Chapter 25
Fluffy black tails covered Rys’s vision when he awoke hours later. Instinctively, he reached for them.
Fara squeaked. A cute noise, several octaves above her usual cool tone. Her tails retracted and brought her into view. She pouted at Rys.
“You could have warned me first,” Fara muttered as her tails curled up behind her. She combed the section that he had touched. “They’re sensitive.”
“Given you wave them around everywhere, they can’t be that sensitive,” Rys protested.
He was lying on a pile of blankets in one of the receiving rooms close to the entrance. Fruit, water, and coffee sat on one of the nearby tables. A bowl of apple slices sat next to Fara. Their peels were nowhere to be seen.
A half-peeled apple sat next to Fara, which she picked back up and resumed peeling with a decorative paring knife.
“The outside is fine. The outer tips of our fur are bristly and protective,” Fara explained. “But you plunged your fingers right inside. Is that how you treat your women in bed?”
Somebody was feeling frisky.
“I take it you prefer some foreplay.”
Fara rolled her eyes. “What woman doesn’t? There’s also a psychological factor. Nobody has touched my tails except my sisters, and my mother a long, long time ago. It’s like you kissed me. So warn me next time, okay?”
“Got it. I’ll wake you up with some tail combing,” Rys said. He tried to sit up and felt his chest light on fire.
Immediately, he resumed resting. Fara gave him an annoyed look.
“It’ll take me a little longer to finish up here,” she said. “And you’ll need a lot more healing than this if you ever wake me up by shoving your hands in my tails.”
“Shouldn’t the Lilim help?” Rys asked.
“I can heal you. Those hussies can stay away.” Fara let out a huff.
“Feeling jealous, are we?”
“Do you want me to leave you here or finish healing you?”
Rys smirked and nearly made a joke about how she clearly wouldn’t have made a good nurse. It died in his throat as he remembered her confidence issues, and how she was forced to become an enforcer. With healing skills like these, he wondered if she couldn’t have become a healer of some sort for the foxes.
“Go ahead. Make the pithy comment,” Fara said, her eyes narrowing. “I know you have one.”
Hoping he didn’t regret this, he said, “I can tell why you didn’t become a nurse. Threatening your patient like this.”
Fara rolled her eyes. “If that’s the worst you’re saying, then it’s fine. I’m not made of glass, Rys.” She prodded his chest, causing a small spark of pain to flare in him. “But you are, right now. I thought you were dead when Barul stabbed you.”
“He missed my heart. Not that it would have mattered if he had struck it,” Rys said.
“Of course, you don’t need a heart. It shriveled up a couple thousand years ago,” Fara remarked, but a smile floated on her lips. “But honestly, try a little harder not to die. Unless you’re hiding a revival Gift like Grigor’s.”
“I wish. No infernal would give me one of those. I’d have become unstoppable,” Rys said.
They fell into a comfortable silence. Fara continued to pump magic into his body through her tails, slowly repairing the damage in his body. He nibbled on the slices of apple she cut up.
They occasionally made small talk, but it ended after a few sentences.
At no point did Fara ever bring up the obvious topic. It seemed she really was playing hard to get.
“I take it I need to bring up what you said in the Labyrinth,” Rys said.
“Oh?”
“You said you love me.”
Fara grimaced. “Not quite. I said I loved the way you make pithy comments.”
Rys stared at her. She refused to meet his eyes.
Eventually, she sighed. Her fingers traced his jawline. He caught them with his hand.
“Is it wrong if I want to take this slow?” Fara asked, her voice barely even a whisper.
“You seem to have made up your mind.” Rys held her hand, tickling her palm.
She giggled and pulled her hand away, then held her hands together. “Maybe. But I’ve known you for weeks, Rys. If this was going to be a casual fling, I’d have fucked you weeks ago. Then I could find out if you’re really this ‘Incubus King’ that the Lilim are giggling about.”
Oh, no. They still called him that after all this time?
“That face suggests you know exactly why they’re calling you that.” Fara raised an eyebrow at him.
He grimaced, but decided to be honest. “I was trained by the Succubus Queen. Sex is another form of power. The succubi are proof of that. They control lust, desire, and love. I made use of what I had been taught, and the succubi adored that side of me. It allowed me to oppose Lacrissa’s attempts to bring me to heel.”
“So the former pet of the Succubus Queen became the Incubus King.” Fara shook her head. “This is exactly why I want to take it slow. You say things like this and I wonder what I’m getting myself into. A little emotional preparation isn’t a mistake, is it?”
“Maybe.” Rys suppressed his desire for Fara and let her choose.
He could take her, and he doubted she’d complain much, but at what cost? Having power meant knowing when to use it. Fara was a willing ally. Rys had no reason to abuse her trust.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Fara laughed and her tails brushed against his side.
He raised a hand, and she nodded. He brushed them and she sighed, her eyes glazing with lust as his fingers ran through her fluffy bundles.
“You’re going to be genuinely dangerous with practice,” she moaned. “See? We can still do fun things, but… This is a big decision. Neither of us are going anywhere. I’m not going to blink and find that you’ve turned into a decrepit old man, and the Rys that I loved only exists in my memories.”
Fara’s fingers brushed his cheeks, and she smiled at him. Sadness tinged that smile. It was a smile that spoke of difficult memories from her past.
“We both have centuries ahead of us. I think we can take a few months before I learn what an ‘Incubus King’ can do in bed.” Fara paused, then tilted her head. “And it’s not like you’re not fucking Maria on the side.”
Rys tried to defend himself, and said, “That hasn’t happened. Maria is—”
“Totally under your thrall,” Fara said. “Even if you aren’t screwing her now, I’m not stupid enough to believe that you’re going to leave her alone. A man who plans to take over the world will only have one woman? The whole ‘Incubus King’ thing?”
Fara crossed her arms and gave him a look that dared him to doubt her.
“And you’re fine with that?” he asked. “Because you seem interested in more than what Maria is.”
“I can define my own relationship with you,” Fara said. “And Maria’s a big girl. Very big. But mystic foxes are polyamorous, even if I’m only interested in you.”
“Is that a cultural or racial thing?” Rys asked, curious.
“Hmm. Hard to say. I suspect both. Younger and weaker foxes tend to flock to older, stronger foxes. And it’s a one-way street. A man has multiple women, or a woman has multiple men.” Fara smirked. “The nine-tailed fox who united the clans and formed the Six-Star Alliance that unites us was infamous for how many men she went through. The Imperial Court had a government agency dedicated to raising men for her, because she went through so many when she stayed at the court.”
“She was in charge for that long?” Rys asked.
“Centuries. She left over a marriage dispute. We’re still monogamous, just with men or women on the side.” Fara shrugged at the questioning look she received. “Taira—that’s the name of the old alliance chief—was supposed to marry Ren, who was a clan head. But she wanted to marry a younger fox that she brought back from Gauron. Instead of marrying either, she vanished.”
“I’m getting some serious Lacrissa vibes from her.”
“Taira was mostly lazy, self-serving, and capricious. Not very devious. I met her when I was young, before she left.”
So an Asa then.
Rys imagined Asa in charge of an entire race and shuddered. Horrific.
“In any case, you don’t need to worry that I’ll chase away any women thirsty for Incubus King cock,” Fara teased.
“Please stop calling me that,” Rys said. The name made him cringe.
Fara laughed. She made no promises.
By the next day, Rys had bounced back. Between his own healing and Fara’s he felt good as new.
Which meant it was time to handle the aftermath.
“Glad everything worked out,” Vallis said when they met in Rys’s study. “I met with traders at Port Mayfield. A representative from one of Tarmouth’s merchant guilds was there. The evidence about Compagnon rigging the artifact trade was pretty damning.”
“Any reaction from Tarmouth?” Rys asked.
“Time will tell, but the representative was pretty angry.” Vallis shrugged. “I didn’t think Tarmouth got involved in local disputes, though. Compagnon must be upsetting some major players. Maybe this traces back to Gauron?”
“Maybe.” Rys drummed his fingers on the table, then checked his knowledge Gift. “Compagnon aren’t big. This might be simpler. Tarmouth control all trade out of the archipelago, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What if they’re worried that Compagnon will try to break their monopoly?” Rys asked.
Vallis groaned. “Great. So should we be helping Tarmouth? I don’t know if we should be getting involved with a trade dispute between major players like this.”
“Like I said before, I’m not refusing an ally.”
“Fair point,” Vallis said. “Maria’s busy with the Kinadain situation. Grigor ended up escorting her and Hanna to the dains, just in case. We can expect a visit from Alsia within a week or so. Until then, I’ll try to hold the fort with Margrim’s help.”
“Keep an eye on the Malus League,” Rys reminded her. “Now that Compagnon is weaker, we might find our neighbor growing more interested.”
Vallis frowned, as if something occurred to her. Then she nodded and left Rys to his personal business.
The week passed uneventfully. Rys began designing his final castle design now that he had inserted an additional slate into the castle size module. He didn’t let construction begin yet, as it would be noticed.
Rys hadn’t shown his full power to people yet. He needed to bide his time. Once Compagnon was dealt with, he could cut loose. But openly reconstructing his manor in a huge display of magic was too much for now.
The sun began to set when the new Kinadain elder finally arrived. Hanna and Alsia arrived with a small retinue of Kinadain hangers-on.
Uninterested in dealing with a bunch of minor issues, Rys left Vallis to greet the group.
In the meantime, Rys waited in a room in the detached building behind the manor. Once ready, Alsia would meet him here. The Lilim had prepared some simple finger foods and wine. Slices of steak, fried pastry puffs, cheeses, and similar foods. Rys busied himself with a report on Compagnon’s gathering military strength.
When Alsia arrived, it was alone. Not even a single bodyguard accompanied her.
The elders had worn expensive silks and jewelry. Hanna dressed like a traveling monk. Barul had been a warrior. No two Kinadain had looked alike. The same went for Alsia.
She dressed like a young spellblade. A dark breastplate over a white shirt, a short pleated skirt, and a thick red robe without a hood. Rys sensed magic within the robe, but otherwise she appeared like any other demihuman. Alsia’s mid-length blonde hair framed her face well, and two draconic horns protruded through it.
Her horns were some of the largest that Rys had seen. Once again, he found himself curious if horn size meant something to demihumans.
Out of all of the people Rys had met since waking up, Alsia was easily the most conventionally beautiful. She could motivate an army to charge a castle without a word.
The real question was, could she motivate an army to charge a castle with words? Leaders needed more than a pretty face.
Alsia bowed as she entered, even bending one knee slightly in the process. Every movement she made was taken with grace and precision. Precious little energy was wasted as she took a seat opposite Rys and poured herself a cup of milk tea.
“Lord Talarys, it is an honor to finally meet you,” Alsia said. Her eyes stared into his.
Rys had seen few people with eyes like hers. And nobody as young as her. She couldn’t be older than twenty, but her eyes were dark with resignation. The weight of the world sat on her shoulders, at least in her mind.
Losing her brother and taking over three dains had been a lot for her. Being forced to serve a strange lord could only be a truly miserable cherry on top.
“Your eyes suggest otherwise,” Rys said. “And Hanna has as well, unless you’re suggesting she’s been lying.”
“She has not,” Alsia said, her tone steady. She sipped her tea, then added sugar. “But I have been, at least to her. I know why my brother died. He confided in me many of his thoughts, including those regarding this estate.”
Rys waited silently. He kept his wits about him, however.
For all he knew, like brother, like sister.
“Most Kinadain believe Castle Aion is a holy place. My brother suggested otherwise. Sages are not taught much of what Slayers are, given we lead the Kinadain, instead of protect them. But he was certain that you were pure evil for occupying this place,” Alsia said.
“Do you agree with him?” Rys asked.
A spark of determination lit within Alsia’s eyes.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I believe few things in life truly matter. What people see and feel is the most important. The elders remained in power because of this. So many terrible secrets are kept from the Kinadain by the Saints. The end result matters, not how it is brought about.”
Dangerous words for a new ruler.
Painful words to hear from somebody so young.
“And what result do you think I’ll bring to your people?” Rys asked. Until she gave him a straight answer, he’d keep asking her more questions.
“I don’t know.”
Rys blinked at the answer he had been given.
“You don’t expect me to accept that, do you?” He smirked at her.
Alsia shrugged. Her expression remained stony. “Maybe. I don’t know you.” She sipped her tea. “But I think that is the problem. Fear of the unknown has guided us for so long. Hanna says we are changing no matter what happens. I agree. If there is one thing I know, it is that we will get the result we believe in.”
“That’s a different tone than everything else you’ve said.” Rys frowned. “You’ve gone from deeply cynical to idealistic suddenly.”
“Because I believe that you’ll treat us however we treat you,” Alsia said. “If we fear you, and act on that fear, then the result will be as bad as many expect. But if I push my people to embrace your ambitions, maybe the change you bring will be less painful than what has been forced on us.”
Rys drummed his fingers on the table as Alsia fell silent.
He’d expected something different to a young girl showing up and saying “I’ll do whatever you want because you’ll probably destroy my people if I don’t.”
Then again, how much of this was because Alsia felt she was required to serve Talarys due to the contract?
“Be truthful,” Rys said. “How much of what you just said is an attempt to satisfy me? Your brother is the reason you’re here.”
“None.” Alsia met Rys’s eyes again, and finally broke her stony face with a small, sharp smile. “I’ve listened to everything that others tell me about you. My brother; Hanna; Lady Maria; even your Captain Grigor. You are so many different things to different people.”
Obviously not all good things, if Barul was part of it.
“To my brother, you were a corrupting evil. To Hanna, you are an improvement on the elders but a dangerous one. To Lady Maria, you are…” Alsia’s smile twisted. “Dominating? I am not sure. And Captain Grigor’s respect for you exudes from his every muscle.”
“And what does that mean to you?” Rys asked. “Or at all?”
“That I don’t know a thing about you. Few do. And if you can be something different for each person, perhaps you can be something special for me.” Alsia sighed. “In the end, I kept everything a secret. The duel; why the elders stepped down; and you.”
“I assume you have a good cover story if that’s the case. A lot of people know that the elders have been working with Compagnon.”
“Yes. That is why it was so easy,” Alsia said, voice cold. “My brother died because he confronted the elders over their betrayal. Even more proof of their complicity with Compagnon was discovered in their homes. The dains collectively judged them for their crimes.”
Rys hadn’t heard a word of this. “And what happens to them now?”
“Initially, we intended to exile them. But one attempted to escape and was killed. Then other elders were implicated.” Alsia frowned. “Slayers from Dalyros operating with the authority of the Circle of Brethren will remove the elders for judgment. Additional Sages have been appointed in the remaining dains to replace the corrupt elders.”
“So, a complete overthrow of power took place this week,” Rys said.
It finally seemed like a suitable time to pour the wine, so he did so. Alsia stared at the glass he poured for her, but he nudged it closer to her.
“It was the only way forward,” Alsia said, voice still steady as rock. “The old elders have no place in the future. And the truth would only hurt more.”
Her eyes bore into Rys’s. “That is why I am here to serve you, Lord Talarys. Not because of a contract. But because my actions only hold meaning so long as you uphold my lie and I maintain your support. I suggest that we negotiate what my service under you will look like.”