Chapter 29
Elpis
I clutched Keyon fiercely and possessively until he finished filling my core with his own burning gift to me. I stroked his back gently and prayed to the Sun God and the Moon Goddess for a hatchling. I noticed that he was gasping for air while trembling and struggling to keep his weight off of me, so I leaned up and gently nuzzled his cheek with the side of my horn. He seemed to stabilize a little after a couple strokes from it. After, he mindlessly and apologetically licked my bite wound and rolled off, wiping sweat from his brow and chest as he fought to clear his head. Goddess, he’d nearly lost his mind.
I smiled inwardly and turned on my side to face him so I could idly caress his shoulder. When he shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly, I knew he’d returned to me. He rotated his head and stared at me for a while, just breathing slowly and blinking occasionally. I let him recover and stretched my legs a little to ease the pressure on my hips. I was already mostly healed from any roughness that’d occurred from our joining, and a part of me preened, knowing that any other female would have been burned and battered. Not me! I was made for Keyon, and I loved it!
Keyon turned fully on his side and laid his hand on mine. I could feel his happiness and sexual satisfaction, but I was dismayed to find embarrassment coming from him. “Why are you embarrassed?” I asked with a concerned frown. “Did I embarrass you? Perhaps I should not have done that. It’s hard to tell what is normal pleasuring between mates and what is not no—”
He stopped my babbling with a kiss, scooting up closer to wrap his arms around me. He released my lips and said, “No, Elpis. You just discovered my very private sexual fantasy. Not ever female would offer to do what you just did, so I never would have had the courage to ask.”
“Seems a lot more harmless than oral sex,” I murmured, letting my lips brush pleasantly against his. He laughed slightly through his nose.
“Yet somehow it’s weirder,” he said, emphasizing the last word. “I was probably… inappropriately loud for being in a guest chamber,” he whispered with a wince, but that just made me swell with pride at how well I’d done. “I think I was also pretty rough. I’m sorry,” he apologized and pressed his lips delicately to mine in a gentle and sweet kiss.
“I enjoyed it…” I hummed, sighing in happiness.
I crawled off the bed to turn off the lanterns and get a damp towel, then returned to my mate to wipe us down a bit before bed. I was sad to have to wipe away some of Keyon’s seed that’d escaped me. I wondered how many tries it would take to…
“Come here, moonflower,” Keyon said and pulled me under the covers with him. He lay on his back—wings long since gone—and cradled me against him. “Perhaps some of the embarrassment was from how vulnerable you made me.” His voice was quiet in the darkness of the guest chamber. “I couldn’t believe how wild you got me. You found my weakness alright.” His voice warmed as he smiled .
Before he could say anything else, I said, “My fantasy has already been realized, Keyon.” I closed my eyes and let the sound of his breathing relax me as I became drowsy. “I’m a free female with a fated mate. With a past like mine, it doesn’t get better than that. You’re my weakness and my fantasy,” I added, my murmur turning into a tired mumble.
“You’re so unbelievably precious,” he said, stroking my belly with a finger. “I know you’ve at least one more fantasy right now.” His full palm spread flat on my stomach, just below my belly button. “Who knows? Perhaps this time, the fire caught.”
I was a wide-eyed mess of nerves when I woke the next morning. I stared out the window as Keyon slept, waiting impatiently for the sun to rise. I wondered if the Sun God would show up at the coven’s doorstep as soon as the brilliant golden orb popped into the sky. Certainly, the sunrise would mean He was awake. Did He have anything else on His godly agenda before visiting us today?
Not wanting to risk being unwashed before His arrival, I rushed to the bathroom to bathe and put on clean clothes. The witches had laundered all of our clothing, but I wasn’t sure when or how it’d occurred. It truly made me like them all the more. I wished I could learn that spell!
Keyon eventually woke and bathed after making sure I was ok. I didn’t realize that I was tapping my foot on the floor until he pointed it out, and I hoped that wasn’t what woke him. We ate breakfast in the western dining room, but I couldn’t pay attention to anything or anyone. I didn’t even process who was at breakfast. I just kept looking from the windows to the doors nervously, waiting for a witch to waltz in and announce the Sun God. Even Keyon’s touch would make me jump on occasion, and that was pretty much when he decided to herd me outside to get some fresh air.
“Come on, sweet moonflower. Let’s get your jitters out,” he urged, opening the front door for me. He guided me up the path, and we found a place to stretch and embrace the sunshine.
Laughter erupted from the coven’s entrance, and I turned to see Leofwine and Adelais coming to join us. “Elpis! I need you to settle an argument. Do you think that y—” she began, laughing and shoving Leofwine aside before she wobbled with a startled expression.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I spun around to see a red wolf approaching from a trail. I could feel Keyon’s indecision in that moment; he was tense, but instead of stepping between me and the wolf, he kept me at his side. Then my mate simply wrapped an arm around my shoulders and studied the approaching figure.
A large bang had me squealing and jumping a foot into the air. I whirled to see both coven mothers leaving out the front door and moving to join us like Leofwine and Adelais had. If my nerves hadn’t been shot before, they were now. In fact, they were absolutely shredded. Keyon rubbed my arm, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.
The red wolf stopped within five feet of us. It seemed small for a wolf, or at least I’d imagined something much bigger. What wasn’t small, however, was the creature’s dominance. Both Keyon and Leofwine abruptly and simultaneously fell to a knee, like they were receiving a king. Adelais was crouching with a lowered head, shaking almost violently. I desperately wanted to go and comfort her, but something told me not to interfere with anything. I looked back to see both coven mothers kneeling in a prayer position, smiling.
I returned my gaze to the red wolf and didn’t know what I should do. Its aura was crushing in its dominance, but my being merely accepted its position of power. I’d move if it told me to, but otherwise, I was fine where I was. I gave an awkward wave and curtseyed, hoping that was enough. In hindsight, that probably made me look like a silly foal .
Fate’s timing is impeccable as usual, the red wolf said.
“All is as it should be, so says the Moon Goddess,” Tesni replied with a smile and returned to her feet, helping Arevik stand as well.
Up, favored dragons. Stand and show your father your faces, the wolf said to Keyon and Leofwine. They returned to their feet, strong and sturdy, like nothing had happened. Leofwine, however, looked dismayed at his huddled mate, who was left alone on the ground.
Cat… rise to your mate’s side. The Sun God welcomes you to His family.
Adelais cautiously stood and inched toward her mate, who held out a hand for her to grab. I was in awe at the power the Sun God’s mere presence had on all of us. What drew more wonder was how all that power could be contained in such a small creature. What a miracle it was to be a vessel. I truly couldn’t comprehend it.
The Sun God turned the wolf’s head to regard me and said, Greetings, favored daughter. I’m here because once again there is work to be done, and I need to set you up to succeed.
My lips parted, and I couldn’t bring myself to yell out all my burning questions like I’d done yesterday. All I could say was, “Greetings, Father.” My mouth snapped shut, and I waited for his next words.
There is a sickness in my favored lands, a sickness that continues to rear its despicable head since the goddess helped me birth my dragons, the god said, beginning to pace as He spoke.
“What sickness?” I asked in a tiny voice.
A mental poison… Greed. The god snarled. The one thing I could not beat or threaten out of my children’s nature. Oh, I love my dragons. They are powerful, glorious creatures of the sun! They are brilliant creatures of brightness, heat, and destruction, but they lust for wealth. They lust for luxury. They lust for laziness!
“That they do,” Leofwine agreed quietly.
And you, Leofwine, and my other hatchling, Keyon, know the result of this. Of how one acquires wealth while doing nothing!
“Oppression… enslavement,” Keyon said, keeping his voice low as well.
And my daughter… Elpis, you know what my favored lands feel like. Tell me, Elpis, what did that nearby, gluttonous town feel like? The god jerked its wolf head in the direction of Astertrove.
“Hopelessness,” I said, shuffling my left foot in the dirt.
It seems, the god said with a growl, that no matter how many times I ask Fate to create a unicorn to purify my lands, the poison always comes back. But now, the god snapped, as much as I loathe to predict upon uncertainties, I see that there is a chance that most of this sickness can get wiped out for go—
“Am I the only one?” I cried out loudly, stricken, unable to hear anything else. “Is there no other?”
The wolf froze in its pacing and stared at me. You are the only one.
I staggered. My head spun, and I sat down to avoid stumbling. Had I heard him correctly? Keyon crouched next to me while I heard Arevik clear her throat. “She did just find out she was a unicorn,” she said tactfully.
I am aware, the Sun God stated.
I placed my hands on the sides of my head, trying not to hyperventilate, but my lungs weren’t listening to me. I choked on my tears and panicked, all sounds muted under my galloping heart. All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut to hide in the darkness.
“I’m alone,” I moaned frantically. “I’m alone, I’m alone, I’m alone!”
I’m here! Rein cried, and I felt her reach out to me. I’m here, I’m here, I’m here!
Moonflower! You’re not alone, I’m h—
Mate! It’s going to be o—
Closing my eyes just seemed to amplify the pain and discomfort my body was feeling. My gut clenched from the emotional agony of what I’d just realized. “What was the point?” I screamed and fought at hands that tried to hold me. “You birthed me only to allow me to fall into slavery? To put me through the very thing you’re trying to get rid of?” I cried and struggled against hands and voices. “I don’t understand! Why would you let that happen to me? They tortured me! They violated me! I choked on a thousand fucking cocks just to stay alive!”
I was swiftly losing my mind, and I didn’t care. Rein tried to take control of my body, but I fought her. I fought everyone. I kicked until all my limbs were held down, and all I could do was shriek and sob uncontrollably.
“You abandoned me! You abandoned me like you abandoned Pelagia! You forgot about Dagmaer, Dagrun, and Zosime! Would you have ever remembered us?” I rattled off all the names of every slave I’d ever known and spewed more vile insults at the god than any sane mortal would.
After a particularly piercing wail, noise just stopped coming from my rent throat, and all that escaped my mouth was raspy air. Unable to protest any further, I went limp and accepted my defeat. I couldn’t open my eyes. I’d lain waste to my surroundings and couldn’t bear to see the insanity I’d created.
There was murmuring as I was lifted off the ground, and my body was eventually slid onto a bed, then covered with a cool, soft sheet. A door closed and the room quieted. The only individual in the room was the cat-shifter who crawled onto the bed and curled up next to me. She was close enough to offer comfort but far enough to give me space while my mind tried to stitch itself back together.
I rubbed my swollen eyes as I slowly woke from my emotional collapse. It had been dreamless, and I wondered if the witches had anything to do with that. I felt like it should have been riddled with nightmares.
It seems my approach to our first encounter was more upsetting than I’d anticipated, Daughter, the voice of the Sun God said. He was close. Perhaps if it had been anyone else, I would have tried to pretend to still be asleep. It simply wasn’t the case. I propped myself up with a pillow and gazed wearily at the red wolf resting near my feet on the bed.
“I apologize for the filth that I allowed out of my mouth,” I said numbly.
Let us continue this differently, the god said and rested His head on His paws. Ask your questions. I will exercise patience, which I do not often offer.
I swallowed hard and nodded. I could do that. Perhaps with more context, my life would make more sense. “Why is there only one of me?” I asked, addressing the topic that had carved a lonely pit in my heart.
There used to be herds thousands of years ago, the god said, and though I parted my lips in mild surprise, I was still quite numb. When I saw the Moon Goddess create Her children, I became inspired and asked Her to help me with mine. I wanted children that represented everything I cherished. They had to be powerful and pay their respects through flight and fire. I wanted them near me.
My children disappointed me when I discovered their tendency to take what was not theirs. They not only stole items, but they also stole individuals, overpowering them and forcing them to do things they wished not to do. To further my humiliation, their habits had inspired other species to practice slavery. Their sins spread like poison through water.
I consulted with the other gods and decided to balance my dragons with a new child. I created a creature that was designed to burn out the plague my dragons had wrought. They were expected to pull out the poison and cauterize the wound… but it turned out they were too weak.
The worst of my hatchlings started targeting and killing them, partially to prevent change and partially to covet their horns as trophies.
I placed a hand to my own horn and shuddered. The thought of someone taking it put me into a cold sweat, and I tugged the sheets up to my shoulders.
The god sighed and looked down at the blanket. I tried everything. I blessed them with advanced healing, but the dragons could still bite them in two. I blessed them with speed, but the dragons outflew them. I blessed them with a sword, but their charge was not enough to protect them. I blessed them with fire immunity and the power to blind, but it couldn’t prevent the inevitable. Soon, all my unicorns had perished.
I was crying softly at this point and had wrapped my legs around my knees for comfort. “But if they’re all gone… how am I here?”
I went to the Moon Goddess for help in negotiating with Fate. To avoid disrupting Fate’s plans, Their singular offer was to turn your species into a conditional species, and I accepted that price in my desperation. They said that every three hundred to five hundred years, a unicorn will be born to a witch and warlock, who will have conceived under my sunlight. That way, my purifying foals would never die out. That is where you came from, Elpis.
“But one unicorn… what’s to stop me from dying if entire herds were wiped out so easily?” I asked, rubbing a bleary eye.
That was why I created the absolute dominants, the Sun God said, eyeing me knowingly as the topic perked me up a bit. What did we have to do with each other? The Moon Goddess recommended pairing up my foals with strong mates to protect them. I took Her advice seriously, as She is the expert in such things. I blessed those with the most virtue to become a new type of dominant, and She promised to pair them with my unicorns.
Keyon has fulfilled his role admirably, considering the mess my other hatchlings have created. No dragon can challenge my absolutes other than a king or queen. It was the best I could do to protect my foals. I advised my godling, the Dragon God, Corona, to make special considerations for my absolutes when the king’s seat becomes empty. That way, a new line can begin with a virtuous king and an excess of offspring. In my attempt to keep them from going extinct, I’ve made my unicorns very fertile.
“So, it is possible…” I murmured, feeling the relief of a weight falling off my shoulders.
It is so. You conceived last night, the god said simply, and I gasped. And before you ask, worry not about the offspring. Unicorns do not miscarry. Your offspring will arrive safely as long as you live. I have been very thorough, Daughter. Ask another question. We still have much to discuss.
I was still shocked and wanted to run out to find Keyon, but I slapped my cheeks gently to get myself to focus. Focus! Ahhh!
“Ah… Um…” I said, trying to clear my mind. “Oh! Why did that cult need my blood to be… virgin?”
Yes, I am aware of that encounter. The god sneered in extreme distaste. I am not Fate, but if I were, I would find witches to be a particularly painful thorn in my side.
Witches may be skilled in creating their spells and potions, but they have a penchant for drama. Many of the wilder ones read too much into signs and the nature of creatures. The purity of my unicorns is in their cleansing nature, not in the state of a tiny piece of flesh. How wretched their insult is to me.
Tell me, Daughter, do you see a pregnant dragon, a mother-to-be, as some unwholesome whore? the Sun God inquired heatedly.
“N-nay!” I said. “I find the sight of one quite sweet, actually.”
As you should. It is in mortal nature to breed. To cast shame upon the act is unwholesome.
“Wait…” I said as a thought came to me. “So, the witch’s potion will work? Our king will lose his humanity?”
If the potion fails, it won’t be because of you, I assure you, He answered.
“Oh gods!” I swore, then winced at the curse. “Pardon me. Keyon must know this!”
We’ve spoken.
“Oh,” I said simply. How much had they discussed ?
You may call your mate in if you feel he must be here, the god said with an impatient sigh. Do hurry, though.
K-Keyon? I asked in a mind-link, hoping he was available. C-can you join us? I was ashamed over my meltdown and was certain he’d look at me differently now. How ugly it must have been…
The door opened immediately and Keyon stepped in, closing the door quietly behind him. I gestured for him to sit next to me, unable to meet his gaze. He reclined and didn’t say anything, just slowly reached to slip his fingers through mine. Some tension drained, and I took in a deep, steadying breath.
“S-so…” I said in summary, “it was completely unnecessary that they made such a big fuss over my virginity… In hindsight… I have to be grateful for the stupidity of the witches. It kept me from being… er… deflowered while I was a slave.” I frowned and found myself back to where I’d had an emotional collapse.
“But… I still want to know why you let me fall into slavery…” I asked quietly and wiped a tear away before it could fall. Keyon squeezed my fingers gently and sent me soothing sensations across our bond.
That is nothing I had control over, Daughter, and I grieve in my own way for your time spent suffering. You were taken from your family, sold, and became a slave because Fate decided it so. The Moon Goddess, should you ever get the opportunity to speak with Her, can explain just how challenging it can be to get Fate to bend even the slightest of things. The way your life has turned out, none of that would have been negotiable. Events have shaped you into who you are today. It is not all darkness. Remember that.
I sighed miserably, feeling deflated and wishing I had someone to accuse. It wouldn’t do me any good, though. Fate didn’t seem to care about my thrown fits.
“So, what now? What do I do now to fulfill my role?” I still didn’t know how I felt about being born to do a specific job. I didn’t know if it made me feel special, honored, or objectified. There was so much to absorb.
At first, I was satisfied to let you proceed normally, but I’ve grown uncomfortable with the witch’s involvement. They’ve offended me with their manipulations of my hatchlings. The spitters who took down my absolute, Keyon, were the final insult.
I felt a sensation of biting shame come from Keyon, and I looked tearfully up at him. I hadn’t known he’d taken that defeat so hard. A wolf growl startled both of us, and we jerked our gazes to the mercurial god.
Do not let defeat muddy your mind. Snap out of it, hatchling. Pay attention, He barked with raised hackles. As I was saying, the spitters were the final insult. I want Toast’s claws to be free, so I am offering you a blessing, Elpis. Do you wish to receive it?
“Wh-what is it?” I asked nervously, feeling little dragons in my tummy again, but they were not there from excitement. The prospect of a god changing anything about me was frightening, and I was just starting to get used to my body!
The blessing of flight. A way for you to keep up with your mate. This is technically blessing Rein’s half of you.
R-Rein? I asked my beast. D-do you want this? I asked uncertainly.
If it helps Toast… she said nervously. Then… yes?
“Ah…” I cleared my throat. “We accept,” I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.
Then receive your blessing, the Sun God said, sitting up and facing me. I climbed out of the sheets and knelt before Him. Secure your mate, Keyon. This will be painful.
Oh no.
Oh no, Rein echoed.
Keyon held my back to his chest, and halfway through a steadying breath, I was hit by a wave of heat. My bones felt like they’d been engulfed in flames, and I screamed. I barely registered a handful of people running into the room as my body came to a broil. My veins thickened as molten lava coursed through instead of blood. My organs incinerated, one by one, and I clutched my belly protectively, crying in fear. I screamed once more as I felt layers of myself unfold and turn to ash.
Then it was over. The silence was deafening when I collapsed against my mate’s chest. I barely registered Rein crawling into the corner of my mind to hibernate and rest. For the first time, Keyon’s hands felt cool to the touch, but it was only for a minute. They rubbed my forearms gently, and he was murmuring about how strong I was. I grunted weakly as I tried to open an eye. I was terrified that I’d find my skin black and peeling, but it was as healthy as ever.
Take care of your mate, favored one, I heard the god say through my haze. Do not fail me. You are close to purging this poison for good. Remember all I’ve said.
“Yes, I will. It will be done,” my mate said sternly, sounding like a general now.
The dominating presence left, and the mood of the room relaxed significantly. I blinked my eyes clear, and Adelais rushed forward with a cup of water.
“Thank you,” I said hoarsely and drained the entire cup. I was parched, but my throat didn’t hurt. The pain from the blessing was lessening by the second, and every new breath brought relief.
“Can we get you anything to eat?” Keyon asked over my shoulder, pulling some of my hair aside to straighten it.
“N-nay… not yet…” I said unsteadily. That blessing had been an ordeal, and I wasn’t convinced I could hold food down quite yet.
“Well, no shit...” Leofwine smirked, sounding amused.
“He wasn’t joking, was he?” Adelais added, barking a short laugh in surprise. Keyon’s chest rocked as he chuckled silently.
“Elpis,” Leofwine demanded, “say ‘no.’”
I sent him an apprehensive look and said, “Nay…”
“No, moonflower. Not ‘nay’…”
“I am! Nay!” I asserted, having no idea what they were talking about. Adelais broke into a fit of giggles, becoming red-faced while she leaned into a laughing Leofwine for support. “I don’t understand…” I said while looking around, confused.
“I thought…” Adelais choked out, gasping for air. “I didn’t even notice before he pointed it out!”
“Alright, let’s give her some quiet. Stop making fun of her, you frolicsome feline.” Leofwine chuckled, herding his cackling cat out the door. “How did he put it? ‘Let it not be said that the Sun God doesn’t have a sense of humor.’”
“Wha—” I protested as they shut the door behind them, leaving me alone with a joyful Keyon.
“Don’t mind them, moonflower,” he said, turning me around to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “Let me just take care of you while you recover from all that.”
I gave up and melted into his care, feeling like I needed a year to process everything that had just occurred. Someone was also going to have to explain that joke to me...