Eldon prepares to leave for the Pillar of Darkness’s demesne, but before he can, an unexpected guest arrives. As Eldon’s burdens continue to grow, which will break first? His will… or his heart?
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Chapter 19
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Megan
Eldon grimaced as his sister stormed off. She was angry and he understood her feelings, but he also came to understand why it had to be both of them going to into the Pillar of Darkness’s demesne. Lysa explained why they needed to meet with the Pillar of Darkness himself, even of Eldon wasn’t sure his sister was paying attention during that part.
He glanced at the wet spot on his shoulder where her tears still darkened his shirt. “I’ll explain it to her, Dad,” he told his father again. “Somehow I’ll make her understand.”
“I hate to admit it, but I don’t envy you having that task,” Lyden Snow replied. “Despite all appearances, your mother can be quite stubborn at times, and Shelly definitely got that from her.”
Sheldon almost laughed, but he held it in. Lyden was calling their slave mother stubborn? Now wasn’t the time for jokes.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Lyden continued after a moment of uncomfortable silence. They shared one more hug before Lyden turned and left the octagonal room.
Eldon looked at the door Shelly had walked through. With a heavy sigh, he closed the distance and lifted his hand to knock.
“Well, aren’t you the popular one?” Jen’s voice asked before his hand struck the door.
“What?” he asked and turned to the woman. To no great surprise, she had one hefty breast in her hand, her taut nipple between her fingers, as she licked her lips and smiled at him.
“She’s a hot one, too,” Jen continued to fondle herself, “but I don’t think she can hold a poker face to my two of a kind!”
“What are you talking about?” Eldon asked, losing a bit of his patience with the woman. Well, a bit more, at any rate. During the orgy earlier, she’d been the main driving force, literally screwing him into exhaustion. His small nap wasn’t enough to restore his energy levels, perhaps in part because she was a succubus now. He knew his body could handle it, and knew that she knew it also. “Wait, I thought Mandy and Shlee were with you?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Jen’s grin became lazy. “I’m sure Blue is picking them out of her teeth as we speak.” Jen met his eyes for a moment longer before bursting out in raucous laughter. “Oh, the look on your face! If it weren’t so funny, I’d be insulted that you’d actually think I would do that. Shame on you, Sheldon Lance. I should spank you for even thinking I could do that… Mmm, yes. A nice, good spanking…”
“Why are you here, Jen?” Eldon asked with a sigh and rubbed at his temples. “I’m not interested in any more fooling around.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re up for it, if you know what I mean,” she cackled with a nod to his ever-present bulge. “I just thought I’d hurry and warn you that your next girlfriend is here.”
“My next…?” he trailed off as his mind spun. Gloria! It had to be her. She was here. “Where?” he asked, his heart in his throat.
“Wow, now you’re eager!” Jen shook her head with mock resignation. “She’s in the waiting room two doors down with your other girlfriends. Angela was surprised she showed up here and had… Hey, are you listening to me?”
Eldon was already out the door, ignoring the rest of whatever inane thing Jen was going joke about next. He looked both ways down the hallway. Two doors down… but left or right? Right… It had to be right. That one was far enough to be outside of Mandy’s influence, and Jen had been lying with her inappropriate jokes.
“About time you added a redhead to your repertoire,” Jen’s words barely reached him as he tried to catch his breath outside the door. “I mean, Shlee has the strawberry blonde hair, but it’s not as nice as Brooke’s tresses. Your dad has quite the group, so I’m glad you’re expanding yours.”
Redhead? he wondered, but dismissed it. She must be in disguise for some reason.
His nerves were a wreck, but he realized that they weren’t going to get any better standing outside the door. He gripped the doorknob and nearly crushed it as he opened the door and stopped in his tracks.
The woman sitting between Mandy and Shlee didn’t look like Gloria, but she was a succubus. Succubae could take on any form they chose to. Though she’d never changed her face or hair before, even when becoming a mermaid to rescue Brooke, he thought it might be her.
The woman looked at him with hope in her chocolate brown eyes. Was that hope that he would forgive her? He wasn’t sure if it was, or even if he could forgive what she’d put him through.
He had to swallow twice before he could get his throat moist enough to produce anything other than a croak. “Gl…Gloria?”
The woman blinked in confusion for a moment and Eldon noticed his girlfriends cringe in unison. He understood their reaction. At least, he thought he did. They probably didn’t appreciate him saying the name of the woman that had forced them all together. Well, forced Shlee and him, and made an opening for Mandy back into his broken heart.
“Uh, no…” the woman said, her voice uncertain, though there was something underneath it that bespoke strength and confidence. “It’s me, Megan.” She met his eyes, but he could only stare at her.
It wasn’t Gloria. Of course it wasn’t Gloria. She was never coming back. Why would he even consider that she would? She’d abandoned him. Left him never to return.
“Eldon, this—” Mandy started, but the newcomer—Megan—cut her off with a hand gesture. There was something about this woman that was familiar, but he was having a difficult time caring enough to figure it out. There was something that kept drawing him to her lips…
“You were outside the hospital,” he said in a careful tone. “And you called me on my phone before we got here… What are you doing here?” The last part came out in a rush as he realized this was the crazy woman stalking him.
“To see you…” she said as she rose to her feet. “To talk to you… I thought that kiss we shared was something terrific. And Bobby was so jealous afterwards that I broke up with him. I’ve been trying to find you ever since. I got your name from the club owner. He said you went there a lot. I knew you were one of those magical people, but I couldn’t find out anything else on you. Then I saw the news report where you saved President Louise, not only once, but multiple times. My daddy raised me right and proper, to be a patriot. I had to find you.”
“You had to find me?” Eldon asked. His heart was in his stomach after finding out that it wasn’t Gloria waiting for him. He struggled to get his mind to switch gears. Was she only looking for him because he had kissed her once? He couldn’t even remember doing that… Unless… Her makeup was different, but the hair was the right length and color. “The club? That’s right! I kissed you to hide from my… from Areth, using your boyfriend as a disguise. I’m sorry, but that kiss meant nothing to me.”
He saw her face drop in disappointment for a moment, then noticed resolve solidify in her dark eyes. “It must have meant enough that you finally remembered it, but that wasn’t the only reason. You’re a patriot. You fight for what’s right. And good. And holy. Red, white, and blue flows through your veins. I want to fight at your side.”
“Red, white… and what?” This woman wasn’t making any sense.
“She thinks you’re a true, red-blooded American,” Shlee informed him.
“Well, I was born in Chicago,” Eldon admitted, “but my loyalties lie here in this world. I saved the President because she’s a good woman, fighting for the rights of other Lydonese.”
“And you’ve been screwing her,” Shlee piped up, then covered her mouth, her cheeks growing darker than her strawberry blonde hair.
“You’ve been…” Megan trailed off in thought, then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re a good man. That’s obvious. Let me fight as your ally.”
“Fight?” Eldon asked her. “Fight who? What? For that matter, why?” People said men had a one-track mind, but this chick was stuck in a rut.
She didn’t even hesitate before answering. “Injustice! The bad guys! Evil! I don’t care what form it takes, I know you’ll be fighting it, and I want to help. Why? Because I was raised right. I grew up in Texas, where we know right from wrong. My daddy taught me how to fight. He was the Sherriff, and taught me the importance of law– law that the Paladonic Knights have forgotten. I pay attention to the news, and I see the evil growing in the world. I had a brother who fought in the war, until he was killed by an IED blast. The only reason I didn’t join is because of a felony when I was younger, but daddy made sure I learned my lesson.”
“Paladonic Knights?” Mandy asked, concern in her eyes. Those eyes grew large a second later as she yelled, “Eldon, get back! I think she’s a plant from the Daughters of Respite!”
“But she stated her reasoning for being here with you right next to her,” Eldon argued, not moving. Even if Megan was a plant, she couldn’t hurt him. At least not permanently. Mandy had to be jumping to conclusions.
“Who are you working for?” Mandy pressed. “Who sent you?”
Megan looked at her, confused, then glanced to Shlee on her other side. Shlee’s muzzle had formed as she transformed halfway into a werewolf. She didn’t appear as afraid as Eldon would have expected her to be. Then he noticed a pistol in her left hand, pointed at Shlee’s heart. “You can’t scare me,” Megan said in an even tone as she turned back to meet Eldon’s gaze. “I’m between jobs right now. It took me nearly two weeks to save up the money for a flight to Utah so that I could enter the portal into the Pillar of Light’s domain, then travel up here where you said you would be. It was no cake walk, and I got attacked a couple times along the way. I don’t scare easy, and as you can tell, I don’t go down easy, either. Call off your girls, and let’s talk like rational adults. The bullets are made of silver, by the way.”
Shlee growled in anger, but she didn’t move, her eyes darting to the gun. Eldon gestured for her to back away a little bit, and with another angry growl, she did so, changing back into her fully human form.
“So no one sent you?” Eldon asked, just to be sure. “You’re not working for the Daughters or anyone else?”
“I’ve been completely honest with you from the moment we first met,” Megan informed him. There was a hint of anger in her tone, and more than a hint of challenge. “Which is more than can be said for you, shape-shifter. I understand why you would be cautious, but I promise I’m on your side.”
Eldon glanced at Mandy, but she shook her head. “The Daughters are almost entirely immune to magic. She could still be lying. I’ve never met one to test it from my presence.”
“Lie to me,” Eldon told the dark-red-haired woman. Her anger turned to confusion. “Just do it. Tell me something that isn’t true.”
She looked at him a moment longer, then with a grimace said, “My daddy taught me to be honest, so understand I’m just doing what you asked. I’m the oldest virgin in my city. I have tried to find a man who could handle me, but they all ended up being pussies. I can’t be with a man I can’t respect.” Her eyes grew confused while she spoke. “That’s odd. I meant to say something else. How are you doing that?”
“You’re a virgin?” Mandy asked before Eldon could. “But you’re gorgeous, and have to be in your mid-twenties. I didn’t think there were any virgins that old outside of monasteries.”
“It’s a sore subject,” Megan replied. “It’s not that I couldn’t get laid if I wanted to. Goodness knows all my past boyfriends wanted to get into my panties, but I couldn’t bring myself to be attracted to someone I don’t look up to. I thought Bobby was a tough enough guy, but the way he broke down crying after you kissed me… I can’t accept a man who is jealous, and it’s not like I really cheated on him. I thought I was kissing him… but damn, you can kiss! My toes curled up, and I’ve never been kissed like that before.”
“He is rather good at it,” Shlee and Mandy both agreed, speaking at the same time.
“Okay, fine.…” Eldon muttered, wishing to change the subject. Thinking back to that night led to thoughts of Jessica pulling him out of that club, and thoughts of her lead to Gloria, and he didn’t want to think of either one right then. “I don’t know who or what you might have fought to get here, but things are going to get a lot more dangerous.”
“But you’re taking them?” Megan gestured to the two other women and arched one eyebrow. Eldon nodded. “So you’re not rejecting me because I’m a female?” He shook his head. “Then you don’t think I can handle myself in any kind of situation?”
Eldon met her eyes for a long moment before replying, “It’s because you’re human. I have a lot of respect for humans, my mother is one, but it’s not enough for where we’re going. Shlee has certain skills, and Mandy might not look it, but she’s pretty strong, and knows how to fight.” Even though Megan had just seen Shlee slightly transform, he wasn’t comfortable revealing that she was a werewolf.
“I know how to fight,” Megan said in a tone that should have been a warning to him, but he was tired, and he didn’t want to have this woman’s blood on his hands.
“I appreciate what it took to get here, and I appreciate your interest, but I don’t think—”
“You don’t think I can do it,” Megan interrupted him. “What will it take to show you I can handle my own?”
“You can fight and shoot, I’m sure, but we’ll be going into the Pillar of Darkness’s demesne, dealing with vampires, and who knows what else. If you want, you can stay here, and we can talk some more when we get back. Angela can be an excellent host, and—”
He didn’t get to finish before Megan closed the distance between herself and Shlee, grabbing her by the shirt and almost effortlessly threw her at Mandy. Eldon had a split second to deflect her fist as she launched at him next. He didn’t want to hurt her, though she didn’t seem to have the same compunctions, so he shifted forms into the martial artist. He lost a bit of stature, but then more than made up for it in reflexes. Megan was fast, faster than any human he’d ever seen, so he figured this was his best option to take her down gently.
Her foot connected with his ribs with an impact that was anything but gentle. He grunted as the air was knocked out of his lungs, but gripped her leg and tried to throw her to the floor. She performed some sort of somersault kick that he’d never seen before, and her other foot connected with his jaw.
Stars exploded in his eyes and his head rung. He felt the floor on his cheek while moving away from where he thought she might be before she could attack him again. Rolling back to his feet, he felt a bit dizzy, but managed to lock eyes on his antagonist again. She was still standing where she’d been when she kicked him. She could have attacked him while he was down.
Shlee and Mandy had disentangled themselves from each other, but instead of coming to his rescue, they stood back and watched. In fact, Shlee was grinning at them, her sharpened canines showing.
Realizing he was vulnerable, Eldon turned back to Megan, but saw she wasn’t even breathing hard. She should have attacked him while he was distracted…. Why hadn’t she? Then it sunk into his thick skull that she was giving her resume. Showing that she knew how to defend herself.
With a growl, he launched himself at her, coming in with a straight punch. She knocked it aside as though batting away a fly, before coming at him with her own fist, loose and ready to cause pain. He deflected it, and for a few seconds they traded attacks, neither one landing anything solid, but he knew he was outmatched. She moved with a minimum of effort, and while his blows missed her by a hair, they still missed. It took his full concentration to move her fists aside before they could connect, and as they moved, he knew he would lose unless he got lucky.
He didn’t. He missed a jab at his chest, and her open palm slammed into him just over his heart. Pain wracked his chest for a few seconds until his body recovered. She didn’t press her advantage, and he took a moment to reevaluate her.
She still wasn’t breathing heavy, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, and a glint in her eyes. Her martial arts skills were top notch, almost inhumanly so, but it wasn’t enough to convince him to take her with them.
“I’m sorry,” he told Megan, hoping he could keep control. “Forgive me for this.” The almost-grin on her face turned to a scowl, and then to that of shock as he grew in size. The room had vaulted ceilings, which would be large enough to hold him and his muscled form. His intelligence dropped as he grew into an ogre, but he managed to hold onto the thought that she wasn’t to be hurt.
He didn’t think it would hurt her too much if he just gnawed on her supple leg a bit. Legs could be so yummy. It looked so tasty! “Yum, yum!” He stated with a grin and reached for her.
“Eldon, you idiot!” a scrumptious looking morsel with hair that was touched with a hint of red screamed at him. For some reason, she smelled a little like a dog.
The first morsel was fast, dodging his meaty fist. He tried again with his other hand, careful not to swing too fast in case he hurt her. He couldn’t remember why that was important, only knowing that he shouldn’t harm her.
But a little lick would be fine? Right? She did look pretty tasty, after all. And there was enough muscle to offer him a decent meal. Surely she could give him some of that meat. She didn’t really need it all….
“No harm pretty one,” he uttered as the thought forced its way into his skull.
She dodged to the side as he reached for her again. She grabbed something from the wall with a tearing sound and bounded back at his hand. Somehow she managed to grab one of his fingers, and twist. Before he could understand what was happening, he found his face lying in the remains of the couch, his heavily muscled arm twisted behind his back, shouting, “Owie, owie!” over and over again.
“Change back,” she growled at him, fury laced in her voice.
He did as she asked, and shuddered as his mind returned to normal. He’d known it would be dangerous to take that form, but she’d proved she was more than capable of handling herself.
“Fine, let me up,” he muttered.
“Are we done?” she asked, still with a grip on his arm and twisting it for emphasis.
“You attacked me first,” he spat. A piece of wood from the couch was impaled in his cheek, poking his tongue, and hurting abominably, but he couldn’t get to it with the position she had him in.
She released his arm and backed away as he got to his feet. She grimaced as he reached up to pull the three-inch splinter from his cheek and wipe away the blood. The pain was excruciating but short-lived, as his cheek healed.
“Maybe you’re not the man I thought you were,” Megan said in a flat tone. “Some advice for the future? Next time someone offers you help and is upfront with you the way I was, take it. I appreciated the way you didn’t look down on me because I am a woman, but having to one-up me at the end was pitiful.”
She didn’t waste another second before walking from the room. He felt low, and dirty, and utterly defeated, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize. It was for her own good. He wasn’t certain he was going to be able to protect his sister and girlfriends, and adding one more person to the party was too much.
Shlee was at his side, licking the rest of his cheek clean and pulling more splinters from his clothing and body. Hopefully Angela wouldn’t be pissed about the couch. Or the rest of the room, for that matter. It was wrecked. The only things that seemed to make it out okay were the doors. He hadn’t even noticed smashing the small coffee table, or pulling the curtains from the walls. When had all that happened?
“She is a good fighter,” Shlee murmured as they looked around the room. “We could have used her help.”
“Maybe,” he admitted, “but I didn’t want to have someone else there to take care of.”
“Like you take care of us?” This time he didn’t miss the sharp edge in the other woman’s tone.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry, okay?” He leaned against one wall and held his head in his hand. Despite healing rapidly, he’d taken enough hits to give him a decent headache. Or maybe it was the stress. “I’m going to be the only male there… Wait, I didn’t mean that in a chauvinistic way! She’s already made her interest in me obvious. Between Mandy and you, my hands are full. I’m not looking to add another relationship.”
Shlee turned him to face her and was surprised to see her smiling. “Your dad had how many wives, and you can only handle two girlfriends?” She chuckled and patted his still-tender cheek. “I’m teasing you. Since you managed to handle Jen as well earlier, I have no doubt you could handle three of us, but I’m glad we’re enough to make you happy. It’s one more reason I love you.”
“Jen doesn’t count,” Eldon scoffed. “And a relationship is about more than sex. I’ve seen my dad get stretched thin when he has to balance his wives and his work. He was a great dad, when he was around. He was when he could be, but… Hey, where is Mandy?”
“She was trying to convince me not to go,” Megan’s voice sounded into the shattered room.
Eldon turned to her, his lips twisted into a grimace as he saw Mandy standing behind Megan in the doorway.
“Don’t give me that look, Eldon Lance,” Mandy told him. “She’s one helluva fighter, and you can’t deny that. Besides, she didn’t ask you to be her boyfriend, just to let her fight at your side.”
Eldon knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he had to say one last thing.
“We look out for each other. My sister and her girlfriend will be coming with us. I don’t expect you to have to take care of yourself, by yourself. We watch each other’s backs.” He took a moment to meet her eyes, and wished that sparkle of mirth didn’t still linger in their brown depths. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. I was trying to keep you safe, but I see that I was… wrong in thinking that way.”
“Apology accepted,” Megan said, and that sparkle of mirth turned into a conflagration as her lips rose in a broad smile. “And don’t worry. I promise not to try and get into your pants. I’d hate to be a nuisance. Gotta respect a man who can apologize, though, and admit when he was wrong.”
Eldon’s cheeks burned as the three women laughed at his expense. That is until Sonia came running in, panic straining her voice. “Is Shelly in here? I can’t find her anywhere!”
* * * *
“It looks like she left down this hallway,” Shlee said, sniffing the air. They were walking down a long corridor towards the exit of Angela’s volcano home, and Eldon had a sick feeling in his stomach.
“Why would she leave without saying anything?” Sonia asked, fear and worry lacing her tones. “I thought we were doing so much better… You don’t think she was kidnapped, do you? Again?”
“No,” Shlee shook her head. “She was alone. There are no other smells in here that are the same age as hers.”
“Then where—” Sonia started, but Eldon cut her off.
“This is my fault. I should have talked to her before walking away.”
“Drive women off a lot?” Megan asked with a delicately plucked arched eyebrow.
“She wasn’t happy that we weren’t going after Jessica,” he told them, ignoring Megan. “I should have taken the time to talk to her, but when Jen said there was someone to see me…”
“You thought I was this Gloria woman,” Megan completed for him.
“We’re not going after Jessica?” Mandy asked.
“Sorry, with everything else that happened, I forgot to mention it,” Eldon grimaced. “When we go to talk to Shlee’s fiancée, we also need to make a detour to the Pillar of Darkness, and convince him to help us restore Areth to her body.”
“Whoa!” Megan said, and Eldon realized she’d stopped walking.
He turned to face her and waived for her to come along. “We don’t have time to stop. We need to find my sister.”
Megan caught up in two long strides, then matched pace with him. “Your girlfriend has a fiancée?” she all but spat. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Not really my choice,” he replied, not in the mood to go into the intricate details of what happened between Gloria’s leaving and forcing Shlee to love him.
“Not…?” She fell behind for a second and then caught back up. “You’re really not the jealous type, huh? Is that because you don’t really care enough, or because your heart is that big?”
He glanced at her, but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t have to explain himself to her, and if she was with them long enough, she’d see the answer for herself.
“We’re really going to see Dimitri?” Shlee asked him next. She remained in front of the group, leading them with her nose. Eldon couldn’t tell if that was excitement in her voice, or fear.
“Yes,” he said and kept his eyes on her back. “We need to get that cleared up before our relationship can progress.”
“Cleared up?” Megan asked, but Eldon continued to ignore her.
“How are we going to bring Areth back?” Mandy asked next. They passed out of the ground level entrance to the volcano into the bright light and heat of the Pillar of Fire’s demesne. “I thought she was stuck as a statue forever.”
“Statue?” Megan asked.
“So did I, but apparently Oberon knows a way to restore her, and told the Pillar of Air, who then told us. It won’t be easy, though.”
“You know the Pillar of Air?” Megan asked, then, “Wait, Oberon, as in King of the Faeries?”
“Yeah,” Eldon sighed, “and Keeper of the Cup, Lover of Ladies, and Soulkeeper of the Fay. Look, if you’re going to keep asking questions, we’re never going to catch my sister.”
“Don’t be rude, Eldon,” Mandy snapped at him. “I know you’re stressed about Shelly, but we’ll catch up to her. Then we’ll get everything else accomplished, but you should be nicer to Megan. It’s not her fault she doesn’t know everything you do.”
“Is he always such an ass?” Megan asked as she walked up next to Mandy.
“No, not normally,” Mandy replied. “I think we wore him out earlier, screwing his brains out, and his regenerative abilities haven’t restored his grey matter yet.”
“Restorative… Yeah, I saw him heal pretty quickly after our fight,” Megan said, apparently happy someone was answering her questions. “Is that because he’s a shape-shifter? And can he change into whoever he wants to? Could he change into me?”
Mandy laughed, but Eldon ignored them as she started answering the newcomer’s questions.
“You pick up girlfriends like shit does flies,” Sonia glared at him.
“I don’t appreciate that analogy,” Eldon informed her. “And she’s not a new girlfriend.”
“I recognize her vocal patterns as belonging to the woman on the phone before we left Earth,” Sonia replied. “Does she know she’s not your girlfriend?”
It took him a few seconds of taking slow breaths to calm himself down. Sure, he might not have treated Megan the way he should have, but he was being treated like the bad guy. All that mattered to him right then was finding his sister.
Then it occurred to him that Sonia would be worried also, which would be part of her bad mood.
“We’ll find my sister,” he promised the android. “She’ll be fine. She can defend herself.”
Sonia looked at him like he was an idiot.
They walked on, Mandy explaining their history to Megan, Sonia pointedly ignoring everyone but Shlee, and the werewolf’s nose leading them all.
That is, until Megan asked, “Who else are we following?”
“What do you mean?” Eldon asked.
“I may not have the nose of a werewolf, but I know how to track. Didn’t take me long to figure out which prints were your sister’s, but a while back another set joined hers. Either your sister isn’t alone, or someone else is following her.”
“I didn’t want to say anything until I was certain,” Shlee said with concern thick in her voice. “Something started following her. Its scent is newer than Shelly’s is, but not by much.”
“Do you know what it is?” Sonia asked, almost in a panic.
“Got any good water guns in your arsenal?” Shlee asked back. “Because whatever it is, if it’s from this area, we’re going to want some water.”
“We’re headed for the lake dad made during the Chaos War,” Eldon noted as he looked around. “Shelly was probably headed there for water, before heading to Gaia’s demesne. Do you think whatever is following her is doing the same?”
“I hope so,” Shlee said, but didn’t sound convincing. “That lake should be right over that hill, and we’ll have an idea.”
They had their answer before they reached the crest. The two sets of tracks became tangled, and it was obvious to everyone that there was a scuffle. It was also obvious who won, as the unknown tracks continued on, dragging something after it.
“There’s no blood,” Shlee commented as she stood up from the dusty ground. She brushed off her knees and looked to the north, where the tracks led.
“Any idea what took her?” Eldon said. Fear made his heart pound, but a lack of blood was a good sign that whatever it was, wanted her alive. At least, for now.
“Definitely something that uses fire,” Mandy said, pointing to a spot on the baked ground that looked scorched.
“There is something odd about these tracks, though,” Megan said as she squatted over the spot where the marks left the scuffle.
“And you know this from your vast experience with magical beings?” Eldon asked her, unable to keep his voice level.
“Eldon!” Mandy snapped at him at the same time one of her hands slapped the back of his head. She struck with enough force to knock him forward half a step and make his headache even worse. Before he could retort, her two left hands gripped his right arm and hauled him a short distance away.
“What is wrong with you?” she hissed when they were out of earshot of all but Shlee.
He opened his mouth to say he didn’t know what she meant, but closed it before the lie had a chance of coming out as truth. He knew he was treating Megan unfairly, but he was stressed out about his sister, and everything else going on. Adding Megan just put more weight and responsibility on his shoulders that he didn’t care for.
“You’ve been acting like a spoiled little brat ever since you ran into her, and she doesn’t deserve it,” Mandy continued when it was obvious Eldon wasn’t going to speak. “Is it because she wasn’t Gloria, like you hoped?”
The accusation stung him, but not as much as the pain in Mandy’s brown eyes. She swept her dirty blonde hair behind one ear as she met his gaze. He was the first to look away.
“No… Yes… I-I don’t know,” he confessed, confused. Not even Mandy’s talent for forcing the truth could get him to know the answer to her question. “My sister has been abducted, again, by who knows what, the world seems to be crumbling around me, I’m worried about you and Shlee, and we have to go meet up with Shlee’s fiancée, not to mention dealing with the Pillar of Darkness himself to try and restore Areth back to her true form. Of those last two, I don’t know which one scares me more, but I owe it to Areth. And the Pillars help me, I love Shlee. I know it was forced on me by Gloria, but it doesn’t change the way I feel. Yes, I love you too, and no, that wasn’t forced on me. I don’t think I ever stopped loving you. Even after we deal with the three things right in front of us, we still have to chase after Jessica—who, by the way, thought she was my sister, and still gave me a blowjob and was sleeping with my actual sister, as if that’s not messed up enough—and we need to stop her from whatever she’s trying to do!” He took a moment to catch his breath before looking at the group over the scuffled area, who was trying so hard not to look at him, that they might as well have been staring. “And yes, I know Megan hasn’t deserved the way I’ve been treating her, but I didn’t ask for one more thing on my plate. I tried to drive her away, and you brought her back.”
He looked back to Mandy’s eyes and saw tears streaming down her cheeks, making him feel even more wretched. He wasn’t prepared for her response, though.
“You love me?” her voice was soft, but he heard the hope and fear behind it.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. “I said it in your presence.”
“No, you idiot!” She slapped him in the chest with the back of one of her right hands. “That’s the first time you’ve said it since before you left me.”
“One more way I’m screwing up,” he said the words, and regretted them immediately. They sounded whiney, even to his ears.
Mandy pulled him into a powerful hug that he was certain cracked a few of his ribs, and rendering him unable to speak or even gasp.
“You’re not a screw-up, Sheldon Shemhazau Lance. You’re a good man, with a big heart, and I love you, too.” She hugged him tighter, and he heard his back pop. Some noise must have escaped him, as she released him and let him down. He stumbled for a moment on legs that were momentarily numb before standing back upright and catching his breath.
“Sometimes I forget how strong you are,” he managed when he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack.
“I love you, Eldon, but I have to ask…” Mandy waited for him to nod. “Could some of your issues with Megan be because she kind of rejected you at the end? I mean, she was all hot for you, and then she walked away. You’re a good man, Eldon, but sometimes your ego…”
He wanted to argue with her, to tell her it was everything else, but stopped. Her accusation stung him, and stung deep, but he knew she was being honest with him. He was being rude to Megan, but not anyone else. Was there truth in what she said? Was his ego bruised because Megan no longer wanted him? He already had two girlfriends, and really didn’t want another. Was the fact that Megan had turned away from him, causing him to lash out at her?
He found he was staring at the redheaded woman, and she was looking back at him. She wasn’t afraid of him, despite the way he’d treated her. And no wonder, since she managed him with ease. He waived for her to come over, and while she raised one of her eyebrows at the request, she still started in their direction.
“Thank you Mandy,” he told his four-armed half-elf girlfriend. “I think I owe Megan another apology.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Mandy stated, and gave him a solid kiss on the lips. She nodded to Megan as they passed each other, but if she said anything, he didn’t hear it.
“So, now you think I’ll just waltz over here on your command?” Megan opened, still with that delicate eyebrow arched up.
“I’m sorry,” he told her, meeting her challenging stare. “I’ve treated you unfairly. I’ve been rude, and you don’t deserve it. I didn’t ask for you to come along, but I would be an idiot not to recognize your worth as a fighter.”
“A bigger idiot?” she pressed.
“It’s hard to be much more of an idiot when I’m in my ogre form,” he confessed with half a smile.
“And you stunk pretty badly, also,” Megan rejoined.
His smile grew bigger. “There is a lot of history you’ve missed, and I can’t promise to keep you safe, but I will promise to treat you better.”
“You’ll be my big cowboy?” she asked in a suddenly sultry voice. “Or perhaps my knight in shining armor, considering the world we’re in now?”
“Something tells me you don’t need either of those,” he said, knowing she was testing him.
Her lips cracked into a smile as she gave him a sharp nod. “And don’t you forget it! I can take care of myself. I’m not asking you to fight for me, but to let me fight next to you.”
“Deal,” he said and held out his hand.
“Deal,” she agreed, taking his hand in a firm grip. “That doesn’t mean I’m letting you right into my panties, though. Sonia told me what kind of a man you are. I don’t disapprove, exactly, since I can tell you don’t force them. You’re cute, even if you act like an asshole at times, and you can kiss like nobody’s business, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to jump into your harem.”
He stared at her, lost for words for a few seconds before managing to splutter, “I-I wasn’t going to ask you to.”
“Good!” She flipped around, her unbound hair whipping out, and headed back to the scuffled tracks.
Eldon cursed, as he’d completely forgotten about his sister. How could he have been so stupid? Why was he so easily side-tracked? He ran back to the group.
“I still don’t understand what’s wrong with the tracks,” Shlee was commenting.
“Look at the way they move,” Megan told them. “Here, the pads of the foot are bigger than over here. And what are these little squiggly lines here? Also, as they walk away, you would expect there to be variations in the prints as it drags Shelly away. They should be a bit deeper, but they aren’t. Instead, they look the same as before meeting up.”
Eldon squinted at what she was pointing at, anxious to take off after the creature, but also knowing that it was important to understand what they would be going up against.
“I’m running a simulation of the tracks now in an attempt to figure out what might have made them, but my internal databases don’t have enough information. Being cut off from the classified servers is hampering my effectiveness.” Sonia replied, glaring at Eldon. It wasn’t like he’d meant to get her fired. “If my simulations are correct, and there is a ninety-eight percent probability that they are, then the reason there is no alteration to the tracks after dragging Shelly away, is because the creature is strong enough that it barely even notices her weight. Unfortunately in this world that doesn’t narrow down our list of possibilities.”
Megan gave Sonia an odd look, until Shlee whispered, “She’s a super advanced android. Isn’t it the coolest?”
“Something that strong should leave behind bigger tracks, though,” Megan replied.
“If the creature was natural, yes,” Mandy said. “You’re forgetting about magical creatures, and you’re forgetting that it can change the size of its footprint.”
Megan acceded the point and flicked a bug off her leg.
Eldon’s heart froze. “Don’t move!” he warned everyone, his panic rising. Everyone looked at him, but no one argued. He looked again to where Megan had pointed out the squiggly lines, then around at the bare ground. It only took him a second to find what he was looking for.
Ants.
“No. No. No, no!” he repeated, realizing who now had his sister.
“Eldon?” Shlee asked. “What is it?”
Water… He would need water, or something aligned with that element. But why would it take her, instead of killing her outright? It didn’t make sense. He had to be missing something, but what?
“Eldon!” Mandy shouted as Megan jumped to her feet and tackled Eldon to the ground in one quick movement.
Fire coursed through the air in the spot he had just occupied. If not for Megan’s tackle, he’d be recovering from third degree burns.
The two rolled away from each other and got to their feet in fluid motions. Eldon faced the creature that had either taken his sister, or was another one of its ilk.
The Myrmidon grinned at him, fire burning in the back of its throat. Small red and black ants formed its body, making the creature’s skin look like it was moving and shifting in a sickening manner. When it spoke, its voice was deep and yet raspy. “Children of Lyden. My liege has a huge bounty on you. Today is my lucky day. I caught two!”
Movement out of the corner of Eldon’s eye caught his attention, but he was too slow to stop her. Megan’s hand came up and fired three rapid shots into the creature’s chest. Ants, and pieces of ants exploded from its chest as her bullets ripped through its body, but it didn’t even take a step back.
Instead, it chuckled at Megan’s shocked face. This time it was his turn to tackle her, before it blew a cylinder of molten flame at her. The heat was almost unbearable, and he was grateful to catch the outside of it, instead of the full brunt of the attack.
“Daddy always said not to trust anything that didn’t go down after the first shot,” he heard Megan mutter as she pushed Eldon off of her.
“Only water and a big can of Raid can kill that thing,” he told the woman.
“Well, these aren’t water pistols,” she complained back while brandishing her Magnum .45s, before turning her head towards the Myrmidon and spitting. The saliva landed on the monster’s foot, and it jerked back with a howl of pain.
“You don’t happen to have a way to expel any water at it, do you Sonia?” Shlee asked, but didn’t sound too hopeful.
“Not in any way that would do any good,” Sonia replied. “I estimate our chances of defeating this creature at less than ten percent.”
Eldon feared she was being optimistic.
“You smell wrong,” the thing said to the android.
“You’re ugly,” Sonia replied in an even tone. “Tell me what you did with Shelly.”
“Anyone know any water spells?” Eldon asked before the creature could respond. The thing would never tell them where his sister was. It was too loyal to King Aeacus.
Megan snorted, then sucked in some air, and spit at it again. It dodged, and drew in breath to blow fire at her again.
“Damn, this is going to hurt,” Eldon complained as he charged the Myrmidon. It felt mostly solid as his weight slammed into it from the side, and the gout of flame that was headed for Megan went wide. The thing squished as he landed on it, spreading out on the ground like a puddle of ants, before coming back together, its hands around Eldon’s neck and sitting on top of him. He knew the creatures could form up fast, but had underestimated their speed.
“Burn,” the ant monster hissed in sadistic glee. Eldon saw the glow in its maw a split second before his world was washed in burning agony. He could feel his hair sizzle away, and the flesh of his face and skull melting as the thing cooked him alive.
Unfortunately, instead of dying, he had to endure the torture; his body working to restore itself, even as it was destroyed.
He didn’t know how long he lay there, unable to breathe, even if the thing hadn’t held his throat closed, endlessly burning and regenerating, and burning again. He couldn’t even scream. He knew he was thrashing around on the ground, but couldn’t think past the mind numbing torment.
On instinct, his body started changing. He wasn’t in any kind of conscious control of it, shifting from form to form as he continued to roast. Anything to get away from the agony of feeling his flesh melt from his skull.
When he grew into the ogre form, his neck became too large for the Myrmidon to crush. Now when he thrashed, the Myrmidon was too small to hold him. Some of it was smashed as Eldon rolled to the side, torment searing his nerves. Even as his flesh knit back together, sans hair, he could still feel the fire.
Rage burned through his tiny mind, nearly as hot as the Myrmidon’s blaze. His eyes reformed and focused on the creature. With a snarl of utter hatred, Eldon lifted two meaty fists, and brought them down with his considerable strength.
The sound of thunder bounced through the cloudless atmosphere as ants were pulverized, and even the dry ground cracked under the impact of his fists.
Not all of the ants were killed, and they reformed into a smaller version of the Myrmidon, belching even more flame at Eldon. His clothes smoldered and dropped away as he swung and pounded, trying to destroy this little nuisance that caused him unending pain.
The thing moved with speed though, and somehow managed to remain outside his grasp. Try as he might, he couldn’t catch the beast and put a violent end to it.
Something screamed overhead, drawing Eldon’s gaze upwards. A large bird, even bigger than Eldon, circled overhead. It gave another raucous cry, but it was too high for him to reach. It looked tasty though, if it came down lower.
Eldon returned his gaze to where the Myrmidon was, but it was no longer there. With an annoyed grunt, he searched, and saw it running away.
With a third cry, the bird overhead dove, and in an amazing display of acrobatics, managed to snap up half the Myrmidon in its beak. The other half crumbled into ants and spread in all directions.
“No fair,” Eldon pouted as the massive avian flapped hard and rose back into the sky, once again out of reach. Not only did he not get to destroy the annoying bug, but he couldn’t catch and eat the yummy bird either. He sat hard on his rump and planted his fist into the ground.
“E-Eldon?” something called to him.
He looked over and saw a creature with multiple arms looking at him. At first he thought it was a giant spider, but somehow knew there weren’t enough legs. He thought he should know this creature, but couldn’t remember if it was tasty or not. At its side was a large light red colored wolf, baring its fangs, but not quite growling.
“Thing hurt me,” he told the creatures as he held his head. “Pain, owie. Ant thing bad. I wanted to smash it. Nummy birdy took it. I’m hungry.”
Two other two legged creatures, these with the proper amount of arms and legs, joined the first two. He could all but smell the fear coming off the one with dark red hair, though she didn’t act afraid. The other one smelled like… something he couldn’t identify. She looked tasty, but didn’t smell it. It didn’t even smell alive.
“I know, love, but it’s gone now,” the many armed one spoke. “Will you change back now?”
“No,” he told them. “Thing hurt me when small. Thing can’t hurt big me.”
“It’s gone now,” that one said again. “It can’t hurt you anymore.”
He thought about it for a long while before asking, “Promise?”
“With all my love.”
Love… That meant something to him.
“Okay,” he said after another moment’s hesitation. He could feel his IQ rising as his body shrunk. “I’m making progress on that form,” he said when his normal form was complete.
“Holy shit!” Megan exclaimed. “Cover that thing up! How do you walk around with that bat between your legs?”
Eldon looked down and realized that all of his clothes were gone. He knew it was pointless to try and cover up, and just turned his back slightly to her.
The bird gave one final cry, and winged its way north. “Thank you,” Eldon stated, no longer upset that the roc took away his kill. At least it was one more thing he knew that could kill the Myrmidons.
“Sorry I’m late,” Lysa’s voice sounded a moment after the air around them shifted. It wasn’t exactly windy, but neither was the air stagnant. “I saw you were under attack, so I hope you don’t mind that I called the Roc in.”
“Thank you, Aunt Lysa,” Eldon told her, meaning it.
“But our princess is in another castle,” Shlee muttered right afterwards.
Eldon looked at her for a moment, and realized she must have changed back when he did. His heart plummeted as he realized what she meant. The Myrmidons had Shelly. Which meant that she was already dead, and it had been her corpse that was dragged back to their nest, regardless of the lack of blood.
“We have to hurry and rescue Shelly,” Sonia stated. She hadn’t realized the obvious part yet. “If we talk to Angela, I’m sure we can get an army to get her back.”
“Shelly is… gone,” Eldon said. Even his voice sounded dead as he spoke.
“No she’s not,” Lysa said. “I’m watching her right now.”
Eldon jumped to his feet before he even knew he was moving. “What? Where?”
“Where dad killed the Outsider,” Lysa said in solemn tones. “In the home of the creature that hates him most… At least, the one that is still living.”
She could only mean one person. “But no one knows where King Aeacus is hiding…” He trailed of as he realized that apparently Lysa knew. “But that spot was dad’s greatest triumph. Why would Aeacus hide out there?”
“Who would think to look for him there,” Lysa replied. “I’m sure Gaia knew, but she refused to ever tell us, preferring to remain neutral.”
“I’m assuming that there is a lot of information I’m missing,” Eldon heard Megan mutter to Shlee.
“You’ve heard the stories about Lyden Snow and how he defeated the Outsider, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” Megan said. “That’s taught in middle school history. But, I mean… Some of it can’t be true, right? Some of it has to be exaggerated? Lyden Snow isn’t dead, so he couldn’t have sacrificed himself. And how does a person make a cave made of the elements rise up out of the ground to trap a being of light that can control minds? I just figured they were stories, like in the Bible. Great lessons to learn from, but they couldn’t actually be true.”
“I can’t speak for the Bible, but the stories about Lyden are true,” Mandy piped in. “I heard it from my mother, who was pregnant with me when it all happened. Eldon’s mom was pregnant at the time also, and was there. Lyden was dead for six months before he was resurrected. I was never told how he was brought back. My mom always had this haunted look on her face when she spoke of it, but she couldn’t lie to me about it. Lyden took the Outsider into himself, then ordered Captain Jewkes to kill him, while my father used magic to hold him in place. The six months was used to ensure the Outsider wouldn’t survive when they brought him back.”
“Wow,” Megan muttered. “I… Your parents were there also? I didn’t realize the company that Eldon kept.”
“Would you all be quiet?” Eldon snapped. “I’m trying to come up with a way to get in to save my sister. Give history lessons later.”
“You’re being rude again,” Shlee chided him.
“I’ll apologize later,” Eldon said. Didn’t they understand what it meant that Aeacus had his sister? To say the king of the Myrmidons hated his father would be like saying the Pillars of this world had a little power. A gross misunderstanding. If Aeacus had Shelly, she wouldn’t live long, and what life he allowed her would be tortuous. “Come up with whatever punishment you like later, but right now, saving me sister is more important.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Shlee grinned and licked her lips.
“How can we get in?” Eldon turned back to Lysa.
“We don’t,” the Pillar or Air stated in a tone that brooked no argument. “You and Shlee need to head to talk to Shlee’s fiancée. I recommend taking Megan with you. Mandy, Sonia, and I will free Shelly, and get her to you in time to talk to the Pillar of Darkness.”
“But—” Eldon tried to argue, but a piercing cry from overhead interrupted him. Looking up, he saw the roc circling overhead once again.
“Don’t argue with me about Megan,” Lysa stated, misinterpreting Eldon’s argument. “You didn’t get to see the way she tried to fight that Myrmidon as it melted your face. She might be only human, but she could teach you a thing or twenty about how to fight.”
“She’s my sister, damn it!” Eldon cried as he was buffeted by the wind of the roc’s landing. “I need to save her.”
“She’s my sister also,” Lysa told him. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to her. Now go, before I decide that the respect I have for your courage is all a show, and you’re too afraid to meet Shlee’s fiancée.”
“That’s low,” Eldon muttered, but he let Shlee guide him over to the giant bird.
“Wow, that bird would make a damn fine barbecue,” Megan whispered as she followed after.
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Shlee spoke from Eldon’s side. “She’s just as likely to eat you.”
“She can try,” Megan puffed out her chest and grinned. “Never met a horse I didn’t like, or could tame. I suppose this will be close enough.”
“Except that if you fall off, the landing will hurt a hell of a lot more,” Shlee teased her. Their attitude grated on Eldon’s nerves, but he kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted right then was another discussion on his behavior.
Mandy caught up to them and pulled Eldon and Shlee into a tight embrace with all of her arms. “Don’t worry, my loves,” she said, emotion thick in her voice. “I’ll bring her back to you. I promise.”
He knew she meant it, but still he worried. The Myrmidons were tough enemies, and she was about to walk into their den. Even with Lysa, the Pillar of Air, for backup, he didn’t know if they stood a chance.
“You’d better,” he found the words to say. “And make sure you come back, also. I love you, Mandy, and don’t want to lose you.”
They held each other for a few more seconds, before Mandy released them, and turned in the direction that Shelly was being held.
“She said, loves,” Shlee muttered under her breath, but Eldon still heard it.
“Wow,” Megan’s voice held a note of surprised incredulity in it. “Y’all are really close after all. I thought there’d be a little back stabbing, or jealousy, but it’s obvious y’all are really close. I wish—”
Whatever she wished was drowned out in another cry from the roc as she screamed her impatience.
Eldon turned to look one last time at Mandy before he climbed onto the massive bird, but she was nowhere in sight. The ground was mostly flat with nowhere to hide, but the other three women were nowhere in sight.
==========================
Wow… It’s, um… Been awhile. I wish I could say that things would be coming faster, but looking at the future, that’s not likely. I promise this story isn’t dead, but please be patient with me as I try to balance real life, and this fantasy world you all enjoy.
*REAL* comments below are ALWAYS welcome. I truly appreciate constructive criticism, or hearing your thoughts.
Thank you!
-Sselxuyt (aka: Zerg Rush, aka: DBs_Bro)