Eternal Palace (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 4)

by Edmund Hughes

  He closed the door behind Rei, taking a closer look at her in the light of the fire as she shrugged off her thick traveling cloak. She wore a white tunic that clung tight to her body along with grey leggings, with a purple brooch set into a choker around her neck.

  Rei’s body had the right kinds of curves, the ones that drew the attention of men and the envy of women. She had her arms folded across her body in a way that squeezed her breasts together slightly, making them look almost like they were on display for him as she looked around the homestead.

  “Well,” she said. “It’s rustic, but comfortable enough. You live with a woman, don’t you?”

  Hal wasn’t sure what to say to that.

  “A close friend of mine,” he said. “She’s on business in Meldence.”

  Rei nodded. She was smiling and looked confident. Hal walked over to the stew and began spooning out portions into bowls.

  “I’m surprised,” said Rei. “I’d heard that the dragon had left Fool’s Valley and that it was safe for travel, but I didn’t realize that the land here was so fertile.”

  Hal smiled. “The dragon made it a well-guarded secret. We’re hoping to expand into a full-fledged farm come spring.”

  He passed a bowl to Rei and remembered the apple wine. He found cups for them on the shelves and poured some for each of them.

  “Would you prefer that I fulfill my end of the bargain before dinner?” asked Rei. “The song?”

  Hal chuckled. “Sure,” he said. “Go ahead.”

  He leaned back in his chair, his attention more focused on his food than on Rei as she set up her harp. She cleared her throat once she was ready, sounding a little annoyed. Hal stopped eating and forced himself to be a better audience.

  CHAPTER 3

  Rei started with her harp, slowly working up a melody with deft finger work. It sounded beautiful, but Hal didn’t fully appreciate what he was in for until she opened her mouth and began to sing.

  Her singing voice was incredible. Hal had been starved for both entertainment and female company for the past month, and Rei’s song fulfilled both needs. He stared at her, watching her mouth and lips move as she sang, and occasionally letting his eyes drift to other parts of her body.

  She was watching him, and he saw her smile during one of the singing interludes between verses. The song itself told the story of an ancient eklid tyrant who stole an island for his people. Hal wondered if the details matched up with the events that had actually led to the existence of the Upper Realm, but Rei’s presence was too distracting for him to think on it much.

  She almost seemed to draw closer to him as the song progressed. Hal felt like he was being seduced by her voice. He understood where her confidence came from and wondered if it really had been unusual for him not to know her name. She was extremely talented, and probably more valuable to anyone who might consider taking advantage of her if she was alive and untouched.

  The song came to a close, and Rei made a show of putting her harp down, slowly leaning over and letting her tunic billow slightly to expose a hint of cleavage. She stood up straight after, arching her back like a cat stretching.

  “Did that hit the spot?” she asked.

  “Indeed it did,” said Hal, smiling at her. The tone of their conversation had shifted. “Do you know the story behind that song?”

  “I know the story behind all my songs,” said Rei. “I’m serious about what I do.”

  “Tell me it,” said Hal.

  Rei took a seat at the table, sliding her chair and food so she was closer to Hal, her body language open.

  “A story for a story,” said Rei. “Tell me something of your own life, first.”

  Hal chuckled. “You want to hear one of my stories?”

  “Yes,” said Rei. “Something interesting. Something unbelievable, that might make a good song.”

  He almost shook his head, knowing that she wasn’t aware of what she was truly asking him. In his own opinion, his most unbelievable stories were, quite literally, unbelievable. Coming from him, a young man living alone in a secluded homestead, they would sound like dreams or fantasies. He went with something incredible that he actually did have a small amount of proof to support.

  “I wasn’t born in Krestia’s Cradle,” said Hal. “I hail from the Collected Provinces, across the desert.”

  Rei let out a single, sharp laugh. “I’m a minstrel, Halrin. I like an incredible tale as much as anyone, but I’m no fool. Please, keep it within the realm of reason.”

  Hal held eye contact with her for a couple of seconds, long enough to let a bit of tension build into the moment. He pulled his pistol and set it on the table, nodding to it.

  “Do you know what this is?” he asked her.

  Rei looked at it. She picked up, holding it by the barrel instead of the handle. After a couple of seconds, she frowned.

  “Some type of… tool?” she asked. “It’s very well crafted, but I don’t see what your point is.”

  “It’s called a pistol,” said Hal. “It’s a weapon. You load it with black powder, along with a leaden ball, a ‘bullet’, as we call them, and then the hammer back here…” He reached over, letting his fingers trace both the hammer and Rei’s fingers. “…It snaps forward when you pull the trigger down here, igniting the powder and launching the bullet at high speed.”

  Rei frowned. “Such a tiny ball wouldn’t do much damage.”

  “You’d be surprised.” Hal grinned at her.

  “I still don’t believe you,” said Rei.

  Hal shrugged. He was getting a sense of what kind of woman she was and knew that the most powerful thing he could do was to hold the silence. She looked at the gun some more, the curiosity building in her expression. He felt his own emotions reciprocating it a little, stirring the essence in his heartgem.

  Was that why he’d accepted her invitation, and let her into the homestead? It had been so long since he’d been able to stoke his passions, not since he’d left the Upper Realm. Sure, it would help him refill ruby essence in his heartgem, assuming the night went in that direction. But it would also be fun. And it would help him relax, unwind a little, perhaps even work through some of his lingering issues.

  “The Collected Provinces,” said Rei, her voice questioning. “I’ve only know what I’ve read in books. It’s the lost land, across the desert.”

  “My former home,” said Hal. “It’s a nice place.”

  “How do I know this… what did you call it again? A pistol? What proof is there that it’s from the Collected Provinces?”

  “I would think a minstrel like you, so well versed in stories, would know if anything like it existed here in Krestia’s Cradle,” said Hal. “And the proof is as much in me, as in it. Ask me anything.”

  Rei eyed him, her gaze interested, but still a touch skeptical.

  “Where did you grow up?” she asked.

  “On an estate in the province of Cardvale,” said Hal.

  “Who was the Maxim in Cardvale, then?” asked Rei.

  “There was no Maxim,” said Hal. “There was a Governor, two Voicemen, and around eleven or twelve Whisperers.”

  Rei had a slightly confused expression on her face.

  “Life was good,” said Hal. “It was a peaceful place. More equitable than Krestia’s Cradle, too. Ogres lived alongside humans, and were equally respected, some of them even rising to become elected officials.”

  “Your fable is very involved,” said Rei. “I am quite impressed.”

  Hal smirked at her, and he saw her smiling a little in return.

  “It’s all true,” he said. “My tutor was an ogre. He taught me the basics of the Kye Lornis, the traditional maug martial dance.”

  Rei’s attention perked up. She made eye contact with him and smiled.

  “You learned the Kye Lornis?” she asked. “Would you… show it to me?”

  Have I ever turned down an invitation to dance before?

  “Of course,” said Hal. “Can you give
me a basic drum beat?”

  Rei nodded. She started rapping her hands on the wood of her harp. Hal shook his head. He reached over and took her hands into his, gently correcting her rhythm.

  “That’s better,” he said. “Keep the speed up.”

  She nodded. Hal rolled one of his shoulders out, slid the sitting room table off to the side, and then began to move.

  It had been a while since he’d last had a chance to move through the flows. Hal’s training with the heartgem had taken priority in the recent weeks, along with keeping his sword arm in shape. His body didn’t seem to notice, and the dance flowed smoothly from movement, to movement.

  The homestead’s relatively low ceiling limited what he could do acrobatically, but there was still a range of steps, rolls, and kicks that he could move through. He directed the more aggressive movements, the ones intended for a Kye Lornis circle with other dancers, off on a diagonal from his guest.

  Rei gave him her complete attention. She kept the rhythm up, hands drumming against her harp, which hugged tight against her chest and breasts. Her eyes locked onto Hal as though she was seeing him for the first time, and there was a very open smile on her lips. He let himself draw a little closer to her with the movements, and Rei stopped drumming and set her harp aside.

  “Your movements are very strong,” said Rei.

  Hal nodded, holding her gaze. “It’s a very high-energy style.”

  “Would you show me a move?” asked Rei.

  Hal nodded a second time. He reached his hands forward, resting them on her hips. Rei’s eyes never left his. He drew his face in a little closer to hers, let the tension of the moment build for an instant, and then kissed her.

  Rei kissed him back, her lips moving against his with enough enthusiasm to seem impatient. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Hal pulled her in close. He ran a hand over her butt, resisting the urge to squeeze too aggressively.

  Her body was supple against his, her breasts ample and soft where they made contact with his chest. Hal kissed her neck and pawed at the bottom hem of her tunic. He kept expecting her to stop him, or to at least say he was moving too fast. It had been a good while since he’d last been with a woman, since his last intimate encounter with Zoria in the Upper Realm, and he felt eager to break the dry spell.

  Rei’s breathing intensified as Hal began grinding into her. She’d woven the fingers of one hand through his hair, and gave him a passionate, full-tongued kiss. Hal took her by the hand and half ran as he led her into his room. His bed was unmade, but Rei didn’t seem to care as he pulled her onto it.

  Hal pulled off Rei’s tunic, and the rest of their clothes followed. She had an incredible naked body, her waist remarkably trim for how well-endowed the rest of her was. She presented herself on the bed, with her legs tight against each other, her butt pushing out to the side, and her breasts naked and pressed together by the posture of her arms. She was smiling, and that was all the invitation Hal needed.

  He gave her a deep kiss, feeling her body responding to him. She parted her thighs just enough for Hal to probe for glory with his cock. He was as hard as he could ever remember being, and excited shivers of pleasure flowed over him as his shaft grazed across her folds.

  He didn’t waste time. He kissed Rei’s neck, and it was as though he’d found the right key for a locked door. She leaned further back, angling her hips for his usage. Hal pressed forward, exhaling slowly as he entered her.

  He knew she was a minstrel, and he knew that sex for her was probably about as routine and casual as giving someone a hug. He didn’t care. Hal had made an effort to keep his heartgem on while they’d been undressing, but it was pushed to the edge of his attention as he began to move.

  He ran his hands over Rei’s breasts, savoring her pert nipples against his palms. He took hold of her hips and anchored her in place as he started thrusting, forcing himself to go slow, to savor the encounter. Rei was vocal, and as more of his cock delved into her, she let him know how good it felt.

  He’d just found the perfect rhythm, the pace that would lead both of them to a pleasurable conclusion, when the ground shook beneath them. It took Hal a second to think about what that meant, lust fogging his thoughts and focus.

  “What was that?” asked Rei.

  Hal cleared his throat. “Probably nothing,” he said. He cupped one of her breasts and tried to keep going.

  “Hally!” came a deep, thundering voice. “Hooooome!”

  Rei shrieked. She leapt up from the bed and desperately fumbled for her clothing.

  “Hold on!” said Hal. “It’s no big deal! I… probably should have told you earlier.”

  Outside the window, a hulking black dragon stepped into view. Karnas was closing in on his adult size, larger than a carriage, but still smaller than his full-grown cousins. The dragon leaned his face in close to the window, his nose pressing against it somewhat comically.

  “Monster!” screamed Rei. “Ahhhhhh!”

  “It’s okay!” said Hal. “Really, it’s okay! Just let me explain!”

  Rei was already heading for the door. Hal fumbled to pull his pants on and hurried after her, cursing his bad luck under his breath.

  “He won’t hurt you!” he shouted, as he followed Rei outside. “I’ve raised him from the time he was an egg. He’s completely tame.”

  “You’re insane!” Rei wore only her tunic. Hal had her leggings in his hands and held them out to her. She snatched them from him and sprinted toward the stables.

  “It could make a good story, though!” suggested Hal. “I could tell you about how I found him.”

  “Lunatic!” screamed Rei over her shoulder. “And here I was, wondering why you were living in such a secluded place! You’re a crazy hermit with a death wish!”

  Ouch…

  Hal could only watch as Rei rode out of the stables on her horse. She was still naked from the waist down, her pants held in the same hand as her reins, but she had grabbed her harp on the way and had strapped it onto her shoulders.

  Hal folded his arms, wondering how badly her frightened ride would end up chafing her inner thighs as she disappeared down the hill, toward the desert. The only way he could have followed after her would have been riding on Karnas, which seemed like it would have only made things worse.

  “Hally…” Karnas slowly walked over to stand behind him. “You… mad?”

  Hal sighed. He folded his arms and smiled at the dragon, shaking his head.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Hunting…” said Karnas.

  Hal stood in the early evening darkness, just outside of the homestead. It was cold, and he’d doubled back inside to get his shirt after Rei’s departure.

  “Oh yeah?” said Hal. “Did you manage to bring any leftovers back with you?”

  Karnas shook his head from side to side. “Too hungry…”

  The dragon looked at Hal expectantly, and then moved in closer, nuzzling his head under Hal’s hand like a cat trying to get pet. Karnas’s head was larger than all of Hal’s upper body, and it made the gesture seem silly and unnecessary. Hal ran his hand over Karnas’s smooth scaled head, smiling a little.

  “Did you try to see Laurel again?” asked Hal. “In Meldence?”

  It had been more than two weeks since he had gotten a message from her. Hal wasn’t worried about her, as she seemed to be doing well enough from what her missives had communicated to him. He missed her, both as a friend, and as whatever else she was to him.

  Not having her around for this past month has at least given us both breathing room to decide where we stand with each other…

  The few days that they’d shared after he’d returned from the Upper Realm had been nice. They’d spent all the time with each other, Laurel doting after him, making sure he was recovering okay, and Hal trying to do as much as he could with chores to prove that he could take care of himself.

  They’d been very open with each other, with tight hugs and kisses on each other’s cheeks becoming
a part of the way they interacted. Laurel had always reminded Hal of his little sister, Lilith, and it didn’t seem too unusual for him to do that sort of thing for her.

  He’d sensed that she’d wanted something more from him, though he hadn’t been sure if it had been emotional openness, or physical intimacy, or perhaps just a commitment to staying a part of each other’s lives. Hal had felt like they’d been on the cusp of something, and then she’d been summoned back to the capital, much to their mutual disappointment.

  “No Lolo,” said Karnas, using his pronunciation of Laurel’s name. “Meldence… bad.”

  Hal frowned.

  “Meldence bad?” he asked. “What does that mean?”

  “Bad!” repeated Karnas. He leaned his head up into the air and breathed a quick puff of flame.

  Hal chewed his lower lip. Communicating with Karnas could be challenging, at times. He’d expected the dragon’s vocabulary to expand as he matured, based off his experience dealing with some of the older dragons he’d met. But as far as he could tell, Karnas hadn’t picked up more than a handful of new words over the past month, and the way in which he spoke remained simple, as though he struggled with verbal concepts.

  Inevitably, Hal had begun to wonder if it was his fault. He and Laurel had essentially raised Karnas in seclusion, separate from other dragons. His only company had been the two of them, and as much as they’d made an effort to converse with Karnas, they’d never really challenged him to speak longer, more complicated sentences.

  Did I stunt his growth? Or did something happen to him while he was still within his egg?

  He brushed the questions out of mind, suspecting that all parents eventually asked themselves similar things. It was odd to think of himself as one of Karnas’s parents. Almost tragic, given how Aangavar had slain Hal’s own father, and the role Hal had played in Aangavar’s death.

  “Still… hungry,” said Karnas.

  “You’re still hungry?” asked Hal. “I don’t have anything that would be enough for you here. Just vegetable stew. Sorry about that.”