“Sure,” he said.
They basked in the silence for almost a minute. Vallis’s fingers drummed against his hand while she caught her breath.
A knock echoed through the room.
“Come in, Maria,” Rys called out.
Vallis pouted but schooled her expression before Maria entered.
Maria entered wearing her usual black dress. She curtsied upon entering, then pulled up a chair next to Rys.
Blinking, Vallis looked between Maria and Rys. Maria had sat between the two of them, despite how close Vallis already was to Rys.
“Am I interrupting something?” Vallis joked, a frazzled smile on her face.
“I don’t know, are you?” Maria asked.
“Please don’t copy Tyrisa,” Rys requested, rapping Maria gently on the shoulder.
“That’s fair,” Maria admitted. “My apologies, Vallis.”
“It’s fine. I just wondered if you were up to something a little different.” Vallis smirked.
Maria’s eyes glittered and one of her hands trailed up Rys’s thigh. Vallis stared.
“Business, ladies,” Rys reminded them. He peeled Maria’s hand away from his crotch. “I’m here all day, but right now I want to know what remains to be done before we announce our new empire officially.”
Maria pouted, but looked to Vallis, who shrugged in response.
“I mostly needed to confirm that you wanted Alsia to rule the Kinadain herself,” Vallis asked.
“That’s what we agreed,” Rys said. “I’d be reneging on my agreements with both Alsia and Hanna if I did anything else.”
“Then I’d say that settles one thing: governance. You proposed that we have smaller governors for each region. Maria rules Anceston and its surroundings. Alsia rules the Kinadain and the mountains.” Vallis pointed her fingers at Rys. “But you boss both of them around as the big boss of the island.”
“And you?” Rys asked.
“I boss them around on your behalf,” Vallis said.
Maria pouted, but remained silent.
“So a federated model of governance,” Rys said. “Independent regional governments controlled by Maria, Alsia, and others that I then oversee with your help. That’s fairly sensible.”
“Yeah, that. Although what I read about federalism sounded a bit different,” Vallis said.
“Indeed,” Maria added. “I thought you would want to retain more direct control over your subjects, given your approach to Alsia and me.”
Her hand touched his thigh again.
“I said a federated model, not an actual federation.” Rys sighed. “In a federation, the smaller governments have genuine power, independence, and choice. I’m only providing the illusion of that.”
“Right, because you control Maria and Alsia,” Vallis said, ignoring the fact that Maria was sitting next to her.
Not that Maria cared. If anything, she liked what Vallis said. Her cheeks flushed and she leaned against Rys. Vallis pretended not to notice Maria’s affection.
“Correct,” Rys said. “I want the benefits of local rule. Maria and Alsia know more about the region than I do, and the people want leaders they know and trust. But if the masses become upset, I don’t want them to be able to take their toys and leave. I’ll rule everything and only offer local power because I trust Maria and Alsia.”
“What if people actually want to leave? Or if they find out and get really mad?” Vallis asked.
“They can leave,” Rys said. “When I said they can’t leave, I meant at a regional level. A village can’t secede, but the villagers can all hop on a boat and go to Dalyros.”
“Oh. That makes me feel a lot better.” Vallis laughed. “Not that I imagine many people will do that. But basically, nobody can dodge our laws and taxes by simply saying ‘I disagree’ and pretending that they’re not part of our empire.”
“It is only right,” Maria said.
Vallis smirked. “You’re real torn up over Barul, Maria. I can tell.”
Wincing, Maria looked away. “It’s unfortunate that he died. But I saw it coming given his reaction to the duel request. What matters is that I’m free from my father’s schemes. Siding with Rys is my decision.”
“Uh huh,” Vallis said. “I can tell by the fact your hand is slipping inside his pants right now. Should I leave, or…?”
Despite her words, Vallis remained stationary as Maria undid Rys’s pants. His cock popped out, nearly erect, and Maria let out a breathy sigh. Vallis’s eyes widened, staring at his massive prick. She swallowed noisily.
Rys backed up in his chair and pulled Maria onto the ground in front of him. She yelped, but let him pull her around. His hands yanked the front of her dress down. Her massive tits bounced out. A black bra held them in place, but Maria quickly undid it, freeing them.
Her hot breath blew over his cock. It hardened within seconds, rising to its full height.
“Holy shit,” Vallis breathed out.
Her eyes glued themselves to his shaft. She licked her lips as his throbbing hot cock sat there, waiting for attention from her or Maria.
Rys met Vallis’s eyes. She flushed, but refused to move. Instead, her hands drifted under her skirt. He watched as she parted her black panties and began to pleasure herself. Her eyes locked onto his length as she moaned his name.
“No fair,” Maria said. “I’m the one in front of you.”
The demihuman pressed her lips against his tip. Her tongue ran rings around it, greedily suckling on him.
He grabbed her horns. She yelped again as he lifted her body until her gargantuan breasts pressed against his cock. After several long seconds, she got the message.
But he didn’t let go of her horns.
“Of course, Rys,” Maria breathed, voice laden with pleasure. Her hands pressed against the fleshy sides of her chest. She enveloped his length with her tits, until only the tip poked out.
Her face stared down at his cock as it poked up at her.
“So big,” she gasped.
“Less talking,” he grunted.
He rammed her face against his cock. Her lips closed around his tip as her eyes widened. Tits bouncing, she found her own face pressed into her own lewd body.
Soon enough, Maria got the message and began moving. Her hands rubbed her tits back and forth along his length. She ran her tongue around the rim of his glans, bobbing her head up and down as saliva dribbled down his shaft.
On the desk, Vallis’s moans increased in intensity. Her masturbation became more violent as she rammed her fingers inside herself. She’d unbuttoned her shirt and was rubbing her chest with her other hand. Her thighs were slick with her pleasure and the air filled with the sound of her ecstasy.
“Rys! Rys!” Vallis moaned.
She threw her head back and kicked up her legs. Juices sprayed out of her bright pink sex. Dark splash marks appeared on the carpet in front of her. Vallis kept moving, her eyes locked onto Rys, glazed with pleasure.
Rys spotted Vallis’s orgasm. The sight nearly pushed him to climax, and he gripped Maria’s horns tightly.
Below him, Maria looked up at him. Her eyes curved in pleasure and signaled that she was ready.
He rammed her head down his cock. Her tits dropped as her face pushed them out of the way. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he felt his length bulge her throat.
He reached his peak. Thick rope after rope of his seed poured into her stomach. Maria gasped and moaned against his crotch as she deepthroated him during his climax. Her fingers pressed deeply into her own crotch, and she drizzled juices all over the carpet.
Steaming gobs of white plopped onto her face after he pulled out of her. Maria gasped each time one struck her face. Her fingers greedily swept her face clean, and her tongue tasted each drop.
“Seems you enjoyed that,” Rys told Maria, but he also looked at Vallis.
“Always,” Maria gasped out. “I’m here for your use, Rys.” She shuddered in pleasure as he pressed his cock ag
ainst her face. The tip rubbed against her silver curls.
“Wow. She’s totally yours,” Vallis said, pulling her fingers clear of her crotch. She blushed when Rys raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh, can we pretend this didn’t happen?”
“No.”
Vallis blinked. “Um, what?”
“We’re adults, Vallis. None of us are drunk. We deal with our desires like people. If you want some time to think, that’s fine, but I’m not pretending you didn’t cover my office floor in your juices while watching me slam my cock down Maria’s throat.”
Vallis’s face practically exploded from embarrassment at the blunt way that Rys put her actions. She looked down at her crotch, which was a sticky mess.
“Fuck,” she muttered. “Yeah, that was pretty hot.” She gulped. “Some time to think would be nice.”
Then Maria slipped Rys’s cock into her mouth again, and Vallis forgot what she just said. Instead, her fingers slipped into her crotch while her brown eyes locked onto Rys’s massive length. She lost herself in pleasure.
Rys would deal with Vallis’s feelings another day. For now, he indulged. A storm was coming.
Chapter 28
“Compagnon are finally making their move,” Fara told the assembled cabinet. “And it’s a big one.”
“Indeed. We’ve rooted out almost all of their agents and allies near Anceston and Port Mayfield. They have no choice but a full offensive,” Grigor said.
Grim faces met the pronouncement. Taras had spotted Compagnon’s movements a few days ago, causing Rys to immediately recall his cabinet to discuss actions.
Grigor and Fara represented his military and they assembled figures on top of the map inside the war room. Vallis, Alsia, and Maria watched nervously. Walking between everybody, Tyrisa handed out recording crystals with images of Compagnon’s forces as well as important reports.
Breakfast sat untouched to one side. Everybody nursed tea or coffee. Rys was on his third coffee, as he had been talking through developments with Vallis since dawn.
Given the situation, almost everybody had traveled during the night. The Malakin and Ashen had ensured their security.
“They can’t be planning to attack Port Mayfield and Anceston at the same time,” Maria said. “Every advance they’ve tried to make has failed. Why would they try the same thing, but with more forces?”
“Because that’s not what they’re doing,” Rys said. He pointed at a mass of figures between Compagnon’s capital, Aretiers, and Anceston—they were massed at a town known as Harpiscon. “The soldiers at Harpiscon are a distraction. They didn’t expect us to spot the attack on Port Mayfield.”
“If they attack Port Mayfield, won’t that anger Tarmouth?” Alsia asked.
“That doesn’t matter anymore.” Vallis scowled. “We finally found out why Tarmouth is so angry with Compagnon. The Malus League are involved. Even though we cut off the supply of artifacts to Compagnon, they somehow were still selling a ton to Tarmouth. There’s only one other source they can have.”
Alsia’s eyes widened. “The elders were cooperating with the Malus League all along? That’s… that’s an even greater betrayal than I imagined.”
“I doubt they knew,” Vallis said. “Your artifacts were a cover for the Malus League.”
“Why?” Rys asked.
Everybody looked at him.
“Right, you wouldn’t know.” Vallis nodded. “The Malus League tried to invade Tarmouth once before. They’ve been cut off ever since and forced to rely on smugglers and land trade.”
“Yes, that explains a lot,” Rys said. He sighed. “So now Compagnon’s cover is blown and Tarmouth is cutting them off?”
“Yep. My contact even forgave a huge amount of the loan they gave us. Called it ‘war relief,’ although it’s only if we shut down Compagnon.”
That was some genuine bad blood between the Malus League and Tarmouth. Then again, Tarmouth were funding the enemy of their enemy. To the merchants ruling the city, the money they gave Rys was nothing compared to destroying a competitor.
No, destroying a threat. Tarmouth saw the Malus League as an existential danger. Something to remember in the future, when Rys needed to deal with his southern neighbor.
“That’s nice, Vallis, but we have a problem now,” Fara said. “Compagnon have given up playing nice. They’re going for the throat and trying to take Port Mayfield in the hopes that they’ll cut us off from the world. They have nothing to lose now.”
“Why not send Captain Grigor to destroy their army in the west? Then return and deal with the army at Harpiscon?” Maria suggested.
On the surface, it appeared possible. The army approaching Port Mayfield would take another couple of days to reach it, given how poor the roads were. Grigor moved fast by contrast.
“They will attack Anceston the moment we are out of position,” Grigor said, his eyes dimming behind his helmet. “They could reach the city in a day. Perhaps less if the officers cracked the whip. I have maintained a strong vigil to prevent this.”
“Why haven’t you taken Harpiscon yet?” Alsia asked.
“It’s a day’s march from Aretiers and full of mages.” Rys shrugged. “The moment we take it, Compagnon will throw everything at us. Capturing it will allow us to take Aretiers at any moment. It was the next move, once things solidified.”
Rys stroked his chin. He’d hoped to have announced himself as king before now and summoned more infernals. The situation with Barul and Alsia had absorbed more time than he’d anticipated.
His cabinet debated with each other what the best action to take was. But there weren’t many infernals to deploy, and neither Maria nor Alsia had a large army. Alsia hadn’t even finished taking up her position of elder over her dains. If she tried to raise an army from the Kinadain, she might find herself staring down a rebellion instead.
Rys couldn’t help but feel that if he’d had a spymaster, then this situation would never have happened. The Malakin were talented, but Taras wasn’t a proper spymaster. Neither was Grigor nor Fara. Compagnon’s actions were spotted after they took them, not before.
A good spymaster would have agents inside Compagnon, capable of spotting and sabotaging an attack like this in advance.
Something to talk about later. He still lacked the power to summon Asa safely.
For now, the solution to this problem was straightforward, but unfortunate.
Defend Port Mayfield with Grigor and the infernals. When Compagnon attacked Anceston, hold them off with a militia until Grigor returned. The cost would be great, however.
If Rys could leave the castle himself…
“Grigor, how many infernals would you need to defend Port Mayfield?” Rys said. “Without worrying about Anceston.”
A hush fell over the room.
Grigor eyed Rys for a long moment. “If I do not need to return to Anceston quickly, then not too many. The foe consists of elite knights and spellblades from Gauron. I would only take elites. My best noble demons, half of the Ashen, several Lilim, and some Malakin for scouting.”
That left the fodder to defend Anceston.
By itself, it wasn’t enough. The reason Rys had been wary of taking Harpiscon was because it contained several mages, and it had been reinforced with a company of mercenary knights. Compagnon had spent big—or were relying on Malus League soldiers pretending to be mercenaries. He had wanted Compagnon to split their forces first, like they had now.
“Do it. Take them,” Rys said. “Send everybody else south of Anceston.”
“Rys—” Fara began to say, her eyes widening in alarm.
“I have something I want to try. If that fails, then I’ll summon additional infernals to win the battle,” he said.
Grigor nodded. “Understood. I will leave it to you.”
The demon prince stalked out of the room, leaving the others to wait in silence.
Turning to Maria, Rys said, “I’ll need you to prepare everybody for a major battle near Anceston. If I succeed,
it won’t come to that. You should also prepare for my infernals to be spotted.”
“You believe it will be that bad?” Maria asked.
“A battle of this size near Anceston will attract attention. Compagnon will try to spread fear as well.” Rys clicked his tongue. “In fact, everybody should prepare for this. Vallis, Tarmouth might get cold feet. Same with the Kinadain, Alsia.”
His three administrators nodded, but their expressions were grim.
After he dismissed them, Rys immediately headed to the sub-levels. Orthrus lurked down here somewhere. Time was of the essence, as Rys didn’t know how long it would take to do what he wanted to do.
“Rys, wait!” Fara shouted. Her shoes clicked on the stonework as she ran after him. “What is this about?”
He didn’t slow down for her, but she caught up to him anyway as he started poking his head into every room. Her tails hung low behind her.
“Rys?” she asked.
“I’m looking for Orthrus,” he said.
“Not going to tell me what you’re doing?” she asked. “I might be able to help.”
“I doubt it.” He paused. “No, there’s the slimmest of chances that you might be able to help. You said foxes can teleport?”
“I’m two tails short of that, Rys.”
“But you have the potential. That means something about your magic allows you to. I might be able to use that,” he said.
Despite his lack of an explanation, Fara dutifully followed him through the sub-levels. Eventually, they found Orthrus in a small room close to the kitchens.
The wisp hovered over a book, but this time an imp stood beneath him.
“Next page,” Orthrus said.
The imp grumbled but turned the page.
“Since when have you been abusing my imps?” Rys asked.
“If this is abuse, I wish to hear your word for some of the things your demons do,” Orthrus said. The wisp stared at Rys for several moments, then sighed. “I take it you are not here to talk.”
Demon's Throne Page 29
