by Eric Vall
The head of House Pree brought us out into a pristine courtyard lined on either side with statues of various types of exotic birds. Some were in gilded cages while others perched on pedestals with their wings spread wide, and the group came to a stop at the center of the furthest wall encasing the courtyard.
“To honor your family, Miss Deya,” the leader announced, “I knew even my gold could not do justice. I had the sculptors of House Pree begin this piece the moment I heard you’d finally come to Lyralus. They halted all of their other works immediately to see it was done, and although they had so little time, it is incredibly impressive, is it not?”
I couldn’t see anything with the three sons in front of me, but Deya didn’t respond.
“This portion is constructed of diamonds,” the leader continued. “I’m particularly pleased with the effect of the rose quartz there. And this is a very rare find in Nalnora … pink sapphire for the hair. We used our entire store for the occasion. Then of course, the two most expensive rubies in the capital. I purchased them specially for nearly twice their worth, but they were certainly necessary, so I do not mind at all about the price.”
I cocked a brow at the leader’s words, and as I glanced at Cayla, she craned her neck around the three sons.
Then her eyes popped, and her jaw dropped.
I furrowed my brow at the princess, but she only shook her head, and I noticed her cheeks were bright pink all of a sudden.
The leader waited for Deya to say something, and it sounded a lot like he was digging around for gratitude, because he kept pointing out how rare the gems were and how little time it was all prepared in.
After this had gone on for a while, Deya abruptly interrupted him.
“Thank you,” she said in a tight voice. “Shall we begin the feast? I’m afraid I’ve missed breakfast.”
“Ah yes, Aeris is not so accommodating as he should be, I suppose?” the leader sneered. “Well, that is to be expected. Please allow us to care for you, Miss Deya, I think you will be well pleased with what we’ve arranged.”
The group ahead of us turned, and between the sons I saw Deya take the opportunity to drop her hold on the arm that had been offered. Her violet eyes snapped to mine, and she headed straight for me. I was knocked into by the sturdy shoulder of a passing son, and as I shifted, I finally caught sight of the statue.
My jaw practically unhinged itself.
Provocative didn’t even scratch the surface with regard to House Pree’s commemorative gesture. The statue was entirely made of gems meticulously formed into the figure of a pink-haired elven woman who was barely dressed. The nipples were a vibrant, ruby-red that was impossible to ignore, while the elf herself had a wash of diamonds for thighs and pale pink quartz to accent the wild curves of her figure. The statue had her arms stretched above her, head thrown back, and lips parted in what honestly looked like an orgasm.
I stared incredulously at the statue and almost burst out laughing as I realized the head of House Pree genuinely thought this was an honor. It was his personal pornographic statue of Deya, and amongst the gilded statues of the regal courtyard, it stuck out like a neon pink sign.
Deya looked paler than usual and sidestepped the son who stayed behind to offer his own arm next. Instead, she reached out for me and locked her arm around mine.
“You alright?” I asked quietly, and I ignored the glare the slighted son sent me.
Deya didn’t say anything or even look me in the eye, she just pulled me away from the statue and fidgeted tensely with the folds of her dress while her cheeks flared a deep pink. By the time she’d finished, her face was almost composed.
I glanced over my shoulder at the women, and all their cheeks were pink when they turned from the statue. Even from across the courtyard, the bare nipples gleamed like angry targets, and I shook my head as I faced the front again.
Two of the sons had their eyes glued on me, but Deya stayed where she was. Her nails began to dig into my arm without her seeming to notice, and when I nudged her gently to try and get her attention, she only blinked as if she’d been lost in thought.
All of her usual sweetness was gone from her features, and her violet eyes stared blankly ahead. I was about to suggest we leave rather than attend the feast, when the leader barked a few orders in Elvish, and four guards scurried to open a pair of gilded doors.
Music blared within the great hall, and it looked like every elf from House Pree was in attendance. They wore fine robes and dresses that dragged over the marble floor while they danced or looked down their noses at one another, and as we followed the head of House Pree, the crowd of elves parted and bowed for us.
Most of the elves looked like royalty in their deep red velvet garb with golden goblets in their hands, and the table we were brought to was placed at the head of the hall like a king’s.
Everything about the celebration contrasted starkly with the mood of the pink-haired elf after she’d been presented with the gift, but the elves didn’t seem to notice, or at least, they didn’t care.
A son pulled out a throne-like chair for Deya, and she dragged me with her and pushed me into the seat at her side.
I couldn’t help but smirk at the scowl on the son’s face. He still took the seat on her other side, but at least she wouldn’t be surrounded by the pack of them.
Shoshanne had some heated words I couldn’t quite hear with a servant over Aurora’s seat, and by the time we were all settled, we were probably the least amused people in the entire hall. Also, the most underdressed and well-armed.
In the south, the members of most households were also their soldiers, but amongst the Elite, it seemed most were just well-off bores with plenty of time to stalk around together in their grand houses.
I chuckled to myself as I counted the number of glares we got, but I stopped around thirty-two when I noticed Deya looked a lot like a statue herself. Though not remotely similar to the leader’s interpretation.
I leaned in toward the beautiful elf. “Tell me when you’re ready, and we’ll leave,” I told her.
Deya gave a curt nod, and the moment her goblet was filled, she drained the wine in one long gulp.
I managed to cover my own goblet before anyone could fill it, and I assured the servant I wouldn’t be needing any wine.
Cayla smirked from my other side.
“This is so uncomfortable,” she said with a chuckle.
“Personally, I thought the dwarves did this all way better,” I told her with a broad grin.
Several elves who were talking together in front of the table turned with deadly stares, and I decided it’d be best if I didn’t talk in a room full of sharp-eared elves.
I bit back my grin and looked down at my golden platter instead, and I didn’t look back up until the food was brought out.
The sons of House Pree ate like hogs, and despite their status, they were disgustingly ill-bred. This made it a little easier to enjoy the show, though.
They reached across the table to grab fistfuls of cheese and piled their gilded plates with giant chunks of sausage. They talked loudly over the noise of the gathering as they leaned around each other to speak with Deya in Elvish, and I tried not to smirk as a chunk of sausage flew from one of their mouths. The elf didn’t seem to notice, he only guzzled his wine before he continued to chew loudly in Deya’s face.
She didn’t bother with any more sweet smiles. She nodded, drank wine, and took maybe three bites of bread.
I would’ve pointed out how much she was starting to look like Dragir, but when she downed her third goblet, I started to be more concerned than amused. The statue had been fucking ridiculous, but it was more likely she was upset at the prospect of having to give one of the boorish sons a child someday soon. As I thought on this and watched them gorge themselves, I eventually lost my appetite and began to wish I hadn’t turned down the wine.
Then one of the sons wiped his greasy fingers off on his tunic and came to Deya’s side. He held out his hand t
o her and glanced toward the hall where several elves danced, but she seemed to ignore the gesture completely.
The son spoke to her in Elvish, but Deya shook her head and drank her wine instead.
The amber eyes narrowed menacingly, and he reached out to snatch her hand from the goblet.
My own hand was faster, though, and I grabbed his wrist in a vice before he’d even touched her.
I leveled the elf with a murderous glare and shook my head slowly, and a second later the air around me sparked with a static energy. By the look on the son’s face, I guessed Aurora had her finger’s ignited with flames, because his amber eyes flashed angrily, and the son wrenched his arm free. Then he sent a last venomous look toward Deya before he stalked off and disappeared into the crowded hall.
“I’m ready to leave,” Deya said, and she stood up.
The head of House Pree had seen the exchange, and he quickly came over to pour his praise all over the beautiful elf. “Miss Deya, surely you will not leave so soon. We have only begun our celebration, and my sons are eager to learn about you and your family. Please, allow me to--”
“No,” Deya said simply.
The leader was livid as the pink-haired elf turned her back on him and brought herself to my arm again.
“You and your sons will have to excuse us,” I told him.
The five of us left the table without another word to the leader or his remaining sons, and the dense crowd parted with confusion as we left only a half hour after arriving. The guards hastily parted the doors, and once the noise of the feast was shut up at our backs, I heard Deya let out a tense sigh.
“Are you alright?” I asked her again, and this time, she answered.
“No, I want to leave this place. Now.”
“Whatever you say,” I replied. The three women placed themselves around us as we headed back through the gilded halls, and when we passed the entrance to the courtyard, Deya let out another, harsher sigh.
“If it helps at all,” I muttered, “it doesn’t look anything like you. The hair’s not even the right shade.”
“It isn’t meant to look like me,” she snapped. “That hideous sculpture is of my mother.”
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned so I could look at Deya head on. “Are you serious?” I demanded.
Her cheeks flared as she nodded, and tears suddenly sprang up in her violet eyes.
“Fuck that,” I growled. “Wait here.”
I left the four women in the middle of the hall and made my way back to the courtyard. There was no one around when I entered the pristine place, and the provocative sculpture blazed in the afternoon sunlight. It had to have taken hundreds of rare jewels to piece it all together. It stood at least three feet high, and I locked my jaw as I came to a stop in front of the pedestal. The interpretation left virtually nothing to the imagination.
I thought briefly of reforming the gems into a giant penis, but I was too pissed off to find that very satisfying. Deya’s mother was gods knew where, and her only daughter was now Nalnora’s breeding property. At that moment, all I wanted to do was destroy anything that brought an ounce of hurt to the beautiful elf. My magic surged like a flood when I raised my arm, and I took a steadying breath as I closed my eyes.
My power steadily built into an orb at the center of the gems, and as it grew, I let my rage funnel from my veins with it. The possessed ruby from the cave of the Ice Giants had taken all of my strength to destroy, but the provocative sculpture was only a mound of gems. I didn’t take this into account though, so when I finally wrenched my hand back, the force of the explosion disintegrated the gems entirely, and instead of shards, only a fine dust rained down all across the clearing.
I watched the pink mist glint in the sun for a moment before, and then I moved on to the pedestal. I slammed my fist down hard against the stone, and an angry crack split through the center, but it continued down through the stonework of the courtyard, and I stumbled back a couple paces as the ground split open under me. I could see moist soil in the deep crevice I’d ripped through the courtyard, but I decided this wasn’t enough.
I turned to the golden birds that lined the walls next, and with a wave of my hand, the statues twisted one by one into deformed lumps with violent spikes protruding all over the place. Then I stretched my arms out and raised every one of them from their mounts before I hurled them into the wall at the back of the courtyard.
The massive spikes pierced the stonework and broke through, and the wall gave a loud rumble as deep rivets split across the surface. Chunks of stone crashed to the ground with a thick cloud of dust, and when the wall finally gave out completely, I turned to leave.
I brushed a bit of pink dust from my vest before I looked up to find the four women standing silently at the entrance of the courtyard.
Behind me, I could hear the last of the heavy rocks smashing into pieces, and the ground trembled from the impact. My three women had devilish grins on their faces as they watched the courtyard turn to rubble, but Deya looked at me with an expression I couldn’t find the meaning of.
I stepped over the end of the deep rift that split from the pedestal to the entrance of the courtyard, and when I came to her side, I caught her hand and lifted it to place a soft kiss there. Then I looped her arm in mine once more and led the beautiful elf from the courtyard with my three women close behind.
Shouting echoed from the hall at our backs shortly after, but I only stopped when it came time to scoop Deya up into my arms. I set her down in the carriage once we’d descended the golden staircase, and Cayla left a kiss on my cheek before she climbed into the carriage. The driver looked surprised to see us so soon, but he quickly readied the horses, and within minutes of destroying the courtyard, we exited the gilded gates.
None of us said anything as we rattled through the streets of Lyralus, and I watched the ocean slide past the carriage to clear my mind. I felt better knowing the erotic sculpture wouldn’t be gracing the eyes of the elves at House Pree anymore, but a knot settled in my stomach which I couldn’t seem to shake.
As much as I’d enjoyed ripping the place apart, I knew it wouldn’t make much difference. It didn’t change a damn thing about Deya’s future, or the disgusting claim the elves had on her. The fact was, they didn’t fucking deserve her, and as much as I wanted to help, I still couldn’t imagine where to begin.
I’d just started to consider gathering a few Terra Mages to help me bring every House in Nalnora crumbling to the ground, when we arrived back at House Aelin. Aeris and his two sons were waiting at the diamond studded doors as the carriage came to a stop, and I decided I’d had enough of elves for the day.
I turned to Cayla. “I’ll be in the shop,” I told her before I climbed out the opposite side of the carriage and headed into the grounds of House Aelin. I ignored the servants who eyed me as I stormed past, but when I caught sight of a large wagon near the back of the house, I veered off and took a detour.
The three elves leapt back when they saw me come around the edge of the crates they had already unloaded.
“At ease,” I said and caught up a jug of wine from the wagon.
None of them protested this time.
I opened the hefty door of the workshop, and Ruela lunged out like a crazed beast the moment I did. My head suddenly slammed onto stone as I was pinned under her hefty paws, and the wolf let a vicious growl loose only an inch from my face.
I braced myself to finally be eaten alive. “Heart first,” I begged through gritted teeth and hoped for the quickest end.
The dog snapped its teeth in my face and sent saliva splattering all over me, and I flinched violently as I tried to shield my skull.
“Heart, damn it! Heart first!”
Then I heard a faint call, and Ruela suddenly took off. Her stout claws tore across my chest as she went, and for a second I thought I was dead. My heart pounded wildly in my chest though, so it had to still be inside of me.
I opened my eyes and craned my neck to see
Deya far off near the house and waiting for the wildish beast as it galloped toward her.
My head dropped back to the stones. “Nemris,” I groaned, “if you’re still paying attention to any of this shit, that was too close.”
I rubbed the tender skin on my chest just to be sure I really wasn’t ripped open, and my mind whipped through images of the Wendigo getting its entrails peeled from its torso in the moonlight.
“Too close,” I said again with a harried nod, and I strained to stand as I snatched the jug from the ground beside me.
With the iron door slid firmly shut behind me, the smell of steel washed over me in the dim shop, and I let the cool air and the quiet ease my rattling nerves. As much as I wanted to drop to my ass and finish off another jug of wine, I only took a few good gulps to get the feeling back in my limbs.
Then I pulled a stool up to the worktable and sat down with a heavy clunk from the jug.
I rifled my fingers through my hair and forced my thoughts to settle, and within a few minutes, the piggish elves from House Pree, as well as the near slaughter, finally shifted to the back of my mind.
The framing I’d completed the day before was still tucked in various corners of the workshop, but I needed to get started on the most important parts if we were going to make it out of Lyralus again.
And we definitely had to make it out of Lyralus before I lost my damn mind.
Chapter 13
When I’d first made Bobbie, I didn’t have a channeling gem, so I’d needed to create a gear mechanism in order to have the ability of adjusting my speed. I’d also relied heavily on Aurora’s Ignis magic to make up for the sterling engine that couldn’t quite deliver enough of a kick. Even Big Guy needed very specific wiring throughout his limbs, so when I controlled his movement my magic had a track to follow.