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BARON

Mortal Ruins

Golden flecks of light reflect in my eyes as I watch the sun set on yet another day.

I taste salt on my lips as the damp wind blows.

My mind is thoughtless beyond aimless observations and that’s how I like it.

Not thinking... not feeling anything at all is better than the gut wrenching agony I felt when I looked into Variant’s eyes—the eyes of my murderer.

And now some sick twist of fate tells me we need him, that we won’t survive this fight without him.

That Eilish won’t survive this fight without him.

“Mind if I join you?”

I look up and see Dragan standing over me. “No. Do as you please.” He drops to the edge of the wall on my left, legs dangling over the side. I see it in his eyes that he’s troubled. “The ritual?” I ask.

Dragan shakes his head. “It didn’t work. We followed everything in the book.”

“Give it time,” I suggest. “It may just need a few nights to take hold. Hell, I was buried for a hundred fucking years before I climbed out of that hole in the ground.”

“You don’t seem like the sort to have faith.”

I chuckle. “Not faith. Experience. Coming to life is difficult. Awareness sets in long after the heart starts beating. Being alive and living are two different things.” I watch a group of mages continue the construction of the eastern wall as a group of scouts return in trucks.

“You’ve changed,” Dragan says. “For the better.”

I nod because it’s true. “Everyone gets a fresh start. You’re no different. I got mine when Pyre took me under his wing.”

Dragan scrubs a hand over his face and groans.

“The last time I was charged with the responsibility of leading my people, they were slaughtered. Killed by the man who now rests in that tower.” He points to the tall structure just as a shadow passes by the small window.

“If not for Eilish, I would have taken his head when he first appeared.”

“My thoughts exactly. But... I suppose we do stupid things for love.” I’m surprised by my own confession.

“I’ve often wondered if our attraction to her… if it has anything to do with the balance?” he asks.

“It’s possible. You, Theren, and I call on the darkness to fuel our powers. Variant, Cambion, and Silvanus draw on the light. Pyre is neutral.”

“Why neutral?”

I shrug again. “He’s a necromancer, a bender of forbidden arts, but his kindness and compassion set him apart. I guess all of us together is a balance in and of itself. At least, it feels that way. I’m not sure if this is exactly what fate had in mind, but I’m alright with it.”

“I haven’t always been okay with it.”

“You’ve mostly been not okay with it,” I laugh.

He nods. “But I’ve grown to understand Eilish isn’t mine to possess alone.

She needs us all.” He snorts and snatches the rock from my hand.

“I didn’t remember Pyre from the first Great War because my mind was being manipulated by the succubae queen, but I’m glad he’s one of us now.

He fits with Eilish so well and I’ve come to value him as a friend. ”

“Yes, I agree,” I say in response. “Sharing this burden with him has brought us even closer than before. Fuck, it’s crazy to even contemplate what our lives would be if the bond hadn’t worked. To lose Aima and Pyre... we wouldn’t have recovered from a blow like that.”

“I’m sure they’re glad to be alive as much as we are glad they are.”

I nod. “Death isn’t the end, but it hurts like a son of a bitch.”

Dragan laughs and waves to Myerdoth. “This is where I leave you, my friend. I hope you find the answers you seek on this wall.” He claps me on the shoulder and I’m stunned for a moment by the comradery in our exchange.

It’s as though none of the animosity that separated us before remains, that we’re free to act as though we have no past hanging over our heads.

Myerdoth and Dragan take to the sky and I watch them.

I look up to the tower where Variant is being held and will myself to remain impassive. The bloodlust within my veins is frightening. Pyre is right. I must control my anger. Getting lost in my rage would be much too easy now that the false king is within reach...

I must show restraint.

***

FLUMPH

Mortal Ruins

“Fuckin’ hell! If I gots to serve one more bowl o’ soup or pass out another damn blanket, I’m blowin’ this place up.

” My poor little wings drag behind me as I enter the room for the little fae to sleep in.

Noni on her bed sewin’ some shit. I hops up to see what that all about.

She lookin’ real focused-like with her tongue hangin’ out the side o’ her mouth. “What the hell you makin’?”

“Noni make a dress.”

“Who fer?”

“The queen, silly!” She roll her big, freaky eyes at me.

“Ain’t she doin’ just fine with her giant clothes? Why she need a dress?”

“Because,” Noni say. “All queens need a dress. They goes to big parties and fancy suppers all the time. Noni want our queen to look real pretty when she do.”

I damn near fall on my ass when she say that. My hairy belly bouncin’ up an’ down ‘cause I laughin’ so hard. “She ain’t goin’ to no suppers! We in the middle o’ a war, for fuck’s sake! Unless she plan on havin’ a fuckin’ picnic on the battle fields, she’ll ain’t gonna be needin’ no dress.”

Noni pout with her bottom lip out. “But... Pretty need a dress.”

“Fine. Waste yer time with that dumb shit. I puttin’ my time to good use.”

“How, Mr. Flumph?” she ask.

“Well, I ain’t sure yet. But I gonna be real fuckin’ important when I figures it out.”

She tilt her head to the side, blinkin’ them big ol’ eyes. “You don’t know, do you, Mr. Flumph?”

“Knows what?” I pickin’ my teef with one o’ my nubly little fingernails, lookin’ over at the other little fae. They ain’t as important as I is. All they do all day is help the giants. Well, I gots quests of my own now. I’m a fuckin’ warrior…

“Noni thought Mr. Flumph would be upset because the naughty king is here.”

“The naughty... WHY THE FUCKS IS VARIANT HERE?!” I storm outta the room an’ fly over to where Theren is. He a dick, but he ain’t as big a dick as Variant. Nobody as big a dick as Variant. “Where he at?” I yell real loud.

“Who?”

“You know who!”

Theren laugh at me and point up to the tower.

With all my strengths, I fly right up there and pops my little head in through the window.

Sure enough, I find King Dick of all Dicks chained to the bed.

He look over at me an’ I lose my shit. Next thing I knows, my fists punchin’ him in the face.

He don’t seem to be gettin’ very hurt by it, but I can see the guilt in him’s eyes. He lookin’ real sad-like.

I don’t fuckin’ care.

The door open an’ Cambion come in with Pretty on him’s heels. She toss me off the bed but I be right back in Variant’s fuckin’ face for more. Cambion grab me by the wings an’ I don’t like that one bit.

“Enough, Flumph. Variant must be judged for his actions before he’s punished.”

“I’m fuckin’ judgin’ him alright! He’s guilty! He’s the guiltiest asshole I ever seen!”

“He was bewitched by Morrigan. You know this,” Eilish argues.

“Well, bring her out too. I’ll fuck ‘em both up!”

“Morrigan is dead.”

I stop mid-swing, holdin’ my chubby little fists up. “What?!”

“Variant killed Morrigan when he gained his freedom. The spell is broken and Abedon has awakened,” Pretty say.

All o’ my anger simmers down a bit. I still hate him, don’t gets me wrong.

I still wants to punch his face in, but I ain’t as mad as I was.

“Fine. I ain’t killin’ him just yet then.

” I climbs back on the bed and get in him’s face again.

“Me an’ the little fae are gonna be watchin’ you, King DickCock.

Just ‘cause you killed the Mother Heifer don’t mean we trusts you.

Step outta line and we’ll rip yer balls off. ”