Son of Kael'thas

Chapter Eleven: The Coven of Two

The next morning, Fennore strode into Kael'thas' office with a tall red succubus on his arm. Mavia held him the way a lady did a gentleman when they were out for a congenial stroll in the park, and kept looking all around herself, charmed by the beauty of Tempest Keep. Every once in a while, she stole a similar look from the darkly handsome blonde, though slightly odd gentleman who escorted her. Kael'thas looked up from his work, very disturbed to see it.

Belorim was not there. He was being watched by Daphne this time, in the other room.

"Fennore…" Kael'thas growled. "What did you do?"

"Kael'thas, I want you to meet my girlfriend—"

"Slave." Mavia corrected him.

"…Mavia the Maneater."

Kael'thas looked from one strange person to the other. "I am going to speak in my calmest tone of voice, so that Illidan can't sense the shift in my emotions and hear. For your sakes, I hope it is enough." He put his pen back into the inkwell. "Why is one of Illidan's esteemed officers calling herself your slave?"

"Because she tricked me into it yesterday. Isn't that wonderful?"

Kael'thas balled fists on his desk. "Are you out of your gourd? That's not good news at all." He'd resorted to snarling because he couldn't raise his voice.

"Wait, it gets better. Illidan was trying to enslave Mavia so that she could join his harem, to spite me. He couldn't bind her soul, so he couldn't have her… it was Mavia's plan for me to help her with it. Wasn't that brilliant of her? And however she used me was alright, because we get along fine now, don't we Miss Maneater?"

Mavia actually smiled back at him, and coyly patted Fennore's arm. "Yes, my Master. My sweet, stupid Fennore."

He shrugged. "Well, it's a start. However this happened, it's a result of me wearing her down, just like you said. She could have asked anyone, you know, but she wanted me." Fennore beamed.

"But you're a freaking Bloodknight, Fennore. You can't have a warlock pet." Kael'thas covered his face. "This is real, isn't it, Mavia? I'm asking you because you seem to be the brains of this operation."

"Yes, Prince Kael'thas. Fennore is really my pet, because the bond is imbalanced between us, but I like calling him Master."

Kael'thas came around the desk to stand before them.

"Mavia you understand who I am don't you?" He forced himself to speak pleasantly, though it was undoubtedly a threat. "I am a powerful warlock. So powerful that when your Lord Illidan was afraid, he begged me to enslave him. So powerful that, even though he shouldn't, he still lets me have my way, now and again." He pulled open the red collar of his royal regalia. "Even with this damned thing around my neck."

"Yes, I am aware of these things." She lifted her chin.

"And so, what makes you think that I am just going to sit idly by while you take advantage of one of my men? Especially Fennore the Immortal. However harmless he seems to you, he is a fierce warrior by our standards. He is the most powerful healer we have."

"So?"

Kael'thas snorted arrogantly at her. "So? Both you and he now belong to me, that's what. I'm your master now."

"But Kael'thas! This isn't fair, you already have a succubus!"

"You idiot." Kael'thas rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to train you to be a warlock. A good one. This succubus is going to completely corrupt you if I don't. You have no choice. Welcome to your coven of two. In fact, that's clever, I'll think I'll call it the Coven of Two."

"But Mavia makes three."

"Lesson number one. Always call me Master Kael'thas. You will learn to fear me, if you don't already, Fennore. Someone has got to be in charge of this mess. Second, Mavia is not a person. No excuses. Only you and I come into the equation when important decisions need to be made. Our lives depend on that. Now, your first assignment is to go outside and schedule our next coven meeting with Advisor Sorn. And Fennore, don't go asking him to pencil 'Coven of Two' in my calendar, pick an alias. Obviously, this is a dangerous sort of secret since we are going behind Illidan's back. He will be furious with us if he ever finds out what you've done."

Still smiling, though a little confused, Fennore opened the door for Mavia.

"Oh and Fennore," Kael'thas spoke up again, "Put her back! She is still Illidan's ally, not your friend, not until you are fully trained can we even begin to think of trusting Mavia. Her home is still the Black Temple."

Mavia frowned at this.

"Oh, but you see, she lives here now. Lord Illidan wasn't happy that it turned out Mavia already belonged to some obscure old warlock out there—who being anybody's guess, and not worth the trouble when there are so many other available female demons—and said something about Mavia having to stay here in Tempest Keep as a spy for him. Of course, he said it was something about being an ambassador, but Mavia is my pet, she told me the truth. Illidan thinks I'll be tortured by her constant presence, and that Mavia will seduce me to get information about what you're really up to over here, my Prince, but he doesn't know that I'm actually her master. Isn't that nice?"

Kael'thas mumbled a string of profanities then. "Of course I wasn't notified about this first. I would only object and send her right back, and then what chance would Mavia have of wheedling information out of you, under my nose." He drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment, thinking. "Well, it will give us time to train you. But we're going to need some house rules first. Number one: No summoning of Mavia. Your enslaving her has made you too bold already, flaunting her like that. Sure, Illidan is hoping you two will get along famously, but if she fawns on you too much, the truth will become more than obvious. I'll have a separate room made up for you, Mavia, and I expect you to use it. But I'm not anyone's father. I won't be making the same mistake my father did. What you do in the privacy of your quarters is your own business. Just no summoning, no ordering her to attack anyone, no being a warlock until I show you what that means. Understand? Every time you call on Mavia's power, you take from the Nether and make yourself stronger. We don't have time to start you off with a harmless imp pet; this will have to do."

Mavia stroked Fennore's arm as she listened. From Fennore's expression, she seemed to be the only one listening.

Kael'thas turned to Mavia instead. "And if you or your… Bloodknight pet do anything stupid, or far worse, make Illidan wise and condemn us all to death, I will make you hurt so bad you will wish Illidan was still your master. You will beg for one moment with him in that disgusting harem he has going. Do we understand each other? Don't think I'm not capable of it."

Fennore saluted, and charmed with his gesture, Mavia attempted to imitate it. Kael'thas winced. Whether he wanted to appreciate it or not, the gesture was very cute. It was something like what Belorim might do, because he was still learning.

"Now just… please go. I feel another migraine coming on."

When Fennore got out into the hallway, and the elaborate doors to Kael'thas' office slid shut, he stopped Mavia in her tracks and kissed her.

Mavia purred that she liked it. Four of Lady Liadrin's Bloodknights who were watching the door looked especially disturbed to see one of their own consorting with a Demon like that.

Fennore offered his elbow, and she again linked her arm in his. "I never believed that a Bloodknight could be a gentleman, towards a Demon."

"Come back with me to my room right now, my dearest Mavia, and I could be a whole lot more to you."

Mavia purred and whispered, "Will you let me break your back again? Please… I so enjoyed watching you cry, and bleed… Except I want you to call my name this time, not your mother's."

Fennore scratched his head nervously. "Are you sure you don't want to just make love, the way I showed you?"

Mavia reached around and pinched his backside. "That is how I make love, Master Fennore. Now stop being a wuss. I know you can heal yourself through all of it." She pulled him into a faster walk.

They passed by Pyorin's door on the way to Fennore's room.

"Mavia! What in the hell—"

"Long story, tell you at dinner." Fennore said hurriedly to Pyorin. Mavia used her claw to pick the lock on the door in a matter of seconds while Fennore fumbled with the key. Then she opened it and yanked him inside.

"Why dinner?" Pyorin called, "It's nine o'clock in the morning… Oh."

Pyorin laughed as he walked down the hallway to begin his day. "Oh, man… old Sunthraze is never going to believe this. Hmm… maybe I should take bets…"

Nor did the Bloodknight Tank miss that Mavia had completely ignored him this time around. It felt good to be off the hook at last… or so Pyorin thought. He nor any of the others had the slightest idea of what Fennore had got himself into this time.

And considering what Fennore and Mavia were doing right then… That sort of ignorance was most likely for the best.

Author's Note:

To be continued after the holiday… Kael'thas' Winter's Veil Party for Naughty Boys and Girls who Can't Act Good is next!