Demon Lord 5: Silver Crown King (35 page)

“Give us the stone-heart,” the leader demanded.  “We did as you asked.”

“Sure.”  I offered him my evil smile, and then used
Dragon Stomp
to shatter the stone into a drizzle of pebbles.  The loud
thump
was followed by a shaft of light from the fallen stones, a beam that shot into space and thinned to nothing.  I said, “Help yourself.”

Gloria and her sword returned to my side.

The storm fey collapsed to their knees like puppets with slashed strings.  Their faces were white with shock.  Their eyes wide with disbelief.  The fey who’d been silent all this time screamed, “Why?  We kept our part of the deal.”

“I said I’d give it back, and I have.  I didn’t say it would be in one piece.  You see, I need to send a message.  You guys have pulled children into adult battles, you were also the first to go after an enemy heart-stone.  Children are off limits.  The land-ties are off limits.  If not, I will see to it that I have the only surviving tie, the only kingdom.  The rest of Fairy will be sent to hell.”  I nodded at Izumi and she opened a portal to take us home.  I finished what I needed to say.  “The fey will live with me in the peace of good will, or the peace of the grave.  Make your choice.”

I guided the children into the portal.  Gloria and Kinsey came next.  Izumi followed.  The way behind us closed.  The way ahead opened.  We returned to my mansion in Malibu, to my office-bar. Trembling, Teramantha clung to my waist.  Julia spotted the pizza boxes on the bar and went to investigate.  Meanwhile, Kinsey scowled at Gloria.  My cousin waved a finger in Gloria’s face, oblivious to the danger.

In a surprised voice, Gloria said, “I don’t see what the problem is.”

Kinsey shouted, “You picked me up and threw me!”

“Well, of course!  That was the plan after all.”

“Whose plan?” Kinsey demanded.

“Mine,” I said.  “Oh, did I forget to tell you that part?”

Kinsey swung toward me, her hand on her sword hilt.  “You bastard half-breed son of a bitch!”

“Comments like that is why,” I said.

Teramantha lifted her face to see me.  Her tear-streaked face was red and puffy.  She croaked her words.  “Thank you.”

I loosened her death grip on me and sank on one knee see we could see eye to eye.  “You can thank me by growing up to be a beautiful young woman,” I said.  “I don’t fuck ugly.

THIRTY-SEVEN

“Has anyone ever told you

  you’d make a beautiful corpse?”

                                                   —Caine Deathwalker

This was my weekend back in Fairy, and I was out for a walk as the sun settled, and twilight approached, bringing cool winds.  The Treehouse mansion with its surrounding garden was back in the central plains of my land, surrounded by endless fields of golden grain.  At a respectful distance from my home, a dozen cottages had sprung up.  It seems a number of my new subjects preferred this area over the mountain valley with its keep—and assorted were-critter tourists.  The settlers had returned to their old homelands rather covertly to gather their immediate families and had brought them here.

Note to self: with all this grain, look into bread and beer production.  Check with the dwarves.  They know a thing or two about brewing.  It will give me something to trade to the other fey realms.  Maybe I can start my own label.  Howling Demon Beer!  Buy it or else.

I’d made an adjustment to the terrain, pulling a new river down from the mountains, over to the growing village so they’d have water to drink.  I also grew a small forest behind the village so there was a local supply of timber for construction.  In the foot hills, at the edge of the plains, I’d pulled up deep veins of golden marble.  This area reminded me so much of Kansas, I was determined to put in a yellow brick road for the main street of my growing city.

Note to self: get some masons to quarry and cut marble blocks.  We can also put in a water wheel to mill the grain and get electricity at the same time.  Also, we’re going to need a good Inn for the visiting fey that will be coming on diplomatic missions.  So damn much to do, so little time.  I’ve gotta look into getting a personal assistant.  Speaking of diplomats…

I spied a small wagon train approaching, following the river to my little community.  There were guards in plum-colored cloaks, wearing silver chainmail underneath accompanying the wagons.  One of the outriders carried a pole with a standard attached.  The flag was a mishmash of clashing colors: red, purple, green, and orange with a black eye in the middle. 

Unless I miss my guess, these are Nightmare Court fey.  It will be interesting to see what they want.

The wagons passed the village and crossed the stone and wood bridge over the river.  I’d paid for that myself, importing dwarf labor.  The locals had little by way of professional carpenters.  I noticed that a solitary cottage on my side of the river was building a barn.  They had a number of brown and white cows.  I wondered if the brown cows gave chocolate milk.  It didn’t work that way on Earth, but this was Fairy, so maybe…

I stopped and pulled up a granite outcropping from under the soil, fashioning an impromptu throne.  I bracketed it with apple trees that quickly went from saplings to mature trees, providing me shade as I sat down.  There was a shadow in the air that landed and solidified into Leona, my spirit leopard.  “Visitors?” she said.  “Can I eat them?”

“We’ll see.  Do me a favor and don’t speak in front of them.  If they assume you’re some kind of pet, they may say something in front of you in an unguarded moment.”

“Ah!  You want me to spy on them.”

“Who better?” I asked.

“I can do that, but you’re going to owe me.”

“How many bottles of blood?”

Leona stretched out beside my throne, half lidding her yellow eyes to appear sleepy.  “Six to start with.”

“Fine.”

The wagons reached us, rolling to a stop thirty feet away.  Most of the riders stopped with the gypsy-style wagons, but two came on: the rider with the flagpole and another rider in full plate armor, mounted on a monstrous gray horse the size of a Clydesdale.  The armored knight lifted a visor and turned out to be a female fey.  Her hair was black, her face fair, and her eyes were the color of amethyst.  This close up, I could see that her breast plate had breasts.  She wasn’t trying to pass as a male. 

The two riders reined in and slid out of the saddles.  They dropped the reins.  Apparently, their mounts were trained not to wander off.  The rider with the flag gave off an aura of competence and experience—and boredom.  He leaned on the flagpole and watched me without speaking.  The woman came closer, but not too close.  The leopard seemed to make her nervous.

She put a fist over her armored heart and bowed to show respect.  Straightening, she said, “I am Ursela, first daughter to the royal family of the Nightmare Court.  Do I have the honor of speaking to Caine Deathwalker whom some call the Red Moon Demon, the Golden Dragon, and the Great Slayer of the fey?”

Great Slayer of the fey?  That’s a new one.

I nodded.  “You have that pleasure.  What brings you to my home?”

“I come at my mother’s bidding to speak on matters of state.  I bring gifts of tribute, and offers of alliance as well as trade.  We are willing to recognize your claim to this land.” She made it sound like she was doing me a favor with that last one. 

“I thought you might be lost.  I normally don’t conduct such business here.  I have a mountain keep for that, and a queen who handles many of those details for me while I plot who else I’m going to destroy.”

Her face reddened with anger.  “We regret barraging into your plotting, but if you will indulge us…”

I sighed.  “Fine.  You can camp here outside my garden wall.  You can barter with the villagers for any supplies you might need.  I will provide rooms for the two of you in the tree.”

“The tree?” She studied the apple trees, clearly confused.

“The great tree.  Look over my wall.”

Her stare went to the monster tree that held my lofty mansion in its massive branches.  Her face mirrored astonishment.  “Oh, I see.”

“Be careful with the gate going in.  It’s iron.  I wouldn’t want you to burn your fingers.  Again.”  I was jerking her chain, subtly referencing the many dead soldiers her court had killed by send them against me.”

She clenched her teeth.  The muscles at the hinges of her jaw knotted, but she quickly cleared the anger from face, remembering she was supposed to be a diplomat.  I wondered if she’d had any real training for this.  I don’t think the people of the Nightmare Court get out much, unless they’re waging war or something; I remembered Izumi had said something along those lines.

Ursela glanced to her companion.  “Tell the others to set up camp, and have my …
my sisters
… join me here.”

Odd, that delay over the family description
.  “You have sisters?” I asked.

“Four of them, yes.”

Was that an equivocation?
  “And you’ve brought them with you to meet me? I’m thrilled.” 
But still not convinced
. 

I watched four fey maidens in filmy silk vails approach.  They had the look of expensive whores; beauty aware of its own power, moving with seductive grace I didn’t trust.  They stopped behind Ursela, submissive to her authority.  They bowed with respect, taking a lot of time so I couldn’t fail to notice their fine cleavage.  Ursela gestured to each in turn, naming them: “This is Rosette, Thorn, Mari, and Sharra.”

I nodded, shifting my glance back to Ursela. 
One more test
.  “What are their birthdays?”

She stared at me.  “You want to know their birthdays?”

If they’re really your sisters, you’d know that.  Woman obsess over family birthdays, as if they are somehow important
.

The standard bearer—who had yet to be introduced to me—spoke up for the first time.  “She doesn’t know.  They are new to the family, recently adopted.”

“And their previous occupations?” I asked.

She muttered.

I heard what she said, but I wanted it repeated, louder.  “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“They are court concubines, having belonged to my father before his death.”

“Basically whores,” I said.

Several of the “sisters” reddened with embarrassment.  One remained serene.  The fourth looked like she wanted to rip my heart out and eat it raw.  I waved them away. 

They fled.

I pinned Ursela with a stern look.  “And you were going to offer one or all of them to me to tie our kingdoms together?”

Ursela sighed, not quite meeting my eyes.  “Yes.  It wasn’t my idea.”

“Your mother’s?” I asked.

“I am her only natural-born child.  She is very fond of me.  She didn’t want to lose me.”

“So you come in her name, wanting an alliance, offering deception?  Well, you are fey.  I suppose it’s to be expected.  Got any more tricks up your sleeve?”

She looked me in the eyes again, striving for sincerity.  “I … I can only apologize, my Lord.”

Oddly, I believed her, about that.

I pointed at the grizzled soldier by her side.  “And who is he, really.”

“My father,” she said.

“Your dead father?” I asked.

“My new father.  That is to say, he is a lord of my mother’s kingdom who is betrothed to her.”

“And he was sent along to make sure you don’t screw up?” I said.

He smiled at me, eyes flashing fire.  “My advice is respected.”

I smiled back.  “Really?  And did you advice for or against the campaign in the mountains?”

“I advised my queen to go to war to keep demon-kind out of Fairy.”

“You got a lot of people killed and achieved nothing.  Great advice, dumb-ass.”  I pushed myself off the throne.  “We’ll speak later.  For now, you are my guests, and under my protection.  Don’t do anything to make me regret my patience.”  I walked away, heading for the garden gate.  Leona would catch up later and tell me if they said anything interesting in my absence. 

I think I understood why they’d come to me alone, and not to the mountain keep.  Trying to bribe me with whores would have totally ticked Izumi off.  Especially since the whores are lovely.  If I had acted like a hormone-driven fool, and snatched up the “sister”, no questions asked, it could have driven a wedge between me and Izumi.  The Nightmare Court probably knew about Izumi’s mom attempting to poison me.  They may have hoped to widen an already existing rift.  They couldn’t know that Izumi would rather kill her own mom than betray me.  After all, they see me as a demon outlander crapping on their perfect little world.

The games are just going to get deeper, here on out.

Oddly, I looked forward to that.  If I were to claim any one of these girls, it would be

Ursela.  She wasn’t skilled at lying, and taking her would certainly piss off her mother, who needed to be taught a lesson.  I wondered what Ursela would look like out of her armor, and in my bed.  Entering my private garden, I smiled to myself. 

I just might have to find out.

*      *      *

The sky was amber with sea-foam green clouds.  Two pink suns struggling to rise above black, saw-toothed mountains.  Winged lizards glided just above the morning fog that blurred the lower forest.

I stood on a tree limb the size of an eighteen wheeler, in a tree that soared a thousand feet.  Many such trees stood behind me.  I studied a clearing in a valley, in a nameless land, in a hell dimension few demons or dragons knew of. 

The Red Lady had brought me here.  She stood behind me, veiled in red of course, her breasts pressed against my back as she hugged me with unrelenting obsession.  Her arms circled my waist like steel bands.

Below, a pool of mucus-looking goo seethed.  The primordial ooze bubbled, stirred by inexplicable currents.  Sections were the color of frosty milk chocolate.  Other splotches were puce, or reddish purple.  And there were blue and green bubbles the size of house.

“They are houses,” Selene said.  “This is a village of slimes.  They’ll be active soon, emerging from the mucus, separating from it to take on the forms of other living things so they can get close enough to eat them.”

“The slimes are intelligent?” I asked.  “They have souls?”

“Barely.  Mostly, they are driven by hunger and passions that many-celled lifeforms like us would find difficult to fathom.  Your sword will not enjoy feasting here.  In fact, it would be the equivalent to a human surviving on a diet of cold grease flavored with snot.”

I unleashed my evil grin.  “Perfect.  This will teach my sword to abandon me in the heat of battle, the cowardly pussy.”