"Wait, what about the magic?" Jaxon asked anxiously.
"We don't give away all our secrets." Kaila replied, pulling him into a last room. In it was an open stone vat. Liquid dripped into it from above, at the top of the structure. Workers stood chucking what appeared to be eggs into the vat.
"Those aren't what I think they are, are they?" Jaxon asked gesturing to one of the workers.
"Yes, they are the unhatched fertilized eggs of my people." Kaila gestured into the vat. "The liquid and vat happened to be here when my people first tunneled into the rock formation. They were looking for a good room to use for disposing eggs that didn't hatch. One of our workers, when we were slaves to the queen, was careless and dropped his eggs into the vat, which then began to glow. We found they were helpful in lighting up our merchant area, where we deal with outsiders. So as you can see, our recipe can't be made anywhere else."
"In other words, you have me by the balls if I wish to buy some." Jaxon said, thinking of the gold he had asked Missy to carry for him.
"Precisely."
Chapter Twenty Two
Lov lay on the bed, attempting to sleep and get some reprieve from the sounds of a closed in city. The whole room buzzed with it, and the sounds of marching had grown louder. Lov tossed and turned, twisting this way and that, but was unable to fall asleep. Still, it was comfy in this bed.
Lov felt something land on the mattress next to him, something small. He turned, looking to find whatever it was, and spotted a fairy, this one surrounded in a soft yellow light.
"I heard what your grandfather said." She said, walking across the sheet to Lov. "I turned my glow down as much as I could. I remember when Tyrosh went through this, maybe a hundred years ago." Missy shook her head in pity. "I hope you don't suffer as much as she did. She was a hatchling going through this, took Tyrosh a whole year to get used to the world outside the nesting cave."
"Are you from my grandfather?" Lov asked the fairy. "If you are, where's Tinkle? She's the one that usually brings me Tryton's messages.”
"I'm Missy, and yes, I work with your grandfather. But I was sent here to keep an eye on Nord, he may have a funny way of showing it, but that giant idiot is definitely one of Tryton's favorites." She walked across the bed and sat a comfortable seeing distance from Lov. He loved how her dress was made from the scales of a pine cone It reminded him of home. "So, young half-dragon, tell me what ails you, and I will do what I can to help."
"I just want some relief from my grandfather opening my senses." He burrowed the side of his head deeper into the pillow. "I mean, I can hear a fly fart in the next room!"
Missy laughed a hearty laugh. "Oops, I hope that wasn't too loud for you." She said, as Lov winced with the sound.
"It's okay, just sit here and talk to me for a bit." He carefully sat up, attempting not to disturb his new friend. "Just sit here and talk to me, your voice doesn't boom like Nord's. I love my uncle, but he has no idea what I'm going through."
"Okay, just talk and I'll listen."
Lov opened his mouth to speak, then cocked his head to the side, as if he were listening. "What's that?" The young man asked, an intense look of concentration upon his face.
Missy shook her head and gave Lov a questioning look. "What's what? You're not going insane already are you?" She backed away slowly from Lov, her arms outstretched as if to push him back. "Wait, no, I don't sense your dragonhunger, or the fear." She flew up and around to stand on his shoulders. "What are you hearing?" She asked impatiently.
"It's like a hissing and grinding. It's coming from that direction." Lov pointed towards the ceiling in a corner of the room. Missy looked in the direction he pointed, and thought where that might be in this immense city. She was small, and had snuck around a lot of the lower levels, including the birthing chambers, where eggs were hatched. Lov had pointed towards the merchant district, but the merchant district was in a separate chamber from the rest of the hive. Whatever was coming wasn't from the Anuunaki.
"Stay here, don't move." She started to fly from the room.
Lov snatched her from the air, not realizing what he was doing until he did it. Startled, he released the fairy, and muttered out a, "Sorry." Looking away from her with shame.
"Oh boy." She glared at him, then softened her look before saying, "You need to get a hand on that dragonhunger of yours, kid, before it takes control of you." She turned and shot from the room.
Nord leaned against the statue in front of the Temple of Many Faiths, eyes glued to the door, looking for Sanche. He couldn't believe that an elf like Sanche, so stoic and honorable a presence in elven society, was in a temple in grief. Sanche had been the instructor who pushed Nord the hardest, always getting on him for sloppiness and general laziness. And now he was taking a vacation when the elven people needed him most.
He heard the rustle of shoes on the stone floor, and turned, slapping Jaxon lightly across the face. "Where have you been?" Nord asked anxiously. "I thought you were joking about the priests in there, but two of them threw me out on my arse." Jaxon laughed as Nord rubbed his shoulder. "It's no laughing matter! I landed funny, now my arm tingles."
Jaxon stifled his laughter and asked. "You want me to fix it?" An evil smirk replaced the laughter.
"No, no, I think I'm good." Nord replied, moving away from Jaxon, only Dalanar knew what the halfling would do.
Jaxon shook his head. "Some fearless leader you are." He turned and looked down the road, back the way he had come, and thought of how much gold he had just spent. As he was contemplating his trader nature, the halfling noticed a change in the air. A stillness settled over the cavern, sending a chill down his spine.
He watched as Missy, a yellow streak behind her, shot past him yelling her loudest. "NE-MEZ-IR!"
Nearby Anuunaki all looked around, most softly buzzing. "Nemezir." Before taking off after the fairy. Nord and Jaxon watched stunned as hundreds and thousands of Anuunaki poured after Missy. "Maybe we should check that out." Nord suggested, running before he even finished.
Jaxon shouted from behind. "Hey, wait up!" But Nord ignored him, pushing himself to keep up with the ant beings. They may be shorter than the elven giant but they were quicker.
Nord turned past a large stalagmite and rounded a corner to see a giant worm, swarmed over with Anuunaki. They were stabbing and slicing into the worm as it tried to take a bite from one of the stalagmite light posts. They slashed at the beast in an attempt to stop its carnage. It reared up shaking its head, sending warriors flying in all directions. Green liquid splattered in drops around Nord, but none hit him. He counted his blessings when he saw the liquid begin to bubble and smoke. The smoke was terrifying, thick and yellow. The smells induced nausea.
Nord ran back around the corner and peeked around the building. The thing opened its mouth, like a crocodile's. Green fumes curled around the opening as it roared, spraying the Anuunaki trying to attack it. The ones that were hit head on fell to the ground, their chitin melting off their bodies, exposing the meat below.
The remaining Anuunaki took up a battle cry, the entire chamber seemed to buzz with it. "Tchltal Nemezir!" Nord could only assume it meant kill the enemy.
Jaxon came running up behind Nord, heaving for breath. "Don't... you... ever... take off... like... that again." He huffed out, before collapsing against the wall.
Nord shook his head at his friend. "Someone's out of shape."
Jaxon waved the comment away, sucking in air he managed to wheeze out a question. "Now what's all the commotion about?" Gesturing to the Anuunaki who continued to stream by.
Nord pointed around the corner. Jaxon stuck his head out, just in time to see the beast toss its head again, sending warriors and acid flying, causing the rocks to sizzle. The worm took off down the street, dragging the Anuunaki with it.
Nord heard Missy scream above the battle noise. "It's heading for the temple! Stop it before it gets there!"
The worm seemed to forget the ant beings, ignoring them a
s it travelled. It would stop periodically in its reign of terror to take bites from the rock formations that filled the cavern.
Jaxon and Nord chased after the ant beings, looking to lend a helping hand. But whenever they reached the back of the Anuunaki battle line the rear guard would push them away saying, "This is none of your concern." before turning back to see what the worm was destroying now. At random intervals, the monster would shake its head to clear it of the swarming enemies, splattering acid throughout the cave.
Entire sides of buildings melted away, exposing the interior rooms, and causing more Anuunaki to pour over the worm. A loud crack filled the chamber, and Jaxon watched in disbelief as a stalactite dropped from the ceiling. Anuunaki scattered as the rock split the creature in half. He let out a low moan, and watched as the stone then fell, crushing the thing's back end. Hundreds of Anuunaki had still been swarming the beast when it happened. Their blue green blood mixed with the purple blood of the worm, covering the entire intersection of the street. The head of the worm let out a loud roar, before twisting and turning to disappear into the hole it had entered from. "Oh, dragons above, that was something you don't see everyday." Jaxon said as thousands of Anuunaki tried to force their way into the tunnel and chase the beast down.
"Thank you!" Missy said cheerfully, splattered in a thick purplish stinky goo. "I must admit, that was the most fun battle I've been in a long time." She flew over to Jaxon and wiped the stinky purple goo from her knife onto his collar. "Let's get back to the inn. The Anuunaki wouldn't let you help anyways. 'Not enough coordination to work with us' they said. Guess that's why I managed to rip out the thing's spleen." She said gleefully, holding up an organ as large as she was.
"Worms don't have spleens." Nord said sarcastically. "It must be the gizzard."
"Whatever, we need to go check up on Lov." She said, flying towards The Purple Mushroom.
"Lov? Aren't we worried about Sanche anymore?" Nord asked, confused. "And how did you get your weapon?"
"I'm a fairy, you think I wouldn't use my magic to keep my weapon? And of course we are, why do you think I had you watching the temple while he was inside meditating?" She sped up a little, making Nord speed up, and causing Jaxon to groan.
Chapter Twenty Three
Lov sat with Sanche and a large Anuunaki male, named Zae. Zae was immense for a male, being able to look Lov in the eyes. He easily had twice the mass of Talia behind the bar, and Lov was grateful to him. The Anuunaki had come into the room upstairs, Sanche behind him, and offered to ease his suffering. Lov agreed and Zae had placed his hands upon Lov's chest. A deep rumbling had filled the room, drowning out the other sounds of the city around and below them.
The pain was excruciating, and Lov had to force himself to relax. The buzzing grew louder and louder in Lov's ears, driving thought from him. His arms tingled and his legs spasmed painfully. The spastic flailing slowly became cramps that traveled from the back of his thighs, all the way to the base of his neck. Lov's body twisted and contorted, lifting him from the bed until nothing but his shoulders and his heels touched it. Through it all, the ant being calmly buzzed, his hands lightly placed on Lov's chest.
Lov was just about to scream "Enough", when he felt himself slam down a barrier. The buzzing lowered in pitch and volume to normal conversation levels. Lov sat up, thankful for the blessed release. "Thank you, sir." He said, stretching his body, twisting from side to side to work out the kinks. "You didn't put a shield on me, did you?" He asked. "Not to be rude, but my grandfather would not be happy."
Zae had laughed. "I did you one better, I made you put up your own!" He had a heavy buzz, deep and rumbly.
Afterward, they headed to the common room, looking for something to drink. Lov leaned back in his chair, thankful to get out of his uncle's bed. They didn't have coffee here, but they did have tea, something that was supposed to be similar.
They had been talking for hours, catching up and debriefing each other about their journeys. It helped the young half-elf come to grips with what had happened to his people. And Lov helped Sanche to realize that the deaths along his travels weren't his fault. After they were caught up, Sanche explained that Zae was a priest at the Temple of Many Faces and also a negotiator for the Anuunaki mercenary army. While the Titans were the elite military force of the world, having no soul to lose, the Anuunaki weren't far behind. As Zae and Sanche were beginning to explain their agreement to the young half-dragon, Missy, Jaxon, and Nord entered the common room.
Lov hardly recognized the yellow glowing fairy as she flew into the inn, followed by Nord and a breathless Jaxon. Her hair was plastered to her head by a sticky, smelly, purple substance. "What happened to you?" He asked, trying to see if she had cut the hunk of flesh she carried from his uncle.
Nord appeared fine, pointing at Sanche. "When did you get out of your meditation room at the temple?" He pointed to Zae sitting at the table. "And who's this guy?"
As Nord reached arm's length from him, Sanche slapped his hand. "It's still not polite to point." He said with a glower to Nord. "And this is Zae, one of the priests, and main negotiator of the mercenaries." He smiled at Missy and said, "I believe I've worked out reasonable terms with the Anuunaki. They still require a sizable sum of gold before they're willing to start marching." Sanche gestured to the ant being. "That's why he's here. He wishes to evaluate whatever coin we give them in payment."
Jaxon groaned, causing Lov to ask. "What's that about?"
"Just you wait, they're going to want to use my treasure to pay for it."
Lov shook his head disappointed in the little man. "Sanche wouldn't do that, he doesn't believe in handouts."
Jaxon cocked an eyebrow at Lov. "Who said anything about Sanche? It’s the wee one I was talking about."
Jaxon tapped Lov on the arm, motioning and mouthing “you’ll see” to him. Lov shook his head again and turned back to everyone else.
Zae began speaking. "Well, I won't bore you with details, but suffice to say, as long as Missy can come up with the first payment, we'll have a standing army of just over fifty thousand troops. Mostly males, so we can use them as more than a defensive force."
Nord whistled. "Fifty thousand?! You just got an army bigger than what we elves kept! How the hell are we supposed to pay for that?"
"What do you mean?" Missy piped in. "Your dear friend Jaxon there," she pointed to the halfling, a knowing look upon his face, "has more than enough money to cover this. We'll only use a quarter of the gold he made me bring." She patted her pouch lovingly. "Of course, it's going to take awhile to get it out. First things first, I need a bath." She considered the flesh she held, then flew to the bar, asking Talia something. The barkeep nodded and took the meat from her, disappearing into the back. She returned to the table. "Now you boys wait here, I've got to get cleaned up." She flew up the stairs, and out of the common room.
Nord had a bewildered look on his face. "That didn't really answer my question."
"She's taking some of my gold to pay for it, you dolt!" Jaxon teased. "I mean, I guess it's not really taking if I'm willing to pay for it, I just hate that she doesn't even ask... just assumes."
Nord nodded knowingly. "Now you're starting to appreciate why I hate fairies."
Zae laughed buzzingly. "I know how you feel, Nord." He said with a deep buzz, the words very clear. He rubbed his hands together, turning to Lov and asked. "Would you like a sample of Anuunaki music? We superior Anuunaki don't leave the hive much, and it's rare to have fresh ears with time to spare."
Lov nodded eagerly, he loved when bards would visit his parents. Zae unfolded a small pair of wings from his back, each wing three of Lov's hand lengths long, if that. Slowly Zae rubbed them together, bringing a soft melody to the common room. Talia walked from behind the counter and sat at the table with them.
The music reminded Lov of a strange and rare instrument he'd once glimpsed, called a violin. A grieving song, slow and mournful, began to take shape. As Zae continued to play, Ta
lia began to hum and buzz a sad dirge that reminded Lov of what had happened to his family and his people. Zae began to glide his wings a little faster and Talia's voice began to carry anger and passion.
Lov felt his dragonhunger stirring, compelling him to act, to leave this cursed hole. Now that Tryton was gone, he was free to do as he pleased! He should convince Sanche to take this army and march into the seat of the Titanbringer. Lov shoved at it, and slowly, his dragonhunger receded to a quiet whisper in the back of his mind.
Zae wove the melody through another melancholy moment, and Talia fell quiet. It was a sad lonely piece that tugged at Lov's heart, bringing a tear to his eyes. He looked around the table to see that everyone else was afflicted with the same feeling.
Jaxon wiped at his eye. "That was beautiful."
Nord raised his fist in the air saying, "Here, here!"
Sanche appraised the priest before him. "You could have robbed me blind in negotiations, couldn't you?"
Zae became very serious. "Never, my friend... I enjoy taking it all from you, face to face, at the negotiation table. I would never deprive myself of the pleasure of taking it all, but I assessed off what I thought you would be able to afford in your lifetime." Zae gestured towards Jaxon, "I didn't expect to see a golden goose with you."
Jaxon puffed up a bit. "I'll have you know, I am not a goose! I'm a gander!"
Missy laughed from above them, spotless and clean as could be. "That's a good one, Jaxon. Now, back to the gold, just how much are we talking here, Sanche?"
Zae leaned forward, raising his hand, "I believe we agreed to twenty thousand pieces of gold. Plus mail and leather armor for the army."
Jaxon whistled, "I hope you realize how much I love you, Nord." He turned to his tall friend, wagging a finger under Nord's nose. "This is why you always save some of your treasure from your adventures!"
Nord bit the tip of Jaxon's finger, causing his friend to jerk his hand back. "I advise you not to do that again."
Breath of the Titans: The False Titanbringer: Complete Trilogy Page 13
