Chapter 16
Talear
The Ebony Fortress
Mordrick climbed the stepped dais, flicked his mantle aside, and seated himself upon his throne with the bearing of a true king.
He wasn’t a true king, though. Since the Taleari royal bloodline had died out centuries ago, the throne could only be obtained through bloodshed and violence.
Young, impulsive, and full of fierce ambition, Mordrick had challenged his ageing predecessor, Uther, to a fight to the death.
Mordrick had easily gutted him with his longsword.
With Uther’s body still warm, his crimson entrails spewed across the polished floor, Mordrick ascended the throne.
Although he could never wear the bejeweled Taleari crown and be declared a king—because he did not possess a single drop of royal blood—he nonetheless commanded the authority of a monarch and was accorded respect by the citizens of Talear, even if it was only fear that kept them in check.
And power was what Mordrick craved. That, and revenge against his deceased brother.
Mordrick surveyed his court with an enigmatic smile.
The throne room shimmered with opulence.
Musicians tuned their instruments in one corner, their melodies softly emerging.
Servers scurried about with trays of fruits and meats that filled the room with rich, exotic aromas.
A jester, bedecked in bells and flamboyant clothing, meandered through the crowd stuffed with courtiers, all eager to bow and scrape to gain favor, entertaining them with bows and clever quips.
"It would seem," he turned to Magnius. "That Reyne has exceeded my expectations and captured my prize.”
"Yes, it would appear that you were right to choose him," Magnius agreed with bitter reluctance as he stood at the high advisor's place, to the right of the throne, below the dais.
Mordrick motioned to the musicians in the corner, instructing them to let the revelry begin with a snap of his fingers. "I told you, the lure of water for his well would entice him. His self-imposed obligation to help the people would keep him on task.”
As the music began, several lithe females entered the throne room and began to dance to the hypnotic melody.
Clad in flowing, skimpy silk that shimmered with each movement, the exotic dancers glided toward the throne, their every movement a calculated whisper of allure.
With unbound hair that hung to the waist, each attempted to garner the attention of the dark lord who watched their sensual movements with an intense steel gaze and a lewd twisted smile.
"Has a convoy been dispatched to retrieve them yet?" Mordrick asked, lifting a chalice to his lips, his steel gaze focused on the dancer's erotic movements as he sipped his burgundy wine.
''Yes, it departs as we speak."
"Good. How long before I can expect them?"
"Two days."
"Two days?" Mordrick repeated with a hint of annoyance. He drained the chalice in one long sip. "Why the delay?"
Several bold dancers approached the dais, weaving through the throng of revelers.
Mordrick's attention was drawn towards a red-haired slave on the right.
She was new. The willowy female winked at him with a sensual smile, ran her fingers over her chest and cupped her breasts while swaying her hips to the erotic rhythm.
It wasn't her sensual moves that captured his roving eye though, it was her mass of red hair.
Magnius also observed the slave's dance, doing his best to keep his lust contained.
He cleared his throat and shifted to hide his arousal.
"Our scanners indicate that Reyne overshot the projected rendezvous point by approximately fifty clicks and ended up crashing into a remote mountainous area.
We were unable to reach him or track his actual landing site, so a rescue attempt is futile.
We assume his communication system was damaged.
We estimate it will take him two, perhaps three days to reach the rendezvous point on foot, depending on the terrain. "
Mordrick beckoned to the slave with the crook of one long finger.
She approached the dais with swaying hips.
Once close, he yanked her onto his lap, his hand skimming the length of her body.
Blood rushed to his cock. Mordrick wanted her, now.
This very instant. Without removing his heated gaze from the slave’s perky breasts, he said, "I want festivities ordered, a grand celebration. One befitting my upcoming marriage."
"Marriage?" Magnius sputtered in astonishment.
The edges of Mordrick’s lips twisted with wickedness. “Of course, marriage to Kendra will be easy and I'll gain Valeria without my invasion force ever setting foot on her icy ground."
“How do you know Kendra will consent?”
Mordrick tugged the slave’s skimpy silver dress down her shoulders, exposing her breasts to his court’s view.
“She will consent, or I will publicly sever her head from her neck myself and send it to the Valerian lords in a velvet-lined box, leaving no doubt that their last hope had been destroyed. Either way, I will achieve my goal.”
“Aren’t you concerned that Reyne may have…well…you know?” Magnius left his unfinished statement hanging in the air.
“If I find that Reyne has touched her intimately,” Mordrick pinched the slave’s light-brown nipple, causing her to gasp with a sharp intake of breath. She attempted to wiggle from his lap, but he fisted her long coppery hair, holding her in place. “I will have him executed.”
After having shocked Magnius with his unexpected declaration, Mordrick stood tall and descended the dais.
The music abruptly stopped.
The room grew quiet, tense.
One by one, courtiers dropped to their knees as he strode past them. “Continue.” Mordrick motioned to the musicians with a flick of his wrist. The revelry resumed as he departed the throne room, dragging the slave by the red-gold hair that fueled his raging lust.
Poor girl, Magnius thought. Mordrick was a cruel lover. Many had gone to his bed thinking of mastering him with their seductive wiles, only to suffer his sadistic pleasures instead. He dominated his bed partners and expected nothing less than complete submission.
But his sympathy didn’t last long. Once his master had departed, a devious grin erupted on Magnius’s pudgy round face. There was no chance Reyne could spend days alone with the alluring Valerian princess and not touch her intimately.
It was impossible. Reyne could never resist such sweet temptation.
Which meant Reyne would be executed. And soon.
Magnius only hoped that when the time came for Reyne’s much-anticipated death, he would be the one to deliver the fatal blow.