“Sistina has created another nine, giving us a total of 189 golems at present,” Desa replied promptly, shaking her head with worry. “With the length of the walls, that’s nowhere near enough.”
“I thought you could create more than that, Sistina?” Phynis inquired, looking at her beloved, and the pale-skinned dryad shrugged.
“Mana supplies. Many tasks, rebuilding mana reserves,” Sistina told her gravely, pursing her golden lips contemplatively before continuing. “Have more, but… in dungeon. Are available for emergencies. Made for adventurers, not armies. I have limits.”
“A fair point,” Phynis admitted, then looked over at Diamond. “Diamond, how are the priestesses doing? Would they be willing to help defend the city?”
“They are doing well, Your Majesty, though my own position among them is strange. It is little wonder that they worry over the continued mystery as to what has happened to Medaea,” the crystalline-haired woman replied, her skin paler than anyone in the room’s save for Sistina. She paused a moment, then nodded. “They are also willing to fight with all their strength to protect their freedom once more. Alas, our order focused primarily on defensive magic, but we are going to do what we can.”
“Excellent. Farris, what of the magical defenses to the city?” The monarch looked at the woman who was now a golem, appearing perfectly as an elf save for what she was made of.
“After some time with Sistina and examining the defenses, I’ve determined what there is that we can use,” Farris told her in a melodious voice, smiling gently and with more confidence than most of the others had shown. “The magical defenses we possess are incredibly potent, as are some of the passive defenses.”
“The ability to flood avenues of attacks could be a godsend in the future. Thank you for that, Sistina,” Desa murmured, receiving a gracious nod from Sistina before she asked, “What can you tell me about, Farris, so I can plan around them?”
“First, the walls are enchanted to be incredibly strong, and the enchantments specifically dismantle a variety of stone-softening spells which they can to use to reinforce themselves. That’s the first line of defense, but hardly the only one,” Farris explained calmly. “The beacon can also create a magical shield over the entire city if necessary. To reduce mana consumption, it normally only activates when an attack is detected, but it can be fully activated at any point. With our current mana reserves, we can keep it up for a total of three days, but that’s about three months of accumulation naturally. I recommend that magi who aren’t giving Sistina their spare mana add to the reserve. Additionally, the shield can be retracted to each of the walls, and finally to the palace itself, each time growing stronger as it retracts.”
“What can this shield stop? I’ve heard about it blocking arrows, but nothing more,” Phynis asked, her spirits brightening slightly.
“Virtually anything that can harm us. The enchantments are immensely complex, and handle everything from poisonous gas to dragon fire,” Farris replied. “But even that pales beside the beacon itself. It isn’t just a light or power reserve. It’s a weapon.”
“It’s a what?” Desa asked, straightening abruptly. “How can it be a weapon?”
“Sistina showed me a tome on the spells put into the crystal. In ancient times, they created certain spell arrays they called Siegebreaker Arrays.” The golem nodded to Sistina as she leaned forward, causing the table to creak slightly under her weight. “The beacon is one of those, scaled up to where it would be considered an anti-dragon weapon. Using it creates a massive attack that can destroy virtually any single siege engine you can imagine, but the mana expenditure is horrific, on the order of what it takes to keep up our shield for a full day.”
“What in the name of all the gods made you build a weapon like that?” Phynis asked in horror, looking at Sistina.
“Irethiel and Medaea,” Sistina replied quietly, looking Phynis in the eye. It took Phynis a moment to see the worry in the dryad’s expression as she added, “Might not be enough even then.”
“Oh. Well, that makes a lot more sense,” Desa replied, relaxing as she shook her head. “As a weapon intended for invading deities, it makes sense. How much mana can the beacon hold?”
“A full year’s worth of accumulation at most, essentially twelve full days of shielding or twelve uses of the beacon,” Farris reported, but smiled as she added, “Though we have other uses for it as well. The roads can be forced to grow spikes in areas, and other traps activated. Sistina intended this to be an immense fortress, and incredibly hard to take.”
“If we can defend it,” Phynis said softly, frowning and asking the last question she had for the moment. “How many people can we recruit to form a guard?”
“Not many. We’re looking at less than thirty or so from the former slaves,” Desa admitted.
“That isn’t nearly enough…” Phynis murmured, resisting the urge to chew her lower lip.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, most of the people brought to Granite Point were considered unsuited for the battlefield or only good for manual labor,” Isana interjected, her voice almost stern. “Most of the former soldiers are on the battlefield.”
“Speaking of which, the message did mention something about sending rescued Kelvanis slaves here, didn’t it?” Diamond asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It did, and that’s a good point. We might have a fair number of soldiers showing up in the near future,” Phynis agreed, her spirits brightening again. “For that matter, it’s possible we may have a fair number of former slaves who’re living in Sifaren coming here, too.”
“Anything’s possible, Your Majesty, but we can only work with what we have,” Desa cautioned, taking a deep breath as she shook her head. “I’ll do my best, but at the moment we’re still vulnerable.”
“That’s an excellent point, and one which has been weighing on me,” Phynis admitted, and shook her head. “Thank you, everyone. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do right now, so you all can go back to your duties.”
A chorus of assent came from the others, and they began to file out of the room, all but Diamond and Sistina. The dryad approached, and utterly ignoring any form of protocol, she pulled Phynis into a hug. Phynis giggled softly and wrapped her arms around Sistina, closing her eyes and breathing in the soft scent of flowers from the dryad. Finally, after the door shut, she asked softly, “Why do you smell like lilacs?”
“I like lilacs,” Sistina murmured in her ear. “Smell good.”
“I suppose,” Phynis whispered, and heard movement behind her. A moment later Diamond gently, almost hesitantly hugged both of them, and Phynis cracked an eyelid as she spoke in amusement. “You’re growing bolder, Diamond.”
The priestess quickly let go, her cheeks pink as she looked away, her voice hesitant. “I… find this difficult. I’m quite a bit older than you are, but these… relationships are something I’d never considered before. I think you have more experience with such than I do, Phynis. If Sistina was once a succubus, she definitely does.”
“Was a succubus. Memories still hazy,” Sistina replied, seeming amused as she stroked Phynis’ pink hair slowly. “Things change. Enjoy what you have.”
“Words to live by,” Phynis agreed, smiling up at the dryad. “I wish I’d realized that back before I was captured.”
“I’m trying to,” Diamond agreed, and paused before asking softly, “Do you think we’ll get any immigrants?”
“I can only hope so,” Phynis replied with a soft sigh, shrugging helplessly as she let go of Sistina, smiling at Diamond. “If not, Everium will be short-lived.”
“You have little faith,” Sistina interjected with a sniff, a statement which caused the priestess to break out in giggles, quickly followed by Phynis as well.
Chapter 8
“How has it come to this?” Diane murmured, staring at herself in the mirror as she suppressed a shiver.
Once the Queen of Yisara, she’d given up everything to rescue the kidn
apped children of the kingdom’s nobles, allowing Kelvanis to take her captive and renouncing her claim on the throne. Even that sacrifice hadn’t been enough to save Jaine, her youngest daughter, who’d been kidnapped in Kelvanis’ raid. As if the heavens considered the indignities they’d suffered insufficient, then had come the demon Wenris, sent into their minds to mold and reshape the two of them to the Archon’s twisted desires. Only a magical gift that protected Diane’s mind from intrusion had shielded Diane from the initial onslaught of the succubus, but even that had been insufficient to truly protect her.
Rather than allow Wenris to inform Ulvian, which would lead to her being branded, Diane had agreed to play along with the demon and listen to her. This would also mitigate the demon’s influence on Jaine. It seemed to work for a time, during which the divine touch of the slave goddess Tyria changed Diane’s body.
Diane hadn’t been beautiful before, but now she was, her heterochromatic eyes replaced by two differing shades of purple and a starburst of purple on her forehead, while her height had increased to where she no longer felt as tiny among the towering humans of Kelvanis, nor as thin as she’d been before. Diane gently reached out to put her fingers on the mirror, meeting her reflection’s touch as worry nearly overwhelmed her.
“Are you coming to bed, Diane?” Wenris’ silky, smooth voice was almost as languid as the raven-haired succubus herself, and Diane resisted the overwhelming urge to look toward the bed. At least it wasn’t a command. If it had been, the elf wasn’t certain she could have resisted the urge to obey.
“I’ll be there in a minute, Wenris,” Diane replied in a subdued tone, trying to ignore the rush of heat that flooded her veins at the demon’s tone and the implications in her voice. She had, or at least previously had, a husband. Torkal’s face had faded slightly over the winter, but Diane still loved him, and she clung to that sensation with all her might, trying not to lose even more of herself.
Things had come to a head months before, when Diane tried to defy Wenris. Her defiance had been triggered by Jaine’s conversion to the priesthood of Tyria, and it had turned her own situation from bad to worse when she learned that the succubus had been toying with her. Her unwitting actions in their dream encounters had opened her completely to the demon, and if she wanted to keep what little protection Jaine had, Diane would have to be more accepting of the succubus.
A week prior was the first time the demon physically appeared in her room, and despite every scrap of willpower she could muster, Diane couldn’t force herself to deny Wenris. The demon’s seductive, insidious words had sapped all of Diane’s ability to resist, and a part of her didn’t even want to try. That was why Diane looked her reflection in the eye and murmured softly, “Remember why you’re doing this, Diane. Don’t lose even that.”
With a silent promise to herself, Diane turned away from the mirror and padded her way toward the bed, her pulse quickening as she laid eyes on the other occupant.
“Why do you still drag me into your dreams every night?” Diane asked much later, after she’d fallen asleep and ended up in a bedroom, seemingly back in Yisara as she dreamed.
Wenris turned from the window with a grin, wearing nothing this time, revealing every inch of her skin, which Diane now knew all too well. The succubus’ tail lashed slowly as she answered softly. “There are three reasons, my lovely queen.”
“I’m not a queen anymore,” Diane protested weakly, as she did every time Wenris said that. The succubus ignored her as she continued.
“First, I have my orders to shape you. You’re coming along quite nicely, if I do say so myself… even if it’s not quite the way the Archon might wish. Second, it gives me even more time with you,” Wenris explained, smiling broadly as she swayed over to sit on the edge of the bed. The demon’s smile vanished suddenly as she continued, much less amused as she finished, her fingers trailing over Diane’s shoulder. “Last of all, it allows us to speak without being overheard. I’m afraid I have ill news for you, Diane.”
“What?” Diane shivered at Wenris’ touch, and her apathy vanished at the demon’s sudden change of demeanor. “What’s wrong?”
“I was just given new orders regarding Jaine today,” Wenris told her, looking Diane in the eyes. “I was ordered to do everything in my power to prepare her to be the willing consort of Farren Galthor, in exchange for him betraying his father.”
“What? Farren Galthor? That little worm is a traitor?” Diane grappled with her shock, her eyes huge and rage surging through her at the thought. Ice water seemed to crash down over her as she processed the full statement, though, and she quickly asked. “Wait, what about our bargain? Are you going to…?”
“Diane, I have little choice in the matter. I was given direct orders to do everything in my power to adjust her, and that overrules almost any other bargain I might have,” Wenris replied, her hand lowering to touch the symbol adorning her own flesh.
“Almost any bargain?” Diane pounced on the word frantically, staring up at Wenris. “Is there any way to convince you to not do that to her? To… to help her get out of this?”
Wenris paused, considering for a long moment, then spoke softly, looking at Diane seriously. “There is. Doing so is immensely dangerous for me, Diane, so this is not something I would do lightly. The price will be great as well. What are you willing to do to rescue Jaine from this, Diane?”
The succubus gestured around them, and as she did so, the full expanse of the Kelvanath palace appeared around them in place of the bedroom, only the bed staying the same. Hope and fear rippled through Diane, but she forced down whatever she was going to say, trying to think. She had lost so much already, though, what was a little more?
“I… I will do anything. Any price that I can pay, that doesn’t betray Yisara or my family,” Diane replied softly, lowering her eyes to the ground and swallowing. “If it can save her…”
“My price is you, Diane,” Wenris replied gently.
“What?” Diane blinked in surprise, looking up suddenly at her. “But you already have me.”
“No, you misunderstand. I want you utterly, Diane,” Wenris told her, correcting the elf carefully, a serious look in her eyes. “I want you body, mind, and spirit. You will open yourself to me utterly and bind yourself to me for all eternity. If you do so, I will restore Jaine to as near her full faculties as I am able, and help her escape safely from Kelvanis. Are you willing to accept this?”
Diane stared at Wenris in shock, taking a moment to realize that Wenris was serious. The thought of selling her very soul to the demon was horrifying, and yet… how long would it take Wenris to cajole her into something similar? If the last few months was anything to judge by, Diane doubted she would last more than a year or two at most. If she agreed she might just allow Jaine to regain her freedom, though. If she was wrong… what would it change? So finally she nodded and swallowed before replying softly. “I will agree to your conditions, Wenris. If you do as you have said you will, I will submit to you entirely.”
“Very good,” Wenris smiled broadly, smirking as she added. “I’ll even be kind and not claim my prize until I’ve done as promised, Diane. On the morrow you will find yourself with a new bodyguard, an Enforcer named Serel. You can trust her. Begin pushing alongside Jaine to attend the dedication of the new temple of Tyria in Westgate at the beginning of the month. That’s when we’ll get your lovely daughter out of Kelvanis.”
“Thank you,” Diane whispered, shock surging through her as she realized that Wenris must be speaking the truth. Why else would she not take Diane for her own immediately? Tears trickled down her face, and the succubus laughed, brushing them away.
“Now, now… there’s no need for tears, Diane. This calls for a celebration!” Wenris purred, her tail lashing as the scenery changed to that of a plush boudoir, and she leaned over Diane, smiling. “I happen to know just how to celebrate, too.”
Her sudden, hungry kiss didn’t take Diane by surprise, and for once, the thought of
resistance never even occurred to the elven woman.
Chapter 9
“Sistina, where’re you going?” Phynis asked, her brow furrowing in concern. The dryad had dressed and was getting ready to leave the room with an unusual look on her face, and via her link Phynis could sense the faintest hints of worry and anticipation from Sistina.
Looking up, Sistina smiled and shook her head gently. “Not sure. Found something strange in domain, investigating.”
“If you’re just investigating, why are you worried? I can tell, you know,” Phynis pressed, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and glowering. “We still have that mental link between us.”
“Could be old palace. May not be. Can’t see it,” Sistina explained and shrugged. “Could be dangerous. Will be fine. You know I will.”
“The palace? That’s unexpected…” Blinking in surprise, the Queen frowned and considered the idea. Part of her was incredibly curious, but given the events that had occurred with the Academy and the ghouls that had been inside, she wasn’t tempted to tag along. Finally she nodded and ordered firmly, “Fine, but be safe! No losing any bodies to creatures inside the building.”
“Will do my best. No desire to lose body either,” Sistina assured her, standing and approaching to give Phynis a hug and gentle, intimate kiss. “Promise.”
“Good,” Phynis replied with a smile, hugging Sistina tightly as she teased. “You’re still dropping words, you know. You’re getting better, at least.”
“I’m… doing my best.” Sistina took a moment to form the full sentence, then shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. “Easier without.”
The Queen giggled softly and murmured as she let go of the dryad. “I can deal with that. Come back safely, love.”
With a nod and smile, Sistina gave Phynis another kiss, then departed the room. Sighing, Phynis shook her head and prepared for her day. Cortin and Nora had requested a meeting with her that morning, which promised to be interesting, since she wasn’t sure what they had in mind.
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