by Eric Vall
“I see.” The centaur queen obviously wasn’t convinced about my inexperience, but she held her tongue. “Join me for dinner?”
“Thank the gods, I’m famished,” Aaliyah groaned behind me.
“We’d be honored,” Alyona said as she gave the lioness an admonishing look.
Mona strutted to the door, pulled it open, and walked out into the hallway without a second glance.
Alyona, Aaliyah, and I shared a look before we hurried out the door after her. Then we went back downstairs and through the sitting area where the rest of our party waited.
“Come on.” I waved the group over to follow us to the dining hall.
The dryads, Ravi, Laika, and Nike rose from their chairs and fell into step with us, but I didn’t want to stop since Mona was walking so fast.
Either the queen was also famished, or she was hoping we’d get lost somewhere in the castle.
Mona led us into a large, open room with a long, ornate table big enough for at least two dozen people, and her children were already sitting in their places. The centaur queen sat at the head of the table and gestured for us all to join her. Then she signaled to a man in the doorway to what appeared to be the kitchen, and he saluted her before he turned and rushed out of the room.
“It’ll be just a few extra minutes,” Mona explained. “They’re not used to preparing for so many.”
“Yeah, it’s usually just us,” Archer chirped, and the boy turned his eager eyes toward me. “So, Lord Evan, can you turn into a dragon while we wait?”
“Hush!” Mona scolded him.
“It’s okay,” I chuckled before I looked at her son. “I can’t shift in here, Archer. The room is way too small. I only transform when I’m outside.”
“Wow,” the boy breathed before he turned to his brother. “You hear that, Leo? His dragon form is super huge!”
The younger boy nodded with vigor.
“We can transform inside,” Archer boasted. “Want to see?”
Before I could respond, the boy jumped out of his chair and nearly ran to the corner of the room. Then he closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he mumbled under his breath. After a few moments, I could see his legs growing longer and hairier, and he was nearly my height when his rear started extending backward. Then two legs dropped from the extending hindquarters, and we had a little centaur in the room.
“See!” Archer cried out as he put his hands on the waist of his human torso.
Our party applauded, and a blush crept up Archer’s cheeks.
“Not fair!” Leo suddenly cried.
The younger boy jumped up and stood next to his brother. He closed his eyes and mumbled, but the only thing that changed was the blush that rushed to his face when he didn’t transform immediately. He finally crossed his arms and pouted as Archer clip-clopped around him.
“Now, boys, I’m sure our guests didn’t come for the live entertainment,” Mona scolded them. “Back to your seats.”
“Yes, Mama,” the boys muttered in unison.
Archer took a few deep breaths and then slimmed back down to his human form. It was weird to see a creature turn into a kid, and I wondered if my transformation was as disconcerting.
The boys slid back into their seats just as the servants brought out plates and served each of us.
I was a bit disappointed to notice my plate looked like I’d just hit the salad bar. There was no meat, only a collection of fruits and vegetables, along with a chunk of bread that had been drizzled with honey. I glanced down the table and saw Alyona was the only one who seemed excited about the meal.
“I’m sorry about the food selection,” Mona murmured. “I’ve limited my people’s access to the hunting grounds with all the kidnappings. And not many of our normal trading tribes want to venture this way for our textiles with all the problems in the woods.”
Ah, it made sense now.
“After you kill the creature, Loman can make the meat pies for you!” Archer gasped as he looked up at me before turning back to his mother. “Right, Mama?”
“If our friends care to stay after they slay the beast.” Mona smiled at her son.
We all finished our plates and discussed a plan of action for the forest as we looked over the map Mona had marked.
“I think we can work in groups with Evan flying overhead, like we did in Tikal,” Nike suggested as he studied the map. “We can start on this end, then work our way back over to where they’ve already searched. If we haven’t found anything by then, it wouldn’t hurt to double check.”
“My warriors wouldn’t miss anything.” Mona took a sip of her wine and crossed her arms. “The Sagittarius Order is the best group of warriors in Rahma.”
“I have no doubt in your warriors, Your Highness,” Nike conceded. “I merely suggested going back over those areas if we don’t find what we’re looking for elsewhere. My apologies.”
“Carry on.” Mona ignored his apology and tipped her glass to the map.
“Okay, so let’s put the dryads going over this section,” I directed. “Ravi and Aaliyah, you two can go over the area next to that, and Laika and Nike can sweep this area. I’ll fly above, and as soon as anyone sees anything, I’ll be able to come help.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nike agreed as he rolled up the map.
“I think we’re about ready to get some rest for the night,” I said and turned to Mona. “Then we’ll leave first thing in the morning to head to the forest.”
“Cesar!” Mona called out instead of responding to me, and I started at her loud and abrupt voice.
A moment later, the centaur we’d seen earlier nearly galloped into the room and halted next to the queen. The horse-man didn’t have the same braid as the other men, but instead his blonde hair was cut short. The honey colored strands also matched the color of his beige horse half and contrasted sharply with his tan skin.
“Yes, Your Highness?” Cesar dipped his head to her.
“Go prepare some rooms for our guests,” the queen ordered.
“At once,” Cesar said, and he gave a bow before he scurried out of the dining hall.
“He’ll be back to show you to your rooms,” Mona said with a dismissive wave. “I’ll be going to bed now. Come along, boys.”
The centaur queen stood up, and I took a long look at the way the scaly, gold skirt draped over her round buttocks. Then she bent over to adjust her sandals, and I inhaled sharply as I saw her silky, red panties tighten across her ass. As she stood back up, I felt my cock throb at the thought of bending her over the golden painted dresser in her room. The gold would contrast beautifully with her tanned skin, and I started envisioning the naked centaur queen spread out over a pile of golden coins.
Then Alyona put her hand on my thigh under the table, and the electricity of her touch nearly sent me over the edge.
“Lord Evan?” Cesar’s voice echoed through the large dining hall. “Your rooms?”
“Yes,” I growled and grabbed Alyona’s hand. “Rooms, now.”
We followed the centaur through another hallway to a set of four rooms with fresh linens on the beds. Then I pulled Alyona into our quarters and poked my head back out into the hallway.
“Goodnight, everyone,” I muttered before I hurried back into our room and shut the door.
“What’s going on?” Alyona giggled.
I strode over to my bride and pressed my lips to hers, and I felt her body melt into mine as she returned the kiss. Then I wrapped my arms around her back and slid my hands down to cup her ass.
“I’ve been waiting forever for this,” I murmured against her mouth.
“Well, don’t wait anymore,” the princess whispered back.
I growled as I picked her up and threw her onto the bed.
No more waiting.
Chapter 3
The next morning, I was startled awake by a tolling bell.
“Good morning, my love,” Alyona whispered into my ear as I tried to get my bearings.
T
he princess leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips, but the blanket covering her naked body slid down to reveal her perky, milk-colored breasts.
My morning wood lifted the blankets at my hips, and I growled and pulled her closer to me.
“We have an entire forest to search today, remember?” Alyona giggled.
I trailed kisses from her lips down her throat, but then she pushed her soft hands against the sides of my head and redirected my gaze to her face.
“Okay, okay,” I groaned. “But I demand an encore of last night soon.”
“Of course,” the princess promised with a solemn expression, but the effect was ruined as her suppressed giggles jostled her bare breasts.
I knew if I didn’t get a move on, we wouldn’t leave this bed, so I tore my gaze away from the tantalizing sight, tossed the blankets off, threw my legs over the side of the bed, and picked up my clothes from the floor.
Alyona smiled as she stood up next to me and got dressed as well.
Fifteen minutes later, we left the room and headed to the dining hall where platters of fruits and vegetables waited. We made ourselves plates and sat down to eat, and within minutes, Nike, Laika, and Ravi joined us. The three directed murmured greetings our way before they also sat down to eat, and finally, Aaliyah and the dryads were the last to come into the room.
“Good morning!” Polina sang as the women twirled through the doorway.
“I can see who the morning people are,” Mona mused as she walked in behind the other women.
The centaur queen wore her russet hair in a braid that trailed down her spine. A maroon robe that ended at her mid-thigh draped over her lithe body, and the garment was loosely knotted at her hip where a slit opened to reveal most of her tan, muscular leg. She still wore an abundance of gold jewelry, including long chains that dangled from her ears and bracelets that clinked together with every movement, and her green eyes shone with amusement as she looked over everyone at the table.
“Well, they better wake up if they expect to hunt with us,” River snorted as he clip-clopped into the room in his horse form.
“We’ll be able to keep up, don’t worry.” I smirked and popped an orange berry into my mouth.
“My warriors can go with each of your groups,” Mona added with a wave of her hand. “You have three groups of hunters, correct?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “How many warriors do you have?”
“Plenty,” River laughed as he towered over our table on his four long legs. “We have fifteen assigned to help today.”
“That would put five of you with each group,” Nike commented, and he narrowed his silver eyes in thought. “That gives us plenty of eyes on the ground.”
“Then it’s settled,” the queen announced. “River, prepare your men, and I’m sure our guests can be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Yeah, we can do that,” I agreed, and then I turned to Alyona. “You need to stay here. If we find anything that requires a spell, I’ll send for you, but I don’t want you out there with the number of creatures that have attacked you.”
“I understand,” the princess murmured. “I can do some more reading while I wait here.”
“Should I stay back also, Lord Evan?” Laika asked, and the Demi-Human looked concerned with leaving the princess behind.
“She’ll be safe here,” Mona comforted the wolf. “The castle is the safest place in Lumin. You have my word as queen, no harm will befall the Divine Maiden.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Laika’s shoulders relaxed as she nodded to the centaur queen.
“Okay, let’s finish up here so we can get started,” I suggested.
The rest of my group nodded and quickly finished their plates as River trotted out of the dining hall to gather his men.
“Everyone remembers the plan?” Nike asked as he sat back in his chair and looked around the table.
“Yeah, let’s just get out there and hunt something.” Aaliyah was already standing, and she bounced on the balls of her feet, clearly ready to go.
“Alright,” I chuckled as I also stood up. “Let’s go meet up with the Sagittarius Order.”
“I’ll see you soon,” Alyona said as she stood up on her tiptoes and pecked me on the cheek.
“We’ll be back before you know it.” I winked and kissed her head.
The princess flashed me a smile and walked toward the hallway back to our room, and I knew she’d be holed up in there the rest of the day with her books. I felt better with her safe in the castle instead of out in the forest with whatever was kidnapping people, so I put my future bride out of my mind as I looked back to the rest of my team.
“Let’s go,” I said, and then I led the rest of our group out through the castle doors and outside to meet with the centaurs.
River stood before the grand palace with his arms crossed as he waited for us to join the fifteen centaurs who were lined up in three rows. The warriors were poised with indifferent expressions, and bows and quivers were strapped to their human backs.
“Are you ready, Lord Evan?” River asked with a raised brow, and his horse tail flicked impatiently behind him.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I replied and ignored his sarcasm. I’d figure out why he didn’t like dragons eventually, but it wasn’t high up on my priority list right now.
The morning sun creeped into the sky as we followed the centaurs out of the city, and the other centaur citizens of Lumin looked on. It was still weird to see a city full of dudes, but I shook the thought away.
Fifteen minutes later, our hunting party walked out of the gates and down the trail that led to a dense forest. The trees stood tall, like the ones in the woods we’d traveled through to get to the city, and brightly colored flowering plants wove in and out of the tall grass and gnarled tree roots. Thick, green moss covered much of the ground like a carpet, and I could see hoof prints flattened the dirt to create trails through the area.
“We’ll have five of your men with each of our groups,” I reiterated to River as my people divided into their parties. “We’ve already assigned search areas, and I’ll fly overhead to help when we find something.”
River nodded and motioned to the centaurs to join our groups, and the horse-men divided up without a word.
I guessed they were the strong, silent types.
“I’ll stay on the trails within earshot,” River announced, and then he followed the groups into the trees.
Once I was alone, I exhaled sharply and shifted into my full dragon form. Shiny, black scales spread down my arms as they turned into my forelegs, and I felt my wings and tail grow out of my skin. The change was painless, and it was always a relief. I might have been a human back in my old world, but here, this was my normal form. I wondered briefly if the centaurs were born in their horse or human bodies, since they could transform like I could, but I cleared the random thoughts from my head and took flight. We could have a long day ahead, depending on what we found in these woods.
I flew above the giant trees and circled the entire wooded area. The forest blocked most of my view of the ground, but as I got further from the city, I noticed a large expanse of mountains ahead. I hoped we wouldn’t have to search there, but the queen seemed certain the problem was in the forest. So, I looped back around and looked for any extra movement, but I didn’t see anything, not even birds flying or squirrels jumping between trees.
The queen was probably right. Animals had a good instinct for avoiding danger, and these creatures had no intention of being seen by whatever was in these woods.
I circled back around to the hunting groups and drifted over Nike and Laika’s party first. The wolf warrior used her keen sense of smell to check every area they walked through, and I knew she was familiar with the death-like stench of miasma, so she would know if we were up against a creature from the Breach. So far, it seemed they hadn’t found anything, but the centaurs held their bows ready to fire.
Since it was all quiet for the wolf Demi-Human’s p
arty, I changed course and flew over the dryads’ group. The sisters’ approach was a little different since they had a deep relationship with nature. They wore no shoes so they could feel the ground as they walked, and they ran their hands over every tree and plant to get a feel for anything amiss. The centaurs in their group walked slowly behind them, but the male shapeshifters also had their bows out and scanned the trees for any signs of whatever was kidnapping people.
Finally, I moved on to Aaliyah and Ravi’s search area. Ravi was using her phoenix form to search higher in the trees, and as the orange bird flitted from branch to branch, I wondered if she’d noticed that she was the only bird in the forest right now. Meanwhile, Aaliyah was using her Demi-Human senses to look closer at ground level. The lioness walked with the litheness of a hunter, and her claws were fully extended and ready for a fight.
Nothing came jumping out of the trees yet, though.
We continued to move along the gridlines that the queen had drawn, and soon the sun was in the middle of the sky. We’d covered about half the search area, and we hadn’t found anything to give us a clue what we were up against.
Then I heard Aaliyah’s roar split the air and echo out through the forest.
I immediately angled myself toward the sound, dove down from my position above the trees, and shifted mid-air. I knew there wasn’t enough room in the forest for my full dragon form, so I covered my human body with healing protection as I landed on the ground next to the lioness.
“Uh, what’s going on?” I demanded and looked around in confusion.
“Shhh!” Aaliyah hushed me, and her orange eyes were bright as she searched the ground around us.
“There!” Ravi shouted from above us.
Suddenly, a huge green and black serpent crashed through the bushes next to us. Its head was a dark green and covered in scales, yet the creature had a beak like a chicken. The scales continued from its head down its massive body to its six legs that ended in claws. The beast scuttled around on four of the legs, and the other two sat higher on its body like arms as it tried to grab a centaur.
The horse-man cried out in alarm, dodged the short scaly leg, and shot the creature in the gut with an arrow.
