“Especially the mages,” Alsia said. “Magical potential is deeply important to us.”
That seemed like a great opportunity to ask her the real question.
“I noticed that magic matters a lot to your people,” Rys said. “Especially the type of magic. Why does necromancy and infernal sorcery ‘taint’ people, in the eyes of the Kinadain?”
Alsia winced and looked away. “That is… complicated.”
“Is it another belief related to this castle and other matters?” Rys asked.
“No, it is… much more deeply rooted. And terrifying. Especially for me, right now,” Alsia said, her eyes distant. “Can we sit? Together?”
Although her request surprised him, he gestured for her to sit on the sofa. Before joining her, he poured tea for both of them.
She thanked him and sipped her tea. He’d made sure to add extra sugar, given her preferences.
Almost a minute passed before she felt comfortable talking again.
“When I told you about the common types of demihumans, I left out an important one,” she said. “I am sorry.”
“I suspected as much, but it seems that it’s a sensitive topic.”
Alsia nodded. “It is one of the most sensitive. Most only speak of it in whispers. Even Hanna won’t speak of it properly. The older Kinadain are scarred by it. I only learned of it because I was being groomed to become a Saint. Most prefer to bury the problem, and instead instill terror about the cause.”
While Rys felt frustrated that Alsia was beating around the bush, he let her speak at her own pace. He somehow knew this topic was going to be a heavy one.
Jaime’s fury and pained face from Fort Foret came to mind. He had hated the fact that some of his kin were denied a chance at a proper burial. There was a deeply rooted issue here.
“The final type of demihuman is known as otherkin,” Alsia said. “Nobody knows what power they wield or why they’re different. But they are. They have twisted horns and tails, or strange growths on them. Their magical presence is different. Some live far longer than normal demihumans.”
Otherkin. Even the name itself made it clear they were ostracized by the Kinadain.
Rys sat silently, letting Alsia explain things.
“Tenno Morai is the most well known otherkin. The other Saints hate her because of this, but her power was too great to ignore her. Especially when the ships came from Gauron and Pharos. Supposedly, her power was the only thing that kept many at bay. She leveled keeps with a single arrow and cut down companies of soldiers with a single swing,” Alsia said.
Rys had already heard that Morai was powerful, but this only emphasized her power. She had stopped Gauron from conquering the archipelago.
So why didn’t she rule the place? Why did she hang around on a little island in the north-west?
The dark expression on Alsia’s face made Rys realize there was a more pressing issue. Namely, the reason this topic had come up to begin with.
“You mentioned the otherkin in relation to my question about the fear of ‘forbidden’ magic,” Rys said. “But you just told me that nobody knows why they’re different.”
Alsia shifted uncomfortably. Her tail poked out from behind her cloak and twisted in the air. “Any demihuman can give birth to otherkin. And while nothing is certain, there are theories.”
“Of course,” Rys said. “Why are otherkin hated?”
“I don’t know,” Alsia whispered. “It’s simply taken for granted that they should be… dealt with.” Her body shuddered, and she closed her eyes for several moments.
Rys rubbed her back, aware of exactly what she was implying happened but couldn’t bring herself to speak of.
“The main theory is that otherkin are brought about due to exposure to certain magic,” Alsia said, refusing to look at Rys. “That covers physical taint, such as what occurred at Fort Foret, but also…” Alsia’s face blew up, turning bright red, and Rys knew what she was going to say.
“You’re not supposed to have sex with me, is what you’re trying to say,” Rys said drily.
Alsia looked up at him with wide golden eyes. “No, no, I can—” She stopped herself, and stared at her lap. Her tail twisted in the air behind her head.
Rys grew increasingly tempted by how active her tail was, but he kept his hands at bay.
“Technically, you aren’t the problem,” she mumbled. “My dain only forbids me from having… sexual relations with members of the Malus League.”
“But the spirit of the laws is clear,” Rys said.
“If I’m the chief elder and duchess, does that matter?” Alsia asked, a cheeky smile creeping onto her lips. It vanished a moment later. “But… the consequences might be immense. Any child could split the archipelago. I’ve always dreamed about having a daughter. Teaching her swordplay and how to use magic. Now…” Alsia’s eyes turned distant as she imagined a future she had likely visualized many times before.
“Let’s worry about uniting Kavolara first,” Rys said, interrupting Alsia’s train of thought. “You need to focus on your objectives within the current dains you rule. We’ll need to speak with the dains up north, near Avolar. They’ve been extremely wary of us. I don’t think they like me.”
Alsia nodded, her eyes refocusing and expression turning less severe. “Yes, they’ve been rather abrupt with me. While I doubt there was anything between the previous elders and the northern dains, I suspect they don’t like our rapid growth in power. They are a very small collection of dains by comparison. Most of the region is independent of them.”
Her tail began to fall, as if reacting to the decreased excitement in the room.
Realizing this was his last chance, Rys reached out and grabbed her tail.
Alsia’s squeal nearly split his eardrums. Instinctively, Rys let go of her tail. The scales had been smooth, and warm to the touch.
Alsia leaped up from the sofa and held her tail in front of her. The tip of it twitched back and forth excitedly. The woman attached to the tail simply stared at Rys in shock.
“I take it that’s not something that’s normally done,” Rys said. He probably should apologize, but the moment he did, he knew he wasn’t touching that tail for a while.
“Do you normally just grab people’s tails without warning?” Alsia squeaked out.
“Fara’s told me off over it.”
Alsia’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Fara. “So you are having… relations with her.”
Rys leaned back and crossed his arms. “Does that bother you?”
Alsia stared at him, her expression marred with confusion. She tried to say something, but nothing came out.
“Do you want me to care?” she muttered, looking down.
“No, Alsia, I want to know why it matters to you if I’m having sex with Fara. Or Maria. Or Vallis. Or any other woman,” Rys pressed. He stood up and towered over her. “Because I don’t think it matters for the reason you think it does.”
Alsia’s eyes widened at the implication he was sleeping with multiple women, even if he actually wasn’t at the moment.
Then, as if to prove his point, Rys reached out and grabbed her tail. She squeaked but let him take it.
He ran his fingers along it and watched as her lips moved. She held in her gasps, but her body twitched with each of his movements.
While he explored the length of her tail, Rys noted details about it. The scales varied in texture and roughness. One side was smooth, and the other was rough, based on which side faced the ground naturally.
He received a stronger reaction by pressing against the scales, and especially by running a finger along the gaps between them. She began to pant and her legs shook. Her tail was alive. Pressing against it caused it to jerk and shift in his hands.
Her body also jerked, notably around her ass where the tail was connected to.
After several minutes of tail stroking, Alsia seized her tail back and collapsed on the floor. Traces of drool ran down her chin, which she wiped
away.
“Mean,” she mumbled.
“You reacted a little more strongly than I expected,” Rys admitted. He didn’t mention the scent in the air.
“But this means…” Alsia trailed off, a stupid smile on her lips. “Thank you, Rys. You’ve given me a lot to think about. For many reasons.”
She stood and fled the room before he could do anything.
A shame. If he’d grabbed her tail again, she would have been putty.
Then again, there was an extreme consequence to doing anything with Alsia, and she would be back anyway. Her lack of sexual experience and embarrassment over it meant she needed time, but breaking down her barriers little by little was its own type of fun.
As he returned to his desk, Rys’s thoughts turned to the topic that he’d interrupted Alsia over.
A child.
Rys had always avoided having children in the Infernal Empire. Allowing Lacrissa anywhere near his children was a terrifying prospect, and one he couldn’t have prevented while serving Malusian.
With the fall of the Infernal Empire, everything changed. Rys could allow himself to have a child.
Alsia clearly wanted one, and she had him in mind.
But she was right. An otherkin child would bring war to the archipelago. They would change the path of Rys’s rise to power. The raw hatred that the Kinadain had toward Tenno Morai was proof of that. She had saved the Kinadain from destruction at the hands of invaders, and her own people hated her for it.
Despite everything, something in Rys called to him that having a child was the right idea. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, and his attempts to grasp onto the feeling failed. But it felt right, as if he somehow knew that he’d enjoy fatherhood.
Quietly, Rys returned to his paperwork. But his mind ticked away, as it always did.
Chapter 41
“It feels strange to be leaving after so long,” Fara said.
She stood at the palace entrance, a small leather bag by her feet. Rys and Vallis stood near her, seeing her off.
“Aren’t you coming back in a few weeks?” Vallis asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you being all dramatic for? You’ll visit your sisters, then come back once you’ve had your family bonding time.”
Fara’s tails shifted and Vallis swore as something struck her in the head.
“Rys is such a bad influence on you,” Vallis said as she rubbed the top of her head through her black hair. “Do the two of you do kinky stuff like that in bed?”
Fara’s warning glare caused Vallis to raise her hands and take a step back.
Rys shook his head at their antics. If anything, he’d miss this over the next few weeks.
The morning sun streamed through the glass doors and windows. A few demihuman maids spied on them from nearby, not even pretending to do their morning chores at this point. Rys suspected they weren’t on duty yet, given how early it was.
At some point, it had become sport for the various servants to spy on him and the various other cabinet members. They scrawled down notes.
If Rys didn’t know that Tyrisa had put them up to this, he’d be suspicious.
No, he still was suspicious. But whenever he wanted to, he knew he could bully his little Chief of Staff into spilling the beans. Until then, it served as something to pass the time as he tried to work out what his staff were doing.
Fara stepped forward and enveloped Rys in a hug. “I’ll be back soon, Rys.”
“I don’t get a hug? What kind of godmother are you?” Vallis asked.
“The tough-love sort.” Fara beat Vallis upside the head with one of her tails. “Try not to keep Rys up at night.”
“Pretty sure that’s what you’ve been doing,” Vallis said.
The two women stared at each other. Slowly—very slowly—they both reddened. Then they coughed and looked away.
“I feel that I need to automate the soundproofing,” Rys said.
“Why do we need to turn it on in the first place?” Fara asked, her face still cherry red as she realized that her nightly activities in her bedroom had been overheard.
“Because sometimes you want people to hear what’s going on in your bedroom,” he said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
Both women stared at him. Then they rolled their eyes.
“How did we end up with you?” Fara asked.
“Do you regret it?” he asked.
“Now you’re just trying to bully us.” Vallis laughed. “Go on, Fara. I’ll keep our great and glorious Incubus King company.”
“I thought I banned that title,” Rys said.
“I’m the viceroy. I reinstated it.”
Fara rolled her eyes and picked up her bag. She turned and opened the door, about to disappear from their lives for a few weeks.
Given that Fara had been a constant figure in Rys’s life since he had awakened, the next few weeks would be emptier while she was away. It had only been a few months since they met.
A lot was different now. Fara had changed, and continued to change.
Rys stepped up behind her and sank a hand into one of her tails.
Fara’s gasp caused Vallis to turn red. The viceroy looked at Rys with wide eyes.
“Don’t take too long to get back,” Rys whispered into Fara’s ear as he leaned over her.
He stroked her tail, causing her to moan in pleasure. His other hand crept along her thigh and teased the edge of her panties.
“Not here,” Fara mumbled. She looked back at Vallis, whose hands were wandering along her own body. “The two of you are as bad as each other.”
“I’m just reminding you of what you can expect when you return,” Rys said.
He pulled Fara into a kiss. When they separated, her eyes glazed over.
“You’re making this hard,” she said. “Just like every time I go near Maria after she’s been near you. She rubs your scent all over herself.”
“Jealous?” he asked.
“Yes,” Fara said. She gulped. “I’ll have to get my fill of your scent when I return, Rys. Don’t forget me.”
She slipped away from him and left the palace.
He stood there for several long seconds, watching her dart away using her empowered muscles. She planned to travel by foot and go through the mountains.
“The two of you are acting like this is some long separation, when she’s going to be back in your bed before the end of the month,” Vallis said.
Rys looked over his shoulder at her. Her skirt was noticeably rumpled. She flushed at his gaze.
“What? That was hot,” she said. “And I’m right.”
“Yes, but it’s more fun to play things up. You’ll understand when you’re older.” Rys patted her on the head as he passed her.
Vallis blinked. “Older? I’m an adult, you know.”
“I couldn’t tell,” Rys said drily.
They wandered to the war room, which was mostly empty now. The map had been updated, but little else had changed. No figures sat on it, and there weren’t piles of notes and crystals everywhere.
Grigor stood next to it. He used his human form, which had become a constant recently. While many knew that he was a demon, it hadn’t become common knowledge given his Gift allowed him to hide his nature.
“Anything concerning you, Grigor?” Rys asked.
“It is the lack of concerns that does.” Grigor let out a grunt. “The Malus League backed down too easily after their inglorious defeat at our hands. Based on what little we’ve learned of their military strength, we lack the power to truly fend them off. They concern me.”
“I think they concern everybody,” Vallis said. “But they need to be wary of invading others. They have the Royal Gorgrian Kingdom just across the channel to the south. When they attacked Tarmouth a decade ago, Queen Faeris intervened. And they invaded Gorgria just a few years ago, which only makes tensions worse.”
“I guess that’s the problem with being a pariah,” Rys noted. “If you take action
, others will attack you while you’re focused elsewhere. Is Gorgria powerful?”
“They’re the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the archipelago,” Vallis said. “Supposedly, Faeris is connected to powerful nobility in Gauron. She was a powerful adventurer before she came here and founded the kingdom along with her husband. They have a massive professional military, have dissolved all of the dains, and basically control their territory without opposition.”
“Hence why they named their kingdom after the island,” Rys said. He frowned. “But she’s ruled for over a decade and still doesn’t control the whole island?”
Vallis winced and scratched her cheek. “The king passed years ago. I haven’t heard good things since then. People say that Queen Faeris is an ageless beauty who is respected and loved by all, but she also has a reputation due to the sheer amount of nubile men she collects.” Vallis shrugged at that. “The RGK is a stagnating power.”
RGK—an acronym for the Royal Gorgrian Kingdom, Rys realized.
The situation was an interesting one for Rys and his new kingdom.
He competed with two powers on his own island. To the north was Avolar, a small collection of dains. The south, the Malus League, who were the pariahs of the archipelago. Tarmouth were close by and controlled all intercontinental trade.
But three other major powers dominated the archipelago. The RGK to the south, who represented immense power from Gauron. To the east were the Tolaran Federation, who controlled Dalyros and wanted to marry Rys and Alsia into their political fold.
And, in the far north-east, was the island of Kinaria. Tenno Morai controlled it. She remained a mystery, but Rys knew he’d need to confront her eventually. Her power appeared to be the closest to that of the ancient angels and infernals of his era.
A long path lay ahead of Rys. Longer still, given he needed to reclaim more of his power.
“Making plans?” Vallis asked. “Proper ones, based on your expression. Maria will be disappointed. I think she wanted to make extensive use of her time here.”
Rys raised an eyebrow. “You seem a lot more comfortable talking about this than you were last time. Have you made up your mind?”
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