Chapter 61

Halia found the bound king lying in the wreckage. The paladin grabbed him and slung him over her shoulder with ease. Her strength enhanced by her Goddess, she marched away from the wreckage towards where the other few surviving monster girls had gathered.

The camp lay in tatters. So many were dead, killed by the dragon’s rampage to protect her own king. The army had fled in all directions. It would be days before they rallied and regrouped, but they had a powerful hostage.

The king didn’t resist. He lay slumped in her arms as she marched towards where Leo stood in his gray robes. He had a new monster girl at his side. The dragon in her human form. Kassie had already joined him, talking with the others who had survived. Paetu flew in the air around them, a lone sentinel looking for danger.

“Lord Leo,” Halia said. “The King of Myreman.” Halia tossed the king down before her lord’s feet.

The king rolled over and gasped, “Agubnamus! What are you doing? You stand with my enemy.”

“Your conqueror, King Thanitis,” she said. “By ancient rites, he has claimed me as a spoil of war for defeating your mightiest champion, me.”

The king swallowed.

“Cut him free,” Leo said. “He doesn’t need to lie in the mud like a dog.”

The king blinked.

“We have much to talk about, Your Majesty,” Leo said.

“About how you will conqueror my lands?” demanded the king. A fierceness spread over his youthful face. He brimmed with defiance.

Halia used her blessed blade to deftly cut the bonds. The king rose, shaking free the ropes. He stood before Leo, tall and back straight. Pride filled the king. His hands balled into fists as anger shook his body.

“I will not give over my people! Strike me down! My successor will defy you!”

Her lord sighed. Halia smiled at the exasperation spilling over Lord Leo’s face. “I don’t want to conquer your lands. What would I do with them? Administer them? God, that sounds like a headache.”

“Big time,” Alizee said. “I mean, ugh, that’s like all that study you’d have to do. Fara would love it! And Hagane! She would do it!”

“Not the time,” Lana Fulmine said. “Let our Lord speak.”

“Oh, right!” Alizee giggled. “Sorry. This is all so new to me. You’re a king. That’s so neat and ... Right, right, shutting up.”

The king frowned at her.

“I don’t want to conquer your lands or rule them,” said Leo. “I want to negotiate a peace treaty. One that promises each other mutual defense.”

“What?” gasped the king. He looked even more flummoxed now. It didn’t fit his regal bearing. He had a nobility that lent well to standing proud before a conqueror, but now it made him look almost piggish. A dullard.

“I want to be your ally, King Thanitis.” Leo grinned. “I live in your lands. I want to help defend them. Work with you to make Myreman safer for everyone. I want to protect you and your people from the dungeon builders.”

The king shook his head. “So, what, I agree to be your ally and you let me go home?”

“Yes,” Leo said. “Back to Myrecilla. We can work together from there. Help each other. I know there are other dungeon builders in your lands and your neighbors that I can help to deal with. I want to change things. We don’t have to be enemies.”

“But you have enslaved Astovin!” The man thrust his hand towards the wall. “The villagers are suffering beneath your boot.”

Lord Leo snorted with laughter.

“Who told you that, Your Majesty?” Halia asked. “Because I am from Astovin. I’m Halia, daughter of Anguin Vobria. I carry his blessed blade. The Blessed Blade of Light. This man is not evil. He protects Astovin, and they have sworn to him.”