He had to look away as the Valkyrie’s words cut deep into the root of his unhappiness, a bitter swell of anger rising within him.
But her sheer presence forestalled any protest from him.
“Life persists, even despite your suffering, Aegis Shaw. Find hope in this. I am so very sorry to have learned of your loss, but there is a time to grieve... and a time to live again.”
“What the hell are you saying?” He muttered as he continued to avoid looking at her.
His breathing became ragged though when she approached him from the side, one hand settling on his shoulder while the other pressed against his chest, over his heart.
“I’m saying you need to find something, anything to keep that spark of life inside of you from going out. Because that was what she loved. That precious part of you that contained all of those things that now irk you so.”
She leaned even closer, speaking in an almost reverent hush that stood greatly at odds with her words.
“And I’m saying that if you don’t, I’m going to grab your undies and give you the mother of all wedgies.”
He snorted and finally turned to face her, though the kindness in her eyes nearly broke him.
“Joke’s on you blondie.” He said with a weak smile; “I’m not wearing any.”
She chuckled and leaned in to kiss him on the nose.
“Good. Hang on to that. Humour is a precious tool when it comes to healing.” She sighed then; “But I’m afraid I must leave you now to check on my husband.”
“Lucky guy.” Adrian mumbled without thinking.
She was a beautiful woman.
Volka arched one eyebrow and kissed him again, on the cheek this time, trailing her lips over to whisper directly in his ear.
“Buddy, you have no idea. I do this thing with my thumb that makes his toes curl up and his hair stand straight on end.”
Adrian actually laughed at that, and she winked at him before stalking away, catching up to Alcaia.
Nameless was dead on his feet, and at Ophelia’s insistence he was resting in the parlour of one of the cafes on the edge of Divinity Square, the owners had opened their doors to provide shelter and water to those working outside.
Though he was all but napping at one of their tables with Milly and Nina, no one challenged them on it, his uniform enough of a reason not to.
Having felt them coming, his face brightened when he saw Alcaia and Volka come inside, and he stood to greet them.
The Amazon stomped up to him and scooped him up into her arms to plant a fierce kiss on his lips that made him blush scarlet and drew a number of looks from the numerous people in the cafe.
Milly and Nina watched with amused smirks, fully understanding Alcaia’s reaction as she hugged him tight.
After several long seconds she set him back on his feet and placed her hands on his shoulders.
“It feels wrong to say this, but I must. Despite all of the chaos and death in recent days, you have made me the happiest I have been since I first found my bond-mate. Thank you for choosing my daughter!”
Her smile was so broad she almost looked like a crazy person, so Nameless squeezed her hands on his shoulders awkwardly.
“We chose each other. I just used my powers to make it official, that’s all.”
She laughed and pulled him into a bosomy hug, his stature once again causing his face to get buried in Amazon tits.
“Downplay it if you must, my dear Nameless! I will not challenge your humility! Not after this.”
As she noted, it felt strange for her to be experiencing anything close to happiness in the wake of the attack on the city, but the snippet of joy from her was critically important.
It reminded people that witnessed it that life would go on, and that they could recover again.
Chapter 43:
Grace and Creed
“Found it!” Nina declared as she pulled herself out of the pile of rubble that had once been their home.
She was holding Ophelia’s teddy bear, looking more worn than ever, inside of which was her heartstone.
She’d promised to recover the precious item as soon as she could, and they were all glad when she did.
“Oh thank goodness!” The Flutterby exclaimed as she took the dirty little bear and hugged it tight to her breasts once she confirmed her heart was still safe inside of it; “And thank you dearheart.”
It had been stressful enough acting as a medic in the wake of the attack on the city, add onto that the anxiety of knowing that her heartstone was buried beneath their apartment and Ophelia had started to come a bit unglued.
Nearby several heads were raised as people heard the Gigas make her discovery, many of the other residents of the building likewise picking through it in search of treasured possessions.
Seeing the Flutterby smiling rejuvenated the subdued people and they quickly returned to their search with more energy than before.
Another tiny piece of joy, to help tide them over.
Just as she had once upon a time for Kar Brael, Volka presided over a memorial vigil held for the fallen when night fell on the second day after the attack, a sea of candles filling Divinity Square to reflect the Valkyrie’s softly glowing form; for those that fought and died, for the Aegis council, and for the countless collateral victims of Evadne’s plot.
Divinity Square had seen much damage in recent years.
It started with the first fight with the Chimera; the deep scores in the cobblestones left by her dark magic had yet to be repaired, and now they were the least of the damage, with rubble and blood in equal measure decorating the once-proud city square that had become the center for triage in the besieged city just hours before.
Despite their heartbreak at the loss of so many of their kin, not to mention the shame they felt at the destruction they had wrought, Tora’s clan members helped with rescue efforts within the city once Nameless had restored their minds to them, and now they stood with the other mourners.
The survivors of the Ogre clan hung their heads low, but no one blamed them: everyone knew what a Tenebrae was.
A little boy approached one of the more emotional ones, reaching up to hand her one of the candles his father had entrusted to him to hold in vigil for his mother and older brother.
Without a word, the Ogre handed the boy her heartstone in trade.
Those who witnessed the exchange would remember it always.
Once the vigil ended Nameless and his family made to leave, but were interrupted when out of nowhere a flying blur shot out and hugged Erica around her midsection.
The Katje yowled and flinched back, but stopped short of clawing at the little creature holding her tight.
“What the fu-wait, is that Mishka?”
She reached down and shifted the Dormaus’s face up to meet her smile.
“Yup! It’s me! Hey, why are you dressed like this?” She leveled an accusing glare at the Katje in her skin-tight leather as her tone reflected her suspicion; “Are you doing grown up stuff for money now like my momma used to?”
“No! I work for the Aegis. Where the hell did you come from?”
Not really listening to the Katje, Mishka kept right on talking.
“We almost got crushed! But then this weirdo made everything go all green and stuff! It was my fault, I went all stiff again.” Her voice fell as she finished in a shameful tone.
Coming out of the crowd, Grace hugged her to her thighs from behind to comfort her.
“It was a Witch, if you can believe it!” She stroked her fingers through the Dormaus’s hair as she smiled at Ophelia; “It’s good to see you all again. This little terror has been looking for you for ages.”
“We get around.” Nina joked as she sidled up to Mishka.
“What are you doing?” The tiny girl whined at the giant’s nearness, her eyes flicking to the enormous hammer.
Nina shrugged.
“Nothing. You’re just not any bigger than the last time I saw you. That’s smart. Get s
tronger, not larger.”
Mishka blinked her enormous eyes and then let out a giggle.
“You’re a weirdo too!”
“Call me that again and I’ll-”
“And I think it’s time we left!” Ophelia interrupted loudly in an attempt to head off her bloodthirsty bond-sister.
A fruitless attempt.
“-pull out your spine and make you eat it.” Nina finished while throwing a puzzled look at the Flutterby.
But rather than fill the Dormaus with fear, the giant’s threat just made her laugh harder, which in turn earned her another smile from Nina.
“Heh, I like this one. She’s got guts.”
The spark of levity that the child brought with her provided them with another emotional reprieve.
And as it turned out, Alcaia and Mishka weren’t the only familiar faces to show up in the city, because the next morning Volka’s faith was rewarded when Queen Julia returned.
And as promised, she did not come alone: just as they had the first time, the Antlion soldiers marched in perfect lockstep behind her.
Only now there were more of them, a lot more.
There was nothing quite like three thousand marching Antlions to project strength into the stricken city.
At the front of the column were the five queens of the Longinus family; Julia and four of her daughters, along with a portly man in a garish dress uniform.
The fat man was huffing and puffing as he walked, but he managed to keep pace with the Antlions until they reached the Bastion and could present themselves to Volka.
“Dominar. I can see that our arrival was poorly timed.” Julia greeted with a frown at the state of the city.
“Poorly timed or not, it is well appreciated!” Volka disagreed.
Julia stepped to one side in deference and gestured towards the man standing at the head of the Antlion column.
“May I present my lord and consort, Barnabas Rosenbaum Longinus.”
Everything about the short and plump man screamed ridiculous.
He had innumerable medals pinned to his chest while the ornate plumed helmet perched on his head wobbled dangerously every time he moved.
Though to the tubster’s credit, he met Volka’s gaze unflinchingly as he offered her a florid bow that made his face red from the effort of it.
“Greetings Dominar Volka, I’m told I have you to thank for the rescue of our daughter, Avita?”
“No thanks are necessary, Master of Longinus.” The Valkyrie replied, the relief on her face plain to see even through her serene mask; “Though the assistance of your legions and those of your daughters’ will help greatly in our struggle.”
Cornelius looked around at the damaged building and the rubble still strewn about the courtyard as Volka spoke, then leaned in to address her in a lower voice, his royal façade slipping slightly.
“Er, is the city supposed to look like this?”
While they conversed, not far away Tiana and Erica watched, the Amazon biting her lip with an almost covetous expression on her face.
“What is it?” Erica asked as she noticed her attention.
Milly had only been able to spare a single glass of her milk to their dear friend to help her ribs heal, but the Amazons were hardy folk and she was well on the mend after a brief visit from a Dryad.
Tiana casually placed her arm around the Katje’s shoulder, squeezing her into her uninjured side as she sighed in obvious longing.
“Antlion soldiers are amongst the most well-trained in all of the world. And those are Myrmidons. The personal guard to their queen and her bond-mate.” She gestured with her chin towards a group of larger Antlions, gathered around the queens at the front of the column; “See the length of their antennae? Not to mention the height difference between them and the regular legionnaires? Only the most elite of the soldier caste evolve to become them.”
Erica snuggled closer in the crook of the Amazon’s arm, purring slightly in her throat at the casual affection in her embrace.
“Okay, so why do you look like you’re pining after them?”
Tiana chuckled as she scratched at the Katje’s ear.
“Because just about any Amazon I know would love the opportunity to test their mettle against such an opponent. Myself included!” She sighed again as she shook her head slowly; “But such a contest will never be.”
“Why not? I thought all the warrior breeds were up for a challenge.”
“Not them. They have no ego at all. No desire save serving their sovereigns and enacting their will.”
Erica’s tail swished behind her as she watched the Antlions.
She huffed and then pinched Tiana’s ass.
“Can’t you just pick a fight with the queen then?”
The Amazon initially yelped, but began to laugh at the mischievous cat’s suggestion.
“I could if I were mad! The entire colony would fall on me all together! One does not insult a queen. I thought you would have known that what with your dealings with Oldeera and her hive. Even Yana addressed her with respect.”
Her face fell as her mind was called to her warleader, dragged into darkness by Jonathan and Evadne, but she shook off the morose thought before it could distract her, ruffling Erica’s hair in recompense for the ass-pinch.
But the cat was undeterred, now acting a bit smug.
“Oldeera got on Nina’s bad side by snagging our man when we first met. I don’t want to offend the most-high Longinuses and their Myrmididians over there, but my mountain trumps any queen alive.”
“Keep talking me up like that and you’re in for a real spanking.” Nina called from one side, her hammer resting casually on her shoulder; “Volka’s asking for you, Tiana. Think she wants you there with Myrina and Alcaia while everyone makes words with the Antlions.”
__________
Given the number of individuals attending the meeting, it was necessary to hold it in the mess hall where Milly and Nameless had encountered Evadne.
The pillars and damaged walls were repaired, though instead of the strange and perfectly smooth stone they were now an amalgamation of different strata of rock, the magic of the Gnomes and Golems that repaired it making it appear more like a natural formation than an artificial one.
Standing before the gathering of monster girl and human leaders, Volka drew in a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts before speaking.
“Most of the warrior breeds know that in a friendly contest there is no shame in defeat, for to wallow in it is to disgrace the one that bested you, to whom you owe all of the glory. But here it cannot be about shame nor pride, because here the consequences of defeat are unthinkable. No matter how many of us fall, Evadne and her puppet must be brought down and they must be brought down now. Afterwards it shall behoove those victors that still stand upon the field to venerate the glorious dead.”
“But not Evadne?”
The Valkyrie turned to Xalanth, the two of them sharing a long look before she finally shook her head, her eyes sad.
“No. For her there are no more tears left to shed. There was a moment, one tiny moment, when we fought above Garland where I saw in her eyes the pain of the mother she once was, the pain Jonathan uses to twist the hearts of so many of our sisters... But it was gone a breath later, nothing but vengeful wrath existing in its place. The kindest thing we can do for our enemy is end her.”
Queen Julia’s head dipped down firmly in agreement.
“After what was done to my Avita...” She had to pause to take a breath to compose herself before continuing, knuckles white on the sword at her hip; “I will focus on saving the lives of the monster girls in their sway rather than seeking vengeance, but the Chimera and her bond must die for their crimes against my house.”
It was not so much a declaration of what should be as it was a demand or even an order of what must be, from the Antlion Queen to the Valkyrie.
In the midst of this though, Nina was growing impatient.
“We keep saying t
hat. Again and again. But she keeps being not dead. It’s pissing me off, so let’s stop yammering about it and figure out how to go and make it a thing.”
Volka nodded.
“We must bring the fight to them. Too long have we been on the defensive, with terrible consequences. But with the arrival of the Longinus legions and with the brave volunteers that now stand beside the Aegis, we can finally end this.”
“Even if we found out where they were, Evadne will see us coming.” Miranda warned; “From everything I’ve heard she seems to be able to pop in and out of darkness without warning.”
Again Volka dipped her head.
“Yes, but Milly faced her before and gravely wounded her. And from what I’ve seen for myself she is barely hanging on. Powerful, but dying. Entropy will eventually consume her utterly.”
Abruptly Olena the Witch stood up and headed towards the stairs, seemingly intent on leaving while a great many eyes watched.
Oddly though, Volka ignored her and kept right on talking.
“So she will face us, she cares more for our deaths than she does her own life. It is what she wants. Or rather, it is what her master, the demon that has consumed her soul, wants. And at least if we go out to meet her, then we can spare the non-combatants in Garland from further suffering.”
While the conversation shifted towards more practical matters, Nameless and his other bond-mates waited, not having much to offer beyond support to Volka.
But as she was passing them Olena paused, her strange green eyes looking Nameless over intently as she fingered with a bone needle.
“Your blood...” She murmured, her brow furrowing quizzically.
“Um, can I help you?” He replied quietly, his eyes darting towards where Volka and Booker were still talking.
She shook her head quickly, casting off the distraction of his words.
While she pondered him though, Nina had come over, her hammer at the ready.
The Heartstone Saga Page 38