Chapter 12

Lysila, High Priestess of Water, entered her Lord’s pavilion. King Thanitis stood waiting for her along with that awful ambassador from Lord Leo. Daleitha the Chalkydri, stood with her multitude of rainbow wings folded behind her. The end of her lion-like tail peeked out as she smiled at the priestess.

Lysila schooled her face to show only calm reserve. I am the vast ocean. Deep and still. I am not the storm-tossed seas nor the river frothing over rapids. I am placid.

“You summoned me, Your Majesty?” she asked as she bowed, wearing her blue vestments, her silk robe swishing around her body.

“Yes, yes, Lysila,” said the king. “Daleitha has offered to give you a tour of Lord Leo’s dungeon so that you might have a better opinion and understanding of our ally.”

Lysila swallowed her disgust and objection. Nothing made any sense. Lord Leo the False had upset the proper order of the world. Dungeon builders were the enemy. They did not forge alliances. They conquered. They oppressed. They pillaged and raped. They left only pain behind, and yet this dastardly builder played a different game.

He seduced.

“My Gods will never be won over to believing in your master, monster,” Lysila said to Daleitha. “Why not give this invitation to my king?”

“No, no, this is fine,” said King Thanitis. “I want you to see and report.” He leaned in. “I don’t think Lord Leo wants men in his dungeon. Jealous I might make sport with one of his chattel.” A lecherous grin flashed across his face. He stared at the purple-eyed monster girl’s naked tits. Does every man think with his cock? thought the priestess fighting her eye roll.

“So you go, Lysila.”

Lord and Lady of Water, should I obey my king’s command? she prayed to her Gods.

A sensation, not unlike warm water lapping at her feet, touched her. It came from Lady Ninli. An ... acceptance.

“Fine,” Lysila said. “I will take your tour, monster girl.”

“Oh, wonderful,” she said and motioned for her to follow.

Lysila followed the chalkydri through the camp. The creature’s rainbow wings had a faint glow. They can mesmerize, Lysila thought. She had to be on her guard.

The shameless creature marched through the camp, not caring that the knights and retainers stared at her body with lust. Her lion tail swished behind her and she padded on feline paws instead of feet. She was a horrible amalgamation of different creatures. An abomination against nature.

Not far from the king’s pavilion a stone structure burst from the ground. A metal door sealed it shut. Heavy and strong. One of the entrances to Lord Leo’s dungeon. Despite it being clearly locked, Daleitha opened it with ease, holding it for her.

Darkness faced her. She could see a landing.

“Remember, you are bound by your King’s promise of friendship,” the chalkydri said. “Your actions reflect on him. You are a guest because of it. Do not be afraid.”

The priestess swallowed and stepped onto it, peering into the black. The chalkydri followed and closed the door behind her with a loud boom. Lysila jumped. Her heart pounded a mile a minute as she stood in near darkness. Only the faint, multi-hued glow from the chalkydri’s wings shed any light.

And yet now the priestess could ... see. There was no light, but the stairs led down to another room. Her brow furrowed. It was a strange sensation. Everything was evenly lit. The only shadows came from the illumination the monster girl shed.

“Well, shall we?” Daleitha asked. She glanced at the priestess, the monster girl’s brow furrowing. “Right, right, you must find it strange seeing in the dark. You’re a guest. The dungeon cannot harm you. None of the traps or dangers will be an obstacle, even the darkness.”

At the bottom of the stairs, Lord Leo himself awaited. The young man smiled, handsome and beguiling. He had a boyishness and a maturity about him that was disarming. He didn’t seem evil but friendly. Even caring. A halfling in robes of blue trimmed in red stood by him. His mage. There was a magical circle on the ground.

“Priestess Lysila,” said Lord Leo, smiling.

Yes, he is a seducer, thought the priestess. That’s why he’s here.

“I am sorry to have to do this to you,” he said, “but I have to deafen you so you can’t hear the magical password for the teleporters. If anyone would learn of them, well, it would quickly negate their utility since they can bypass so much of my defenses.”

Lysila glanced at the halfling. “Yes, yes, mages do love their secrets.”

“Don’t we,” said the mage, a big smile on her lips.

“Sound vanishes, let the might of Lord Ishkur silence,” chanted Lord Leo.

Sound vanished. There was nothing. Not even the beat of her heart. This wasn’t the muffled silence from clapping her hands over her ears, but a complete absence of sound. She swayed, momentarily disoriented. It was unnerving. Frightening.

Lord Leo smiled and held out his hand to her. She took it before common sense stopped her. She stepped onto the elevator with him, her heart pounding in her chest. She stood on the circle with the monster girl, mage, and the dungeon builder.

Light flashed around them.

When it faded, they were in another room entirely. She stumbled at that. The sound crashed back into her ears. She winced at suddenly hearing again. It seemed so loud for a moment before she adjusted. She frowned.

“This way,” said Daleitha. “Come, come, you’re going to love it.”

I doubt that, thought the priestess. Lord and Lady of Water, give me the patience of the river to endure this trial.

She followed the chalkydri to the stairs. They climbed up it and came to another heavy door that she opened with ease. Greenery lay beyond. Lush vegetation. Large ferns. Flowering vines. Trees with thick limbs and broad leaves. Everywhere was green. The air smelled of fresh, wholesome loam. Moisture beaded in the air. Humidity kissed her face.

“What?” gasped the priestess before she could stop herself. “This is the dungeon?”

“The Overgrown Room,” said Daleitha as they stepped out into the room full of vegetation. The plants didn’t slow either of them down, almost bending out of their way. “It’s the guard room for the dungeon proper. Everything has to go through this room before heading to the rest of the dungeon. All our entrances. All the tunnels that lead off to various places all converge in the room below and exit here. Every adventurer raiding us must start here.”

A shiver ran through Lysila. Men and women have died in here.

“As you can see, some of the quetzalcoatl patrol above the vegetation.” She pointed to a woman flying on feathered wings with the green tail of a snake instead of legs. “And the unicorns also live here. Oh, there’s one. Hi, Kin.”

Dark eyes set in a pale face peered around a bush. She ducked back out of sight when Lysila glanced at her.

“Uh...” Lysila was confused. “Was she afraid of me? She ducked back out of sight.”

“The unicorns are skittish around strangers,” admitted the chalkydri. “But they are fierce defenders. Normally, they would hide. They’re beautiful creatures when they trust you. Maybe you’ll earn their trust.”

“Right,” said Lysila. Monster girls are afraid of me?

It made no sense, but as they moved through the Overgrown Room, she caught glimpses of their silvery manes and flashing horns. Pale skin glimpsed through gaps in green foliage. Dark eyes. They moved around them, but also darted away whenever Lysila stared at them.

Daleitha led them to another heavy door that opened onto the stone corridor. “This is the Initial Labyrinth. It’s patrolled by some of Lord Leo’s earliest monster girl servants. His wildhounds, satyrs, and oozes. Guard Post One lies in here where Smerta and Vilkas coordinate the initial defense of the dungeon when we’re under attack.” The chalkydri laughed. “Hopefully, that won’t happen while we’re in here.”

Lysila stared at her as they walked down the tunnel to a branching path that went in three directions. “Aren’t you worried about telling me Lord Leo’s secrets?”

“Well, he modified the dungeon for you,” she said, pointing to the right and left that ended at dead ends. “So it’s much more streamlined for you. And, well, a lot of this is out. Adventurers are usually driven off. We don’t want to kill them. So there’s plenty of intelligence on various parts of the dungeon.”

“Still...”

“We want you to trust us.” The monster girl smiled. “How can we do that if we aren’t open and honest with you.”

Lysila could understand that. It was just ... not what she expected from a dungeon builder. She expected dark secrets at every turn. Horrors. Instead, they walked through corridors made of uniform stone bricks. Large ones, but they were well-cut and shaped. Far better craftsmen ship than she’d seen, with thin mortar joints. It was dry, too. And not cold nor hot.

It was comfortable.

They came to another “intersection” in the maze that led to nowhere. Only this one had some petite monster girls that moved on their hands and feet. They had black hair and dog-like tails. They padded up, their pale bodies whiter than Lysila’s own flesh.

“Ooh, she’s beautiful!” one said and boldly started sniffing at Lysila’s ass like a dog.

“Yes, yes, she’s so sexy!” another said and sniffed at her crotch. She crouched almost like a dog, sitting on the balls of her feet, her legs spread wide, her hands planted on the stone before her. She didn’t care at all her pussy was on full display.

“I like her, Daleitha,” said a third that padded around her.

“She’s gorgeous!” yipped a fourth. Her tail wagged back and forth.

“The wildhounds,” said Daleitha. “The most numerous of all of Lord Leo’s monster girls. He uses them more for missions than anything else.”

“We have such good noses,” said the first. “Ooh, you smell so beautiful. Welcome, welcome!”

“They scout for him. Search out enemy dungeons, try to find ways around armies.”

“These are the ones who attacked our patrol,” Lysila said, remembering the report. It had pushed King Thanitis into this folly of attacking Lord Leo.

“We didn’t attack them!” huffed the wildhound.

“We blundered into them,” said another. “It was Vilkas’s fault. She glows. All made of lightning.”

“So we had to let them kill us,” the third said. “We weren’t allowed to attack them. Lord Leo’s orders.”

“We were just trying to find Tuerien’s dungeon,” said the first. Her tail swished back and forth. “Honest. We just wanted to find him. He’s bad. We had to fight him.”

“He sent a dragon to attack us!”

“Yes!” yipped the others.

A dragon? Tuerien Ironbane has a dragon? The man’s dungeon lay to the south of Myrecilla in the southern reaches of Myreman’s territory.