by Eric Vall
“None of these suit you very well,” the short woman stated in that girlish voice that didn’t suit her body.
“My exact thoughts.” I nodded.
“I would suggest that you could wear the helmet that goes along with your armor, but I suspect that your women may be disappointed if they see you wearing something they’ve already seen,” Camille said astutely.
I looked down at her and took in her features once more.
Camille’s features were soft and rounded almost like a baby’s, a polar opposite to her boss. She wore soft fabrics over her small body, and I could barely tell where the material started and her actual form began. Camille was so little that she barely came up to my elbow, and when she looked up into my face, I stared down into those mysterious eyes. They moved over my features as if measuring them before she blinked once then nodded to herself knowingly.
“I think I have something for you. I don’t show it to many people, Jolie doesn’t even know about it. Wait here.” Her childish voice was curt and straight to the point as she spun her head and marched off to the back of the shop.
She came back a few minutes later with a large white box in her hands. Camille balanced the box in her left hand and flipped the lid open with her right unceremoniously. The squat woman offered me the box then, and I stared down at the exquisite mask inside.
“It would scare Jolie if she saw it, that is why I don’t offer it to just anyone,” Camille snapped as she looked behind me to the shopkeeper. Jolie was busy wrapping up each of my minion’s dresses in soft looking paper and placing them in large boxes for safe keeping. “She is frightened of most things, but you do not look like a person that would shy away from the strange and grotesque. Go on, take it, feel how light it is in your hand.”
I reached into the box and lifted out the mask. As Camille had said, it was just as light as the others though it was much larger than those hanging on the racks. The mask was shaped into the monstrous head of a ram skull. The large rippled horns twisted and warped around where my ears would be. The mask would cover all the way down to my jawline, and I brushed my fingers against the hard-carved teeth that Camille had meticulously carved into the ceramic. The bone structure of the ram’s face was painted and etched to look like bone, and the white color shone in the morning light that filtered in through the window.
I ran my fingertips over the eye sockets of the mask then lifted my eyes to Camille who waited patiently for my answer. I rose to my full height as I placed the mask back into the box and closed it with a snap. Camille’s stoic face broke in disappointment, but a sly smile spread over my lips as I snatched the box from her.
Camille looked up into my face, and though she didn’t smile, I could see the plain amusement in her strange eyes.
“Wear it well, sir, and know that it is one of a kind. No other is made in its likeness,” Camille told me in a whisper, and her eyes stared intently into mine after she’d stopped speaking.
There was something about this girl that set me on edge. Maybe it was the fact that I couldn’t read her thoughts, perhaps it was the fact that her eyes looked like nothing I had ever seen before. There just was something not quite right about her, and as much as I wanted to find out more, I knew our time here was ending as my minions came over with their boxed dresses and masks.
My minion’s faces shone with delight as they hurried over to me, so I placed the box with my mask inside carefully under my arm. I gestured to the door with my free arm, and my minions hurried out before me. I turned back while holding the door open and thanked both Jolie and Camille for their hospitality. The seamstress came around the counter and bowed to me respectfully once more, but the apprentice only bowed her head. I gave them one last wave, and the door closed behind me.
My minions and I went back to the inn as they animatedly spoke and laughed together. I hung back from their group and watched them silently. It seemed as if all of them had forgotten the real reason we were here during the excitement of picking out dresses and masks. We’d spent all of that time, the journey across the Riese, our stop at Machstein then onto the land of Tintagal for one reason and one reason only. We were here to kill Baudouin, and that was that.
I allowed them this happy moment as we turned to the inn, as their smiles would be gone in a few days as we took up the task at hand. I didn’t have to prepare myself to kill Baudouin because I knew I was ready, but my minions weren’t like me. Though they had become skilled and invaluable warriors, they weren’t as hardened to the outside world as I was. They didn’t have the bloodlust that I did. They only killed when it was absolutely necessary.
No, while my minions knew who I was and what I did before being cast out of the heavens, they did not know how much I enjoyed what I did in the Underworld. I liked torturing the lost souls sent down to me. If they asked, I would admit it readily, but they saw a different side of me that those souls didn’t. My minions saw me as a lover and a leader, not a vengeful god hungry for blood on the warpath. My women knew me not only as their Master but teacher and husband who would take care and protect them no matter what stood in my path.
Like Haruhi had once said, my minions knew me differently than the rest of the world and heavens did, they saw completely different sides to me that hadn’t been revealed to any others.
They talked and laughed in a group in front of me as we walked down the busy Tintagal street as if they weren’t going to murder a man in two days’ time. I wondered to myself what types of lives they’d be living if they hadn’t found each other and then me in my dungeon. Would they be happier without me in their lives? I tilted my head as I examined their shining faces in the bright mid-morning sunlight. Would they have been better off in ordinary lives without adventuring or treasure? Would my minions be happier without the constant threat of danger on the horizon? Would they be better off without… me?
Carmedy suddenly turned, her plump lips turned down in a frown as her emerald eyes desperately searched for me. The feline’s face split into a wide smile as she found me behind them. Then the rest of my women turned with happy smiles on their faces as they gestured for me to join them. They all looked so beautiful to me, almost like a moving painting before my eyes. For a moment, if I hadn’t known them as I did, I would’ve thought they were four goddesses walking down the street in a huddle.
“Stop lollygagging and come here!” Rana called out as she giggled, and I nodded once as I joined them.
I answered all those questions I’d been asking myself inwardly with a single simple answer: Absolutely not.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next two days passed without much excitement beside more and more people pouring into the city of Tintagal to see the marriage of the Lord Baudouin. I woke early on the morning of the wedding alone in one of the rooms we’d rented. My women took turns sleeping with me while we were here, but on the eve of the day we’d take his life, I sent them away from me. They granted my request and left me in the solitary room, and I woke sprawled out in the bed comfortably and lifted my head to the corner of the room where my armor sat in a neat pile.
I smiled to myself as I swung out of bed and brought the armor to me telekinetically. Then I listened to the soft voices through the far wall as my minions went about their day. I could tell Carmedy was the first out of the room, and the feline ran downstairs to scarf down a hearty breakfast. Morrigan, Annalise and Rana spoke in quiet tones to each other, and soon, all of them were laughing heartily as they too exited the room for breakfast.
As my armor slid into place around me, and the straps cinched themselves tight without even touching them, I grabbed the box that held the mask Camille had given me. I flipped open the lid and stared down at the beautiful work of art that the apprentice had made. Though Camille was strange, and there was something suspicious about her, she was a master of her craft, and I admired her for it as I lifted the mask from its box.
I crossed to the full-length mirror as I held the ceramic mask in my hands an
d took in my appearance. I smiled to myself at how handsome and dashing I looked as I slicked back my long hair before I slid the mask on over my rugged features. It gave me an air of mystery that wasn’t there before. The rams head mask fit perfectly as if it had been made specifically with me and my features in mind. I rolled my shoulders and rose to my full height. Yes, this would do just nicely for the evening in mind.
I crossed to the door, and as I swung it violently open, I got a view of Carmedy just as she reached up to knock on the wood. The feline jumped in surprise, then her emerald eyes widened at me. The petite cat wasn’t wearing her mask yet, but her hair was done up, and expensive makeup highlighted her eyes and lipstick colored her supple lips. I almost wished she didn’t have to wear a mask because she was so beautiful. Her feathery black hair was curled and pinned back in an elaborate twist on the top of her head. When the cat looked up at me, her eyelashes batted, and her cheeks flushed under my probing eyes. Instinctively, I reached out and stroked her pink cheek with tender fingers.
“Y-you look very handsome, Master.” Carmedy nervously whispered in a soft voice as her tail whipped out from behind her, and she shifted from foot to foot.
“Ravishing,” I murmured to her, and she bowed her head to me. I hooked my finger under her chin and lifted her face to mine as I pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Absolutely ravishing.”
Carmedy didn’t have time to reply as the door next to ours burst open as someone kicked it forcefully, and all we saw was a blur of green fabric and a heavy black boot underneath.
“I told you I could do it!” Rana’s cackling voice reached our ears as her boot planted itself outside the door as she stood in the now-open doorway, arms held tightly to her waist in a fighting stance. “Man, if all of my fighting gear was as easy to move in as this dress, I’d never take it off.”
I raised my eyebrows as the redhead moved through a series of fighting moves and jabbed out at the doorframe. I blinked rapidly, and Carmedy tensed beside me as Rana’s punches impacted part of the doorframe. The veneer splintered from the blows and exposed the lighter wood within. Rana’s hands froze as her blue eyes met mine.
I looked pointedly from her to the damaged doorframe. The fox hastily straightened and held her arms to her side as she blushed profusely and turned from my gaze. I crossed to her as the petite feline scurried to keep up with me from behind and pursed my lips as I surveyed both the splintered doorframe and the culprit behind the damage.
“Though I am glad that you like the dress and that you’ve been practicing your combat moves, please refrain from damaging the inn. You seem to forget that I am the one who has to pay for the damage,” I scolded her, and the redhead lowered her head to me in shame. After a moment of scowling, I shifted my expression to a smile. “But I will say, that final hit that splintered the wood was quite impressive. I’d like to see it in real combat.”
Rana raised her head and smiled as she relaxed under my praise. The redhead giggled then did a spin as she showed off her dress to me as if I hadn’t seen it yesterday. Like Carmedy, Rana looked as stunning as ever, and my heart beat a little faster looking down at her. Her unruly curls had been brushed through, and some type of product had been combined through it to tame them and loosen the tight spirals. The fiery waves hung over one shoulder, and I reached out and tucked a stray spiral that came loose while she hit the door. The fox flushed even redder and glanced into the room where I knew Morrigan and Annalise waited.
My breath caught as the elven woman came forward, and her entire body rolled underneath the tight scarlet dress. Her snow-white hair, like Carmedy’s, had been pinned up into a swirling mass on the top of her head. Long wisps of her hair hung down by the sides of her face, and her colorless lips had been painted blood-red to match the color of her dress. At this moment, Morrigan had an entirely different air about her than usual, she looked dangerous and sexy as she snaked over to us. Her dark eyes flicked to the broken doorframe then back to me as a sly smile spread over her lips.
“I may be able to help with the door.” The elf smiled as she came closer. “I’ve been working on something in private that I wanted to show you, Master.”
I gestured for her to continue.
Morrigan raised her hands to the broken wood and closed her eyes as she took a deep inhale, then she clenched her fists. The strange green fire surged forward from her elbows, down her arms and converged into her palms. The elf’s breathing was even as her hands snapped open and the emerald fire moved over the wood. I watched enraptured as the wood was hit with an unseen force like earlier when Rana had chopped at it, but this time, instead of breaking even more, the wood knit back together. Time slowed in the space where Morrigan held her hands, and a few more times, the air rippled as the wood wove itself back together then stayed as it had before Rana had even touched it.
I stared at Morrigan in surprise, then my lips turned up in a smile as I reached out and placed a warm hand at the base of her neck. The elven woman’s hands fell away from the restored doorframe and turned to me with a pleased smirk.
“Time manipulation?” I raised my eyebrows in wonder as I looked down at the elf. “When did you learn that?”
“I’ve known how to do it for a long time, it was one of the first things the Holy Band of Mages taught me,” the elf admitted softly then raised her face to me, “but I was never able to do it. My power wasn’t strong enough. I’ve been practicing on things that I’ve found broken or damaged around our camp at night, mostly the result of Rana’s quick temper or impatience or Carmedy’s sheer clumsiness. At first, it was small things, and it would exhaust me, but now that I’ve mastered it, the process of summoning it doesn’t take as much energy as before.”
“You are, if I could put it into one word, my dear, amazing,” I praised her. The elf bowed her head to me, her cheeks reddening to the same shade as her dress. “I only wish you had shown me or asked me to help train you.”
“W-well,” the usually well-spoken elf stammered as she looked away from me shyly, “I-I wanted to surprise you with it, Master.”
I tried to hide the smile that came to my lips but was overjoyed at her words. Then I pulled Morrigan to my chest in one swift movement. The elf gasped loudly at the sudden movement, but once she realized what was happening, she quieted and snuggled into my embrace.
“That was so cool, elfy!” Rana shouted as she came closer to examine the fixed doorframe and ran her paw over the space that she’d snapped just moments prior.
“Can you only use it on inanimate objects? Or do you think you could use it on us too, like if we broke a bone or got cut or something?” Carmedy asked as she grabbed the elf’s pale hands and examined them as if the lines in Morrigan’s palms would tell her more.
“I haven’t tried it out on anyone yet, but that is the primary purpose of this type of magic,” Morrigan informed us, and I nodded along. I’d heard of healers who used a specific kind of white magic to cure all types of injuries but had never encountered one before. “My hope is that one day, if the need arises, I am able to heal you if something happens that your medical knowledge cannot solve, Carmedy.”
“Very astute, my love,” I whispered into her ear as I leaned close then planted a tender kiss to her neck, and her pale flesh rippled with shivers under my loving touch.
We were broken out of the moment as loud bells chimed all around the city and spread the ‘joyous’ news that Baudouin and his bride were now married. I turned to my minions, all of them but Annalise dressed and ready for the ball that was rapidly approaching. The High Queen turned and glanced at the clock on the wall then headed for the door as she spoke over her shoulder to us.
“I have to go,” the swordswoman said to us. “Usagi said I had to be downstairs at four to leave for the palace with the rest of the servers.”
I took a moment to take in her new appearance. My first wife wore a starched high collared buttoned shirt, a black vest over it that buttoned just below her breasts and tight-fitti
ng black pants tucked into her heavy boots. Her features changed from the potion I assumed Carmedy had given her just before I came in, but as she turned, she placed a plain black mask over her eyes and nose. The blonde hair that came with the transformation had been pulled into the long braid that Tamarisch tradition dictated. Her changed eyes met mine, and she gave me a shaky smile. I could sense that the High Queen was disappointed that she couldn’t join in on our merriment, but we’d be reunited with her later in the night at the ball.
I turned to my other minions as Annalise exited and scurried down the stairs, but my women were busy grabbing their things. Rana rushed to her pile of everyday clothes and rifled through them feverishly as she searched for something. Finally, she pulled out the rolled leather pack that held her elven daggers, and she deftly flipped it open and stared down at the silver weapons. The redhead bent down in one swift moment and hiked up her forest green dress. I raised my eyebrows in surprised to see thick straps of leather tied around her thighs, and she picked up four of the daggers and slid them into place under the leather. Her baby-blue eyes met mine, and she gave me a winning smile as she slapped the toned muscle of her leg with a cackling laugh.
“Always be prepared, that’s my motto,” Rana said with an evil grin as she pulled her skirts back down.
“Don’t believe her for a minute, Master,” Morrigan whispered as she passed me elegantly. “She stole that motto from an advertisement for a boy’s club when we passed through Freznia a couple of months before we met you.”
“I thought your motto was, ‘Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid altogether,’” Carmedy quipped as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. The fox’s face fell, and she glowered over at the cat.
“Now you’re just making me sound lazy,” Rana grumbled under her breath.