The Generator: The Succubae Seduction (94 page)

“Aeacus?” I ask, trying to figure out why that name is so familiar.

“Ruler of the Myrmidons,” Jennifer reminds me. “Those bastards are hard to kill.”

“Since they’re flame creatures, can’t you just control them?” I ask Angela.

“I could if he were in front of me,” she says, “but he’s hiding somewhere. If I had more control of my abilities, I could control him from anywhere. I’m sorry, Lyden.” She tries to pull her hand from mine in embarrassment, but I refuse to let go.

“It’s not your fault,” I tell her. “Being the Pillar of Fire was thrust onto you. You didn’t have enough time to prepare.”

“It wasn’t thrust onto her,” Alloria reminds me. “She took it.” Apparently there is still some mistrust there.

“Because there was no other choice,” I reply. “Any idea where he might be?”

“No. I—“ Angela starts to say, but is cut short by Lysa.

“Thomas says that our forces are being overrun near your eastern border.” My daughter doesn’t materialize as she speaks, but her voice comes from the air itself.

“Enough chit-chatting,” Jennifer barks. “We’ve still got a war to fight!”

“How quickly can the rocs get us there?” I ask the open air.

“One is too wounded to fly,” I hear Lysa’s voice. “The other can carry you all, though it might be a bit crowded on its back.”

“I can fly on my own,” Angela says. Flame tipped black wings sprout from her back. “I can fly pretty fast now, also.”

I nod to her. Looking up at the sky, I can see a large shadow descending towards us at a rapid pace. Dust billows up from the dry ground as the huge bird flaps its wings.

Lysa was right when she said it would be crowded. Sheila sits in front of me, my arms holding her tight as she grips the roc’s feathers and leans forward. Jennifer’s arms wrap around me, and I feel her fingers grope my crotch.

“You know,” the buxom woman whispers in my ear, “if your boss lost her pants, I could help you slip inside her as we fly. Add a whole new dimension to the mile-high club.” My cheeks burn at her forward attitude, though I know it shouldn’t. Not after everything else that has happened over the last few months. Despite myself, I grow hard under her hands, and even her laughter at my embarrassment isn’t enough to diminish her talents.

“If Master wants me, he has only to ask,” Sheila says with a grin, turning to look at me.

Before I can respond with a negative, Jewkes climbs on and the roc takes off, sending my heart into my stomach with the force of it. Blue struggles to stay with us with Emmet and Alloria on her back, but slowly falls behind.

Once again I see the devastation this war is causing as we travel across the landscape. Angela looks like a shooting ball of flame next to us. I can only assume that Lysa is guiding us as we travel to the north and east towards Fire’s border with darkness.

The sky begins to darken, and I worry that we might be heading all the way into Darkness’s domain. I have no desire to meet up with the devil again, but our ride descends before it grows any darker than dusk.

I can see our forces begin to buckle under the onslaught of a horde of Myrmidons. Shadows are flitting around, and I realize we’re far enough into Darkness’s territory for some of those creatures to fight here as well.

“Where are we most needed?” I ask my daughter.

“Directly ahead,” I hear her voice.

“We’ll stay behind and heal those we can,” Elliot says as he climbs down from Blue a moment later.

“Don’t make decisions for me, human!” Alloria stomps her foot.

“I know you can fight,” the healer snarls, “but your skill would be better put towards helping me with the wounded, slut!” He slaps her rear and propels her away from the fighting. She opens her mouth to protest again, but another slap on her rump silences any protests as her cheeks burn.

“I’m guessing there is a story there,” Angela says as she approaches me. “From the thoughts going through her mind. . . .” She trails off as she shakes her head. I can’t help but wonder what those thoughts might be, but have other things to worry about.

“Sheila, go with them. Jennifer, Jewkes, watch my back,” I call out. I lie flat on the ground and absorb some mass as I change into a dragon.

“Oh, I’ll gladly watch more than that!” Jennifer crows with laughter.

I stick my forked tongue out at her, before turning back to the fray.

“You can use that tongue on Sheila and me when we’re done,” Jennifer continues to taunt me. Her attention turns to Jewkes. “Come on, old man. Let’s see if you can use that gun. I mean the one in your hands. We can try out the one in your pants later.”

Richard shakes his head, but climbs onto my back behind Jennifer.

“No orders for me, Lyden?” Angela asks as a smile plays across her kissable lips.

I smile in return, though I don’t know how it looks on my draconian features. I send her a rapid set of images. She laughs as her body becomes that of the tall Amazonian warrior, spear wreathed in flames in one hand and a round buckler in the other.

“I hope you plan on fulfilling those other thoughts later,” she tells me. “I’ve never done it with a dragon before!”

“Now
that
I want to see!” Jennifer laughs. “The dragon and the Amazon. That would make quite the sight!”

A shot rings out a moment before Richard shouts, “We’ve got incoming!”

A shadow is coming right for us. Both of my riders fire upon it, but it dodges aside with ease. I fill my lungs, planning to blow flame, but a blue blur intercepts it before I can. I watch in surprise as Blue drops her head and rips the creature in two. She tosses the torso aside, but it’s not dead yet and begins crawling towards us.

“That’s a vampire,” Lysa warns.

Before I can think of how to fight it, Angela is there, flaming spear in hand. She stabs the creature through the chest and it bursts into flames, screaming as it dies.

“Fire will kill them as well as a stake through the heart,” she tells me, before running on.

I chase after her.
How are we going to fight all these creatures?
I wonder. I can’t use my claws on the Myrmidons without causing explosions, but I can’t use my flames on them either. I have to be careful not to hurt our allies fighting against Aldol’s forces also. Even my friend’s guns won’t do any good.

Too bad I can’t combine the air of my claws with fire to. . . .

I send a series of thoughts to Angela, hoping she picks up on my idea. She gives me a dubious look. A moment later she turns back to her forces and barks out commands.

Our forces of succubae, kobolds, and others that I can’t identify fall back right in front of me. For a moment, the Myrmidons that were fighting them mill around in confusion. Then they spot me. Howling with glee, they charge, some of them belching gouts of flame my way.

TAKE COVER, I mentally command Jennifer and Jewkes. They stop shooting and comply. They both yelp as I balance on my tail and two back legs, but hold on to me. I bring both of my paws up to my mouth as the wave of ant-creatures rushes me. I don’t know if this will work, but I have to try.

My lungs fill with air. In my mind, I picture the solid air of my talons fueling my breath as I bellow my flame. A massive cone of heat leaves my jaws. I can hear the front ranks laugh, thinking they’re immune, but a moment later they begin to scream. I have no doubt that under normal circumstance they wouldn’t be harmed by my breath, but when buttressed with Lysa’s weapons, it’s more than they can withstand. Even I can feel the heat of my own attack. If someone were to do this to me, I don’t think my immunity would be enough to protect me.

When I run out of breath, nothing is left before me but molten, scorched black rock.

I yip in glee as I drop back down to all fours and hear Jennifer groan behind me.

“If I ever tell you to heat things up a bit, remind me of this moment,” Jennifer moans.

Worried, I turn my long neck to look at her. Both my riders are singed and frazzled, their skin red and burned. I guess there was more heat than I realized.

SORRY, I tell them, eliciting more groans as that single word penetrates their minds.

“We’ll live,” Richard croaks.

“Not for long if we don’t start fighting,” Jennifer grunts.

I look up and see that the hole I’d created is starting to fill back in. The enemy is wary now, but still pressing the fight.

“Does that girl ever stop?” I hear Richard mutter, referring to Jennifer’s exuberance.

I start to draw in another breath, but from the way my head starts to swim; I know I don’t have the strength to push out another gout as powerful as the last one.

I hear Jennifer and Richard open fire. Bullets impact the Myrmidons, but they shrug off the attacks. If only the bullets were made of air. Then they would cause explosions in their ranks like my claws had.

I change my tongue to a human one to speak. “Lysa? Any chance you have any air bullets?”

“No,” she replies. “Why?”

I quickly explain what I’m thinking.

“I can’t make enough bullets, but I could wrap each bullet as it’s shot. I’ll need a few seconds between each shot. Would that work?”

“Only one way to find out,” I tell her. I turn to face the two using my tail as a rifle support. “Take careful aim and space out your shots.”

“We heard,” Jennifer said. “And I never miss a shot!” She proves her point a second later as she fires and a Myrmidon’s head snaps back. A second later the thing explodes, taking out those running next to it. “This adds a new meaning to bug bombs!”

Richard shoots next, this time it’s a chest shot, and the monster explodes moments later.

“Take more time between shots,” Lysa says. “It’s hard creating a shell and keeping it on the bullets.”

The two take more time between their shots, but it is becoming apparent that it’s not going to be enough. Despite the explosions, the Myrmidons are gaining ground. Blue is nearly swamped by vampires, the dark creatures swarming over her shiny scales trying to find a soft spot to exploit.

I want to run to her and fight off the monsters, but I’m hard pressed to keep them back from Jewkes and Jennifer. My invisible claws rend them to pieces, and it’s easy enough to burn them with my breath, but there seems to be no end to the monsters.

Angela returns, saving Blue, but even the Pillar of Fire is struggling. It doesn’t look good. We may have superior numbers, but they’re too hard to kill. As I watch, our left flank crumples. Only the arrival of reinforcements stops us from being overrun.

“Retreat!” Lysa’s voice booms over the air. I know the command has to be coming from Thomas who has a better view of the battlefield than we do. I don’t like it, but know I should comply.

Jennifer and Richard climb onto my back. I start to move backwards. To my surprise, the enemy doesn’t push forward, but holds their ground.

“What are they waiting for?” Jewkes asks. “They’ve got us backed into a corner. Why hold back now?”

“Master?” Sheila yells as she runs up to me.

I see Angela, coming back from her weary warriors, and turn to see that Emmet and Alloria approaching from the other direction. Blue is circling overhead, acting as a scout.

“I truly hope you never decide to take on humanity,” Emmet says.

“We’re still losing,” I tell him.

“Lyden’s heart is too large to want to hurt anyone or thing that isn’t trying to kill him,” Angela says with a smile.

“I hate to break up the reunion,” Lysa’s disembodied voice tells us, “but the Outsider has been spotted.”

“Where at?” I ask the empty air.

“Coming right for us!” Sheila screams.

Before I have the chance to say or do anything else, Aldol is there, the army to its back. The creature flashes, but makes no threatening moves.

“I think it wants to talk,” Alloria says. I can tell how distraught she is, because she is gripping Emmet’s hand. “Do you think it’s offering surrender?”

“We’ll never surrender,” Angela spits, venom in her voice.

“I’m not taking off my glasses to hear it!” Jennifer states.

“Master, please tie me up,” Sheila says next to me.

“I don’t think now is the time. . . .” I trail off as I realize what she’s after. “No. I won’t let you subject yourself to its will!”

“It’s the only way, Master,” she holds her ground, placing her hand on my cheek and imploring me with her brown eyes. “We need to know what it wants, why it’s holding the army back.”

“There’s nothing to tie you up with,” I continue to argue.

Without hesitation she rips off her shirt, baring her naked breasts. “Shred this and use it.” Alloria takes the cloth from her, and begins tearing it into ribbons.

“But I. . . . But. . . .” I can’t figure out what to say.

“I know I am the least of your women, Lyden,” she tells me, using my name for the first time since she willingly became my slave. “Let me do this for you.”

“But you’re not the least,” I tell her vehemently as Alloria binds her hands and feet.

“I love you. You have opened my eyes to who I truly am. No matter what happens, don’t forget me.”

Before I can say anything else, the elf takes Sheila’s glasses off her face. Aldol’s light immediately fills their brown depths.

“I have come to inform you of the futility of your quest,” a voice that is not Sheila’s—yet comes from her—states.

“I have already killed your ally,” I tell the thing. I face its body, not willing to stare at my lover while it controls her. “I have come for you. You’re army can’t stand against us.”

I’m bluffing, but I doubt it can read my mind.

“The other was nothing,” I’m informed. “Even if you kill me, there will be another and then another. We are infinite. You are not. We exist outside of your existence. You cannot comprehend us. You cannot defeat us.”

“If you’ve come here to talk us out of saving our own lives, you’re wasting your time. We will prevail today, and every day that you threaten us. It’s you that can’t comprehend us or the order we bring to our worlds. It’s you that will lose.” I turn away from the monster and look at the elf. “Alloria, I’m sick of hearing this thing. Will you put the glasses back on Sheila, please?”