. Pearl walked alongside her.

  Nipper bounded over and rubbed his shoulder against Melody’s leg, almost as if he hadn’t seen her for a long time. Ben never ceased to wonder at the affection that existed between Melody and her children. Melody’s cherished dream of becoming a mother had finally come true, thanks to him.

  Vinata skipped over to Melody. “I made a crown for you too.”

  Melody inclined her head, allowing Vinata to place the crown on her head. The flowers stood out brightly against her purple hair. “Thank you, Vinata,” she said.

  Pearl mewed.

  Vinata put a hand to her mouth. “I forgot a crown for you, my dear. I’ll be back.”

  The dryad darted off into the garden again.

  Melody sat down at the table, an impatient look on her face as she waited for food.

  The elevator doors hissed open behind them. Ben, Lulu, and Melody all turned to look immediately.

  Imogen, the oread, emerged carrying large trays piled with food.

  “You could have helped.” The frizzy-haired mountain nymph glared at Lulu as she strode toward the table. The large trays hardly seemed to be a burden at all.

  Lulu smiled at her sweetly. “Me? A wife of Benzhameen? Carrying trays of food?”

  Imogen’s pupiless white eyes narrowed. “Who else is going to carry them?”

  “Why you are, of course,” Lulu said. “You aren’t our equal until you’ve become one of the Forgotten Ruler’s wives.”

  Ben put out a hand, interrupting. “Girls, girls, enough bickering. You are all equal here.”

  Imogen smiled defiantly.

  “Well, maybe Imogen is a little less equal than the rest of you.” Ben grinned cheekily, as the mountain nymph’s face turned stony.

  “Perhaps next time you can help, Lulu.” Ben looked at the triumphantly smiling water nymph.

  Lulu’s face fell at the reprimand. “It’s not like you need any help, Immy.”

  Immy was the nickname they’d given her. The close living of the past couple weeks seemed to have made the nymphs more familiar with one another. Vinata was now nicknamed Vinny, too. Lulu’s name was already too short for a nickname though.

  Imogen frowned as she set the trays down on the table. “I should like a little help all the same.”

  As the oread put the trays down, Ben admired her graceful movements. Her white garments, made of strips of tough fabric, concealed the secrets of her body, which only Ben and his women had been allowed to see in the privacy of the bedroom.

  Imogen still hadn’t become one of Ben’s wives, but she did enjoy watching them, and insisted she would be ready soon.

  As the smell of food filled Ben’s nostrils, he put a stop to the discussion. “Enough about kitchen duties, it’s time to eat.”

  The two nymphs sat down, looking chastened. Ben knew it was all an act though. Their good-natured bickering had been going on for a week now. Maybe the pressures of childbearing were making Lulu moody.

  Vinata emerged from the garden with more floral wreaths for the other women, and they all prepared to eat.

  Ben looked at the table and frowned. “The table’s sitting right in the sun. Imogen, do you think you could move it into the shade for us?”

  “Certainly.” Imogen picked up the large round marble table, trays and all, and carried it several yards away to a cool patch of shade under some of the taller trees. She didn’t spill a thing.

  Ben shook his head in amazement. The superstrength of the mountain nymphs never ceased to amaze him.

  They all took a seat in the shade and began dishing out the food. Steam trailed up from the table, the delicious scent filling the room. Ben was famished, his stomach crying out for food. But even so, he took a moment to appreciate the incredible spread on display.

  One tray contained the better part of a deer’s hindquarter. The meat was a deep pink, seared to a crust on its outside, cooked just the right amount. It was fresh from the kitchen, still sizzling, its scent rich and inviting. He watched as Imogen leaned forward and sliced off a thick slice, juices dripping down the meat and pouring onto the plate. She stabbed the hunk of meat with a heavy, two-pronged fork and draped it onto one of the plates.

  “I figured you’d like a bigger piece,” she said, a smile on her face as she flicked her eyes up to Ben for a moment.

  “You figured right.”

  And there was much, much more than the deer on the table. There were several loaves of fresh bread, dark and light, heavy-crusted and warm to the touch. Ever since Ben was little, a simple slice of fresh bread had always been one of his favorite things to eat. And just the thought of a huge hunk of bread, topped with a thick smear of the golden butter nearby, was enough to make his mouth water like a hungry hound.

  Imogen came around with the plate of meat, placing it in front of Ben. The slice of deer looked so tempting that he couldn’t help but cut off a small piece and pop it into his mouth.

  Just as he’d anticipated, it was heavenly. The meat was cooked and seasoned to perfection, rich and succulent, melting in his mouth like butter. It was so delicious that Ben let it rest on his tongue for a moment, savoring the flavor before chewing and swallowing. Juices pooled on the plate, and he could only imagine how good it would be to clean his plate with a hunk of bread.

  “Where did the deer come from?” Ben asked, using all the restraint he had to set down his fork and wait for the others to be served.

  But he was very curious about the deer. Ben had been busy strategizing and perfecting his mana refinement skills that day and hadn’t had time to see what was happening on the ground level.

  “Nipper and Pearl hunted it down,” Melo
dy said, beaming with pride.

  “All on their own?” Ben asked.

  Nipper rubbed up against his leg, and Ben scratched under his chin.

  “Sir Gallant the Elder came up after them and carried the carcass inside,” Lulu explained. “Then we cooked it in one of the kitchens.”

  “I made the salad,” Vinata said, pointing to the other tray. It almost sounded like a challenge, as if she were placing her dish for consideration as best on the table.

  “It looks delicious,” Ben said, scooping some onto his plate.

  He wasn’t being insincere. The vegetables looked fresh and crisp, the lettuce leaves springy and verdant green. Ben had always been more of a meat-and-bread eater, but he was looking forward to the satisfying crunch of the salad veggies between his teeth.

  Vinata was no fan of eating meat. Dryads had this thing about killing animals and destroying forests. As long as she still supported Ben building his empire, he didn’t mind if she was a bit outspoken about her love of nature at the same time.

  The tray with the salad also contained a number of empty cups, made of finely polished stone.

  “You didn’t think to bring any water up with you?” Lulu asked.

  “I thought that was your job,” Imogen retorted.

  Lulu harrumphed and proceeded to cast a spell with her hands, pointing it at the fountain behind them. Streams of water flew through the air toward each cup, filling them to the brim. Lulu ended the spell once each cup was full.

  “Such insolence, talking to a wife of Benzhameen that way,” she grumbled. “I’ve a mind to spank you, Imogen.”

  “Can I watch?” Melody perked up.

  Ben stifled a laugh. Melody’s kinky proclivities had never ceased to amaze him. He’d met her back in that nightclub on Earth. She’d struck him as sexually adventurous back then, but he’d had no idea what she was really into. A heavy dose of voyeurism was just the beginning.

  As they were eating, Vinata stopped and pointed above their heads. “I know how you all love a bit of mood lighting, so I prepared something earlier today.”

  A tightly woven wreath of plants hung from the glass roof above their heads, suspended by cords of vines. Ben leaned back and peered up. He could see little stumps sticking out of the wreath at regular intervals, like wicks.