Heretic spellblade 6, p.33
Heretic Spellblade 6, page 33
“Her Holiness,” Haverman corrected.
“I’ll allow Ester to call me by name, as she is trusted by Nathan,” Fyre said.
Haverman and the inquisitors bowed to Fyre obsequiously.
Reine finally spoke up again, “The terrible news is that the Inquisition is forming a defensive line just beyond the reach of the cascade. That is luring away most military forces from Soreaux and the surrounding area. Many Bastions that can aid us aren’t certain whether they should suppress demons in eastern Trafaumh or fight off Falmir in the west.”
“So, they know Falmir is coming,” Nathan said.
“Some do.” Rosewald ran a hand over the southern fortresses. “I avoided telling most the truth. In their current state, more bad news would only harm them more.”
“I did the same,” Fyre said. “They need faith, not reality.”
Jafeila’s words from Nathan’s old world slapped him in the face. He nodded grimly.
“I understand. We stand on the edge of an abyss. I can’t even imagine how we’d handle this if you weren’t the shining light in this darkness,” he said.
Fyre’s cheeks lit up and she looked away. Yet most agreed with Nathan. Even his own Champions.
Hell, even Sunstorm nodded. She might have strongly disliked Fyre in the past, but that had faded at some point. Or perhaps Fyre’s willingness to be honest to Nathan had tempered her feelings.
“What are the green tokens?” Nathan asked.
“The private armies of nobles,” Rosewald said. “By the time we arrived at many fortresses, the invasions were over. So I took the time to visit other nobles. Not all are what I’d consider friends, but in war, everyone stands together. Falmir’s claws haven’t dug deep enough and few want to see their holdings destroyed by demons or handed over to ‘more loyal’ nobles that help Charlotte conquer Trafaumh.”
So this would be where their armies would come from.
Nathan remained silent as Reine and Rosewald ran through more details, including rough estimations of how long it might take to suppress the breach and the soldiers the nobles had pledged.
More nobles still needed to be visited over the coming days. These armies would take time to assemble. Weeks, even. Most of them lacked much experience in mustering. At best they might assemble their best fighters in a few days.
“We’ll leave the nobles to deal with Falmir and the breach,” Nathan declared. “Soreaux is the real worry.”
“We can march on it tomorrow if you want,” Fei chirped.
“No,” Seraph said.
Raised eyebrows all around. Given the festivities, Nathan had expected that everyone knew his position.
Or perhaps they assumed he wouldn’t rush matters but still wanted to move fast. Hard to say.
Nathan nodded, but gestured for Seraph to take the lead.
“We’re exhausted,” she said. “All of our knights have been fighting for 24 hours now. Sure, we have experience doing this in the past, but we’re lagging.”
“I’ve pulled a few all-nighters,” Sunstorm said.
“And then fought a Messenger?”
No response.
“Reine, is Soreaux burning down?” Nathan asked.
The wolfgirl shook her head. “Protests started today, but violence has been kept to a minimum. I expect things to worsen overnight. We won’t know how the Inquisition will respond until then. For now, most of their soldiers remain holed up inside the citadel.”
Nathan wondered if Baudelaire was trying to wait out the storm. If the cascade ended, she could potentially restore order without brutally slaughtering everyone.
Unfortunately, he doubted Falmir would allow that to happen. Every day that passed was one that Gareth and Beatrice might use to undermine the Inquisition and potentially try to breach the citadel with armed rioters and agents. Then Charlotte could teleport there with her own army and claim the city.
“Keep a close eye on things,” he said. “We do need to rest. More than that, we need to gather more soldiers. I rushed here with only our elite knights, because we’re fighting demons. But who knows what might happen when we enter Soreaux. Falmir is active there and will have entire rebel cells. A thousand knights isn’t enough to handle mass riots, let alone an army.”
He left the elephant in the room alone.
What if they had to crush the Inquisition itself? Haverman believed in Fyre. But for that to hold true, Fyre needed a good reason to overthrow Baudelaire. So far, the old hag was playing her cards close to her chest.
Another hour passed as he began issuing orders and assessing how many soldiers they might need to call upon. Rosewald was one of the only nobles who could reasonably assist him, mostly for political reasons. When they broke up, she handed him a note that contained some scribbles with other noble names and numbers on them.
Sympathizers among her political faction, he realized. Plus their militaries. She’d evidently been busy with Tarako.
Nathan wondered if the real reason the old fox was with Narime was out of annoyance for being caught up in Rosewald’s political schemes. He might need to fluff her tails in apology.
And, surely, he had no ulterior motive in getting his hands on Tarako’s tails. There wasn’t an entire series of books about Tarako and a Bastion that involved copious amounts of tail care. Not at all.
They broke up afterward. Some of his Champions remained behind to assist with arrangements.
After reminding everyone that they’d have days to sort everything out and the worst had passed, so they needed to get rest, Nathan left. If he loomed over them at all times, they’d never have the confidence to do things themselves.
So far, he’d succeeded by allowing them to do things themselves. While he’d made some missteps while responding to the cascades, things had worked out. Much of that was his ability to rely on his Champions. They knew how to take command and make decisions on his behalf. Now wasn’t the time to mess things up.
Once outside, he looked around for Nurevia. No sign of her.
He took a step toward where he sensed her.
“Um, Bastion Nathan, do you have a minute?” Ester asked from behind him.
Turning, he saw Ciana and Fyre standing in front of Ester. His other Champions left them be. He hadn’t realized he was being followed by more than Ciana.
“Of course,” he said. Taking in Ester’s nervous disposition, he had a hunch what this was about. “Why don’t we walk and talk?”
Gesturing toward where he had intended to go between the many tents, Nathan waited for Ester to agree. She nodded repeatedly like a puppy before trotting past Ciana and Fyre.
Silence descended as their feet crunched on the dirt. A minute passed like this.
Eventually, Ester said, “I thought this would take longer. And that I’d be more help.”
“There’s always more to do,” he said. “There’ll be demons around the breach for weeks. Soreaux is a tinderbox, just waiting for somebody to light it up. We might have missed something and a new breach might erupt. And Falmir will eventually move on us once they consolidate.”
“But that’s weeks away, right?” She sighed. “I got what I wanted. To see what things were like under you, rather than Deverese.”
“And?”
“You’re everything I dreamed of. There’s a passion and drive in everything you do and say that I’ve tried to hold on to.” Her voice filled with stars as she spoke and stared up into the night sky. “I thought Deverese held that spark. Maybe he did, but he lost it. You haven’t. But I feel so insignificant here. Sure, I helped your knights against the demons, but you have trigems. Fei vaporized armies. Narime coated the forest with her sorcery. Sen torched everything around her.”
“Last I checked, Sen’s not a trigem.”
Ester giggled. “True. That just makes me feel…”
They continued walking, wordlessly.
No sign of Nurevia. They’d passed where she should be, which meant Nathan needed to poke his head into a tent later.
For now, he focused on the conversation and directed Ester around a corner so they didn’t get too close to the edge of the camp.
“Every Champion is important. Do you really think Deverese could have held the portal without you?” he asked Ester.
She shook her head. “Of course not. But that’s Deverese. He needs me. Which is the problem. I wanted to defend my people, when he wouldn’t. But I’m not sure I can do much more now to justify abandoning my Bastion. He’ll surely be returning to Soreaux and if it’s in so much danger…”
So this was exactly what he’d expected. Nathan stopped, and Ester responded instantly. She turned to face him and looked up at him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I feel like I—”
“Sorry for what?” he asked. “You said it yourself. A Champion’s duties are to the goddess, their country, then their Bastion.”
Well, that’s how she was taught. Nathan knew that most of his Champions would staunchly side with him over anything else. Which was a can of worms he chose to ignore.
“I know. That’s why it’s frustrating. I need to return to Deverese, because Soreaux is where I’ll be needed most and he’ll be with Inquisitor Baudelaire. But I just wish…” Ester played with one of her pigtails. “I hated you when you first showed up and brushed me aside like nothing. Like I was a silly little girl. But the passion in your eyes and voice, and the power you used to battle Baudelaire herself… I can’t forget. Ysabelle talks about Omria and voices all the time. But I can see why Fyre chose you.”
Nathan blinked. This conversation was taking an unexpected turn.
“Trafaumh is my home. And Deverese remains my Bastion. But… I hate saying this.” Her voice dropped almost to a mutter as she looked at her feet. “I wish he was like you.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Composed, driven, passionate in the right way, caring, and focused on what matters. Baudelaire is terrifying and an expert in needling people, but you handle her like a pro.” Ester gulped, then sighed. “But, as I said, Trafaumh is my home and I serve the Inquisition. It’s time for me to go home and do my duty.”
“I understand. Remember that we’re on the same side and that we want to accomplish the same thing. To protect Doumahr.” Nathan reached out and placed a hand on Ester’s shoulder.
She gripped his hand with one of her own and smiled at him. “I know. Whatever happens… I’ll remember where my true loyalties lie. But for now, I’ll see you in Soreaux, Nathan.”
Then she reached up and landed a peck on his cheek. Without another word, she turned and darted away.
Ester had run the wrong way. After a minute, she rushed back with a red face while refusing to look at him. Nathan watched as she ran past.
Ciana and Fyre looked at him with expressionless faces.
“What?” he asked them.
“I am considering the definition of irony,” Ciana said.
Fyre rolled her eyes. “I’m not that classy. But I can’t believe she left.”
Deciphering their words took effort Nathan didn’t care to apply. Especially as Ester had done something similar in his world. Back when she’d confessed her crush on Deverese, she’d landed a similarly chaste kiss on his cheek afterward. Her frustrations with him had been different, but somehow similar.
With more years under his belt, Nathan recognized the crush Ester had on him. He wondered if he’d missed signs in his old world.
For now, he needed to find Nurevia. He worried about her.
She lay on a bedroll in an otherwise empty tent. Once he found her, Nathan chased away Fyre and Ciana. Rather than leave, they chose to stand guard out the front. So he placed some wards on the tent. For what little good it might do given they could eavesdrop on him using the mental links.
“Tired?” he asked Nurevia.
“Mrrm,” she mumbled, turning over to face him. “Why are you here?”
“You’re my Champion and have gone missing. I wanted to make sure nothing happened.”
“Oh. You keep doing that. Even back in Straub…” Nurevia bit her lip.
Her hands ran along her dark skin. She wore so little that Nathan didn’t need to imagine much, as her abundant cleavage spilled out across her chest as she fondled them for his viewing pleasure.
“Don’t you want to make use of your living body pillow?” she murmured, eyes fixed on his crotch.
The use of the Twins’ insult reminded him of exactly what the problem might be.
“Are you sure? I figured your third gem might help, but…” He narrowed his eyes.
“Help with what? The fact I’m just a replacement for the real Nurevia?”
“No.” He kneeled next to her. “You’re the only Nurevia for me. The real one.”
“But there’s an infinite number of me. If I annoy you, those succubi can just replace me. Hell, you can just twist my mind up like you did Tharban.” Her purple eyes locked onto his, even as her hands began to undo his pants. “Why haven’t you? I know that you hate the things I make you do. You’re a softie in bed. Hell, Ciana’s told me that you like her to act a bit rough and insult you.”
He choked back a laugh at the idea that he might be a “sub” in Nurevia’s mind. Given the way he often treated the succubi in bed, that wasn’t really true.
Her fingers pawed at his pants, but he caught them. Her eyes looked at him. Hurt lingered in them.
“Don’t you want me?” she whispered.
“You know that I do. Or have you forgotten the hundred times I’ve rammed your body into my bed while you scream in pleasure,” Nathan said.
“Then why won’t you just enjoy me now? As the useful toy I am?” She bit her lip. “Isn’t that all I’m good for? I became a Champion in the Spires, but found it almost boring. Ran off and fell under Tharban’s spell, even if I knew he was a monster, I could do all these things I couldn’t in the Spires. Then I thought I’d finally found something new.”
“Me,” Nathan said. “Well, you did.”
Nurevia blinked at him, then a choking laugh crept out of her. She flopped back on her bedroll.
“I guess I did. Just not what I thought I found.” Her eyes locked onto his. “I expected the story of a young noble running off and becoming a buff, furious lad hellbent on vengeance, who slapped me around with his cock and claimed Tharban’s Champions in front of him, right before you executed him.”
“That’s quite the story,” Nathan said drily.
He stepped to the side and leaned against one of the posts holding the tent up. Nurevia had stopped trying to pull his dick out, so he allowed himself to relax.
“It excited me. The Spires had bored me because it was all about duty, full of soldiers unwilling to touch a Champion who might shatter their pelvis in bed, and my Bastion barely gave a shit about me.” Nurevia sneered. “Tharban was exciting too, at first. Then I realized I’d become as much a monster as he was. I won’t lie. I enjoy killing. There’s a thrill to blowing apart hundreds of demons from a distance, or getting up close and personal with an enemy Champion, only to slice their throat open.”
Not a word escaped Nathan. He’d heard elements of this before from his old Nurevia. Sunstorm sometimes said similar things. These two had always been peas in a pod in his old days.
But just as Sunstorm had softened, reducing her lust for violence to a light fetish as she drowned in her love for Nathan, it seemed even Nurevia had changed.
Her tone didn’t match the memories Nathan had. When he’d been a young idiot dealing with the old Nurevia, her voice had been cold as she told him what a monster she was.
After all, the old Nurevia wanted him to hurt her. She had wanted to turn him from the soft, dumb hero type into a cold bastard like Tharban and had used her own past and proclivities to convince him.
But Nathan’s Nurevia—the one in front of him—didn’t need to change him. He gave her what she wanted. Her tone was instead wistful and regretful. That of a dark elf looking back on a life she felt had been wasted.
“Tharban wanted more than just killing,” Nurevia continued. “And eventually his deep hatred for everything non-human became too much. I loathed his touch. That’s why I focused on you… or the old you. Or whatever. Fuck, it’s so confusing.” She covered her face with her hands.
“I’m still the same Nathan. Same memories,” he said softly.
“Yes, but I know that soft little shit would never have become this,” she said. “Could never have tied me up in the Spires and ruined me with your fat cock. Then pushed my head into the bed and made me see stars. It’s so stupid, but you made me yours then. Mind, body, and soul. And knowing that I’m just a replacement for another—”
“Enough,” he rumbled, voice echoing across the tent.
Her body trembled. Then her fingers shot into the hot pants and she began to pleasure herself, eyes glazing over as she stared up at him.
“Nathan,” she moaned.
He sighed. “You’re still you, Nurevia. Full of lust, wrapped up in your desire to be dominated, hot as hell, and the first dark elf I fell in love with.”
“In another world.” Her fingers stopped moving and he swore he saw tears in the corners of her eyes.
“Yes, but also in this one.” He stepped over to her. “I loved the old Nurevia, who died defending me and Doumahr, and loved me in her own way. She wanted to make me stronger, just as you did to Nathan von Straub. And the Nathan you knew and abused loved you as well.”
“He… he did. You did?” she gasped out, rising from where she lay.
“Yes. The things I do to you?” He kneeled and placed a hand against her cheek. “He dreamed of doing them as well.”
Her fingers slid along his pants. This time, he didn’t resist. His cock popped out, already hard from watching her finger herself. The dark elf shifted and kneeled in front of him, her shapely ass sticking up. Her breath washed over his length.
“What about you?” Nurevia asked, eyes looking up at his face. “I could be anything you want me to be. You’ve made me your trigem. Become greater than anything I ever imagined, and greater even than any Bastion in history. You’re not the Nathan that walked away from me all those years ago, but you’re the Nathan who’s been reshaping me. So shouldn’t you finish the job? Use this huge cock and all that power of yours to make me the Nurevia of your dreams.”
