by Simon Archer
“Sorry, Thera,” I said as I looked at the chieftain of the Blue Palm Clan. “Something is wrong.” I glanced around the area where the villagers were busily preparing for a second feast. “I think you should get everyone ready for a fight just in case.”
“Very well,” Thera said, catching the look in my eye. I was pleased she hadn’t asked “in case of what” because I wouldn’t have known. What I did know was that strange feeling of being watched had returned. And like last time, I was pretty sure it wasn’t from the weird rock in Thera’s hut. “I’ll get the warriors assembled.”
“Thank you,” I replied as I re-summoned Queenie to my side.
“I am sorry, master.” She looked at the ground between our feet. “I know what you want to know, but I am unsure of what killed me.”
It was true, and a quick glance through her memories confirmed that. She had been flying toward the orange-feathered bastards when she just… ceased to exist. Even a quick look at her damage logs was unhelpful.
Queenie had been critically hit by an “unknown attack” for over three times her health.
Runty’s log proved similar, which was equal parts annoying and frustrating since it meant something ridiculously strong was out there.
“Okay,” I said as I took a deep breath and let it out through my nose. “Let’s just come at this a different way.” I nodded to Queenie as I summoned a few dozen Spiguars. “Take them out there, and figure out what the fuck happened.”
“As you wish, master,” the Ant Queen replied before taking off into the air with a host of Spiguars that she sent out in various directions. I took a moment to watch the strange flying jaguar spiders vanish into the sky before turning my attention back to the village.
Part of me wanted to finish the walls, but since I’d need to have the villagers sing again to call up the power required for such a massive undertaking, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that right now. Not when Thera was busy readying them for war. Instead, I settled on summoning several Troodons, Golems, Ice Spiders, and assorted other creatures and moving them around the village to act as scouts/early defenders.
That’s when the gauntlet on my wrist pulsed, and as I looked down at it, I realized what I did have time for. I spun on my heel and headed back toward Thera’s hut.
Inside, that strange rock was still sitting there, and before I even realized what I was doing, I reached out and touched it. This time, sparks leapt from its surface and cascaded across the gauntlet on my arm, and as it did, I felt it try to draw my hand inside. I allowed it to do so, and as my arm sank up to the elbow into the stone, a strange sense of understanding filled me.
When I’d been back on Amorphie, I’d seen a vision of the sword repaired, and it had been much, much stronger. I wasn’t sure what was out there, but I knew one thing. Having more power was always a good thing.
I withdrew my hand from the rock, and like with my sword, it was harder to do because the stone seemed to suck at my gauntlet. It hadn’t been long, but already, I could see it had been repaired, albeit barely.
I quickly drew the Sword of the Destroyer King and plunged it into the rock. I had half a mind to leave my gauntlet as well, but I wasn’t sure if that would reduce the time it took to fix my sword, and something told me I’d need my gauntlet. After all, if there was something that could ROFLSTOMP Queenie without her even knowing it was there, well, I wanted to know where its weakness lay.
That’s when I felt the tug on my Aura from outside the village. It was in an area beyond where I’d crafted the stone walls, and as I shifted my vision to Rocky who stood guard there, I saw a bunch of orange-feathered assholes coming straight toward the walls.
Normally, that would have just pissed me off. After all, it wasn’t like they were riding Tyrannosaurs or anything.
No… what made my heart sink into my toes was that they all had glowing hands, and as Rocky began to lumber towards the first attackers, they straight up destroyed him with a flurry of fireballs.
Which was probably why they were attacking the wooden walled section of the village. Still, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. There might have been a couple of dozen Oranges, but I was well over level fifty, and I had an army at my fingertips.
“Garrett! It’s the Oranges!” Thera said as she poked her head into the tent. Only she looked way more worried than I expected. “I do not know how, but they have the power of fire in their hands.”
“I saw,” I said as I related to Queenie what was going on over the link. Then I did the most awesomest thing I could think of as I ran toward the gate.
As I got there, I summoned six Forest Giants onto the field, and as the twenty-foot tall behemoths appeared from thin air and rose to their full height, the Oranges hesitated.
Which was when I summoned the Sharktopus from the pattern I’d gotten before we’d left Amorphie. The massive squid-shark appeared in the center of the field, all snapping jaws and writhing tentacles… and immediately began to draw on my Aura because, unlike the Samlon of this world, it wasn’t like the damn thing could survive outside of the water for long.
Fortunately, I’d planned for that.
I directed my Giants to pick up the massive Sharktopus and charge forward with it on their shoulders before hurling it directly into the midst of the Oranges.
Needless to say, their line broke like a diet at Thanksgiving as the Sharktopus lashed out with its tentacles, alternately ripping apart Oranges and shoving them into its gnashing jaws.
That was when my Troodons and Spiders appeared from the bushes all around the oranges. The Spiders threw icy nets that bound the fleeing Oranges to the ground an instant before the Troodons leapt atop them and tore them to shreds.
I’d like to say the whole thing took a long time, but it didn’t. As I let the Sharktopus summon go a few moments later because summoning it on dry land had drained my Aura by three fourths, I surveyed the field, ready to leap into battle, and found that it was already over.
Sure, there were a few Oranges scattered about in various states of not dead, but honestly, there weren’t many.
I called for my Giants and Troodons to surround whatever survivors remained and then turned to smile at Thera, who was staring at the battlefield with her jaw hanging open in a cute sort of awed look.
“That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” she said as she looked me up and down. “You are truly powerful, Garrett Andrews.”
Normally, I’d have replied to that, but that’s when messages flashed across my vision in rapid succession.
Your summoned monster: Queenie has been destroyed.
Your summoned monster: Spiguar has been destroyed.
Your summoned monster: Spiguar has been destroyed.
Your summoned monster: Spiguar has been destroyed.
Your summoned monster: Spiguar has been destroyed.
They kept going, and it didn’t take a genius to know that whatever heavy hitter was out there had routed my troops as well. I switched as quickly as I could to one of my last remaining Spiguars and had just enough time to fuse with it before I was destroyed in a flurry of heat and flame.
And… I’d gotten no more information from it than I’d had before. It pissed me off, but fortunately, I had a way to deal with that… or so I hoped.
“Thera, you haven’t seen anything yet,” I said as I moved onto the battlefield and approached a fallen Orange with Thera beside me. This one was pretty buff looking and had a strangely familiar mark on his chest. Well, what was left of his chest because the bastard had been bitten in half, so blood, gore, and torn flesh obscured it. Not that it mattered to me.
I raised my hand over the corpse and used Auric Extraction.
Pattern: Orange Hand Tribe Member has been learned. Would you like to create an Orange Hand Tribe Member?
“Do you recognize that mark?” I asked as I dismissed the message and turned to Thera. “The weird glowing sun on his chest?”
“It is not one I’m familiar with,�
� she said with a shake of her head before turning toward the survivors. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what the level of healing magic was on this world, but there were a few I didn’t expect to make it.
Thera must have agreed because, as we strode through the battlefield toward the survivors, she hefted her club and then shattered the skulls of those with what looked like critical injuries.
“A mercy,” she said without turning to look at me, though from the look of things, she seemed to be gearing up for an argument.
“They’re your prisoners as far as I’m concerned.” I shrugged when she seemed to sigh in relief. “So long as you leave the ones able to talk alone for long enough for me to have a chat with them, I don’t give a flying Troodon what you do with them.”
“That is a fair request.” She turned and looked at me. “You are strange in many ways I greatly appreciate, Garrett.” She smiled at me. “Not many would approve of what I did. My brother, Kanil, would try to save them though they meant to kill us and would expend valuable resources to do so.”
“Well, you know what I always say.” I chuckled. “The best thing in life is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.”
“Interesting.” Thera’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “I would have thought it better to hear the moans of their women instead.” She shrugged. “But to each their own.” Then as more of her clan came rushing out onto the field, she turned back to those she’d deemed healthy enough to live.
“The battle is over already?” Denno said with a scowl as he surveyed the carnage. “And I didn’t even get a piece of the orange-feathered bastards.” He sighed.
“You’ll have your chance,” Thera glanced at me, “because I have a feeling our new friend won’t let an attack like this stand.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not even a little.”
“Good.” Thera glared at the survivors before turning to the gathered members of her tribe. “You all know what to do. Strip the dead of valuables, then move their bodies to the traps. Bring the survivors to the holding hut. Garrett and I will speak with them there.”
As the clan members broke to their tasks, and she moved to join in, I summoned Queenie from the Auric Pocket once more.
“Not having good luck, are we?” I said as I gave her a hug.
“No, master. It shames me that I was still unable to figure out what was down there.” She hung her head.
“And you will not,” one of the Oranges said with a laugh. As I turned to look at the big man as he was led toward the hut, I recognized the symbol on his chest. It blazed with golden fire, but it still made my blood run cold as ice.
Because that symbol? The one blazing on his chest like the sun itself?
It was the Gift of Fire and Flame.
And there was only one person that I knew of who could bestow such a powerful gift.
Titania.
The Fairy Queen of Summer.
And if my experience with the woman in Terra Forma was anything like the reality of dealing with her, I knew one thing to be true. We were absolutely fucked.
Or were we?
I took a deep breath and then headed over to Thera.
She looked over at me and must have caught the look in my eyes because she grew instantly serious.
“What is it, Garrett?” she asked as she moved towards me.
“If I’m not mistaken, they will have been put up to this by a woman.” I dropped my hand. “She will be about this tall.” I met Thera’s eyes. “I need to know where she is.”
“Is this woman the one who gave them the power of the sun?” Thera asked as she searched my face.
“I believe so.” I paused. “And I may have a way to stop her before she sends more people against us.”
“Then I will find the information you speak.” Thera steeled herself then moved past me, clearly heading for the holding tent. “Because we must win the coming battle.” She looked at me then. “No matter the cost.”
“No matter the cost,” I repeated. Then I touched the cold spot on my forehead. “No matter the cost.”
33
Mab
“You dare to call upon me, mortal?” I asked with as much venom as I could muster as I focused my gaze upon the glowing purple orb in front of me. Within it, I saw Garrett Andrews prostrating himself in some far-off hellhole that felt much too much like warmth and sunlight for me to enjoy. “You are truly unwise.”
“Trust me, great Fairy, I would not have called upon you if I could have helped it.” He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and that pleased me. He should be nervous. After all, though I couldn’t help but notice how much stronger he had become, he was still a flea compared to me and mine. He would have to do better if he ever hoped to beat Zaxcs.
“That I believe.” I leaned back in my throne of ice and turned my attention toward my inner sanctum, deep at the center of the darkened world tree at the end of the universe. “So, what is it you desire, Garrett Andrews? Blood? Sex? Magic?” I licked my lips and leaned in close. “Or is it death you desire?”
“I need a Spike of True Ice.” He extended his hands about a foot apart. “Long and narrow, with as much darkness as you can manage.”
Admittedly, his request puzzled me. A Spike of True Ice was a simple thing for me to create since I was the Mistress of the Cold and Dark. In fact, it was such a ridiculous trifle that I couldn’t quite understand why he would want such a thing. It was like walking up to a rich man and, instead of asking for coin and other trifles, merely wanting a hearty handshake.
And because of that, I could hardly refuse.
After all, I had bestowed my title upon him and placed my mark on his head. Asking for boons from time to time was well within his rights, though few ever did. And this?
“Why?” I peered into the orb. “That is a non-thing.”
I waved my hand in a dismissive wave as I conjured the item he so desired. Blue ice stretched out in the air in front of my fingers until it resembled a thin icicle. Only this was no ordinary icicle because cold radiated off it, even here, even in the darkness that plagued the universe. Even here, where heat did not dwell, its cold was a tangible, living thing.
“There is a person here.” He met my eyes then, and I wondered if the next words were going to be a lie. That would be certainly interesting. “And I wish to hurt her badly.” He started to turn like he would show me something but stopped. Then he met my eyes. “Trust me, Queen Mab, when I say this. I will tell you anything you want me to know, but it would be to your benefit not to know.” He shot me a cruel smile that made me hot in a way I hadn’t felt in quite some time. “But, you will also approve.” His lips stretched wide until he looked almost crazed. “And you will be able to recount the tales of what happened for eons to come and all who know you will know you to be powerful beyond all measure.” He smirked. “And the best part?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “The best part is if I tell you nothing more, if I fail, well, it isn’t your problem, now is it? After all…” He met my eyes. “You. Did. Not. Know.”
“I dislike that you are trying to manipulate me.” I scowled as I looked over at the spike. “But I appreciate the effort, Garrett. It shows you are wise, and for that, you will be rewarded.”
And then, because it took barely any effort at all, I merged the Essence of Overwhelming Darkness into the Spike of True Ice. After all, I could not give my plaything a pathetic excuse for an item like a Spike of True Ice. Sure, mine would be better crafted than nearly any, but it was still not a fitting gift to come from my hand. Now though? Now, it would be something incredible.
“Thank you,” he said, and I could detect a barely discernible smile on his lips. Had he thought it might go this way? If so, I would flay him alive. Or reward him for his cunning.
Alas, time would tell either way.
What was important was that he was my plaything and mine alone. Only, as those thoughts wormed into my brain, my
conversation with Rhapsody came back to me. It had been so fleeting a moment in the vastness of time and darkness that I’d nearly forgotten.
Only as I went to voice words to my thoughts, to inquire of others, I stopped myself. It was strange. I was Queen Mab. The Keeper of the Cold and Dark. The ruler of that which will always be. And yet? Yet I feared that if I voiced words, it might spur things into action that I did not wish spurred.
After all, if my sister found out about Andrews, she would come, and he was not ready to face her yet.
“Enjoy your Spike,” I said instead. Then I waved my hand, sending it to him in an instant. After all, while the space between us was large, all things were connected by darkness and shadows, and that was simple enough to bend to my will. Then, because it happened to occur to me, I thought to add one last tidbit. What can I say? I was feeling generous.
“Oh, Garrett, I am not sure what you’re planning, but a word to the wise, you may want to check the Accords.” A smile quirked at my list. “Page three-thousand two-hundred and forty-eight. Paragraph eight. Sentence three.”
“You are most generous, Queen Mab. I will check it after this.” He gave me a delightful bow. “And I will make you proud.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” I said as I cut the call because Queen Mab always had the last word.
Always.
34
As I held the Frozen Spike of Overwhelming Darkness, I couldn’t help but smile. Part of me had wondered if Mab would even help me, and now that she had, I wondered what the price of this item would eventually be. After all, every deal I’d ever made with the fae tended to end badly. Then again, if things went as I thought they would, Mab wasn’t who I was worried about.
No, it was her sister, Titania. See, while Mab had been relatively scarce in Terra Forma, her sister hadn’t. She constantly showed up to fuck with you, especially if you inhabited a hot or dry world. Often, it was just asking for some kind of appeasement. Items, sacrifices, general fuckery.
