King Killer

by Michael-Scott Earle

  Then I screamed when his boot slammed into my back.

  “You thought to kill me? In my domain?”

  My skull had already healed from his first punch, but it broke again when the toe of his boot caught me in the temple and flipped me over. The world turned black for half a moment, and when I could see again, I realized I’d dropped my shotgun on the other side of the room.

  “The prophecy was wrong.” He laughed as he kicked me in the face again. Something broke in my mouth as my head snapped up, and I vomited out blood when my skull bounced back to the tile.

  “Get up,” he hissed as his fingers closed around the nape of my neck. The man was incredibly strong, and he lifted me off the ground like a mamma cat would pick up her kitten.

  Then he threw me across the room, and I hit the far wall.

  I was already in agony from the sonic limiter, so while his attacks hurt, my brain was already at its limit from pain realization. I knew he’d broken my face, skull, and neck a few times, but I didn’t know for sure if they were still broken.

  All I knew was that I needed to defend myself, or this dickhead was going to kill me.

  I reached my right hand down for one of my heavy pistols, but Madalena’s father let out a roar and sprang toward me. His purple wing thrusters engaged, and his shoulder slammed into my chest, and my armor cracked half a moment before I felt my ribs shatter.

  Then the wall behind me crumbled, and we were cannonballing into the next room.

  That wall there broke as soon as I hit it, and I felt my spine snap in almost every vertebrate. I didn’t think I’d ever been hit so hard, and blood poured out of my mouth, nose, and eyes.

  The third wall stopped us, and what felt like a liter of blood erupted from my mouth.

  “Fool,” he growled as he stepped away from me. Even if I had wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to stand, and he grabbed the back of my neck as soon as I started to fall. There was a stained glass window in the room with the image of a woman holding a spear. It was a beautiful piece of art, and my face smashed through it a half moment after I appreciated its design.

  Thousands of shards of glass ripped through my fur and tore into my flesh, but the sonic limiter wasn’t preventing my supernatural healing ability from working, so the cuts healed almost instantly. My spine also felt healed, as did my ribs and skull.

  Tanal Vaish’s throw had carried me out the window, and I landed on the cobblestone ground like a flopping fish. The screaming in my ears was driving me insane, and for half a moment, I just wanted the fucker to kill me so I wouldn’t have to deal with it.

  Then I managed to yank my pistol out of my holster and point it at the armored man. He was jumping through the shattered window, and my bullet actually hit him right in the face of his helmet. I expected the bullet to knock him back, or maybe even smash through his armor, but it bounced off him as if it was an angry fly, and the man landed in front of me with a dry laugh.

  “You can’t kill a king with your toys, cat-man.” His leg moved faster than I could follow, and my pistol flew from my hand. I still had my other pistol on my hip and my revolver around my chest, but he grabbed onto my shoulder before I could reach for either weapon.

  Then we were flying through the air.

  “I know her plan!” he yelled at me as the battle spun below us. “But my daughter should know better. I will not be killed by some weak blooded mutant experiment!”

  He shoved his arms out and let go of me. For half a moment I was weightless, and then I twisted around an instant before I plowed into the roof of another tower. The wood there shattered when I hit it, and the air exploded from my lungs when I landed on the floor beneath.

  Then there was nothing but black. It was a welcome darkness that I never wanted to leave. I felt hands lift me up, and gentle fingers caressed my neck. I spoke the names of my lovers, but they didn’t answer me.

  “No. Not your women. Just your death,” Tanal said, and my eyelids fluttered open. He slammed his demon mask helmet into my face, and my nose, jaw, and skull broke again.

  “Muuuurrgggh.” I was back on the ground and choking on my own blood.

  “I am bored now,” the man said as he walked away from me, and I could see that we were in some sort of weapons room. Countless spears, swords, and shields hung on the wall, and I remembered the revolver strapped on my chest.

  Unfortunately, I was lying on my belly, and I couldn’t find the strength to reach for my gun.

  “I killed the last snow leopard in Nordar - 13 with this spear,” Tanal said as he reached for a decorative pike hanging on the wall. “She put up more of a fight than you.”

  The man turned with the spear in his hand, and I tried with every ounce of my will to push up off the ground.

  But I just couldn’t move even though I thought I heard my friends screaming in my transponder.

  “If Madalena does not die after I kill you, I will ensure she lives the rest of her life in the torture pits. The traitorous bitch is no longer useful to me.” He stepped toward me slowly, and his helmet dripped away to reveal a leering smile.

  My skull was healed now, and I was able to push off the floor a bit, it didn’t help much though. I couldn’t move. Fuck it. I shouldn’t have shifted.

  Now I was going to die.

  I thought about Eve, and Zea, and Madalena.

  I didn’t want to die.

  Tanal raised his spear overhead with a smooth motion, and I prepared myself for the blackness of oblivion.

  Then the agony disappeared from my body instantly.

  My muscles suddenly had strength, and I rolled to my right a moment before Madalena’s dad shoved his spear down.

  “Wha--” he started to say, but I came up into a roll, jumped up against the wall, pushed off with my legs, and slammed into the armored man.

  “Fuck you!” I roared as my weight knocked him into the ground. I wiggled my knees so I could straddle him, and then I raised my hands to smash his face in.

  Relief flooded through my body, and for half a moment I thought that I’d easily be able to kill the man. I was proven wrong almost instantly when his left fist collided with my nose again. My head snapped back, and I felt the pole of his spear press against my throat.

  He was fucking strong, and I gasped as he forced my head back away from him. My left hand grabbed on the spear so that I could pull it away, and my claws extended from my finger. I tried to rip across his face with the sharp nails, but Tanal managed to get one of his legs out from under me, and his knee pushed me away.

  I backpedaled from the man and reached for my revolver as he sprung up to his feet. My massive gun came into my hand easily, but my opponent was sprinting the short distance between us, and I had to choose between taking a shot at him or dodging the spear point aimed at my face.

  I took the latter option and twisted my head to the side while I brought my left arm up to check the weapon. My finger closed around the haft, but then his shoulder collided with mine and I was lifted off the ground.

  Half a second later we were falling through the air.

  The battle still raged some fifty meters below us, and I roared as I tried to twist the man around so he would fall under me. His right hand punched the armor on my shoulder in an attempt to shake free my grip on his spear, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I tried to tuck my revolver to my chest so that I could point the weapon at him. He guessed what I was doing and jerked his spear against the barrel the instant I pulled the trigger. My revolver shot out its giant flame, but the bullet missed him by a few centimeters.

  He kneed me in the stomach, but I didn’t let go of his spear, and the momentum of his attack carried us closer together. I pinched the haft of his weapon with my right bicep, twisted my revolver around so that it pointed at him, and then swiped at his face with my left claws.

  He reached out with his right hand and caught my wrist so I couldn’t slash open his face, and I pulled the trigger on my revolver. The thumb sized bullet should hav
e removed his skull from his shoulders, but he twisted his face away enough so that my shot missed. The fire from the blast did leave a giant scorch mark on his grimacing face, but then his armor started to drip back up to protect him.

  In a few seconds, his head would be completely covered. I had armor piercing round in my revolver, but I didn’t know if they would cut through his helmet.

  I let go of my revolver, slid my hand under his armpit so he couldn’t wiggle free, and then pulled Tanal into my chest.

  Then I opened up my maw as wide as I could and bit into the top half of his face before his armor could cover it.

  “Ahhhhhhh!” His scream poured into my throat as I squeeze my jaws down. I could feel my teeth cut into his skull, and he tried to pull away from me. The movement just forced my teeth deeper into his bone though, and his screech of agony caused the animal in my soul to purr with bloodlust.

  I squeezed my jaws closed tighter, and his scream increased in volume. Then I yanked my neck back, and the top quarter of his skull ripped free with a shower of brain, blood, skull, and metal liquid of his armor.

  He stopped screaming three seconds before we hit the ground.

  Then everything went dark.

  Chapter 17

  “When will he wake?” I heard Madalena say, but it sounded as if she was speaking from the other side of a long and twisted tunnel.

  “He needs time to rest. He lost a lot of blood. It normally takes him a day or two to recover.” The voice was Eve’s, and I tried to force my eyes open. They didn’t want to obey my commands though.

  “He has been unconscious for three days,” the Prime Valkyrie said.

  “That was not a normal struggle,” Eve replied.

  “Maaahhh,” I groaned, as I tried to open my eyes again.

  “Ask, and you shall receive,” Eve said.

  “Adam?” Madalena whispered, and I managed to crack open my left eyelid a millimeter.

  “Hey,” I whispered.

  “Welcome back,” Eve said as she smiled at me. Both the Prime Valkyrie and the vampire sat on chairs beside my bed, and I easily read the relief on their faces.

  “That’s a good sight to wake up to,” I chuckled as I raised a heavy arm to gesture toward them.

  “How are you feeling?” Eve asked as she reached for my hand.

  “Like Madalena’s father broke my skull and spine three times,” I whispered as I tried to sit up in my bed.

  “She would not let me keep you in the infirmary,” Madalena said as I looked at the IV needle in my arm.

  “It is better for him to rest in our bed,” Eve said as the corner of her mouth twitched.

  “Are you two back to fighting?” I groaned.

  “No,” they both answered together.

  “We have had a few disagreements, but nothing serious,” Eve explained quickly.

  “Ahhh,” I said as I ran my hand over my face. It was oily, and I really wanted to jump in the shower.

  “You should bathe if you feel comfortable moving,” Eve said.

  “I will wash you,” Madalena said as she turned to the vampire.

  “Give me an update on things,” I said to change the subject.

  “We are returning home in warpdrive,” Madalena answered.

  “Home?” I asked.

  “Nordar - 13 is your home now, Husband.”

  “I’m having trouble remembering the last part of the fight with your father,” I said. “Is he dead?”

  “Yes,” the Prime Valkyrie answered with a slow nod. I was a bit surprised by the pleasure I felt from her, but I guessed she was happier that I was alive than her father was dead.

  But there was some sadness there.

  “You should not be concerned,” Madalena said as she shook her head. “He needed to die for our people to continue preparing for the battle with the Draugr.

  “I get it,” I said.

  “May I speak with you in private?” Madalena asked as she leaned forward.

  “Uhhh,” I turned to Eve and saw a flash of annoyance on her beautiful face.

  “I will return later,” she said as she stood.

  “No,” I said. “I need to speak with you privately after I speak with Madalena.”

  “I will wait out in the hallway, then.” Eve nodded.

  “You don’t need to wait in the hallway,” I said. “Can you sit on the couch in the other room? This is your suite as well.”

  “Yes, Adam.” Eve’s lips curved into a smile, and she walked around the corner and toward the alcove where my waiting room was.

  I turned to Madalena and stared into her steel colored eyes for a few moments. Her emotions were mostly pleasure, but there was a deep sadness under the current, and I reached my hand out to touch her face.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I only met her once, but she seemed like a wonderful woman.”

  “She liked you,” Madalena whispered, and I gestured for her to come sit next to me on our bed.

  “Yeah. I liked your mother too. Did she die after I killed your father?” I yanked the IV drip out of my left arm and reached my hand around Madalena’s shoulders.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I have brought her body and will lay her to rest on Nordar - 13 - b.”

  “Can I come?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said after a bit of surprise came from emotions. “I would like that. As would she.”

  “I’ll come then. Again, I’m sorry Laufey passed,” I repeated.

  “It is his fault, not yours,” she replied. “He wanted to defeat the Draugr, as long as he was the one in command. He would have killed you if he could.”

  “Wouldn’t that have killed you also?” I asked.

  “Probably not,” she said. “The risk takes longer to develop. It also depends on their proximity. If you have died on Nordar - 13 - a, I might have felt nothing more than a broken heart.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand why you decided to submit to me,” I said with a sigh.

  “I love you,” she answered.

  “You didn’t know me,” I replied. “How could you love me?”

  “Because Odin sent you.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. I didn’t want to press on the whole Odin angle anymore. I was a guy who could turn into a were-tiger. Maybe there were gods?

  “You feel for me as I do for you,” she whispered as she leaned her face into my neck. “Are you not happy I submitted to you? Are you not happy to be my husband?”

  “I am,” I said. “It took me a while, but maybe that isn’t your fault.”

  “Do you wish Eve and Zea to join us?” she asked after we were quiet for a few moments.

  “Uhhh, what do you mean?” I asked as my imagination spun.

  “They are interested in becoming Vaish and submitting to you.”

  “I’m concerned about them dying if I do,” I said.

  “That is what it means to be submitted to someone; to be their wife.”

  “I don’t want you to die if I do,” I said. “It is selfish. It’s the man’s job to protect his women.”

  “Ahhh,” she said as she leaned her face into my neck more.

  “Ahhh?” I chuckled.

  “You have honor. Perhaps that is what I love most about you.”

  I thought about Eve in the next room and hoped that the two women would eventually come to get along better. Both of them were committed to honor, fighting the Draugr, and loving me. They had more in common than they probably wanted to admit.

  “What is the plan when we return?” I asked.

  “You must complete your rite,” Madalena answered.

  “I was thinking that we could try diplomacy,” I said.

  “Diplomacy?” she asked.

  “Yeah. When was the last time you tried a peaceful approach with the Jotnar?”

  “The Jotnar are not a peaceful clan,” she hissed.

  “We’ll talk more about it when we get back,” I took my arm off Madalena’s shoulder and pulled her chin up s
o I could kiss her lips. Her mouth met mine eagerly, and we both whispered out soft moans when we parted.

  “I’m going to talk to Eve and then take a shower. When will we be out of warpdrive?”

  “A little over thirty minutes,” she replied as she slid from my bed. Her eyes burned into mine and she opened her mouth as if she was about to speak. Then she closed her lips and turned to leave me.

  “What were you going to say?” I asked before she walked too far away from the bed.

  “I am fine with them,” Madalena said.

  “Eve and Zea?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “They should submit to you, so they are my equal, but if not, I will still respect them. I will do it because I love you.”

  “I appreciate it,” I said.

  Then Madalena glanced back at me for a few seconds before she walked out of my room.

  “He is waiting for you,” I heard the Prime Valkyrie say to Eve.

  “Thank you,” the vampire replied. “For what you said.”

  “You heard what I said?”

  “I hear everything, Madalena.”

  “I will remember that then.”

  “As you should.”

  “What should I take from those words?” Madalena asked.

  “You are powerful, Madalena. So are Zea and I. We all love Adam. I appreciate you remembering.”

  There was silence for a few moments, and then Madalena replied, “I will leave you to him.”

  “Thank you,” Eve replied, and I heard the door to my suite open.

  “Hello, my love,” Eve said as she walked around the corner and into our bedroom.

  “Hey, Eve. Can you sit down?” I asked as I gestured to the chair.

  “I will explain,” she said with a heavy sigh as soon as she sat.

  “You and Madalena?” I asked. “I get it, that knot is going to take a while to untangle.

  “No, well, yes. You are correct.” Eve smiled.

  “We will figure it out. She wants to make it work. Where is Zea at?”

  “She is with Kasta working on learning how to plot navigation better. She has been speaking about your ten spa days.” Eve smiled, and I let out a laugh.