Wraith King 3

by Jack Porter

  Sarina walked over to me and put both hands on my face, one on each cheek. “You don’t think you can come out of this alive? Jon, why would you march in there without knowing if you live or die?”

  I touched one of her hands. “I have no intention of dying. But my life has been up in the air since I landed in Hell. I haven’t known about my safety between one day and the next. But maybe I can help return the queen to her people, maybe she can give me answers. And after that, whether the wood elves come with me or not—and I don’t think they will—I’m going to return to Nya if I can and at least keep the free peoples of Hell from tearing each other apart. And maybe that’s all I’m meant for. But if it is, then I suppose it’ll have to do.”

  I hadn’t even realized this shift in my thinking. But as I said it, I knew that’s what I thought. I had been foolish to chase his dream of Nya’s, the dream of a prophecy. Because yes, I wanted to think I was special, and in Hell for a reason, but no one knew.

  “The only connection I have to Hell is that my father is the Wraith King,” I said very quietly. “Maybe there’s a reason for me being here, and maybe there isn’t. But this quest is imploding, as if it has no purpose. However, Kali sent those rogues to kill Ferlenna. And at the very least I can figure out why.”

  Then I smiled and kissed Sarina on the lips. “And I promise to try not to die.”

  Sarina embraced me and held me tight. I held her as well, and soon Ilana joined us, although I felt her holding back somewhat. And I remembered her advice to me and knew I was disappointing her.

  30

  We left before midday, and, true to their word, Sarina, Ilana, and even Wren marched alongside me, along with forty other elves. We marched through the trees, staying as quiet as possible. There were no horses, no jingling of bridles or metal to alert our enemies that we were drawing near. The goal was to surprise them with the challenge before they could refuse it by proxy or send someone to try to intercept us. I wasn’t sure how we were going to get to Maelon this time, but Raven had no better suggestion than to go up and demand to see him.

  Sarina and Ilana were both quiet, but they were ready for battle, just in case. Ilana was always ready with her claw and wings, and of course her daggers. Sarina could shift into a Hellhound. And she had actually dispensed with her shiny armor and donned one of the leaf-covered garments of the elves in order to slide through the forest with more camouflage. It would tear as soon as she turned to Hellhound, but that was the price everyone would have to pay for her protection.

  Raven made a remark about my sword as we walked. “It was fashioned by the dark elves.”

  “Yes,” I said, absentmindedly touching the hilt. “It was a gift from Nya.”

  “You and she have formed a bond of your own, I think,” Raven said wisely.

  I smiled. “I have to admit, I’m anxious to get back to her and see what aid I can provide, if any.”

  Raven gave me a sideways look. “Judging by the way you carry yourself and the aura of magic around you, I’m sure you can provide much aid to her, Jon.”

  I nodded. I had helped win several battles against the Wraith King and his forces at this point, but there was always the next one. And I knew a bigger battle was brewing, one that I wasn’t sure how to win. The portal was ever growing in my mind, and although I wasn’t exactly tempted to try to get through it anymore, I also felt that it was the key to unraveling the Wraith King’s hold on the land.

  “Perhaps,” Raven said thoughtfully, “if we are successful, the seer can provide you with some answers.”

  To my left, I saw Sarina’s glance, but she did not openly contradict Raven. I knew Sarina believed in prophecies, but she still wasn’t happy about our little side quest. Toward the end of the afternoon, we paused to rest and eat, and then kept moving. Our goal was to continue on into the night. With no horses to worry about and only ourselves to push forward, we strolled through the forest as ghosts.

  31

  By dawn the next day we were at the borders of the warlord’s domain. Slowly, the elves sank into the trees, hiding themselves so well even I couldn’t find them, until finally, it was like I was once again traveling with just my companions. I knew we would be stopped and questioned. Only this time, I hoped they wouldn’t just shoot us with arrows first.

  The plan was to get myself taken to Maelon without a fight. But once again, I was ready to use my magic as needed to get us there, and I would fight if I had to as well.

  As it turned out, we didn’t have to do any of those things. Maelon’s warriors—men, this time—met us at the edge of his realm carrying swords and spears and a few bows and arrows. They looked rough, similar to the rogues we had executed for raiding the water sanctuary.

  It seemed that Maelon was done with subterfuge.

  A gruff one who was missing several teeth spoke to me as soon as he stepped out of the trees. “Maelon thought you might show up again. He said if you did, we weren’t to kill you, but we were to kill your companions if you decided to cross into our lands.”

  Sarina let out a growl, and I thought she was about to transform, because it sounded almost like she was already a Hellhound. However, she remained in human form for the time being, and I held out a hand to warn them all to stay behind me. It wasn’t because I knew they couldn’t handle themselves, but because I was preparing to use my magic and I didn’t want them in the way.

  They understood and moved slowly until they were a few feet behind me.

  The brute laughed when he saw them shrink back. But I just smiled. “I’m here to see Maelon,” I said without preamble. “And let me just say that if anyone touches any of my companions, he will be dead before he hits the ground, whether by my hand or the hands of my friends.”

  At this, the elves dropped down from the trees, surrounding the rogues with their bows and arrows drawn, ready to loose.

  “You think this is enough to get you where you want to go?” the man asked. He was glancing around, as if searching for more. And indeed, not all the elves had dropped out of the trees.

  “I have a proposition for your warlord,” I said, drawing his eyes back to me. “And I would like to deliver it to him in a civilized manner. Without pointing any weapons at you. However, I see you are not a man of reason. So perhaps I will kill you, then march into the forest and talk to Maelon. But if you would prefer to keep your life, you can take me to him.”

  The brutish man wasn’t laughing anymore, but he still didn’t look worried. I figured he had more rogues waiting behind him somewhere, but I wasn’t afraid of these men. They were common soldiers, and not even really that. I had fought some of them in the Slavers’ Bowl not a few days earlier, and none of them were frightening enough to worry me. It was only their numbers that could be concerning.

  The man looked at me for a moment and seemed to decide something. “What is the proposition? I will take it to Maelon myself.”

  “No. That’s not how it works. I will take it to the warlord personally, and I promise to make it worth his while. And besides, what would he say if he heard that you sent me on my way without even finding out what I had to offer?”

  I dangled the information in front of him, not certain if he would be stupid enough to take it. I wouldn’t if I were him. But I didn’t know what the warlord expected of his men and women.

  This was the uncertain part of our plan, and if the rogues refused to take me to him, I would have to carry out my threat.

  I hadn’t killed anyone in a few days, and these men irked me, with their attitude and their threats toward my women. My girls.

  I wasn’t as good as Sarina thought I was. Sometimes, I really did enjoy killing.

  Finally, the brute turned and conferred with someone standing behind him, and I actually recognized one of Maelon’s harem, Willow, the only female in this bunch, it seemed. She looked at me with her glittering eyes, and I realized that I hadn’t recognized her before now because she was actually wearing clothes. I wondered then if all of h
is harem were under some sort of dark spell, and not just Kali.

  Perhaps we would find out.

  The elf nodded to the man, who turned and nodded to his men. They lowered their weapons slowly, and the man said, “We will take you directly to Maelon. However, I warn you that if he does not like what you have to say, your heads will instantly be removed from your bodies.” Then the brutish man looked over at Sarina and Ilana and Wren. “Well,” he added. “Maybe just the man’s. These females might provide a bit of fun first.”

  I reined in my anger, knowing he was just trying to bait me. The important thing was that we got to Maelon, not starting a skirmish right here. And so, we continued to the forest, with Maelon’s men leading the way and Willow bringing up the rear. She walked beside two of Raven’s elves, and although they didn’t speak to one another, I sensed some incredible tension between them.

  Small wonder, as I was sure that the wood elves felt betrayed by the ones who had left them for Maelon.

  Finally, we were brought not to the original village, but to a camp, and this was definitely a military camp. It was difficult to see just how big it was, because it stretched out under the trees until the branches and foliage hid it from view. But there were definitely a few hundred people there. Perhaps even more.

  And there, in the very center, was Maelon. He was no longer surrounded by his entire harem, but I still recognized several of the faces. Most of them were clothed now, even if some of them were in skimpy attire. There was one large hut behind them, and I figured that was his. And then his Hellpig snorted from somewhere behind the hut. I would have recognized those grunts anywhere, and the sound of crunching bones that I knew I would never forget.

  “Well, Jon,” Maelon said. “I figured you would return. But I didn’t realize it would be so soon, you dumb fuck. What happened? Did your feelings get hurt?”

  32

  At this, the entire camp laughed, including the members of his harem. I knew we were surrounded, and that our forty elves were no match for the possibly hundreds of rogue warriors encamped around us.

  “You talk big, Maelon,” I said with a smile. And I actually did refrain from grinding my teeth together in anger. “And yet, the last time I met you, you hid behind your harem.”

  The camp became silent, and I felt the tension roll off of the warriors’ shoulders in waves. Maelon stood, and then I saw that he had a dagger in his hand. I was ready for him though, and prepared to parry him with magic if I needed to.

  “And you,” Maelon said, “must be the biggest son of a fuck I have ever met. Either that, or you would like to die very, very slowly.”

  Then his eyes roamed over to Sarina, his gaze moving up and down her body. She glared at him, and I could tell that any moment she would shift into a Hellhound. But the time wasn’t right, not just yet.

  “You are right,” I said easily. “I am a son of a fuck. But I can’t do anything about that, at least not today. One day I will kill him and then I will be the son of nobody, just like you, Maelon.”

  The warlord glared at me but refrained from trading any more jibes.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked. “All out of witty retorts?”

  Maelon tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. “Let me show you what I do to people who cross me. I spared you once, on the advice of my seer. However, I am thinking that was a mistake. You irk me, Jon. And so I think a little lesson is in order.”

  With a snap of his fingers, the brutish man who had led us to the camp was brought forward, his wrists bound behind his back, and he was thrown to the ground in front of Maelon. “You have failed me for the last time,” he spat at the man.

  “Please,” the man begged as he scrambled to his knees but didn’t try to stand. “They surrounded us in the forest. Willow told us to bring him to you!”

  At this, Maelon grabbed Willow, who had been standing next to him. His grip on her upper arm must have hurt, but she didn’t even wince as he shoved her in front of the man.

  But when Maelon spoke, it wasn’t to her. “You have betrayed me, sleeping with my own elf when I have provided plenty for you.”

  The brutish man’s face went pale, and I realized what was going on here. Willow’s gaze darted to me, and she smirked. It had been a trap, after all.

  A trap that Maelon had used on his own man as well.

  The warlord’s face was stone hard, his displeasure abundantly clear. He studied the man, who was still on his knees, and nodded to his harem member. From out of nowhere, Willow produced a dagger, long and sharp and thin. She planted a foot on the man’s chest and shoved him back, hard. His eyes widened in surprise and he flailed about with his arms, but he couldn’t maintain his balance, crashing down onto his back with his legs twisting awkwardly out from beneath him.

  “Hold him,” she said.

  Two men hurried over to hold the man down, each gripping an arm and planting a knee on a shoulder. Next, the elf took her dagger and cut a quick hole in the man’s pants. He yelped and began to beg once again.

  The elf ignored the man’s begging and quickly pulled out his limp dick and exposed his balls. With the flash of her dagger, she carved a line in his scrotum, and he screamed. In a moment she was done, having castrated him with a skillful hand. She rose, the man’s bloody testicles dangling from the edge of her blade. Then she walked over and tossed them into the fire.

  And the man screamed and screamed and screamed, and his blood soaked the ground. I thought he would bleed out, but someone pulled a hot poker from the fire, and walked over to him. And before he could beg them not to, they held it to his ruined scrotum and cauterized the wound.

  The man was dragged away, still screaming, and I turned to Maelon.

  “Was that supposed to scare me?” I asked.

  “You see,” Maelon said. “A man is only as good as his word and the legacy he leaves behind.”

  “Thanks for the lesson,” I said. “Still not sure what it has to do with me.”

  “What is your legacy going to be? That man won’t be able to leave one. In fact, he may never mount a woman again. But you—you and your companions, these beautiful females you have gathered to you. What is your purpose? My seer seems to think your destiny is caught up with mine.”

  I held my face steady, leaving a mask that he couldn’t see through. I decided to use his own words against him. “A challenge,” I said finally. “My purpose is to challenge you to one-on-one combat. You and I. To the death.”

  Maelon raised an eyebrow and began to laugh.

  “Should I repeat it for those in the back?” I asked. “I, Jon the nobody, the son of a fuck, challenge Maelon the Deceiver to one-on-one combat to the death. Will you accept? Or are you afraid?”

  Maelon stopped laughing and glared at me. “I have no reason to accept such a challenge.”

  “So, you are afraid,” I said. “My new friends the wood elves said you would be, but I had hoped they were wrong.” I looked at the warlord’s followers as I spoke, making sure to make eye contact with each one of them that was close. “In that case,” I continued, “maybe you should think about finding someone new to lead you.”

  “You?” Maelon said scathingly. “Ha. You could not lead these men and women. They would not have you first of all. And second, they would murder you in your sleep.

  “Surely, they are just as likely to murder you in your sleep, now that they see what a coward you are. What do you say, Maelon? Will you fight me? I will give you ample opportunity to kill me.”

  Finally, the warlord stomped forward, his face inches from my own, the spittle flying from his mouth. “You are but an ant beneath my boot,” he spat. “And I will crush you like the insect you are.”

  “It’s settled then,” I said. “Let everyone witness that Maelon the Deceiver has accepted my challenge. And now I will tell you what I want if I win.”

  Maelon grinned. “I think I can hazard a guess.”

  “Where is your seer?” I asked. “Where is the elf they
call Kali?”

  Maelon’s grin turned into a sneer. “She is safe, as always. And yet, I didn’t quite expect you to ask for her. I hear that you were trying to raise an army. But these men, my men, will not follow you, even if you beat me.” And then he laughed again. “Which is preposterous.”

  “No,” I said. “I only want the seer.”

  “Got an itch you want to scratch?” Maelon’s eyes leered over again at Sarina and then Ilana. “You would think you have enough of that. And how about some of those wood elves?”

  I backhanded him so fiercely that Maelon reeled backward into his men. There were shouts and swords drawn, and I heard the elven archers behind me string arrows to their bows.

  “You will speak respectfully to me and my companions,” I said. “And if you can’t, at least have the decency to let us settle this like men.”

  Maelon’s lip was bleeding, and I felt so much satisfaction from seeing it swell even as we stood there.

  The anger shown in his eyes for a moment, and then he quenched it. He snapped his fingers once again, and said, “Bring me the seer.”

  Kali was led forward, flanked by two rough looking men. At the sight of her, I heard Raven give a little gasp. I didn’t know what it meant, but Kali didn’t look our way. Instead, she seemed to only have eyes for Maelon.

  The warlord turned to her and ran a hand through her hair. By the light of day, I could see that she was perhaps a bit more pale than she should have been, and there were signs of some recent bruising along her body. So perhaps she hadn’t been treated as well as I thought.

  Maelon pulled Kali toward him by her hair. “Tell me, Seer,” he said, “if I am to engage this man in hand-to-hand combat, will it change the future that you have seen for me?”