Well, at the moment, they were not getting an answer to that. Lilah studied the gnoleon. “Why would they knock out Zee?”
“Out of all of us,” Daphne said, “he is the only one who could put up a fight.”
Lilah shrugged. The three of them definitely didn’t look threatening, especially to men as big as these guys. She let out a deep breath, thinking what the next step should be.
“Okay, if you two don’t mind, I’ll do all the talking,” Lilah said.
Daphne sighed. “That would be good. I wouldn’t know what to say. You’re used to arguing all day.”
Lilah’s brow lifted. That didn’t sound good. But her job did require her to persuade others to agree with her side of the case. Which at times actually could look just like an argument. She knew what her rights were. She had often reminded the opposing litigant of what she could and could not say in a court of law.
Even though her job title was “paralegal,” she had enough experience to open her own office to advise clients. She knew the laws and historical court cases like she knew the alphabet. The only thing lacking was a piece of paper, with a prestigious college name to hang on the wall.
Chapter Three
“Watch for the dagger to your gut,” Ferrus yelled at his men in training. Many years had passed since he and his people were threatened. Having a battle had been even farther in the past. He had a long way to go to get his men ready to fight, and they didn’t have time—a couple days at the most.
“Prince Ferrus.” His scout entered the cavern and knelt before him.
“Stand. Freedom to talk. What did you see?” Ferrus had sent out several scouts in the last few days to spy on the approaching enemy.
Scout answered, “They are the tree-dwelling fae from the Gecire forest, sire. Their magic grows plants they eat, and they control the ground to form into things.”
“How many weapons do they have?” he asked.
Scout lowered his head. “Sire, I saw no weapons. They must be hiding them underground.”
“I agree.” Ferrus had no other idea why a village would move except for planning an attack to take more land. He would not give up his mountain willingly. He would fight to the death to protect his home.
“Anything more?” he asked his man.
“No, sire. Well, I did see something out of the ordinary…”
“Report,” Ferrus barked.
The scout cringed from the exacting command. “Kappies were roaming the base of the mountain along the tree line.”
“Why would kappies be this far from their caves?”
“I don’t know the answer, Prince.” The scout bowed low.
He waved away the soldier. “I did not mean for you to have an answer. Go on to the eatery. Come back when ready.”
“Yes, sire.” The scout rushed away.
How strange. Not only had the gnoleon arrived, but also creatures that were not customary in the region. He would speak to his father, the king, about this later. As prince and leader of the warriors, it was his responsibility to protect the king and glorify his name.
“Soldiers,” he called out, “switch to hand-to-hand combat.” He walked through the groups observing techniques and weaknesses. His men were warriors. The citogen were known for their strength and dexterity with a sword. Many of his men had been hired for security and guarding in the town and other places.
No one was a match for his troops. They could take down any enemy force, including the weak, peace-loving tree warts.
Ferrus stood with his men, observing when a weird feeling came over him. The animal inside him popped its head up, sniffing the air, going to full alert. But it wasn’t warning him of danger. It was warning him of…mate?
Mother of the Mountain, this wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. He looked up and saw his outer perimeter guards bringing in three females in strange clothing. The one with light hair grabbed hold of his insides and squeezed. She turned her head and locked onto his eyes.
His chest tightened, not allowing him to breathe. She was the most beautiful female he had ever seen. And her body was gorgeous. Those thick thighs and plump ass were made for his gripping as he pounded in and out of her. His cock came alive for the first time in a long time.
He pivoted away from his soldiers when the guards and visitors entered the tunnel leading to the holding cells. He needed to calm down before someone noticed and asked questions. He glanced back to make sure he saw what he thought he did. Yes, the guards were carrying one of the enemies.
This would be a very interesting day.
He waited for the security men to return from the hold. He would have answers immediately. But he had to be careful not to show too much interest in the female. For her sake as much as his.
Ferrus summoned the leader of the sentinels as soon as the guard returned to the main cavern. “Tell me what you have found for us, Ailred.”
“Sire, I’m not positive about the two light-skinned females, but the male and his female are gnoleon. No doubt.”
“Were they spying?”
“I believe not, Prince. As soon as we saw the male, we subdued him with a toxin. They were in the north-facing cave hiding from someone.”
That was the side of the mountain the enemy currently held camp. “Excellent work, Ailred. Any information on the females. They are…”
“Different, sire?”
“Yes, different is a nice way to say it. Return to your post until the midday meal.”
“Yes, sire. Thank you, sire.” Ailred and his group bowed and hurried out the main entrance that was ground level.
He would wait until after the next meal before dealing with their guests. The image of the beautiful female would not leave his mind. He had not been with anyone in a hundred sun peaks. He’d had no interest. But now that all had changed.
He shook his head and growled to himself. His men noticed his agitation and took a step back.
“I won’t be shifting. Back to sparring. Get a new weapon if you must.” The clangs and grinding of metal on metal filled the cavern again. The pile of broken swords and bent shields off to the side was becoming too much. More and more men threw them away after the blades cracked or chipped or their shields twisted by a beating from a sword. This had turned into a problem due to his men’s growth over the years.
Hundreds of years ago, before Ferrus came of age, the citogen army was much weaker than now. The fae were smaller and less muscled. After he took over the military training, their militants were chosen from the largest and strongest children. They were taught from an early age how important it was to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. Fear made a fae weak, easy to take down.
But with the processes he had implemented came new problems. One issue being the men grew too strong for the metal they mined in the pits. He would speak with their sword maker to see what could be done to strengthen the metal to keep it from breaking. Going into battle with such weapons would get them all killed.
His dragon brought the visual of the female into his head. Dragon balls! He didn’t need that right now. He had to focus on his men’s fighting ability for the upcoming war. The dragon disagreed and plastered the image to the front of his brain so that he would “see” her continuously. A rumble started deep in his chest.