AUTHOR’S NOTE

It’s been several months since I last wrote about Yavara, Elena and Leveria. I’m sorry to all the readers who read the hundreds of pages I had written, and then were left with a cliff hanger for so long. This chapter starts where we left off: with Elena betraying Leveria out of love, and Leveria retaliating by ordering her army to commit an atrocity that will doom her own kingdom. Because I haven’t written a chapter since July, I have included an extensive synopsis of the story thus far at the beginning of this chapter. You can skip it if you feel like; it’s starts and ends with the dashed lines.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BACK STORY

The Highlands are a series of plateaus and hills that make up the high-elf kingdom. The Highlands border a realm of beasts called The Great Forest, which is a lush woodland composed of several regions based on foliage: The Tundra, The Pines, The Spruces, The Maples, The Willows, and the Palms. Thousands of years ago, a high elf woman named Alkandi was shunned from her people after she laid with a human. She was exiled to the great forest, where in the cave of an ogre, Alkandi stumbled upon an orange soul gem. The gem fused to Alkandi’s spirit, and gifted her with great power. Alkandi became the first ever dark elf, and used her powers to make allies of the monsters she now called brethren. Alkandi waged war on her former people for hundreds of years, and established the beast-kingdom of Alkandra, whose borders stretched to the limits of The Great Forest. She was assassinated by Highland agents five-hundred years into her rule, and her kingdom fell apart. But Alkandi returned, in the form of a dark elf babe with orange eyes. The Highlanders caught wind of Alkandi’s reincarnation, so they committed genocide upon the dark elves to prevent her return. The Highlanders created a unit of special operators called the rangers, whose sole purpose was to keep the beasts of The Great Forest divided, and to kill any dark elf they found. A thousand years later, only whispers of Alkandi and the dark elves remained, and the kingdom of Alkandra fell to ruin and was lost to memory. What the mages and clerics of the Highlands didn’t know, was that Alkandi could return in the womb of a high-elf mother, who had laid with a beast.

SPECIES

Orcs are strong, tall, humanoids with pale, green, skin and exaggerated lower canines that protrude from their jaw and rest on their upper-lips. Orcs are warrior tribespeople who live in different sections of The Great Forest. The Ten are the most powerful tribes, and they live in The Tundra. The Terdini and Protaki are lesser tribes, and they live in The Pines. Thirty small tribes live in The Maples. Orcs are a divided people, but may be united under an elected leader called the Froktora, or ‘chieftain of chieftains.’

Humans live east of The Great Forest in a region called The Lowlands. They are a prosperous species that conglomerate mostly in their capital city, Ardeni Dreus, which is the largest city in the world. They trade with all people, and welcome all species for the sake of economic benefit. They remained neutral during the wars of Alkandi and The Highlands.

High elves are a fair, pointed-eared, blonde-haired, blue-eyed race that stand just a bit shorter than humans. They are a xenophobic race that tolerates mankind and dwarves, but despises all manner of beasts. As I said before, the live in The Highlands; a series of plateaus and hills west of The Great Forest. Their capital city is Bentius.

Dark elves are a tan, pointed-eared, black-haired, brown-eyed race that bare the same stature as their fairer counterparts. The first dark elf was Alkandi, who was separated from the rest of her species by the orange color of her eyes. Her orange eyes are the mark of her power, and are present in all of her incarnations. Dark elves are all female, and breed with beasts to propagate their species.

Hybrids are a mixture of dark elf and high elf. They bare the tan complexion of the dark elves, but the blue eyes and whitish-blonde hair of the high elves. There are no male hybrids, only female and hermaphroditic. Hybrids are created when Alkandi, or an Alkandi reincarnation mates with a high elf. The men are turned to female hybrids, and the women are turned to hermaphrodites (they grow a cock, and that’s it). Hybrids can mate with beasts and create dark elves, or mate with one another and create more hybrids.

Nymphs are an all-female species of tree-loving humanoids that live in The Spruces. They have green eyes, green veins, and curved horns that protrude from their crowns. Nymphs are denied the pleasures of sex, and feed upon the sap of trees to survive. They are the children of the forest spirit called Arbor, who is a prominent character in the story.

Succubi are the corrupt subspecies of nymphs. Arbor created nymphs to be virgins for life, but in so doing, neglected a fundamental characteristic of all species: the need for companionship. Nymphs that sought the love of men soon found they could not bear its absence, and turned to twisted beasts who feed on the seed of males. They are experts at seduction, and retain their nymph horns, while growing a tail to mark their change. Succubi can be enslaved by the seed of a hybrid elf.

STORY THUS FAR

Yavara Tiadoa is the second-born princess to King Tiadoa, ruler of the highlands. She’s an adventurous young woman who is forced to retain her chastity so that she may marry a lord, while her older sister, Leveria Tiadoa, becomes queen. Yavara is an expert bowman, and the best friend of Elena Straltaira. The two women part ways when they are sixteen. Elena becomes a ranger, and Yavara goes off on a solo adventure to capture her youth before she is married off.

CHAPTER ONE

On her solo adventure, Yavara is captured and raped by an orc chieftain named Brock Terdini. Yavara finds that she very much enjoys sex, and also finds that she has a counter personality talking to her during her forced sodomy. After she orgasms, Brock Terdini bends his knee to her, and proclaims her to be queen. Quite baffled, Yavara looks into a mirror and realizes she has orange eyes, and a streak of black hair. She is the reincarnation of Alkandi, who is the counter personality speaking in her mind.

CHAPTERS TWO AND THREE

Zander Fredeon is an ancient wizard who was once the lover of Alkandi. He betrayed Alkandi to the Highlanders out of jealousy, and has been tasked by the immortal dark elf to aid her incarnations until one of them finally sits on the Black Throne (the seat of power in Alkandra). Zander is beckoned to Brock Terdini’s tent, and convinces Yavara to merge her soul with Alkandi’s. Yavara changes completely into her dark elf form, and Zander realizes that she is the most powerful incarnation he has ever seen. Zander tells Yavara that she can either live out her days in anonymity in the human capital of Ardeni Dreus, or she can try to become the Dark Queen, ruler of The Great Forest and Alkandra. The latter choice will make her an enemy of her former people, but Yavara chooses to do it anyway. Yavara is arrogant, and believes that she can become the queen of Alkandra without bloodshed, by using diplomacy and trade.

CHAPTER’S FOUR, FIVE AND SIX

Yavara, Brock and Zander set out to Ardeni Dreus, where they meet Zander’s ex-wife and powerful witch, Prestira Rasloraca. Prestira teaches Yavara how to control things and people with her mind, and the two become fast friends. Yavara has become quite promiscuous over the course of her journey, and uses her powers to organize an orgy in Prestira’s bar. It is there, that Elena Straltaira finds her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Elena believes that Yavara is under some kind of spell, but Yavara reveals that she has not been captured by Zander, Brock and Prestira, but is in fact the reincarnation of Alkandi. Elena loves Yavara too much to kill her, and Yavara loves Elena too much to allow her the same fate. They make love, and Elena is transformed into a hermaphroditic hybrid. Elena agrees to join Yavara under the condition that she never attacks The Highlands.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Elena, Prestira, Yavara, Zander and Brock are ambushed by elf mages sent to rescue Yavara from her supposed captors. Elena and Brock escape through a portal into the Great Forest, while Yavara, Zander, and Prestira are captured by Ardeni Dreus city guards. Yavara is forced to reveal to the world what she has become, and through her charisma and showmanship, forces the king of the humans, King Dreus, to recognize Yavara’s claim to the throne of Alkandra, as well as Alkandra’s sovereignty.

CHAPTER NINE

In The Great Forest, Elena and Brock are badly wounded, and taken in by a den of succubi. Elena enslaves the succubi with her hybrid seed, and she and Brock travel to The Gorge, the home of the Terdini tribe within the subsection of the forest called The Pines. Zander meets them there, and informs them that Yavara has revealed herself to the world. Zander tasks Brock with taking over his rival tribe, the Protaki, so that Yavara can begin to build her army.

CHAPTER TEN

Leveria Tiadoa is the first-born princess of King Tiadoa, and heir to the throne of the Highlands. She is a jealous woman, who has always hated how her father doted on Yavara. Throughout her teen years, Leveria used sex to get her father closer to her. The two developed a twisted father-daughter relationship that acted as a partnership to secure more power for themselves. Upon hearing that Yavara is the reincarnation of Alkandi, Leveria searches for the reason why a high elf could possibly become the Dark Queen. She finds the truth: that her mother must have made love to a beast. She uses this truth to have her mother executed, and to guide her father to abdicate the throne. Leveria becomes queen of The Highlands, and begins plotting against her sister.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

King Dreus informs Yavara that he will only trade with her if she can convince a gang of vampires to vacate his city. The king of the vampires, Titus, says that he will only leave the city and join Yavara if she becomes a vampire. Prestira and Yavara agree to become daywalkers, vampires that can transform from their vampiric selves. Titus bites Prestira, and Prestira bites Yavara. Yavara bites another woman named Patricia. Because Prestira bit Yavara, the two are blood-relatives, and have an unbroken telepathic connection.

CHAPTERS TWELVE, THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN AND SIXTEEN

Yavara learns that her sister has taken the throne of the Highlands, and makes her escape from Bentius before assassins can kill her. King Dreus gives Yavara a loan before she leaves with the vampires. They travel by ship to the ruins of Alkandra, but are intercepted by pirates in the service of Leveria. The pirates capture and rape Prestira using a drug called succubus extract. They break her mind, and Leveria makes Prestira a sleeper agent. Yavara rescues Prestira, but the damage has been done. Meanwhile, Brock kills the leader of the Protaki tribe in gladiatorial combat, making him the de facto leader of both tribes. While this is happening, The Gorge is assaulted by an elite group of rangers under the leadership of the head-ranger Adarian. Brock’s wife, Sherok, is killed in the assault, but Elena manages to rally a strong enough defense, and kills many of her former ranger comrades.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Yavara leaves Titus in charge of reconstructing Castle Alkandra while she travels to The Gorge with Prestira to meet up with Elena, Brock and Zander. They hold their first council meeting, where Yavara tasks Brock with becoming Froktora, and tells Elena she needs to make an ally of the nymphs, and kill Ranger Adarian. Elena questions Yavara’s ethics for the first time. Brock says that he must convince The Ten (ten tribes of The Tundra that make up the bulk of the orc populace), if he is to become the Froktora. Yavara, Zander and Brock decide to travel to The Tundra to meet with The Ten.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Elena, Prestira and Patricia (Yavara’s blood daughter) leave for The Spruces to make an ally of the nymphs. The nymphs guide Elena to meet with Arbor, the mother of all nymphs and spirit of The Great Forest. Arbor tells Elena that she will only join her if they have sex. Arbor believes that Elena’s seed might be the key to keeping her nymph children from being corrupted by the seed of men. Arbor thinks that because Elena’s seed enslaved the succubi with unconditional love, that she may utilize it to do the same with her children. The plan backfires, and Arbor becomes corrupted, and changes into the spirit of the succubus, and Elena’s slave. Elena seeks to resolve the problem, but she is stopped. Ranger Adarian sets off a signal that awakens Prestira’s sleeper-agent self. Prestira kills Patricia, and captures Elena. Elena is taken by Adarian, and then Adarian kills Prestira.

CHAPTERS NINETEEN AND TWENTY

Yavara, Zander and Brock are holding council with The Ten, when Yavara gets the news that Prestira has been killed, and Elena captured. She leaves the meeting, and The Ten question her resolve. They say she is too weak, and that they will not make Brock Froktora, nor will they follow Yavara, until she attacks the Highlands. Elena is taken to the ranger stronghold, Castle Thorum. Leveria meets her there, and rapes and tortures her. Elena resists Leveria at every turn, which vexes and arouses Leveria. Leveria leaves Elena an extremely satisfied and conflicted woman. Leveria wonders why she is feeling this way about Elena. Meanwhile, Yavara meets with the nymphs and Arbor. Arbor tells Yavara she will help her attack Castle Thorum to get her master (Elena) back. After Elena is tortured, Adarian sends his lover, April, to offer Elena a mercy killing. Elena refuses. Adarian reflects on how bad Leveria is ruling, and how much worse her heavy-handed tactics have made things. He does not like what he was ordered to do.

CHAPTERS TWENTY-ONE, TWENTY-TWO, AND TWENTY-THREE.

Leveria reveals to Elena that she might have feelings for her. Elena plays along, until she finds her chance and tries to kill Leveria. Leveria says that if Elena kills her, or leaves her side, Leveria will have Elena’s mother, a noble woman, killed. Yavara and the nymphs attack Castle Thorum, and Elena saves Leveria’s life. The two escape through a portal back to Bentius just before the castle falls. Yavara captures Ranger Adarian, and tortures him. Through a magical mirror, Elena witnesses the cruelty Yavara is capable of. Elena distances herself from Yavara, and becomes closer to Leveria. The two have an odd, tenuous relationship that becomes more of a romance, and less of a captivity. Yavara holds the castle until Brock and his reinforcements arrive. Brock is named lord of Castle Thorum, and his new power gets him elected unanimously to Froktora. Yavara now has the army she needs, but is still hoping that she can secure her kingdom through peace. She exacts her revenge on Ranger Adarian by selling his wife into slavery, and turning Adarian into a female hybrid. Ranger Adarian is now Adriana. In Bentius, Leveria names Elena ambassador to Alkandra. In reality, the two women are falling in love with each other.

CHAPTERS TWENTY-FOUR AND TWENTY-FIVE

Elena speaks to Yavara through a magic mirror, and reveals that she has been made ambassador. Yavara urges Elena to find a peaceful resolution, but the best Elena can do is setup a smuggling line so that Leveria can import silver from Alkandra while the two nations wage war. Zander goes to Arbor and uses his magic to release her from Elena’s slavery. Arbor decides that the best way to combat the corruption of her children is to make male nymphs for them. Arbor creates a physical form for herself, which is a combination of her succubus side, and her nymph side. Yavara, Arbor and the nymphs kill-off the last of the ranger units. They use Adriana to convince seven remaining rangers (Faltias, Brian, Soren, Furia, Kiera, Alexa and Eva) to have sex with Yavara and become hybrid elves. Arbor, Yavara and the hybrids go to Castle Alkandra, which has been completed by Titus. Yavara gets news that Leveria’s army is marching on the Tundra, and her and Titus leave for the front lines. Yavara tells Adriana that she is governess of Alkandra while she’s gone. Adriana thinks this is foolish, as she was a ranger, and the mortal enemy of all orcs. Yavara insists that Adriana’s leadership skills make her the best person for the job. Titus and the vampires raid the elven army camp the night before the battle, while Brock and the rest of the orcs plan their attack. Titus successfully kills many of the elven generals, but at a great cost to his own clan.

CHAPTERS TWENTY-SIX AND TWENTY-SEVEN

Yavara’s army beats the elven army in battle. Yavara personally flies over the battlefield and does incalculable damage to the elven army. It is only through the wit of one low-ranking elven general, General Deltian, that the elven army is saved. Leveria hears of the news and makes Deltian the field marshal of the entire army. Her father comes to her, and in her disgust for his weakness, she kills him. Elena worries that Leveria might do the same to her when she tires of her, but Leveria insists that she loves Elena too much. After their victory, Brock proposes a political marriage to Yavara. Brock says that his title of Froktora isn’t permanent enough to ensure lasting loyalty, but if he were to be king, she would consolidate her power. Yavara agrees, and gives her body to the leaders of The Ten to solidify their loyalty. To solidify her own power, Leveria must convince the noble court of Bentius to follow her lead. She tells Elena that she must help her with this task. Leveria tells Elena that the nobles are attracted to Elena’s exotic nature and charisma, and that she should please them with her wit and body to get them on her side. Elena agrees, but only if Leveria joins in. They decide that they will both attend a masked ball, where Leveria will be disguised as a whore.

ADRIANA’S STORY (CHAPTERS 25-28)

Adriana begins to accept her new life as a hybrid woman. She makes friends with other former-rangers-turned hybrids. Three of the ex-rangers are men turned women: Faltia (once Faltias), Brianna (once Brian), and Soraya (once Soren). Four of them are females-turned-hermaphrodites: Eva, Alexa, Keira and Furia. Adriana falls in love with Furia, and over the course of time, she begins to forgive Yavara for the things she’s done to her. Adriana becomes a successful governess of Alkandra, and builds the city with the help of the populace: the tribespeople of The Maples, The Ten, The Protaki and The Terdini, as well as Ardeni Dreus immigrants and Arbor and her nymphs. They construct twelve, massive towers for public housing and create the infrastructure needed to service the city.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The two armies are spread out a long a wide front, forcing a stalemate. The elves have dug into three forts, the southernmost of which is positioned directly on the path to Alkandra, threatening Yavara’s capital city. Leveria and Elena go to the masked ball. Elena and Leveria have sex with the nobles, all of whom assume Leveria is just some masked whore Elena brought along. Elena betrays Leveria, and pulls off the queen’s mask. The nobles call her a whore, and question her ability to rule. Elena escapes Bentius by night, and Leveria fulfills her promise to Elena, and kills Elena’s mother. Leveria is so distraught by Elena’s betrayal that she orders her army to attack Alkandra, knowing full-well that Yavara’s army will pour through the hole left in her line and invade the Highlands. Leveria doesn’t care; she knows that the noble court will vote for her forced-abdication, and she’d rather see the Highlands burn than not be queen.

And so, the belated story of Queen Yavara continues…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-Nine

FIELD MARSHAL DELTIAN, COMMANDER OF THE HIGHLAND ARMY: ALONG THE ELVEN FRONT

“I think we’re about to make a fatal mistake,” I sighed, “the queen has ordered an attack on Alkandra.”

“I don’t see how this is a mistake,” Cavalry Commander General Krakis said, “their lines are stretched thin, but they won’t stay that way for long. Right now, we can hit them where they live, and force their armies inward. It will buy us time while we reinforce for a second invasion.”

“That’s not what’s going to happen.” I said to my cavalry commander, “We’ll break through their lines, sure, and we’ll take their castle, sure. And what do we do when Queen Yavara and her horde don’t run back to their castle? What do we do when Brock Terdini realizes a third of our army has just left a gaping hole in our defenses?”

“They’ll run back to their castle,” Krakis said firmly, “their women and children are there.”

“Strategically speaking,” I said, “what do we have to gain from capturing Castle Alkandra? We cut off their economy, but they wouldn’t need Ardeni gold when a prize like Bentius is there for the taking. We pacify their populace, and do nothing but fill them with vengeful resolve.”

“Why would we kill them?” Krakis said, “Obviously, we’d just hold them hostage, or their army would have no reason to withdraw from the border.”

“That’s not what our orders are, General.” I sighed, “The queen, in all her wisdom, has ordered us to massacre every man, woman and child residing in that city.”

“We can’t do that,” Krakis said, realizing that this order was a death-blow to The Highlands, “we must disobey. You saved our army by disobeying a direct command from Commander Shordian; you can save our country by disobeying the queen.”

“What will I tell her when she asks me why I haven’t done her bidding?” I asked, “What do we do when I’m executed for treason, and some incompetent moron replaces me, and goes through with it? Who will lead the defense against the hordes of beasts that will scale those cliffs?”

“You have the support of the men,” Krakis said, “they will stay loyal to you.”

“Maybe half of them,” I sighed, “if I refuse this order, and the queen demands my head, do I organize a rebellion? How does dividing our army in half help us when the enemy is knocking at our gates?”

“There’s no way out,” Krakis said, shaking his head, “but we cannot do this, Field Marshal; we must disobey.”

“I agree,” I said, “we must. But we won’t, because we follow orders, no matter how stupid, no matter how dangerous, no matter what the cost. We. Follow. Orders.”

General Krakis looked at the war map. His eyes widened as he saw the wood-carved horses of twenty cavalry divisions placed right on top of Castle Alkandra. I knew the forest spirit, Arbor, would see us coming the moment we stepped into The Great Forest. Infantry would take days to get to Alkandra, but cavalry could be there in six hours; not long enough to stage a full evacuation. If Krakis could sweep in, pacify the civilians, and then charge back to the front, we may have a slight chance of returning to the fort before Brock’s army cut us off. It was a long shot, but it was the only shot we had.

“Why have you brought me here?” General Krakis asked.

“To follow orders.”

ELENA: RIDING FROM BENTIUS

I could see the lights of the Highland army front in the distance. The smuggling line I was traveling on ran through a series of crooks and ravines that stayed out of sight. Even if I was caught, I still had my diplomatic credentials to get me out of trouble. News of my betrayal wouldn’t have spread far from Bentius yet, if it had at all; I still had enough time to get out of The Highlands without people looking for me.

My heart laden with sorrow for what I’d done to Leveria. I’d never met a woman so alone in this world, and in my betrayal, I felt I was abandoning her to herself. She was the most damaged person I’d ever met; a woman who spent her teen years twisting her soul in knots trying to reconcile her love with her ambition, a woman who tried to marry those two desires in an abhorrent relationship with her father. But beneath the wretched mask of hatred and power, there was a woman desperately trying to capture love before her youth left her; a woman staring at the world with apprehensive hope. When I wrote that farewell letter to Leveria, I meant every word I said; I loved her, I loved her for her damaged soul, I loved her for the vulnerability she rarely showed, I even loved her conniving, ruthless self. I just hoped that the glimmer of good still within her would win out against the evil that dominated her being. As I approached the elven front, I realized my hopes were in vain.

Twenty divisions of cavalry were marshalling along the military path to Alkandra. Leveria had ordered the attack, knowing full-well what would happen if she did. I’d been a fool to think that she’d give up the crown for anything; she’d rather her kingdom burn to ash. I needed to get to Yavara. The last chance my people had was the mercy of their former princess, and after this army did what they were going to do, I feared there would be no mercy. I kicked my spurs into the horse and raced through the smuggling path. Yavara would fly to Alkandra when the elves broke her lines, and I needed to get there before this army did.

GORLOK KRAKLARI, LORD OF WARGS: ON THE PATH TO ALKANDRA

“Kantok,” I said to my captain and eldest son, “was there a storm on the horizon before dusk fell?”

Kantok shifted on his warg and stared at the night sky. It was clear and filled with stars, with not a cloud to blanket the sparkling canvas. And yet, I could hear the steady roll of thunder in the distance. I knew what it meant, but I thought it might be a good lesson to teach my son, at least before they were upon us. His eyes dawned with recognition, and a manic smile stretched across his face.

“How many?” he asked, “Ten thousand?”

“Twenty,” I smiled, “they’ve emptied their entire camp.”

“They’ll overrun us, won’t they?” he asked, not a hint a fear in his voice.

“They will.” I replied, “The Froktora has ordered-”

“The king.” Kantok corrected.

“Not yet,” I smiled wryly, and touched the side of my nose, “the Froktora has ordered us to hold this line no matter the cost. As he is still Froktora, and not king, I am enacting the right of secession. I give up all claims to my lands, in order to preserve my title as chieftain.”

“That’s cowardice!” Kantok yelled.

“It’s pragmatism,” I smiled broadly, flashing my tusks at my son in a threatening bare, “we will be overrun no matter what we do. Alkandra is doomed no matter what we do. Do you think our queen will maintain her truce with the elves after the massacre?”

“You would let them charge unheeded to our wives and children?” Kantok sputtered angrily, “What kind of a man-”

“If that ranger girl in Alkandra knows what’s good for her, the chieftain folk will be evacuated to the island long before the cavalry comes,” I growled, “but yes, I will let the rest fight and die to the last if it means we gain a tactical advantage.”

“You want to take their fort, don’t you?” Kantok said as the realization came to him, “You want us to go around them, and then bar their escape when they come back.”

“They won’t have time to lay siege to us,” I smiled, “Brock and the rest of his army will come baring down on them at full strength, and the other two elven armies will be left guarding forts threatened by no one. We’ll have our vengeance on those that attacked our city, and we’ll secure the path to Bentius. I will end this war tonight with a single act of cowardice; will you do with it me?”

Kantok stared in the direction of Alkandra with eyes full of pity. It would be a massacre, no matter what kind of defense Adriana could muster. But the price of such a massacre would be the entire Highland kingdom, and that was a price I was willing to pay.

“Yes,” Kantok said grimly, “I will join you in your cowardice.”

YAVARA: ORC ARMY BASE OF OPERATIONS, THE TUNDRA.

“My queen!” a messenger rushed into the tent holding up a scroll.

“Yes?” I asked, lying lazily on top of Brock in our bed.

“I have a message from Gorlok,” the messenger said frantically, “he’s been routed by twenty cavalry divisions; they’re headed straight for Alkandra!”

Brock bolted upright as I shot out of the bed.

“Send the Hektaki and the Fertorki light infantry on a path to Alkandra at full clip!” he roared as he threw on his armor, “Get the rest of The Ten in my war room!”

“No,” I said, my voice shaking, “marshal the entire army and send them to the hole the Highlanders left in their line. March straight for Bentius.”

“Yavara…” Brock said, his eyes wide in shock.

“We’ll never get our army back to Alkandra in time,” I said, tears forming in my eyes, “the only thing we can do now is attack.”

“Yavara,” Brock said, “you know what will happen to the elves if we do this.”

“The same thing that they’re going to do to our people,” I cried, “I can’t believe she did this.”

“You must go to them,” Brock said, putting a hand on my shoulder, “bring Zander with you, and hold out for as long as you can. Get as many people as possible on those silver ships. Yavara,” Brock said with a firm grip, “get Certiok out of there.”

“Arbor will see them coming,” I sniffed, “she’ll get a lot of them out. How much time do they have?”

“Six hours at the most,” Brock said, “you need to fly faster than you ever have.”

I didn’t bother putting on clothes. I ran into Zander’s tent, grabbed the sleeping wizard, and shot into the night sky.

ADRIANA, GOVERNESS OF ALKANDRA: ALKRANDRA

Furia and I were sitting on the bench of our cabin. The city of Alkandra below us was alight with the harvest festival. During my two weeks as governess, I’d grown to care for the beasts I once hunted. With their help I built a city, organized games, and even constructed a school for them to learn new trades. It wasn’t always easy, but through determination and open-mindedness, I’d gained the love and respect of the citizens.

More than anything, I’d grown to love the other hybrids that had joined me. Faltia, Soraya and Brianna were all once ranger high-elf males like myself, and were now pregnant hybrid females; changed by Queen Yavara. Eva, Keira, Alexa and Furia were all once ranger high-females, but were now hybrid hermaphrodites, and the “fathers” of our unborn children. Furia was my lover, the woman who had taken my feminine virginity, and had planted her seed in my womb. All of us shared our bodies with one another, and lived as a family in the cabin we built for ourselves, but Furia was my true love. She was the only one who could make me accept my new self, and allow me to let go of the past. Every moment spent with her dwindled my hatred for Yavara, until its flame was nothing but a lingering ember. Yavara had visited here last week, and though we had our confrontations, we came to a common understanding, and even sowed the seeds of friendship.

I was content with my new life, and sitting on the bench with my lover in my arms, and a pipe in my mouth, was the definition of heaven to me. So, when Arbor, the usually-tranquil spirit of the forest, came flying to us at break-neck speed, I knew that my illusion of paradise had been broken. Something was wrong.

“They’re coming!” Arbor said to me, her magnificent winged-body shaking in fear for the first time.

“Who?!” I asked, sitting upright and causing Furia to fall from my arms.

“Twenty-thousand elven mounts!” Arbor said, “They’ll be here by dawn!”

I ran the numbers in my head, and the grim realization of our situation became clear. There were over forty-thousand residents of Alkandra, all packed into twelve massive skyscrapers that acted as public housing. Faltia, the former captain of the rangers and current chief constable, had a little under three-hundred trained police officers. The citizenry was composed of women, children, and men too old to be warriors. If I ordered the populace to scatter, they’d be hunted and cut down in the forest. I eyed the harbor, and sighed when I saw the pathetic state of our fleet. Five barges sat in the water, each capable of carrying barely a hundred souls. There was an island about two miles out that could act as a haven, but there was no way we’d get everyone there in time.

“Furia,” I said to my lover, “ring the alarm bell; I’ll wake the others. Arbor: get everyone to the shore, and don’t tell them why!”

I raced into the house and woke up the sleeping hybrids. We got on our gear, weapons and armor, and dashed for the shoreline. The confused civilians that were amassing there seemed to think a fireworks show would happen, and that was fine with me. The last thing we could have is a panicked stampede rushing the boats. I waited until Faltia had her police force standing on the beach between the massive crowd and the watercraft before I made the announcement.

“People of Alkandra,” I said as I stood on a high rock, “I am ordering an immediate evacuation of the city. The Highlands have sent an army-”

The sea of beasts churned into a panicked mob in seconds. They pressed forward against the line of police officers, not heeding my commands for calm. My officers were pushed further and further down the shore line, and I was forced to make a grave choice. I nodded to Faltia. She nodded back, and ordered her officers to draw swords. The crowd kept surging, and Faltia authorized the use of lethal force. A few fatal screams later, and the crowd backed off. I knew their fear of the elves would soon overtake their fear of my swords, and I had to act quickly before my policemen were trampled.

“Isn’t this just fucking typical?!” I yelled, “You know, I used to pick you fuckers off one at a time as you ran from me! Every ranger in The Highlands knows: the hardest thing about killing orcs, is shooting them in the ass when they run!”

Orcs were ultimately, very prideful people, and calling them cowards was a sure-fire way to get them riled up. Good; I needed a mob of enraged beasts right now. A silence fell over the crowd, and then a few angry yells blurted forth. I heard screams of ‘bitch’ and ‘elven cunt’ directed at me, and I smiled; rage was always preferable to fear.

“Are you a pack of queers?” I jeered, “Are you ready to bend over and take it in the ass from Leveria Tiadoa?”

A unanimous, angry ‘no’ roared from the crowd.

“Bullshit!” I yelled back, “I might as well have you bleach your dirt-stars and put on your dick-sucking lipstick, because that army is coming here to run train on you bitches, and I don’t see anyone here willing to stop them. Who here wants to get spit-roasted?”

The crowd roared their anger at me, shooting their fists in the air and lighting torches.

“Do you all want to get fucked in the ass?!” I yelled with my arms raised.

The crowd roared their hatred back.

“Do you want Leveria’s balls on your chin?!”

The orcs began to pound their feet in a rage-induced frenzy.

“Oh, you don’t?” I laughed, “Well who’s gonna stop her?”

“We are!” The mob roared in a chorus of forty-thousand.

“Bullshit, I can’t here you!”

“We are!” The screamed even louder.

“Who’s getting fucked in the ass tomorrow?!” I yelled back.

“They are!”

“Who’s gonna die tomorrow?!” I inquired.

“They are!” They answered.

“And who’s gonna kill them?!”

“We are!”

“Bullshit, I still can’t here you, faggots!”

“WE ARE!” They roared in a bellow of manic rage.

“Let’s fucking kill them!” I screamed back, raising my sword to the sky.

The crowd roared thunderously, chanting a myriad of different war songs and smashing their feet into the ground. The earth shook with their chaotic rhythm, and the mob seemed to churn in a frantic wave of thrusting fists baring torches and iron. I basked in their fervent hatred, and barely noticed Furia ascending the steps to me. She looked as beautiful as I’d ever seen her in the torchlight; her blue eyes shining purple in the flame, her blonde hair glowing red in the scarlet glow. She smirked playfully as she walked to me, and then took a firm grip of my ass and planted a passionate kiss on my lips.

“You know,” she smiled, “you keep denying you were gay when you were a man, but that speech was the most homo-erotic thing I’ve heard.”

“I’ve acquired a taste for the lesser sex,” I laughed, and glanced between her legs, “you know that.”

“Are we all going to die tomorrow?” Furia asked,

“Probably,” I said, “which is why you’re getting on one of those boats.”

“You know I won’t.” she smiled.

“I didn’t think so,” I said as I pulled her close, “but it seemed the gentlemanly thing to ask.”

“I wear the pants in this relationship,” Furia chuckled, “not you, honey. You’re a lady now, not a gentleman.”

“And you’re neither,” I said as I kissed her head, “and that’s why I love you.”

“That’s the first time you’ve said that,” Furia smiled, “I’ve been waiting for a while now.”

“Maybe it’s because we’ll be dead tomorrow,” I sneered, “and I just want to get in your pants.”

“I love you too, by the way,” Furia laughed, “but you’re a shit romantic.”

“But I’m great in bed,” I smiled as I brought my mouth to her, “and that’s all that really matters.”

ELENA

My heart seemed to beat as fast as the pounding of my horse’s hooves. I raced across the open fields that laid between the plateaus of the Highlands and the trunks of The Pines. Ahead of me, I could see the elven army baring down on the wall of trees. They should have been stopped by the orc line by now; something was wrong. I slowed my horse to a trot and peered into the darkness. My ranger eyes focused on the tips of the tall grass, looking for signs of irregular movement. Against the silhouette of the moonlight, a thin tendril of prairie stalks bent in an odd pattern. I kicked my spurs into the flanks of my mount and charged at it.

A single, silent, spear flashed in the moonlight, and crashed into my horse’s chest. The terrible death-scream of my steed filled my ears as I was flung head-over-heels into the grass. I landed with a painful thud as the corpse of my horse slid next to me. Before I could rouse myself from the daze of my impact, my eyes were filled with the shining, white blades of a warg’s mouth. The serrated teeth parted and revealed the stinking blackness of its throat. A terrible roar erupted from the beast’s depths, and its muscular jaw twitched in the final warning of its attack. I vainly palmed for my knife in the split seconds I had left to live, before the jaw snapped shut. My knife steadied in my hand, but dropped to my side when I saw the expression in its eyes. The wolf bowed its head, and whimpered submissively to me.

“Hey!” the warg’s rider yelled, “Fucking kill her, you stupid bitch!”

“Wargs don’t kill their masters,” a deeper, more commanding voice answered, “and this one smells familiar.”

The owner of the voice dismounted from his own wolf. He rode the largest warg I’d ever seen, standing at least six feet from forepaw to shoulder. The orc himself was none too impressive, but he carried himself with the arrogance that can only be garnered by a chieftain. He crouched down to me and eyed me inquisitively.

“You’re the first of your kind I’ve ever seen,” the chieftain muttered as he studied me, “I’ve heard tale of Queen Yavara’s hybrids, but never met one for myself. Tell me, girl; were you a man, or a woman before she changed you?”

“A woman,” I groaned, gesturing to the bulge in my pants as I sat upright, “and her first.”

“Her first, hmm?” the chieftain mused, “Elena Straltaira is in Bentius, so who are you really?”

“Elena Straltaira,” I said, flashing my diplomatic seal, “former ambassador to Bentius, and loyal servant of Queen Yavara.”

The orc eyed my credentials with an impassive expression, and then offered a massive hand to me. I gripped his forearm as best I could and he pulled me to my feet, before embracing me tightly.

“Your deeds have aided our cause more than you could know, Elena,” he said gruffly, with an odd affection in his voice, “your legend precedes you.”

“My legend?” I asked.

“You single-handedly fought a company of rangers at The Gorge, you enslaved a den of succubi, you convinced the nymphs to join us, and your planned-capture propelled Queen Yavara to take Castle Thorum.” The chief dusted me off as he spoke, looking me over with admiring eyes, “And after you were captured, you seduced the bitch-queen herself, fucked your way into the heart of elven bureaucracy, and threw a wrench into their political machine. You are a hero to us.”

“A hero, huh?” I laughed incredulously. While most of what the chieftain said was true, my legend had certainly been embellished a bit, “and you are?”

“Gorlok Kraklari, chieftain of the Kraklari clan, and lord of wargs,” Gorlok boasted proudly, “and Elena, you can rest assured that your secret is safe with me.”

“My secret?” I asked.

“Your diplomatic genius,” Gorlok proclaimed, “your ruthless pragmatism. Seeing that the path to victory would involve such sacrifice, and having the balls to do it anyway. You’ll have to tell me some day how you convinced that cunt, Leveria, to leave the gates to Bentius wide open for us.”

The pieces started to fall in to place in my mind, and I realized what had occurred here. Gorlok had evaded the elven cavalry, and was about to attack their emptied fort. He’d secure the way for Brock’s army, and The Highlands, my country, would be destroyed. Gorlok had interpreted my flight from Bentius as evidence that it was all my doing, and in a way, it was. I had pushed Leveria too far, and triggered a cascade of events that led to this moment. I had signed the death warrant of my own people, and I would be a hero for it. I thought for a moment to scream at Gorlok, to pound his chest and tell him to turn back, but my diplomatic mind caught the words in my throat, and the political tactics I had employed so much in Bentius came forth.

“It’s best that you never speak of this meeting to Yavara,” I smiled coyly, “she wouldn’t understand like you do.”

“Not a word,” Gorlok smiled back, tapping the side of his nose in a conspirator’s gesture, “Alkandra is a cheap price for Bentius, but our queen has a sentimental heart.”

“Have you sent her an eagle yet?” I asked.

“Twenty minutes ago; do you have another message for her?”

“I do,” I responded, “but she’ll be on route to Alkandra by now. I need your fastest beast, Gorlok; I must get there soon.”

“Best to leave the dead where they lie,” Gorlok said, giving me a worried glance, “no one can save those people, not even her. You’ll be riding to your end.”

“If I may be so bold,” I said, keeping my smile etched, trying to appear as though I knew something he didn’t, “I believe I outrank you, Gorlok. Do I need to rephrase my request as an order?”

Gorlok gave me another studious glance, and then bellowed out a short laugh.

“You do have balls, girl,” he chuckled, “literally, I suppose.” I was without those, but I smiled anyway. “Baratok,” Gorlok yelled over his shoulder, “give our esteemed ambassador your wolf!”

I’d killed my fair share of wargs before, but I’d never tried to ride one. The power of the beast amazed me, and its speed nearly gave me whiplash. I adjusted to the rigorous rise of its rippling back muscles and anchored my heels just below its ribs. Every stride from the wolf propelled us airborne for twenty feet before we landed, and I gripped the tuft of its mane with white knuckles as I screamed in adrenaline. Five minutes later, it was as though I had ridden the beast all my life. We raced through the canopy of the forest; jumping from branch to branch as the torches of the thundering cavalry burned beneath me. My cheek grazed the needle of a pine tree, and the voice of the forest spirit spoke in my mind.

Elena Arbor said from a hundred miles away, what have you done?

LEVERIA

This would be my last day addressing the noble court, I had no doubt about that. The moment I stepped into the great hall, and sat next to the vacant seat my husband should have occupied, I knew what was to come. He’d no doubt been advised by the more ambitious members of the court to stay away from me. For them, it was a symbolic victory to see my own spouse abandon me, but for me, it was a welcome reprieve from the façade of a happy marriage. It was somewhat liberating to have everything out in the open, even if it meant the end of my reign. Now, I would bare the pageantry of the noble court’s ridicule; I would hear their insults, their grand statements of the state of the realm, and their tactful dance toward their final goal: a vote of no confidence. I had no friends on the court to refute them, and I had no born heir to replace me. In short; I would be the last Tiadoa to sit on the throne. What these fools didn’t know, was that whoever replaced me (most likely Lord Ternias) would be the last elf to ever sit on the throne, and his reign would be brief.

“The queen has arrived,” Lord Xantian called to the court, before eyeing me with unflinching lechery, “the court has been convened. Queen Leveria Tiadoa may address the nobles.”

“Thank you, Lord Xantian.” I said, smiling coolly down at him. He regarded my confident tone with a wide smirk; he knew what was to come, he knew he wouldn’t call me ‘queen’ for long. I stood up, and eyed the members of the noble court. They all bore the same leering grins Xantian wore, all of them waiting to see how I would confront the humiliation of last night.

“Last night, you all saw a part of me I keep reserved for only a select few,” I started, “you saw a-”

“We did more than just see you, my queen!” Lady Jonias laughed, prompting a roar of laughter from the other nobles. Interrupting a monarch is something nobody would ever do, but it was obvious they no longer saw me as such. I smiled patiently and waited for the laughter to die down, before continuing.

“You saw a part of me I only saved for two people: the traitor Elena Straltaira, and my late father.” My smile broadened as the room fell to dead silence. I didn’t know which shock struck them more: that I had labeled their ambassador (my lover) a traitor, or that I had admitted to fucking my father. I let the stunned silence linger for a moment, before moving on.

“Elena Straltaira revealed herself to be an agent of Queen Yavara Alkandi. She fled Bentius after last night’s ball, and is no doubt in Alkandra right now. She poisoned me with succubus extract against my will,” (that was a lie, but who would know better?) “and she sought to cripple the office of the monarch by humiliating me in front of the noble court. And all of you, every single one of you, partook in her treason.”

“Liar!” screamed Lord Ternias, “Whore!” screamed Lord Huntian, “No confidence!” screamed Lord Xantian, “Father-Fucker!” screamed Lord Feltian.

“Silence!” I roared, and the court fell silent, “I know that my forced abdication is a foregone conclusion, I know that you have rallied your support behind Lord Ternias, and I know that no matter what I say, you will move forward with your treason!”

“Your entire reign has been treason!” Lord Ternias bellowed, and his words were followed with a resounding applause, “Your head should be on a pike!”

“And your reign will be the shortest-lived in our history!” I shot back, silencing the crowd again. A few inquisitive murmurs permeated through the nobles, and I waited for their apprehensive curiosity to get the better of them. When all eyes were fixed on me, I revealed what I had done.

“Hear me now, esteemed lords and ladies of the court,” I said at almost a whisper, “I have emptied the southern army into The Great Forest. I have ordered the massacre of every man, woman and child in Alkandra. I have left our southern fort open to the enemy, giving them an unobstructed path right to Bentius. In three days’ time, a hundred-thousand beasts will be at your gates, in your streets and in your homes. In three days’ time, your heads will be on pikes, right alongside my own!”

I practically screamed out the last sentence with manic laughter. The stunned silence that followed was blissful music to my ears, and the expressions of horror written across their faces was a masterpiece to my eyes. And then, chaos. Screams so shrill and panicked they sounded as though they came from babes filled the hall. The nobles stood and dashed for the doors, not bothering to collect their belongings, not bothering to look back at me. Their terror propelled them into the streets, but no warning was yelled to the populace. They wanted the roads cleared for themselves when they made their escape. But there would be no escape for them, not from the storm that was approaching from the east. In the empty room, I sat down and smiled. I would still be queen. Queen of ash, soon enough, but queen nonetheless. The last queen of The Highlands.

ADRIANA

The dawn air was filled with the relentless, rolling thunder of hoof beats. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them. Their rumble shook the very foundations of the castle, and rattled every window and doorframe. I had managed to get all the chieftain’s families to safety, and almost all the children. The women and men were forced to stay behind once the drone of the approaching army met our ears. I filled the twelve towers with bowman, and clogged every narrow passage I could with spears. The bridge over the river had been burnt, and the aqueducts that ran from it, smashed. Tom, the massive troll with an eye for decoration, stood with his crew of five in the center of the road. He knew he would face the elven vanguard, but he volunteered anyway.

I had sent my hybrid friends to command the towers as couples; I didn’t want them to die alone. Faltia and Alexa commanded the westernmost north tower, Brianna and Eva commanded the westernmost south tower, and Kierra and Soraya commanded the fallback position at the castle gates. Furia and I stood at the top of the castle tower, where I could command the city’s defense from the highest vantage point. It would be here, that the last of us would die; I had no doubt about that.

Furia touched my hand as the hoofbeats grew louder. I gave her a rueful smile and squeezed it. Her eyes traveled to my belly, where the hint of a swell was apparent. I touched my other hand to my pregnancy bump, and then brought that hand to her cheek. She kissed the palm, and I pushed a strand of her blonde hair over her pointed ear.

The hoofbeats stopped. The sound of a scream scorched through the sky, and then the roar of hundreds of battle horns blared from the forest. Arbor had sprung her trap.

ARBOR

We waited in the tree tops as the cavalry passed below us. They seemed to be endless; a stream of shining, golden armor that flowed through the massive pine trunks and coalesced upon their passing. I felt the minds of all my sons and daughters standing alert and waiting, waiting for me to give the order that would send them all to their deaths. When a quarter of the army had passed below us, I sent out the command.

My nymphs spoke to the trees, and the trees listened. They gave up their thick limbs and let them fall to the forest floor. The branches crashed onto the heads of the cavalry in a deafening crunch. Those that rode behind the unfortunate souls were sent flailing into the brush as their horses broke their legs against the sudden barricade. Screams filled their air, and the flowing river of soldiers stopped in a clogging mass of golden helms. My children asked the greatest sacrifice of the trees, and the trees gave it to them. They groaned and creaked, and then tore their own roots from the ground. Shrieks of terror filled the air as the soldiers saw the massive trunks sway threateningly in the still air, before leaning inward upon the clogged army, and falling. A great, sheering sound filled the canopy as the enormous pines collapsed. Their impacts shook the earth with each fall, and their death throes were accompanied by the stifled shrieks of those below them. Tree after tree fell upon the static army; punching massive rows into their ranks and killing scores at a time. The endless line of soldiers was split into a hundred divided sections as each trunk crashed upon the path. The horses and men screamed alike, and attempted to scatter into the forest. But they were too packed-in to filter out, and hundreds more were killed with each sacrificial treefall. When I was satisfied with the slaughter, I ordered my nymphs to move down the line. We had stopped the head of the invaders, but the tail was long, and would be ready for us now.

We jumped silently from tree top to tree top, asking the great pines to sacrifice themselves, and weeping silently as they did. Trunk after trunk collapsed onto the elven lines, but they were beginning to scatter now, and search the canopy for us. An arrow struck a nymph just two feet from me. She screamed and reached for me, but I could not grasp her before she fell. Another arrow struck one of my sons, and he flailed for purchase before screaming to his end. Soon, the canopy was filled with the hissing of hundreds of arrows. The elves’ deadly aim and keen eyes sent scores of my children to their deaths with every volley. I ordered them to keep moving, to keep leaping through the trees and sending the trunks crashing. The elves wanted us pinned, and our only chance was to brave the arrows and jump.

The continuous crashing of trees began to dwindle with each second. What was once a thundering roll of falling trunks was now a sporadic trickle. I felt the deaths of each of my children in my mind, and wept silently for their passing. I glided to a tree where Rose, my favorite daughter, was pinned down by a relentless stream of arrows. I sent two adjacent trunks crashing into her attackers, and then lifted her to her feet to flee.

“No, Mother.” she smiled sadly when I compelled her to run. I saw the green blood pooling around her stomach and seeping into the bark she had been sprawled upon. Another wave of arrows whistled passed us, and I felt two sharp pains in my wings. I looked back with a studious expression as I registered the foreign physical pain.

“Mother,” Rose said weakly, a stream of green flowing from her mouth, “bind me to this Father,” she said, placing her palm on the branch of the pine, “and I will make my final voice heard.”

I smiled solemnly to Rose, and gently placed my hand on her chest. She smiled back, and I felt a tear fall from my eye for the first time in my life. She brushed my tears away, and she spoke the words I had said to so many of my dying children.

“Nothing dies,” she coughed, “only changes.”

“Return to earth.” I smiled back, and caved in her sternum. Her head dropped as her heart traveled through her spine, and into the bark behind her. The tree groaned, and then streamed with green bioluminescence. Another volley of arrows ripped passed me, and three more struck me in the back. I sighed as I felt my organs pierced and my fluid run freely. It seemed my time in this body was at an end. I embraced the massive trunk and gently kissed its bark.

“Do it, Rose.” I whispered, and she did. The tree uprooted itself, and spun wildly as it fell. I smiled as I saw the terror in the elves’ eyes, and then I closed my own. I didn’t feel my physical death, I just felt my spirit leave the body. I watched from all eyes of the forest as Rose’s tree rolled over hundreds of mounts. The last of my children fell from the canopy, and I was alone in the world again. Actually, there was still another who I was connected with. The one I once called ‘Master’ sat atop her warg in a high spruce tree overlooking the carnage.

Elena, I said to her, taking control of the tree and embracing her softly with the flexible limbs of its thinner branches, why has this happened? Why are you here?

I didn’t intend for this, she whispered back, I was trying to force peace.

What have you done, Child? I asked her gently, Tell me everything.

Elena’s memories told me everything. Her mind filled with every action she took leading up this point; from her accidental enslavement of myself, to her love of Leveria, and her eventual betrayal. I felt the emotions course through her, and I understood them and experienced them with her. Before Elena, I had been an impartial spectator of humanoids; a simple witness to their lives. After she had changed me, and after Zander had reconciled the two halves of my being, I had learned what it meant to live like they do. Before Elena, I would silently judge her for her faults, but now, I could see the folly of her actions for what they were: impossible choices forced by impossible circumstances.

You fell in love with her, I said to the weeping hybrid, and you hate yourself for it.

I do. she wept.

So much guilt, I said, feeling the weight of her heart in my own soul, the guilt of loving someone you shouldn’t-no, not just one, but two. The guilt of loving Leveria and Yavara. You hate and love them both.

I do. she whispered back.

Only one of them can stop what is to come, I said to her, you must put your faith behind the one you loved first.

She’s too far gone, Elena cried back, she won’t listen to me.

You’ll have to try, Elena, I said, for the sake of your people, you’ll have to try.

Elena stood static on the branch, her tears splashing against my bark. I pricked her with a needle from the spruce, and she awoke from her grief-filled stupor.

Now, Child. I whispered in her mind, and she kicked her spurs into the wolf’s side and dashed into the canopy. Fifty miles away, Yavara flew over The Great Forest with a wizard in her arms. I sighed and retreated to my home tree in The Spruces. I was done with Yavara’s war; I had children to bury, and new life to create.

ALEXA: SOUTH TOWER OF ALKANDRA

We’d heard the chaos of Arbor’s ambush. We’d head the crashing of trees, the screams of elves, and then the silence that followed it. Then, we heard the thunder of hoofbeats once again. I nodded gravely to Faltia, and she nodded back. Arbor and her children were dead. From our vantage point at the top of the tower, we could see the shining helms of the cavalry cresting over the far hill top. Faltia bellowed out the order to ready missiles, and the orcs responded in a confused jumble of fearful confirmation. These weren’t the great warriors of The Ten, but old men and women with almost no training. The hardest part of this battle wasn’t going to be the fighting itself, but keeping our newly-drafted soldiers from running.

I raised my bow and notched an arrow. The cavalry streamed from the forest and amassed at the river, just out of range. They marshalled their ranks, and organized themselves into sections. The combat engineers filed out from the rows of horsemen, dragging heavy coils of roped-planks behind them. A few orcs in the lower levels of the tower fired their arrows, only to see them arc into the river, well out of range. Behind the combat engineers, elven mages filed into place and began casting their spells. The roped-planks unwound from their coiled positions, and rolled across the river to form ten, sturdy bridges. The cavalry lined up in an orderly fashion, and began to trot across the river.

They were in range now. Faltia screamed the order, and thousands of arrows shot from the tower. They streaked across the sky in a mass of black rain, and then bounced uselessly off the arcane shield created by the mages. I swore under my breath and ordered the orcs to hold fire. The mages could project their shield for now, but once they were beneath us, we’d be within its radius.

“Hold fire!” I screamed, but the panicked orcs wouldn’t listen. They loosed volley after volley of valuable munitions, and volley after volley splintered against the invisible barrier.

“You have to go down there!” Faltia yelled at me, “Or we’ll be dry by the time they get here!”

I dashed from the balcony of the tower and ran to each floor, commanding the packed-in orcs to hold fire. I could see the panic in their eyes, and the fear in their movements. The cavalry was getting closer, and was marching with a methodic cadence that made them seem automated. I reached the lower levels of my tower and managed to rally enough of the orcs to keep our munitions stocked, but we’d wasted over half our arrows already. I ran into the street, where the spearmen were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, and literally shitting themselves. They’d seen the volleys of munitions that were supposed to thin out the elves crash uselessly against an invisible shield, and were now almost completely unnerved.

“Hold ranks!” I yelled to the wavering spearmen, “Stay fast; they’re going to charge!”

As if on cue, I felt the air stiffen around me. We were within the radius of the arcane shield, and the enemy was vulnerable. They knew it, and they charged. A thousand arrows rained down on them from the towers they ran between. Hundreds of horses screamed and fell, but the cavalry kept formation. Hot pitch was poured upon their heads from the windows of the towers, but it only splashed upon those unfortunate enough to be riding along the flanks. The vanguard of the elven cavalry rushed to us, and the orcs began to route. Screams of terror filled my ears, and the stuttering ranks of beasts drew backward in a panic. I was left alone, facing a charging horde of my former people. I braced myself for death, and drew my sword. As the cavalry came down on me, a great roar blasted in my ears.

Tom and his crew of trolls charged head-long into the horsemen. They swung their massive hammers, and the bodies began to fly. The charging line of cavalry broke around the hairy beasts, and the orcs regained the little bit of confidence they needed. War cries filled my ears, and the men and women of The Ten charged back into the fray. I charged with them, and we met the cavalry behind the trolls with our swords and spears. I ducked beneath the hooves of a reeling horse and sliced its belly open. The animal screeched out and tossed its owner, who I promptly impaled. Another horse bucked and charged me, and I slid between its legs and de-hoofed the poor animal. Its rider was sent sprawling into the streets, and then was squished to red paste by a troll’s foot. I turned around to see another horse baring on me. I side-stepped it and swung, but its rider was too fast. He lurched to the side, and the flank of the beast hit me squarely in the chest. I flew backward and smashed against a tower wall. I felt three ribs snap, and the air rush out of my lungs. I collapsed against the wall and caught my breath as another horseman came rushing toward me. I weakly raised my sword in a feeble attempt to defend myself, and then my hand was gone.

I didn’t have time to register the pain before an arrow caught me in the gut. I collapsed to my ass and coughed up an acidic mixture of bile and blood. Above me, I saw that the elven mages had set Faltia’s tower aflame. From the top of the tower, I saw my love watching me from below. She fired her last arrow, and waved to me. I weakly waved back with my remaining hand and smiled. I couldn’t see her smile back, but I could feel it. She leapt from the burning building with arms outstretched, and I watched her graceful descent with sorrowful satisfaction.

We’ll meet again, I thought as I watched the trolls fall beneath the streaming flow of golden helms, we will love again, Faltia.

I never saw the sword that finally killed me.

BRIANNA

Eva’s body was still warm next to me. I grasped her hand and wept, trying not to look at the arrow that was stuck in her eye. One moment she had been smiling manically at me, the next, her face had slackened and her smile faded. She had enough soul left in her to turn to me before she finally collapsed, and the last sight to fill her mind was my fading grin. I touched her cheek as my tears splashed onto her face. Around me, I could see the flames begin to tickle the walls of my tower. Before long, this stone building would be an oven, and I had no intention of being hot meal.

I looked out the window to see a streak of blonde hair plummet to the earth. Faltia had made her choice, and it seemed like a good one to me. I kissed Eva’s warm cheek, and muttered my final goodbye. A great calm came over me, and I stepped to the window. Oddly enough, it seemed I would have to wait my turn. Every orc on my level was now screaming in primal fear, and then lining up in an orderly fashion to leap to their deaths. I politely made my place in the line, and watched in grim amazement as orc after orc jumped from the window. It was fucking bizarre to see such a methodical act of mass suicide, but I guessed that even in our most dire moments, civilized people retained their sense of propriety. The she-orc in front of me looked over her shoulder and caught my eye. She nodded, and I returned her nod, and then she jumped. I stepped to the window, breathed the cool air, and then looked beneath me.

The golden army had set eight of the twelve towers aflame, and had pushed the spearmen back to the castle drawbridge. Behind them, thousands of bodies lay broken and butchered in the streets. Among them, I could make out the broken corpses of Keira and Soraya. They were holding hands, even in death. I allowed myself a final glance at the world, and leapt from the window. I closed my eyes as I ascended into the sky, and then enjoyed weightlessness for a single moment. The entire world was still, and the chaos below me filtered through a peaceful membrane. Then, the sound came rushing back, and I felt the air blowing hard against my body. I didn’t open my eyes, I just focused on the last of my breaths. Breath in, breathe out. Breath in, breathe out. Breathe-

YAVARA

I couldn’t get to her in time. I was inches away from grabbing Brianna, but I missed. I screamed in anguish as I watched her hit the stones of the street below me.

“Drop me on that tower, I can still save it!” Zander yelled in my ear. I veered left and quickly dropped Zander onto the tower. The golden cavalry was butchering the routing orcs in the street, and only a few thousand remained to guard the castle gates. The rest had been cut down, burned alive, or had retreated into the supposed safety of the castle’s keep. I knew my castle would be turned into an oven soon enough, and I made a sharp turn back to mages below me.

They were amassed between two burning towers, and were more than ready for me. They fired hundreds of infernal spells, and I put up my arcane shield just in time. I was engulfed in whirlwind of flame, and the air molecules I was relying on to keep me sky-borne fried in the hellish vacuum. I plummeted to the street, and caught myself mere feet from certain death. The firestorm they casted had shielded my fall, and I had the jump on them. I touched the cobblestones of the street with my mind, and felt the crystalline structure of their being. I latched onto my mental connection with the earth, and wrenched the sleeping rocks from their foundations. A billion shards of rigid stone shot upward from the earth, and a score of mages turned to fine, red mist. I walked through the scarlet shower and tasted the iron on my tongue. It awoke the beast that laid dormant within me, and I tested a glance at the sky. The burning towers blocked out the sun in the street; I would feed well today.

ZANDER

I raced down the steps of the tower, quenching every flame I could find as I moved from floor to floor. The orcs were leaping from the windows, but I managed to stop a few as I made my way down. When I hit the bottom floor, I had company. An elven shock unit nearly collided into me on the steps. They fumbled with their crossbows for a moment, and I disintegrated them. Their heavily-plated armor fell empty on the steps, and bounced in a clang out the door. When I emerged from the extinguished building, I was met with the chaos of the street. I’d seen this all before. Fifteen lifetimes ago, the very same picture had filled my eyes during the first fall of Alkandra. The elves thought the orcs to be no more than animals, and they butchered them as such. Back then, it was my betrayal that had led to the downfall of Alkandra; this time, someone else was to blame.

Lightening coursed from my fingertips and fried the assaulting troopers in their metal. The electricity arced from man to man, horse to horse, and emptied the street for a moment. But more came, and they came prepared for me. I blasted another shot of lightening, and it bounced off an arcane shield. The horsemen in front charged, and the mages behind gave them cover. I slipped into the door of the building and taunted them with blasts of fire from my hands. They came following, and I felt their shield pass over me. They dismounted, and rushed foolishly into the doorway, where they were immediately turned to mist. Man after man walked stubbornly to their deaths, and I willingly gave them what they came for. I was always the creative sort, so each victim met his end in a different way. One shat his organs out, another’s spine turned to jelly, and another simply turned around, and began hacking at those who followed. I waited for the pawns to play their sacrificial roles before the real threat came.

A mage entered the door, and I cast lightening into his chest. He deflected it at the last second, but was pushed into the wall. A laceration spell sent the contents of jugular splattering onto the stones, and the next one came. He shot fire immediately, and I quenched with a thrust of my staff. I retaliated with acid, but he neutralized it. He shot upheaval at the stones beneath me, and I stamped my foot onto the steps and leveled the rising floor. I was caught off-balance for a moment, and the mage shot a black stream right into my chest. It hit me squarely, and then fizzled pathetically with no effect. He looked at me in bewildered terror, and I smiled at him, before blasting his guts out his anus. No one came afterward, but I knew better than to feel safe. They would come in mass next time in attempt to overwhelm me. I waited patiently, and they arrived on schedule. Six mages burst in at once, blasting fire from their hands. I put up my arcane shield and felt the hair of my beard singe. I was forced backward by the blow, and anchored my footing against the wall as the firestorm roared around me. They were relentless, but I was stubborn. The flames began to sputter, and I could feel the exhaustion taking over them. I waited a few moments longer, and then countered. Lightening shot from my staff and fingers, and three mages fell. The other three were faster, and they deflected my spell back to me. I had a split second to put up my defenses, but not enough time to anchor my footing. My head crashed against the stone, and the wind was shocked from my lungs. I collapsed against the wall, and they mages levelled their hands to me.

A blur of fur and gnashing teeth erupted from the doorway. The warg crushed a mage’s skull with a single bite, and sent the other two wizards flying into the walls. They didn’t have time to get up before the rider pounced on them in a frenzy of blades and blonde hair. When she was done, she looked up at me, her face splashed with crimson, her tan complexion flushed with the heat of battle.

“Elena,” I coughed, “what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, Zander.” Elena said without humor, “Where is Yavara?”

A deep horn sounded from the direction of the castle. Elena and I darted for the door and looked into the street. The elven army had pushed the defenders over the drawbridge, and those inside were closing it.

“They’re not safe,” I said to Elena, “they’ll burn them in there.”

“Do you have a portal inside the keep?” she asked me.

“I have one hidden behind the throne room,” I replied, “but there’s no way I’m getting in there without Yavara’s help. She’s over there,” I said, gesturing to the mass of elven soldiers surrounding what looked like a fountain of blood, “and she’s fucking vampiric. Elena; you see those mages on the far side of the group? You kill them; I’ll get Yavara.”

Before Elena had a chance to question me, I ran. I charged headlong toward the back of the soldiers and changed with every footfall. My robes tore with my widening legs, my shirt split from the strengthening muscles of my back, my spine shot downward, and my claws clambered against the cobblestones. Mountain Bears had been extinct for a thousand years, but I had collected samples from the last ones before the Valkyries finally finished them off. Normally, I was against the systematic killing of an entire species, but I understood why the winged women of the mountain had done away with these beasts. I stood ten feet tall from paw to shoulder, and every inch of me was covered in muscle and fur. I roared a primordial bellow that awakened the old fear in all humanoids: the fear in realizing that you’re not the apex predator you thought you were. The elves turned around with terror etched on their faces, and I crashed into them.

ADRIANA

I ducked as a volley of fire and arrows shot through the tower window. The arcane flame didn’t extinguish when it hit the stones of the castle, but grew hotter and brighter. I coughed around the smoke and loosed five arrows in succession before I was forced on to my belly by another salvo of flame and missiles.

“We can’t stay here!” Furia screamed in my ear, “We have to fall back to the keep!”

“They’ll burn us out!” I screamed back, “We have to take out the mages or they’ll fry this whole place!”

Another blast of flame smashed into the side of the tower, and the tendrils of fire licked though the windows, blocking my vantage point.

“We can either burn now, or burn later!” Furia screamed.

“Blow the horn!” I yelled as I got to my feet, “Then come back into the keep! Don’t you fucking die before you get there!”

“I make no promises,” she smiled sadly, and kissed me quickly on the lips, “goodbye, Commander.”

Furia dashed from the room with her kiss still hot on my lips. I shook my mind from the daze she’d put me in and ran down the tower steps. The castle’s keep was in absolute chaos. Panic had broken any semblance of order, and the orcs that should have been defending the windows were now running in manic terror.

“Close the drawbridge!” I screamed to the operator. Thankfully, he still had his head on his shoulders, and he complied. The bridge slowly raised from its open position, leaving the orcs defending it stranded on the other side of the mote. It was unfortunate, but necessary. The deep, thundering groan of the keep’s horn blasted in my ears, and stopped the panicked mob for a blissful second. I took advantage of the pause and bellowed out orders before fear regained its control.

“Spears; man the doors! Swords; take position in the halls! Bows; aim for the gates!” I yelled, and the image of someone who knew what to do seemed to propel the orcs into action. They scrambled to take their battle positions, and I centered myself in front of the throne.

“They’ll have to burn down the bridge-gate to get in. When they do, I want every pointed edge flying through the door!” I yelled, and was answered with a myriad of confirmations. The fire of battle had long since left the hearts of those defending the castle, and the doom of their end was setting in. Only the grit determination of taking as many of the bastards with them kept their resolve, and mine. The chaotic sounds of the fray dwindled outside the bridge-gate, and I knew the last defenders outside had fallen. A few shouted orders from elven throats filtered through the wooden planks, and then the gush of rushing flame filled our ears. Fire tickled the boards of the bridge-gate, and the iron bracing began to glow red. I steadied my bow and let out a long breath. A dreadful silence weighed on the keep as the flames grew brighter and brighter. The thunder of marching feet accompanied the whooshing symphony of flame, and its cadence loudened with each passing second. The wood of the bridge-gate began to splinter and crackle. Beams began to fall and disintegrate against the castle floor. The hushed somberness of the room was broken with the panicked scratching and fidgeting of those ready to run. The iron bracing of the gate creaked, and then fell with a deafening clamor. The fidgeting sounds of terror grew to restless cries and stifled screams. A few orcs screeched their horror and dashed madly backward, searching for any way out. I didn’t try to stop them; there was no use in attempting such things to those so consumed by fear. The last of the iron beams buckled and fell, and rays of sunlight streaked from the splintering gate. I aimed down the shaft of my arrow, and exhaled once more.

The door burst open, and I barely stopped my arrow against my thumb.

“Hold fire!” I screamed, but the missiles flew anyway. The great, furry beast roared and reared back, but it did not charge. The rain of arrows stopped, and the bear collapsed on its stomach, with a pool of blood forming beneath it. Yavara and Elena ran in after him, and helped the changing wizard to his feet.

YAVARA

My blood-lust was unquenchable. My fingers tore through the elven armor like it was butter, and my fangs punctured their helms as easily as biting into an apple. The mages fire bounced uselessly off me, and their attempts to bind me were frivolous. I was a whirlwind of pale death, and those caught in the tempest were blown to pieces. They closed in on me from all sides; breaking their swords against my skin, bouncing their pathetic shields off the striations of my back. Every swipe of my hand sent five to their graves, every kick of my foot punched through armor and flesh, and every bite of my jaw sated the thirst that hung dry in my throat. Then a voice cut through it all. A voice I hadn’t heard on the wind for what felt like an eternity.

“Yavara!” Elena screamed from her warg, “Go to Zander!”

I stared up at Elena in a dumbfounded stupor. The elves around me struck me with countless blows, but I paid them no heed. There she was, the love of my life, striding a great wolf atop the corpses of her countrymen.

“Zander!” she screamed, and I turned around. The largest bear I’d ever seen was crashing through the mass of elves behind me. They screamed in horror and flew from the great beast, and he trampled them as they ran. He rushed toward me and took me in a giant paw.

Change back, Yavara; you can’t kill them all. his voice said in my mind.

Watch me! I screamed back as he secured me in his arms.

There will be time for vengeance, he said calmly, but you will not have it if you’re dead. Change back.

I reluctantly abandoned my vampiric form, and Zander tossed me on his back. I straddled his massive dorsal muscles and clung to his fur. Elena strode alongside us, riding her warg on pace with Zander’s break-neck stride. I stared at her in longing and confusion, and she stared back with shame. I didn’t know why she was here, but her expression told me everything. She thought this was her fault. Before the thought had time to fester, Zander smashed into the backs of the mages setting fire to the castle gates. He leapt from the edge of the moat, and blasted through the smoldering remains of the bridge. Hundreds of arrows buzzed around us, and I felt Zander double-over in pain. Elena landed next to me, and ran to the side of the wounded bear.

“Hold fire!” Adriana yelled from her position in front of my throne. The keep was filled with the terror-stricken expressions of my people. They didn’t look at me with awe I was used to, but the blank stares of abandonment. I had failed them, and it would not be forgotten.

“Yavara, help me!” Elena screamed. Zander was naked and back in his human form. He was still breathing, but his mind had drifted from consciousness, and his blood was leaking everywhere. I shot myself into his brain and woke him violently. He startled up in a gasp, and then went to work healing himself.

“Everyone, line up behind the throne,” I ordered, “there’s a portal there. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can!”

“Yavara!” Elena yelled at me as I turned toward the hole where the gate had been. I glanced back at her to see tears streaking down her face.

“I’m sorry!” she sobbed, “Don’t hate me!”

“I don’t know what happened, Elena,” I said back, “but this is Leveria’s doing, not yours.”

“Don’t do it, Yavara!” Elena screamed at me, “Don’t be like her!”

I gave her a final, sorrowful look, and then shot into the sky. I loved Elena more than anyone in this world, but I hated Leveria even more. The elves were the arm and sword that struck this blow. The elves were my people no longer. No matter what the future held, one thing was for certain: Bentius would burn for this.

ELENA

Yavara’s figure silhouetted against the sun, and then dove into the oncoming fray of elven cavalry. I turned my attention to the keep, where Adriana and Zander were trying to file the orcs into an orderly line.

“Elena!” Adriana yelled to me over the commotion, “Find Furia! She’s in the horn tower!”

“Who is-”

“She’s like us!” Adriana said, gesturing to her hybrid form, “Find her!”

I ran up the curved stairwell to the horn tower and ducked as a blast of fire shot through the ceiling. I squinted my eyes against the inferno and pressed on, knowing that this Furia girl was probably ash by now. I coughed into my shirt and crawled on my hands and knees as the smoke billowed around me. I couldn’t even see when my hands and feet felt the wooden boards of the tower’s peak, and I almost turned back when I heard a faint voice.

“Adriana?” a choked, guttural voice squeaked out.

I peered toward the source of the voice to see a blackened figure trapped beneath a burning beam. I didn’t think a person could live through such trauma; Furia’s entire body was charred, her hair burnt from her scalp, and her limbs broken beneath the wood that trapped her. I crawled over to her, trying to ignore the smell of her cooked flesh.

“Not Adriana,” I said, “but she’s waiting for you.”

“Elena?” Furia coughed, “You’re supposed to be in Bentius.”

“I keep hearing that,” I smiled, and took hold of her hand, “does that hurt you?”

“I can’t feel anything,” Furia said, and tried to smile with no lips, “did you say Adriana is waiting for me? How did she die?”

“She’s alive and downstairs,” I said, and placed a hand beneath her charred back, “and she’s waiting for you.”

“Don’t let her see me like this!” Furia spat, coughing horrendously as the words spilled from her, “End me!”

“We got a wizard downstairs who loves to work miracles,” I said to her as I dragged her body out, “and I’ve let too many people die today to see you go. As much as I hate the commander, I can’t be the reason she lost both her girlfriends; she might actually kill me then.”

I picked Furia up as gently as I could, but she still wailed in agony as I held her. I let her scream in my arms as I ducked beneath the smoke and jogged down the steps. I entered the keep to see that it was noticeably less occupied. Zander and Adriana were hurrying the last of the orcs through the green portal when I called for the wizard. Zander looked up at me, and Adriana turned around with him. In all my years, I’d never seen an expression bare such pain; I almost felt bad for the cunt.

“Don’t look at her!” I screamed at Adriana, “She’s still alive, but you can’t un-see this! Zander, help her!”

Zander rushed over to me as I gently placed the crisped hybrid to the ground. She screeched horribly when her skin touched the stones, and I saw Adriana tense up.

“Shhhh,” Zander said calmingly to the hermaphrodite, “just breathe, Furia.”

His hands touched her face, and the black skin began to fall away. His fingers traced down her breasts, abdomen, pelvis and legs, and the charred flesh flaked to reveal silky skin beneath it. Her bones reset, her exposed muscles layered over, and her tendons reconnected. Her tense body visibly relaxed, and Zander tenderly turned her over to heal her back.

“You’ll have to wear a wig for a while,” Zander chuckled lightly, “although I’ve been working on a potion to cure male-pattern-baldness. Maybe you could be a test subject.”

When Furia turned over, I finally recognized her as the sheepish ranger girl who always sat in the corner at Castle Thorum. Even without her eyebrows and hair, I could see why Adriana fell for her: she was beautiful.

“Adriana?” Furia spoke in a sweet, clear voice.

Adriana turned around, tears staining her face. She knelt beside Furia, and murmured some incoherent words. Her trembling finger touched Furia’s face, and Furia smiled dazzlingly up at her. Adriana’s expression twisted in agony, and she collapsed into her lover’s bosom, and screamed. Furia cooed gentle whispers in the bawling ex-ranger’s ear, and the two embraced in a desperate hold. Zander stood upright, and I noticed for the first time there was a black mark on his naked chest.

“What is that?” I asked him. Zander just smiled wryly at me, and motioned toward the portal.

“I’m not leaving without Yavara.” I said firmly.

“Yes, you are.” He smiled back, and pushed the three of though the green membrane with a twirl of his hand. It was the last time I ever saw him.

ZANDER

I looked down at the black mark on my chest. Casting cancer was a dick move to say the least, but I supposed all was fair in war. I couldn’t place a face to the mage who had done it, which was poetic in a way. I had faced some of the greatest foes the world had to offer, and I would be ended by some no-name rank-and-file mage fresh out of graduate school. Even as I thought the words, I could feel the disease festering in my lungs. I had maybe two hours if I was lucky, but I didn’t intend on moving from where I stood. I was, after all, in the room of my destiny. The Black Throne sat mere feet from me, and I would be damned if Yavara wasn’t going to sit on that fucking chair before I died. Alkandi had cursed me with over a thousand years of life so that one of her incarnations could park her ass in that seat and call herself queen, so I felt like god owed me that much. I pulled out my pipe, filled it with tobacco, and waited.

The elven army retreated after thirty minutes of Yavara’s harassing. I suspected they realized they were running out of time to get back to their fort, and decided Yavara wasn’t just going to die for them. She came flying back into the keep, and I patted the seat next to me.

“I haven’t seen you sit down in this yet,” I laughed jovially to her, “could you do an old man a favor?”

“Zander,” Yavara said cautiously as she approached me, “your chest…”

“Yeah,” I grimaced when I glanced at it, “it’s not a pretty sight.”

“Are you going to heal that?” Yavara asked, kneeling to examine the disease.

“Can’t,” I replied cheerily, “there’s nothing to be done.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice filled with alarm. I smiled and placed a palm on her cheek, and let my eyes tell her the rest. Her lip quivered, her eyes trembled, and she collapsed into my lap.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered into my chest, “not you.”

“I wish I didn’t have to,” I whispered back as I pet her black hair, “but it’s my time.”

“No, it’s not!” Yavara cried, “I’ve lost too much today to lose you too!”

“And yet, I must go.” I replied, and lifted her chin with a single finger. I stared into those orange eyes, Alkandi’s eyes, and lost myself in their fiery glow.

“When I first saw you, you were looking at me through a book case,” I said, “I was hiding from you in the temple, but you found me all the same. And ever since you’ve found me, I’ve been chasing you, Alkandi. Across a millennium and a continent, I’ve been chasing your ghost, trying to get a piece of what I thought we once had. I remember every moment I spent with you, every single second; like a picture in my mind.”

“I’m not her, Zander.” Yavara said softly, her eyes brimming with pity.

“But you are, Yavara,” I smiled, “you are her, and more than a score of others. They live within you, see through your eyes, and think your thoughts. They are you, and you are them. You will know I speak the truth when you pass, and then awake through a babe’s eyes. It’s who you always were, and who you always will be, but that doesn’t mean you have to make the same mistakes.”

“What mistakes?” Yavara asked.

“When you were Alkandi, you sought vengeance and retribution above all else.” I said, “You alienated those who loved you, and it killed you in the end. It wasn’t the war, or the politics, or the bolt of the assassin that ended you, but your apathy of those who cared for you.”

“What should I do?” she asked, almost pleadingly, “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Love, Yavara,” I smiled sadly, “you should love. Hatred will compel you to do great things, build great empires, and crush great foes. But love will let you weather the worst storms, overcome the greatest hardships, and feel the greatest joy. Elena fears that you are becoming like your sister, and you fear it too. The only thing that separates you from her, is your capacity to love.”

“But what should I do?” she whispered, “Tell me before you go!”

“I don’t know, Yavara,” I said, “you must choose whether to act out of love, or hate. I can’t make that choice for you.”

I ran my hand through her hair again, and stared into those orange eyes.

“I lived for so long just to please you, because I loved you, Alkandi,” I whispered, “but you never showed me the same love. I think… I think I’ve paid my price for my betrayal. Now, you must reward me; park that perfect ass on this chair, girl, and we’ll finally have squared-up my debt.”

Yavara looked at me questioningly, and then stood up, and sat down on the Black Throne. I let out a sigh and felt some of the life leave me. I had done it. I had fulfilled the purpose of my long and tortured life. Yavara didn’t seem to share in my elation; she shifted uneasily in the seat and frowned.

“I’m the queen of ash,” she said as she looked at her ruined city, “just like Leveria said I would be: ‘One day, you’ll look upon the ashes of your kingdom and wonder where it all went wrong. You’ll walk atop the carcasses of your fallen loved ones and stare blankly at their skulls. And then you’ll see me, walking to you through the ashes with arms outstretched. You’ll embrace me as your sister, and I’ll kindly slip the dagger between your ribs. And the last words you will utter on this earth will be ‘thank you,’ as you look upon my face.’”

“She has a talent for monologuing,” I coughed, “but I don’t see her walking toward you.”

“Something went terribly wrong for her in Bentius,” Yavara mused, “something Elena did. She wouldn’t have launched this attack unless she knew there was nothing left in her world but the chance to spite me.”

“Hmmm,” I frowned, “something Elena did… I don’t think this attack was meant to spite you, Yavara. I don’t think she did this out of hate, but out of love.”

“What are talking about?” Yavara snapped.

“Don’t you see?” I chuckled, “Elena leaves Bentius at the same time Leveria launches an attack that leaves her defenseless. Did you think that Leveria kept Elena around because she was a good ambassador? Do you think she was fucking her just to get to you?”

I saw the gears working in Yavara’s mind, and her face fall with realization.

“Does Elena love her?” she asked me.

“I’m not the one to ask,” I smiled up at Yavara, “and I believe you have better things to do than wait around for an old man to die.”

Yavara looked at me with a long, hard gaze. Her expression softened, and she leaned forward and planted a kiss on my lips. I kissed her back as best I could, and felt the last love I had for Alkandi die in her mouth. Yavara pulled away and smiled.

“Go to Prestira, Zander,” she said as she stood, wiping the tears from her flushed cheeks, “don’t wait around for me; I’m never going there.”

“Goodbye, Yavara,” I coughed, “and try to remember what I told you.”

Yavara nodded, gave me a final, sorrowful look, and then flew away without a glance back. I got up weakly, and stumbled my way out of the castle. I cast a bridge over the mote, and walked as far as my dying legs would carry me. I finally sat down against the trunk of a small pine tree, and stared as the sun began to set over the harbor. The light faded from my vision, and my last breath left my mouth.

The world was a black, endless void. But it wasn’t the world, not really, but the place between worlds. I sat naked on the astral plane, and pondered silently.

Why have you come to this place of impermanence? Arbor’s voice echoed through the abyss.

To meditate on my death. I responded, To find the meaning of my life.

The blackness was illuminated by a glow that was both green and purple. A shapely, naked figure strode into my vision. Her skin was a pale purple, her eyes a shining emerald, her hair white with streaks of black, and her wings spread wide behind her curvaceous silhouette.

Prestira stopped here for only a moment, Arbor said as she approached me, I offered her a chance to find new life in my roots and bark, and she took the door instead.

I looked behind me to see a closed door with a luminous outline that radiated a brilliant rectangular beam of sun into the astral darkness.

Will you follow her? Arbor asked.

In time, perhaps, I responded, but I’ve dedicated my life to a singular purpose, and now that the purpose has been fulfilled, I feel as though I’ve wasted it.

Through my observance of you mortals, Arbor said as she sat next to me, I’ve noticed that the people who lead the most meaningless lives, often lead the most fulfilling ones.

A wife, a couple of kids, a mortgage and a dog, I smiled, it does sound nice.

We had more than a couple of kids, Zander. Arbor said, with the hint of humor in her voice, You were the father of hundreds.

They grew up so fast. I chuckled.

And died even faster. Arbor responded. A silence filled the void, but it wasn’t an awkward one. It was simply a space between words that didn’t need to be spoken.

What’s it like? I asked, breaking the silence, Seeing through every grain of grass, breathing through every leaf and listening through every hole and hovel?

I couldn’t describe it to you, Arbor said, resting her head on my shoulder, I could only show you.

Does it get lonely? I asked her.

It does, she whispered back, I have few equals in this world, and now that you’re gone, only Yavara may count herself among them, but she’s much too ambitious to be caretaker of the earth.

And me? I chuckled, What would I be?

A mind as powerful as yours? Arbor said, examining my naked form, You could share my forest equally with me.

That’s quite the offer. I smiled.

It’s a proposal, she smiled back, but I’m not accustomed to your kind of chivalry, so I won’t bend the knee, or offer you a ring.

It’s the man that usually does all that, I chuckled as I slid my hand around her waist, but I accept, Arbor.

That’s good to hear…husband. Arbor whispered and placed her hand on my thigh, Do you want to make children with me?

The nymphs just went extinct, I smiled as I pulled her on to my lap, so we better get busy.

6219   2 98578    +9.18 [85] Next part