by HP Mallory
“He’s alright, you know?”
“Who?”
“Your friend.”
“Which friend?”
“Thora something,” she starts and my stomach drops. “Thoradin?” she asks.
I don’t respond but she continues. “Noni see him. He in the Veil. He watch you. He know you sad and he worry, but Noni tell him you be alright too.”
My heart begins to beat faster. I swallow hard. Thoradin was my head Centurion, and my only friend.
“Noni think he a monster at first, but he make Noni laugh when he grumpy. Don’t be sad, Mr. Shadow King.” She slips through the door and I feel an enormous weight lift off my chest. It eases my pain to know my old friend is here, in the Veil, where he’s watched over by Noni and Pyre.
A million thoughts scatter through my mind as I clean myself. I shave my face and wash my hair. When I find a pair of scissors on the lip of the tub, I waste no time in cutting the hair away. I feel like a new man—I’m no longer the same Dragan I was months ago, banished and forgotten in the Gorge. I’m no longer Variant’s prisoner, but I’m now a refugee.
Once finished grooming myself, I climb out of the tub and catch my reflection in the mirror. My hair is much shorter but it’s uneven and needs work. I pick up the scissors and cut the rest of it to a length very close to my head. I look younger without the beard. And it’s a good feeling. A refreshing feeling.
I take a moment to enjoy the lack of grime that built up while I was in that cell. The clothes Noni brought are all black, which suits me, even if they are a bit too large. I quickly dress and join the others in the nearby bedroom.
Flumph snores loudly on Eilish’s pillow. He sleeps under a tiny towel. Due to his wet hair, and the fact that it looks like he’s naked under the towel, I assume he’s also bathed. Thank God for small favors, because he smelled so bad, he was less like a sprite and more like a piece of shit with wings.
I glance at Eilish and notice she’s still covered with grime and dirt. She sits on the floor and the brownie holds her hand. I look at Cambion sitting in a nearby chair, one ankle languidly perched over the other. The fucking fop looks like he’s just returned from a hunting expedition and is only missing his glass of bourbon.
“What the hell are they doing?” I ask.
“Brownies can summon objects that belong to their household,” he responds as if that’s supposed to make any sort of fucking sense.
“So?”
“So, Noni’s finding the dagger Pyre gave Eilish,” he replies with an air of boredom. “Did Noni tell you about Thoradin?”
“Yes.”
“I must admit I was shocked when I heard it. Shocked in a good way…”
“Don’t pretend like you gave two shits about Thoradin,” I interrupt him. “You’ve made it clear you’re only with us because I gave you no other choice.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to pretend like I give two shits about Thoradin,” he responds in that patronizing tone of his. “I admit to only giving one shit about Thoradin.” He takes a breath as I shake my head. “As to the balance of the realms, though, I most certainly give two shits about that. Possibly even three…”
I don’t respond. Cambion gets up from his recliner and walks past me towards another bathing room that joins this one. I find it interesting that the sleeping arrangements are all within the same room, but it appears we each have separate bathing rooms?
“You found it!” Eilish says gleefully as the dagger Pyre gifted her appears in Noni’s little hand. She passes it over to Eilish who giggles happily. Eilish doesn’t even notice I’ve returned to the room.
A freshly bathed Revenant appears in the doorway and I’m surprised to see he’s walking and no longer requires support. Pyre’s magic is strong and it’s powerful. Good thing Revenant takes the cot at the far end of the room because I don’t want the fucker anywhere near me.
The little brownie approaches him, and I turn my head. I don’t want to see Revenant, think about Revenant or even acknowledge that he’s here. Instead, I climb into my cot and try to banish the thoughts of Thoradin’s death—a task which isn’t difficult to do because images of Thoradin are quickly replaced with images of Eilish—naked, underneath me, then images of her naked and underneath Revenant.
Fuck.
Darkness descends on the room. I don’t recall there being lights in the room, as there are no ceilings, but this sudden darkness is a surprise, all the same. I listen to the sounds of my companions as they return from the bathing room and pull the covers back from their cots before crawling into them. Eilish’s cot stands empty beside me. I roll over as she emerges from the bathing room. Her fragrance hangs thick in the air as her warm, damp body slithers into bed.
I hear myself and the others release a collective groan. My eyes close and I imagine her pressing that supple body against me, kissing her way down my abdomen, and stroking my cock until it’s raging hard.
My pulse jumps as I picture her full lips wrapping around my plump head and sucking lightly. I can practically feel her tongue swirling around the crown, collecting my essence before swallowing me down the back of her throat. It takes all of my control not to grind against the mattress and find that sweet friction.
###
Baron
The Veil
“What’s the plan?” I ask the following morning.
My wound is nearly healed, and my body feels as if it’s slowly returning to normal. I’m not certain if it’s this place, but being here, in the Veil, has an effect on me—a good one. I feel my strength returning and I’m not restricted by encumbrances that limit me in other realms.
I don’t want to return to the palace, as I’ve said. Of course, I also recognize I’m the exception to this way of thinking rather than the rule. I couldn’t give a shit about my companions, with the exception of Eilish. And as I see it, I have a choice to make—either stay and attempt to dissuade everyone from returning to the palace or leave and never see Eilish again.
I already know I’m not ready for option two.
Whatever this need I have for the woman, I know it’s short lived. But, short-lived or not, it exists, and I won’t ignore it.
I want her.
I want to fuck her, and I want to drink her because both elate me to the point that I forget my dismal existence. And until I grow bored of one or both, I will remain with her.
Flumph smacks his lips beside me as he gobbles down lumps of porridge as well as ham, eggs, and toast. The sound grates against my nerves, but I wait for the others to answer as I continue watching the rest of them scoff their breakfast.
My own alluring breakfast sits at the table making small talk, all the while appearing extremely healthy and ripe with her rosebud lips and her flushed cheeks. She passes a flirtatious glance my way more than once and I give her an expression that tells her in no uncertain terms what I plan to do with her.
I’m not certain what I look forward to more—forcing my dick into her or sucking from that plump vein in her neck.
The brownie carries a plate of sweet rolls to the table and Pyre leans over to pick them up for her. The brownie dangles from the plate and then drops lightly onto the table. The two of them are an odd pair—Pyre is enormous and certainly intimidating and the brownie is a foot tall at best and appears to be as mindless as the sprite.
I’ve caught Pyre watching Eilish and I can see the lust in his sightless gaze. Of course, he possesses the gift of the Veil which means the gift of sight comes to him through his senses, rather than his eyes. He’s very aware of just how delicious Eilish is and I can see he wishes to sample her. I don’t blame him.
“We now know of the servant’s entrance to the kitchen, owing to you,” Cambion says, pulling back my attention. “I’d say that’s our best hope of sneaking inside unnoticed.”
Dragan says, “Someone can watch the rotations and one of us should assume the mantle of a servant.”
“I volunteer,” Eilish says. “I doubt any of you
would be believable as a scullery maid,” she adds with a laugh.
“Your faces are too well known,” Pyre agrees with her.
“Then Eilish can disguise herself as a servant,” Dragan says. “Once she’s inside, she can dissolve the wards on the other entrances, so we can sneak inside.”
“How will I do that?” she asks.
“I will teach you,” Pyre answers.
I judge this a good time to intervene. “Why are we so convinced rescuing the Midnight Queen is such a good idea?”
The lot of them turn to face me as if my fangs have dropped out and I’ve grown rabbit ears atop my head. I shrug, feeling the need to explain. “What has she done for any of us? Other than desert us when we needed her most?”
“Desert us?” Dragan repeats.
“If she deserted us, it’s owing to the fact that Variant forced her to become his slave,” Cambion responds, rather testily.
“So, you assume Morrigan’s played prisoner to Variant for lo, going on one hundred years?” I ask. No one responds and I continue. “I doubt Morrigan would have been able to wake me from the grave were she a ward of Variant’s and stripped of her magic.” I pause and allow that thought to sink in, before continuing. “Is it thus safe to say Morrigan was free at the time of my awakening?”
“Pyre, shouldn’t you be able to answer that question?” Eilish asks.
Pyre nods. “When Baron,” he begins.
“Revenant,” I correct him with a growl. How fucking difficult is it to remember my fucking name?
“Revenant,” he corrects himself. “When Revenant was called from death, Morrigan was free.”
“When was she taken prisoner then?” Cambion asks.
“And how was Variant able to do it in the first place?” Eilish adds. “I thought the Midnight Queen was all powerful?”
“I don’t know,” Pyre answers.
“You don’t know?” I repeat, my tone accusatory.
“While the truth in some situations is very clear and transparent in the Veil, such is not the case for all situations. And this one, I must admit, appears quite opaque. I am not certain of the variables behind the Midnight Queen’s disappearance. All I can tell you with full conviction is that she is currently located within Variant’s palace.”
“Then we have to go after her,” Eilish says.
“Why?” I demand as I face her and then the others. “Have any of you considered that if Variant overcame Morrigan with his magic, then she’s not as powerful as you assume her to be?”
“There’s no telling what Variant subjected her to,” Cambion says.
“We need the Midnight Queen,” Dragan adds, nodding. “We need her not only for her power but also for the people.”
“And why do the people give a rat’s ass about her?” I demand.
He faces me in anger. “You must not remember, or you’d be able to answer that question for yourself. Morrigan was an instrumental reason why the four of us took power when we did. The people know her, and they believe in her.”
“If we’re able to say we’re united with the Midnight Queen once again, against the evil of the False King, it will be a battle cry to the people,” Cambion adds. “They will see we have strength on our side, and they will remember what the realms used to be like before Variant took control.”
“And they’ll wish for the realms to be like they used to be,” Eilish says.
Cambion nods. “Dragan is correct.”
“Then I see I’m the only voice of opposition,” I say as I face Pyre and shrug, granting him a smile I don’t feel. Truthfully, I think they’re all fools. I just hope their foolishness won’t get us killed.
Pyre looks at me and nods. Then he snaps his fingers and instantly, everyone and everything surrounding us freezes. I blink a few times as I glance around and notice Flumph’s lips in a fish-kiss expression. Cambion frowns in his customary way. Dragan stares angrily at Eilish, who gazes at Pyre with unmasked desire. Her interest in the Necromancer amuses me. I’m quite certain it’s simply a matter of time until Pyre has her, as his interest is quite apparent as well. Strangely enough, I find myself wishing I could be present when that situation eventually does unfold.
“What was the purpose in causing time to stand still?” I ask as I bring my gaze back to Pyre.
“You and I need to have a discussion, just the two of us,” he responds.
“Why is that?”
“Because you need to believe in this cause,” he answers with a shrug. His expression is harsh.
“Who says I don’t believe in this cause?”
“This cause being freeing Morrigan from Variant’s clutches.”
“Ah,” I nod. “That cause. Yes, I can’t say I do support it.”
“And, on that subject, we have a problem.”
It’s my turn to shrug. “Why does it matter so much?”
“Because I would never request that you fight for someone or something you don’t believe in.”
“I’ve done worse,” I answer with a chuckle I don’t feel.
“I understand your concerns about the Midnight Queen, Revenant,” Pyre begins as he walks closer to me.
“Do you share my concerns?”
“Perhaps,” he answers as he turns his attention to Eilish. “But whether or not I share them is beside the point.”
I watch him studying her and I wonder at the thoughts in his head. “Then what is the point?”
“Morrigan can’t stay in Variant’s castle. In order to return the balance, she must be freed.”
“Then you support the rescue attempts?” I insist, frowning.
“I only support the understanding that the Midnight Queen must be separated from the false king. All the rest doesn’t matter.”
“Doesn’t matter?”
“Nothing matters to me unless it’s tied to returning the balance. I simply do what the Cosmos tells me to do and, in this case, it’s quite clear that Morrigan needs to be freed from Variant’s service.”
I nod. “Then I guess that’s my mission.”
“Your feelings for and about Morrigan are your own and I will not argue the merit within them,” Pyre continues, frowning as he faces me again. “All I will argue is the fact that Morrigan isn’t supposed to remain within the fortress.”
“And how do you know this?”
“A message from the Cosmos,” he answers with a simple nod.
“And when the Cosmos speak, we must answer,” I say.
“Yes, we must.”
“Well, thanks for this little pep-talk, Pyre. I can’t say it did much to renew my faith in this mission but that is what it is.”
“You are crucial to the operation, Revenant,” Pyre continues, clearly ignoring my facetious tone. “Without you, it will fail.”
“Then I have my role to play,” I respond. “So, tell me, what role does Eilish play?”
Pyre cocks his head to the side as he faces her again but then shakes his head as he faces me. “I don’t know.”
“But, undoubtedly she has one?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“Morrigan came to me in a vision and told me it was my duty to protect Eilish,” I admit. “She said that was the reason she brought me back from death.”
Pyre doesn’t appear to be surprised. Of course, I can’t imagine that anything surprises him anymore. “Do you believe it your duty?”
“I don’t know,” I respond. “I know I enjoy fucking her and drinking her.”
“Ah,” he says and nods. “You’ve detected my interest.”
“You don’t strike me as the territorial type, such that Dragan is,” I respond.
He nods. “I am not and I’ve also taken an oath that ensures my celibacy.”
I’m surprised and my expression reveals as much. “I feel for you.”
He chuckles. “She is quite a beautiful creature.”
“She is,” I answer.
“And she requires protection,” he continues as he studies her. “From
each one of you.”
“She shouldn’t come with us to free Morrigan,” I say. “There’s a good chance we will be captured again, or worse.”
“I have consulted the Cosmos on that exact subject,” Pyre begins.
“Why am I not surprised?”
He disregards my comment. “The Cosmos believe that Eilish must accompany you. She must be part of the expedition to release the Midnight Queen.”
“Have you ever gone against the wishes of the Cosmos?” I ask, curious.
Pyre faces me and his expression is hard. “No.”
He shrugs and snaps his fingers again as the rest of our crew snaps back to attention. Pyre faces them. “I hold no position, other than to say Morrigan doesn’t belong in the castle. As to why she is there or how, I can’t say.”
It takes me a moment or two to realize he’s responding to whatever comment was last made before he froze time.
“None of that matters anyway,” Eilish says. “The point is that we have to get her out.”
“Then I am outnumbered,” I say with a sigh.
I do promise myself, however, that I won’t risk my life for any of them again, save for Eilish. And if I see a situation painting itself in those colors, I will desist at once.
TEN
Baron
The Veil
“Once Eilish gets into the palace, what then?” Cambion asks.
“We kill Variant,” Dragan responds.
“No one goes for Variant,” Pyre says, and his voice leaves no room for argument.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Dragan starts.
Pyre shakes his head to let us know he’s not kidding. “None of you should go anywhere near Variant. He’s not only heavily guarded, but he’s unstable. He’ll have the upper hand of powerful magic protecting him. Your best chance is to get inside the palace quickly and unseen.” He closes his eyes and reaches his hands out towards the roofless sky. Then he opens his eyes and nods. “I believe The Midnight Queen is in the North Tower.”