Wraith King

by Jack Porter

  No torches were lit, but the elves rode their horses confidently straight into the castle’s halls. The horses stopped at the base of the seventh tower, and I dismounted as Syn picked up the succubus and carried her up the stairway.

  Before I could follow, Nya pulled me up the stairs and into what had been my room. She closed the door on her guard and turned to me.

  “Tell me everything,” she said.

  I recounted our short journey, telling her everything I could remember. When I had finished, I also told her our suspicion that the attack was not random.

  Nya nodded her head and balled her gauntleted hand into a fist. “I should have seen this.”

  Running a hand through my sweaty hair, I paced the room. “How could you have known? Did you have any suspicion that there was a spy in your ranks?”

  Nya sighed. “A suspicion only, and I had hoped it was untrue. I have failed you, Jon. Your leaving was too public. Now, how will you ever get home? There isn’t time to try again. The Wraith King is too close, and I doubt that now that he knows about the road, he won’t leave it unguarded.”

  I turned to her. “Don’t be angry with me, but before we were attacked, I had decided to turn around anyway. We had already started back. If we hadn’t, we might never have run across those wraiths.”

  “Then you would be safe!” Nya’s brows were narrowed in anger.

  “And you would not have more proof that there is a spy in your midst. I’m glad I found this out, Nya. You need to be on your guard.”

  Nya sighed and stepped toward me. In a rare moment of emotion, she leaned her forehead against mine.

  “Who do you think it is?” I asked, putting my hand on her hair. Her scent filled my nostrils. The smell of hay and wind and a bonfire. I had a good guess about who the traitor was, but I didn’t want to voice it yet.

  “Alayna,” Nya said. “She’s not the only one who hates me, but she has the means and the motive to order a secret attack.”

  “How is she communicating with the wraiths? Do you think she has contact with the Wraith King himself?”

  Nya raised her head but maintained her closeness. “I don’t doubt it, but I don’t know how, or to what end.”

  I kissed her on the lips. “Tell me how I can help.”

  “This information changes the upcoming battle. We must make doubly sure no one feeds more information to the Wraith King. That means that I only tell my guard.”

  “Can you trust them?”

  “I have to. They will carry my orders around the city.”

  I pulled away from Nya. “This plan is flawed. Shouldn’t you confront your sister now?”

  The elf shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jon, but the word of a human man and a succubus isn’t enough for me to accuse Alayna of anything.”

  “But it explains so much,” I argued. “The attack on us at the Elfstone, your attempted kidnapping by slavers—”

  “All circumstantial. I can’t unseat my sister with this information. No, I must stop her from doing any more damage.”

  “How are you going to do that with the Wraith King’s army at the door?” I asked doubtfully.

  42

  Since we didn’t have time to find out how Alayna was getting information to and from the Wraith King, Nya decided to double down on those within her own command. As part of her damage control, she insisted Alayna remain in the great hall for her own protection, under guard.

  I saw many flaws with this plan, one being that if Alayna wanted to leave the hall, she most certainly would. But we had neither time nor resources to devote to the problem now. I worried about the succubus, who had still looked pale and was recovering in Nya’s chambers. But she had insisted I leave and make myself useful. I didn’t know if she was putting on a brave face, or if her injury really was that insignificant.

  I figured it was the first option, but I didn’t have time to argue with her, either.

  After checking on Ilana, I went to the training yard and practiced with my whip. It still wouldn’t light on fire, but I was getting better at cracking it in the air.

  However, unless the wraiths suddenly became afraid of the noise, I didn’t see how it would be of much use. After coiling it and hanging it back on my belt, I drew my sword and began practicing with that, instead.

  The city and the castle keep were alive with commotion. Defenses were being strengthened, people moved around. The walls were already guarded, but of course, we lacked the usual number of archers. This still made me feel guilty, but I tried not to think about it as I hacked away at a practice dummy.

  I also tried not to think about how far away I was from the portal, how Nya had coldly said I wasn’t part of the prophecy, and how useless I was in general.

  Not that I wanted to be part of the prophecy, but at least I had felt like I had a purpose here when she said it. Now, I was dead weight. Determined not to be a burden, I practiced until the yard had quieted and the keep was shut up.

  In my bitter mood, I destroyed the wooden practice dummy. The straw had burst out of it and littered the ground. Panting and with sweat running down my back, I didn’t feel any better despite the exercise.

  At least if the Wraith King sent me straw mannequins, I could kill them.

  Chances were good that I was going to die here, and I wondered what would happen to me if I died in Hell.

  43

  We didn’t have long to wait. The first of the Wraith King’s army arrived during the darkest part of the night, causing the high elven horn to be sounded three times.

  I waited with Ilana, who had been watching from one of the windows in Nya’s chamber. We heard the horn and saw the fires from the wraith army approaching. All was darkness beyond. Even the deep red horizon couldn’t illuminate what was coming.

  “They need torches?” I asked.

  “They can see at night. They prefer darkness, even,” Ilana said. Her face was still pale, but the elves had healed her wing, which bore a dark scar from the tear. “But the fires are likely for the trebuchets.”

  I felt suddenly cold. “Trebuchets,” I repeated, my mouth going dry. “Those are catapults, right? What will the wraiths launch over the walls?”

  Ilana turned to me. “Fiery rocks, perhaps. They seek to melt the castle, to set a fire that can’t be quenched.”

  “Then we’ve got to stop them,” I said grimly.

  “What do you suggest? Nya will have archers posted on the walls.”

  A pang of guilt shot through me. “But there won’t be enough, will there?”

  Ilana’s silence told me all I needed to know. I grabbed my belt, buckling my sword to my left side, checking that a dagger was at my right hip along with the coiled whip. Then I began looking searching the drawers in the chamber.

  “What are you looking for?” Ilana asked.

  “A dark hood, anything to cover my face.”

  “Why?” she asked warily.

  I pulled another drawer from a dresser and tossed the contents on the floor. “Do I really need to answer that?”

  Ilana stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Don’t do this. It’s suicide.”

  “I won’t stand here in the tower while the castle burns around me,” I said, pulling gently away from her and continuing my search. “And I’m not any good to anyone anywhere else. This is my chance to help.”

  “Jon,” she said. Her voice was insistent, so I turned my gaze on her.

  “The elves can hide you. Remember how they hid in the rocks above the Wraith King?”

  44

  “No,” Nya said when we found her a few minutes later, “It’s too dangerous, Jon. If the Wraith King catches you, you’ll be tortured for the rest of your days. And those days will likely be very long and agonizing. You will wish you were dead.”

  We stood in the stable yard as she prepared to mount her dappled stallion. Her armor had been coated in some sort of black paint, which covered her fully. Her cloak was also black.

  “Nya,” I said, “I need t
o do something. You need every available body. I’m not that great at fighting, but maybe I can sneak out and disable a trebuchet or two.”

  “The trebuchets will be guarded. And the elf magic works best when you can be still.”

  “But it will still work?” Ilana asked. She had been standing quietly beside my elbow.

  Nya stared at us. “You don’t have to do this. The castle isn’t yours to protect.”

  “But we will all benefit if I succeed,” I said, sensing the elf weakening. “And if I don’t, you haven’t lost one of your valuable fighters.”

  Nya’s face contorted. “But you are valuable,” she whispered.

  “We’re wasting time,” I said, trying my best to ignore the implications of what she’d just said.

  “I’ll go with him,” the succubus said, taking my arm.

  I shook my head. “You’re still recovering. The more time we can give you to heal, the better.”

  I was surprised when Nya nodded in agreement. “The Healers told me that you don’t need to fly anywhere yet, which means you’ve lost your greatest asset for Jon.” She looked back at me, her gaze piercing mine. “I can get you out of the castle, but then you’ll be on your own. As much as I would like to spare someone to help you, I cannot.”

  “And I don’t expect you to.”

  In the next few minutes, I was sent to the armory, where I was given a new sword of black steel, a new leather shirt of black that fit over my tunic, and a black hooded cloak. I didn’t need plated armor since speed and stealth would be my greatest defenses now.

  Nya herself returned to perform the spell that imbued the cloak with the magic to hide me. She took it in her hands and murmured the words with her eyes closed. Once again, I saw a kind of glow around her that concentrated near her fingertips. But before I had really focused on it, the light was gone. The elf looked up at me then and smiled thinly.

  Hoping it wasn’t my last time to do so, I kissed Ilana warmly on the mouth. Then, I looked at Nya. She quirked her mouth as she sometimes did when she was amused at something.

  “What?” I asked.

  Instead of answering me, she grabbed the front of my cloak and pulled me close. Her breath tickled my lips just before she pressed hers to mine. I admit I added a bit of tongue to my kiss, for good measure. When we pulled apart, I said, “Remember what I can do with that.” Then I kissed her once more, grinned at Ilana, and pulled the hood over my head.

  45

  Syn actually led me to the side gatehouse, her normally white braids tied up and painted black. She commanded the inner gates to be opened, and we walked inside the gatehouse. I gave her a small smile. “How many enemies are on the other side of this gate?” I asked.

  Syn shook her head. “Will counting them help you accomplish your mission?”

  “Tell me.” I wanted to know my odds of returning.

  She looked me in the eye. “Ten thousand, at least.”

  “Ten thousand,” I repeated. And then I took a deep breath. It didn’t change anything. I would still go, but I probably wouldn’t be back. Which meant I was speaking to Syn for the last time. I smiled, trying to look confident. “If I happen to return, how do I get back inside?”

  “The guards will be watching for you,” Syn said.

  “So confident.”

  Syn was standing close to me, and despite our not having a real emotional connection, we had fucked only a few days ago. She was hot. Seriously hot, and I suddenly remembered being inside her body and how good it had felt. And if I was to die tonight, I was glad I had the memory.

  The dark elf grabbed my shoulders and shoved me against the wall. I hit it hard, and her armor pressed up against my chest. “Syn…” I vaguely pretended to push her away, but I wasn’t convincing enough, apparently. Before I could get my tongue in her mouth, she had untied my breeches and pulled out my hard cock. I felt around her waist for a way to get her leggings off, but they were securely fastened under her armor. Syn let go of my cock to grab my hands. Instead, she moved them to an opening, a slit really, in the fabric between her legs. I gasped as my fingers found flesh.

  “What is this?” I asked playfully, curling my index finger up into her tight entrance. Syn gasped and once again grabbed my cock.

  “I couldn’t help myself,” she said. “I did it for you, hoping that I could steal another moment with you.”

  My mouth dropped. This tryst was wholly unexpected, but not unwelcome. If I was going to die, why not fuck first? “We’ve got to hurry,” I said.

  Syn nodded and moved away from me, dropping down to her knees. I looked around, but the darkness was so complete that I couldn’t really see if anyone was watching. Of course, we could be putting on a show for one hundred elves who could see perfectly well in the dark.

  But I didn’t care. As soon as Syn’s lips closed around the tip of my cock, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the castle wall. Winding my fingers into her ponytail, I pushed her farther onto me.

  Syn responded with a moan and sucked hard all the way to my balls.

  I almost came right there. But that wasn’t how I wanted my last time to be. So I pulled her off me and turned us around. The elf raised a leg, wrapping it around my waist and drawing me close. I found her entrance again through the hole in her leggings. She was soaking wet. Perfect. Based upon our previous encounters, and the fact that she liked it when I took charge, I thought maybe Syn liked it rough. And pushing her up against the wall, I thrust into her as deep as I could go.

  I was correct.

  The elf screamed in ecstasy, and I pumped her hard, feeling her walls close around me as I angled against her for maximum feeling through her leggings. In a few seconds, we were both gasping for breath. Her armor was hitting me in the chest, bruising me beneath my leather shirt.

  And it gave me an idea. Pulling out, I grabbed Syn’s shoulders, turned her around, and shoved her against the wall so her armor and the castle wall would take the force of my thrusting. Then I reached down and spread her legs. She complied, looking back at me over her shoulder, her hot breath still coming in gasps.

  Syn was the perfect height for this. I didn’t even have to bend down.

  She pushed her ass out toward me, and I found her entrance again with ease. My cock, now slick with her juices, slid right back into her, hitting her g-spot with every movement.

  And then she began to moan. If I thought I’d been turned on before, it was nothing to what was happening to me now. These elves sure knew how to make noise, and I loved it. Reaching around, I found her sensitive bud with my fingers, stroking her as we continued our rhythm. Her armor made clanking noises against the stone, but neither of us cared.

  I thrust into her again. And again. And again. Pounding her as we both made unintelligible noises. She reached around and grabbed my hair, and I swear she was going to tear it out. So I pushed her harder against the wall and bit down on the only part of her neck that was exposed.

  I think I came first, but the elf followed so closely that it might as well have been at the same time. Gritting my teeth, I convulsed with the explosive orgasm. Syn pushed back against me once more and screamed as her juices flowed down over my cock and my balls.

  I sank against her for a moment, trying not to fall over. Glad that the castle wall was there to keep us upright.

  “Fuck,” I said, breathing hard and kissing her neck where I had left teeth marks in her skin.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “I need you to come back, Jon, so we can have more times like this.”

  “Fuck yeah,” was all I managed to get out. If that was a bribe, it was the best one I’d ever heard.

  She let me out the small outer gate, and I gave her a smile that I knew only she could see. I looked at the narrow drawbridge going out over the moat. I paused, not wanting to say what was really on my mind. It was likely I wouldn’t be back, anyway. The chances of failure were high. “Syn,” I said finally, knowing I was drawing it out but needing to say one more thing.
/>   “Yes?” she asked.

  “Take care of yourself. And take care of Nya and Ilana, will you?”

  “I will do all in my power to keep them safe, Jon. Until the end.”

  “Until the end,” I repeated. The words were bitter in my mouth, but I couldn’t delay any further. The wraith army’s fires were already brightening, their lines spreading out as the columns took up positions around the walls.

  With a forceful boom that shook the earth, Blackhold launched a boulder from one of its own trebuchets hidden behind the walls. In the distance, some fires flickered. But they were only replaced by more fires. And more.

  And more. Like a colony of bright ants, they swarmed over the plain. And I knew that not every wraith carried a torch or fire. There were many more where my eyes could not see.

  Shuddering with cold dread, I hurried as fast as I dared down the bridge over the chasm. When I crossed the drawbridge and set foot onto the stone, I heard the sound of chains lifting the bridge up again.

  I was alone.

  The task ahead suddenly seemed impossible. Inside the castle walls, where I had been relatively safe, finding and disabling the trebuchets while surrounded by thousands of enemies had seemed… less intimidating.

  Outside the castle walls, exposed to danger, the mission was overwhelming. But there was no going back without admitting my failure, and crazy as it may have been, I was too stubborn for that.

  Pulling my cloak around me, I crept off the bridge and stole into the night. One man against ten thousand deadly wraiths of Hell.

  46

  The journey to the wraith army was largely uneventful.

  Except for the problem of scouts.

  The Wraith King was no fool, and evidently, he anticipated some sort of trick from the elves. Small bands consisting of wraiths and hellhounds had quietly positioned themselves in no man’s land between the castle and the main part of the army. The elves, of course, could see them, but as of yet had not tried to take them out.