Until, of course, one of the dhemons behind them mumbled, “I can’t believe we’re here serving a half-breed who calls himself King.”
Before Whelan could react, Madan had drawn his blade, swung back to the snickering dhemons, and held the tip of theblade against the closer man’s throat. A bead of crimson slipped down the sharp edge before dropping into the dirt underfoot. Their amusement died in an instant as the one whose blood was shed froze with wide eyes.
“Speak ill of my brother again and I’ll feed you your tongue.” A boiling cold took up residence in his veins, settling into a deadly calm.
Now it was Whelan’s turn to laugh, and when Madan flickered his attention between the two immobile dhemons, he found the second had lost control of his bladder while watching the encounter. Madan lifted a lip in disgust.
“What are your names?” Madan cocked his head.
At first, neither spoke. Then he added a touch more pressure to the blade, drawing a hiss from the dhemon before he said, “Zamhul.”
“Bril,” said the second.
“From which clan do you hail?” Whelan asked, stepping up beside Madan now with his arms crossed over his chest. An ease had returned to his partner’s demeanor, and Madan threw a prayer of thanks to Keon for not allowing him to lose himself.
Zamhul stretched his neck to the side in a vain attempt to move away from the blade. “H’axinhum is our clan leader.”
Whelan grunted. “It’s your lucky night, boys. H’axinhum was just named Sword Master by thehalf-breedKing.”
“On your feet.” Madan stepped back and motioned with the sword to stand. “I was on my way to speak with her, in fact. Join me. I’m certain she’ll be thrilled to hear your thoughts about the Crowe.”
Bril swallowed hard, looked down at himself, and made a pained face. “May I change first?”
“I think not,” Whelan chuckled. “If you’re man enough to dissent so openly to the King’s brother, I believe you’re manenough to walk through this encampment with your trousers covered in piss.”
One after the other, Zamhul and Bril stood and followed Madan as he made his way down the lanes created by the tents and newly erected buildings. Indeed,Auhlawas no longer just the dhemon keep built into the side of a mountain. The valley below was quickly turning into a village filled with people from all across Myridia. Speckled amongst the dhemons, high fae, lycan, and mages made this place their home, temporary or not.
When they reached the larger stone buildings reserved for the clan leaders positioned around a large central fire pit, Madan turned to the dhemons in tow. “Which one belongs to H’axinhum?”
To his credit, Bril did not hesitate to gesture to one on the far side of the circle of homes.
They crossed the distance, and Whelan slapped his open palm three times on the stones near the curtain that served as a cover for the front entrance. Doors had yet to be made, then.
“Enter!” The voice beyond was light and feminine and matched everything about the dhemon woman who lounged at the foot of an ornate bed in the room beyond. H’axinhum was, by all accounts, the smallest dhemon Madan had ever seen—shorter, even, than him. Her curly black hair was piled on top of her head like a glossy mass of raven’s wings between her horns, which were just as petite as the rest of her and decorated with chains that dangled from the curves and glistened with gems. Eyes more pink than red swept between them, glowing faintly as she stood. A long, rosy linen robe lined with white fur hardly covered her lithe, otherwise naked form as she spread her hands wide in greeting. “Our King sends none other than his Princes to escort a couple of filthy boys to my chambers. Why?”
Whelan lifted his chin, baring his throat to her in a sign of respect while Madan bent at the waist like a common vampire in hopes of easing the dhemons into understanding their customs.
“The King has named you Sword Master,” Madan said as he straightened again.
H’axinhum squealed and clapped her hands. “I knew Thorin would choose me. What a delight. These little bastards have no idea what’s coming for them with those Valenul soldiers, and I aim to make this army an absolute terror.”
For someone as small as she, Madan was taken aback by her words. He’d imagined a large woman with burly muscles and far fewer crystals, for as she moved, he noted more of the gems shimmering from her hands and throat.
“Why, though, have you brought these two in here?” H’axinhum scrunched her pretty face in disgust at them. “They smell terrible.”
Wicked joy sparked in Whelan’s gaze. “On our way here, they expressed their displeasure at being forced to work alongside Madan here and serve ahalf-breed King.”
The disgust shifted into muted horror before landing on a simmering fury. H’axinhum stepped closer and flicked the fresh wound on Zamhul’s neck, making him hiss in pain, before turning to Bril. “Take those trousers off immediately and toss them outside. You reek.”
Dhemons were not ashamed of bodies, nor were they afraid to be naked—as depicted by H’axinhum’s nudity flashing in and out of view every time she moved. The command to remove only half his clothing, however, had Bril hesitating. “I will go wash them immediately, ma’am.”
“No.” H’axinhum slammed her hands on her hips, spreading the robe wide so both her breasts were exposed. “If you want to make a fool ofmyclan, boy, you will make a fool of yourself first.”
Madan watched in carefully concealed shock as Bril’s cheeks flared with embarrassment. He tugged his trousers down, exposing himself, and tossed them out of the room.
H’axinhum inhaled deeply and blew the air out with enthusiasm. “Much better.” Then she turned back to Zamhul, her pink eyes narrowing. “You’re lucky the Prince didn’t cut out your tongue. He may be a vampire, but he’s the gifted son of late King Azazel the Crowe and will be treated with respect.”
Gifted son. In all his centuries, Madan had never heard a dhemon refer to him as such. In many other cultures, they would use a term like adopted, but amongst the dhemons, they considered additional children to be a gift. Had the Crowe seen him as a gift? Or a constant reminder that his mate had lain with another man, bore his child, and then was murdered by him?
