The Great Forest: Laya: Dark Sculptor Novel 04

by D. R. Rosier

  She shook her head, “It looks too neat, and not enough plants, but I haven’t been here in a while. I’d had a palace room and then…” she trailed off, we all knew what happened then. She’d been captured and enslaved by King Hanson.

  I pinched her ass.

  She yelped, and then purred sultrily, before she kissed me.

  “What was that for?”

  “You know me,” I shrugged with a slightly lascivious grin, “Can’t resist its appeal sometimes.”

  In truth, I’d wanted to get the haunted look off her face from those bad memories, and it’d worked. She bit her lip sexily, her eyes twinkled, and then she winked with a pleased smile before she walked back the other way, with a little extra swish in her step. Strange right? But being a sexist pig seemed to cheer up my dark elven mate really well. I just accepted it and didn’t analyze the societal differences anymore on my crazy new world.

  Of course, it helped that it was really true, she had a great ass, and mouthwateringly long, toned, and extremely sexy legs.

  On the other side of the great room was the dining room, where our hosts were waiting for us. Past that was another open arched doorway that appeared to lead into a large kitchen and pantry.

  Abresi had a scowl on his face, but he managed a polite nod from the head of the table, even if he didn’t get up and offer his hand. I was still waiting for the moment the man punched me.

  Anasha on the other hand, jumped up from her seat, and hugged her daughter. Then she turned to me and smiled, before she hugged me too. It was a full body hug, with a subtle full body rub. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it, except welcoming affection, but it still bothered me a tiny bit. It felt like she was hitting on me, even though I knew she wasn’t. It was a lot easier to blow that stuff off with other dark elves, but she was my mother-in-law.

  She purred sultrily in my ear, which really didn’t help, “Welcome to our home,” before she released me, and then hugged the rest of my mates and Claire one at a time, just as exuberantly.

  She gestured for me to sit at the foot of the table, and I did so with a smile of thanks. The rest of my mates found their seats at random, Sianna and Regina next to me across the corners, though Karana sat next to her mother.

  Abresi asked, “How did you find the city?”

  “It’s remarkable. Beautiful, and open.”

  Abresi grunted, but Anasha grinned as she uncovered the platter already on the table.

  The large fowl surrounded by vegetables suddenly started to steam, and I tilted my head in question.

  Anasha answered my unspoken question with an amused sultry lilt.

  “I knew I wouldn’t have time to cook after court, so I made it early this morning, and had it in stasis. It counts for fresh right out of the oven.”

  That was neat, I wondered if I could learn to do that.

  Karana shook her head at me subtly. Yes, she knew me that well. I knew stasis was advanced, but I wasn’t sure if it was a power thing or a difficulty thing. Apparently, the latter, which meant it was beyond my abilities. Still, Karana could do it, and eventually Sianna and Saria as well, I just wouldn’t be able to make a device to do it.

  We all loaded our plates with food and started to eat. I wasn’t sure what the bird was, but it tasted a little like chicken, but with a stronger flavor. Kind of like a game hen, but not.

  “This is excellent.”

  Anasha poked her husband, and gave me an exaggerated your welcome, then added it was nice to be appreciated.

  It almost made me laugh, but the scowl on Abresi’s face was more than enough to quell the urge.

  It seemed the course of wisdom to let my mates dominate the conversation, and I did my best during the lunch to fade into the background, but Anasha wouldn’t have it and kept drawing me out. I got the idea Anasha wasn’t pleased at all with her husband’s prejudice and was trying to fix it. I did appreciate her welcome though, and as awkward as it was it was also nice.

  Then of course, things got even more uncomfortable. I heard the door behind us in the great room slam, and footsteps approach us.

  Karana looked up with annoyance, and I twisted in my chair to look behind me, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of someone looming behind me.

  He was about six foot one and lean in stature, with a dark green mage robe on. His red eyes were narrowed, and his face was unpleasant. He looked angry, annoyed, arrogant, and unsure all at the same time.

  Narroc demanded, “Karana, were you planning to tell me you were back? I’d expected to hear from you sooner.”

  Karana grimaced.

  Abresi smiled, “Narroc, would you like to join us?”

  Oh hell. Did the old man set this shit up? Maybe him and the twin asshole princes could be pen pals.

  Narroc didn’t move, and was glaring at my mate, obviously waiting for an answer.

  Karana spoke in sultry disdain, with a tone of dismissal I’d never heard in her voice before, and one that would kill me if it’d been directed toward me.

  “No Narroc, I thought it best not to. I’m mated now, and as I’ve told you before I’m not interested.”

  Narroc was frozen for a moment, and then looked down at me in disgust.

  He nodded at Abresi, “Thank you for the invitation,” and he stalked around the table to sit in the chair across from Karana.

  Abresi frowned at Karana, “He is like a brother to you.”

  Karana laughed without humor, “Not for fifty years father. He won’t give up his pursuit, and he doesn’t treat me as family anymore. If he acknowledges the truth, and shows more respect for my mate, I may treat him like a brother, but not until then.”

  Anasha gave me a sultry look of apology, while both Abresi and Narroc glared at me, like it was my fault?

  I ate a bite of chicken-like meat, with a very well spiced piece of potato, and drank a sip of wine. The food really was excellent, but the company was stressful.

  Saria attempted to change the subject.

  “We were wondering yesterday, about the two-mile limit on summoning non-organics. What exactly is the limit there, and is distance a linear or geometric cost in magic?”

  Anasha jumped on it like it was a life raft at her sinking family dinner.

  “Linear, sort of. It takes a lot of magic for the object to disappear from and appear back into space in a different location. The cost in magic per foot is a lot less. Magical strength is the only limit, or at least the only one we’re aware of right now, why?”

  Saria brought up the idea of large summoning crates, the size of a room, to help with trade and eliminating the dangers of crossing the forest for trade. Both Sianna and Karana looked very interested, they hadn’t been there when we talked about it yesterday.

  Anasha nodded, “Based on what we know, that should work well. Of course, we’ve never tried past two miles, so if there are more limiting factors we don’t know about…” she trailed off, and started over, “It should work, unless there’s a second bottle neck we didn’t learn about, because we’ve never overcome the first before.”

  Saria said, “Well, James was talking about charging for each use, and creating our own shipping company. We’d need people on this side, as well as in Lelmalond. If you’re interested, or know anyone who would be,” she turned to me, “We might want to build the one here first, so when you build the one at home there’s one ready for the test.”

  Abresi looked curious despite himself, “What would be involved in its construction?”

  “I’d specify the size and shape of a small room to be loaded with equipment in the growth matrix. It would need an active bond between them, like a calling spell, which should be easy enough, I can take a part of it to grow two new boxes. Then we’d need two different activations for two separate destinations in all three, and a spell that would detect life and abort activation, so someone doesn’t do anything idiotic and kill themselves by getting in it and trying to teleport.”

  Abresi frowned, “The bonds will ta
ke a lot of magic to maintain at thirty miles apart, especially with two of them. You’d be better off including specific destinations with visualization as part of the spell. Perhaps each box can have a uniquely carved design on the floor of it to ensure accurate targeting.”

  I grinned, “That will work, I’d still need two spells for each, and they’d have to be made independently, or at least those spells for summoning would. My devices are limited in that the spells can’t have variables, because the box will cast the spell, not me.”

  Narroc sneered, “That’s pathetic.”

  I shrugged, “I’m not a mage, and will never be one. On the other hand, my devices are flexible in that anyone can use one. Much like elven armor which bonds to one person, but can be controlled by anyone that is bonded.”

  “But only weak spells.”

  I nodded in easy agreement, as he got more agitated.

  “My inventions will be luxuries, made to improve the quality of life, not weapons or advantages in battle. They don’t have to be strong to be useful. Do you mock tailors, because their clothes are weak? Would you rather your fellow elves risk their lives dragging trade goods through the forest on their backs? Risking lives to protect your forest is a laudable passion and a worthwhile managed risk, but for a bolt of cotton cloth or a piece of gold?”

  To my shock, Abresi agreed, and Narroc turned red-faced and glared at me apoplectically. But it was Karana’s smirk that made the elf stand up and stalk out of the house without a word. I had a bad feeling we hadn’t seen the last of him, but hoped I was wrong.

  Abresi frowned, as if that didn’t quite work out as he’d hoped, but then shook his head and reengaged despite himself.

  “Perhaps you should make a small version before you leave, to test out the spells to look for problems. It won’t be easy to make updates once they’re in separate cities.”

  I nodded slowly, “I can do that, I can also program in two sizes, so they can be moved, and the bigger ones will be the same as what already worked. The big size will be a ton and a half after all, maybe a little more just in case. That way if it doesn’t work when I get home, we’ll know there’s some limiting factor besides magical power that we hadn’t counted on.”

  I’d probably wind up sending the third box to Lelmalond next time Desirae came. She could bond to it and control it on that side to grow it at whatever receiving destination they chose, the smaller version of itself won’t be bulky at all.

  The rest of lunch went fairly smoothly, and I got another inappropriate hug from Anasha before we headed back to the palace. Once again, Sianna and Karana left the rest of us in the suite for the afternoon, as they joined up with Karana’s parents to discuss the treaty. We all thought that would be a done deal that day, which meant we could leave any time after that, although we planned to stay a little while longer.

  Regina, Saria, and Claire chatted, while I built my teleport boxes. It was a little complicated, I had to build in a macro of spells that launched in sequence and could abort at any point. It had to check to make sure the target box to transport to was completely empty, then it made sure both boxes had the doors closed and locked them for the remained of the spell macro, then it had to check for life at the macro level, I wouldn’t care if some germs got killed off, and if all those things parameters were satisfied it would then transport the stuff loaded to the target. I also added notification lights of sorts, that would say where it failed if it failed any of the checks or to indicate success, and lastly to notify on the far end when a delivery had been made so they could unload it.

  They worked just fine, at close range. I put two in my pack, one for Lelmalond and one for home, and I’d bond the other box to Abresi or Anasha who could put it wherever they wanted and grow it to its larger size.

  Of course, the true test would be when we got back home.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  It was later that afternoon, and we were still waiting for Karana and Sianna to get back, but I’d been long done with the teleport boxes. Our conversation was comfortable, filled with relaxed pauses as we sat on the couch. Our mage concept lessons had fell by the wayside, but I couldn’t blame Karana for spending time with her parents while we were there. We’d establish a more solid schedule once we’d gotten home.

  During one of the lulls in the afternoon conversation, Oceana interjected in a soft mental voice.

  “Master?”

  Yes Oceana?

  She said, “I’ve been thinking about your idea, and my limitations in gaining experience through my non-emotional bonding with mortals.”

  What about it? You said it was too dangerous to bond deeper.

  She replied, “You are unique master, of all my previous masters. Like you, they all got tired of fucking me.”

  Wait, what?

  She said, “It’s okay master. I understand the limits of human lust and pure pleasure. No matter how much you enjoy the pleasure my body provides, I can already tell your interest in it wanes. Lust is transitory in humans. My past masters introduced more extreme behaviors to temporarily overcome that problem, but I know you have no interest in… violence and subjugation. Not that it would truly harm me.”

  I felt a little sick at the idea.

  She said, “Exactly. But unlike my past masters, you have only been more attracted to your mates over time, and your desire for them has only grown, because of love and intimacy. I can see it in your mind even if I can’t feel it for myself. I wish to experience that. I have thought of a way to make it possible, so I do not become jealous of your other mates, though it is an unnatural thought I am willing to try it, to experience what I never have before.”

  So, what are you asking me?

  She replied, “To do so, master, I need your permission to release our bond before death.”

  Oh, so you need to leave me to try what you’re thinking? I’ll miss you Oceana, but you know I never thought of you as a servant or slave.

  She replied, “Thank you master, but I don’t think you’ll be missing me.”

  In retrospect, as I felt her bond leave my mind, I probably should have asked more questions about her plan before approving letting her go, but it was just as well that I didn’t.

  Regina squeaked and stiffened next to me, and I got a really bad feeling. Fortunately, this time that bad feeling didn’t pay off. I also figured out why her solution was an unnatural idea, she’d told me before that she’d only bond with the master of a group. Her words not mine, I’d never think of myself as the master of my mates, but it was the way her alien fae mind saw it.

  Regina shivered, and smiled.

  “You’re wanted in the bedroom, my love.”

  Claire raised an eyebrow.

  Regina patted my knee, “I’ll explain it to her, I think she’s earned our trust.”

  I looked at Claire, and slowly nodded in agreement. She blushed under my direct gaze, something I’d really never done until that moment out of respect for her discomfort with me, but she didn’t look away from my eyes. There was a challenging look in those dark blue eyes, and I wasn’t sure if the challenge was for me or herself. Then I got up and went into the bedroom. After closing the door, there was a blue flash, and I suddenly had a very warm and supple water nymph in my arms. Did I mention naked?

  “James,” she whispered softly, and then looked up at me with cute crinkles in the skin around her light blue eyes, “It’s going to take a while to get used to calling you that.”

  Her voice was soft, and full of something I’d never heard from her before, emotion. Her warm blue eyes were the color of crystal-clear shallow ocean water in the tropics, and they were twinkling mischievously.

  She grinned a little wickedly, and tilted her head, “Though I suppose I could call you master anyway? Shall I, master?”

  I caressed her face softly in amazement, “Why Regina?”

  She smiled, and it reached her eyes, “She adores you, and she holds no jealousy. She loves your other mates like sisters,” her voi
ce grew sultry, “and lovers.”

  She went up on her tiptoes, and her voice was a gentle sultry wave of sensuousness in my ear, “She’s wet right now, soaked, at the thought of us being together. At the thought of her gift to me and what it will mean to all of us. It’s why it’s safe for me to bond so… deeply with her, when it isn’t with you. There is no threat I’ll become jealous of the others, unlike if I had bonded deeper with you.”

  Damn, I was so hard my cock hurt, and she rubbed her body against mine. I didn’t love her either, it was like meeting a stranger almost, but one I’d already cared about on an intellectual level, but I already felt an emotional connection to her already. It felt odd, and very good. She’d been right, if a little cruder than I’d have described it, without empathy the pure need to share pleasure between us had been waning for me. Lust was a burning fire, that would die without being fed the fuel of love and intimacy, renewed over and over again. It was just… human nature. No effort, equaled dying spark, which is why I made sure to spend intimate time with all my mates outside of sex. Besides wanting to I mean.

  “So… you have her emotions?”

  She shook her head, “Not in the way I think you mean. I have her emotional potential through the bond, and can feel her emotions for you, but those aren’t mine. I don’t love you, not yet. I care about you, I truly know more than any of your other mates what a good man you are, and how naughty your thoughts can get. I’m halfway there already, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll win your heart too?”

  “I’m glad to hear that, and I think I’d like that very much.”

  She smirked, “I knew you would be, it would be… wrong if my emotions were what hers were, I just have her potential. I also wouldn’t have understood why that would be wrong, until now.”

  She tugged on my shirt, and I lifted my arms as she pulled it off and went for my pants.

  A moment later I stepped out of them, and left my shoes behind as well, as I scooped her up and walked over to the bed. I laid her down gently, and then crawled in next to her and held her to my side. She was so beautiful, had always been. Those lovely light blue eyes, long lustrous dark brown hair, an athletic and curvy very petite body at five foot one. Now though, she was stunning. Her face had always been cute, but that had been emotionless. With a genuine smile she was stunningly beautiful.