The Monster's Caress: A Seven Kingdoms Tale 8 (The Seven Kingdoms)

by S. E. Smith

  “There is a quote back home that says, ‘no good deed goes unpunished,’” Asahi shared.

  Ashure scowled at him. “That is a horrible saying. I hope whoever came up with it met a dastardly demise,” he retorted.

  “The quote was attributed to several people, including Oscar Wilde, who died a miserable death,” he dryly replied.

  “Thanks to Severene’s gracious assistance, we can now continue on our way more rapidly,” Nali cut in.

  “My men and I can journey with you if you need our support, Empress,” Severene offered.

  Nali shook her head. “Thank you, Severene, but what we face is something that not even the might of the cyclops can stop. Please send riders north to warn our people of the danger. The alien is exceedingly powerful and deadly. It would be best if they evacuated to the east until I give word that it is safe to return,” she instructed, gripping the reins of a beast.

  “We will not rest until everyone has been warned,” Severene replied, mounting his steed. “May the Goddess be with you,” he added before nodding to the other men.

  Asahi walked over to the horse and took the reins Nali held out to him. He looked up at the magnificent beast. The stirrup was almost shoulder high. There was no way he could climb onto it.

  He looked around for something to help him mount the beast when the creature tossed its head and knelt. In this position, the stirrups were within reach, barely. He placed his foot on the ring, stepped up, and slid his leg over the back of the magnificent steed.

  When the beast rose to its hooves, Asahi’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the reins tightly. He felt like a child perched on an elephant. The sound of a soft, sympathetic chuckle caused him look up.

  “Have you ever ridden before?” Ashure inquired, guiding his beast over to Asahi.

  Asahi pursed his lips and shook his head. “No, not unless you count a Merry-go-round,” he curtly answered.

  “The ride is as smooth as the wind. If they gallop, lean forward and hold on. There is little else you can do,” he advised.

  “Ashure, do you have the mirror?” Nali inquired.

  Ashure shook his head. “No, it was in the transport,” he replied with a grimace.

  An expression of disappointment swept over her face. “Then we’ll do this the old-fashioned way. We follow the cliff above the ravine and see if we can discover where the alien emerged. Even if we think we know where it is heading, we cannot be sure. I don’t want to risk it harming anyone else,” she said.

  Asahi thought of the horrible death the Daktyloi had faced and how the alien had taken over the Fire Beetles. He touched the sheath at his waist and traced the hardened form of Mr. Gryphon. The dagger—and especially the tiny animated winged lion—was more than an inanimate object. Asahi’s most treasured mentor had given him this legacy, and he felt his grandfather’s spirit strongly as he followed in Aiko’s footsteps. With this dagger, it was almost as if Aiko himself were protecting him in this beautiful, strange world. The thought gave him a measure of peace.

  His steed started forward, following Nali and Ashure. They left the road a short distance later, wending their way around the rocks and dense clusters of trees on the slope until they came to the same deep ravine that had swallowed their transport and the alien. Nali turned her steed north along the cliff edge. Asahi looked down. Far below, the rushing river cut through the rock. Somewhere down there was an alien waiting to kill again.

  Chapter 14

  Valdier:

  Inside the Hive

  Phoenix paused just inside the cave entrance and wiped the moisture from her face. An exhausted golden seagull landed with a plop beside her and lay on its back, panting. At least they were out of the freezing wind and rain.

  She looked over her shoulder. The driving rain, crashing waves, and a thick fog concealed this island off the coast. She shivered and rubbed her arms. It would have been smarter to shift back into her dragon form, but her dragon was more exhausted from their journey than she was.

  She breathed a quick sigh of relief when Stardust, the living gold symbiot that was her constant companion, rolled over and flowed upward, wrapping around her shoulders like a shawl. The warmth from her symbiot helped a lot, but they both needed some rest and a chance to get dry.

  We not supposed to be here, her dragon nervously whispered deep inside her mind.

  “I know, but we had to come. You know that. We have to find out what is causing me—us—to feel…,” she shook her head. “How can we understand anything if we can’t even describe it?”

  Mom and Dad be worried, her dragon muttered.

  “I know,” she repeated with a sigh.

  Well… we here, her dragon grouchily relented. I cold. Fix it.

  “Stardust, help me gather some driftwood, please,” she instructed as she caressed the shimmering swath of gold enveloping her.

  Her symbiot reformed as a petite Werecat. Phoenix smiled and began gathering pieces of wood dry enough to catch fire. She would put any that were still damp on top.

  It didn’t take long to make a nice fire ring of rocks. Stardust padded over, a three-foot piece of driftwood in her mouth, and dropped it on the pile they had collected. Phoenix lined the bottom with several dry pieces of wood before she took the remains of a bird nest that she had found in the cave and broke it apart. She made a loose pile on top of the wood. Next, she took a few pieces of wood in various sizes and created a square around the pile, adding several layers and topping it with a teepee of smaller pieces.

  She shifted into her dragon form and blew a long, fiery breath into the center. The remains of the bird’s nest quickly caught on fire. In a matter of minutes, she had transformed again and was sitting on a log with Stardust curled up next to her. She absently stroked the exhausted symbiot’s head.

  “Thank you, Pop,” she whispered as she stared into the flames. Her grandfather, Paul Grove, had taught all the dragonlings how to survive in the wild.

  Phoenix curled her fingers into Stardust’s soft warmth. She hadn’t wanted her symbiot to follow her. A part of her had been afraid that something might happen to it on the journey—or worse, something might happen to it here.

  The Hive was a special place. She was one of the few who could locate it. Phoenix’s grandmother, Morian, was the Priestess of the Hive, and her Uncle Zoran was the ruler of Valdier; they also knew where the Hive was. Most of the others were symbiots. The Hive housed the river that the symbiots came from. All of them would one day return to it.

  Phoenix, well, she was a child, and she didn’t understand how she knew what she knew or how she did some of the things that she did. Her grandmother thought she was destined to be the next Priestess, but Phoenix didn’t think that was the reason. There was something else—something deeper, but she didn’t have a name for this feeling that was thrumming inside her.

  “Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy,” she whispered, staring at the driving rain outside the cave.

  Stardust lifted her head and rubbed it against Phoenix’s chest, right over her heart. Inside, she could feel the flame of her dragon trying to warm the chill from her bones—and her spirit. She hugged her inner dragon close to her heart and wrapped her arms around Stardust’s neck, burying her face against the symbiot.

  “I’m never alone when I have you two with me,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against Stardust. “Let’s rest for just a little while before we search the cave.”

  Stardust melted in her arms and reformed as a sleeping bag next to the fire. Phoenix giggled when the top layer lifted invitingly. She pulled her boots off and placed them next to the log. Surely getting warm, dry, and taking a brief nap after the exhausting flight wouldn’t hurt.

  It will only be for a little while, she promised her dragon, who was already sound asleep.

  She snuggled down against Stardust, lovingly rubbing the soft flow of energy. Her eyelashes fluttered and she yawned. She just needed a few minutes, that was all, just a few minutes of rest.
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  Aikaterina? she silently called, searching for the Goddess. She hadn’t seen her for a long time, and Phoenix was worried.

  A soft sigh escaped Phoenix when there was no reply—again. She frowned when she felt a distant tug on her subconscious. Someone was calling for help.

  I’m coming. I’ll help you, she promised, hoping that whoever it was could hear her.

  Isle of the Monsters

  “We should stop for the night. This is as good a place as any,” Nali said as she reined in her beast.

  “It isn’t the Manticore Inn, but I guess it’s better than nothing. It will rain tonight,” Ashure said.

  “How do you know?” Asahi asked, looking up at the clear sky.

  “All pirates are a living barometer. If Ashure says it will rain, it will to rain,” Nali said with a sigh.

  Ashure grinned. “It helps to know the weather when your life depends on it at sea,” he acknowledged.

  “In that case, the hut looks very inviting—as long as the roof is still structurally sound,” Asahi replied.

  “It will be if the dwarves built it,” Nali said, dismounting when her steed kneeled.

  “I’ll take care of the beasts,” Ashure volunteered, dismounting.

  “Asahi and I will check out the hut to make sure there are no unwanted visitors inside,” Nali distractedly replied.

  Asahi held on to his steed’s thick mane as it lowered itself to the ground. He slid off, quickly untied his duffle bag, and stepped away. Ashure gave him a sympathetic glance when he winced at the sudden discomfort in his thighs and buttocks.

  “Ahh, the joys of riding. I suggest asking Nali to give you a massage, otherwise tomorrow morning you may be in worse shape,” Ashure quietly suggested.

  Asahi tried to forget the suggestion, but couldn’t completely erase it from his mind, and it tempted him into a full-blown fantasy. He distracted himself by pulling the duffel bag strap over his head and opening one of the zippered side pockets. He ejected his spent clip, placed it in the bag, and grabbed a full one.

  Out of habit, he checked to make sure the clip was full. Satisfied that it was, he slid it into the pistol and double-checked the safety. He holstered the gun and pulled the other empty clip from the cargo pocket of his trousers. Later tonight he would take some time to refill them and do an inventory of his supplies.

  “Is everything alright?” Nali inquired, noticing the gun in his hand.

  He looked up and nodded. “Yes, hopefully we won’t need it,” he said.

  She nodded. “Yes, perhaps I should….” she said with a wave of her hand at her form.

  He nodded. “Excellent idea,” he agreed.

  The rippling effect of the change sweeping over her no longer surprised him. Truly, it highlighted her beauty. He reached out and caressed her hardened cheek.

  She covered his hand with hers and pressed her lips against his fingers. Ashure’s humorous monologue with the fire-breathing horses intruded on their intimate bubble, and they both looked over at the Pirate King. He was telling the three beasts about the grand stables that he would build for them and the magnificent fields that would be reserved for their use.

  “I better monitor him when this is all over or he’ll have half my monsters eating out of his hand and following him home,” she said with a rueful shake of her head.

  “Ah, he is the Pied Piper of Monsters,” he commented.

  “Pied Piper?” she asked.

  Asahi chuckled. “A children’s tale of a man who played a magic flute to lure all the rodents out of town. When the townspeople refused to pay him as promised, he used the same flute to lure their children away,” he explained as they walked toward the hut.

  Nali frowned. “So, what happened to the children?” she asked.

  Asahi shrugged. “There are several versions. Some accounts say the children were never seen again. Other versions state they were returned after the town’s people paid the Piper more than the original sum. I’m afraid I don’t remember anything else about the tale’s history,” he said.

  “Well, it serves the townspeople right for not paying him his due, but I would have slit this Pied Piper’s throat if he had hurt one of them,” she replied with an indignant sniff.

  “I’m sure he would never have dared to cross you, my beautiful Empress of Monsters. Wait,” he said, reaching out and touching her arm before she could push open the door.

  She waited for him to pull Mr. Gryphon from his sheath. The winged lion was immediately alert, menacingly circling the hilt of the dagger. The gryphon sniffed the air before he looked up at Asahi.

  “What is it this time? Bone-melting slugs? Hostile bees? Monster-eating grasshoppers?” Mr. Gryphon demanded.

  Asahi shook his head. “Hopefully, none of those. We are stopping for the night at an abandoned hut. We would appreciate your vigilance as we make sure the hut is safe,” he explained.

  “Oh, okay,” Mr. Gryphon replied with an enormous yawn.

  “Are you sure? I mean, if you are still tired….” Asahi dryly inquired.

  “I could save you with one eye still closed,” the Gryphon retorted with a nonchalant wave of his paw.

  Asahi sent a commiserating look toward Nali. “He saves our lives once, and now there will be no living with him,” Asahi teased.

  “Once, recently. And it was a truly spectacular save. I outdid myself!” Mr. Gryphon preened.

  Nali smothered her laughter with a delicate hand over her mouth. “I’m not stepping into an argument between you and a magical dagger,” she teased.

  “Can we please get serious?” Asahi chided.

  “Somebody’s in a foul mood. I’ll keep both eyes open,” Mr. Gryphon grumpily acceded. “Do you want me to go in first?”

  “How about we do this together?” Nali countered.

  Asahi pursed his lips. Sometimes he loved this dagger like a long-lost family member, and sometimes he wished he had left it glued to the tree sap, thrown it in the ravine, or given it to those ill-tempered, creative goblins! The memory of the Daktylois’ horrendous deaths was enough to refocus his mind on the task at hand.

  Taking a deep breath, he gripped his newly reloaded pistol in one hand and the dagger in the other. Nali placed her hand against the door and waited for him to give her the go-ahead. He gave a brief, sharp nod and stepped through the door when she pushed it open.

  He ducked when several birds, startled by his entrance, swooped toward the open door. Nali ducked too, her hand shooting out to slam the door against the wall. Once the birds were gone, they were able to get a good view of the cabin. It was very rustic, with leaves and the remains of vermin nests scattered across the floor. It contained one sizeable room and a small bathroom off to one side.

  “Well, I think we can safely assume the alien did not find this place,” he said, holstering his pistol.

  “No, but it looks like every rodent known to monsters has,” Mr. Gryphon remarked with distaste.

  Chapter 15

  Two hours later, Nali sat in a rocking chair and eased it back and forth in a calming rhythm. Ashure had repaired the rocker with a simple fix-it spell, making it as good as new. A fire, created by magic, burned in the fireplace. Asahi sat next to her in a sturdy chair he had found when they cleaned up the hut. Ashure questioned Mr. Gryphon at the table. The pirate was eager to learn about the golden lion’s abilities. All of them, except Mr. Gryphon, had steaming meals in front of them, thanks to Asahi’s travel food packets.

  As Nali slowly stirred and scooped up a spoonful of chicken and dumplings from the pouch in her hand, she casually remarked, “You know that Ashure is trying to decide if it is worth the trouble to steal Mr. Gryphon from you, don’t you?”

  He chuckled and looked over his shoulder. “I suspected, though with Mr. Gryphon’s caustic personality, he’d probably return the dagger just as quickly,” he replied.

  He turned back and smiled at her when she softly moaned with pleasure at the taste of the meal, not bothering to hide
her enjoyment as she savored the burst of flavors. She hadn’t realized that she was famished until the warmth of the concoction hit her empty stomach.

  “What is this food called again?” she asked, holding up the pouch in her hand.

  “An MRE, Meals Ready-to-Eat. They’re not the same level of quality as the food from the Inn, but they are edible,” he replied.

  “I think they are delicious,” she responded with a sigh.

  They both looked up at the roof when a flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by the rumble of thunder. Ashure had been right—they were in for a storm. She hoped the fix-it spell Ashure had used on the roof lasted through the night, or they were all going to be cold and wet.

  “Ah, only one thing is better than a magnificent storm,” Ashure called from behind them.

  “What’s that?” Nali inquired.

  “Dreams of being in my bed with Tonya in my arms,” he replied.

  “You wouldn’t have to dream about it if you hadn’t followed me,” she pointed out to him.

  Ashure pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m where I should be. Besides, you don’t honestly think I’d let you two have all the fun, now do you?” he teased before straightening and releasing an enormous yawn. “I’m tired. The Golden Dagger has volunteered to guard the hut while we rest.”

  “The Golden Dagger,” Asahi repeated as he raised an eyebrow at Mr. Gryphon. “How many names do you have?”

  “I get more all the time,” Mr. Gryphon said with a wink.

  Ashure grinned. “Yes. He mentioned ‘Mr. Gryphon’ was the most boring of the bunch,” he teased. “I wonder who could have named him so?”

  Nali smothered her laughter when she saw the pained expression on Asahi’s face. She didn’t know who was more annoying, the enchanted dagger or Ashure.

  With a grandiose wave of his hand, Ashure called forth a hammock, complete with a frame, thick blankets, and a pillow. Nali smiled. If there was one thing she knew about Ashure, it was that he never traveled unprepared, and he liked his creature comforts.