Harvest Tournament (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 2)

by Edmund Hughes

  Laurel hesitated for a moment, and then hugged him tightly, burying her face against his shoulder.

  “Hal, I am so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so ashamed…”

  Hal hugged her back. She just felt like a little girl in his arms. Like Lilith, confused and trying her best and, unfortunately, getting taken advantage of.

  “He said that if I kissed him, he wouldn’t bid on the homestead,” said Laurel. “He… tried to do more than that. But I didn’t let him!”

  “It’s okay,” said Hal. “I understand.”

  Laurel shivered and pulled her head back so her eyes could meet his.

  “You do?”

  Hal nodded.

  “I do,” he said. “And I don’t blame you. Laurel… you’re my friend. You’ve done so much for me since I arrived here, in this foreign land. With no money and bad prospects. You’re more than just a friend to me. You’re my best friend, and…”

  And I don’t want to lose her over something she was forced into. Over the stupid games of a spoiled noble who doesn’t give a damn about her.

  “A friend,” said Laurel. She blinked, and a few more tears fell loose.

  “What I will say is that it’s obvious that he’s lying to you,” said Hal. “He’s taking advantage of you, and probably has no interest in holding up his end of the bargain.”

  “I know,” she said. “And I’m certainly not going home with him tonight, or ever. But… I can’t just refuse him outright. He’ll make my life miserable if I scorn him.”

  Hal shook his head, realizing something that hurt even worse than discovering Laurel’s desperation.

  She doesn’t believe that I’ll win the prize money.

  He kept the thought to himself, knowing that it would only hurt them both to say out loud. Why should she have such belief in him? He had a bit of skill when it came to channeling his heartgem, but he was no warrior. Hal heard his father’s words echoing in his head. A warrior’s life was not the life for him, he’d said. Maybe it had been truer than he’d realized at the time.

  “Oh Hal,” whispered Laurel. “I’m so sorry…”

  “It’s okay,” he said. “Things will work out. It’s okay.”

  He squeezed her hand, hoping that his words would prove to be true. Slowly, he began walking Laurel back to the guest lodge. Neither of them said anything until they’d reached the door and Hal had opened it for her.

  “You aren’t coming inside?” asked Laurel.

  “I need to get some air,” said Hal.

  Laurel’s expression looked hurt and ashamed. She nodded slowly, biting her lip as though holding back another empty apology.

  “You… could stay here for now,” she said. “In the guest lodge. With me.”

  “I’ll be back soon enough,” said Hal.

  “I’ll wait up for you,” said Laurel.

  Hal nodded and closed the door. He started walking, his feet carrying him through the city with aimless steps.

  Was it jealousy that he was feeling? No, he decided. Laurel was like a sister to him. She and Lilith would have gotten along so well, and the image of the two of them sitting together under one of the trees of his family’s estate was a soothing thing.

  But even still, Hal’s emotions twisted into strange, unwelcome tangles. He wanted so badly to just be back on the homestead with Laurel and Karnas. To start his lessons with Cadrian again, and only have to worry about minding his bruises and practicing his thesis spell.

  Reality always finds a way to intrude on what I want. It’s just the way of things.

  Hal wandered down an empty street, letting himself be drawn to the sound of conversation coming from a nearby tavern. He headed inside, feeling as though he needed to sit down for a bit. The tavern was warm, with a crackling hearth as the only light source leaving half of the barroom in darkness. Most of the people present were sitting at tables. Hal opted for a seat at the bar.

  The bartender made his way over to him slowly, giving Hal time to realize that he had no money. He was about to admit as much to the man when someone in a hooded cloak sat down next to him. Someone he recognized.

  “A mug of your best ale for each of us,” said Zoria.

  Hal sighed and refused to look at her. She didn’t deserve it, but he was still a little annoyed from the frustrating events of the night.

  “Are you stalking me, now?” he asked.

  Zoria had to keep her hood up over her ears, but she adjusted it to reveal most of her lower face, and her broad, self-satisfied smile.

  “Of course, master,” she said. “I was watching your room, and I saw you arrive and then leave. I was curious, so I followed you.”

  “Don’t you have anything better to do?” snapped Hal. The bartender set a mug down in front of him, and he immediately took a long drink.

  “No,” said Zoria. “I don’t. In case you forgot, I can’t go about this city openly. And the only thing that truly matters to me right now, as you know, is getting my runic armor back.”

  “Explain to me again why I have to be the one to do the tattooing?” asked Hal.

  “You saw what the crystal dust ink does to me,” said Zoria. “By trusting you to put the pattern onto me, I’m quite literally trusting you with my life.”

  Hal bit back another snide question. He hadn’t realized that Zoria was placing that much trust in him, and it made him feel strange to know.

  “You’d trust a surfacer with your life?” he asked.

  “No,” said Zoria. “But I would trust my master, my former master. The one who already proved to me that he’s a man of his word.”

  She leaned back in her chair and took a long sip of her ale. Hal was smiling, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. He looked at Zoria and felt odd emotions stirring in his chest.

  In the corner of the room, a small trio began making music. A flutist started a melody, joined by a hand drummer and an attractive young woman singing in a beautiful voice about the Desert War, the ancient conflict that had been the last contact between Krestia and the Collected Provinces. Hal tapped his foot to the rhythm, and then had a thought.

  “Do your people dance much?” asked Hal. “In the Upper Realm, I mean.”

  Zoria frowned at him.

  “No,” she said. “It’s an activity for the lower races. Slaves, maug, humans. We wouldn’t be caught dead wasting our time on–”

  Hal took her hand into his and pulled her onto the floor before she could say another word. There was already a small group of people moving to the rhythm, a few tapping their feet through complicated jigs, a few others dancing with partners.

  Hal kept one hand linked with Zoria’s while setting the other on her hip. He began to sway back and forth, pulling her into a simple two step. He could see Zoria’s expression under the hood, and was surprised by the flush that came to her cheeks.

  “Good,” said Hal. “Now, let’s add in a little twist.”

  He lifted her hand and spun her in a circle. Zoria moved reluctantly, and briefly pulled her hood back far enough to show him her complete scowl.

  “This is ridiculous,” said Zoria. “You cattle and your foolish pastimes. What could possibly be the point of this?”

  Hal spun her again, this time pulling her in tight as they came back together. Hal let his body press into hers as he swayed forward and back, leading confidently and keeping his grip firm on her lower back.

  Slowly, he felt Zoria begin to react more to his movements. Partner dancing was different from the Kye Lornis, but a similar communication between their bodies took place. Hal felt Zoria responding, pushing her hips to meet his. He turned her so she was facing away from him, and he felt her butt push back against him.

  “So…” said Zoria, leaning further back against him. “It’s for mating, then?”

  “Is that what’s on your mind right now?” Hal let his hands wonder across her stomach, up to the bottom edge of her breasts. He pushed himself against her, grinding his crotch into her butt. Zoria let out a sma
ll breath and tried to turn back around, but Hal held her where she was.

  “You’re teasing me, master,” she whispered. “Two can play at that game.”

  Hal felt her hand slip in between them. Her movements were hidden by the closeness of their bodies, which was a good thing, especially as he felt her slide her fingers into the waistband of his trousers.

  “That’s not dancing,” whispered Hal.

  “What is it then, master?” asked Zoria. “What is it that we’re doing?”

  They were still nearly pressed against each other as they left the tavern, dancing and ale forgotten. There was a dark alley between two merchant shops just across the street, and the two of them hurried into it.

  Hal pressed Zoria back against the brick wall and kissed her passionately, groping at her breasts as he did. Her hands returned to his trousers, pulling them down with quick movements. She pulled her cloak open, and Hal slid her leggings down, his hands running across her bare thighs as soon as they were available.

  There was no slow build up. They were both already aroused from the intensity of their dancing. Hal pushed his shaft into Zoria, feeling an illicit rush at taking her in an open, public location. He heard Zoria gasp as he began to move, thrusting into her with fast strokes.

  “Oh… master,” she moaned. “You’re… making it hard for me to stay quiet.”

  Hal kissed her neck and plunged his cock as deep into as it would go. Zoria’s back arched against him, and her hand ran through his hair.

  “Who says I want you to stay quiet?” he whispered.

  He squeezed her buttocks together and pumped into her roughly, forcing her body forward against the alley’s wall. It was sex in its purest form, hot, wild, and uncontrolled. Hal was chasing his release with the intensity of a man chasing a purse thief. He would take what belonged to him. His hands groped at Zoria’s breasts as he savored the crush of her tight hole.

  A scream tore through the night, and it didn’t come from Zoria. Hal stopped in midthrust, his heart racing, his emotions confused.

  “Keep going,” whispered Zoria. “It was probably another couple in an alley.”

  The scream came again, along with an inhuman moan. Hal disengaged from Zoria and quickly began pulling his trousers back on.

  “Husks,” said Hal. “They’re in the city. Someone is being attacked.”

  He tried to keep his disappointment in check, reminding himself that he and Zoria would have more time for fun later. As soon as she finished getting dressed, Hal gestured for her to follow him, and then hurried off in the direction of the disturbance.

  CHAPTER 28

  Hal ran with his pistol and short sword both in hand, the former of which he’d missed under the restrictions of the arena fights. The street was dark, with little more than the glow of window lights to illuminate the area on the cloudy night.

  He saw the outlines of several figures ahead of them and motioned for Zoria to hold alongside him. Four husks were hunched over a fallen woman, each of them tearing into her flesh with long fingers and sharp teeth. A fifth shape stood behind the husks, larger and more intimidating than the others.

  “That’s an Alpha Husk behind them,” whispered Zoria.

  “Alpha Husk?”

  “They’re dangerous,” said Zoria. “It’s what happens when a necromancer gets creative and decides to combine multiple bodies into one monster.”

  The husks had noticed them. Hal cocked the hammer on his pistol and pushed into a Ruby Trance, wincing at the sudden rush of emotion. He was furious at the husks, so angry at them for invading the peaceful city that he could barely contain himself.

  “Look out!” Zoria shouldered into him before he could cast his intended spell, pushing him out of the way of a husk attacking from the mouth of a nearby alleyway.

  She spun up into a fighting stance, summoning her runic spear and attacking with a curving thrust. The weapon was flexible when she wanted it to be, and it twisted like the tail of a cat, its tip seeking the husks head and spiking through its skull.

  The other husks were upon them in an instant. Hal unloaded a Flame Shot into the chest of one, the spell knocking the creature back and setting it instantly ablaze. He hacked left and right with his sword, severing a few of the husk’s long fingers and slashing across the chest of another.

  From the light of the burning husk, he could see the fate of the fallen woman. She’d been torn apart, eaten like a dead deer in the wild. Hal felt his emotions flaring at the injustice of it. The woman had probably just been walking home. Maybe even heading back to her family.

  Hal twisted his sword into a Flame Strike against another husk, flesh sizzling as they blade cut into its body. The husks pressed forward, paying no attention to their fallen comrades. Whether it was from lack of fear, or a blind determination to sink bloody teeth into raw meat, Hal had no idea.

  Zoria let out a cry from off to the side. Hal turned in time to see her being pulled toward the mouth of a nearby alleyway by the Alpha Husk, wrapped in the monster’s long, tendril like fingers.

  “Let go of her!” shouted Hal.

  He slammed through a husk in the way and charged, cocking his pistol as he ran. He lifted his pistol to fire a Flame Shot, and then hesitated, knowing how risky it would be for Zoria. His emotions screamed for blood and revenge, but Hal focused on his breathing, mastering himself.

  He attacked with his sword instead, hacking loose two of the Alpha husks fingers and freeing one of Zoria’s arms. She still had her spear in hand, but the Alpha Husk had brought her in too close to make effective use of it.

  It looked different from the other husks. The Alpha Husk was a collage of flesh, its putrid, naked torso bulging with more muscles than a single body should have been able to hold. Its neck muscles were expanded out to a size that made it seem as though its mouth and eyes had been set into a ball of clay, with no real distinction between neck and shoulder.

  The fingers that held Zoria in place were long, spindly, and reminiscent of the legs of sea creatures that Hal had seen off the coast as a child. He swung his sword again, this time managing to free all of Zoria except one of her legs.

  The Alpha Husk made a gurgling noise and turned its full attention toward Hal. It slammed forward, moving faster than expected and connecting its skull into Hal’s chest. He groaned as he felt his already injured ribs bruising from the dull, heavy pain. The force of the blow was enough to knock him off his feet, and only through sheer luck did he manage to roll out of the range of the other husks in waiting.

  “Bastard!” shouted Hal. Hot rage pulsed through his veins like boiling water. He cast Flame Strike, spinning in a quick circle and pushing the encroaching husks back. Then, he cocked his pistol, took aim at the Alpha Husk, and poured a dangerous amount of essence into his spell.

  Flame Shot exploded out from the barrel, the firery projectile larger than Hal had ever managed to make it before. It struck the Alpha Husk and knocked it loose from Zoria. The monster sizzled and fell back slightly from the force of the spell, but seemed otherwise okay. It slowly turned to face Hal, its grotesque fingers reaching toward him like an insect’s feelers.

  A gurgling howl came from somewhere else in the city. The Alpha Husk lowered its hands and made a responding noise, and suddenly all of the husks headed off into a darkened alley. Hal stared after them, his anger commanding him to continue the fight and attack while he had the chance.

  “Master!” hissed Zoria, to deaf ears. “Halrin! We need to get back to your lodgings. This attack is happening throughout the city.”

  Laurel could be in danger…

  “I’ll kill them,” muttered Hal.

  “And you need to leave your Ruby Trance,” said Zoria. “Your intensity right now is… a little much.”

  Hal brought a hand to his forehead. He had a headache, and his eyes hurt. He’d also been grinding his teeth without realizing it. He exhaled slowly and felt a shiver run over him as he returned to his normal, and apparently exhausted s
tate.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  They saw other husks on their way back to the guest lodge, and one other body. The city had been invaded, and not by a rival lord or rampaging dragon. Somehow, the husks had found a foothold within Meldence’s walls.

  It was clear enough to Hal that Maxim Cedric had already suspected as much. The Harvest Tournament’s grand prize had been a ruse to attract strong warriors to confront the threat for him. It was a rather cynical, albeit ingenious plan.

  Hal was dreading what they’d find back at the guest lodge, but other than there being fewer guards about the castle’s courtyard than usual, there were no signs of chaos. He knocked softly on the door, and heard Yua’s hushed voice ask who was on the other side.

  “Halrin,” said Hal. “It’s okay.”

  She opened the door and gasped as Hal and Zoria stepped into the lantern light. Hal looked down at himself and saw, for the first time, how much husk blood he’d picked up during the fights.

  “Hal!” Laurel ran over and pulled him in the hug, unconcerned by his filthy state. “I was terrified!”

  “There’s been a husk attack in the city,” said Hal. “More than one, in all likelihood. We need to inform the Maxim.”

  “He already knows,” said Laurel. “A guard came by to tell us to stay inside.”

  Someone, or something, ran by one of the guest lodge’s windows. Yua made a surprised noise and hurried to dim the lantern. Everyone moved a little closer together.

  “How can he already know?” asked Hal. “The city streets were deserted. It was just us and the husks on our way here.”

  Laurel frowned and gave a small shrug.

  “The guards wouldn’t be able to defend the entire city,” she said. “You’ve seen how big Meldence is. They’d focus their attention on major points of interest. The castle and a few other places.”

  “Then what of the common people?” asked Hal. He could feel the remnants of his Ruby Trance induced anger. “Are they just left to die?”