Hal gritted his teeth. His short sword’s reach was pathetic compared to what Mrido was now capable of. He could use Flame Shot, but he’d run low on essence after only a few castings unless he reentered Ruby Ascension, which would limit his mobility by preventing him from using the other elements and Wind Dash. Mrido had him trapped.
“I’ll give you another chance to surrender,” said Mrido. “My time is valuable, and a–”
He screamed instead of finishing the thought. Cadrian had repositioned herself, dragging her naked body by sheer force of will against whatever Mrido had done to her and the others. She’d managed to get underneath him, still holding her sword. Mrido’s cock had grown along with the rest of him, and with one well-positioned strike, she’d severed it from his body.
“You!” screeched Mrido. “You will die!”
It was already starting to regenerate, but the attack had drawn Mrido’s attention off Hal. He turned to face Cadrian, and it was all the opening Hal needed. He surged forward with Wind Dash, leaping into the air and casting it again to put himself in close.
He swung his short sword with both hands, aiming for Mrido’s neck. The blade cut through an inch of flesh, catching against what must have been a magically strengthened spine. Hal made a spark on the hilt of the sword and cast Flame Strike, empowering the blade to push the rest of the way through.
Mrido’s head fell to the ground, landing with a squishy, sickening thump. His body thrashed, knocking Hal back, but the strength was fleeting, and his limbs went limp after a second or two of seizing. Hal let himself breathe, only then feeling the pain from the bruises on his chest and leg.
Cadrian was the first up. She stared at Mrido’s headless body, still naked to the world. There was something in her expression that was a little frightening, a pensive sort of rage. It made Hal wonder what would have happened if he’d made the wrong decision and waited any longer before acting.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Cadrian nodded. She found her robe and pulled it back on. Hal helped Laurel and Zoria to their feet, both of whom seemed to be taking a little longer to recover from the effect of Mrido’s spell.
“That was disgusting,” muttered Laurel. “It felt like… well, I don’t even want to say.”
She blushed slightly. Zoria shrugged a little from where she stood.
“I wouldn’t have minded it so much under different circumstances,” she said. “But coming from this creature... He deserved what he got.”
“Let’s just hope there is a way to salvage this with the Pale Lady,” said Hal. “I don’t think she’ll be thrilled that we killed one of her allies.”
Nobody said anything for a couple of seconds. Hal gave his companions some time to regain their composure, and then they left. The snowstorm began around them almost as soon as they stepped outside.
CHAPTER 48
Hal led his party through the courtyard and back into the Eternal Palace. He was nervous and could sense that his companions were harboring a similar tension. They slowed as they approached the center of the audience chamber, and Hal felt the temperature drop significantly as the Pale Lady made her appearance.
As before, Laurel, Cadrian, and Zoria were all encased in a thin layer of stasis ice. Hal frowned as he looked at them, having trouble believing that the process was as instantaneous and painless for them as their previous reactions implied.
A second figure stood next to the Pale Lady, frozen just as his companions were. Hal recognized Jessa’s features within the ice. Her eyes were closed, and she wore strange, brightly-colored clothing of a style that wasn’t common in Krestia’s Cradle. Hal could feel the weight of the memory crystal in his pocket.
She might have left out her true reasons for wanting us to come here, but she told us the truth about Mrido.
“You returned quicker than I expected you to,” said the Pale Lady. “How is Mrido doing? Did he give you his answer?”
“He said that it is not yet time,” said Hal. “And then he attacked me and my companions. I had no other choice but to kill him.”
“He isn’t dead, my sweet child,” said the Pale Lady. “Though it may have seemed that way. And even if he were, I value strength. I would prefer you as an ally over him. Truly, I would.”
She spoke the last few words with a slight purr. Her eyes looked hungry, and Hal found that he couldn’t pull his gaze away from hers, though he desperately wanted to. He wanted to stare at her body, and he wanted her to watch him do it. He felt arousal steaming within him, trying to find any outlet it could. He forced himself to breathe.
“I did as you asked,” said Hal. “Will you help us now?”
The Pale Lady smiled at him. The silence left in the wake of his question made his heart pound in his chest.
“Of course I will,” she said. “I keep my word, Heart Holder. But before I do, allow me to offer you a choice.”
She slowly made her way over to him, taking long, lurid steps. It was hard to tell if she was exaggerating the sway of her hips, but the way her breasts pulled Hal’s eyes, jiggling slightly, knocking loose bits of snow, was completely unintentional.
“I can feel so much pain in you, Heart Holder,” whispered the Pale Lady. “And much of it comes from a single source.”
She reached out with her finger and pressed it against his chest. At first, Hal thought she was trying to point at his heart, but he realized after a second that she was tracing a circle around the heartgem.
“I’m sure Jessa asked you to request that I return her memories to her body,” said the Pale Lady. “She is dead, but her body and memories are both preserved enough that she could essentially be restored to life, and freed from the crystal.”
“She did,” said Hal. ‘And I would ask that of you, if you’re willing.”
“I’m willing to do more,” whispered the Pale Lady. “I can sense your loss. It comes from the death of someone who once wore your heartgem, as you do now.”
Hal started to shake his head, and then realized what she meant. Lilith, his little sister, had found the heartgem originally. Had she worn it as jewelry before she’d given it to him? It was possible, even likely, though he sincerely doubted she had known about its magic or had any aptitude with channeling essence.
“The gem still contains bits of her essence, you know,” said the Pale Lady. “It is a her, isn’t it? I suspect it is, given the nature of your pain.”
“What… are you saying?” asked Hal.
“I have a vessel, Heart Holder,” she said. “And I wish to grant you a favor. Allow me to restore your lost loved one to life.”
Hal stared at her, too stunned to find words. Could it be that easy? Could he have Lilith back, just like that? She’d be in a different body, sure, but if it was her, if it was his sister, it wouldn’t matter. There were so many things he’d never gotten to say to her. So much of life that she’d never been able to experience. She’d just been a little girl, taken from the world far too early.
I’d be choosing to steal Jessa’s body from her if I did this. Could I live with that?
“Would it really be her?” asked Hal.
“It would be,” said the Pale Lady. “And it wouldn’t be. Usually all of a person’s life essence is snuffed out in the moment of death, but things work slightly differently for those who’ve been in contact with the heartgem. It would be a seed of personality and emotion, but it would grow over time, reforming into the loved one you remember.”
Hal felt guilty for the hope and desperation the offer had stirred within him.
“And her memories?” he asked.
The Pale Lady frowned. “Of course, there are limits to what could be restored. But using my powers, I could rebuild some of her memories using yours. She would remember everything that you remember about her.”
“No,” said Hal, as much to himself as to her. “No. It wouldn’t be her, and it wouldn’t be what she wanted.”
He didn’t know if he was making the right decision
, if it was something he’d regret later on or not. It tore at him to think that he might end up wishing that he’d taken the Pale Lady up on her offer. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
It wouldn’t be her, no matter how much I want it to be. And I couldn’t just pretend like it was.
He pulled the memory crystal out of his pocket and offered it to the Pale Lady before he could give himself a chance to change his mind. The Pale Lady sighed as she accepted it from him.
“Very well, then,” she said. “You are stubborn in your beliefs. That’s not a bad thing, though it does make you seem naïve.”
She walked back over to Jessa’s frozen body and pressed the memory crystal against her forehead. It flashed light for an instant and then shattered. Though she was still frozen, Hal could see color and life returning to her cheeks.
“She’s in her body again,” said the Pale Lady.
Hal nodded, feeling more relieved than he’d expected to. The decision was behind him now. The choice had been made.
“Alright,” said Hal. “And you’ll still release the lift crystals and let us bring the Upper Realm back the surface?”
“You jump from one question to the next,” said the Pale Lady. “It’s okay to slow down, Heart Holder. Relax for a bit.”
She seemed to glide across the floor as she walked back over to him. She didn’t stop as she approached, pulling him into an embrace, and letting her naked breasts press into his shoulder. Hal made a noise somewhere in between a gasp and a groan as he felt a hard, pulsing arousal seize him between the legs.
“Time isn’t passing for your friends,” whispered the Pale Lady. “We don’t have to rush.”
Her hand ran across his chest and stomach. Her lips pressed into his neck. Hal felt his body moving of its own accord, taking her breast in one hand and fondling it. It was so soft, and big enough for his fingers to sink into.
“I can see it in your eyes,” she whispered. “I can sense all of the things you dream of doing to me. Would you like to find out how far I’ll let you go?”
A voice in the back of Hal’s head screamed for him to pull back, to get away from her. Something felt wrong and evil about the seduction.
“I know you had fun with my sister, in the desert,” she whispered. “She’s sweet. I’m anything but. All of the fantasies you have locked away in your heart, I’ll fulfill them. Touch me. Take me.”
Her hand slid into his trousers. Hal felt like he was on the verge of cumming as soon as her fingers wrapped around his cock. He stifled a moan and immediately felt her lips pressing against his. They were cold, but sweet, and he felt eerily disappointed as the kiss ended.
“You could stay for a year,” she whispered. “Or a century. Taking my body, every night. My breasts. My cunt. Whichever hole pleases you the most.”
Hal felt his head moving, nodding in agreement. A noise came from behind him, the faint sound of shattering ice. He heard footsteps, along with a far-off voice.
“Halrin!” cried Laurel.
The Pale Lady glared past Hal. “How did you…?”
“Hal!” Laurel’s arms wrapped around him from behind. It felt like she was pulling him out of a fog. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t make himself want to process what was going on. He just wanted the Pale Lady’s naked body and everything it could give him.
“Please, Hal!” cried Laurel. “I’m not strong enough to pull you away from her. You have to step back on your own.”
Why… would I step back from her?
“Remember the homestead,” Laurel whispered into his ear. “We were going to rebuild it? Remember? And live there. Me, you, and Karnas.”
A memory came to Hal. He was lying in bed, and Laurel was tending to him. Caring for him, after he’d first come to Krestia’s Cradle. She’d been tender and loving, before she’d even known him. It was just who she was.
Hal stepped back, shaking his head. As soon as his body was out of contact with the Pale Lady’s, he could think again, logic and reason and fear returning as he realized the situation for what it was. The Pale Lady pouted and crossed her arms.
“So be it,” she said. She disappeared, and snow began to fill the audience chamber, as though she was too impatient to even wait for them to step outside.
CHAPTER 49
Hal and the others emerged from the snowstorm very near where they’d entered it earlier in the day. They were back on the other side of the lift crystal, slightly south of it but still within view. Hal could see their footsteps, the ones leading north partially obscured by snow.
Laurel was still hugging him. Hal turned around in her grip and grinned at her, feeling a mixture of pride and bewilderment.
“How in the world did you break free of the ice?” he asked.
Laurel’s eyes met his, and smiled wide enough for her dimples to show completely.
“I could feel it,” she said. “It wasn’t like the other time, where the ice cut me off completely. I could feel your conflict. I think… the Pale Lady wanted me to be able to feel it. Just how hard it was for you.”
“It was… extremely hard,” said Hal. He tried to shift to put the evidence of that hard, difficult decision slightly further out of range of Laurel’s stomach.
The snow was already beginning to melt, crumpling and dissolving like the first powder out of season in fall. He was a little surprised that the Pale Lady had kept her word and released her hold on the area.
The others were examining the scene as it played out, winter turning to spring or even summer over the course of a few minutes. Everyone except Jessa, who stood looking as confused as Hal had ever seen anyone. Her long black hair fell across a colorful, intricately sewn robe with a complicated, triangular pattern of blue, purple and gold. She was staring at her hands, and when she finally looked up, Hal saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes.
“You did this for me,” said Jessa. “You returned me to my body.”
She spoke an odd dialect of elvish that Hal had to struggle for a moment to make any sense of.
“Yeah, I did,” he said, enunciating the elvish words slowly.
He didn’t elaborate, but something about his concise answer seemed to clue Jessa into the circumstances, regardless.
“She offered you a choice, didn’t she?” asked Jessa. “I know what she’s like.”
Hal nodded again, but didn’t say anything. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about Lilith, or how close he’d possibly come to…
To what? It would have been a shell of who she was.
“It must feel good to be back in the real world,” said Hal.
Jessa looked up at the sky, her eyes briefly turning in the sun’s direction. She was blinking and smiling like a curious child when she turned her attention back in his direction.
“More than I can even explain,” she said. “The feeling of the wind against my clothes. The sun on my face. I’m even… I think I’m hungry? I’d forgotten it was this torturous!”
“We can help you with the last one,” said Hal, with a chuckle.
He brought out his pack, and Laurel followed his lead as he started to pull food out. It was late in the afternoon, but the newly formed climate made it feel early as they doled out pieces of bread and portions of dried fruit. Hal wasn’t that hungry, but he still enjoyed the meal, for Jessa’s cute reactions to the food, if nothing else.
“This area,” she said. “It was once the border of ancient Eklidia. At least, the section of it that fell within the lift crystal’s power.”
She gestured in the direction of the crystal, and past it. The snow to the north wasn’t just melting, but sinking.
“The Pale Lady was doing more than just keeping the lift crystals frozen,” said Cadrian, joining the conversation in elvish. “She was hiding all of the evidence left in the wake of the Upper Realm, including the hole left in the ground behind it.”
“Interesting…” said Hal. “Well, let’s hope it still fits when it comes back down to the surface
.”
And let’s hope it actually lands here instead of, say, on top of Meldence.
The hole seemed to be getting deeper by the second as the snow melted and drained out through wherever it had found to escape. And calling it a hole seemed like a gross misclassification. It extended over the horizon and as far as Hal could see to the east and west.
“It’s been hidden for hundreds of years,” said Jessa. “Thousands, maybe even. I’ve lost track of how long it’s been.”
Jessa looked around in all directions, as though seeing the area around her again for the first time.
“Things will probably seem very different to you,” said Hal. “You’re welcome to stay with us, if you’d like. We’ll be headed back to civilization soon, anyway.”
Jessa took a deep breath, extending her arms out to either side. She shook her head.
“No,” she said. “But I thank you for the offer. You’ve done so much for me, Halrin. I will forever be in your debt.”
She walked over to him and pulled him into an embrace. Hal was still primed from his encounter with the Pale Lady earlier, and as Jessa pressed her lips against his, he felt his entire body moving to press into hers. She was soft and had a not unpleasant musty smell to her.
“Mmm…” she hummed. “I’d forgotten what this felt like, too.”
Hal kissed her again, and Jessa slid one of her legs so it was intertwined with his. He heard Laurel made a frustrated noise and came back to his senses.
“Uh, well, you’re welcome,” he said. “For everything I’ve done for you.”
Jessa pulled back from him a little reluctantly, flashing a happy, flirtatious smile.
“We will see each other again, I think,” she said. “Be safe, Halrin.”
“Are you leaving right now?” asked Hal. “How do you even plan to a–”
She reached into her robe and pulled loose a diamond on a necklace.
“I was forced to give up the heartgem long before I committed myself to the memory crystal completely,” she said. “I spent the last few years of my life with this, instead. Became quite proficient with wind magic.”
Eternal Palace (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 4) Page 26