Dodge City Knights

by Aaron Crash

  Steven moved through the house, which was quiet for once. Aria had taken her fellow wives out into the grounds of the Infinity Ranch to train. When they did face the demons, Aria wanted everyone at their best and comfortable with their new weapons.

  Jared was doing well with the orb. He still went to his doctor’s appointments, but he only saw Steven’s vassals. Normal doctors wouldn’t have taken his miraculous healing well. Yes, at times he wondered if giving the orb to the kid was the right thing to do, but when they visited, and he saw Jared running with new friends he’d made at his new school, well, maybe the universe was worth Jared’s joy.

  Steven climbed up the steps to where Javier, Savedra, and Bud were waiting. They were going to do a video conference call with Robert Stains. Another one. The calls were a complete waste of time.

  Bud had installed a big monitor on the wall to the right of Steven’s desk. Straight ahead was the magical armory that held Samael’s Lash, the Hellstring, Carlo Bart Baxter’s rings, the Angel Knife, and lastly, Icharaam’s crown. The crown remained a mystery. Maybe it didn’t have any powers at all. That didn’t feel right though.

  Trying to learn Enchantrix was proving to be a challenge. Even Paanga Komang wasn’t much help. He hadn’t progressed down the Alpherian abilities. Paanga was a conflicted Dragonsoul all right; he was powerful, kind, giving, and yet he could also be difficult, cold, and cutting. At times he was like Tessa, but five minutes later he would be like Mouse. Flighty wasn’t exactly the right word for him. Regardless, Steven knew the higher levels of magic required a firm commitment. Paanga wasn’t too good at that.

  Javier, Savedra, and even Bud were. They were seated in comfortable folding chairs they’d brought from the main house.

  Bob Stains was already on the screen. He was a thin man, clean-shaven, with strange hair. It was a toupée, obviously, and not a particularly good one. Nevertheless, it was easy to ignore because of the nonsense he spouted.

  Stains and Bud were at the “How old are you anyway?” point of their conversations.

  Bud spat, “I’m twenty-two.”

  Savedra leaned forward. Scars crisscrossed every part of him, including his dark hair, which was chopped up from pink scar tissue. He smiled. “Twenty-two. Like the Taylor Swift song.”

  “We like Taylor Swift,” Javier said casually. He was in an expensive silk suit, a light color, which emphasized his dark hair and features. He held out a fist, and Savedra bumped it.

  “Where is Drokharis?” Stains asked, exasperated. “I want to talk to Steven.”

  Steven moved in front of the web cam. “Hey, Bob, I’m here. Are you asking what you always ask?”

  Behind Stains was a bookcase of law books, unread, mere props. The Special Executive Liaison to the Supernatural Community was in his usual Washington, DC, power suit including the red tie. It matched the bloom of frustration creeping up his throat. “What are your plans for the humans in the US? All my sources say you don’t want to stay hidden. I’m telling you, you can’t come out, unless we say so. Get that?”

  Steven turned to his advisors. “Did we tell him about Tessa shooting the three tanks?”

  “Last time.” Javier shot him a finger gun.

  “Oh.” Steven turned back. “If we could shoot tanks, we could shoot planes, and if you nuke us, we’ll just send them through magical portals. You have no authority over us, Bob. You don’t. The president doesn’t. No one does. I give you my word. Before we do a thing, we’ll let you know.”

  “And the US will be the first?” Stains asked suspiciously. “You talked about maybe going to the UN first.”

  “Fuck the UN,” Bud hissed.

  Steven didn’t care much about any of these human politicians. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself yet because the Zothoric were still a threat. Once that was no longer an issue, he had an idea on how to change life on Earth. The current powers wouldn’t want such a disruption of the status quo. Too bad for them.

  “So can we talk again in two weeks?” Stains asked.

  Steven didn’t hide his displeasure. “Why?”

  Stains held up a finger. “Wait, one more thing. I almost forgot. This Dragonskin ritual, have you figured out how to make every man, woman, and child a dragon?”

  Bud piped up. “No. I can’t be. They said so. I don’t have the right Animus gene, or whatever.”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” Steven said. In truth, the ritual had proved to be so complicated that they hadn’t solved the mystery yet. At this point, the burning was required as was the strict diet and the daily meditation. Despite how hard it was, he already had some of his would-be wives working on prospects. The nice thing was that Steven and Tessa could help anyone who failed, so they could try again. However, those who failed most of the time didn’t want to attempt the ritual again.

  Uchiko, for example, was happy being a Warling. Others in the Onari guard, like Haru, planned on trying again.

  Liam did say that multiple failures might be fatal. Those who tried again were risking their lives.

  Steven wasn’t too worried about Haru attempting to become a Dragonskin anytime soon. He liked Taco Bell way too much.

  Stains waited for Steven to respond. “Nothing new to report. So why do we need to meet in two weeks? We won’t have anything then either.”

  The slimy bureaucrat tapped a key on his laptop. “Okay, well, I have a meeting with the Pentagon, and I know I’ll have more questions for you.”

  “Two months,” Steven said. “Don’t move against us, Bob. You won’t win.”

  “I know that.” Stains scowled. “Thanks for your time today.”

  They ended the call.

  Steven sat down behind his desk. His eyes went to the artifacts, especially the crown, which was a simple gold circlet with a starburst on the front. He’d put it on, but, nothing. What did it do anyway? He had the idea that of the five gifts they found—six if you included Aria’s Animus daggers—the crown was the most powerful.

  Javier spoke first. “I can see why the humans are scared. Before, there was a balance of power in the United States, and every Dragonlord handled their business in secrecy. You made it clear those days are over.”

  Steven leaned back. They’d gone over all this before. “Sure, Javier, right.” He switched gears to talk about what was really bothering him. And it wasn’t Bob Stains. “Sabina wants to get pregnant. She started taking an herb called tanaquil, which was the name of a Roman queen, or a faerie queen. Wikipedia had a lot on it.”

  “Congratulations, man!” Bud said excitedly. “Denise and Fimi have been putting out feelers, and I avoid the topic by playing Borderlands 3, a beta version.”

  Javier and Savedra gave each other uneasy glances. Then both cracked up, laughing.

  “What?” Steven asked, a smile on his face.

  “Tanaquil is going to affect her sex drive,” Savedra smirked.

  With Sabina, that just might mean Steven would need to bring in a whole new team of wives. He touched his simple gold wedding band. Wearing it felt odd at times. Most of the time, he was too focused to really think about it. Yet, if he concentrated, he could feel where his wives were, but he generally let them keep their privacy. It was nice, though, to feel that connected to them.

  Javier didn’t smirk. He got a concerned look on his face. “No, ese, that ain’t nothing. The kid is going to affect your whole pinche life. Nothing will ever be the same once that baby comes. Get your sleep while you can. And you think you’re this hotshot Dragonlord, but that won’t mean shit when you got to deal with the shit, if you know what I’m saying.”

  “Changing diapers?” Steven raised his eyebrows. “But I’m like the Prime, the lost son of Arthur Drokharis, the last of the Drokharis line, a descendant of Icharaam. Are you telling me I’m going to have to change poopy diapers?”

  “If you don’t...” Javier furrowed his brow and shook his head. “If you don’t, you’ll want to go fight the evil Dragonknights again. It’ll be less wor
k.”

  Steven laughed. And got a little nervous. Then laughed some more.

  His two Dragonlord friends left to fly back to their Primacies, Javier in Mexico and Savedra in California. Bud drove back to Denver.

  Steven thought about being a father. It didn’t feel right until he thought of Sabina and how her face glowed when she spoke of Reggie. She loved their little daughter, and she hadn’t even been conceived yet. With dragons, sometimes it took a long time. He would enjoy the tanaquil, though, unless it killed him, but what better way to die?

  He enjoyed the quiet of the house, then looked down at the stub of his missing left finger. He pulled up the Path of the Mirror-Souled Dragon.

  <<<>>>

  <<<>>>

  HE HAD ANOTHER LEVEL under his belt, and he’d gotten just a bit better at controlling his Animus. He hadn’t been able to tackle Toxicity, and he frowned when he remembered Mordred spitting acid at him. He had to start working on his Exhalants.

  And yet, he couldn’t stop studying the Alpherian abilities until he mastered Enchantrix. That would give him access to Carlo Bart Baxter’s ring armor, and he thought it might unlock the powers of Icharaam’s crown. And to get to StellarFlight, he had to learn Enchantrix first. And what was the sixth and final Alpherian ability? He didn’t know.

  His eyes went back to FleshForge. Countless times over the past six months, he’d thought of trying it to regrow his pinkie. In truth, he didn’t have the courage.

  What if when he added the cells, he accidentally added an extra joint to his finger? It was unnerving and unsettling. More than that, he didn’t feel like he needed the finger. It wasn’t his sword hand, and he could function fine without it. Still, he wondered who the mysterious Spider Finger was, and why both had the same issue.

  Steven listened to the quiet of the house for several long minutes. And then he made up his mind. A second later, the front door opened. The noise, shouting, and fun started right up. “Bollywood movies aren’t just about singing and dancing! We have stories!” Aria said loudly. There were going to make her a loud American yet.

  Mouse had obviously said the wrong thing. “Girl, I’m sorry, I take it back.”

  Tessa was there to defend them both. “Aria, you have to admit, Bollywood movies are a thing, but I say we should all start singing and dancing when we fight. That would be awesome.”

  “I can’t dance in my armor,” Zoey said, laughing. “But I can try. I’m getting a lot better!”

  Sabina joined in “My cloak can dance by itself, I think. Can we watch Dr. Strange again tonight?”

  Uchiko was silent. But of course she’d be silent.

  Then he heard the three words that touched his heart. “Steven, we’re home!” Tessa always shouted to him, always invited him to join them in whatever they were doing.

  He stood up. He would enjoy this peaceful life for another month. Then he would accept his fate and bring true change to the world.

  SEPTEMBER AND THE WINDS were cold, while the days were warm. The yellow leaves on the cottonwoods surrounding the St. Vrain Aerie crinkled and spun in the breeze. The murky scent of the river rose up to them. It was running low, having sent the snowmelt from the Rockies to the east.

  Steven and his Escort stood on the rooftop, armed, supplied, and ready to open the wolf door to Gaia Beta. His eyes went to the mosaic of the Draco constellation on the floor, and it brought back such good memories. There were four doorways carved into the backs of the animal statues at the top of the tall spire. They’d come through the dragon door. Across from it was the wolf animal (Gaia Beta), with the eagle to the left (Lyra), and the cat to the right (Oikos).

  Reinforcements surrounded the Aerie, and it was like their wedding: tents, RVs, trailers, and all their friends and allies supporting this crazy thing they were doing. Dragons flew over them. Steven recognized Liam Strider, Paanga Komang, Javier, Savedra, and dozens of females, including the Five Widows.

  Steven had led his core Escort up the tower and onto the roof. There were eight women with him, so he couldn’t really call them the Lucky Seven or the Heavenly Seven. Pru suggested the Lovely Eight, but Steven wasn’t sure he wanted to limit himself with a number.

  He turned. The twins had their big assault rifles, pink bags, and of course, matching pink lipstick. Chazzie blinked and smiled at him. “Pru and I are ready.”

  “You certainly need to speak for yourself, sister,” Pru complained. “We are pursuing an enemy we know very little about, and I’m scared shitless. Gotta be honest.”

  “But are you ready?” Chazzie teased.

  Pru rolled her eyes. “Ready as I’m ever gonna be. Fuck.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve been reading up on our next batch of big bad wolves.” Tessa had her pistols and her gun belt full of bullets. She was wearing the wool serape and her trusty leather satchel, which held the magical topaz pen as well as their books. She’d added a fourth tome, something she’d grabbed from Rahaab’s super-secret library above Mont Saint-Michel.

  In dragon script, it was called The Zothoritrix. It was a brief history of the shadows of teeth and talon, some legends, some eyewitness accounts, pretty much everything that was known about their enemy.

  Mouse sighed. “Books. Yay.” That last word came out flat. “Maybe instead of dragons, we should send librarians to fight the scourge of the galaxy.”

  “Scourge of the universe,” Sabina said, her eyes bright emeralds. She pulled her cloak around her tight. She wasn’t pregnant. Yet. “Chica, I think they eat galaxies for breakfast.”

  Uchiko kept silent. Her eyes were on Steven, and he met her gaze, and again, he was struck by how pretty she was, and how she’d found peace at long last. Maybe that serenity was what made her beautiful. It definitely made her deadly. She had her kusarigama. She also had the Hellstring and a quiver of white arrows.

  He wasn’t sure that bringing the magical bow was a good idea, but Uchiko had been practicing with it. So far, it hadn’t driven her insane or summoned demons. There was an Animus component to it that so far remained a mystery. She was bringing the bow, and he’d packed Icharaam’s crown.

  Zoey looked visibly nervous. Sunlight gleamed off the necklace on her throat. She was wearing a heavy coat and carried a big backpack. “And we can’t fight them on this world?”

  Steven went to her, pulled her close, and kissed her. “No, Zoey, we don’t want to invite demons here. My mom and the Rosses are safe, and I want to keep it that way.”

  He went to pull away, but Zoey had other ideas. She gripped him and kissed him, long and hard. Sabina’s tanaquil was working overtime, and she came in for a kiss from them both.

  Then the hugs started, and soon, Steven was lost at the center of his Escort. He remembered his battle with Mordred and his thoughts of Tessa. If he’d died, Tess would’ve been saved by these powerful women. And right at that moment, he knew it was truth.

  Whatever nightmares they found in Gaia Beta, he knew as long as they were together, they would win.

  He took a moment to enjoy the warmth of their bodies and their various scents, from the Wayne twins and their bubblegum sweet to Aria’s cinnamon, Tessa’s cherry, and Mouse’s almond smells. It felt like home.

  Then it was time to leave. They had a universe to explore, and they couldn’t cross into other worlds until the threat of the Zothoric was ended.

  Tessa stepped back. “Okay, guys, let’s get out of Dodge!”

  “Shit!” Chazzie said. She dug into her clothes until she found her wallet. She fished out a hundred-dollar bill.

  Pru took it from her. “Told you she’d say it eventually. Yeah, it took seven months, but it was less than a year. You know me, I like the long game.”

  Tessa grinned. “Of course I wasn’t going to say it while we were in Kansas. Too easy. But here? Now? It seemed fitting.”

  Chazzie sighed.

  “Focus, guys.” Steven stood in front of the wolf door. “Magica Incanto!” he called out.

  The door crac
ked open. Light poured out. When it creaked open completely, they were shown the blasted landscape of another world.

  Books, Mailing List, and Reviews

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  Looking for more Harem Gamelit, and need it right this minute? Well, then check out Nick Harrow’s exciting new Dungeon Bringer series, Dungeon Bringer 1. Or keep reading to take a sneak peek.

  CONSTRUCT YOUR DUNGEON. Summon your monster girls. Slaughter your foes.

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  If he succeeds, he'll be rich beyond his wildest dreams.

  If he fails, he's a dead man.

  But when Clay hacks the hackers, he stumbles into an ancient ritual that summons him to the dusty, forgotten world of Soketra. In this strange new land, Clay finds dungeons, monsters, and a fierce pride of beautiful cat women who believe he is the reincarnation of the ancient Dungeon Lord Rathokhetra. With a band of bloodthirsty dungeon raiders on his doorstep, Clay must master his new abilities and gather guardians for his territory to save himself and his army of warrior women from a fate darker than death.