Heretic Spellblade 3

by Robertson, K. D.

Drops of white escaped Ciana’s lips as he pumped his load into her mouth. She spasmed as Fei pushed her to climax, giggling the entire time.

  Nathan slid his cock out of Ciana, then rested it on her face. She looked up at him, mouth open and full of his cum. Then she smiled, swallowed, and ran her tongue along his full length.

  “My turn,” Fei chirped as she pushed Ciana out of the way.

  The night wasn’t too long. Fei quickly grew bored of oral sex, and Nathan didn’t let her tempt Ciana into something she’d regret. They snuggled up together in bed after a brief shower.

  “Thank you,” Ciana mumbled to him before they dozed off.

  It had been a good night and left a pleasant memory. News would arrive shortly that made him value nights like this.

  Chapter 28

  An unsettling chill blew over Doumahr. A blizzard swept south from the Far Reaches, covering the north of Doumahr in snow and ice, and sending snowstorms flurrying south. Winter arrived with terrifying force.

  Nathan found himself less busy than he expected. Everyone knew the dangers of a freezing winter. The beastkin feared them and flocked together almost reflexively. Narime had centuries of experience preparing and managing responses to them. Seraph and Anna knew how to manage them.

  Even Fei and Sen had their share of experiences to draw on.

  The result was an almost effortless response from his Champions across the entire duchy. Fei and Sen organized the Champions to both defend the portals while providing relief efforts to towns and villages. Caravans of supplies carved their way through snowed out roads and passes with the help of Nathan’s military.

  Seraph and her army of clerks kept the logistics running. Nathan’s paranoia paid off, ensuring there were plentiful supplies. They still needed to keep on top of them. Some warehouses and granaries were less prepared than others. Supplies were shifted to safer locations.

  Throughout it all, Narime and Sunstorm kept an eye on politics across the Empire. Sunstorm’s gem ability allowed her to move largely unimpeded through the snow, although she demanded long heated sessions of sex whenever she made it back to Gharrick Pass. Nathan didn’t complain about those.

  In Aleich, the Princes College unanimously voted to suspend the winter session of the Diet. Anna spoke with Alice, the archdukes, and the other dukes over the wireless. Apparently, it was a very brief meeting. Nobody wanted to leave their comfortable mansions in the cold, let alone abandon their territories in such a tumultuous time. The Amica dukes were even less interested in traveling across the length of the Empire during the coldest winter in decades.

  The other nobles were told they could go to the capital if they wanted to. But no votes would be held and none of the committees with the dukes would sit.

  Naturally, nobody turned up. Anna was flooded with a flurry of letters advising her that various committees, working groups, and other social groups would gather in spring instead. Quite a few nobles expressed a desire to visit her, instead of Aleich. Both she and Alice found themselves playing host to a number of bored nobles, whose usual entertainment had frozen over.

  Slowly but surely, the Empire ground to a cold and bitter halt.

  With less time spent managing everything and his Champions busier than ever, Nathan instead found himself focused on other matters. He continued to train Vera, slowly but surely. Much of it was theoretical, but he expected to give her hands-on binding stone training within a few months.

  Fyre continued to concern him. Her behavior was perfect, if he excepted her agitating against the Nationalists. Given the rising tensions in the Empire, he didn’t have an excuse to say anything about that.

  Maybe he was being paranoid about her. He doubted that.

  As agreed with Alice, Astra maintained a low profile. Fortunately, the Spires requested her help dealing with the invasions. Winter prevented them from rotating out the Champions they left in the Houkeem Desert. The Bastions wanted to give the Champions a chance to relax.

  Nathan had vetoed their attempt to send Astra east. He didn’t know why they had wanted Astra near Tharban, but he didn’t care. Instead, he went over their heads.

  “You know, I didn’t expect you to show up in person,” Dmitri said as he led Nathan and Fei into his suite in the upper Jormun Spire. “But who I am to refuse such a magnificent gift.”

  He hefted the engraved silver and glass case full of chocolates and expensive liqueurs. “Sureev brings me back the occasional bottle on his trips, but I’ve never been willing to admit to my sweet tooth. How did you know?”

  Fortunately, Nathan had an ace up his sleeve. “Do you need me spell out your childhood sweetheart?”

  Dmitri stared at him, then his youthful smile broke out in a broad grin. “So daring. Hah. Yes, I used to badger Astra all the time. Figures she’d tell you my secrets. Guess I don’t have a chance.” He shook his head.

  They settled onto some cushions. Dmitri had a dark elf servant pour Imperial lagers for all of them.

  “I figured you’d prefer the taste of home,” he said. “Cheers.”

  They drank, then moved onto business. Fei looked around the opulently furnished suite, openly gawking at the centuries of history on display.

  “If the Bastions are really having trouble, then I can send Astra here. Forselle Valley isn’t in danger of freezing over,” Nathan said.

  “Fair. They’re not interested in her, though.”

  “Of course not.” Nathan scoffed. “She’s interested in coming back, however. And I doubt you want to let the Bastions have their way. Call their bluff. They’ve made noise about how tired their Champions are. I can arrange for reinforcements in the Houkeem Desert, and send Astra here.”

  Dmitri laughed. “You really like pissing people off, don’t you? There are lots of rumors flying around about you. Plenty of people don’t think you’re the real deal. But Astra trusts you. I can see why. You have a deal. Send her up here. It’s not like she’s in any danger. What are they going to do, shatter their skulls on her fists? If you like, send your catgirl up, too. She seemed pretty feisty when she lit up that Champion in front of us.”

  Fei’s tail and ears shot up in response, and she retreated behind Nathan.

  “I think you have your answer,” Nathan drawled.

  With Dmitri’s assistance, Nathan arranged for Astra to spend winter in the Spires. Fei remained behind.

  “Why?” the dark elf asked him on the day she was to leave.

  “Words,” he reminded her for the thousand time in the past couple of months. “And shouldn’t you have asked me that before today?”

  She glared at him. “You know what I mean.”

  “Because you miss your home.”

  “I don’t care,” she said. “I’m your Champion.”

  “Then go help me piss off some assholes in the Spires. They tried some political play, and I’m turning it on its head. If anything odd happens, let me know. We still don’t know who was really involved in the coup,” he explained.

  Then he gave Astra a pat on the back, before pushing away. She strode off with a flippant wave. A horseless carriage took her to the Spires.

  Winter continued. One morning, Nathan woke up to see Alice’s mirror glowing on his desk. He grit his teeth and rushed over. The flashing lights meant she had tried to contact him. His attempts to reach her failed.

  Fei stirred in his bed, pawing at the indentation in sheets where he had lain. She rolled into it and stuck her arms and legs in the air.

  “Nathan,” she moaned. “Come back to bed.”

  He froze, the words triggering a flood of memories. His tongue caught in his throat. She had said those exact words the morning the Jafeila from his world had died.

  This time, he didn’t tell her to go back to sleep.

  “Come on, Fei. Up we get,” he said, hefting the catgirl up from the covers.

  “Eh?” she squawked, flailing around.

  He dragged her into the shower despite her protestations. It was a short one, and
he roughly brushed out her tail and hair afterward. She didn’t fight him, which he was thankful for.

  “Something’s wrong,” she said, looking up at him.

  “Maybe,” he grunted out.

  “I saw the mirror. Alice?” she asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “Nathan,” she growled. “Words.”

  Despite himself, he laughed. “Sorry, Fei. I just don’t like this morning.”

  “It’s okay. I’m here. We’re all here,” she said. “It will be different.” She looked him in the eye.

  He froze and looked away. “Can’t slip anything past you, can I?”

  “Nope.”

  Afterward, both of them walked up to his office. He found Seraph already inside, talking to Anna over the wireless. She frowned at him once she spotted Fei.

  “He’s here,” Seraph said, then disconnected the wireless. It let out a whine. “Don’t tell me you knew this was going to happen?”

  “No, but Alice tried to contact me. That’s not good,” he said.

  “Ah. So you’re just jumpy. You have that look in your eyes that suggests you’re about to have a bad day.” Seraph slipped on top of the desk. “The Emperor collapsed. Alice is in a panic.”

  Nathan clenched his fists.

  But Seraph continued, “Don’t worry. He’s not dead. In fact, he’s already awake and lively. But there are a score of mages trying to work out what happened. Alice can’t keep this secret for very long. Things are about to get rapidly worse.”

  “I need to go to Aleich,” Nathan declared.

  Easier said than done. Taking a carriage could take over a week in the current weather. While he doubted Nationalists would storm the palace in that time, he refused to leave Alice by herself until he confirmed the current situation for himself.

  Fortunately, he had a beautiful mystic fox with teleportation powers. After an hour of tail fluffing, he convinced her to travel with him to Aleich. They would need to take multiple jumps, but could reach the city by nightfall. He let Alice know, then they set off.

  “We could have left earlier if you didn’t assault me,” Narime whined during a break.

  “You weren’t complaining while my hands were in your tails.” He wiggled his fingers at her, and she curled her tails around her body.

  “It’s a little hard to complain when you’re turning my brain into mush,” she responded.

  They stood in a small forest, surrounded by snow and leafless trees. Nothing moved nearby. Nathan watched his breath mist in front of his face due to the cold.

  “While I don’t mind seeing this protective side of you, you should calm down,” the fox murmured to him. Her arms wrapped around him, and her tails warmed him up. “Alice won’t need you to panic over her. She needs you to be her rock and to guide her.”

  “I never realized I was this transparent,” Nathan said.

  “Only to those who know you. And it’s a good trait. We like being able to predict at least some of what you’re doing. Knowing that you’ll charge across the Empire in a heartbeat if we’re in danger makes me fall for you all over again.” Narime giggled when he looked at her. “What? You are.”

  After a short break, they resumed their journey. The sun had only begun to set by the time they reached the palace. Better time than Nathan expected.

  The palace appeared to be functioning as normal from the outside. Once inside, appearances changed. Royal knights escorted him to the Emperor’s bedroom in the rear of the palace.

  Mages, servants, and knights massed outside. Nathan stepped past them, guided by his escorts.

  Inside, he saw the Emperor lying on a genuinely palatial bed. He looked emaciated and old, his chest bared. Despite that, the old man argued with the robed mages by his bedside in a booming voice.

  For a moment, Nathan met the Emperor’s eyes. Then the Emperor gestured to the corner and ignored Nathan.

  Following the gesture, Nathan saw Alice sitting in the corner by herself. She still wore a black nightgown, although she wore a thick shawl over the top. Given it was winter, her clothes covered almost her entire body.

  “Alice,” Nathan said, approaching her. Narime followed him.

  Alice didn’t respond and simply stared at the Emperor. A cup of cold tea sat next to her.

  Clicking his tongue, Nathan grabbed her arm. She froze and looked up at him in a panic. After a moment, she relaxed.

  “Nathan, when did you get here?” she murmured.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” he said. Before she could protest, he added, “If His Majesty is in good enough health to argue with his physicians, he doesn’t need you to watch over him. Let’s get some food and drink.”

  The knights saluted at him as he left, and he caught the whispered “thanks” from several. One subtly directed him to a nearby dining kitchen. Nathan saluted in return. He didn’t know this section of the palace.

  The kitchen contained several servants, who stood around looking worried. Leaving Narime to keep Alice company, Nathan slipped inside and asked the servants to prepare food for them. He also asked them to contact the princess’s aides and gather a change of clothes for her.

  Then he dragged Alice into a nearby receiving room and plonked her on top of a plush sofa. He sat next to her, while Narime lounged opposite them, stretching out her tails.

  A pair of familiar catgirl Champions lurked nearby. One at the door, and another in the corner. Nathan nodded at them, and they saluted in return with smiles. They were the duogem beastkin that had assisted him when Anna had been attacked in summer.

  “I’m sorry,” were the first words out of Alice’s mouth.

  “Don’t apologize for not being a literal goddess,” Nathan said. She blinked at him. “Do you have the power to prevent the Emperor from growing old?”

  “Of course not,” Alice spat in indignation.

  Good. He wanted some emotion out of her.

  “Then you don’t have anything to be sorry for. He’s growing old, Alice. I’m guessing that’s what the mages are saying?” He raised an eyebrow.

  She closed her eyes. “They’re… He’s not that old. Why can’t their magic heal him? They’re saying something about his heart, and how they can’t make it better. But isn’t that what healing magic does?”

  Narime opened her mouth to say something, but looked at Nathan before she did so. He gestured for her to speak.

  “Magic doesn’t make us immortal,” the fox said gently. “We can’t undo age. Healing and regeneration spells only restore our bodies to their recent state. That’s why even Champions grow old. At some point, you’re healing a heart, a lung, or a brain that has been failing for years.”

  “Aren’t there mages who know how to make it better?” Alice asked.

  “That’s a major field of research for magical science,” Nathan explained.

  Or at least, it was right now. In his world, medical advances had been put aside in favor of fighting the demons. But in peace, longevity mattered more. Creating healing spells that could undo damage or a way for mages to use magic to halt aging entirely was the ultimate goal of almost every magical research institute on Doumahr.

  Alice fell silent and looked down.

  Before long, the servants arrived with food. They kept it simple—simple for the palace, that is. Scrambled eggs with herbs, sauerkraut, and potted fish from the nearby river, plus a simple white sauce.

  Nathan didn’t miss the other plates they had on the serving cart, which were kept warm using a magical heating element.

  “What was it like outside?” Alice asked, changing the subject.

  “I couldn’t tell that anything had happened. But with so many mages here…” he trailed off.

  “I figured. The Nationalists won’t be able to move quickly, as the Diet isn’t sitting and they are scattered across the Empire. But they’ll start raising questions.” She bit her lip.

  “They’ll want an election,” Nathan said.

  “Yes. If Grandpa isn’t well, it sta
nds that the Diet should be called and a replacement chosen. But the process could take all year. The Emperor needs to make a declaration to the Diet. Then applicants need to step forth, be filtered for eligibility, then voted on multiple times. It goes on and on. Grandpa was under consideration for nearly two years,” Alice explained.

  “That gives us a lot of time,” Narime said, although her eyebrows shot up at the news of how slow the Diet moved.

  “Maybe, but it will also allow the Nationalists to choose someone to rally behind. And they might request Grandpa to step down in the meantime.”

  “He’s arguing with his mages. I’m pretty sure he’ll tell the Diet to go fuck themselves,” Nathan said bluntly.

  Alice giggled in response, nearly coughing up a mouthful of food.

  “Removing an elected emperor is nearly impossible. I doubt they’ll do it. But questions have been raised about…” She paused. “Me.”

  “Running for empress? Or about the fact you’re doing the Emperor’s job?” Nathan asked.

  “Both. Nobody wants a civil war. Overriding the constitution would likely cause one. But if Grandpa worsens, we can…” She stopped, then hiccupped. “I’m sorry.”

  “Take your time,” he said. He held her against himself while she composed herself.

  Unfortunately, the change of clothes arrived. Nathan badgered her to change, then left while Narime helped her. When he returned, Alice was being comforted.

  “I don’t want him to go,” she cried.

  Nathan pulled her into his arms. Nothing else was discussed that night. He kept her company until she dozed off in his arms, then carried her to her room.

  Like last time, he was given a guest room next to hers. Unlike last time, he didn’t bother using it. Nathan had plenty of experience sleeping in chairs. He made good use of it to keep an eye on Alice, while Narime contacted Seraph using the wireless.

  The next two days showed a slow and gradual improvement in the Emperor’s condition. Alice returned to her duties, which were now indistinguishable from the Emperor’s.

  Princess Alice Arangar ran the Empire in all but name.

  On the third morning, a Champion interrupted breakfast between Nathan and Alice.