by Eric Vall
“Ladies first,” I said with a dramatic bow.
The dryads giggled and bounced up the stairs to the doors, and I was perfectly happy with the view from back here. The sisters had a tendency to wear short blue and purple robes that gave me a glimpse of their bare thighs underneath, and a growl rumbled in my chest when I caught a peek of their soft and curvy asses.
The lion Demi-Human guards barely glanced at the dryads as they approached, but the guards quickly pulled open the doors once they noticed me.
Word had gotten around, then. Don’t fuck with the dragon.
Or his women.
We strolled in through the doors to the great hall, where we were met by Kalem, Kinba’s advisor. Kalem was tall, even for a lion Demi-Human, and he towered over the dryads and me. His skin was a rich chestnut color, and his eyes were as gold as the sands of the desert outside. His black robes were less ornate than the other members of House Oel, but they still draped to the floor with long swooping sleeves that seemed to make his every move a dramatic flourish.
“Good afternoon, Lord Evan,” Kalem boomed as he dipped his head. “How can I help you today?”
“I need to speak with Kinba,” I answered. “It’s a long story.”
“Of course.” Kalem motioned toward a sitting area to our left. There were a handful of wicker-woven chairs, and they were situated in a circle around a giant palm tree that soared up to the ceiling. “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll go get him for you now.”
“Thank you,” I said with a nod.
Kalem bowed in response before he turned on his heels and slipped through a doorway on the other side of the room.
“So serious,” Polina murmured behind me.
“Yeah, I wonder if he ever smiles,” Trina giggled as she tried to imitate Kalem’s no-nonsense expression.
“Be nice,” I chuckled, and I waved the girls over to the chairs while we waited for Lord Kinba.
“We’re always nice,” Marina pouted.
“Uh-huh, sure.” I smirked as I recalled the dryads being decidedly not nice as they ripped apart our enemies on the battlefield more than once.
Polina opened her mouth to respond, but someone else beat her to it.
“You just like showing up with no notice, don’t you?” I heard a sultry voice from the other side of the enormous palm tree.
I turned to see Lord Kinba’s daughter Aaliyah as she sauntered closer to us. Her typical low-cut robes were gone, and instead she wore a sleeveless gold dress that was tight around her full breasts, wrapped around her trim waist, and ended mid-thigh. The dress revealed her bronze, toned thighs, and her perky golden tail swung with her hips as she walked. Her curly golden hair was pulled back from her face and tied with a small piece of leather at the nape of her neck, but ringlets still flowed down the side of her tight body.
Gods, she was fucking hot.
“I like surprises,” I countered with a raised brow.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Aaliyah murmured as she reached me. Then she ran her claw over my shoulder as she walked around behind me and sat next to the dryads.
“H-Hello, lady Aaliyah,” Polina stuttered with wide green eyes, and her cheeks were tinted a darker hue of green. She was apparently just as mesmerized as I was by the lioness’ appearance.
“Good afternoon, Polina,” Aaliyah greeted her with a smile. “Did you get to ride over here?”
“Yes, we love riding Lord Evan!” Trina burst out before she slapped her hands over her mouth. “I mean--”
“That is to say, we love being on his back,” Marina corrected.
“Or on our own backs,” Polina said with a shrug.
Marina poked Polina in the ribs, and the dryads all started giggling. They quickly sobered, though, when Aaliyah just stared at them for a long moment, but then the lioness threw back her head and laughed along with them. The long column of her tanned neck was revealed to me, and I envisioned running my tongue along the tendons toward her clavicle.
“I can only imagine how much fun it would be to be on top of the great Dragon Lord,” Aaliyah teased as she turned and raised an eyebrow at me. “Especially while flying.”
“Oh, gods, can you imagine--” Trina began.
“Fucking Lord Evan while flying around?” Polina gasped.
“But wouldn’t his dragon dick be, like, way bigger?” Marina asked with widening eyes.
“Look what you started,” I scolded Aaliyah with a grin, but then I waggled my eyebrows at all four women. “And yes, my dick is wayyyy bigger when I’m a dragon.”
Aaliyah smirked as a hungry light glinted in her almond shaped eyes, and the dryads fell into each others’ laps while they laughed at my teasing.
“I must have missed a good joke,” Kinba’s voice rumbled from the hallway as he entered the sitting area. The lord of House Oel wore his usual ivory and gold robes, but he was missing the golden circlet that usually sat upon his brow.
At the sight of the lion lord, the dryads immediately sat up and covered their mouths.
“Ah, yes, Father,” Aaliyah chuckled and tried to school her expression. “Don’t worry about that. Lord Evan has something to discuss with you.”
“Well, by all means, Lord Evan,” Kinba declared as he slowly sat in the chair closest to me and templed his fingers. “What can House Oel do for the great dragon?”
“First things first, Kinba,” I began. “How are the farms doing since we got all the wells and stuff going for you?”
“Oh!” He blinked and looked surprised. “Ah, it’s going well, actually. I’ll show you.”
He stood up and gestured to the door leading out back, so I followed him out, with the dryads and Aaliyah right behind me. As we walked through the halls to the farms, I realized House Oel’s pyramid was surprisingly cooler than Jai’s jungle palace. I trailed my fingers along the yellow stone walls, and the texture was gritty and cold like concrete. I wondered how the lions had built such a masterful structure, especially since they didn’t seem to have powers over stone like I did, but before I could ask any questions, Lord Kinba pushed open a door at the end of the hall and led us outside.
“As you can see, we have several plants already above ground,” Kinba said as he pointed to some sprouting leaves on my right. Then he motioned to the fruit trees on my left. “And we have trees that are going to be ready to bear fruit in just a few more days. I believe the dryads provided some additional seeds to our gardener Wekesa that would grow even faster with their magic.”
“We did give him some more!” Polina confirmed and bobbed her head in a nod.
“Are they growing?” Trina asked.
“I believe so,” Kinba replied, but he didn’t sound completely sure.
“We may have to go check out everything ourselves,” Marina whispered, and the sisters nodded to each other and smiled.
“You are more than welcome to check on whatever you wish,” the lion lord told the dryads.
“Great!” I grinned. “How about the hydroponics system?”
“Oh, that is Wekesa’s pet project,” Kinba answered and he laughed as he shook his head. “You would think that old codger was several decades younger. Come, follow me.”
We walked through a few more rows of plants, and I didn’t know what anything was, but at least all the sprouting leaves were a bright and healthy green.
“You did amazing work here, girls,” I said to the dryads over my shoulder. “Seriously, job well done.”
“Thank you, Lord Evan!” they chirped in unison, and they giggled and nudged each other over my praise.
We finally reached the door we’d taken last time to the cellar. Then Kinba rapped lightly on the wooden entryway and pushed it open.
“Lord Kinba and Lady Aaliyah!” Wekesa bellowed, and then he gasped when he caught sight of us. “Sisters and Lord Evan! I’m so glad you are here! Look at this.”
I blinked at the old lion’s volume. He certainly sounded livelier than when we first met, and when I looked a li
ttle closer, his eyes seemed brighter, too. He also had a spring in his step as he led us into the room where we’d originally built a tiny hydroponic setup, and I had to admit, he did move like a much younger man.
The cellar was now about two-thirds filled with a fully functioning hydroponic farm. Water trickled from rows of pipes near the ceiling, and the droplets cascaded all the way down to the floor. Each row of piping had bursts of herbs sprouting through holes the gardeners had cut into them, and the pipes were even labeled with which herb was growing where.
“Having the wells right here made growing these so easy!” Wekesa rasped with excitement, and he skipped from pipe to pipe like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower. “A few trips with the watering cans and pipes from the old water system, and boom! We have so many herbs!”
“We love it!” Trina announced.
“You are amazing!” Polina added as she clapped her hands.
“It really was a team effort,” Wekesa mumbled, and a blush rose to his withered cheeks. “You’re the ones who got all this started. I am truly indebted to you, my ladies.”
“We only gave you the magical nudge you needed.” Trina smiled. “You provided the hard work and love. There’s so much love in these plants, they’re fit to burst!”
“Is … is that a good thing?” Wekesa asked and wrung his wrinkled hands.
“A very good thing.” Polina nodded sagely. “Not everyone knows this, but love is a very important nutrient that plants need to grow healthy and strong. If you continue as you have been, these plants will be the healthiest and strongest I’ve ever seen!”
“So, you’re amazing,” Trina repeated, and Wekesa smiled so wide, I thought his face was going to split in several places.
“Can we look around some more?” Marina asked as she tugged on my arm.
“Of course,” I answered. “Let me know if we need to help some more.”
The dryads clapped again and followed Wekesa back outside to the rows of crops. The sisters chatted on and on about different kinds of plants and their needs and uses, and I could tell Wekesa hung on their every word. I even saw the aged lion taking notes on a scrap of paper before the door closed behind him.
“I can see what you mean about him seeming younger,” I chuckled as I turned to the remaining lions.
“Yes, it is a startling change,” Kinba rumbled.
“But a welcome one,” Aaliyah added with a smile. “I haven’t seen Wekesa so happy since I was a cub.”
“You are still a cub,” Lord Kinba huffed, and the lioness rolled her eyes.
“Please, father,” she scoffed. “I haven’t been a cub for many, many years now.”
The lion Demi-Human met my eyes pointedly as she said this, and I cleared my throat to cover up my smirk.
“As enjoyable as this conversation is,” I began, “I believe I’ve seen all I need to of the farms. You’re off to a great start, and if you continue as you have been, I’m sure House Oel will be a house of abundance in no time.”
“Of course, Lord Evan.” Kinba bowed his head. “Thank you for your assistance and everything you’ve done for my house and my people.”
“Our people,” I corrected. “And I would be thanking the dryads if I were you. Some seedlings from your various plants might make a good gift for the sisters when it comes time for us to leave.”
“What a marvelous idea,” Aaliyah purred. “I’ll see to it personally, Lord Evan.”
“Thanks.” I smirked at the lioness, and then Kinba motioned us toward the door.
We made our way to the front of the pyramid palace, and several lion Demi-Humans stepped to the side and bowed to let us pass.
“I’m sure the farms are not all you came to discuss,” Kinba stated as he led us inside to the sitting area. Servants waited in the wings to fan the lion lord with huge palm leaves, but Kinba waved them back.
“Nope.” I shook my head and flopped into a chair. “I also wanted to inform you that we figured out at least part of the problem with House Onca’s water supply.”
“Part?” Aaliyah cocked her head to the side as she sat gracefully on my left. Her long, bronzed legs glistened with some kind of oil, and I had to forcibly tear my eyes away from the sight.
“Yeah,” I confirmed as I refocused on the conversation at hand. “Alyona found a cloaking spell for a curse on the water. She got rid of the cloak, but the water curse is ancient, so it will take some time. Plus, a manga attacked us at the riverbank--”
“A manga attacked you?” Kinba asked in disbelief and dropped into the chair on my right. “They aren’t usually so outright hostile.”
“Exactly,” I said. “From what I understand, they generally steer clear of what they don’t eat, but this one was discolored, aggressive, and didn’t bleed even when stabbed with a sword. Two swords, actually.”
“But you killed it?” Aaliyah questioned.
“Uh, yeah,” I responded with a touch of smartass. “Well, stopped it anyway. I think it was already dead, really.”
Both lions snarled with disgust, and their curled lips revealed gleaming fangs.
“More necromancy?” Kinba asked as his ears flicked back and forth on his head.
“We’re not sure about that part yet,” I answered truthfully. “I suspect the Green Glass Sect played a role in this river curse as they did with the dead animals in the forest near Hatra, but we haven’t found any proof of that as of yet. For now, Alyona is working to reverse the spell put on the water, so Onca and the jungle animals can use it again.”
“Ah.” Kinba leaned back in his chair and crossed his long legs, and a look of realization flared in his orangish eyes. “So, you need some of our water for the jaguars, I presume.”
The lion lord might have been arrogant and prideful at times, but he certainly wasn’t stupid.
“Yes.” I nodded. “Since you have the wells now, it should be pretty easy for you to access it on a regular schedule with people from Onca. Will that be an issue?”
The lion Demi-Human frowned and averted his eyes as he looked around the room. Then he pursed his lips and made some rumbling noises in his throat.
I raised an eyebrow. Was I going to have to go all badass dragon on him again over some water?
Aaliyah seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she kept glancing from me to her father with a worried furrow to her brow.
“I’m sure we can make that work,” Kinba finally answered with a dramatic sigh. “We do have some back entrances to the farms--”
“Or the jaguars will be welcome to walk through the palace,” I cut him off. “They are not second-class citizens, Kinba.”
“Oh, of course, of course,” he responded with a wave of his hand. “Whatever is easiest for everyone.”
“It’s all for the good of Tikal,” I reminded him. “We are growing a better city. And your people will notice you’re including the other Houses.”
“For Tikal,” Kinba muttered, but he looked like a chastised child.
Oh, well. He was going to have to get used to the new pecking order around here.
“Good,” I said, and I clapped my hands. “Now that that’s settled, I’ll let Jai know to send a few people over. From there, we can make a schedule to take water back to Onca daily until the river’s curse is gone.”
“That sounds great, Lord Evan,” Aaliyah cut in as she shot Kinba a stern look. “I’m sure Father will be prepared to make those plans with whoever Lord Jai sends over. Right, Father?”
“Yes,” Kinba murmured as he ran his hands through his mane. “I will have Kalem and Wekesa help me make the preparations.”
I nodded and manifested a messenger dragon to send to House Onca. “Tell Jai to send a few people to bring water back to the house. And he can come make plans for the next few days of water also.”
The messenger nodded, and then I sent the dragon on its way to the jungle.
“You have cultivation magic?” Kinba gasped as my dragon flew through the wall.
<
br /> “Yes, my father is a cultivator, as was my grandfather before him,” I answered. There was no need to specify I was adopted, or that no one knew why I was so good with magic.
“I told you, Lord Evan is a surprising creature,” Aaliyah murmured. She lifted one leg and crossed it over the other leg slowly as she spoke, and I saw a little further up her short dress.
My pants tightened immediately, and I cleared my throat as I adjusted myself. If her father wasn’t sitting right there, I’d jump her here and now, but the little sex kitten would just have to wait.
“I think I’ll go get ready to help with the water,” Aaliyah said as she stood up. Then she bent over across from me to kiss her father on the cheek. Her dress slid up a little further, and I nearly growled at the sight of her juicy pink pussy lips.
What a cock tease. This lion-girl was trying to play me like a fiddle, and I liked it.
“I’ll see you later?” Aaliyah turned and smirked at me.
“Ah, yes,” I mumbled. “I’ll be in and out.”
Oh, gods, in and out. I’d love to pump in and out of that lioness, and she fucking knew it.
Aaliyah turned and sashayed out of the sitting area, and I watched as she left. Then I turned my attention back to Kinba, who was luckily still deep in thought. I definitely wanted to fuck his daughter, but I didn’t need him to know about it right now.
Diplomacy and all that shit.
“I think I’ll go check on the dryads while we’re waiting on a response from Jai,” I announced as I stood up, and I quickly fixed my trousers.
“Yes, that sounds good,” Kinba murmured. Then he stood and walked toward the hallway opposite the outer door. “I need to go find Kalem.”
With that, he was gone.
Well, okay then.
I pushed myself to my feet and walked down the dim, short hallway that would lead me out to the farm, but then I heard the slight whoosh of a door being yanked open as I passed it.
I turned to see what was happening, but a clawed hand suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me inside a dark room.
Chapter 8
