“Enough,” the Emperor snaps, scrambling to his feet and lunging for me, his fingers biting into my arm so fiercely it feels like he’s tearing the skin from my bones. I cry out in shock, but the immediate pain only lasts a second. Steve rips the Emperor from his hold on me, lifting him in the air before slamming his body to the ground. His robes fly open, his fullbody armour exposed. He gasps for air, managing to take a few short gulps, a thin trail of black blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. A flash of movement blurs past me, and it's only when the spear has already pushed through his neck, up into his skull, that my brain catches up.
Steve.
Bellator.
They have… they'vekilledthe Emperor.
A black plume of smoke evacuates the Emperor's body, tendrils wisping the air as they fade into nothing.
“Let it be known. There is no status high enough, other than the Devil herself, that will stop your death if you dare to touch our bonded,” Bellator roars to the shocked crowd. To be honest, I think I'm shocked too. I had planned to beg. To plead if I needed to, if it would make it so we could leave togetherandalive.I was prepared to do anything.
“Rosie,” Steve breathes, lifting my chin to look at him. I didn't even know he had moved to my side. Gently, he leans over and lifts me up, relief sinking into my bones as a calm washes over me. Bellator walks around us, creating a safeguard. The guards look at each other, their path forward no longer stable.
One of the official looking imps scurries to the Emperor's side, checking his body several times before looking to me and Steve, then Bellator. Checking for apulse seems pointless to me, then again, I'm no expert in imp biology. I, myself, would assume that a spear through one's head was sufficient in ending one's life. The poor guard whose spear was taken trembles as he waits for some sort of reckoning.
A quiet clearing of a throat has me looking at the official who now stands, moving away from the pool of black blood quenching the dirt. “Imperia,” he yells. “I, Lord Vaultus of the Eighth Quarter, have completed the assurance checks of our belo?—”
A low growl erupts from Bellator, his stare penetrating any confidence the official once had.
“I have checked the body.” He tries again, Bellator nodding his approval. “And I confirm he sails the path of the fallen, to a greater life in the next. As is tradition and binding, the one to carry out the end is the one to take its place.”
“I don't understand?” I whisper to Steve. Not really following what the official is saying, because it sounds like whoever kills the Emperor is the new successor…but that can't be right?
“Who is in charge?” Bellator questions.
“You are, highness,” another official says, coming to stand next to him.
“What is your first act as ruler of Realm Six?”
Bellator's eyes soften as he takes us in, Steve and I holding each other, safe and together. He turns, looking over each guard and the respect they have for him as a leader. “Send word to the front. I want mySecond and Third to extract our army and return our soldiers to their families. I will send word to the West of our withdrawal.”
The official's eyes flare wide, glistening as he clears his throat, nodding at Bellator's instruction. “Imperia, we see today the end of a reign and the beginning of a new one. The empire has fallen, and with it, a new kingdom is born. Long live the Orc King. May he protect us as valiantly as he protects his bonded.” Stepping back, he graciously falls to his knees as he bows for Bellator with his whole body. The only sound that can be heard is the rubbing of metal as guard after guard follows suit. Each and every one of them bowing as low to the ground as they can.
A piercing scream rings out high up in the stands of the colosseum, everyone searching for the cause. Steve turns us, pointing, his eyes far more observant than mine.
“Right there, do you see it?”
Squinting and shading my eyes, I can make out in the distance what looks like a fire hydrant erupting from the roof of the colosseum. Another pops to the left of it, then two more to the right, until one by one, the entire roof sprays water down on the city. You can see it move in the breeze, the beads getting smaller until there is barely a fine mist falling upon us. It’s like stepping outside after a heavy rain; the air feels weighed down with moisture.
“The water. It’s back,” Steve says in awe.
I hold my hand out, barely feeling the fine mist that surrounds us.
“Imperia,” Bellator roars. “A new dawn is here, rejoice, feast, and hold the ones you love close. Tonight we celebrate, and tomorrow we will start the journey back to a thriving city.”
Chapter 29
Steve
Long live the Orc King. Long live the Orc King. Long live the Orc King.Shouts ring out all across the city, the impish celebrating the death of the Emperor. Thankfully, the corridor of our lodgings was quiet. Almost all imps and inter-Realm travellers were out in the streets, relishing in their newfound freedom. Bellator was requested to go straight to the Imperial office to sort out all required paperwork and notify Realm One of the change. Rosie fell asleep sometime between leaving the arena and arriving here. She must have been exhausted because even the cries of joy from passerby weren't enough to wake her.
She is so small in my arms, I forget she doesn’t have as much stamina as an orc, or an imp, for that matter. Bellator and I can remain awake for three to four days before we begin to feel the signs of fatigue.Given Bellator slept right here in this room not long ago, he will be awake for some time yet, sorting out everything required. The city was beginning to come alive again. The dry dirt and stone walls have the first specks of colour beginning to show. Long dormant seeds bursting with life as water returns to the city.
Pushing the door to our room open, I tap it closed with my foot, reluctantly placing her down on the couch. Fetching some fresh water, I place it by our bed, just in case she is thirsty when she wakes. We are both covered in blood and must bathe before we rest in the fresh linens. Filling the barrel with steaming water, I prepare the assorted soaps and cloths, the stir of my growing cock, excited to wash her body.
“Princess, we need to wash; there is too much blood.”
She moans in her sleep, rolling over and burying her face into the cushion. Shuffling her knees, her round ass raises high in the air, presenting to me. May the Devil bless me enough to devour her.
