The Monster's Caress: A Seven Kingdoms Tale 8 (The Seven Kingdoms)

by S. E. Smith

  Asahi sat up and scooted away from the dagger. The wings on the small lion fluttered and pulled the blade free from the ground. Then the Lion Dagger flew higher, hovering in the air as he demanded, “Is no one going to thank me for saving your lives?”

  Nali gently grasped the dagger and held it in front her curiously as she said, “Of course. Thank you very much indeed.”

  “You’re welcome, Empress,” the lion said, puffing up with pride. He turned his head to pointedly glare at Asahi who was still gaping at the talking animated object.

  “What is that? How—?” Asahi forced out around his astonishment.

  Nali lifted a delicate eyebrow. “You are the sorcerer, and you don’t know the magic of your own dagger?” she skeptically inquired.

  She stepped back when Asahi slowly rose to his feet. He shook his head. His dark brown eyes were assessing her with an intensity that would have drawn a blush to her cheeks if her flesh wasn’t stone.

  “The dagger was given to my grandfather as a gift. He passed it down to me. It is one of the rare things he refused to say much about, insisting that I discover it for myself. I’ve never seen it move—or talk before,” he replied.

  “Perhaps the reason you’ve never had a chat with me is because you buried me under a pile of rocks and never released me from my sheath,” the lion stated with a derisive snort.

  Asahi frowned. “I was seven,” he retorted before he clamped his lips together.

  Nali looked at Asahi and then the dagger before returning her amused scrutiny to Asahi. This time she really registered the differences in his clothing.

  “Where are you from, Asahi Tanaka?” she asked.

  He stared back at her as if contemplating the risk of sharing the information. The longer he was silent, the more certain she was that she already knew the answer. She held the dagger between them.

  “My dear Mr. Gryphon, could you please tell me where you came from?” she inquired.

  “Earth,” Asahi said before the winged lion could reply. “I was in a place called Yachats, Oregon, in a world known as Earth.”

  Nali slowly nodded. “You wouldn’t perchance know anyone by the name of Ross Galloway or Ruth Hallbrook, would you? Or perhaps, Carly, Jenny, Mike, or Tonya?” she inquired.

  He stiffened as she began listing the names. He recognized at least one of them. Perhaps all of them. They had all traveled from Yachats. She gave the dagger a considering look before offering it back to him.

  She was concerned that she had briefly forgotten about the possibility of another attack while distracted by the dagger. There was no way of knowing if the alien had left another part of itself behind. She scanned the forest, searching the shadows, but she saw nothing. She turned back to study Asahi.

  While she was protected in the form of a gargoyle, Asahi was not—although that hadn’t been an issue a few moments ago. Still, she had let her guard down, and that could have been fatal.

  Asahi slowly reached out and took the dagger from her, staring at the winged lion that was now absently cleaning one of its paws. Nali turned and surveyed the forest once again.

  “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “What was that thing? I saw it come out of the troll shortly before you arrived,” he said.

  She looked over her shoulder at him before facing the forest again. “An alien to our world who wishes to destroy it. As far as we know, there are only two left,” she explained.

  Asahi stepped up next to her. He reached out and offered the dagger to her. She looked at him in surprise.

  “Take this, then. It seems to work pretty well at killing them,” he said.

  “What are you doing? You can’t just give me away!” The dagger sounded extremely indignant. “Isn’t burying me for centuries enough of an insult? Now you just decide to give me away to the next person like I’m a bloody kitchen knife? No offense, Empress,” the winged lion growled with a slight bow of its head.

  She shook her head and chuckled. “None taken, Mr. Gryphon,” she replied before facing Asahi. “The dagger was created from very old, powerful magic. There are few witches or wizards skilled in such pure magic. I know of only one who had a knack for bringing inanimate objects to life; and, she has passed from this world. Mr. Gryphon was given to you for a reason. The magic held within the jewels, gold, and steel was given to you with love. You cannot pass it on to another unless you give it with the same love,” she explained.

  Asahi frowned. He studied the dagger and then looked up at her again. “You asked me a few moments ago if I knew Ruth and the others. Do you know if Ruth Hallbrook and the other woman—Tonya Maitland—are safe?” he asked.

  Nali’s smile grew, and she nodded. “Yes. Ruth is with Koorgan, the King of the Giants, on his Isle. Tonya is probably off sailing the seas with Ashure, King of the Pirates—and getting into all sorts of mischief with him,” she said with a rueful shake of her head.

  His lips twitched in amusement, though a hint of confusion creased his brow. “That is a relief,” he replied.

  Her expression sobered. “You’ve seen what the alien can do. I need to stop it. If you travel east, you’ll come to a river. Follow that river south, and you will come to a troll village. Tell Pai to take you back to the palace. You will be safe there,” she instructed.

  “You plan to go after the alien alone, don’t you?” he demanded, looking from her to the woods.

  She nodded. “We know from experience that the alien cannot penetrate my skin in this form. Once I have taken care of the alien, I will answer your questions, Asahi, and hopefully you can answer a few of mine,” she said, turning away from him. “Remember, east until you reach the river, then south.”

  She didn’t wait for his response. Those few minutes of conversation had already delayed her. Even though she had seen what could happen in the mirror, there was still a possibility of preventing it. She spread her wings and lifted off the ground. Despite her silent promise to not look back, she did when she cleared the canopy.

  Asahi had disappeared.

  Chapter 4

  Asahi had decided to follow Nali even before her feet left the ground. After she turned away, he silently retrieved his duffel bag, slung it onto his back, and took off at a fast jog. With the dagger at the ready in his grip, he ran along the narrow path, following a trail of broken branches and infrequent glimpses of the Empress through the canopy.

  “You do realize that you are going the wrong way, don’t you?” the winged lion informed him. “The Empress said to go east. You are going west.”

  “Yes,” he grunted, looking down at the talkative gold lion before refocusing on the path ahead.

  He ducked under a partially fallen tree, then leaped over a log. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another fresh gouge in the bark of a tree. He was on the right track.

  “How did you destroy the alien piece that attacked us?” he asked.

  The winged lion clung to the dagger’s hilt as if afraid he would fall off. It snorted and whipped its tail before wrapping it around the handle again. Asahi was hard-pressed not to stop and watch the mythical beast in fascination.

  “LaDonna—my creator—placed a protection spell on my dagger. The spell finds an attacker’s weakness and uses it against them. Of course, you probably think being a dagger would be enough to stop someone, but you’re not on your world anymore,” the winged lion added acerbically.

  Asahi ignored the lion’s caustic remark. “Can you tell me what the alien’s weakness is?” he asked.

  The winged lion smirked. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re not a talking decoration,” the creature retorted.

  Asahi chuckled, thoroughly enjoying that he was having a conversation with a sarcastic magical dagger on an enchanted Isle filled with mythical creatures while following a beautiful Empress who was about to confront an alien.

  He paused when he saw Nali descend through the canopy and land on a thick branch. She crouched on the limb and pressed one hand against the trunk of the
tree. Curious, his gaze followed hers.

  Through the thick growth of trees and ferns, he could see a pile of rocks and a slight gap that appeared to be the entrance to a cave. The pause gave him time to take several deep, steadying breaths and wipe away the beads of sweat that threatened to blur his vision.

  Nali rose from her perch and stepped off the branch. Her wings extended to slow her descent, and she landed as soft as a feather on the ground in front of the cave. Her wings folded behind her, and he watched in awe as they disappeared into her back as though they had never existed.

  Even with the distance between them, he could see her skin glistening like polished marble. The knowledge that she was at least moderately safe in this form was reassuring.

  “So, what’s your plan?” the winged lion quietly inquired as it climbed to the top of the hilt and sat down.

  “I plan to follow her and keep her safe,” Asahi murmured.

  The little lion grinned and shook its head. “That’s it? Follow her and what—jump out to rescue the Empress of the Monsters like some amazing hero? I hate to tell you this, but even I, an enchanted object, know it is more likely that Nali will be the one who does the rescuing. I really think you should have listened to her. Besides, do you know what lives in caves like that? Goblins! Small, horrible, green, nasty, grouchy goblins,” the lion asserted.

  Asahi looked down at the lion and frowned. “My presence has already helped save the beautiful Empress from a grievous attack. Perhaps you could explain how you know what lives in that cave?” he asked.

  The winged lion gave him a pointed look. “Magic, obviously. How am I supposed to help my bearer if I can’t tell who is who and what they do? When LaDonna gave me to your grandfather, she knew that he understood nothing about the creatures who lived in the Seven Kingdoms, so she entrusted that knowledge to me,” the lion pointed out with a haughty growl.

  Asahi looked down at the lion. “My grandfather—there are a lot of things that you will need to explain to me later. At the moment, I want you to be quiet,” he instructed.

  “Here we go, just like your grandfather. It’s obvious that not listening runs in your family,” the lion complained.

  Asahi gritted his teeth to keep from making a scathing retort. Instead, he slid the dagger back into its sheath. The lion on the top immediately froze in place, now as solid as the gold hilt—as if the last hour had never occurred.

  It would appear that the magic only worked when the dagger was free of the leather sheath. Perhaps the strange markings on the sheath’s surface were another spell to keep the damn thing quiet.

  He took a deep, calming breath and pushed away all the questions crowding his mind. Nali stood at the entrance of the cave. He watched with growing concern when she brushed aside a curtain of tangled roots partially covering the entrance and stepped inside, disappearing from his view.

  With grim purpose, Asahi walked toward the entrance to the cave. He didn’t understand why the spell had deposited him on the Isle of the Monsters while it sent Ruth—and Tonya—elsewhere. For now, that was not important. Sometimes the reason for an event took time to reveal itself. Asahi smiled, grateful that his grandfather’s wisdom was still strong in his memories.

  “I am here for a reason, Empress, and I think it has to do with you,” he murmured before he pushed aside the cloak of roots and stepped into the darkness.

  Asahi stood just inside the cave’s entrance and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Noticing a thin line of glowing green light running along the walls of the cave, he reached out and touched a ribbon of it. He grimaced in disgust when a gooey substance coated his fingers.

  “Don’t wipe it on your clothing. You’ll never get it out,” Nali warned, amusement evident in her voice.

  He stopped with his hand a fraction of an inch from his trousers. Nali stepped out of the darkness and grabbed his hand, guiding it back to the wall.

  Before Asahi’s wide eyes, the green glob pulled away from his fingertips and was absorbed back into the ribbon. She released his hand and stepped back. He studied his fingers before looking at the wall. Up close, he could see the green line moving.

  “What is it?” he asked, looking back at her.

  “A luminescent bacterium that thrives in the cool, dry interior of most of the caves in these mountains,” she explained.

  “Fascinating,” he murmured.

  She shook her head. “You must have misunderstood. You were supposed to go in the opposite direction,” she stated, her tone disapproving.

  “I didn’t misunderstand you. I chose to ignore your suggestion,” he replied.

  She looked at him with an incredulous expression. He smiled. “You chose…? You are a human, correct?” she asked, waving a hand at him.

  “Yes,” he replied.

  She opened her mouth, her eyes glittering with indignation, then she closed it and shook her head in resignation.

  “What were you going to say?” he curiously asked.

  She shook her head again. “I was going to say you are a fragile species, but—” she laughed, “after dealing with the others of your kind, I know your appearance is deceiving,” she wryly replied.

  Asahi met her rueful gaze with his own and smiled, his eyes crinkling with self-deprecating humor. As his focus shifted from her expression to her luminous skin, he slowly took a step toward her and lifted his hand to hover hesitantly just above her cheek.

  “Do you mind?” he murmured, unable to contain his inquisitive nature now that he was close to her again. Even in the dim interior, he could see the unusual swirl of gold in her irises.

  Interest faintly infused her demeanor, and she replied softly with a hint of a dare, “Go ahead.”

  He gently ran his fingers down the smooth surface of her cheek. Her skin looked like marble, but it was warm to his touch. As she looked deeply into his eyes, she took a tiny, startled breath. He breathed in her exotic scent and felt the rightness of being at her side.

  “Deceiving appearances, indeed,” he softly agreed.

  She pulled away from him and stepped back until they were several feet apart. “There is a lot you don’t know about the Isle of the Monsters, Asahi Tanaka. If you are going to join me on my quest, you will need to learn,” she coolly stated.

  “Then I am your humble student, Empress,” he replied with a slight bow.

  A wry smile curved his lips when she emitted a low groan and turned away from him. “Come on—and whatever you do, don’t touch or kill anything unless I tell you to,” she snapped.

  Asahi concealed his humor and followed Nali. Her muttered curse warned him that she was aware of his amusement. He adjusted the strap across his chest and decided it might be prudent to stay alert and wait for his first lesson.

  The thin strand of green luminescence lit their way, and though the light was faint, it still cast shadows in the underground corridors—shadows for the alien to hide in. Frustration and worry filled Nali.

  Remember how resilient humans are! she silently admonished herself. Well, in their own unique way.

  She grimaced when she remembered everything that had happened since Carly first appeared. There were numerous times when she had either heard of or witnessed humans surviving dire circumstances in unexpected ways during their fight against the alien invasion. Already, Asahi had proven that he could protect himself—and her.

  “You said that you had questions. What are they?” she casually demanded.

  “You want to know them—now?” he asked.

  “Why not?” she asked with a shrug.

  He was silent for a moment before he answered. “Perhaps because we are walking through a cave where, I’m assuming from the way you are scanning the shadows, you expect the alien to jump out at any moment,” he dryly replied.

  She chuckled. “True. I hope you have your magic dagger ready in case it does,” she commented.

  “It talks too much,” he curtly replied.

  She stopped and murmured in
a distracted voice, “Yes, magical items tend to do the most unexpected things. They have a mind of their own.”

  “What is it?” he inquired in a hushed voice.

  “I sense something,” she replied. “Wait here.”

  “Empress—Nali—” he protested in a harsh whisper.

  She looked over her shoulder. “First lesson: Trust me,” she said.

  Their eyes locked in the dim light. She could see his conflicting emotions. A strange, tight sensation built in her chest at his obvious concern.

  “I will wait for your signal,” he finally agreed.

  She gave a brief nod and turned her head back toward the passage ahead. She stepped forward with determination and continued around the bend. The narrow passage opened into an enormous cavern and revealed a long stone bridge spanning a deep ravine. Far below the bridge, the reddish-yellow glow of molten lava lit the smooth walls of the cliffs on both sides.

  The heat from the lava and the rotten-egg aroma of sulfur drifted up from the molten river below. Nali studied the entrance of the goblin stronghold. It was too quiet. The moment she came into view, a horn should have sounded to alert the goblin clan of her presence. She cautiously stepped onto the bridge.

  Chapter 5

  The sound of water and the low rumble from the lava flow echoed through the vast hollow cavern. The bridge ahead was constructed from rough limestone slabs and thick iron plating. Two deep ruts, cut by centuries of heavy carts filled with ore as they crossed over, lay in parallel lines down the middle of the bridge.

  Nali cautiously advanced toward the open gate of the goblin fortress, and carefully studied the massive walls. They had been built to withstand even powerful giants, but clearly they had not kept out this slippery alien. A movement along the wall caught her eye and she stopped.