by Eric Vall
“I know a few other wet things around here,” Trina added with a devilish grin.
I couldn’t get this job done fast enough.
We finally finished connecting the Houses Onca and Jubatus as the day faded into late afternoon, and then we began the last section to circle things back around to House Oel, so the water could be pumped in any direction.
By the time we finished making a full circle, the sun was setting, and the dryads were even hot enough to have removed a few layers. I looked over their emerald skinned bodies with a new appreciation for nature.
“Well, now that there’s a clean water supply over at House Onca, who wants to go get cleaned up?” I asked the women with a grin.
“Let’s go!” Trina cried.
We found our way to the bathing room in House Onca’s palace and got a little dirty together as I spent a good hour making love to the three women. As soon as I’d filled all three of them with my dragon seed, we cleaned up, and I practically fell into my bed without a second thought about the day.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt full of energy. My magic was back at max power and hummed through my freshly cleaned body.
I was ready to get started on my next project for Tikal.
I nearly skipped downstairs to get some breakfast, and the dryads were already there eating. I guess last night’s activities had left them wiped, too, and I smirked at the thought as I joined them and made a plate.
“Good morning, Lord Evan,” Polina sang with a flourish.
“Good morning, ladies,” I greeted them. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a log,” Trina responded around a mouth full of food.
“Yeah, you must have worn us out last night,” Marina giggled. “Do we have more projects today?”
“We do,” I confirmed. “We’re going to make some stone pathways between the Houses, the Palenque Temple, and fountain area to make it easier for everyone to cart their merchandise to the bazaar.”
“Ooooh, a sexy, badass dragon, and he’s smart!” Trina cheered.
“That’s such a good idea, Evan!” Polina gushed.
“I love it!” Marina cried with her hands clasped together.
“I’m glad you approve,” I chuckled. “Let’s get started then.”
We filed out the door and headed toward the main road of House Onca’s territory. As much as I’d like to give all the citizens easy road access, it would take weeks to do things that way. So, I’d have to settle for making one main road that led to the central part of Tikal, and the people would just have to get to that road to travel to the fountain and bazaar.
“This will work,” I mumbled as I looked over the area we were in.
Jaguars and humans milled around, and the place seemed to have easy access for most of the citizens. I thought about sidewalks back on Earth and decided to work in blocks for this project as well. So, I reached under the surface with my stone magic and tried to bring up rocks from underneath us, but when I sent my power deeper underground, I felt nothing but dead plants and soil.
Well, that put a damper on my plans.
“We need to find somewhere with water,” Polina suggested as she watched my frustration grow. “The jungle is a hard place to find any rocks, but you can usually find some in or near the water.”
“Okay, we’ll have to come back this way, then,” I decided. “We’ll go over to the fountain and build up there.”
We were in the middle of a bunch of houses, so shifting into my dragon form was a bit out of the question. Instead, I led the girls on a light jog back to the fountain through the trees. We came up on the fountain, and I sent out my magic underground again. I could see the difference in layers perfectly under the plaza, probably since it was the central point of all three biomes. Obviously, the desert had plenty of sand, and the grasslands had rocks of all kinds and sizes both under and above ground. The jungle was the only lacking territory.
I decided to pull some stone from each supply and make concrete again for the jungle pathways. I grabbed a large cart from next to the temple and used my magic to fill it with sand from the desert and crushed stone from the grasslands. Then I pushed it over to the jungle side of the fountain, much to the dryads’ happiness.
“Oh, yes, the dragon is going to be hot and sweaty today, too!” Marina clapped and grinned.
“He has already worked so hard for this sand,” Polina started.
“And those stones, so he could just go ahead and take his shirt off,” Trina finished with a sly smile.
I laughed as I pulled several buckets of water up from the fountain and dumped them in my cart mixture. Next, I used a little magic to turn the sand and stone, so it mixed with the water and didn’t stick to my cart. Then I shoved the cart back toward the jungle and started setting up the path. After each section of concrete was poured in, I opened my mouth and blew fire to dry it quickly. My new method took a while longer since we kept having to return to the fountain for more supplies, but eventually the House Onca citizens had an easy route to get to the temple.
Once we finished the jungle path, we returned to the fountain for a drink. I wiped the sweat from my brow and took off my shirt. The dryads were right, I should have taken it off earlier. It felt nice to feel the breeze across my sweaty chest, and I looked up from my water to see three sets of jade eyes staring at my exposed torso.
“Can I help you, ladies?” I asked and quirked a brow.
“Oh, we’re just looking forward to another bath tonight, Lord Evan,” Marina answered with a wink.
“Yes, we like fucking you,” Trina agreed.
“Especially in the water!” Polina added.
“I think we can make that happen,” I snickered. “Let’s get these other pathways finished up first, and then we can call it a day.”
I walked to the side of the fountain that faced House Jubatus and reached out to the stones in their territory. These other two paths would be much easier. The stones rose to the surface without a problem, and I got to work again making a road wide enough for two carts to be pulled through the House’s territory.
When I reached the main road of Jubatus, the sisters clapped and cheered.
“While we’re here, I want to check with them on their bazaar stuff we talked about earlier,” I advised the sisters, and then I walked the short distance to the palace and strode through the front door.
“Oh, it’s Lord Evan,” one of the servants murmured at my appearance and dropped into a bow. Then she ran to the back of the palace.
Moments later, Lady Imani appeared with a smile on her face that faltered a bit when she realized I wasn’t wearing a shirt.
“Imani,” I said as I returned her smile easily. “How are the crops and the bison hunting going? We’re down to the last day before the bazaar.”
“They are fantastic,” Imani said, but her cheerful voice sounded a little forced as she tore her eyes away from my chest. “Our butcher is dividing up the meat into easy packaging for sales, our seamstress is treating the skins, not to mention the grasses and crops we were already able to harvest, thanks to the dryads. We were able to get some cottonwood harvested for some medical balms, too!”
“So happy to help!” Polina grinned.
“And we are grateful,” Imani replied with a respectful bow.
“I’m glad to hear it,” I said and turned back to the palace doors. “I don’t mean to cut you off, but we have some more work to do before tomorrow. Please let your people know that they are welcome to use the new pathways to take their goods down to the bazaar tomorrow.”
“Pathways?” Imani looked surprised and pleased. “That’s wonderful. Thank you.”
I gave her a quick salute as the girls followed me back out the door and down the steps.
“Two down!” Trina yelled.
“One to go!” Marina squealed.
“Then it’s bath time!” Polina declared.
I growled with satisfaction. I would gladly take all three of them again
tonight as my own reward for my hard work. For now, though, I had to concentrate on finishing the last sidewalk. It was already afternoon, and it would be impossible to make one of these paths without the light of the sun.
“Well, let’s get a move on back to the fountain,” I demanded. “I like bath time, too.”
The girls giggled and skipped ahead of me back to the center of the city.
As soon as we arrived, I faced the desert side of the clearing and drew on my stone magic to begin forming the final sidewalk for the citizens of House Oel. I pulled up the crushed stone and built each pad of the pathway leading from the fountain back to the main area of House Oel. By the time we finished the sidewalk, I was drenched in sweat and starting to feel the drain on my energy.
“Okay, ladies, one more group to check on--” I started.
“And then bath time!” Polina cried out.
“Most definitely,” I agreed as I popped my back and stretched my neck.
I led the sisters up the stairs of House Oel’s golden palace and stepped through the front doors. The shade of the palace helped cool me down, but I still walked over to the sitting area and flopped into a chair to wait for Kinba.
A few minutes later, Lord Kinba breezed into the room with a broad grin that brought a small smile to my face as well.
“You now have a pathway connecting your main community area to the fountain, so anyone who is taking items for trade tomorrow can use a cart without getting stuck in the sand,” I announced bluntly, since I was too tired for all the pleasantries.
“That is fantastic!” Kinba exuded excitement. “Let me show you some of what we have been working on.”
Kinba clapped his hands, and a handful of lion Demi-Humans appeared carrying trays. They lined up to show off their goods, and the first servant leaned down to expose an exquisitely wrapped jug of what I assumed was cactus juice. The wrapping was some kind of thin metal like aluminum foil, but it was lined in gold, and several jewels were encrusted in the design.
I looked up at the servant and nodded. I had a feeling I was going to have to be a little rude soon, but I would at least check the other trade items first.
The second servant brought his tray and revealed a similarly wrapped but skewered and cooked lizard, so I waved the servant on and stood up.
“Listen, Kinba,” I began. “The wrappings look super nice and all, but you can’t expect the other Houses to see you as equals if your products have gold and jewels in them.”
“What do you mean?” The lion looked a little crestfallen.
“I mean, some of the other Houses still see you as dictators, oppressors, assholes who take from the poor to keep themselves rich,” I continued. “If you want them to see you as equals who only want the best for the whole city, you can’t shove the wealth you still have in their faces.”
“Ah,” Kinba said as he ran a hand through his mane. “I never thought of that.”
The Demi-Human began pacing back and forth in front of his line of servants, who were still holding the trays of fancy goodies.
“Tell everyone in there to stop wrapping things immediately,” Kinba commanded after a moment. “We can use those for a special occasion or maybe even a way to trade for other Houses’ wares.”
I nodded in approval as the servants scampered back down the hallway with their trays.
“I’m glad you came by, Lord Evan,” Kinba said with a nod. “I never would have considered the appearance of such things.”
“It’s what I’m here for,” I replied. “Other than that, your harvest is going well?”
“Yes, thank you so much,” Kinba directed his thanks to the dryads, who were still sitting by the palm tree.
“We are glad to help!” Trina grinned, and her sisters nodded vigorously.
I looked out the window and noticed the sun was getting low.
“We better get going,” I urged. “Tomorrow is a big day, and we all need our rest.”
“Certainly,” Kinba agreed and dipped his head. “We will see you tomorrow then, Lord Evan. Dryads.”
“Good night, Lord Kinba!” the girls called out as I guided them to the front doors.
I nearly jumped off the last step and transformed into my dragon body. I was exhausted, but I wanted to get back to House Onca as quickly as possible. So, I flicked my head at the girls to get on my back, and they ran to catch up with me and jumped on.
I took off to House Onca at racing speeds, and the dryads laughed and held on to my spikes as the wind blew their wild green hair all over the place.
I almost crash-landed in front of the palace, but we made it in one piece. The girls slid off my back, and I returned to my human form. Then I jogged up the stairs to the palace doors with the sisters right behind me.
“Lord Evan,” one of the guards addressed me. “Lord Niklaus said upon your arrival to let you know that he and the other lords are all prepared for the bazaar tomorrow.”
“That’s great news!” I grinned at the guard and clapped him on the shoulder. “Tomorrow will be a big day, bro!”
He looked at me in confusion as he pulled open the door for us, but he didn’t comment further.
So, I dragged the girls past him, and we headed straight for the baths again.
I was ready for the stress relief that only the dryad sisters with all their boundless energy could provide.
Chapter 11
I woke with a start and gazed around my room in confusion.
Then I heard voices chattering, metal clanking, and a ton of footsteps, but as I shook myself awake, I realized all the noise was outside. Apparently, the people had started their treks to the Palenque Temple, so I got out of bed, slipped my clothes and shoes on, and walked out of my room.
Surprisingly, no one was in the halls or even in the sitting rooms eating breakfast this morning. I encountered no servants or warriors, and House Onca’s palace was nearly silent around me, so I decided to take advantage of some rare alone time and enjoy a quiet breakfast.
I made my way through the grand dining hall to the kitchen, and I finally ran into a few jaguars. I assumed they were the cooks, since they were zipping back and forth plating food and boxing produce for the bazaar. I stood in the doorway for a moment as I contemplated the best way to snag a quick plate, but then one of the jaguars turned and gasped when he saw me in the doorway. A platter of fruit tumbled from the man’s hands, but I reacted quickly with my stone power and raised a pillar from the ground to catch the plate.
“L-Lord Dragon,” the jaguar Demi-Human stuttered, and he nearly folded himself in half as he bowed to me. “I-I apologize. I didn’t see you there. I-I thought you and your party had already left.”
“No apologies necessary.” I waved him off as I walked forward, picked up the plate from the stone pillar I’d created, and handed it back to the jaguar. “I was the one who startled you. And it seems I’ve gotten a bit of a late start this morning, so I was wandering around looking for some breakfast.”
“O-Oh! Here, let me help you, sir.” The jaguar nodded nervously as he took the dropped plate I offered him, and he spun on his heels and hurried over to one of the long counter tops that took up most of the wall space in the kitchen. Then he started to pile a bunch of different meats, breads, and fruits onto a plate, and when the plate could hold no more, he very carefully walked it back over to me.
“Thank you.” I smiled, and the delectable smell wafting off the platter made my stomach rumble. “I’ll get out of your hair now.”
The jaguar Demi-Human frowned and patted the brown fur on top of his head.
“But … you’re not in my hair, Lord Dragon?” he muttered in confusion.
“Nevermind,” I laughed before I glanced at the other servants bustling away behind him. “Everything going smoothly? Need any help?”
“N-No!” the jaguar gasped and shook his head rapidly. “I-I mean, yes, everything is going smoothly for the bazaar, but no, you don’t need to waste any of your time with us. We have ever
ything under control, sir!”
I wanted to tell him it was no problem and that I was happy to help, but I could tell my mere presence was sending this guy into a panic attack, so I decided to spare him.
“Alright,” I said with a nod. “Well, thank you for all your hard work. And for the breakfast.”
I held up my plate as I turned to the door once again, and the jaguar stammered out a garbled response as I walked out of the kitchens.
Now that I had some food, I found a quiet little corner overlooking a picturesque window, and I sat in a comfortable, green cushioned chair as I gazed out into the courtyard of the jungle palace. With my new vantage point, I quickly found out where the missing denizens of House Onca had gone to. Dozens of jaguars and humans alike jogged back and forth across the courtyard as they loaded up wagons and started to make their way to Tikal’s central temple, and the early morning sun bathed everything in a warm, golden glow.
I couldn’t ask for a better view as I started in on my delectable jungle breakfast. The jaguar in the kitchen had loaded up my plate with honeyed meat and a few of those mouthwatering, crispy akulina birds, and the savory dishes were well balanced by light, fluffy bread and sweet, juicy tropical fruits.
I took my time and savored each bite of the sweet meat while I alternated with some fruits and water. As I ate, I thought about where we would go from here, and I thought Nike had said the next stop was a city called Lumin. I loved seeing all the new places in Rahma. Everything was so different here from what I’d known on Earth. There was magic like nothing I’d ever imagined, and each day I learned something new and amazing. Hopefully, Aunt Emma was doing okay without me, but I hated that I couldn’t tell her about all of this. She would love the history, the crazy stories, and the artifacts, of course, but she wasn’t the only family I had to worry about anymore.
As I mulled over the future, I realized I hadn’t heard from my parents or Valerra in a few days, so I quickly summoned a messenger dragon in my palm.
“Go to Valerra and Ruslan to check in,” I ordered. “Let them know we’re making good progress here, and I just want to make sure they’re good, too.”
