Lottery king 9, p.13
Lottery King 9, page 13
“Yeah, here please, Gerald,” I said.
“Certainly,” Gerald said.
The four-foot-tall chef set all the trays out on the coffee table for us and left the rolling trolley in a convenient spot so we could grab our condiments, napkins, and drinks.
“Can I get anything else for you, your majesty?” Gerald asked.
“No, thanks,” I said.
“I’m going to go change again,” Dinah sighed. “I’ll be right back.”
“Then maybe stop getting yourself water, okay?” Poppy suggested in a friendly and helpful tone.
“That’s what I was thinking, too.” Dinah rolled her red-brown eyes.
“It’ll be nice to get back to normal after all this,” Ivis said, and she brushed a bunch of oak leaves away from her eyes.
While we waited for Dinah to get dried off and changed again, we selected a movie to put on. The consensus was to pick a movie none of us would be too upset about missing parts of as we ate dinner and talked. We couldn’t decide on anything, though, since Vallia hadn’t had many, or really any, opportunities to watch movies since they’d come into popularity several decades ago.
Instead, we picked some Lo-fi music to play in the background, and I adjusted it to a good volume so we could all enjoy it without it making conversation difficult.
Dinah came back just in time for us to begin eating, and she side-stepped nervously around the pitcher of ice water on the rolling trolley. She gave the clear crystal pitcher a suspicious glance as she sat down on the couch, but nothing happened.
“What’s going to happen when I try to shower later?” Dinah worried.
“It will probably go insane,” Poppy giggled.
“But the good news is our shower can handle that,” I pointed out with a grin. “The enclosure should keep it from getting all over the bathroom.”
“Michael’s right,” Ivis agreed.
“Ivis, could you pass me the ketchup, please?” Gemma asked.
“Sure,” Ivis said, and she grabbed the bottle.
My half-dryad wife pushed the oak leaves off her forehead again as she leaned over the table to pass the ketchup to Gemma. Gemma reached out to grab it, and their fingers brushed.
In a shocking few seconds, Ivis toppled sideways from her kneeling position, and a shimmery green tail formed where her legs had been a moment before.
“Oh!” Ivis gasped, and then she made a face of baffled discomfort. “Oh! Oh, that’s uncomfortable!”
“What is it?” Helena asked in worry. “Are you hurt?”
“You have underwear on, don’t you?” Gemma sighed apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” I breathed with realization.
Ivis’ legs had fused into a mermaid tail from a magical spike of Gemma’s unique merfolk skill of turning others into merfolk. Her underwear was lost somewhere within the new shimmery green tail that had formed.
“Um… is that dangerous?” I asked Gemma with worry.
“No,” Gemma assured us. “They’ll be right where they were when this goes away. I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to change you.”
“It’s okay,” Ivis grimaced and shifted uncomfortably on the side of her hips. “It’s like the world’s worst wedgie.”
“Yeah.” Gemma nodded sympathetically. “It’s why I never wear underwear, or pants really.”
“I can see why,” Ivis grumbled. “There’s nothing to do about it huh?”
“Not until the magic wears off,” Gemma sighed. “Or I can turn it off for you.”
“Are you okay?” I asked my half-dryad, temporarily-mermaid, fourth wife.
“Yeah,” Ivis assured me. “It doesn’t hurt… just uncomfortable is all. I’m fine.”
“I guess we should all be more cautious about touching things that relate to our magic,” Helena said. “Or each other for that matter.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Poppy said. “Just to be extra cautious.”
“I never expected to be a mermaid,” Ivis said as she stared at her shimmery green tail. “I kind of wish I could go swimming.”
“Maybe later,” I chuckled.
The lights flickered intensely for a few seconds like a massive thunderstorm was shaking the power lines, and we all turned to look at Vallia.
“Sorry?” Vallia shrugged. “I guess that was me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I assured her with a smirk.
“Hey, at least you’re not taking people’s legs away,” Gemma laughed.
“Or flooding the house any time you want to wash your hands.” Dinah plopped her chin into her hand.
Our dinner was as delicious as always, and I wondered idly if the power surges were making Gerald’s lie-tasting magic go nuts at the moment. Then I started to wonder about all the members of my staff, and I couldn’t help but imagine Rune’s body-stretching magic going haywire.
I stifled a laugh as I pictured him with a tiny head and huge muscles, and I wondered if his magic even was capable of such a thing. I’d seen him expand individual limbs before, but not his head. It made me think of my older sister’s Stretch Armstrong.
My lovers moved the conversation into lighter territory, and I was so grateful for the ease with which Helena, Poppy, and Gemma were able to lighten the mood for the others.
After about twenty minutes, Ivis’ legs returned in a rush of relief.
“Oooohhh, aahhh,” Ivis sighed and spread her legs out wide. “Oh, that’s so much better.”
“I promise not to touch you,” Gemma laughed.
“Thanks!” Ivis giggled. “I can see why you never wear pants or underwear… or shoes! Oh, goddess, what happens if you have shoes on?”
“It’s pretty similar,” Gemma said.
“Toe wedgies?” Ivis wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“I guess!” Gemma laughed. “I’ve never experienced it personally.”
The lights overhead surged and flickered again, and we all turned our faces up to look at the ceiling lights.
“That is so weird,” Poppy murmured.
Vallia’s blonde eyebrows pushed together as she gazed up at the light, and the bulbs blared as excess energy ran through the filaments.
Tension pulled at my lips, and I expected the bulbs to explode from the surge of electricity. Thankfully, they seemed to be able to handle it, and they returned to their normal luminosity.
We continued to enjoy our dinner, but I couldn’t help but notice the way the light kept moving in strange swaths. Not all of them seemed to be coming from the bulbs, either, and I kept glancing at Vallia to see if her whole body was glowing again.
She never illuminated the room in another burst like she had on the sidewalk earlier in the day. I guessed the energy was expressing itself differently, like how Gemma had accidentally turned Ivis into a mermaid during her last power surge incident.
I shrugged it off and let my eyes wander over the veritable buffet of beautiful women in front of me. There wasn’t any good reason why I shouldn’t allow myself to indulge in ogling my lovers before I went off to battle tonight.
The strange realization that I wasn’t exactly worried about going into battle tonight hit me like the slow movement of a Zamboni. I should have been way more stressed about it, but I’d done it so many times at this point that it almost felt normal.
What the fuck was that?
How had my perspective of life and the world shifted so dramatically?
I guess it had a whole lot to do with the tens of thousands of soldiers with magic at my beck and call and the millions of paranormals who were utterly loyal to me. Not to mention the discovery and development of my own magic.
It really seemed like almost anything was possible, and I knew in my soul that the goddess had my back as much as she possibly could. There was very little she could do in the way of stopping The Rising and other camps, but she was supporting me in every way she could.
And that alone gave me confidence and a burning determination to do whatever the fuck it took to be the king this world needed.
I picked at my dinner a little more, but after I’d eaten about half of my meal, I wasn’t hungry anymore. Mostly, I focused on drinking water to make sure I was properly hydrated and keeping my stress levels low.
That was delightfully easy, and I was pleased to find how calm I felt.
I watched the sunset out the back doors, and the light continued to warp and flicker in the strange reaction to Vallia’s magic, and the power surges from the convergence.
About thirty minutes after the sun disappeared and the sky made its final shift from orange to dark blue, Firo walked into the living room.
All the casual chatter of my wives and lovers ended abruptly as we all turned to look at the seven-foot-tall dragon-man. I knew what he was about to say before he even opened his mouth, and a slow wave of resilience washed through me.
“It’s time, your majesty,” Firo said.
Chapter 8
We all stood up from our seats, and my ladies took turns wrapping themselves into my arms. I hugged them each tightly and gave them each a loving kiss before I promised I would return soon.
“And victorious, of course,” Nyxx said with a confident look.
“Obviously,” Gemma agreed.
“Remember to watch for power surges,” Helena murmured to me.
“I will,” I assured her, and then I looked around at the seven beauties around me. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you all.”
“We love you, too,” Poppy said as she fought to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks.
There were a hundred more things I wanted to say, but the need to leave pulled on me like a freight train. I locked my lips together and followed Firo through the house.
“You should change your clothes, your majesty,” Firo said once we’d gone around to the foyer. “You have a few minutes.”
“Right,” I said as I glanced at my t-shirt and shorts. “I’ll be right back.”
“I believe Sunny, Birch, and Matis have laid things out for you already,” Firo said.
“Thanks,” I sighed.
I rushed upstairs and moved on autopilot to change into the tactical canvas pants, long-sleeved shirt, and light camouflage jacket. I crammed my feet into my boots and laced them quickly before I jogged back to where Firo waited for me near the front door.
“Alright, let’s go,” I said.
Tristan wished us luck as we walked out the front door, and a full security detail of a hundred shadow nymph guards waited for us in the driveway alongside the first mirror portal we would take through to somewhere in Jamaica to a second mirror that would bring us the rest of the way to Coiba Island.
Half the shadow nymphs preceded me through the portal, and then I stepped through the rush of warm light to the other side. I found myself in a small clearing near a forest, and there were more shadow nymphs around the two mirrors. Firo came out right behind me, and he gestured for me to get into the line of shadow nymphs who were disappearing through the second mirror.
Everyone was as silent as possible as we filed through the second mirror, and after the rush of warm light, I found myself on the top deck of a military ship.
The ancient gray-haired witch, Sveta, and her long-time fae friend, Lorenzo, were both on board the ship. Their wrinkled faces smiled at me as I exited the mirror portal, and Lorenzo bowed deeply to me.
“Hello, your majesty,” Lorenzo said in a strong and clear voice.
“You look well,” I said with relief at the ancient fae’s much-improved physical state.
“I feel much improved,” Lorenzo replied.
“So improved,” Sveta reiterated. “He make this glamour, king.”
“Is the ship glamoured?” I asked.
“Da,” Sveta said. “To give us advantage.”
“Excellent,” I said with a smirk, and I looked around for Firo. “Let’s go over it once more.”
“Yes, your majesty.” Firo nodded.
As reliable and strong as our merfolk soldiers were in every battle so far, we’d agreed it was too great of a liability with the power surges. They simply weren’t safe on land when they could be forced into their merfolk forms at any second without notice.
Sveta, Lorenzo, Firo, and I gathered together, and several shadow nymph, siren, werewolf, vampire, and fae generals joined us for the final walkthrough of our plan of attack. It was pretty straightforward.
The ship would anchor as close to the shore as possible, which thanks to some crafty magic from Sveta, was within jumping distance for most of our numbers. We would gather on the shore and then move into the abandoned prison colony in three waves.
I would be part of the final wave. This would allow my soldiers time to eliminate the majority of the threat on my life before I was allowed to join in to oversee the process of closing down this hellish camp.
About ten minutes after our arrival on the ship, the anchor was raised, and we moved alongside the shore. Gangplanks were lowered for the paranormals who couldn’t fly or jump the distance, and Firo pulled me aside as the first wave moved onto land.
I overheard some soldiers discuss how we were on the eastern shore of the island, and I recalled the maps Rune had shown me earlier. I could picture the relative location of the penal colony a bit south of our current location based on the curve of the shore in front of us.
“Your majesty,” Firo said. “I’m sure you are well aware of how many options you have for magic to mirror tonight, but I wanted to offer my dragon-flame for your use.”
“Really?” I asked as I fought against an intense bubble of excitement at the idea. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, your majesty.” Firo nodded. “After the way you handled Vallia’s intense magic, I know you can handle mine. I believe it will benefit you much more than a shadow blade in this particular instance, and you thrive in learning a new skill when under pressure like this.”
“Wow, was that praise I heard?” I joked.
Firo narrowed his slitted eyes at me, but a smile tugged at his lips.
“May I give you a few pointers before we begin?” Firo asked.
“Yes, please,” I said with the level of severity this situation warranted.
“Your breath will be the best way to control the flame,” Firo explained. “It’s a wild skill and can sometimes seem to act upon its own will.”
“I understand.” I nodded.
“Push forward slowly,” Firo said, and he demonstrated a deep breath. “It doesn’t take a lot to burn beyond control. Less is more.”
“Okay,” I said.
“I will awaken it to help you find it,” Firo said. “Try tapping into it.”
“I’m ready,” I said.
Firo and I locked our eyes on each other, and I matched the rhythm of my breathing with his. We breathed together a dozen times before I closed my eyes and reached out with my magic toward the burning flame of his magical aura.
The dragon-flame put out an outrageous amount of heat within my mind, and I could already tell how much I needed to respect this magic.
Vallia’s supernova energy was immense and powerful, and though Firo’s wasn’t as endless, it could easily slip out of control.
I reached out with my mirror magic to test the way Firo’s flame would react to me, and it moved forward like it had a sense of curiosity about it. I could see what he meant about the dragon-flame seeming to have a will of its own.
The flame shifted toward me like it wanted to come to me or like there was a wick for it to travel down to reach me. It was hot, but it didn’t burn. It felt more like the ancient need of humans to tame fire for the use it had in our survival.
“Good, your majesty,” Firo said, and I could hear a hint of admiration in his deep voice. “Very impressive. Does it feel secure in your control?”
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” I admitted. “It feels like I can use it, but it also feels like it could swell out of control… like I’m holding a flamethrower surrounded by sticks of TNT.”
“That sounds about right,” Firo rumbled in a dry tone. “There’s a boulder there you can try a few test shots on.”
I opened my eyes and found the majority of our numbers had moved off the boat, and that was only the soldiers who weren’t hidden in the shadows. At least two-thirds of our forces were shadow nymphs I couldn’t even see.
Firo pointed at the edge of the shore to a massive boulder the size of a VW Beetle about ten yards away from my position on the top deck. I turned my body to face the dark gray stone that was slightly illuminated by the stars and partial moon in the sky.
“Remember, it’s all about the breath,” Firo explained.
“Does the fire only come from your mouth?” I asked as the dragon-flame writhed like a snake ready to strike inside me.
“For me, yes,” Firo said. “But that was more a personal choice than a limit of the magic itself. Many dragon-folk can send the flame from their hands in addition to their mouths.”
I looked at Firo in a new light as I thought about the fact that he’d intentionally made himself look more like a dragon by the way he used his magic.
He watched me with expectant orange eyes, and I refocused on the severity of the situation we were in. After a calming breath, I reached into the dragon-flame curled inside me like a waiting death adder.
I proceeded with the idea that I should coax the flame slowly forward, but it leaped at the chance to be used. My entire body got intensely hot, but to my surprise, it didn’t hurt or burn. It was like the flame became a part of me, and I wondered if the flame was only a part of Firo’s magic.
He must have some kind of magical resistance to heat to actively protect his insides and mind from the flame, and I’d pulled that into myself, too.
The flame tried to find a path out of my body like lightning trying to complete the circuit between the clouds and ground. It took me a split second to decide before I guided the flame up my throat and into my mouth.
My tongue got hot, and my instincts screamed at me that I was going to burn off every one of my taste buds. I opened my mouth, and I could see a shift in the light below my field of vision. I instantly knew my mouth was glowing like the inside of an active volcano.
