Heretic spellblade 8, p.65
Heretic Spellblade 8, page 65
The final reason the bathhouse was interesting to visit was the proprietor.
“I’m here to see Shiva,” Nathan said. “Is she in a bath?”
The attendant pouted, clearly unhappy she wasn’t on his menu this afternoon. “The Emperor’s hot spring, Your Majesty.”
He didn’t bother correcting her term of address. A number of the Royal Knights began referring to him as their king once they left service and didn’t have to adhere to the rules anymore.
Nathan wandered into the building. It was far larger on the inside than the outside, thanks to Shiva’s magic. Kadria had helped her as well.
To his surprise, he found the succubus in question lurking in the hot spring with Shiva. Both women sat on opposite sides of the colossal bath, which was easily the size of a house. Steam built up above them where magic conjured the image of open air.
“Oh, Nathan, come in,” Shiva said, waving him over.
“I’m not interrupting anything?” he asked.
“Hardly,” Kadria said. She stretched a long, naked leg in the air. “It’s nice to relax. This is what I wanted, after all. A world to ourselves, free of invasion. Free of wastelands.”
Nathan nodded. He didn’t see Kadria as often these days.
Their deal had been simple: she brought him back, and they’d create a world that wasn’t a ruined wasteland. Now they’d succeeded, little held them together. She enjoyed wandering and exploring Doumahr, rather than being cooped up in the palace or focusing on destroying things.
Actually, he told a lie. Kadria did have something holding her to him. Whenever she got horny, she came back for a few weeks. When she’d come back after his return from Arcadia, she’d practically lived in his bedroom for a week. He even hung her from the wall to keep her out of the way between sessions, as she could be very slothful when all she wanted to do was fuck.
“I’m busy tonight,” he told the succubus, and her eyes flared with light. “Sen, Vala, and Sunstorm have me pinned, and I’m not skipping.”
Kadria pursed her lips. “Oh. It’s toy play. I’ll pass, although I might watch. Your little sorceress might eventually take your full-size cock up her ass if she keeps at it.”
“Wait, toy play?” Shiva interrupted. “You mean anal toys, right? Can I join?”
“Nobody is fluffy,” he warned.
She bit her lip. “Not even tail plugs?”
“Not tonight.”
Shiva wavered, then shrugged. “Eh, I’m bored. If they’ll have me, I’ll join in. Choe’s cool, and that one time with Sen and her fluffy plugs was great, so I can play along.”
Nathan stripped and sloshed into the hot spring, then settled next to the fox-wolf Messenger. She pressed against him happily, humming.
“I didn’t think you’d stay this long,” he admitted. “Let alone build a business.”
“Neither did I,” she admitted. “But there are more foxes than I thought, and your beastkin are fluffy. I can spare a few decades. Or a century. Indulging in nothing but a life of relaxation, good food and booze, plus sex is where it’s at. This is the shit. And I’m sure somebody will do something dumb and I can go carve some morons up and act cool.”
“Just don’t annoy Reine and you can keep playing at being an agent,” he said.
Much like Seraph busied herself with administration, Shiva found her calling as one of Reine’s agents. She apparently found sneaking around and gathering intel fun. It probably helped that she possessed illusions and could teleport, so she entertained herself on slow jobs.
The rest of the time, she loitered in her bathhouse or badgered him for sex. Shiva was low maintenance.
She flipped a leg over him and straddled him with a grin. “Say, how about we get started on tonight’s fun now? You didn’t come here just to say hello, did you?”
He sure as hell hadn’t.
Once back in the palace, he dodged any wandering noble. The Diet wasn’t in session, but he never knew which nobles might be around.
He failed this time, but it wasn’t troubling.
“What are you sneaking around the great hall for, dear?” Anna asked as she wrapped an arm around his. “I’ve been waiting for you to get back since Gareth said you left, and now you try to avoid me.”
Nathan met Torneus’s gaze and raised an eyebrow.
“It’s about the new beastkin nation,” Torneus said. “The Amican dukes have a keen interest in it, because it will become a major trading partner eventually and sap resources until then.”
The rest of the afternoon flew past as they hammered out details, including what Nathan knew of this new nation. Anna wasn’t here to argue, but to gather as much knowledge as she could from both Nathan and Torneus, so she could help Alice and deal with the Amican dukes.
Once finished, she flounced backward in her chair. Servants brought out cake and coffee, although Torneus only accepted the coffee.
“Don’t tell Alice I said this, but I feel like I’m the second Empress,” Anna said, staring up at the ceiling. “Amica is basically my half of the Empire these days, and I don’t even rule it.”
“Being an archduchess means possessing immense influence,” Torneus said. “Each archduchy is effectively a nation unto themselves. Your situation is compounded by the fact several independent duchies then use you as a buffer and liaison between themselves and the rest of the Empire.”
“And it’s tiring.” Anna flailed her arms. “Nathan has less work than ever, other than traveling around and knocking up half the Imperial Army—”
Nathan snorted into his coffee, then grabbed a napkin to clean himself up.
Unfazed, Anna kept speaking, “but the work has grown for me and Alice. Shouldn’t less war mean less work?”
“Hardly. If anything, the lack of immediate threats means there is more time for politicking and disagreement. Hence the Diet’s lack of unity,” Torneus said. “Be worried when the Diet begins to unite and factionalize again, because it means somebody has found a common cause to drive a wedge between everyone with.”
Anna nodded. “Fair. But it’s still annoying. I wanted to worry about estate planning, but I’m still nation building.”
“Well—” Torneus began to say.
“I hate to be the one to interrupt, but why not just delegate it,” Nathan said.
Anna frowned at him. “I am.”
“Obviously not well enough,” he said. “Alice is giving more work to Kara, Narime, and Seraph. And while Kara will be stepping back from her duties shortly to focus on her child—”
“Your child,” Torneus corrected.
Nathan inclined his head. “Even with that, Alice still gets others to handle her work. She’s giving you so much to do because she expects you to palm it off in turn. Not just to Torneus, but to others. Develop trusted advisors, like Kuda, or tell the dukes to start handling their own nonsense. Maybe even start leaning on the same people. Seraph could easily double her workload, and Narime spends half her time brushing her own tails.”
“I asked Narime for help and she glared at me until I left,” Anna muttered.
“Work with Seraph to get Narime to help,” Nathan said.
He wasn’t offering himself as a sacrifice to make Narime get off her massive ass.
“You’re right, though.” Anna sighed. “If I don’t do this now, there’ll never be time to start cleaning things up at home and make time for our children. I haven’t even spoken to you about them or my plans. I have them, just so you know.”
“I’ve gathered.” He reached across the table and brushed her cheek. “Take your time, Anna. Alice is.”
“I know.” She smiled back, then rose and gave him a kiss. “I’ll leave you boys to chat.”
Once she left, Torneus sipped his coffee while staring up at a painting of the founding of Aleich. It was one of the paintings Nathan had modified Omria’s features to those of Fyre’s.
“You took my advice,” Torneus said.
“Children? Kind of.” Nathan swirled his drink. “You said you regretted not having them, because you always made time for something else. I… did the same thing. It’s pure fortune I managed to crush my enemies and find the time.”
“Really? Because I crushed my enemies too. But there was always something else on the horizon to distract me. A new objective, new aspiration.” Torneus smiled bitterly. “That’s why you’re being smart. You’ll find your drive again one day and do something great again. It’s in your nature. But your willingness to step back and enjoy life, and raise a family… or many families, given the rumors I’ve heard about the town of Kuste, is commendable. You won’t regret it.”
If the rumors about the amount of pregnant beastkin in Kuste were to be believed, Nathan might regret it. He still had a lot of Royal Knights, too.
Torneus raised his cup in salute. “I expected the night in Tartus to be the last time I saw you and hoped to see you off to a bright future. You aren’t my son, but I can be proud of you all the same.”
If there was any man Nathan had misjudged in his old world, it had been this old man. He thought he had known everything with his knowledge of the future, but Nathan had quickly learned he knew next to nothing.
Later that night, he lay in bed with Vala, Sunstorm, and Sen curled up around him. They’d showered after the sweaty and messy events of earlier, especially as Sen needed a cooldown period after the truly massive plug he’d put in her while fucking her. Shiva had already slipped away.
They’d been too active to sleep easily, however. They chattered over him, giggling and tapping his chest.
Nathan observed them silently.
Vala had once struggled to fit in here, battling her own self-hatred and the ghost Nathan saw in her. Her delight as she gossiped with Sunstorm and Sen warmed Nathan’s heart.
Sunstorm and Sen remained as happy as ever. His hands ran through their hair, and they looked at him, smiled, and returned to chatting. Neither had shown side-effects from what he’d done to them with Kadria’s help for well over a year now. Maybe he regretted what he had done, but they were happy now.
He loved each of them for who they were, and he had them back.
“I love you,” he said.
They looked at him, then broke down in giggles.
“Don’t be silly,” Sen said. She poked his nose. “I already told you that I’m not going anywhere. My hair might be white, but I’m doing fine. Even had Harrum check. You’re stuck with me now.”
“And me,” Vala said. “Although I was never dying.”
The next morning was typical. Ciana woke them, resisted being pulled into a fivesome, and ushered Nathan into the shower. He pulled her into it and enjoyed the feeling of her bulging belly. The sensation of new life inside her—life he’d created in her—fascinated him each morning.
Once finished, they stepped outside and Ciana helped him dress, because trying to stop her was pointless. Fei and Artemis chose to tag along with him today, and he caught them outside his bedroom. Fei had her uniform’s front up while Artemis bent down and pressed her hands to her younger self’s belly.
“Uh…” Artemis stared up at Nathan.
“I’m meeting with Alice and Reine about religious affairs,” Nathan said. “It’ll be very boring.”
“Oh.” Artemis resumed playing with Fei’s pregnant belly, eliciting giggles.
They still followed him to the meeting room. Reine, Alice, and Fyre sat inside it, with a generous amount of coffee and a machine to the side. They might need it.
The meeting was as dry as he feared. With relations repaired between the Empire and Trafaumh, the possibility of healing religious relations between the churches had been floated. Except that was a process that would take decades at best, even with Fyre’s help.
And Fyre really didn’t want to be involved with it.
“Um, can I be honest?” Fyre asked.
“Are you ever not?” Alice asked.
“Basically all the time in public?”
Alice frowned. “Fair enough.”
“I’ve achieved a lot of what I wanted. There’s a lot to do still. Slavery still exists, and my people are still building up. The new nation above Arcadia will take a century or more to establish itself,” Fyre said. “But I’m not battling demons anymore. Not like I was.”
“I don’t follow.” Reine’s head tilted to one side and her ears followed.
“Getting involved in the churches is horrendous busywork, and there’s no reward on the other side,” Fyre said. “I love Nathan, and count the two of you as close friends.”
“Really?” Alice asked.
Fyre shrunk back. “We’re not?”
“I…” Alice bit her lip. “You’re difficult to read. I like you, Fyre, but you’re, well, fiery. And obnoxious. And selfish. And… Well, a lot of things I don’t usually deal with day to day, and I have to deal with you day to day. But…” Alice sighed, and Fyre cheered up a little after an onslaught of negativity. “But, you are one of my closest confidants. I’ll also admit I don’t plan on sucking Nathan’s cock with anybody else.”
Fyre grinned wickedly. “It’s fun to do it with others, though. I’ve gotten you to admit that, at least.”
Alice’s cheeks colored. “Maybe. But I think it’s fun because… Well, because it’s with you.”
“Oh, of course. Half the fun is that it’s Nathan’s cock.” Fyre winked at him. “The other half is watching you gasp and moan as I play with your pussy while you suck on his—”
“I believe you are currently trying to get Alice into the mood for a blowjob,” Reine interrupted. “Am I invited?”
“No!” Alice snapped. “I… Urgh, this is why I struggle with you, Fyre. You convinced me to join you for a threesome last week, and it was fun, but you needle constantly. I… Don’t want to share with everyone. Just some of you.”
Reine’s wolf ears twitched, as if predicting what might come next. “Before Fyre says anything, I’m not offended that you aren’t interested in sharing with me.”
“Damn,” Fyre muttered. “Well, how about sucking Nathan’s cock with me right now anyway?”
Alice opened her mouth to object, then closed it.
Except Artemis coughed. “You realize we’ve been here the entire time, right? I’m not sitting around idly while you two suck Nathan’s cock. You pull it out and you have to share with everyone.”
“That might be fun,” Fei said, her tail swishing back and forth as she grinned at Nathan.
“Let’s not,” he said.
Alice placed her head in her hands. “I’m Empress of the Empire at the peak of its strength in centuries, with Omria returned, and these are my days.”
“Would you trade them for anything?” Nathan asked.
“Absolutely not.”
Artemis’s and Fei’s hands closed on his shoulders and he looked up to see their green eyes looking down at him. Fyre slipped into his lap.
“I wouldn’t trade you for anything,” Fyre purred.
He met Reine’s eyes, which still retained the golden wings imprinted in them from Baudelaire’s experiments. She nodded at him and smiled.
You remain my true master and god, forever, Reine told him over the mental link. You removed my mask and showed me your light. I shall never regret joining you.
Nathan placed his hands on Fei’s and Artemis’s, and looked at Alice, who smiled back at him. “These are our days. I think after everything, all the Messengers, the demons, the schemes, and the traitorous goddess, we can enjoy it. Even if Fyre is a bit maddening.”
“Hey!” Fyre whined, batting him in the chest with her fists.
He allowed himself to bask in the warmth of his companions. Doumahr was safe. And even should a report turn up on his desk late at night, he knew the world wouldn’t end because he didn’t immediately read it. He could afford to sleep in with the arms of his Champions and women wrapped around him each morning.
The lingering power of the magic within him never faded, however. He’d remain here on Doumahr for centuries as its protector, with his Champions by his side.
And he’d continue to ignore the inky black door in his bedroom nobody else could see. Its invitation went unanswered. One day, perhaps, he’d see what the being behind it wanted.
Today, he basked in what he’d achieved.
Heretic or not, he’d protected everyone and everything he loved. And he’d do it all again, if he truly had to.
THE END
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