Dragon Emperor 18, page 19
“You knew about this?” Isi turned her annoyance onto her daughter.
“Please, just hear him out,” Nokomis insisted. “I think you’ll be more supportive of the idea than you think.”
The queen hardened her stare before she turned back to me and nodded silently.
“Okay, so Catahe fucked up and needs to be punished,” I said. “For breaking the law, he gets a public flogging, but not death. Death should be reserved for traitors and murderers, and he was only trying to get rid of what he thought was a curse.”
“Death is the written punishment for using magic,” Isi argued. “Why should he get to live?”
“Because that punishment was written at a time when people tried to use magic to hurt the city, not help it,” Nokomis cut in. “Catahe never even set foot in Narsglow. He wanted to save the people from the rifts, even if he didn’t know what he was doing.”
“Which is why the flogging is acceptable,” I added. “He was reckless and put people in danger with his efforts, but he wasn’t trying to. I think that’s worth a little bit of leniency.”
“And mercy,” Sewati murmured. “This alternative seems quite fair, Isi.”
“Of course, you think so,” the queen said with an eye roll. “No one dies.”
“But everyone will be able to see that you are fair and reasonable, even without an execution,” I pointed out. “The punishment should fit the crime and its motivations, not just the papers written out by your ancestors from a long time ago. Plus, after that, he can serve some time under your roof as a personal servant to Lady Kiona. Perhaps he’ll learn the true nature of magic and why his choices were so dangerous, and maybe he’ll even share with her how he and the other tribals knew the rituals he used. It could give you quite a bit more than just killing him.”
“And you’d get to keep him close in case he tries anything else,” Tawa mused as he rubbed his chin. “Not bad, Lord Evan.”
The queen appeared to mull things over as she turned and took Tecumseh’s hand in hers. They looked at each other for a while, and again, I got the feeling they were able to talk without anyone else knowing it. I wondered if the king’s pendant had telepathy or something, but my musings were soon interrupted.
“I think it best we talk more about this option,” the king finally said.
“I agree.” Isi nodded and looked at me. “We will discuss it, but there is no promise made that we will utilize your, ah, alternative punishment idea.”
“I understand, Your Majesty,” I said with a smile. “I’m happy you’ll consider it. That’s all I can ask.”
“Then we will see you at the meeting, I presume,” she said.
I got the distinct impression we were being dismissed, and I nodded my head as I motioned for my people to follow me out of the throne room. The rest of the snow leopard Demi-Humans stayed behind, but Nokomis offered me a kind smile before she faced her parents.
“Well, that went better than I expected,” Ravi chirped as we headed for our wing of the castle.
“Yeah, I really didn’t know if she’d even consider it,” Isabella agreed. “She’s been so harsh since we brought Catahe back from the forest.”
“The art of compromise,” I chuckled and led my people up the stairs. “As long as everyone feels at least one thing they wanted is accomplished, there are many things that can be done.”
“Your diplomacy skills seem to be growing,” Miraya giggled.
“I’ve been practicing.” I winked, and Nike, Aine, and my lovers laughed as we all found our rooms.
It was getting late, and I imagined the meeting tomorrow would be long and arduous, even if the queen did decide to use the alternative punishment for Catahe. Alyona followed me into the last bedroom, and I debated whether or not to shut the door in case Nokomis decided to join us again. Then I decided to leave it partially open and followed the princess to the large, plush bed.
The staff had obviously changed the sheets and remade the bed, and I pulled back the silky sheets with a sigh. The bed looked so inviting, but so did my wife. She had already dropped her slippers on the floor and loosened the belt of her robes as she searched her spatial storage for a nightgown.
I dropped my boots and pants on the floor, and Alyona turned around just as I slid beneath the sheets and leaned onto my elbow to watch her.
“Surely, my dragon lord husband isn’t going to bed before his pregnant wife?” she teased.
“Oh, no, just warming up the bed for you,” I shot back with a grin and patted the bed next to me.
“How kind of you,” she giggled as she slipped into a white nightgown.
She unconsciously placed her hand on her growing belly as she walked toward me, and I quickly sat up to lean over the side of the bed. Then I kissed the small bump between her hips while I lovingly squeezed her ass.
“Hey, son,” I whispered to our unborn child. “I’m working on fixing things up out here for you. We can’t wait to meet you.”
I looked up to see tears welling up in Alyona’s eyes before she blinked them away and climbed into bed with me. She snuggled up next to me, and the dirty thoughts I’d had about taking off that silky nightgown drifted away. The princess was clearly exhausted, and I could only imagine the strength it took to deal with the stress of our mission while simultaneously growing a new person.
There was no way I could do it.
Instead, I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head as she fell asleep. I stayed awake for a little while longer, but it wasn’t long before I drifted off, too.
I dreamed of little snow leopard babies with Nokomis, and I wondered how easy it would be to make some kind of snowy room at the Lunar Palace. Then I felt a strange sensation of something pulling at my dreamscape. It was as though I was inside a moving plane, and someone was trying to open the cabin door from outside. I knew if they succeeded, I’d be sucked out into nothingness, and there was no way I’d let that happen.
I focused my attention on the source of the tug and soon recognized the figure on the other side of the door.
The Demon King roared with fury as he banged on the door to my Arxo, but the obsidian block I’d built held firm. He couldn’t get past the magical lock or the lava-stone barricade I’d created to protect my dreams from his projections. He slammed his fists against the stone, and still, he couldn’t enter.
After a few minutes, he gave up and disappeared, and I was left standing just inside the stone tower with a satisfied grin.
Not only had he not been able to access my dreams this time, but he’d given me a new sense of awareness inside them. Miraya had already warned me it was difficult to navigate my dreams, but I had a feeling I could find exactly what I was looking for.
I wandered the never-ending corridors of my Arxo until I heard the giggle of the dryad sisters. Then I pushed open a wooden door, and the loud creak alerted my lovers who sat inside a room that resembled my chambers back in Hatra.
“Finally!” Polina squealed as she looked over her shoulder at me.
My gaze traveled down her smooth bare skin to where she sat on Trina’s face while Marina fondled her emerald breasts.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Valerra said in a husky voice.
My dragon mate laid naked across a velvety red cushion with her legs spread wide open, and Naomi was perched in front of her. Every single one of the lady lizard’s magenta scales were clearly visible, and she moaned as she suckled on Valerra’s mound.
“Fuck,” I groaned.
As I walked into the room, the rest of my lovers appeared, and I had the best dream of my life.
I woke up before the sun had risen to find my body was drenched in sweat, and I opened my eyes to see Alyona watching me as she bit her lip. Then her gaze dropped down to my rock-hard cock that was currently pressed against her nightgown.
“Would you like some help with that, my lord?” she asked in a hoarse whisper.
“Hell, yes,” I growled.
By the time the sun crested the horizon, I was satisfied in every way I could imagine. Then we heard the voices of the rest of our group in the hallway, so we quickly got dressed to join them.
“I think we have just enough time for breakfast before the meeting, brother,” Nike said as we headed for the stairs. “I heard a few people already awake downstairs.”
“Perfect,” I agreed. “Then we can see how this city meeting goes.”
“It works well for Hatra,” Rebecca said with a smile. “Perhaps it’s exactly what Odrein needs, too.”
“I hope so,” I murmured.
We made our way down to the dining hall, and I felt my stomach twist itself in knots when I saw the guards in front of the doorway and heard sobbing from inside the room.
“What is it?” Alyona asked in a quiet voice as we neared the dining room.
“Nokomis is crying,” I said and stormed to the doorway only to have the guards stop me with harsh stares. “Get out of my way.”
“The queen has ordered only family is allowed right now,” Amaru thundered. “You cannot disobey her orders.”
“I don’t care what they are,” I snarled. “I’m going to check on Nokomis, and you won’t stop me.”
“Please, let them in!” Nokomis pleaded. “We need their help!”
Amaru nodded and moved out of the way without another word. I seemed to have gained at least a little favor with the guards since I saved Mahpiya, and I got the feeling the polar bear Demi-Human was welcome to my help for whatever else was going on now.
We marched into the dining hall, and I was shocked to see Isi standing with red-rimmed eyes as she patted Nokomis and Sewati on their backs while they sat at the table and wept. The king stood at the other end of the table with a map spread out on the table, and a handful of guards were listening intently to his every word.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded as I hurried over to kneel next to Nokomis. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she gasped as she took a shuddering breath. “B-But Mata… she’s-- oh, gods!”
“Wait, who’s Mata?” I asked. “What happened to her?”
“My wife,” Sewati moaned. “She’s gone!”
Chapter 13
“What do you mean?” I demanded and turned toward Sewati. “Where did she go?”
“I don’t know!” the snow leopard Demi-Human sobbed. “I went home after our conversation last night, and we went to bed. Then I woke up early this morning, and she was missing from our home!”
“Was anything else taken?” I asked. “Her clothes? A bag? Are you sure she didn’t leave?”
“Lord Evan, I know Mata,” Sewati said in a low voice as he met my gaze with tear-soaked eyes. “She would never in a thousand years walk out on our life. I know someone took her.”
“And we’ll find her,” Isi promised. “I won’t let anything happen to her. We’ve already sent dozens of our men out into the city to find her.”
“They need to search everywhere,” her brother said as he wiped away another tear. “No stone should be left unturned.”
“And none will be,” she agreed. “The guards have been ordered to search every house in Narsglow.”
“We’ll join in the search,” I said, and the rest of my people nodded their agreement. “Just tell us where to go.”
“Talk to Tecumseh.” Isi pointed at her husband across the room. “He’s been sending out the marching orders.”
“Got it,” I said as I turned and led my people over to the king. “Tell us where you need us. We’ll look for her, too.”
“That’s kind of you, Lord Evan,” Tecumseh replied and sent off another group of guards. “Are you sure--”
“Yes,” I cut him off. “Ahem, Your Majesty, I’m sure. We want to help.”
“Okay,” he murmured and spun the map around to face us. “Here’s the castle, and I’ve sent guards to these four areas already. I could use another set of people to search the market. It’s right over here.”
The king pointed out a section of the city that looked to be about four by five blocks.
“Yeah, we can handle that,” I confirmed. “So, what does Mata look like?”
“She looks like a snow leopard Demi-Human.” Tecumseh stared at me with an arched eyebrow. “What else would she look like?”
“Well, some people like to shake things up,” I said and pursed my lips. “How about what she’s wearing?”
“Ah, she usually wears blue robes,” he replied. “And she always has her blue earrings. They were a gift from her mother.”
“That helps,” I said with a nod. “And we have no idea who took her?”
“None.” Tecumseh shook his head and looked past me to his weeping daughter and brother-in-law. “This city has lost its mind.”
“We’ll get it put back together,” I said as I put my hand on the king’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”
“I’m going with you,” Nokomis said as she rose from her chair and wiped away her tears. “I need to find my aunt.”
“You really shouldn’t--” I started to argue.
“I’m going,” the princess growled as her furry white ears pressed against her head.
The thought of leading her to what could be a very bad situation for her aunt made my heart sink, but Nokomis was determined. I didn’t have a good argument without saying the negative possibilities out loud, so I decided to just let her join us.
With that, I guided my team out the front door and headed for the market. I wasn’t sure how pleased the shopkeepers would be when we searched each one, but it didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was finding Sewati’s wife and making sure she was safe.
“So, are we going into every store?” Nike asked as we marched across Narsglow.
“Yep, no stone left unturned,” I said. “Queen’s orders.”
“Who would kidnap Sewati’s wife?” Alyona wondered. “It seems like an odd crime.”
“Sewati had to have upset quite a few people yesterday,” Skye pointed out.
“Yeah, stopping the execution might be exactly what put a target on his wife’s back,” Isabella agreed. “At least we know it wasn’t Yaholo. He’s still in the dungeon, right?”
“He’s not getting out any time soon,” I said. “We still haven’t caught Ubira’s murderer, though.”
“But wouldn’t a murderer have just killed Mata, too?” Alyona wondered and then looked at Nokomis, who had stayed pointedly silent during our speculation.
“Depends on what the point of it all is,” I murmured. “The most blood or the biggest emotional turmoil.”
“You were right, Lord Evan,” Miraya said in a sad voice. “The people are bloodthirsty.”
“And their thirst was not quenched yesterday,” I agreed. “Which means we have to find her before they take out their frustration on an innocent woman instead.”
Our conversation ceased as we reached the first row of shops, and we split into two groups to cover more ground. Nike, Rebecca, Ravi, and Skye went along the north side of the road, while Alyona, Miraya, Nokomis, Isabella, and I took the south. I twisted the knob of the first shop and was surprised to find it unlocked, and we crept inside a building with several rows of shelves filled with bottles, vials, and jars.
“I thought they didn’t allow magic,” Isabella whispered as she examined a row of bottles. “These look like potions.”
“They’re medicinal,” Alyona explained as she picked up a jar filled with a red goo. “No magic necessary. And sometimes no logic, either.”
“Apothecaries are not trained properly,” Miraya agreed and tapped on a metal bottle. “I highly doubt this actually contains a lizard that brings you luck.”
“Well, it might contain a lizard,” Alyona said with a smirk.
I motioned for everyone to quiet down as we continued through the building, but nothing looked out of place in the front room or the storage area in the back. There were just more vials and strange liquids stacked up in boxes and on shelves. I used my echolocation magic to be sure, but it seemed the building was empty.
“Okay, let’s keep moving,” I said and led them back out the front door.
We cleared the next store without incident, but the owner of the third store had already started preparing his displays for the day. He stared at our silent entry with a mixture of confusion and concern, and I held my finger up to my lips and pointed to the back of the store.
“Who are you?” he whispered and then realized Nokomis was with us. “Uh, wait, Your Highness?”
“Orders of the king and queen,” I answered under my breath. “We need to check the building.”
“O-Of course,” he stammered and stepped behind his counter.
We brushed past him and opened the door at the back of the shop, but it held nothing more than a broom, mop, and some buckets.
“Is this all of your store?” I demanded.
“Yes, my lord,” the shopkeeper confirmed. “Mine is smaller than the others because I don’t have any need for the storage. The store to the east has all the space behind that back wall.”
“That’s where we’re headed next,” I said and led my lovers outside again.
“I have a bad feeling about this one, my lord,” Isabella whispered as she pulled two small daggers from her belt.
“Me, too,” I agreed. “Be ready for anything.”
Nokomis and I unsheathed our Noble Swords, and I gently eased the door open without a sound.
Our silent entry made no difference.
What had once been a flower shop full of bright colors and beauty was now covered with spilled soil and heavily armed men who gripped swords, knives, bows, and morning stars. There were at least ten of them, but I couldn’t see any of their faces, thanks to black hoods pulled down over their faces with only tiny slits cut in the fabric for their eyes.
My biggest concern, however, was the snow leopard Demi-Human woman who was tied up at the back of the room. I could see the brilliant blue sparkle of her signature earrings, just as Tecumseh had predicted. Two of the men stood on either side of her with knives held in easy throat-cutting distance, which meant I couldn’t blitz attack the kidnapping club. The stains of tears on Mata’s cheeks and a bruise just below her eye made my jaw clench with anger, and I tightened my grip on the Sword of Healing as I slowly stepped further into the room.
