by Mark Albany
Blessed Blades
The Elven-Trinity Book 5
Mark Albany
Mark Albany
Copyrighted Material.
BLESSED BLADES Copyright (c) 2019 by Mark Albany. Book design and layout copyright (c) 2019 by Mark Albany. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are product’s of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from Mark Albany.
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
Foreword
I hope you enjoy this book. It is strictly for adults, but if you are 18+ and enjoy the read, come join me and two other authors in our Facebook group, HAREM NATION.
We look forward to discussing our books with you!
1
The forest was too quiet.
Although no monsters were could be found, the fact that we hadn’t actually cleansed it worried me. It seemed like all the monsters had disappeared. With the sheer amount of bodies that had been left behind from the battle, the undead and even the golems that attacked the walls of the small town had required some regular culling—then, a few days earlier, they had simply disappeared.
No warning. No last attack, no last stand. We woke up one morning and they were eerily all gone. The idea of monsters coordinating their efforts worried me.
Aliana suggested a quick trip into the surrounding forests to make sure they weren’t gathering somewhere nearby to make one last stand. If they were, I didn’t think that just the two of us would be able to foil their plans, but at least we could thin their numbers and get a bit of a warning. If the situation turned poor, we could always pull back from the fight and teleport away with a warning for the others and some intelligence about what we faced.
Thus far, though, there was no sign of any monsters near us.
Aliana looked over at me, smirking. Her wings fluttered a bit in the way they did when she was trying not to tell me something. Of course, I didn’t need to be able to read her body language to know what she was thinking, to a degree, but the skill was a nice one to have.
“Just say it,” I grumbled, shaking my head and keeping back a chuckle.
“Well, you’re trying not to say that you told me we should stay back in town, behind walls, and let you and Lyth explore using your astral projection skills,” Aliana explained with a shrug of her shoulders.
“It’s a new skill that I would like some training in, considering that she is a good deal better at it than I am,” I agreed. “But then, it was a choice between training and coming out here to spend some time prowling the local forests with you. It was an easy decision to make.”
“And the fact that you might risk your life doing so?” Aliana asked as she walked over to me and pressed her arm into my shoulder, nudging me just slightly off my step.
I shrugged. “I was already looking forward to this. No need to add enticement at this point.”
She laughed in response as we reached the top of the hill that we’d been climbing. It was a spot with no trees, thanks to a rocky surface, like a mountain that hadn’t quite made it. From there, we could see the surrounding land for miles. Even with the tree cover, it was easy to make out where the monsters might be. They churned up the ground wherever they went, and they were blackened, decaying creatures that were caught easily in the sunlight.
I didn’t see any signs of them. Aliana’s eyes were sharper than mine, and from the look of disappointment in them, I didn’t need to ask if she saw the same lack of signs.
“They’re gone,” Aliana observed, shaking her head as she hopped down from the highest point of the hill. “It’s like the air is purer for lacking those monsters in this area, which is good enough news for the people in this place.”
“Where did they go, if they’re not here?” I asked, shaking my head as I toyed with the hilt of my sword. It was a worrying prospect. There had been something close to an army of them only a week ago, and there was no way that we had killed enough to drive them away. Were they avoiding us?
Had some other power summoned them elsewhere? I didn’t like that thought. Too much of the Empire was unprotected. The Emperor was affected by Abarat, and we sat on our proverbial asses, not knowing what to do next.
“We should head back to the fort,” Aliana noted as we made our way down the hill. “If the undead aren’t here anymore, then we need to know where they went.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. I wasn’t even finished with the sentence before the smell of ozone overwhelmed my senses and I was dragged into the twisting, annoyingly unpleasant portal that dropped the two of us just inside the gates of the fort.
I scowled at her as I watched her grin at me and chuckle, and shook my head. I wanted to complain about the lack of warning, but the fact was, she had warned me. The only complaint available was the same one I’d had since the first time she’d dragged me into one of her portals.
“I fucking hate portals,” I growled under my breath. Aliana heard me, but aside from a small smirk, she didn’t react as we moved through the inside of the fort. Despite the battle that occurred not that long ago, there was a surprising amount of movement inside the walls at this time of the late morning. Despite everything, this town was still the best trading post between the Empire and the western city-states, meaning that anyone who travelled from the smaller kingdoms to the west in the Empire either had to use the pass just beyond the palisade walls, or circle around for hundreds of miles to the south to the edge of the mountain range.
Regardless of what had happened, I liked this place. There was a simplicity to it. The people that lived in the area either lived off the bountiful hunting and gathering that was available in the nearby forests, or from trading with the caravans that came through on their way into the Empire. They were simple folk, for the most part, and were very accepting of the newly-arrived elves who now lived among them—which endeared them to me, and, I was sure, the three sisters I had in tow as well.
Or did they have me in tow? I was never quite sure about that.
Norel was the first to greet us. She stepped out of the mayor’s house, which was easily the largest building inside the walls. The mayor himself had been more than happy to lend us the accommodations after the battle.
Norel leaned in and kissed me on the lips by way of greeting, and offered Aliana a warm hug and kiss as well.
“I take it from your early return that no monsters were found?” she asked, looking at both of us.
Aliana was the first to shake her head. “A concerning development. How has your luck helped you?”
“We’re still studying what older texts we’ve found, with Lyth’s help, but the only things mentioned so far are the weapons that can break a hold like Abarat’s.” Norel sighed and tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “No talk of a place that might contain suc
h a weapon.”
“Well, there is little we can do other than keep trying,” I noted, stating the obvious. We all knew that we needed to wait until there was something for us to chase after. Charging away like chickens with our heads cut off would do nothing but play directly into Abarat’s hands.
“I could always try and get something out of Faye, again,” I said as the silence between us dragged on. “She hasn’t been talkative thus far, but she knows something. The longer I can keep her talking, the likelier she is to let something useful slip.”
“She does seem to talk more when Grant is around,” Norel agreed with a shrug. “I see no harm in it.”
Aliana scowled, again looking like she wanted to say something, but held back. Finally, she nodded. “I’ll go in with you and make sure she doesn’t try anything foolish.”
“Good luck to both of you.” Norel smiled.
“Thank you, beautiful.” I grinned and pressed a light kiss to her lips before she made her way into the building, then Aliana and I headed toward the back of the walled town where a small but well-built prison area stood. I remembered it from our time spent there, when Lyth had to break us out.
It hadn’t been the best night’s sleep I’d ever had, in all honesty.
We stepped inside the building that still raised the hairs on the back of my neck, and moved down into the cells. An elf dressed in a guard outfit, complete with a mace hanging from his belt, stood watch over the Official. He nodded at Aliana first, then me, before he pulled the keys from the hook on his belt and opened the cell door to reveal where the woman sat.
Her long, blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders. Dirty, as was expected from someone kept under tight restraint for days on end. Her hands were bound to minimize her ability to spell-work. There was some speculation about whether we should keep her gagged as well—and we had, over the first couple of days—but it was an annoying contraption that needed to be removed every time we wanted to have a chat with her, or when she was allowed food or water, so the decision was made to leave her mouth free for the moment, and any attempts at magic on her part would be met with being gagged again.
She liked talking almost as much as she disliked being gagged, so the situation worked out well for all involved. There was the assumption, of course, that she was just biding her time and waiting for her moment, but for now she seemed willing to play along with us.
She even smiled as I stepped into the cell with Aliana, and gently tilted her head. “I’m honored that you thought to come down and meet with me. I’m so embarrassed. I didn’t even have time to prepare for you arrival. Could I interest you in some potato gruel? Or some water dragged up from the well outside?”
“Those sound lovely, actually,” I replied, and stepped closer as Aliana moved to the corner of the room. “I’ve had a bit too much of the roast duck and fortified red wine the traders bring from Heaverford. I could do with a return to a basic, simple meal.”
Faye leaned back in her seat and smirked up at me. “How can I help you today, Grant? I hope you’re not here to ask me where this mythical, trance-breaking weapon that you seek is, because that would unfortunately cut this conversation very short. And I do so enjoy your company.”
I shrugged. It wasn’t like we had really masked our intentions in our previous visits. Instead, I pulled the guard’s stool closer and sat on it, studying the woman in front of me. Even chained up and imprisoned, there was something about her that radiated power. I wondered if that was something I could learn. I didn’t plan to be captured any time in the future, but considering that wasn’t something one might plan, it was always good to be prepared for it.
“Believe it or not, all I really wanted to do was talk to you, I finally replied.
She tilted her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Whatever you may or may not believe is none of my business, of course,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m curious about what drove you to follow Abarat in the first place. There are those who wonder if you were ever under any kind of spell at all, or whether you followed the man because you genuinely believe in him.”
A flicker of annoyance or anger appeared on her face but vanished quickly enough that I almost thought I’d imagined it. A crack in her unruffled façade. I did think that it was nothing but shadows playing across her face, until seconds ticked by and there was no quick rejoinder from her.
It was enough of a crack that I felt comfortable pressing my advantage.
“How deep would you say his influence goes?” I asked, leaning forward. “Might it be so deep that you don’t want it taken away? Have you become so deeply entrenched in his beliefs that you feel lost without him?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed at me through clenched teeth.
“I’ve found that is often the case,” I agreed. “Why don’t you enlighten me? What is the driving force that pushed you to do something that you’d otherwise find repulsive?”
She opened her mouth to say something, and if there were any doubts that she was doing this against her will, they evaporated from my mind. It seemed to me that something physically prevented her from saying anything else. All things considered, it made sense. If there was something forcing her to do Abarat’s will, it would also prevent her from speaking out against him or making any reference to something that might be used to fight his influence.
I didn’t think any of my thoughts were visible on my face, however, as she quickly looked away from my glare. For a moment, I thought I could keep pressing. There was something nagging at the back of my mind, however, that kept me from giving my intentions voice. I pulled my attention away from Faye to try and find out what it was.
My cheeks flushed when I realized that Braire was playing with herself in a very distracting manner. From the way her attention was focused on me, I wondered if she was doing it intentionally to distract me. I growled softly, shaking my head, but there was a hint of insistence from Aliana as well, demonstrating that the djinn wanted to break off the interrogation for a moment.
The shared body language between Aliana and myself wasn’t lost on Faye, who relaxed her defensive posture.
She leaned forward again until the chains at her back kept her from moving any closer. “You will have to lay out the specifics of this bond that the four of you share, sometime.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus with Braire and Aliana mentally demanding my attention. “Sometime, yes. Not at the moment. We…will speak again.”
Faye smirked and nodded. “I have no doubt that we will.”
I nodded and quickly moved out of the cell, leaving the guard to deal with relocking the doors as I tried to keep my sudden arousal from showing. It was immensely easier for Aliana, I noted, despite the fact that she wore decidedly less clothing. Even so, she didn’t have something growing to show from beneath.
I wasn’t jealous, by any means, but I couldn’t help being annoyed by the way she strolled at a leisurely pace, seemingly untouched by the arousal that I knew tormented her.
She couldn’t keep her hands to herself, however, once we were out of public view and inside the mayor’s house, closer to the quarters we shared. Her hand slipped down to my ass, firmly and boldly grabbing it as her free hand found one of mine and pulled it up to cup her breast, only half-heartedly keeping a soft moan from escaping her lips. I could relate.
As we stepped into the room where I knew Braire was situated, I didn’t need to see her to know the view that would greet me. And yet, it still took my breath away when I opened the doors to the sight of her opportunely presented on the large bed. She was fully naked, lying on her back with her legs well spread, giving me a clear view of her two fingers pumping in and out of her pussy. She was propped up on her elbow, her hand gripping her breast and squeezing her nipple between her fingers. Her head hung back, eyes closed and mouth open, loud moans emitting each time she slipped her fingers inside herself.
“Wha
t the hell are you on about?” I asked, trying to make myself annoyed at her, but with the way that Aliana reacted to the view as well, it was all I could do not to attack the elf on the bed.
“Come here and stop me,” Braire moaned softly, still not opening her eyes—but a smirk of defiance showed on her face as she licked her lips.
“Aliana?” I turned to the woman, wanting her to step in and help, but the djinn had no intention of doing so. She was already slipping out of her clothes and reaching down to help me out of mine.
“Just shut up and fuck us, would you?” she whispered as she pushed my trousers down. There was little resistance from me, of course, as her hand found my quickly-growing cock. She looked up at me with a naughty grin playing across her lips as she dropped to her knees, hands stroking a bit more length into the shaft before she dipped her head and wrapped her warm, wet lips around it, eagerly sucking it into her mouth, only pausing to let her tongue lap up the wetness from the tip.
I sucked in a deep breath and settled my hands over her head, encouraging her as she started bobbing it quickly, taking more and more of me into her mouth each time. Her vibrating moans around the thick head as it pushed into the back of her mouth only intensified the pleasure as I let my head drop back.
“She said fuck us,” Braire protested, still playing with herself as she watched Aliana on her knees, mouth full of cock. “Both of us.”
I opened my eyes, trying to find the ability to use words instead of low growls of pleasure. “You… fuck…” I gasped with a chuckle as I felt Aliana start to play with herself as well through the bond. “You intentionally distracted Aliana and me from a very important interrogation session.”