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

by S. E. Smith

  Immediately, the image in the mirror changed. Energy flooded Nali’s limbs, and she felt light on her feet, poised to move quickly and be fierce—ready for battle. The air in the room suddenly felt icy, and the shock to their lungs made it difficult to breathe.

  Nali recoiled when the image became clear. A blood-soaked meadow, a river running red, and dozens of slaughtered unicorns littering the once pristine meadow of their mountaintop home. A sob caught in Nali’s throat, devastating pain and shock holding her rigid.

  Only a single, strong certainty consoled her. An instinctive knowledge came from her affinity and experience with this mirror. “This is the future, not the present or past,” Nali reassured her companions in a choked voice. “This is the future,” she repeated grimly.

  The image shifted to the sad conclusion of a fight between the alien and Xyrie, the oldest and most powerful of the unicorns. The entity wrapped its dark body around the wildly struggling unicorn, and one of its black tentacles snapped the horn from Xyrie’s head as if it was nothing more than a thin twig on a tree. Xyrie went limp, her eyes suddenly clouded, and she became still in death.

  Darkness obscured the outer rim of the image. For a moment, Nali thought the scene was about to end. It wasn’t until she observed the swirling colors in the background that she realized a portal had opened. Through the portal, they could now see a cavern in another universe. It felt both foreign and familiar to her. It was the same cavern the mirror had shown them before, the one with the river of gold, only this time, the river was turning black, and a wave of the same aliens they had been fighting on this world began emerging from the river. There were too many of them to count, wave after wave, a seemingly endless army of them, and after they took form, they began stepping through the portal. The alien they were hunting dropped Xyrie’s body and stood to receive them, the horn of the unicorn still in its grasp.

  The mirror flitted through more images. One by one, lush worlds filled with abundant life came into view. In each of them they saw the aliens destroying everything, each world became a bleak, lifeless husk.

  “That’s Earth,” Asahi murmured, watching the annihilation of the next world.

  Swarms of the aliens covered the blue and white marble. There was no sense of time given to Nali as the wielder of the mirror—only a sense of certainty that this is what would happen if they continued on their current course of actions. When the distinctive Isles of the Seven Kingdoms appeared in the mirror, Ashure’s curse startled the group. The scenes increased in speed, showing one Isle after another falling under the onslaught of the alien invasion before everything vanished, and all Nali saw was her own reflection.

  “Are we too late to stop it?” Ashure asked grimly.

  She swallowed and shook her head. “No, we are not too late. This is what will happen if we do not stop the alien,” she replied in a strained voice.

  “At least we have confirmation of where the alien is heading. We can stop it before it harms Xyrie and the other unicorns,” Ashure stated in a harsh tone.

  “We need more help,” Nali said, looking at Ashure speculatively.

  His answering smile was mostly sardonic—she hadn’t even wanted his help, after all—but his expression also conveyed a hint of his turbulent emotions. She had hoped to do this with no deaths except possibly her own. Yet, even with Ashure and Asahi inviting themselves along, the mirror had clarified that they must do something differently than they had planned. The risk of the alien possessing more people would just have to be mitigated somehow. Right now, Ashure didn’t have an answer to that riddle, but perhaps someone else would.

  “What do you propose?” Asahi asked.

  She straightened. “Ashure should take an Adze and ask the rulers of the other kingdoms for their assistance,” she replied.

  Ashure whistled in approval. “Well, I’ll admit that I like this plan much better than the one where you said, ‘I need to do this alone’. So, what is an ass?”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Not an ass—an Adze,” she corrected.

  “Will I want one when this is over?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.

  “Why don’t you ask me that question when this is all over?” she suggested sweetly.

  An uneasy expression crossed Ashure’s face. “This isn’t like a Bogleech, is it?”

  “No-oo, they are much worse if you do not take care. I’ll summon one,” she said, walking over to the door.

  “Can’t you just open a portal?” Ashure called behind her.

  She shook her head. “I can’t open portals. I can only open doorways for myself around the Isle, you know that,” she answered as she pulled the front door open and stepped outside.

  “What the heck could be worse than a Bogleech?” Ashure muttered under his breath.

  Asahi cleared his throat. “The Adze is a vampiric dragonfly that can take over a person if it bites them,” he answered.

  Ashure looked at him with his mouth hanging open. “You’re shitting me, right? Why haven’t I heard of them before?” he mused.

  “Where did you learn that phrase?” Asahi asked in surprise.

  “Tonya,” Ashure replied with a brief grin.

  “Ah… yes, I thought it sounded a bit too human—and no, I’m not shitting you. My grandfather saw one in action at the market on the Isle of Magic,” Asahi remarked before looking up when Nali peered through the doorway.

  “I’ve found one,” she called out with satisfaction.

  “For once, I’m not all that excited,” Ashure muttered before he reluctantly headed for the door.

  Chapter 17

  Asahi rolled his aching shoulder as he stood back near the hut’s door and listened to Nali as she told Ashure how to control the Adze. The creature looked like an enormous dragonfly. On each side of the mammoth red and green body were twin sets of translucent wings and three legs.

  The large, oval eyes were four feet long and half as wide. Thick hairs stuck out along its face, body, and legs. From the top of its head to the ground, the Adze was approximately six feet tall. Its wingspan was fifteen feet, and the length of its body was around ten feet. All-in-all, it looked like a flying truck.

  “Whatever you do, Ashure, hang on and don’t make it mad,” she warned for the third time.

  Ashure gave her an impatient glare. “I’ve got it—hang on, don’t make it mad,” he repeated.

  “I’ve asked the Adze to take you to Drago. He and Orion are the most likely to be able to assist us right now,” she replied.

  Ashure leaned down from where he was sitting in front of the first set of legs and caressed Nali’s cheek. He smiled when she covered his hand with her own.

  “I’ll be back before you know it,” he promised.

  She nodded. “Meet us on the mountain as quickly as you can,” she ordered before stepping back.

  “We will,” Ashure promised. Then he gently nudged the dragonfly with his foot, and with a loud chain-saw sound, it lifted off and sped away.

  Asahi stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Nali’s waist, and together they watched Ashure disappear over the treetops. Nali leaned back against him and sighed.

  “He’ll be fine,” he reassured her.

  She absently nodded. “It’s not him that I’m worried about. It’s what we saw in the mirror. If we don’t destroy the alien, it will destroy everything, all those worlds—gone,” she replied in a soft voice.

  She slowly turned in his arms, smiling gently at the tender look of concern in his eyes.

  “We’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he responded.

  She leaned into him and kissed him sweetly. “Yes, we will,” she answered. She pulled away and turned to the horses. “If we ride hard, we should be at the foot of the mountains by mid-afternoon.”

  “You lead, I’ll follow,” he said.

  The fire-breathing horse lowered its massive body so that Asahi could mount it. Wincing when a shaft of pain ran through his shoulder, he
waited until the beast stood before he reached up and gently massaged the area.

  It had been bothering him since the alien knocked into him after it emerged from the Goblins’ underground tunnel. Today the tenderness was particularly uncomfortable. When the beast underneath him bolted forward after Nali, Asahi quickly gripped the horse’s long mane.

  For the next hour, they followed the river. Then Nali turned northeast into the forest, and their wide path eventually became a road. The horses picked up speed on the even surface, their hooves sending up tiny sparks as they struck the gravel-strewn road. Admiration for the powerful creatures and their Empress suddenly made Asahi feel incredibly lucky to be here with her. He was glad Nali did not go ahead on her own, and he was grateful that she had sent someone for reinforcements.

  His thoughts turned to what he knew about Drago, which wasn’t much. His grandfather had only seen a handful of any dragons during his travels. Most of his grandfather’s information came from what LaDonna had told him. Asahi suspected the tales must have been exaggerated. There was no way Drago, the Dragon King, could be as fierce as told in the stories his grandfather had shared—not with what he knew about Carly Tate! How could a bank teller handle the King of Dragons?

  Asahi leaned to the right when he saw several carts heading in their direction—and in no time they passed the travelers. The excited shouts of children in the back of the cart made him look over his shoulder. They were standing and gawking at the Empress and her huge, incredibly fast, fire-breathing horses. It wasn’t long before their steeds left the awed travelers far behind.

  He returned his focus to the road ahead of them. The forest was thinning, and through the trees, he noticed a mountain range, its tall and jagged peaks capped with snow. It was beautiful. On the slope below them, the white-water river flowed into a long, narrow lake that contained quite a few rocky, tree-covered islands of various sizes and shapes.

  Asahi reined his mount to a walk and followed Nali as she guided her mount off the road. Their horses cautiously descended the steep slope, then stopped on a grassy knoll.

  “What is it?” he inquired.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him. “We will have to travel by boat the rest of the way.”

  Asahi’s horse knelt, and he slid off. He unstrapped their bags from the saddle and asked, “What about the horses?”

  “They know the way home,” she replied as she caressed her mount’s jaw.

  She secured the reins on the saddle and he did the same. When Nali gave the two fire-breathing horses a quiet command, they whinnied, then turned and retraced their steps toward the path above. Asahi watched them for a moment before he turned back to Nali.

  “How will we find a boat?” he asked, picking up the bags and securing them across his back.

  “There will be one,” she replied with confidence.

  Asahi smiled and didn’t question her further. If she said there would be a boat, there would be a boat.

  They set off down a narrow path that looked more like an animal trail than a footpath. It zigzagged downward and straightened as the ground flattened out near the lake.

  It wasn’t until they rounded a rock outcropping that Asahi saw a faint wisp of smoke rising from the chimney of a cozy-looking hut. He counted five boats turned upside-down along the rocky shore and one pulled up on the beach. The sound of animals drew his attention toward the hut. A boy who appeared to be about eight years old was tending to the sheep that were grazing nearby.

  “Father! Father, we have company,” the boy excitedly called as he ran to the hut.

  The door opened, and a man who seemed to be about Asahi’s age stepped out. The man jerked back a step in surprise, then he hurriedly brushed his beard with his hand and wiped off the front of his shirt. Given the way he hastily chewed and swallowed, they must have interrupted him while he was eating.

  “Empress, I was not expecting….” The man cleared his throat and began again. “Welcome to my home, Empress. ‘Tis a great honor to be in your presence.” He bowed low, then stood up straight with a curious smile.

  “Greetings, Micco. How is Jeanetta?” she politely greeted.

  “Fine… she is doing very well, thank you for asking. She’s taken our daughter to visit her sister on the Isle of Magic,” he replied.

  “That is nice.” She smiled. “I have need of one of your boats,” she said.

  Micco nodded. “Anything that you need, Empress,” he eagerly responded, starting toward the boats on the beach. “Bishop, come help me,” Micco ordered.

  “Yes, Father,” the boy said, flashing a smile at them.

  “I’ll assist you,” Asahi said.

  He followed the man and the boy down to the boats. In minutes, one of the boats was in the water. Asahi helped Nali into the boat and handed the bags to her. She stowed them in a long wooden box in the center of the boat.

  “This is the sturdiest boat I have. She’ll handle well for you. There is a tarp in case it rains or you need protection from the sun. All you have to do is pull the lever and it will unfurl. Jeanetta embedded a fine wind spell into the sail. You’ll fly along the lake,” Micco said with an expression of pride.

  “Mother’s spells are powerful,” Bishop boasted.

  Nali chuckled appreciatively. “Then we will fly across the water like one of my airships,” she said.

  “Oh, the ones with the Thunderbirds? I saw them once when we went to the Palace City. Mother took me down to the docks so I could watch them,” Bishop breathed out with envy.

  “The next time you come to Palace City, let me know, and I will arrange a tour of one of my ships for you. You can also visit the aviary where we raise the Thunderbirds,” she offered.

  “Oh, Father, can we go tomorrow?” Bishop implored, looking at his father.

  Micco laughed and shook his head. “Not until your mother and sister return. Who would mind the boats and the livestock?” he pointed out.

  Bishop looked disappointed for a moment before his expression brightened. “Mother and Sophie will be home in two weeks. That isn’t long to wait,” he said.

  “No, it isn’t long,” his father agreed.

  Micco gave the long oar to Asahi and held onto the bow rope as Asahi stepped over the side, then tossed the rope to him and pushed the boat out into deeper water.

  “With the Goddess’s blessing, I’ll return your boat in a few days,” Nali called out.

  “Safe journeys, Empress,” Micco replied.

  Nali spun the wheel of the twenty-foot boat, turning the bow to the north. Asahi pulled the ropes, raising the sail. Memories of sailing off the coast of California with his grandfather came to mind as he did the task.

  The sails filled the moment he tied off the rigging, and Asahi held onto the mast as the boat shot forward through the calm waters.

  He moved to the stern of the boat where Nali was standing at the wheel, and remarked, “That is some spell his wife cast on the sail!”

  Nali smiled. “Jeanetta is descended from the Isle of Magic and the Isle of the Sea Serpent. She has a special affinity for magic and water,” she explained.

  He looked back at the hut. It was now a speck on the horizon. “Where is Micco originally from?” he asked.

  She grinned mischievously. “Micco’s a changeling. His and Bishop’s appearance were an illusion to make you more comfortable. Most changelings live on the islands in this lake or along its banks like Micco,” she said.

  “That is how you knew there would be a boat available,” he surmised.

  She nodded absentmindedly, her focus fixed ahead, and it was then that Asahi noticed a movement along the shore of a nearby island. A surge of excitement swept through him. He held his head still, remembering what his grandfather had told him about the best way to see a fairy—don’t look directly at them.

  All of Asahi’s attention was on his peripheral vision as they passed the island—and the blurry movement became clear. Two teenage girls stood ankle deep in the water, their
skirts tucked in at the waist, staring at them with curiosity.

  “I always thought fairies would be smaller,” he mused.

  “There are many types of fairies,” she responded.

  I still have much to learn, Asahi thought. He looked thoughtfully at Nali.

  Her gaze remained focused on the water in front of them. This gave him an opportunity to study her profile. He would never tire of looking at her. The memory of her body intimately pressed against his, his arms wrapped around her, and his hand cupping her breast was enough to cause his cock to harden.

  This physical reaction to a mere memory was a first for him. He usually prided himself on his self-discipline, but now he wanted to embrace his lack of it. He understood that this battle may not go well and that one of them, if not both, could perish.

  Asahi slid his arm around her waist, and the troubled look in her eyes disappeared. She gave him a pleased smile, and he pressed a light kiss on her lips.

  “We will win this war, Nali,” he quietly vowed.

  Moisture clouded her eyes for a moment before she blinked it away. Taking a deep breath, she locked eyes with him.

  “Asahi,” she breathed. The space between them became charged with the depth of their emotions. Then she looked away and shook her head. Instead of saying more, she affectionately rubbed her cheek against his and held him close.

  A sense of contentment swept through Asahi. The emotion in her eyes when she looked at him was all that he needed to know. She was falling in love with him. It was an emotion that he understood all too well—because he felt the same way for her.

  Chapter 18

  Valdier:

  Royal Palace