Home of Consequence

by Archibald Bradford

  “And this will help you carry me?”

  She kissed his ear again and extended her wings to their full length as she gripped him tight.

  “No, but it will certainly keep me from dropping you.”

  With a mighty heave she carried him airborne as his stomach dropped.

  It was glorious.

  Once his stomach settled and he got used to the steady rhythm of Volka’s wings, Nameless found that not only was he not afraid of heights, he loved to fly.

  “Volka this is amazing!” He shouted over the biting air in his face as they soared ever higher.

  Even with his jacket he was chilly, but with all of his excitement he didn’t care, though he had to blink repeatedly against the force of the wind as she flew faster.

  She smiled wide when she heard him laughing out loud, then she laughed with him as he let out a whoop.

  “How far could we fly like this?!”

  She hugged him tighter, her hands gripping her opposite forearms.

  “I am no Dragon, I could not carry you across the face of the world, but I can manage a flight around Goodman Fletcher’s property before the strain gets too great.”

  The world below had become tiny, the extent of Paul’s fields was laid out before him, along with the numerous copses of trees that were either too hilly or too pretty for the old farmer to fell.

  Sadly they had barely been in the air for five minutes when Volka spotted something on the ground and dropped into a dive that made Nameless squeal like an excited child.

  Helena was lying on her back in the middle of one of Paul’s fields not far from where they landed.

  She wasn’t moving and Nameless’s stomach twisted with dread.

  “Helena! Are you alright?!”

  On legs still wobbly from his first flight Nameless stumbled over to her, falling to his knees at her side with Volka one step behind him.

  The Valkyrie placed her hand on the prone Amazon’s forehead, and after a tense moment she finally smiled in relief.

  “She is well, a moment please.”

  She closed her eyes and her golden aura reached out and flowed over the Amazon, while Nameless watched with worry.

  The golden light suffused Helena’s body until the Amazon started on the ground, her eyes wide as she turned to him.

  “You weren’t lying!”

  “I wasn’t? I mean, I wasn’t!”

  “The Fletcher man!”

  “Yeah?”

  “He is as cunning as you say! And, and as ruthless as a Troglodyte Bloodletter!” She pouted.

  Relief flooded him, while Volka covered her smile with her hand.

  “I take it he got his pipe back?”

  “Yes! But he…”

  She looked between both of them again.

  “He cheated!”

  “Okay?”

  “Yes, he had his Cockatrices set upon me. And then…” She blushed crimson.

  “What? What did he do?” Nameless was on tenterhooks.

  She let out her breath in a gust.

  “That motherfucker stole my spear!”

  Volka couldn’t hold back anymore, she began to laugh in great peals while Helena sulked.

  Nameless very much wanted to join his angel in her amusement, but at this point he feared for Paul’s safety.

  “So… what happens now?”

  “What happens now?! Now I have to go and get it back!”

  “You aren’t going to hurt him are you?”

  “What? No! He said if I wanted to get my spear back all that I have to do I is share a meal with him, but I also have to…” Again her cheeks flushed as Volka kept laughing.

  “You have to what?” Nameless prodded, wide eyed with curiosity.

  “I have to wear a dress!” She wailed.

  Nameless was perplexed; the Amazons that he had all seen all wore a sort of hide skirt, so he didn’t understand the issue.

  “Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “It’s horrible! He showed it to me, while I was frozen! It was the silliest costume one could imagine!”

  “Yeah?” He was struggling to keep a straight face.

  “It was pink, Valkyrja-datta! And it had lace! Fucking. LACE!”

  Nameless was done. He joined Volka in gut-wrenching laughter while Helena described the dress.

  “I did warn you!” He said while wiping away his tears of mirth.

  She gave a rueful shake of her head.

  “You did indeed, and would that I had listened!”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  She threw up her arms in exasperation.

  “What can I do? I must get my spear back! So I will wear this… thing, and, and then I swear I will bear his children! For any daughter born of his seed will no doubt be as ruthless and cunning as he is! Warleaders all!”

  “So, you’re getting what you wanted then?” Volka chimed in.

  “No I’m not!” She wailed; “I just wanted to have a tryst with a man who obviously has great talents in bed! I was not searching for a mate, well, not really.”

  “But Paul is a good man.” Nameless offered.

  Helena shuddered and her look turned almost hungry.

  “You should have seen the looks on the faces of those Cockatrices while they whispered what he had planned for me…”

  At this point Nameless had reached the too-much-information stage of the conversation.

  “Well, uh, enjoy your dinner?”

  She leapt to her feet and brushed herself off.

  “Oh I shall, Valkyrja-datta! If I am to suffer the humiliation of that accursed garment, then I will keep this man awake all night and into the morning! For the rest of his life he will dream only of my cries of ecstasy while his bond-mates’ lament ever allowing me to share his bed!”

  She spoke like she was declaring war, which in a way, she was.

  Volka and nameless watched her as she stormed off.

  They shared another fit of giggles, before she reached out her hand and took his.

  “Shall we return to the sky?”

  He nodded, but before she wrapped him in her arms again, he folded his collar up against the chill.

  “If we’re going to keep doing this, I’ll need a thicker coat.”

  __________

  After their flight together became too chilly, the Valkyrie joined Myrina in training with Erica while Nameless sought out Paul, worried about the idea of Helena plotting her revenge.

  He found him on his porch whittling a stick. Once again he had a Cockatrice nuzzled against either calf. Both of the feathered girls were making adorable cooing noises and looked to be asleep.

  Nameless spoke quietly so as not to disturb them.

  “I never asked, and I kind of feel like an asshole for it, but how are you doing? You know, with the whole ‘ninety seven years young’ thing?”

  Paul blew out a puff of smoke from his reclaimed pipe.

  “Honestly, no idea. All I know is that I have a dinner date with a fine looking Amazon, and unless I misread her entirely I’m pretty sure me and the hens will be in for a long night.”

  Nameless chuckled.

  “Not thinking about it then?”

  The old farmer took another pull on his pipe and shrugged.

  “What’s to think about? Before Xalanth breathed on me, I felt tired a lot. I felt… old. And I’d pretty much accepted that one day in the near future I was going to go down for a nap and not come up again. Now though? Well, I’m happy, I’m healthy, and sure as the sun rises, I am horny!”

  He gave Nameless a ridiculous leer as the younger man groaned helplessly.

  “Are you really going to make Helena wear a dress?”

  Paul cackled evilly.

  “Damn rights! Had it made special. Best way I can think to keep her from swiping my favorite pipe again!”

  He popped said pipe back between his teeth as laughter faded and they sat in silence for a time.

  “Thing is kiddo, I got no ide
a how long this gift will last, but I’m old enough to know that life’s too damn short! So however long that beautiful Dragon gave me, I aim to make the most of.”

  Nameless thought he understood the old farmer’s reasoning, so he let it drop, instead adopting a teasing tone.

  “Starting with Helena?”

  “Well, I started with the hens already if you hadn’t noticed.” Paul waggled his eyebrows meaningfully.

  The young man rolled his eyes.

  “Right right.”

  “And how about you? You said you and Volka hadn’t gotten into it yet, any progress there.”

  Nameless couldn’t hide his grin.

  “Some.”

  “Ha, Helena wasn’t kidding about your appetite!”

  “Pffft!” Nameless scoffed; “Says the guy with an entire flock of girls!”

  “Bah! Doesn’t count! Cockatrices are sort of like Hornets, ‘cept they each have their own heartstone. But it’s really rare for a flock not to all bond to the same person.”

  “Really, an entire flock?”

  The young man didn’t hide his skepticism.

  “I’m serious! Go look it up. The little cuties are attached at the hip! Have been since I met ‘em!”

  The girls squawked indignantly as Paul shifted too far forwards and woke them.

  “Well now look what you’ve done!”

  He shook his finger at Nameless as the girls ruffled their feathers in agitation and both glared at him in unison.

  He smiled nervously, but they opened their mouths and sucked in a breath.

  “Ah fuc-”

  He tried to plug his ears but it did little good, paralysis claimed him as the girls’ shrieks washed over him.

  Stiff as a board, Nameless toppled over onto the porch, while Paul laughed uproariously.

  “Some lady-killer you are!”

  It wasn’t the first time Nameless had run afoul of the Cockatrices, so at least he knew what to expect. Paul took pity on him and went to fetch Escrya to carry him back to the cottage.

  Mercifully the amused Amazon didn’t take advantage of him while holding him tight to her breasts, though she definitely talked about doing so.

  At length.

  Chapter 19:

  No Means

  After her truly disastrous date with Queen Oldeera, Cordelia had tried to ignore her inner tumult by focusing on work, the resilient girl unwilling to be a burden on her family just because she was nursing a broken heart.

  Of course, Helen wouldn’t stop badgering her with questions, while Christine likewise interrogated her on what had gone down between her and the Hornet queen.

  So as she had done several times throughout the day, she volunteered to go out and feed the ovens to escape her family’s scrutiny.

  But sadly, even there she could find no peace.

  “Brandon, enough! I told you ‘no’ already! We broke up ages ago, so move on already.”

  She shrugged off his arm as she threw another piece of wood into the searing heat.

  Brandon was frustrated, his luck with women had soured ever since Nameless got back to town, but he worked hard to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

  “Baby, don’t be like that! We can still have fun together.”

  His wheedling had already burned through Cordelia’s limited patience; after everything that happened recently she didn’t need more drama, so she was trying to be nice about it, to let him down… if not easily, than at least quickly.

  But the obstinate young man wasn’t listening.

  He had followed her behind the bakery when she had come outside. They were out of sight of pretty much everyone back there; more than once in the past she had let him drag her out of work for a quickie against the woodpiles.

  So the selfish teen saw no reason why this time should be any different.

  “Look Cordy, if this is about that Hornet bitc- that Hornet friend of yours, I already said I’m cool with it, let’s just fool around real quick. You can just use your hand if you’re not up for more than that.”

  The mention of Oldeera stung as she remembered the hurt on the queen’s face.

  Once again Brandon was running his hand down her arm as he sidled up to her, but his clumsy seduction attempts fell flat.

  “Stop it, I said no and I meant it. You and I aren’t together, I don’t know if we ever really were.”

  He couldn’t hide his irritation anymore and scowled at her.

  “And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?! Never really together? You’re my girlfriend!”

  Her limited patience was gone and she slammed the oven door closed with much more force than necessary.

  The heat of the fire had been considerable and she wiped the back of her sturdy work glove across her brow.

  “No, I am not your girlfriend.” She shook her head at him; “I don’t know how much clearer I can make that! I am not your girlfriend, and you are not my boyfriend. In fact, since you are being such a dick, I don’t mind telling you, that we aren’t even friends! Now I need to get back inside.”

  But he didn’t let go of her arm when she tried to push past him.

  “Let me go.”

  She tried to pull away, but if anything, his grip only tightened as he dragged her back and glared at her.

  “Cordelia, you are being a major cock-tease right now, and honestly it’s getting old. I already said you could just use your hand, so stop being a bitch.”

  She felt the faintest twinge of fear at his dominating behaviour, but even with all of her hurt over Oldeera, the fiery young woman wasn’t about to just roll over.

  “What, are you a fucking rapist now Brandon?!” She screamed loudly.

  That made him release her.

  “What?! No, I’m not!”

  He hunched back and away from her, looking around in panic to see if anyone heard her. She took a step towards him.

  “Really? Because you are sure acting like a fucking rapist!”

  Louder this time.

  Before she died Cordelia’s mother had made a point of teaching her and her sisters that the best weapon they had in situations like this was their voice, and this daughter of Emily Loskins had never been shy about using her voice.

  Brandon’s eyes were still moving around nervously and his face was pale at the accusation.

  “Fuck Cordelia, I’m not… that! Calm down already, please!”

  “Oh good, then I can go back to work. Have a nice life, mister not-a-rapist.”

  She pushed past him and rounded the side of the bakery.

  But the sting of further humiliation quickly brought his anger to the forefront again, and it was his turn to yell as he chased after her, grabbed her by the shoulder and screamed in her face.

  “It’s that Hornet slut isn’t it? Are you a fucking lezzo now?!”

  A surprised Cordelia turned bright red at being called out so publicly. A few people were walking by and had stopped to witness the altercation and there was no way they had missed the accusation.

  “Fuck you! That’s- that’s none of your business!”

  “How is it not my business if my girlfriend cheats on me with some other slut?!”

  Cordelia stomped her foot as angry tears sprang to her cheeks.

  “I AM NOT YOUR FUCKING GIRLFRIEND!!”

  Customers from the bakery were now coming outside to join the looky-loos and the crowd grew larger.

  The young not-couple were very loud.

  It wasn’t the first time in Kettering’s history that Brandon and Cordelia had a public meltdown, but this time seemed extra… melty.

  “Yeah, cuz you’re into girls all of a sudden right?!”

  “You’re an asshole!”

  Her face was red, fist clenched at her side and her tears were flowing in earnest.

  “And you’re a loose little slut! I should have-”

  “You should have what?! Forced me to give you a handjob beside the woodpile?!”

  A scandalized gasp went up fro
m the onlookers, but Brandon was beyond caring about appearances.

  “You slut! Who haven’t you given one to by now?!”

  Their fight had moved way past the point of teen drama and small town amusement and the onlookers were more than a little uncomfortable, though they didn’t look away.

  As the pair continued to scream accusations and curses at each other, the crowd parted as Nameless and Milly walked through it.

  They had just finished selling her milk and placing an order for a new bed when they heard the commotion.

  “What is going on?” The Minotaur asked.

  “I guess Cordelia and Brandon are fighting?”

  “What’s a ‘lezzo’?”

  “No idea. But this is really getting out of hand. We should do something.” He observed with a frown.

  She nodded.

  “Yeah, I don’t like how he’s talking to her.”

  Cordelia flinched back as Brandon once again said something incredibly horrific and hurtful but before she could respond in kind a familiar voice caught her attention.

  “Hello Cordelia!” Milly chirped as she strode right up to them.

  Being six foot six, the Minotaur was much taller than even Brandon, and having more strength than an Amazon, she had no problem lifting him off the ground by the scruff of his neck and the seat of his pants.

  “Hey, wh-what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

  But the cheerful monster girl ignored him and he quickly found himself hefted over her head like it was nothing.

  “Bye Cordelia!” She said over her shoulder as she walked away, much to the amusement of the crowd.

  He struggled and writhed, trying to strike at her with hands and feet but unable to land any sort of effective blow.

  “Put me down you bitch!”

  But Milly shook her head with him still flailing above her.

  “Nope! And you shouldn’t call me that, the last guy I picked up like this got thrown off a bridge!”

  It was an odd thing to be proud of.

  The drama over, the gathered people went about their business with much laughing at Brandon’s expense.

  Cordelia’s face was still red, and she ducked back behind the bakery as she wiped at her tears with the back of her hand.

  “Are you alright?”

  Nameless was holding out Milly’s big polka dot hanky for her.