by Eric Vall
“That… That… Amazing!” Ravi’s bare chest moved up and down quickly as she tried to catch her breath, and I pressed one last kiss to her lips before I pulled back.
“Okay, as much as I would love to stay here with you,” I groaned as I stood from the bed, “we should probably get to the library. The others have waited long enough for me to come help them figure out the campaign route.”
Ravi nodded and sat up, and she was careful to avoid the mess we’d made on the sheets. She found her shirt and pulled it over her head, and she used the sheets to wipe up my cream along her thighs as best as she could before she stepped into her pants and pulled them back on. Then she tied them quickly and moved to the vanity to fix her hair.
I found my clothes and dressed quickly as well, and once we were both ready, we left Ravi’s room and walked down to the exit of the palace.
“You know,” I whispered into her ear, and I wrapped an arm around her as we walked, “we just christened the new palace.”
“I’m honored, Lord Evan,” she teased, and pressed up against me, “I hope the others don’t mind.”
“It’s fine,” I assured her with a grin, “the others have had first’s with me as well. Besides, I still need to christen my own room, so maybe I can find one of the others to help me out.”
Ravi giggled, and we continued to make light conversation as we approached the library. Then we stepped down the spiral staircase and into the large room. Everyone else was already here. Laika and Julia sat at a table filled with books and scrolls with Nike and Ruslan, and Alyona ran though the aisles of books as she looked for anything that could be useful. The people at the tables were focused on the scrolls, though, and I could see each scroll was a map for a section of Rahma.
Laika and Ruslan both looked up as we entered, since their Demi-Human abilities allowed them to smell us. Laika wrinkled her nose in confusion for a moment before her cheeks turned red, and when Ruslan hid his amusement behind a cough, I realized they knew exactly what Ravi and I had been up to.
“How is everything going?” I asked, and I chose to ignore them as Ravi and I sat down at the table. Then I opened the nearest scroll and quickly looked it over.
“Good,” Nike replied with a nod, “I think we figured out which city you should start with. It’s called Tikal. I haven’t been there since I was young, but it was a peaceful city, so I can’t imagine it has changed that much. It is run by a noble family of lion Demi-Humans, and they have always been loyal to the crown.”
Nike handed me a scroll, and I unrolled the paper and glanced around the map. The city of Tikal was a lot closer than I’d figured. It looked to be right on the other side of the Crimson Canyons, which was good. I knew I could convince Valerra to allow me to pass through unharmed, and it could save us weeks of travel time.
Suddenly, Alyona appeared at the table, and her arms were full of different manuscripts.
“I found a few books about Tikal,” she mumbled as she placed the books down. “I figured we might as well try to learn as much as we could about the people before we head out. I wouldn’t want to offend them.”
“Have you ever been there?” I asked. “It would be nice if we had someone who knows the area with us.”
“I don’t know,” Alyona confessed with a furrowed brow. “I may have been there when I was a small girl, but I don’t have a good memory of it. My father liked to keep me close, and I didn’t get to travel much once I was sent to the mountains to train.”
“That’s okay,” I assured her, “it just means you’re right. We need to learn as much about the people of Tikal as possible so we know what to expect.”
So, I grabbed one of the books Alyona had placed on the table and began to read.
Our campaign was now a week away, and I couldn’t afford to let King Rodion down.
The fate of Rahma depended on it.
Chapter 6
We sat in the library for what seemed like hours, and each of us pored over the maps or books Alyona had pulled from the shelves. We had a city to start with, but we needed to figure out a path to take and hit as many noble cities as possible.
“So,” Ruslan sighed as he stretched her arms over his head, “what exactly did the king want?”
Julia and Laika both dropped their books with wide eyes.
“The king was here?” Julia accused Ruslan. “And you didn’t think to inform me?”
“I only know because Lord Nikolaus and I happened to run into him when we were leaving Natalya’s this afternoon.” Ruslan shrugged and avoided the book that Julia attempted to hit him with.
Alyona and I met eyes, and she nodded at my silent question.
“The king was here to tell us we need to begin our campaign soon,” I informed the table. “End of next week, soon.”
This time, it was Ruslan who dropped his book in surprise.
“Why so soon?” Julia asked with a confused frown, but Ruslan looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“What’s happened?” he bit out. “The king would only leave The Breach to talk to you if it was serious. You already had plans to leave the city within the next month. There would be no need for him to come unless he was worried about something.”
“The country is on the brink of war, and not just with demons,” I sighed. “King Rodion told us there have been some noble families that have abandoned The Breach and refused to send any kind of aid. The number of soldiers at The Breach has gone down, and the king isn’t able to leave to help create stability within the feuding cites. So, he’s asked Alyona and I to help create allies and reassert their faith in the crown.”
Julia gasped, and Ruslan cursed under his breath. Nike and Laika both tensed visibly, and Ravi stared at me in confusion.
“How close to war?” Ruslan asked, and his eyes narrowed at the table in front of him.
“It sounds like King Rodion is worried the tension between the nobles and the crown could snap at any time,” I replied. “He’s afraid Alyona will become a target of any nobles who have turned against us, so he wants me to stay at her side at all times.”
“I will come, too,” Laika spoke up, and her tone left no room for discussion. “I was brought here to protect the princess, and I won’t let her travel across the country alone, especially if a target could be on her back.”
I smiled and had to cough to hide my laugh. Alyona and I had already talked about this, and it was a well known fact that Laika would join us on our travels.
“Of course, Laika,” I told her with a serious nod. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from Alyona’s personal guard, but are you sure your guild will be alright without you?”
Laika smirked before she walked around the table to stand alongside Alyona. “They’ll understand. I have an oath to the princess to keep, and that means I must leave. Daya and Tion will ensure the guild continues to guard the city efficiently. Besides, I would never be able to live with myself if Milady was attacked by a noble house.”
“Those cowards,” Nike growled, and his silver eyes narrowed in anger. “They’d rather kill their princess and pretend nothing is wrong than continue to fight.”
“That’s one of the reasons we have to leave so soon,” I continued as I sat back in my chair. “We have to settle any grievances the nobles have before it’s too late. Rahma has already been forced to deal with The Breach, we can’t handle a civil war at the same time. It would destroy us, or at the very least make us vulnerable to foreign attack or an invasion.”
“We can’t let the crown fall,” Ruslan snarled, and his fox ears twitched erratically atop his head. “If the king falls, it’s only a matter of time before demons overrun Rahma. Humanity as we know it wouldn’t survive. So, you need to leave, go out there, and knock some sense into the other nobles. Make these fools see reason.”
“I will, Pops, I swear it,” I bit out, and my anger burned under my skin as my black dragon scales inched up my arms. “And if they refuse, then they can feel the heat of my flames. I won’
t allow anyone who wants to do Rahma harm to survive.”
“Allow me to come as well,” Nike requested as he met my gaze. “I know the nobles of this country. I have lived among them my entire life, and many of them are my friends. If they have any hatred toward the king, his daughter and her fiancé might cause more friction, which would cause more problems. I might be able to help pull them back to our cause without the use of violence.
Alyona and I shared a glance, and I nodded. Ravi would be efficient to show anyone who is still undecided about their loyalties, but Nike could help those who have already decided.
“That’s actually a great idea, Nike,” I said. “Thanks.”
Nike nodded in lieu of words.
“So,” Julia’s voice broke the silence, and she fanned herself as she looked around the table, “what is the plan now?”
“I’ll go talk to Valerra first thing in the morning,” I answered. “I’m sure I can convince her to give us passage through the canyons so we can finally begin our campaign.”
As I spoke, thoughts of Valerra reminded me of the important news I needed to share.
“I also have a favor to ask of you and Pops,” I added as I turned to my adoptive mother.
“What is it?” Julia asked as she and Ruslan both gave me confused looks.
“I’ll need your help with the city,” I explained. “Obviously, Valerra is more than adequate to be the guardian of Hatra while I’m away, but I need the two of you to keep an eye out for any internal struggles.”
“Of course, Evan,” Ruslan replied with a nod. “We would never let anything happen to Hatra, we’ll make sure we’re on guard at all times.”
“Thank you, I’m glad to hear that,” I suppressed a grin as I tried to keep my voice level, “but I also have some other news to tell you, and this actually involves all of you, and Valerra.”
“Did something happen?” Alyona gasped, and her amethyst eyes went wide. “Is Valerra alright? Is this about her sister’s egg?”
“They’re fine, don’t worry. It’s good news. I swear.” I paused and took a deep breath. “Actually, Valerra has an egg of her own now. An egg with me.”
Ruslan and Julia shared an eager look before they both jumped up from their seats.
“We’re going to be grandparents?” they exclaimed simultaneously, and their eyes were wide with astonishment.
“I guess so, yeah,” I chuckled as they wrapped me in their arms.
“This is so wonderful, Evan!” Julia wiped a tear away from her eye. “I-I never imagined our line continuing. I can’t wait to meet them. Do you think Valerra will allow us to visit her cave?”
“Actually, that’s another thing.” I winced. “I don’t know for how long, but Valerra will actually live here in Hatra. If she’s ready, I planned to help her move her hoard here in the morning.”
“She’ll live here?” Ruslan repeated. “In Hatra? So, we can see our future grandchild whenever we want?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I warned. “She’s very overprotective of the egg right now. She nearly bit my head off when I went to speak with her the other day. I’ll talk to her about it though, don’t worry.”
Suddenly, Nike stood from his seat and offered his hand, and I shook it firmly with a grin.
“Congratulations, Evan,” he grinned, “a child is a wonderful thing. I hope I can meet them one day.”
Laika wrapped me in a hug next and pressed a light kiss to my cheek. “I am so happy for you, Evan. I can’t wait to meet the little one. I will protect your child with my life.”
“Thank you, Laika.” I smiled. “I can’t wait to see what you teach them one day.”
Ravi moved in when the wolf Demi-Human stepped away, and the phoenix grabbed both of my hands and squeezed them tight.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me,” she offered as she bounced on her toes and grinned. “I don’t know how similar phoenix eggs and dragon eggs are, but I cared for the eggs in our nursery plenty of times. I might be able to offer some assistance.”
“Thank you, Ravi, that’s very generous of you.” I leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll make sure I take you up on your offer.”
The phoenix blushed and stepped back, and then Alyona was the last of the group to congratulate me. The princess smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around my neck in an embrace.
“Congratulations, Evan,” she murmured in my ear. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for you and Valerra. You have begun to restore the dragon population. I can’t imagine how Valerra feels at this moment.”
“Thanks, Alyona.” I pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. “I actually have a few questions about all of this, so do you think you could help me do some research on dragon eggs later?”
“Of course.” Alyona smiled. “I’ll make sure I grab some books about dragon lore before we leave the library.”
“There’s a bestiary down here, that could be helpful,” I offered, and Alyona nodded.
“I’ll grab it and whatever else I can find. Meet me in my room later tonight?”
“It’s a date,” I promised.
After the excitement of my announcement died down, we slowly began to make our way out of the library. Ruslan and Julia were the first to leave, followed by Nike, Ravi, and me. Alyona and Laika stayed behind, though, so they could gather all the books about dragons that they could find and take them back to the Lunar Palace.
I left with Nike and Ravi so I could have some time to talk to Azra and Raisa about the room I wanted to design for the dryad sisters. I wanted it to be finished before I left, so I knew I needed to talk to the architects about it right now.
Thankfully, the architects were predictable and not hard to find. They were in the outskirts of the city, and they both watched over a section of reconstruction to prevent any more accidents like the collapsed mill. Raisa worked with a few men on a smaller building that looked like it would be used for storage, and Azra was busy with the mill. He and his men carefully restarted the construction of the building, since it was something we needed, or else I wouldn’t have risked it. Fortunately, it seemed the second time was a bit more successful and much more safe for the workers.
“Raisa!” I yelled over to the young woman as I stopped by Azra.
Raisa’s head turned and looked around before she found me. Then she waved quickly and jogged over to us.
“Lord Evan, how are you?” She smiled, and her warm brown eyes glinted.
“Hey, Raisa. I’m good.” I turned my gaze to Azra for a second. “Do the two of you have a minute? I have something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Of course, Lord Evan,” Raisa replied as Azra nodded.
“Thanks,” I said, and then we walked around the side of the mill, out of sight of the other workers.
“So, I have a favor to ask you,” I whispered as I cast a look around us. “I want to create another room for the dryad sisters. They’ve done a lot for Hatra, and it’s only fair they have their own room as well.”
The architects’ eyes lit up as I explained the situation, and they eagerly pulled out pieces of paper and pencils to jot down notes.
“That’s a great idea!” Raisa squealed.
“It is,” Azra agreed with a nod, “the sisters will love it. Do you have any ideas for us?”
“Not really,” I admitted with a wince. “Maybe have a lot of plants? Their magic is plant based, and it might be a comfort for them to be surrounded by greenery.”
“Oh!” Raisa gasped as she turned to Azra. “What if we make their room like a greenhouse? A glass ceiling and large windows to allow natural sunlight in to help their plants grow. We can also have a small fountain to bring water inside so they won’t have to carry buckets up to their room.”
“Yes, that’s brilliant!” Azra praised, and his amber eyes sparkled with interest. “Their balcony can be fit with pots of soil so they can keep plants out there when they need to. We can also add a cupboard for
dried herbs and seeds storage.”
“They’ll need plenty of space, especially if all three of them plan to live in one room,” Raisa mused as she tapped her chin and continued to jot down notes. “They’ll need the biggest room yet.”
“What if we take three beds and line them together?” Azra suggested. “That way they could sleep together in one bed, or split them up if they need their own space.”
The two of them continued to bounce ideas back and forth until they seemed to reach an agreement on the design. Then Azra drew the designs onto his piece of paper and turned them toward me. The room was covered in a variety of plants, drawn in black charcoal, and I chuckled.
“This is nice, but maybe hold back a bit on plant life,” I suggested. “I know they are dryads, but they have other interests, too. The plants here have kind of taken over the room. It looks like a jungle.”
“Okay, fewer plants,” Azra muttered as he erased some of the plant drawings. “That’s an easy fix. Maybe we can add a meditation room instead? They can have a space to relax in the sun. They are creatures of nature, so sunlight is very important to them.”
“Oh, and I think the most important question: is this room going to be attached to your own too?” Raisa asked with a smirk. “Or should we continue to string them along?”
I coughed loudly and cleared my throat before I shot a small glare at Raisa, but she did have a point. I needed to figure out what my relationship is with the sisters. I knew I wanted them, that wasn’t hard to figure out, but I didn’t want to start something with them right before I left, and I also couldn’t leave them behind with no closure.
“Attach it,” I decided quickly. “I want to be able to reach them whenever I need to.”
“Of course.” Raisa nodded knowingly and gave me a wink. “We built plenty of extra rooms, so it shouldn’t be too hard to customize one of them for the sisters.”
“We can start immediately if you need us to,” Azra added quickly. “We know you’re on a tight schedule.”
“I’ll say,” I huffed and rubbed my face. “The king wants us to begin the campaign in less than a week.”
