by Eric Vall
“Oh, Lord Evan,” Trina sniffled, and I could tell the three dryads were about to start bawling again.
“Okay, that’s enough of the waterworks,” I laughed as I leaned forward and kissed each sister on the forehead. Then, as I pulled away from Marina, an idea struck me. “Hey ladies, how would you feel about one more surprise?”
“Really?” Polina gasped and bounced on her toes.
“We couldn’t possibly ask for more, my lord.” Trina stepped on Polina’s foot and shot her a glare. “We don’t want to appear ungrateful.”
“You could never,” I smiled, “but if you don’t want to come on the campaign with me, I understand.”
The three dryads gaped at me, and their mouths formed perfect matching ‘O’s.
“Y-You want us to come with you?” Marina asked.
“Sure,” I shrugged, “why not? The farms look pretty sound already, and when I was walking through there earlier, I saw a number of people in the various fields.”
“A lot of farmers and growers have entered Hatra in the last few days,” Trina nodded, “and Afra thinks even more will come in the coming days.”
“Perfect,” I grinned, “then Afra has all the help she needs. Besides, I could use the three of you on the road. You were adventurers with Laika, so I know you can hold your own in a fight, and with so many beautiful women in my campaign party, who could deny me anything?”
“Now you’re flattering us,” Polina giggled as her cheeks flushed a sweet pink.
“It’s the gods’ honest truth,” I swore and crossed my heart. “So, what do you say? Want to join me on my quest to win over the hearts of Rahma?”
The sisters shared a look, and then matching grins spread across their green faces.
“Yes!” they cried out simultaneously, and a moment later, I had my hands full of laughing and squealing dryads again.
“Great,” I laughed as I tried to remain upright, “I can’t wait.”
“Oh gods!” Marina gasped as she pulled away and slapped her hands on her cheeks. “When are we leaving?”
“Well, in a few days actually--” I started, but then the sisters cried out in dismay.
“That’s not enough time to pack!” Polina bemoaned.
“Not at all.” Marina shook her head.
“Um, I mean, we should all try to pack light--” I tried, but I didn’t think the dryads were even listening to me anymore.
“We’ll need to start right now,” Trina decided with a firm nod.
“Yes, yes,” Polina agreed as she bobbed her head, “right now.”
“We have to tell Milady the good news too!” Marina added with a grin. “She’ll be delighted that we’re coming.”
Well, I couldn’t argue with that. Alyona did love the sisters.
“And when we come back,” Trina smirked and dragged her eyes over my front, “we can break in our new beds.”
“Ohhhh, yess,” Polina sighed as she fluttered her emerald eyes at me. “You’ll have to fuck us on each of the beds, Lord Evan.”
“And up against the windows,” Marina giggled.
“Could we do the skylight, too?” Trina gasped and looked up. “I bet you could fly us up there in your dragon body, right, my lord?”
“As much as I can’t wait to christen your new room,” I laughed, “we’ll have to get through the campaign first.”
“Oh, that’ll be easy.” Polina waved her hand dismissively. “All the female nobles will take one look at you and agree to whatever you say.”
“And you can just eat the male nobles who don’t listen to you,” Marina suggested with a sugar-sweet smile.
“Sounds like a piece of cake,” I snickered, “thanks for the advice.”
“Whatever you need, Lord Evan,” Trina purred and smiled slyly up at me. “And we mean whatever.”
“Didn’t you say something about packing?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
The dryads’ jade eyes went wide.
“Oh, no!”
“He’s right!”
“We must go now!”
Before I could say another word, the three sisters whipped around and dashed out of the room.
“Um, okay, bye,” I called after them.
A moment later, the dryads sprinted back into the room and tackled me in a simultaneous hug.
“Bye, Lord Evan!” they chimed in their melodic voices.
“Thank you again for our room,” Trina said as she nuzzled her face against my chest.
“Yes, we love it!” Marina agreed.
“And we love you, too,” Polina giggled.
Then each sister peppered my face in kisses before they whirled out of the room again like a green tornado.
“Well,” I chuckled to myself and shook my head, “the campaign will certainly be fun with them around.”
Unfortunately, I had one last not-fun thing to take care of before I could sleep tonight.
I quickly and quietly left the palace and made my way to the Blue Tree Guild’s airship. The sun had finally set while I’d been busy with the dryads, and the three moons of Inati were already rising into the sky. The streets were fairly empty as I made my way through the city, but I could hear murmured conversations here and there, and I smelled the aromas coming from numerous roasted dinners.
Eventually, the hull of the airship loomed over me in the dark, and I made my way up the ramp. The guards at the entrance nodded to me in deference, and I paused at the threshold.
“Do either of you know where Laika is?” I questioned.
The guard on the left raised a hand and pressed it to the blue tree on his gorget.
“The guild leader is speaking to her grandfather in the training rooms,” he reported after a moment.
“Great,” I said, “can you tell them to meet me in the brig?”
“Of course, Lord Evan.” The guard bowed his head and relayed the message. “They said they will be there shortly.”
“Perfect,” I replied, “thank you.”
The guards nodded, and then I slipped past them into the ship. I wasn’t in any particular hurry, so I strolled up the staircases until I came to the level that held the prison cells.
Pyotr and Laika were waiting for me in the hallway, and the wolf Demi-Humans inclined their heads as I approached.
“My lord,” Laika greeted as her gray eyes met my own. “You summoned us?”
“Yes,” I said. “Before we left, I wanted to question the assassin, Mara, one more time.”
“You’ll be wasting your time, I’m afraid,” Pyotr grunted. “She’s barely eaten or said a word since her sect comrades murdered Aleksey and a few of the others.”
“She spoke to me before,” I pointed out. “It can’t hurt to try.”
“You are the Lord of Hatra,” the older wolf shrugged, “whatever you think is best.”
“Thank you.” I nodded at him respectfully. “I believe she might be more inclined to talk with me if I go in alone, but I’d like you and Laika to wait here in the hall in case anything happens.”
“Of course, my lord,” Laika agreed. “Just call out if you have need of us.”
“Hopefully, I won’t,” I sighed before I reached out and opened the brig door.
When I stepped inside, the first thing I noticed was the steady breathing of most of the prisoners. My eyes skipped across the dozens of inert bodies, and I frowned at the sight. Most of these people had languished in a coma for weeks, ever since the Green Glass Sect first tried to attack Hatra, with Asher at the head of the army. Now, Asher was at peace, but these poor souls still suffered under a geas, or a sleeping curse, and I had yet to find a cure for them.
Unfortunately, saving prisoners of war wasn’t high on my to-do list at the moment, so they’d have to remain in stasis for the time being.
I walked past the sleeping forms in most of the cells and made my way to the very last cell in the far corner.
A blonde woman sat curled on the floor behind the bars with her knees pulled u
p to her chest. Her golden hair was dirty and unkempt, and it hid her face from view. A tray of food laid untouched in the corner beside a full cup of water, and I clicked my tongue at the sight.
“I thought we talked about wasting food,” I said as I crossed my arms and stared down at the former assassin.
Mara flinched at the sound of my voice, and she seemed to curl further into herself.
“I haven’t wasted any food,” she rasped after a long moment, and her voice was hoarse from disuse. “I told them I didn’t want any. It’s not my fault they brought it anyway. I haven’t touched it, though, so they can give it to someone else.”
“Yeah, no,” I scoffed, “you’re going to eat it. I told you I wouldn’t let you starve to death. That’s just too easy.”
The blonde finally lifted her head, and her dull green eyes met mine. Her face was gaunt, her lips were chapped and split, and there were dark purple shadows beneath her eyes. Still, despite all this, I could tell she was once very beautiful.
“Then have you come to kill me, Lord Dragon?” she murmured, and her tone had a hint of mocking in it, like she was trying to bait me.
“Not yet,” I growled and narrowed my eyes at her.
“Pity,” she sighed before she dropped her gaze to the floor once more.
“What?” I asked. “Nothing more to say? No monologues about how the Green Glass Sect will save you soon, or how my days are numbered or whatever other shitty threats you can think of?”
“No,” Mara muttered as she clutched her knees tightly to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. “The sect has abandoned me. There will be no rescue, and they didn’t even think I was worth enough to kill.”
“Must sting, huh?” I mocked. “Realizing that you were nothing more to them than a pawn. Knowing you never meant anything to them.”
The blonde assassin was silent for a long time.
“Yes,” she finally whispered, and I thought I heard genuine pain and remorse in her voice.
“Then help me,” I said as I crouched down so I was nearly at eye level with her. “Help me and redeem yourself. I don’t know if there’s an afterlife in this world, but it couldn’t hurt to make yourself right with the gods, could it?”
“What do you want?” Mara asked as her green eyes met mine through the cell bars.
“Answers,” I replied. “Information.”
“I don’t know what I can offer you,” the blonde muttered as she averted her gaze. “As you’ve pointed out, the sect didn’t really consider me to be very important.”
“You might know more than you realize,” I said.
“Fine,” Mara shrugged her thin shoulders, “ask your questions.”
I decided to go big or go home.
“Where is the Green Glass Sect located?” I asked as I leaned forward. “Where is Olivier?”
“Everywhere,” Mara sighed, “nowhere. There are cells and safe houses across the whole continent, and they were moved or destroyed at random. The locations I know personally have probably been long since abandoned.”
“And Olivier?” I pressed.
“Never met him in person,” she shrugged, “I just followed my orders.”
Ah, the Nuremberg defense. Super fucking unhelpful.
“Fine,” I growled, “next question. If, hypothetically, I was to leave Hatra, would the city be safe in my absence?”
Part of me was reluctant to reveal any information to the blonde in front of me, but I told myself there was little to no risk. I’d erased her tattoo and destroyed her connection to the sect, and as she pointed out, her former allies had abandoned her to die. She’d spend the rest of her life in this cell until I decided otherwise.
“Are you leaving?” Mara asked as she met my eyes again.
“I don’t remember saying you could ask any questions.” I frowned. “Now, answer mine.”
“Well, hypothetically,” the blonde repeated as she tipped back her head and stared at the ceiling, “yes, the city would be safe.”
“Seriously?” I questioned before I narrowed my eyes at her. “Are you lying?”
“Why would I lie?” Mara laughed mirthlessly. “The only thing I have left to gain is a swifter death, and I’m not going to accomplish that by pissing you off.”
She had a point there.
“Fine,” I allowed, “let’s say you are telling the truth. Why would the city be safe if I’m gone?”
“Because,” the blonde sighed as she dropped her head forward again and looked into my face, “the sect only wants you. Hatra was never of any consequence. And, frankly, the city has become too much of a hassle. You’ve fortified this ruin enough that each attack mounted against it has failed spectacularly.”
“Thanks.” I smirked.
“It’s the truth.” Mara shrugged. “Your defenses plus the proximity of the Crimson Dragon are more trouble than the city is worth. The only reason we tried is because of you. With you gone--”
“Hatra will be safe,” I concluded. It looked like Nike had been right.
Hell, Hatra would be extra safe with Valerra now residing in the city, but the blonde didn’t need to know that.
“Yes,” the former assassin nodded, “though that is not to say the sect won’t try to attack you once you are outside of the city walls.”
“I’d like to see them try,” I laughed. “It might be fun to hunt them over more open ground.”
Mara’s face remained neutral as she stared at me, and the smile slowly slid from my lips.
“Is that all you wanted to know, Lord Dragon?” she murmured after a long moment had passed.
“For now,” I replied as I stood to my feet. Then I paused and looked down at the pitiful woman before me. “Thank you for your honesty, Mara. Behave yourself, and perhaps I’ll grant your wish to die when I return.”
“I’ll be dreaming of the day,” the blonde said, but I could have sworn I saw the beginnings of a smirk twitch across her mouth.
I nodded in response and left the prisoner to her solitude. I still didn’t completely trust her, but I knew she had nothing to gain from lying, so I felt even more at ease with leaving now.
Hatra was reconstructed and well-guarded, Valerra’s and my egg were safe behind the city walls, and my campaign team would be ready to set out in a few days’ time.
Everything was coming together.
Now, I just had to win over the rest of Rahma and make sure a civil war didn’t break out, too.
But after everything I’d dealt with so far in this world, I was sure I could handle it.
Chapter 9
With the major things squared away, the rest of the week passed by quickly, and before I knew it, the day of our departure had arrived.
I woke with the rising sun, and then I sat up in bed and looked around my quarters. The dawn light trickled in through the windows and bathed the space in an orangish glow, and I sighed as I rifled my hair. It was a shame I didn’t have more time to fully appreciate my new room in the Lunar Palace, but I consoled myself with the fact that it would be here waiting for me when I returned. Then, with the nobles of Rahma on my side, I could lay my worries about civil war to rest and properly enjoy my position as Lord of Hatra.
With more than a few women by my side, too.
I smiled at the thought as I got out of bed, and then I quickly dressed in a pair of soft black trousers and a cream shirt with black and purple thread along the hems. My travel bag was already packed and leaning beside the door, so I slung it over my shoulder and cast one last look over my room.
“I’ll be back soon,” I promised to no one in particular, and then I slipped out the door and into the hallway.
As I made my way toward the entrance, I came across a young wolf Demi-Human carrying a tray of food. He seemed young, probably still in his teens, and he also looked downright terrified. His yellow eyes were huge in his pale face, his gray-brown ears were pinned to his head, and the tray rattled in his grasp as his hands shook drastically.
> “Uh, hey there,” I said as the boy froze at the foot of the stairs. “Are you alright?”
The wolf turned to me with a dazed and horrified expression, and the tray almost slipped from his fingers.
“L-Lord Evan,” he stuttered before he dropped into a quick bow. “G-Good m-morning.”
“Good morning,” I chuckled and cocked my head at him. “If you don’t mind me asking … what are you doing? You look like you’re about to face down an army with that plate of … raw meat?”
I frowned in confusion at the tray of bloody haunches, but my stomach gurgled hungrily.
“O-Oh no, Lord Evan,” the teen laughed nervously, “n-not an army. I’m no soldier. B-but I have been tasked with a mission of utmost importance.”
“Oh?” My eyebrows rose. “What kind of mission? And who tasked you with it?”
“Your father, of course,” the wolf replied with wide eyes. “Lord Ruslan said it was crucial that I bring the Crimson Dragon her breakfast. He said the fate of Hatra’s bloodline depended on it.”
“He did, did he?” I sighed before I held out my hands. “Well, why don’t you let me take over from here? I can bring Valerra--er, the Crimson Dragon her breakfast.”
The young Demi-Human sagged with relief, but then he frowned and bit his lip.
“Are you sure, Lord Evan?” he asked. “Lord Ruslan entrusted me with this mission personally. I-I don’t want to fail.”
“And you haven’t,” I assured him, “but I also don’t want you burnt to a crisp and eaten for dessert.”
“W-Wha?” The wolf’s yellow eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“Never mind,” I laughed and took the tray of bloody meat as the boy’s hands started to shake again. “I’ll have a talk with Ruslan later, but why don’t you go tell him I’m taking care of this right now? And maybe just avoid the Crimson Dragon from now on, okay?”
“Y-Yes, my lord,” the teen stammered before he bowed his head and sprinted out of the palace like his life depended on it.
I shook my head and turned toward the stairs. It seemed Ruslan as a grandfather was even more mischievous than his usual self. I thought about asking Julia to keep a closer eye on him to keep him out of trouble, but where their “grandegg” was concerned, I was afraid my mother wasn’t much better.
