Succubus Rescue (The Accidental Necromancer Book 3)

by JG Jerome

  Jack, Monty, Luis, Carla, Marissa, Clarice, and Lara all pitch in. We lay them out next to the ramp and crack them open with a pry bar. Jack and Luis take one and stage it at the top of the ramp.

  I ask T’os what the Magician said to the soldiers on the other side.

  He says, “He started shouting, ‘The Duchess said to take this crate of weapons to the stage of the auditorium in Government House.’ Then he started yelling at them to move faster. I’m not sorry he will be caught in it.”

  The devices themselves are fairly heavy. Jack says, “They’re about the same size as an eight-inch artillery round.”

  We get four of them laid out on the ramp. Mica pulls up a reference atlas of Elven Prime, and T’or programs the four devices.

  When he is finished, T’os pulls me aside. “The soldiers may react; they may attack and try to keep the portal open.”

  I get my extended family lined up with weapons. Mica opens the portal, and T’os pushes a button on each of them. Monty pushes them over the ramp as soldiers start shouting and running toward the portal. Jack, Marissa, Lara, Luis, and Carla start popping them with their silenced weapons. I pull twelve souls out as we get past the half-way point. The first device ignites and takes off into the air. The third one crests the ramp, and then Monty pushes the last one over.

  T’os yells, “Now, Mica.”

  Mica smacks the glyph that closes it. Nothing happens. I tell him, “Hold, Mica.” I stick my pistol through first followed by my head. There is a magician holding his hand on a glyph. I shoot him twice, which gets him to back away. I step back to our side.

  “Clear. Now, Mica.” I say quietly. Mica hits the glyph and the portal closes.

  Jack and Monty load the last one up on the ramp. T’os programs it.

  He tells my squire, “Staging area, Mica. Now.”

  I see a magician and four soldiers on the other side sitting on the ground playing a game. T’os hits the activate button and Monty pushes it over the threshold. After about a five count the device lifts up into the air and slowly rises and moves away from the portal. The soldiers and the magician all scramble to their feet.

  “Now, Mica,” T’os directs.

  Mica closes the portal and taps in another sequence.

  I ask, “What was that?”

  He says, “I took it offline.”

  “Can we break it down and take it with us?” I ask. “We already have the one from the surveillance site.”

  Mica says, “That one would need a bigger power supply to reach the home dimensions on Prime. This one can be broken down and taken from here easily enough.”

  T’os smiles at Mica proudly.

  “You care about him,” I observe.

  T’os says, “As a half-breed, I am encouraged to not fornicate with elves, so a son of my own is out of the question. I’m lucky they didn’t emasculate me. I couldn’t be more proud of Mica if he were my own blood.”

  “What is your non-elf parent?” I ask.

  He nods but acts ashamed. “A groll, Lord.”

  “I have no idea what a groll is, T’os. You act with honor, and you will have my respect regardless of your parentage,” I tell him.

  He bows to me, “Thank you, my Lord.”

  I tell him, “You’ll learn this eventually, so I might as well tell you. I’m not a lord. I’m no one special. I’m just a guy trying to care for his family and protect his planet.”

  “Who is becoming a more powerful magician with each passing day, who can suck the souls out of the living, and raise the dead,” Jack says ironically.

  “Ignore him, T’os,” I tell the half-elf. “He’s an asshole.”

  I smirk at Jack, and he shrugs. He answers, “You’re not wrong, but neither am I.” I laugh at that, and my family joins me.

  The stairway door opens to allow the healer, Leonore, into the room. She says, “I’m glad there is something worth laughing about.” She has a slight smile on her weary face.

  “Not so much, Leonore,” I admit. “Just the macabre humor of soldiers.”

  She smirks, “I’ve worked with soldiers for a long time, Lord. I understand what you mean.” She sobers, “Most of the ladies are exhausted and some had a little damage from constant fornication and sodomy, but they will all recover with rest and support.”

  I tell her, “We’re taking you all out of town to a temporary lodging on a farm. There is a vampire there, who I am told may be able to help with any emotional pain. It will be pretty rustic for a few days until we get bedding and amenities in place. Then we will work on getting a more permanent solution. It may take a while. Can you be patient with me?” I ask.

  She nods somberly. “It beats any other option we might have. I suspect it will be better than the tender care of Valya Valeran.”

  “Okay, let’s get moving,” I call out.

  8

  Evacuation

  Raul showed up with a cart. He and a couple of zombies loaded the rifle crates. Since T’os only used half of the crate for the ruse, we wrapped the remainder in sheets from the infirmary.

  Lenore explained to the sex slaves that they were no longer sex slaves and they will be sleeping in a barn temporarily until we can figure out how to integrate them into Earth society. They quickly volunteered to grab all the linens they could find - sheets, pillows, and blankets. I also asked them to pick up any shell casings they find. I hold one up to demonstrate. Marissa, Carla, Jack, and Monty were already policing brass, but more eyes and hands would be useful for the task. I passed several of the elven ladies as I walked through the building again. Many cowered. Some smiled tentatively. A couple even touched my hand flirtatiously. All of them curtsied.

  I stopped next to Valya’s corpse and flooded it with entropy energy. By the time I was done, her body was a pile of ash and goo. Two of the sex slaves and one of the healers stood by and watched in awe. My new daughter stepped up to hold my hand. I grabbed a carton and picked up any papers and books I could find. Clarice and I filled a carton in Valya’s quarters. Then I tore it apart to ensure I left nothing of value behind. I found a couple of trinkets of jewelry and ceremonial regalia. I found a bundle of five journals in Elvish. I took it all. The elves took all of her linens and clothing. Before we left the penthouse, I kissed Babette’s destroyed face before leaving her there. We can bury her appropriately after the authorities find her.

  We retrieved a couple cartons of books and papers from the 13th floor and another pair from the 12th. On the 12th we also found two heavy, metal chests. They’re locked. I look around for a key. Lara walks up and hands me the key on a fresh blue ribbon. I cock an eyebrow, and she nods. I try the key on the two chests. It opens both of them.

  One was filled with small plates of gold about the size of a cell phone. I lift one. There was a marking of ‘500g’ on the face of it - a little more than a standard English pound. The chest is a little bigger than an army foot locker. I’m guessing it easily weighs 500 pounds. The second chest has small bags stacked on top of more gold.

  I asked Lara, “What is this?”

  She said, “The treasury. The first chest with just gold was full when we got here. It looks like about four layers are gone.”

  I did some quick math. “Four by ten is forty. Times four is one hundred sixty of these plates times 500g each. Times the worth of each plate is...”

  Lara said, “Roughly thirty thousand each, Lord. It is actually running a little higher right now, but that’s the number we used to calculate the value of the treasury. That translates to a little under five million in circulation. We valued the full chest at sixty million US dollars - two thousand ingots in the case. The second chest holds another forty million in gold.”

  “The bags?” I ask.

  “Platinum beads,” she answered. “There are a little more than three Kilograms in a bag. The platinum is minted into beads of one troy ounce, one hundred beads in a bag. Platinum is plentiful in our lands, and we have no use for it. More is being mined and formed int
o beads in preparation for funding other efforts. It’s not as highly valued as gold here, but for elves it’s like paying with dirt.”

  I nodded, “Okay. Shit, that’s a metric ton per case. We need to take it along.” I grabbed two gold plates before we locked the chests. I asked Clarice to hang the key from her neck.

  While I worked with the elves to strip the building, Luis took Jack and Monty back to the Pasquale and George office. Luis brought Susan and Viktorija back. Jack and Darcie arrived right behind them. Monty followed them back with his Escalade.

  Monty caught up to me on the seventh floor, and he asked how he could help. I thanked him for his help, and invited him up to Prescott to visit. I shook his hand and handed him a gold plate.

  “Spoils of war,” I told him.

  He looked at it and responded. “Always good to have.” Monty clapped me on the shoulder. “Keep in touch, Will. Call if you need help.” We shared a manly hug, and he headed down the stairs.

  I found Susan was standing with Darcie and Viktorija just inside the back door talking to Leonore. Susan’s eyes were wide with surprise as she took in the sea of small, naked, pointy-eared ladies. I heard Leonore ask the ladies, “Are you all the Lord’s wives?”

  Almost all the elves were between us, but they were very quiet. I could actually hear the ladies talking as I gently slid through the sea of elven ladies.

  Susan asked, “The Lord? Will?” The title threw her.

  Leonore confirmed. “Yes, Lord William, the necromancer.”

  Darcie laughed, “I am Jack’s. More like a concubine than a wife.”

  Viktorija scoffed, “Darcie is Jack’s wife in every way that matters.” She hugged Darcie and Susan. “Susan and I are both planning to marry William.”

  Susan nodded, “I will marry him soon. I love him dearly.” I slid up behind her and hugged her, kissing her neck.

  Leonore nodded, “He’s very powerful. You would do well to marry him. This morning we had 2,367 souls here, not counting the humans. I don’t have a firm count yet, but I think less than one hundred twenty remain. I understand he sucked their souls right out. Can you imagine the power?” Susan is starting to shiver.

  Leonore asked me, “Do you have any idea how many of the elven women you will take for concubines?”

  I shook my head. “None, Leonore. I have no intention of putting any of them back into servitude.”

  She sighed, “It’s a shame. Several are asking already.” I dragged Susan and Viktorija into a corner and hugged them as we watched preparations proceed. It was about 11:45 at night.

  By the time we finished scavenging the Esplanade, we had a twenty-two-foot truck full of crates, linens, the portal, and a handful of the elves. We also had two plastic cartons filled with two hundred forty collars and the tiara, as well as the two chests from the treasury. Getting those into the trucks was a trial. Raul got another two twenty-two-foot trucks from somewhere, and we loaded the rest of the elves in. Marissa and Carla rode along with Jack, Mica, and T’os. They led the convoy of trucks slowly to Jack’s farm.

  Viktorija hacked into the building’s surveillance systems. She disabled them, buggered the system logic, and ran a scrambling algorithm on all the video.

  Darius and Alan, the two guards that were on duty, stayed to cover the reception center. They were to call the police at 2:30 in the morning, so it looked like they discovered all the dead elves during their normal walk-through. I told them to take video as soon as they encountered the first body on their rounds. Raul sent everyone home that had a separate place to stay. I ordered the ones that lived in the Esplanade to shower, go to bed, and fall asleep for eight hours unless they are awakened.

  I gave Darius and Raul my phone number. Both have no families, and I plan to employ them after this is cleaned up.

  Then we left.

  Luis is leading the way back to the salon with Lara riding shotgun and Clarice in back. Viktorija follows, driving Susan, Darcie, and I to the salon. I give the ladies the shorthand version of the battle, my conversation with Babette, the elven massacre on Elven Prime, and the current plan for the surviving elves.

  We pull into the garage, and I jump out to grab Clarice. She hugs me closely and sobs.

  I tell her, “Honey, pack a bag. You’re coming home with me. I need to go to Chicago tonight, so I can fly home tomorrow. Or if you want to sleep here tonight, that’s fine. I’ll pick you up tomorrow on the way home. What do you want to do?”

  Clarice sniffs, “Can I come with you, Daddy?

  I kiss her hairline. “Of course, honey. You just can’t go with me to Chicago. Okay?”

  She nods and sniffs. “Okay. I’ll be surrounded with your lady wives while you’re gone, so it will be like you’re there even when you’re not.”

  “Tell your family here goodbye. They love you and will worry about you while you are gone. Bring your school materials, too. We’ll come back frequently, but I want you close while I figure out how to bring your Mummy home. Okay?” I ask.

  “Thank you, Daddy.” She kisses my cheek and walks slowly inside.

  Twenty minutes later Clarice is packed and ready. She joins me and the assembled group in my standard suite at Bernadette’s.

  I pull Viktorija into a hug. “Plan to have Audrey or Carla here all the time. Mostly Audrey. She may bring Erica along. If I’m not here to protect you, I want them to have the ability to bring imps here quickly. I’ll have to talk to them about working with Josie to find a way to create a construct where you wouldn’t need a sorcerer at all. I’ll see what else I can do to help protect you all here.”

  “Okay, Will.” She hugs me tight. “I’m scared, Will. They killed her body. What if it’s a permanent death?”

  “Then I may lose most of my remorse and all my reticence about killing elves,” I tell her. “Bernadette has been a dear friend for many years. Despite being surrounded by women I love, I would invite her in a heartbeat to join our family if I thought she would. I love her. You, her, my other ladies. Can you imagine the formidable, loving family we would make?”

  Tears run down Viktorija’s face as she answers. “Yes. Yes, I can. I dream of it almost every night.”

  I kiss her passionately, and Viktorija returns my passion in kind. After catching her breath she tells me, “You should take Lara with you. She can be your official translator until you build some trust among the newer elves.”

  “Good idea, love. I was considering that anyway, but I didn’t want to strip your staff,” I tell her.

  Viktorija pats me on the chest. “We managed before she arrived. I’m sure we can manage for a couple of days.” She looks at me for a moment. “The salon is Clarice’s inheritance. She is now your daughter. I will be a good steward of her legacy.”

  “I know you will, Love.” I smirk. “It’s ironic really. Not two weeks ago she was wanting me to take her to bed as a lover. Now she wants to be my little girl.”

  Viktorija nods. “I get it. Her need for a parent outweighs her desire to be a sexual adult. You kinda did that for me, too. I had no one to fill a father figure in my life long before I arrived here despite living with my birth father and uncle for many years.” She pokes a finger between my eyes. “Just be careful. As soon as she feels secure, she will probably revert to type. I know it wasn’t long before I started fantasizing about you being my lover. The ‘father’ and ‘lover’ get mixed easily into ‘daddy.’ I might have a stepdaughter fantasy about you myself.”

  We both smirk. I tell her, “That’s what I’m afraid of - her, not you. I may need to put a chastity belt on her and throw away the key.”

  Clarice pouts, “I heard that, Daddy!”

  We chuckle before I kiss Viktorija again. Chantelle and Serena each slide in for a hug and a kiss after Viktorija releases me. Candice is sitting on the bed stunned as Darcie hugs her and whispers into her ear. As Serena looks at me shyly while backing away from our embrace, Candice runs up to hug me before I lead Darcie, Clarice, Lara, and Susan through th
e portal from our suite to the Mount Vernon house.

  Josie tackles me as I walk out of the passage in Prescott. I manage to maneuver her out of the way for the other ladies to walk through.

  I announce, “We need to go to Mayer. Carla and Marissa will meet us there. Darcie and Lara are going to ride with Josie, who is to drive Marissa’s Audi. Darcie navigates. Audrey, Erica, Susan, and Rebecca are to stay here. Josie and Darcie will lead the way. I’ll follow with Clarice.”

  Rebecca pries me out of Josie’s hug to give me one of her own while Audrey and Erica pile onto the hug.

  Rebecca says, “Take Susan with you. Let her maximize her time with you.”

  I tell Rebecca, “I’m returning to Chicago with her tonight once we get back, but you make a great point.” I pull Audrey and Erica each in for a hug and a kiss from each of them. “Let me introduce you to my new daughter, Clarice. Clarice,” I beckon her to me. She slides into the cuddle. “They can’t replace your Mummy, but my lady wives will love you and be there for you.”

  Rebecca says, “William, you’re a mess. Go shower. Susan, go with him.”

  I listen to my practical and doting witchy wife, and grab Susan’s hand to lead her to the ensuite.

  Susan murmurs as we enter the bathroom, “I’m not dirty, Will. I only have my dress from work, so there’s really no point.

  Audrey walks in behind us, “Actually, Carla called. She said to give you anything you need from her closet. One of us is bound to have a dress that should fit you, but Carla is pretty certain you can wear most of her clothes.”

  For a moment I think Susan’s first time with me is going to be with me in the shower.

  She says, “No.” She strips off her borrowed clothes and reaches for her dress.

  Susan looks at me with tears in her eyes. “Will, I want this with you desperately. I just...I just can’t. It’s too much to take in. You just killed…”

  I nod, “Upwards of two thousand people.”