by Eric Vall
“That’s not true,” Rana shook her head vehemently, and Semune stared at her blankly for a few minutes. “We met the nine-tailed fox, she was trapped here. She told us of a sanctuary for fox-people, people with pure blood flowing through their veins.”
“It’s a lie,” Semune whispered as she shook her head. “It can’t be true, you know that.”
“It’s not, mom, we saw her. She was real, and what she said was true.” Rana stated in a firm voice as she squeezed her mother’s hand.
Semune looked to me with glossy, confused blue eyes, and I nodded to tell her what her daughter said was true, everything she said was true.
“We met her, and she told us all these things,” I uttered in a strong tone. “The Kitsune’s mind was clear, and I detected no lies. There is a place for the descendants of the Kitsune tribe, a place where they are safe and away from the judgment of the world.”
“Momma,” Rana muttered, drawing Semune’s attention back to her. “I think you and everyone else should go there.”
“What? And leave our home behind? We could never, Rana…” the older redhead whispered as she shook her head fervently.
“You call that one-room shack we used to live in a home?” the redhead asked as her voice cracked with emotion. “If you find this place, then you can be safe and warm. You won’t have your money stolen or be outcasted just because of who and what you are. Mom, please, think about it…this is a place just for our kind.”
“It really exists?” Semune asked as her blue eyes landed on me. “This place filled with the Kitsune Tribe? It’s real, and we can go there without fear of bias and prejudice? Can you tell me that for certain, Master?”
I stared deeply into Rana’s mother’s face. Semune was afraid, she was apprehensive of leaving the life she’d always known, but as the redhead said, there was nothing for her family to go back to. They could return to the old life they lived, or they could start a new life among their people where there was no judgment or discrimination.
“I never lie to my disciples even if the truth hurts them,” I stated in a firm voice, and both of the women’s expressions changed to disappointment. “But in this case, what Rana told you is true, the sanctuary exists, and the people there will take care of you and your family while you get settled.”
“See?” Rana pressed on as she clasped her mother’s hands. “There is a place you can go and feel protected.”
I reached out and placed my hands over theirs, and both women turned their attention back to me.
“Semune, there are wars coming. Two to be exact, the Holy Order will fall to me, and so will the Heavens. The cities and towns will not be safe for you and your family. I can offer you protection, but it is limited, and you’d have to come along with us on these long journeys. Your family would be uprooted and moved from place to place before there is a settlement. If you go to the Kitsune tribe’s sanctuary, you will be protected and away from the fighting. Once the wars are over, and I am in place as ruler, and you still are uncomfortable there, you are fully welcome to find a place with us in the capital. These are all decisions you will need to make for you and your family, and I cannot influence you, but there are other options than going back to the place where you faced so much hardship.”
Semune was silent for a long time, and she pulled her hands away from ours as she looked over her long-lost daughter. They’d been away from each other for so long, but Rana’s mother understood that us leaving was not forever, and they would see each other again before long. The uncertainty was gone, they had choices and options now since we freed them from Tuzakeur’s fortress. I’d told her all of the things she could do, and the older fox-woman seemed to weigh every option before her.
“Where is this sanctuary?” Semune asked as her ears twitched excitedly. “We will change our plans and go there instead of the place we used to live.”
“I don’t know the exact location,” Rana admitted, and Semune’s face fell sadly. “Haruhi should know, right, Master?”
“Yes,” I nodded as I dug through my void pocket and offered the orb we used to speak to the others to Semune. “If you hold this in your palm and call her name, she will answer. She will tell you everything you need to know.”
“I will reach out to her then,” Semune smiled as she took the orb from my hand, and bowed to us then stopped as she offered me one of her paws. “Thank you, Master, for saving my family and me but also for showing us another way of life. We will take your advice and flee to the sanctuary of our kind. Once the time comes, and you are leader over all, we will join you, but until then, we still stay safe under your protection.”
Semune’s back faded from view as she entered back into the inn and into one of the parlor rooms where my other women talked quietly to each other. I turned back toward Rana, and the fox’s face was shining with joy. Her round cheeks were tinted pink, and her eyes gleamed as she gazed over the table at me. She looked so beautiful bathed in the glow of the lamps strung about the veranda.
These were the last few moments of peace we would see for a long while and I wanted to enjoy them. I listened to Semune’s faraway voice as she called out to the sage and the telltale crackle reached my ears as Haruhi answered from miles away. My other minions spoke excitedly to the librarian, and their voices calmed me as Morrigan’s joined the sage’s.
I wished that all of them could be here with me but we would soon be reunited. I already knew that Annalise, Rana, and Carmedy missed their sisters in Galencia, and from the strain in their voices, it was apparent.
“Do you think we will win against the Holy Order?” Rana asked in a quiet tone, and I raised my head.
“We have everything that we need, we have the book that will help us break the enchantments, we have our armies, but most importantly, we have you, your sisters, and me,” I stated. “The Holy Order will fall to us.” I folded my hands over my knee and grinned.
Rana smiled back and placed her paws over her stomach. There were no signs of pregnancy yet, but I knew the child was there within her belly. Godly children tended to grow faster than mortals did, and I wondered how long it would take for the signs to show. The redhead looked calm as she stroked her flat stomach but her thoughts were heavy with worry for her family and the wars on the horizon.
I leaned across the table and pressed a hand to her stomach. The fox’s baby blue eyes met mine, and she gave me a weak smile as she slipped her hand into mine.
“There is nothing to worry about, Rana,” I stated in a firm voice. “I will protect you and your sisters, but more importantly, I will protect the child you carry within you.”
We sat together in silence for a long time and in the distance, Semune continued to talk to Haruhi late into the night. The sage’s directions to the Kitsune’s sanctuary were direct, and I was glad that I’d put my trust in her from the start.
I slowly rose from my chair and offered Rana a hand. She took it, and I helped her up. In the morning, we’d leave this place and the redhead’s family for Galencia where my two women waited for us. I was anxious to leave and I guided Rana upstairs to bed. She snuggled against me under the covers and fell asleep soundly. My other women filtered into the room quietly and surrounded me with their warmth. I was an underdark deity, all-powerful, but I would need their strength and power within the next few days as we took on the Holy Order.
I woke before anyone else and slowly dressed as I gazed out the window over the small city. I didn’t wake any of my sleeping minions as I stepped out of the room and stepped outside into the cool morning air. To my surprise, I wasn’t alone on the veranda as Heijing’s back faced me.
During the last few days, my women had made it their own special mission to go out and buy the Qianlong something new to wear, and I moved my eyes over the exquisite material. Heijing wore a new robe made from sleek red silk. Large blooming lotus' were embroidered into the fabric in different shades of orange, yellow, blue and purple but the ones that stood out most were the colors of bot
h the Akalong and Qianlong tribes. My women were incredibly thoughtful when they chose this piece for Heijing, and from the way the tiny woman stroked the fabric absentmindedly, I knew she adored it.
The Qianlong turned halfway, and her icy blue eyes met mine in the dim light of early morning. Her long cerulean hair was undone and shifted around her shoulders, and this was the first time I’d seen it down like this. I was stunned by how beautiful the Qianlong looked and how deeply her serious, stoic eyes cut into me. She didn’t speak or utter a word to me, only turned back toward the outlines of the city below. I came to stand beside her, and her natural scent overtook me, and I breathed it in gladly.
“We will fight today, won’t we?” Heijing finally asked, but she didn’t turn to look at me as she spoke.
“Maybe today, or tomorrow,” I stated as I clasped my hands behind my back. “We have to reach Galencia as my armies do or this won’t go smoothly.”
“Then we must leave soon.” The Qianlong nodded, and I glanced down at her.
Heijing held her hands in the sleeves of her robe in front of her as she always did, and I could see the peeking of her new bodysuit underneath. Unlike the one before, this one wasn’t as sheer and entirely made from white lace. It peeked out of her robe and added to the beauty of the intricate robe.
“Do you think we will defeat them? The Holy Order?” Heijing asked as she finally turned and looked me in the eye.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we will absolutely slaughter them.” I smiled, and the Qianlong blinked once then turned back to the city.
“Do you think Carmedy will summon my parent’s spirits again?” Heijing whispered.
“If I ask her to, then yes,” I nodded then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Did it make you uncomfortable to see them like that? Should I tell her not to do it again?”
“It was painful, yes,” Heijing nodded, but her tiny hand lifted and laid on top of mine with a warmth I didn’t expect. “But seeing them again, in their dragon forms, gave me a peace that I didn’t know I needed.”
The Qianlong turned to face me fully, and her eyes met mine in the darkness. We stood like this for a long time, but I didn’t pull my hand away, and she didn’t let go. There was something growing between us, we both knew it but didn’t dare speak. Whatever was between us was delicate and fragile, and both of us didn’t dare bring it up just yet. Heijing was young and inexperienced just like my other minion were when I first met them, but she was different from them in a way. The dragon had seen war and witnessed the death of her parents at such a young age that the trivial things around her didn’t seem to matter as much.
“I suppose I should thank you, Kazama,” Heijing murmured as she looked deeply into my eyes. “You’ve given me things that no one else has, it is as if the whole world is blooming before my eyes when I am with you and your women. There is more out there for me than there is back at the sanctuary. Thank you for bringing me along with you and allowing me to peer into your world, even if it is just for a moment.”
I nodded and smiled down at her as my hand slipped from her shoulder and gently cupped her cheek. I felt a need within me, and my heart pounded as I leaned closer to the tiny Qianlong. Heijing’s cheeks bloomed pink, but she didn’t pull away from me but instead leaned in closer. Right as our lips were about to meet, a loud clatter came from just beyond the doors behind us and Heijing and I stepped apart. Both of us turned our heads to spy Carmedy leaning in the doorway, an entire pie and fork in hand.
“Good Morning!” the feline called through a mouthful of food.
I glanced down at where Heijing had just been, but she was gone as she disappeared through the open door beside Carmedy. I wasn’t sure what had just happened or what came over me, but it seemed that the Qianlong seemed perfectly accepting to my advances. I pushed all those thoughts away from my mind as I entered back into the inn and spoke over my shoulder to the alchemist.
“Make sure your sisters are awake, we must leave as soon as possible,” I stated, and Carmedy nodded as she raced up the stairs.
It took a whole thirty minutes to get my women out of bed and ready to go. When we all stood outside with our packed bags, Heijing strode out in front of us. The Qianlong closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Before our eyes, she transformed again into her dragon form, and we looked over her with awe. No matter how many times we saw her transform, it was still as beautiful and mesmerizing as the first time.
I helped my women on Heijing’s wide back, then lifted myself up into position. The Qianlong’s head was turned ever so slightly, and her icy blue eyes watched me intently, then just as suddenly, she looked away and began to move forward. The Qianlong glided along below us as she picked up speed, then launched herself into the sky.
Carmedy held onto me tightly from behind, and Rana hooted excitedly from in front of me. I laughed loudly as I watched the ground at our feet disappear and we raced through the sky like one of Haruhi’s bullets. Heijing rose higher in the sky, and soon we were above the puffy white clouds right as the sun began to rise in the east. We settled in for the long journey, and Carmedy snuggled into my back as her eyes fluttered closed.
Annalise and I talked for a good bit of the journey, and Rana joined in a few times but around the end of it, I kept a close eye on my two other minions and the approaching armies. Tuzakuer’s fortress wasn’t as far away from Galencia as I thought, and we’d make it there in six hours’ time if we didn’t stop.
Heijing was silent the entire time as she was busy concentrating on which direction to go, and I watched her quietly for a long time. Her movements were so graceful and elegant through the sky, and I admired her for that. She would be a great ally in the upcoming battle against the Holy Order, and we’d trounce them with her on our side. I couldn’t imagine what waited for us inside the Holy Order’s stronghold but whatever it was undoubtedly couldn’t top a dragon.
The dragon zigzagged through the sky like a ribbon with all of us on her back, and nearing the end of our journey, the city of Galencia came into view on the horizon. The ocean below us was a deep blue, and as we flew closer to the town, I could make out a massive group of ships, many of them of different sizes and shapes. I knew that these were the armies from Tintagal, Machstein, Tamarisch, and Valasara. My regents and their men came to aid us against the Holy Order.
I could sense Morrigan and Haruhi’s hearts in the distance as they pulsed with vigor. My two women, doing as I asked, saw the ships on the horizon and began the attack against the people of Galencia. My heart pounded in my chest just as theirs did, and I felt the need within my belly, the need to kill and destroy all those who stood in my path.
This was just the beginning, the first of the many battles to come, and I glared down at Galencia with my blood boiling. We would paint the city red with the spilled lifeblood of its people and leave its streets littered with corpses. I’d collected all of these armies and followers for this very reason, my first step on the path of being the ruler of the entire world and the heavens. There was no stopping me, I was a vengeful god on a mission, and within moments, Galencia and the Holy Order would feel my wrath. All the world would soon learn that I was the one and only god. They would know my name, and I would be worshipped until the end of time.
I am Kazama, the god of the Underworld and the Master of all living things.
End of book 7
End notes
Thank you for reading Dungeon Master 7! Book 8 will be the last one. If you love this series, please leave me a review here!
Amazon doesn’t update readers when an author comes out with a new book unless you follow that author on the store. Make sure you click this link and then click on the follow button. Then Amazon will update you a few weeks after my next book comes out.
If you want to get notified of my books the day that they come out, make sure you follow my Facebook author page and join my Facebook fan group. If you don’t follow me on Amazon or join my Facebook page, you’ll never get aler
ted that next book is out.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Eric Vall
