Flames of Fury
Chapter 29

Incandis

Mags is issuing orders to everyone, and though I’m technically grouped in with the guards I don’t want to leave Kat waiting around all day, especially when both sets of guards are all working on mapping and planning.

“It seems like everyone has orders but us,” Kat says to me, running her hands up and down my chest.

“Under normal circumstances I’d help the guards, or go with Mags – but she’s already got enough of an entourage. So I guess the day is ours…” I smirk at her with salacious intent.

“To do…anything?” She matches my grin and I nod leaning down to answer her with my tongue but she turns her head at the last second so I have to adjust course and kiss her neck.

“Good, because I want to go shopping.” She practically squeals.

“Shopping? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” I tease her, trying to get her to change her mind and stay in bed with me all damn day.

“Incandis, I’m serious!” She giggles. “I want to surprise Mags and build her a nursery.”

Just when I thought I couldn’t love this girl any more she goes and says this. “That’s a wonderful idea.” I wrap my arms around her and immediately teleport us into the VIP room at Caligo. I figured no one would be there this early in the morning and it’s close enough to the downtown shopping that we could walk.

We walk hand in hand to the first of many shops of the day. Kat does the shopping and I do the paying and teleporting. Some of the things she picks out baffle me, like this silicone flower looking thing that’s apparently used for cleaning? And there are different fucking wipes for everything; pacifiers, bodies but not faces, just faces, boogers – where does it end? Evidently there are correct and incorrect pajamas. I made the grave mistake of picking pajamas with snaps when apparently zippers are better.

I wonder idly if Mags knows about any of this stuff. She has literally zero girl friends so it’s usually me or Xander that she talks to and confides in, and babies have never been a topic of discussion.

Kat has cleared out practically the entire newborn section of clothes and when I lift an inquisitive brow she shrugs defensively at me.

“What? She’s having fucking twins and we don’t know if they’re boys or girls or one of each. Whatever she doesn’t need now she can save, or we can use.”

I don’t think even a punch to the gut would have left me as breathless as I’m feeling now. It’s one thing to assume the love of your life would want to have babies with you, but it’s another to hear it come out of their mouth so casually.

“You’d want to have babies with me?” I ask in disbelief.

Kat whips around to me and gives me a look like it was asinine for me to even ask. “Uhm, duh? You’re it for me Incandis, there’s no one else I want. I’m not saying we have them now, but eventually.” She shrugs casually and keeps stacking clothes onto the already immense pile.

It takes three employees a half hour to scan all the shit Kat picked out for Mags, I’m genuinely concerned I won’t be able to teleport it all in one trip. But between the two of us we manage to grab hold of everything just right and teleport it all back home.

We quickly get to work assembling the furniture, washing “essentials” in the quick cycle and then folding and storing everything in the new dressers. When we’re done nearly half the room has been taken up with baby necessities, but Kat has done such a great job matching the colors and wood that it looks like this furniture has always belonged here. It’s exactly what Mags would have chosen herself.

We’re cleaning up when I notice Kat frowning, almost grimacing. “You okay, baby?” I go to her and rub my hand up and down her back, relishing in how she instantly melts and nuzzles into me.

“Yeah it’s just a headache. My brothers are trying to link me but I don’t want to deal with them right now, I just want it to be us.” She smiles up at me and plants a chaste kiss on my lips. “Do you think we could actually go back to Shadowmoon? I’d like to pack some stuff to keep here, if that’s okay with you.”

My mouth splits into a wide grin, “Of course that’s okay.” I’m not going to lie, I like the idea of her stuff in my room. “Move all of it, I want you with me always.”

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” She cocks her head to the side, smiling all the while.

“I guess I am.”

Kat jumps up wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, I catch her easily and crush her against me.

“Alright, let’s do it. Why don’t we spend the night in shadowmoon, pack in the morning, and head back here tomorrow?”

“Sounds perfect.” I keep my hold of her and teleport us back to Shadowmoon.

— — —

Illian

“You called for me, your excellency?” Sorven simpers from the archway. His fear is justified, but for now he’s safe if only because I’m running low on well trained guards at the moment.

Yesterday — oh yesterday. The mere thought of it reignites my rage, fuels my fury. Yesterday was the definitional opposite of a good day.

“Sir, pardon the intrusion, but there’s something you should know.” Lane sputters out.

“Has my Queen been rid of her parasites?” That’s the only answer I want, the only one that matters. It’s been at least two hours since I bid them on their task, I had expected a report from either Griffin or Gorm by now.

“I — I’m not sure, sir, but —"

“Then you have nothing I need to know.”

“Sir, I really thi—“

His spine makes a pleasing snap as I throw him against the nearest wall and pin him up by his throat.

“I hope your words are truly important because they’re the last you’ll ever speak. Now tell me.”

“We found Gorm - dead - murdered.” Lane chokes out.

My eyes narrow with suspicion, Gorm and his brother are the most skilled guards in the Hollow. It’s mathematically impossible for him to be murdered.

“Where is he?” I’m all but snarling.

“W-wading pool.” Lane croaks before death embraces him.

I step over his lifeless body and head towards the wading pool. There are several guards standing around the corridor when I arrive, and sure enough Gorm lies dead in the center of their circle.

As disturbing as my dead second in command is, I remain singularly focused on one thing, and one thing only.

“Where’s the Queen?”

The men look around with blank expressions and shoulders shrugged.

“I need someone to rectify this issue immediately. I want a status update on Magnolia. Death awaits the teleporter who doesn’t have an answer for me within the next five minutes.”

Instantaneously three of the men vanish, off to execute my orders if they want to remain breathing.

“How did this happen?” I gesture vaguely at Gorm, careful not to get any blood on my polished, black shoes.

The remaining guards look around cluelessly between themselves, attempting to formulate some scenario that would explain the scene before us.

I notice the water in the wading pool behind them is tinged red with blood, but Gorm is too far away for it to be his.

“Check under the water.” I command them.

Two men go down into the pool, thirty seconds, a minute, two minutes pass.

Bubbles at the surface precede the two guards rising from the water.

“Sir, there’s a hand dug tunnel under there leading to the sunken lake. Griffin’s body is there — he’s dead, too, sir.”

I open my mouth to respond but am stopped by the appearance of the three teleporters.

“Sir there’s no sign of the Queen or the doctor. They’re not in the Hollow.”

I close my eyes tightly, my head tics to the side and I stretch my neck, the rage that’s building is as present and irritating as an itch you can’t scratch. There’s no stopping the freight train that is my fury, it’s a waste of time and effort.

“How. Is that. Possible?” I ignite as the last word leaves my lips in a shout. I reach into my sleeve and pull out my favorite black blade and swipe it in an arc in front of me, easily slicing through the trachs of five of the eight men gathered here.

I stab another between the eyes, sever the femoral artery of the penultimate guard, then grab the last guard by the back of his neck as he attempts to submerge and run away. I flip him over and carve his heart out, watching it beat its last beat in the palm of my hand.

Everyone within eyesight is sentenced to death as I make my way back to my office. Tonight, the cavern floors will run red with my fury.

“Sir?” Sorven stutters out again, snapping me back into the present.

“Yes.” I come around my desk to face him properly, standing a head above him with arms tucked behind my back. “If memory serves me correctly, you were the one that spotted Magnolia in the woods that day many months ago.”

“Your memory is unfailing, your excellency.”

“The wolves she was with, do you know if they dwell near where you found her?”

“Yes, sir. They have a colony on the surface. It’s a fifteen minute run from the north cave, or a two minute flight above the treetops.”

“Sorven, consider yourself promoted. Now assemble our army. Tomorrow we’ll begin our search for her, starting with the wolves.”