Demon's Throne

by K D Robertson

  A round of laughs rose from the room.

  Rys continued, “We need to tax where it does the least harm. The artifact trade is basically impervious to harm from taxes. Only an idiot wouldn’t take a cut from it. So long as there’s a profit, people will exploit it, so we tax those people.”

  Alsia stared at a wall, completely ignoring the argument.

  Noticing this, Vallis brought her into it, “What about the Kinadain? They don’t grow crops, they don’t own anything, and they don’t directly sell anything other than the artifacts. Are they exempt from tax?”

  Alsia jumped, and stared at Vallis, eyes wide.

  “They supply the artifact trade,” Rys said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have a major source of tax revenue. But otherwise, taxing them is pointless. Especially as I want Kinadain to move here.”

  “You do?” Alsia and Vallis asked in unison.

  “I do. To be blunt, we can bring a competitive advantage to the table with you.” Rys pointed at Alsia. “A Kinadain who rules her own territory, according to the customs of her people. You aren’t Tenno Morai, who is hated. If things go well—which they will—then Kinadain and demihumans will want to move here. That means a larger country, a bigger economy, more taxes, and stronger soldiers.”

  Rys was especially interested in the last part. The Kinadain were far more powerful than most mortal races.

  If he could raise companies of demihuman knights capable of matching his demons, then he’d have no regrets that he had thrown away any chance of peace or negotiation with the Malus League.

  Discussion turned away from taxes and efficient methods to control people, and back to the details of managing the new kingdom.

  Maria needed to appoint nobles and replace village chiefs. There were shortages of food in places. Roads needed repairing. Bandits had begun operating in the north, now that Grigor had refocused his efforts on the south.

  Little matters, but important ones, given the kingdom needed a strong start.

  For the Kinadain, the issues were far simpler. Renewing their trade links, as their liaisons had been exposed as corrupt. Maria and Alsia discussed meetings in Anceston between the new elders and important merchants and nobles.

  “What about offices?” Vallis asked. “I know you’re expanding the mansion, but—”

  “He is?” Maria asked, brightening up. “If so, then that seems like an opportunity to move in.”

  “You still need to maintain a presence in Anceston,” Rys warned. Maria pouted and crossed her arms beneath her chest, intentionally emphasizing her considerable cleavage. “While having you here is the reason I’m expanding the mansion, questions will be raised if the duchess doesn’t spend time in her home.”

  “True.” Maria did a twirl, but nearly fell over due to how unbalanced she was. Alsia darted over and grabbed her fellow duchess by the arm.

  “And me?” Alsia asked, as she straightened back up. “I intended to move in here permanently, but—”

  “You know the Kinadain better than I do. If you think they’ll accept their chief elder living away from the dains, that’s fine,” Rys said. “But that’s my point. You don’t want to upset them without good reason.”

  Alsia nodded slowly. “Then I shall bring many Kinadain with me when I move here. The duchy will be a confusing thing to my people. If I base it in your mansion, it will cause less conflict. I can rule independently of any individual dain.”

  Rys’s eyebrows shot up. “Good thinking.”

  He sincerely meant that. The tension between the dains when they had to share a chief elder had escaped him. Let alone the fact they would be dealing with an entirely new system of governance.

  But that was why he had people like Maria and Alsia. Nobody could think of everything, even if Rys tried very hard to do so.

  The discussion continued. Foreign diplomats came up briefly, but Rys dismissed them just as fast.

  “We’re already dealing with Tarmouth,” he said. “Worrying about anybody outside of the island is a waste of effort. Maybe once Compagnon are dealt with, we can spare the time.”

  “Avolar will be interested in us,” Alsia said. “They have a strong Kinadain presence, but we don’t know how they will feel about your infernals.”

  Speaking of which, Rys asked, “How has the reception been? Vallis mentioned that Compagnon have expended almost every intelligence asset they have spreading propaganda.”

  “Concerned,” Maria said, “but not alarmed. People believed the sightings, and especially the images, but the only people who have burned villages and raped their inhabitants worked with Compagnon.”

  “Really?” Rys asked.

  Maria shrugged. “Things are harsh. And infernals aren’t as rare as you think. Between infernalists from Gauron and the Malus League, many people have seen demons before. If anything, the fact your demons are so well behaved has increased your reputation.”

  “You’ve driven Compagnon to the brink within months, after coming out of nowhere,” Alsia said. “The Kinadain are warier of you, but Sage Hanna’s support has alleviated a lot of concern. The warriors want to see your demons in combat themselves, and judge Compagnon’s rumors.”

  Rys leaned back in his throne. Perhaps he’d overestimated the terror infernals would introduce.

  Or maybe he’d underestimated how much people hated Compagnon. He was in the middle of nowhere, so people did horrible things all the time. Compagnon had gone too far.

  That created an opportunity for Rys to appear less horrible. At least, for now. Other nations might feel differently.

  And once Compagnon were gone, the true test would arrive. People might not overlook demons in their fields when there wasn’t an imminent threat.

  All the more reason for Rys to keep his infernals on a tight leash.

  “They’ll likely get that chance soon,” Rys said. “Grigor is preparing for the final attack against Compagnon. But we’re going to need more than just my infernals.”

  “You can’t take Aretiers alone?” Maria asked, surprised.

  “It’s not Aretiers I’m worried about.” Rys looked around, wishing that he had the map. If only they’d been in the war room instead of this silly throne room.

  But he’d wanted the chance to play at being a king for the first time. Such was life.

  “When Compagnon is about to fall, the Malus League will make their move,” Rys said. “They’ve increased the size of the garrison at Gravuskeep, which is the fortress along the northern border. At that time, we’ll need a large army at Fort Foret to stop them.”

  “The Kinadain,” Alsia said.

  “Ideally. It will be a joint operation,” Rys explained. “Grigor will take Aretiers, and a separate army will capture Fort Foret along the southern border. If the League attacks, we’ll fend them off. There’s no guarantee that Grigor can make it in time, so we’ll need every soldier we can muster.”

  “The Malus League have a professional army,” Maria said nervously. “Their sorcerers are some of the most dangerous in the archipelago.”

  “Then I will need to be convincing,” Alsia declared.

  All eyes turned to Alsia, who reddened. She refused to back down and stared at Rys.

  “We have a plan for Compagnon, then,” Rys said. “I think that’s everything.”

  He looked to Vallis, who nodded. Tyrisa scowled and nodded as well, irritated that she hadn’t been conferred with.

  “I have the agenda,” she muttered.

  “Tyrisa, have we covered everything on the agenda?” Rys asked aloud.

  Tyrisa’s face blew up, turning her into a tomato. She covered her face with her notes, leaving her candy-cane horns to poke over the top of them.

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” she mumbled.

  “Then we’re adjourned,” Rys said. “The first royal court session of the Kingdom of Kavolara is over.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty!” the room bellowed in reply.

  As everybody filed out, one person actively cau
ght his eye. Maria curtsied to Rys and waited for him to rise from the throne. It appeared she had business with him.

  Chapter 34

  “Care to join me for a break, Rys?” Maria asked, once everybody left the throne room.

  She stepped next to him and slipped her arms around his right arm. Her amber eyes looked up at his and curved as she smiled.

  “I take it you have something in mind,” Rys said. Her perfume wafted into his nose. It was a sensual smell, and it made Rys think of silk sheets.

  Presumably, sheets with Maria under them, given the way she pressed her body against his. She wore a more elegant dress than usual. It was black silk, with lacy gold frills to accent her cleavage. Unlike her usual dress, this one was sleeveless, and showed more leg than usual. A thin gap of pink flesh showed between Maria’s long stockings and her dress.

  “I do. It’s been a busy, exciting day so far. Why don’t we take a long, refreshing bath?” Maria whispered to him. She stood on her tiptoes so that she could reach his ear.

  Her breath tickled his ear as she spoke. When she sank back to her normal pose, her expression turned impish.

  Rys ran a finger down one of her curly horns. Maria shuddered. A moan escaped her as his finger ran along her cheek, then to her jaw. Then he pressed his finger against her lips.

  Her tongue lapped against his fingertip, her eyes crossing as they tried to focus on his hand. She bobbed her head forward, closing her lips over his finger. Suckling noises rose from her as she swallowed his finger. When she pulled back, faint traces of lipstick remained along his digit.

  “Well?” she asked with a broad smile. Her eyes glimmered and made it clear that she had every intention to leave those lipstick marks on a much larger, longer part of his body.

  Rys found no difficulty agreeing to her proposal to join her for a bath.

  They slipped away to Maria’s room. She hadn’t formally claimed it, so it was technically a guest room that she stayed in regularly. An empty clothes hamper sat in the corner. A large traveling case full of clothes rested beside the bed. Many clothes had been neatly removed and piled on the bed or in the closet.

  Several items of clothing hung on a changing rack, including some very naughty items of lingerie.

  Maria giggled when she saw Rys staring at them.

  “I’ve been planning ahead,” she said. “But we won’t need those just yet.”

  “Ah. I’m glad to hear that those are for the future,” Rys said. “I worried that I had missed some cues. I can see some use for those in the office.”

  Maria’s face reddened, and she ducked away from him. Maybe she wasn’t quite ready to talk about using that underwear, although the holes in it suggested some fun in the future.

  Pulling Maria into his lap in his office could be quite exciting. One day, he might find he didn’t need to undress her in order to enjoy her.

  Maria opened the door to the bathroom and peeked inside. “Already clean. I feel bad for making it dirty but…”

  “It’s a bathroom. That’s its purpose,” Rys said. He gently nudged her forward, and she squealed, jumping into the bathroom in shock.

  Maria stood in the doorway for several moments, as if what she had asked Rys to do hadn’t yet dawned on her. Then she swallowed and stepped backward. He followed her inside.

  The bathrooms were suitably palatial. While Rys might be understating the décor of the mansion, he wasn’t skimping on function. Large bathrooms had a utility all of their own.

  Each bathroom was tiled from floor to ceiling in marble. Dark tiles on the floor, and soft gray on the walls. While he’d first used mechanical plumbing systems, Vallis had purchased magitech systems from Tarmouth. They were in high demand among nobles in the archipelago, so there were always plenty.

  Rys had to admit that instant hot water without using his own magic or a huge central hot water system was impressive. Although he hadn’t gotten used to standing baths—they called them showers, apparently.

  This bathroom had a huge square bathtub which blended into the wall tiles. The selection of hair products, soaps, oils, and other cleaning and beauty products along the wall suggested that it saw a lot of use.

  “I take it you like the bath,” Rys said as Maria began to fill the tub.

  “It’s massive, and the Lilim have a huge selection of skin oils and soaps to try,” Maria said. “I’m surprised you put such large baths in each room. They’re quite extravagant, and you already have such large showers.”

  “I spent a lot of time in baths,” Rys said. “Vast complexes—both public and private—were common in the Infernal Empire. Lots of unique designs. Sometimes there’d be a massive chamber with a hundred different tubs, with different tiles, textures, or minerals in the water.”

  “That seems amazingly extravagant.”

  “It was.” He smiled. “I’ll probably replicate one of the designs eventually. There’s a natural spring nearby, so if I tap that, I can fill a bath complex with a good source of water that I can then keep heated and purified.”

  Maria’s eyes widened. “You’re not doing a good job of convincing me to stay in Anceston.”

  Rys reached out and ran his hands along her sides. “Oh?”

  “Palatial baths. A massive mansion. My own offices. You.” Maria smiled and she gripped Rys’s hands, pulling them toward her chest.

  As his hands comfortably rested on her massive breasts, Rys wondered if they’d make it into the bath at this rate. Maria licked her lips.

  Then she looked at the door. Her eyes widened.

  “Maybe I’ll close that. Then we’ll undress,” she said. She darted over and slammed the bathroom door.

  Her confidence dimmed considerably afterward. Rys peeled her dress off and neatly folded it in a corner of the room. Her black underwear followed, leaving Maria completely naked in his presence for the first time.

  She stared at him with wide eyes. “Do you want me to help you?”

  He waited for her to take the next step herself. Slowly, she stepped over to him and removed his jacket and shirt. She unbuckled his belt, then removed his pants. His erection stood out against his underwear. Maria gulped as she gripped it through the fabric.

  “Rys,” she breathed, kneeling down. Her hot breath washed over his crotch.

  “Bath first,” he said.

  She blinked, then blushed and removed his underwear. Afterward, she tested the temperature of the water, and fiddled with it for a few minutes until she deemed it ready.

  Before she could slip inside the bath, Rys picked her up. Maria yelped. Arms closed around his neck, which pressed her tits against his body. They flattened against his chest, and he felt her warmth seep into him.

  Rys slipped into the bath with her in his arms. The moment they were in, Maria pulled away, a pout on her face.

  “That was mean,” she said. Her tits practically floated on the water.

  While he relaxed in the corner, she added soaps and mineral oils to the water. He nudged her occasionally, earning himself increasingly dirty looks. The bathtub could easily hold four or five people, and he wanted her closer to him.

  “You’re like a child,” she said, when she rejoined him.

  They lay in a corner of the bathtub, her back against his chest. His hands wandered across the front of her body, tickling her belly and chest. She did the same, but her fingers focused on his crotch.

  “This is nice,” she said.

  “Are you talking about the bath or the fondling?” he asked.

  “Both. I could get used to being fondled by you more often,” she said. “And fondling this massive thing more often.”

  She let out a heated, shuddering sigh as she pumped his length several times. He hooked a finger against her lips and tilted her head backward. Her tongue lapped at his finger as she stared at up him, her hands flailing behind her as she tried to give him a blind handjob.

  Rys flipped her around. He pressed her body against his, which created waves in the water
. Foam bubbled against their bodies, covering her nipples. Her belly pressed against his cock as he gripped her ass.

  It didn’t take long for Maria to find his length again. She grinned at him.

  “I have a question for you,” Rys asked Maria suddenly.

  “Does it involve asking me to ride you?” she breathed out. He felt her wetness against his balls and she ground against him.

  “Why are you so keen to be mine?” he asked her.

  She blinked at him, her glazed eyes turning clearer.

  “You came to me to escape the control of others. But now I own you,” he said.

  “I have autonomy under you,” she said, but even her own tone was uncertain.

  “Because I give it to you.” He paused. “You haven’t been with a man, have you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Despite that, if I wanted to, I could pick you up right now and take your first time,” he said. “I could bend you over the edge of the bathtub and turn you into a quivering, sopping mess. And you’d love me to do that, wouldn’t you?”

  He ran a finger along her jaw line, then brushed her lips with it.

  She shuddered. “Please. Rys. I want it. Want you.”

  He pulled her against himself and crushed her lips against his in a kiss. His tongue dominated hers as she moaned against him. Her hardened nipples rubbed against his chest.

  When he pulled away, he kept one hand on her jaw. She didn’t resist him. “You enjoy this. Being controlled. Although it’s hard to say I’m controlling you, when you’re letting me do it. You’ve asked for this, explicitly, every step of the way. Why?”

  “Does it matter?” Maria gasped out. “Rys, I’m aching for you.”

  “It does,” he said dispassionately as she started giving him a rough handjob beneath the water. “I need to know that I can trust you. That you won’t regret this. What makes this different to the contract that I freed you from?”

  Maria stopped trying to fuck him. She laid against him, her hands wrapped around his length.

  “Only you saw me as a person. A woman,” she said. “You asked if the future I wanted was to be viewed as a pair of horns, or a mere womb? That was the problem. It always was. Nobody saw me as Maria. What they saw was part of me.”