“Kill him, Fian,” the leader demanded, rubbing at his burning eyes. “Do it before he ensorcels you.”
The ogre blinked and stopped several feet away. “Question?” It grunted and motioned for Arim to continue. Behind it several Aellei burst into bright light while others phased away, leaving only four remaining who appeared to be overcoming his Light spell.
“Why do you do that one’s bidding?”
The ogre looked over its shoulder at the leader. “Zartic not so bad. He promise ‘Landra’s secret ‘lixir.”
“Fian, shut up and kill him. I’m not paying you for your conversation, you ill-mannered cretin.” Zartic had apparently recovered and gathered his three remaining warriors near the kitchen island.
Fian turned its homely visage back to Arim, a thick, red band of coarse hair framing its face like a lion’s mane—only this ‘lion’ looked more like a rabid baboon. The ogre appeared irritated, sparking in Arim a lick of hope.
His elbow still throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the fire burning in his gut. Shadow magic didn’t mix well with Light, and Arim hadn’t yet been able to deal with the murkiness travelling throughout his body. He needed a distraction, or at least help in dealing with the Aellei.
“Fian, is it?” Arim bowed but kept his eyes on the ogre. “I am Arim, a Light Bringer from Tanselm. I have no discord with you, friend ogre, but with the ones there who think so little of manners and honesty.” He glared at Zartic and his cohorts. “’Landra never had the elixir, Fian. I have it, and they want it for themselves.”
Fian stared hard at Arim, making Arim wonder if this ‘Landra really did have an elixir the ogre wanted. From what he knew of their breed, ogres would do almost anything for fine, aged cinarum.
“As a matter of fact,” he bluffed, subtly rubbing at the pain in his sternum while he stood firm and tall. “I’ll give you a barrel of the stuff right now if you dispose of those rogues for me.” He waved his hand and a barrel of royal cinarum appeared, the finest ‘elixir’ in all of Tanselm. Queen Ravyn would have his head if she knew, but her celebrations could make do without one more barrel of the stuff.
“You shoddy fuck.” Zartic glared at him, thrusting his staff in Arim’s direction, which, unfortunately for the Aellei, also pierced the ogre. The Aellein warriors took their cue and turned their weapons on Arim as well, making it look as if they had turned traitor to their ogre.
Fian took the insult and the threat to heart. “Not like tricksters. Want payment. Want apology,” it said in a clear, angry voice. “Now.”
“Shit. Just kill it and the sorcerer,” Zartic huffed.
But the ogre didn’t fall under their steady blasts, and soon it was upon them, its meaty fists clobbering the first warrior it reached.
“Dammit, Zartic. Control it!” The warrior under attack sounded strangled, his throat wrapped by the ogre’s fist.
“Fian, stop! You’re mine, I own you!”
Arim shook his head and began to heal the burn pervading his body. “Tsk, tsk, Zartic. For a leader, you know precious little about those you command. Ogres are a proud race. And you Aellei know all about pride, don’t you?” he asked softly. “If not for your sorry conceit, you might still be in Tanselm, hmm?”
Knowing the jibe would further irritate the Aellei, he was pleasantly surprised when the warrior neatly bypassed Fian, who was now making a mess out of the remaining Aellei, and moved in for the kill.
The minute Zartic’s staff made contact with him, Arim closed his hand around it, skewing its polarity.
Zartic screamed in dismay and watched helplessly as the staff burned into a pile of ash before his eyes.
“Come now, before me,” Arim murmured and enslaved Zartic with a mind spell.
If only I’d been able to do that to Cadmus. Arim grimaced. He glanced distractedly at the ogre. “The cinarum is yours, Fian. And good health to you.”
Fian grunted that he’d heard and continued to smash his fists into the barely moving Aellei.
“Now unless you want to join in your brethren’s fate, perhaps you’d best explain why you’re here. Tell me all about this traitor, and unlike Fian, I might let you leave with all your limbs intact.”
Zartic gasped as one of his men screamed, the sucking sound of flesh parting from bone a heady enticement to talk. He spoke quickly, his words making Arim’s already bad mood steadily worse.
Chapter Five
Alandra stared down at Aerolus’ face, which even in slumber appeared sharp, ready for battle. She stroked his cheek, feeling safe to show such affection now that he lay asleep beside her. Unconsciously, she’d absorbed a massive amount of his energy while the two made love, putting her Wind Mage into an almost trancelike rest. She grinned, not sure why she found the thought of Aerolus snoozing so funny.
Her grin faded as she stared at him, and heat welled within her again, only hours after they’d revelled in one another’s bodies. She trailed her hand over his stubbled cheek and marvelled at his natural splendour. What a sensual creature. She couldn’t help an escaping sigh as she stared at the rest of his delectable body. And all mine.
She giggled and clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. Having sex in Aerolus’ room was not the smartest move for an Aellei determined to avoid Arim the Light Bringer. But Aerolus had dragged her here, after all. And as she lingered with him in bed, the hazy, drug-like stupor that muddied her mind left her wondering what was truly safe and what might be harmful.
Shrugging, she petted her Storm Lord, running her fingers over his ripped abdomen, fiercely attracted to his unfettered eroticism. He moaned softly and curled towards her, stirring an unusual welling of emotion she normally kept banked.
“Too much power,” she slurred, knowing she was not in her right mind but helpless to prevent another giggle. “I need some water. Or chocolate, that might help.” Alandra fell off the bed onto her butt, her less than graceful fall making her laugh even harder.
Grabbing the first piece of clothing she saw, she donned an overly large black T-shirt and stumbled to the door.
“Alandra?” Aerolus murmured.
“Just grabbing a glass of water, Aerolus le Aelle,” she teased, imagining him all too easily in Aelle by her side. Shadows, but he was so incredibly beautiful. Staring at him, she noted how lovingly the shadows played over his frame, how the light knew just when to leave him. Blinking at the sudden overlay of his magical aura over his physical body, she noted the slight curl of Shadow, her Shadow, that now clung to him like a second skin.
Pleased beyond measure and ignoring the inner warning that shrieked at her to pull back, she hummed softly and closed the door behind her as she skipped down the stairs.
“Ah, blessed life.” She felt so unencumbered by all the problems she’d faced since she’d first overheard Queen Lidra’s plot against Tanselm. Loving with Aerolus left her absolved of worry and guilt, of the nagging sensation that doom lay just over the horizon.
As if all her troubles had been solved, she basked in the elemental energy that filled the empty spaces within her. Right now, as the sun rose to signal a new day, the world seemed brighter, the air sweeter, and sound richer than even that heard in Aelle.
She grinned at the comparisons and entered the kitchen seeking something to drink. Before Aerolus had cast a furious protective spell over the house, she’d been a regular visitor. She knew the layout of the grand three-story like the back of her hand, though from the perspective of a pixie.
Reminded of that part of herself she was forbidden to reveal when offworld, she closed her eyes and tried to focus. A mistake. She tripped and chuckled, her balance definitely off. Once her laughter had spent, she frowned at her lack of coordination, a definite sign she teetered on the verge of inebriation.