CH 8
Laurana decided to escort Elanza back to Gateway with the palace guards and ten of her own. The palace guard was loyal to her father and had the same mind-set. Out on the trail, she wasn't confident they would not do something to Elanza when no one else was around. She wanted to be sure Elanza got to Gateway unharmed.
Forming up, the palace guard Captain said, "Princess, there is no need for you to come and bring your own guard."
Eyeing him firmly, she said, "There is. We are heading to Gateway anyway, so we may as well escort you. If you like, I can just fly Elanza there."
"We were ordered to take her to the border, Where she goes from there is not our concern," the Captain said stiffly.
Laurana noted he wouldn't even say Elanza's name. "And that is why I am escorting you," she replied firmly.
They started off, the tension obvious between them.
.
Eric didn't bring his wagon this trip. Where he brought them to was the woods just east of Gateway, closer to the even lands. Knowing Elanza was getting kicked out of Qualinesti, he had brought them close to the border. The table was long rotted away, but a tall stone took it's place stating this was the line between the two territories. With no wagon, he brought a pack for their supplies. He also had a Winchester slung over his shoulder.
His demons took turns flying towards Qualinesti to check on the large pack of elves and Elanza, who drove his other wagon in the middle of the pack. Thinking on how to intercept them, Eric kept Tikiez with him, and when they got close, he put Saphrin and Reika to the sides and had them stay invisible. The last flight by Saphrin showed them only a couple miles away. Eric stood on the road right at the line, holding the Winchester by the receiver at ease, resting on his shoulder. All his pistols were loaded and he had them and spare ammo under his long coat. Beside him, Tikiez was in full demon form. He thought about it, and let her stay what way. Intimidation was going to count here.
Coming out of the woods, the lead elf cried "Halt!" All the elves eyed him. Some unsung bows and swords.
Eric bellowed out. "Stopping was a good move on your part, readying your weapons is not. Put them away!"
"Do it!" Laurana barked.
The guard Captain eyed Laurana. "Princess, what is that creature with him?"
"A demon, she has the power to wipe us all out. Keep the peace, Captain," Laurana said firmly.
"Let Elanza come forward, now!" Eric barked.
Laurana ordered the Captain and his men out of the way. Seeing Eric, Elanza snapped the reins and brought the wagon closer, Laurana and her guards stayed to her sides.
The Guard Captain shouted, "Keep your filth! She is no longer wanted here!"
Eric spun the Winchester to point at him.
"ERIC, NO!" Laurana cried and moved to interpose herself between them.
"Get out of the way!" Eric barked, "I see that Elf does not have enough honor to fight a duel. He just runs away like the coward he is!"
The Captain spun his horse around and drew his sword.
"Hold!" Lauraa barked at him.
Pointing his sword at Eric, the Captain barked, "He insulted me!"
"As if you didn't insult Elanza!" Eric roared back. "It that all you're good for, flinging and insult and fleeing?"
The Captain roared out in anger and charged. Eric waited until he passed Laurana, then shot him off his horse. He levered another shell home and loudly asked," Anyone else?"
"STOP THIS!" Laurana cried. "Palace guard, pick up your Captain and go back! None of you say another word!"
Elanza stopped the wagon just past Eric, and was watching intently. "Eric, please, no more!"
"Long as they don't," Eric said firmly as he watched the elves with a critical eye.
Hateful faces glared at Eric as the place guard collected their dead Captain's horse and put him over the saddle. They all left they way they came.
Riding closer, Laurana said, "This will harm our relations."
"Didn't start it, but I finished it." Eric stated. "If they want to cast a crude insult, they're gonna pay. That's not going to change. Why aren't you and these others going back?"
"I came to make sure Princess Elanza gets to Gateway safely, and I'm going to see my husband, Tanthalas," she said firmly.
Eric eyed her and lowered his rifle. "Your husband?"
"Yes, and don't make me try to kill you again, or do you even remember that?" Laurana asked.
"Kinda … Some," Eric admitted. He turned and walked over to the wagon. Elanza jumped off and hugged him.
"You OK?" he asked.
"I am now. I just want to go home," she said, holding him tight. Pulling back, she said, "I told Solsteran, and everyone the truth. He kicked me out. I've seen how real elves live, I want to stay with you."
Eric turned to see Tikiez had her arms folded across her chest, not looking happy. Turning back to Elanza, he said, "Hon, we need to go have a long talk. After I explain, you may change your mind."
"We'll see," she said with a smirk. Looking at Tikiez, she said, "I want to thank you. What you told me was right." To Eric, she added, "What I did back then was wrong, I should have never let those rumors fly and stayed quiet. I should have told them all the truth and returned to you. Can you forgive me?"
Gazing at his long lost love, Eric offered her a smile. "That is all in the past. We all make mistakes. Let's worry about the now, OK?"
Elanza returned his smile and nodded.
Laurana ordered her guards back to Qualinost and inform Solsteran what happened here.
"Let me drive for a while?" Eric asked Elanza. She heartily agreed and let him help her up and on. Eric climbed up and called, "Tina, Sally, Lily, get on, let's go!"
Tikiez flew up and wedged herself in the front seat on the other side of Eric from Elanza. Saphrin and Reika landed in the back.
"Where did they come from?" Laurana asked, riding up beside the wagon.
"We stayed hidden in case there was trouble Master couldn't deal with by himself." Saphrin said.
"Yes, we will allow no one to hurt Master," Reika agreed.
"Three demons?" Elanza asked, staring at Eric.
"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "Like I said, we got much to talk about." He got the wagon moving.
"On another trading trip?" Elanza asked.
"No, no trip this time. There's too much to get straightened out," Eric told her. "Seems I was wrong about you. You're not crazy."
Elanza chuckled. "Maybe a little bit. So how did you end up with these demons?"
Eric huffed. "Long story, so I guess I should start explaining…"
.
Amanda got up and true to his word, Tanthalas had made sure breakfast was ready, and two horses with packs on them were waiting. To eat and run seemed rushed, but at least she had company this time.
Amanda backtracked as well as she could. After the village, she went straight and did her best to follow her back trail. Tanthalas took over when they got into the woods. He followed her tracks, something Amanda herself couldn't do. She was amazed that he was able to see where she'd walked.
They'd gone about fifteen miles out when a female voice called out from the side.
"Hey! Amanda! Go back, Master is in the city, he's not coming out here!"
They looked, Tanis drew his sword. A red headed female with leathern wings was flying towards them, somehow flying between the trees and not hitting any. She flapped to a stop near them.
Looking at the woman, Amanda asked, "You're Sally, right?"
Sally nodded. "And you're Amanda."
"Who's your master?" Tanis asked.
"Eric Carvon, he's in his house now, and said for you to come back," Sally explained.
Amanda exploded. "Then why did he tell me to come all the way back out here?" she asked in a demand.
"You'll have to ask him. Be glad I caught up to you before you did get all the way out there."
"Eric Carvon, is in his house right now?" Tanis asked.
"He is. We came back with Elanza and Laurana. Eric drove the rest of the elves off."
"Why'd he do that?" Tanis asked.
"The one elf insulted Elanza, so Master killed him. He told the others to go home," Sally explained.
That didn't sound good. "We do need to go back," Tanis stated. He turned his horse around and moved at a trot instead of the slow walking pace they had been going. Amanda followed. She looked back, Sally was gone.
.
Eric explained to Elanza how he'd found each of the demons, trapped in their respective places because they had no Master to tell them what to do. He'd used Tikiez to help free Gateway from the black knights. Sally and Lily only came recently because he wanted to save them from their imprisonment. By the time he was done explaining this, they were in the inner city and approaching the council chamber building.
"They are evil, aren't they?' Elanza asked, which earned her a glare from Tikiez.
"They are what their Master is," Eric explained and drove to the side of the building and stopped. "If I used them for evil things, yes they would be. They must do their master's bidding, so if I use them with good intent, no, they aren't evil. Mischievous, yeah, they are. They also gain energy from … intimate activities."
Tikiez took this time to ask, "Can we play ravish the headless maiden now?"
"That was fun just watching," Saphrin added.
Eric let out a sigh. By the look on Elanza's face, she was more than a bit shocked. "Like I said, they are mischievous. They wanted to get a rise out of you."
"They did," Elanza agreed. "What is this game of killing someone?" she asked in shock.
"No one dies," Eric said firmly. "Demons can loose body parts and it doesn't hurt them. They just … Stick back together."
"Can we demonstrate?" Tikiez asked eagerly.
"OK, off the wagon," Eric announced. The demons hopped off. Eric helped Elanza down. Tikiez jumped back on, then paused and asked, "Where's the sword?"
"We didn't bring it," Eric reminded her.
Laurana had gone inside. Tikiez ran around the corner. A moment later, Eric heard a man yell out," Hey you! Get back her with that!"
Tikiez ran back around the corner holding a sword. "I got one!" she said with a wide grin.
Yup, they wanted to play. Eric quietly told Elanza, "I have no idea why, but they like this. Watch." He then faced Tikiez and barked, "You stole that?"
"I did!" she announced and handed it to him.
A guard ran around the corner, his sword sheath was empty. "She took my sword!" he announced.
Eric grabbed the sword and told Tikiez, "Face him and tell him you're sorry!"
Tikiez shrunk back. "Master?" she asked gazing at him innocently.
"Do it!" he snapped.
Tikiez did, acting meek. "I'm really sorry," she offered.
"Hold your hair up, expose your neck," Eric said firmly.
"Please, no," Tikiez cried and did as he said.
The guard gaped at him. "Ah, Mr. Carvon, you got my sword back, we can give her a few days in jail…"
"You were warned," Eric said firmly, then swung and chopped Tikiez's head off.
Her face bore a wide open look of shock as she collapsed to the ground, somehow ending up on her back, spread eagle.
Eric handed the man his sword back. He then went over, picked up Tikiez's head by the hair and asked, "You knew what was going to happen, didn't you?"
To Elanza and the guard's surprise, Tikiez looked at him and said, "Yes, Master. Don't you want my body before it cools down?"
"I want you to stop playing around, we got things to do," he told her. He reached down and stuck her head back on, then helped her up.
Elanza stood, hand over her heart. She'd nearly had a heart attack at witnessing what she just saw! "They like that?" she asked in a gasp.
Eric shrugged. "Yeah, like I said. I think it's the shock factor they enjoy most."
"It's not what we enjoy the most," Tikiez offered with a silly grin. "We didn't complete the whole game."
"On with other things," Eric said loudly, and herded them to the door. "As long as they have a Master, they can live a life," he told Elanza. "In Chicago, this guy was making google eyes at Lily, and she seemed to like him too. He was a decent sort, so I gave her to him. Only he was insistent that he could not be part of any kind of slavery and gave her back. Damn shame too, they got along well."
"So you can give them away," Elanza said.
"I can, but I need to make sure whoever I give them to will not use them for anything bad. I'm going to have to be very careful who gets one," Eric replied.
Elanza nodded. "I can see that. You want them to continue to be more or less good. In the wrong hands, they could do serious damage or cause major chaos."
"They cause enough chaos being good," Eric grumbled.
Going into the house, Eric saw Laurana was already inside, talking to the maid.
"Tanis went with Amanda back to where you dropped them off, "Laurana told him.
Eric turned to Saphrin. "Go find them and tell them to come back."
Saphrin nodded with a "Yes, Master," and disappeared.
Elanza pulled on their joined hands Eric didn't realize he was holding hers with, she asked, "So, what about this Chicago I keep hearing about?"
"You'll see when we get there. I think you'll like it. It's very different from anywhere on Krynn."
"And boring," Tikiez grumbled.
Ignoring her, Eric told Elanza, "I can only take so many people at a time. And if I leave any of the demons behind, I'm not sure what will happen to them. There is a possibility it might kill them."
"You are watching out for their lives," Elanza stated.
Eric shrugged. "I have to. Hopefully, I can find others to do so."
"Master?" Tikiez asked, eyeing him. "You would get rid of me?"
"I was thinking passing on Lily and Saphrin to someone else," he told her.
Tikiez dropped her eyes and said, "If you don't want me, then destroy my amulet. I won't have another Master."
Elanza wasn't sure if Eric realized it, but by this one's impassioned speech when she had been summoned by the court wizard, she knew this Tina was quite attached to Eric. "Eric, I do think you should hold onto Tina here. She is useful, and I think she does feel the need to watch over you."
Tikiez looked at Elanza.
"Don't you?" Elanza asked Tikiez.
"I will always do my best for my Master," Tikiez stated.
"Ahhh, Elanza? You don't mind me keeping Tina?" Eric asked.
"I mind, but she does care for you on some level, and having her is an advantage for you, isn't it?" Elanza asked.
Eric nodded. "Very true," he admitted.
Saphrin returned. "Master, Amanda is on her way back."
"Thank you." he told her.
Tikiez grew a smile and asked, "So, can we play 'ravish the headless maiden' now?"
Saphrin grinned. "Can we?" she asked brightly.
Eric groaned and pinched his nose. "They do know how to embarrass," he grumbled.
"They have no social graces at all," Elanza noted sourly.
"Nope."
Laurana came over and asked, "What is this headless maiden thing?"
.
Eric got his demons to help the maid ready his house for guests sleeping over to keep them busy. While they were occupied, Tanthalas and Amanda returned. Amanda quickly let Eric know of her displeasure of making her ride out in the woods for no reason. Tanthalas just watched him. Eric asked, "Laurana, Tanthalas, can we see you in the back here for a moment? There's some things I need to explain."
"You don't have to, Father," Tanis said firmly.
Eric noted Tanthalas called him Father. It made Eric smile. "Yeah, I do, Son. There's some things you need to know."
Eric led them to the back bedroom. Or course Tikiez and her sisters accompanied them.
"Do they need to hear this?' Elanza asked.
"It's about them, so yes," Eric told her.
There were only two chairs in his room. Eric had Elanza and Larauna sit in the chairs, the demons sat on the bed. He and Tanthalas stood.
Eric pulled out the amulets hanging around his neck. "First thing is the names. Tina, Sally and Lily, I made up. Names have power, especially with these three. Anyone who knows their true name, they have no power over. The wrong person knowing their true name also endangers them, especially to a wizard." Holding up Saphrin's amulet he tapped the runes on it. "This is Sally's real name. Can you read it?" he asked Tanthalas.
Tanis looked at it. "It's very old, no, I can't."
"That I what's keeping them safe. I was barely able to read their names, and I've been around for a while."
"You've been around ever since the Cataclysm," Laurana said.
"Some before too," Eric told her. To Tanis, he said, "I found all three, stuck in place. Unless they have a Master, they can't even move away from their Amulet. They also cannot touch it, which means they are basically imprisoned wherever they happened to be. In a forgotten cellar, in an abandoned castle, or on the bottom of New Sea."
"You found them," Tanis stated.
"I did. Well, I found Tina in my cellar when I came to get rid of the Black Knights here. She told me of her sisters, so we went and freed them from where they were," Eric explained. "If you're wondering what they are, they are Succubi. Although they can take lives through a passionate kiss alone to gain energy to perform magic, or do anything, none of them have. They do need sex. That also energizes them. They feed off the lust. They will survive without it, but to do anything substantial, they need energy."
"They are perverts," Elanza stated.
Eric chuckled, "True, but they need to be." He motioned the demons over and said, "Kneel in front of Laurana and Elanza."
They got up and did as he asked. "What are you doing, Master?" Lily asked.
"You'll see," he told her. He got behind them and motioned Tanis closer. He then said quietly, "Their names are," Patting each one on the head, he said "Tikiez, Saphrin, Reika."
"Master?" Rika asked, looking at him curiously.
"It's all right," he assured her. He added, "Once you know their true name, you can call them and they will hear you. No matter where you, or they are. Be very careful with this knowledge, as I said, the fewer people who know their names, the better."
"If Laurana is in trouble, she can call on one to come help?" Tanis asked.
"If she calls, they will hear and know where she is. Only the Master can tell the demon where to go or what to do." Eric then looked at the amulets. He held one out to Tanis. "This is Reika's amulet. She's an elf … more or less. I figure she would be best for you."
"Me?" Tanis asked.
Eric nodded. "They are mischievous, but very loyal."
Tanis looked at Laurana, then back to Eric. "Why give me a demon?"
"Because they are loyal to a fault. Because even though they can be a pain in the ass, they will guard you, and whoever you tell them to. She will fight for you with a vengeance rarely seen. You need something done, you tell her, she will go do it. There is also close to zero chance anything is truly going to hurt her."
Laurana pointed to Tikiez and asked, "Like when I found Father's group, they told me this one they filled with arrows and it only got her angry."
Eric nodded.
Tikiez frowned at Laurana. "You'd be angry too of you came to help someone and they filled YOU full of arrows!"
Eric bit back a smirk. "Anyway, three demons is getting hard for me to handle, and I would like to ensure nothing happens to you or Laurana," Eric told Tanis. "Krynn is full of strife and wars. I'll feel better if you have someone to watch over you."
Tanis shifted in place. "I appreciate the offer, but…"
"Tanis, accept her," Laurana said firmly.
"Laurana, these are sex demons," Tanis said, stressing 'sex'. "You can't be comfortable with that!"
Evenly, Laurana said, "Sex is not love, Tanis. I have also seen what they can do. Eric is right in that he needs to ensure only good people be their masters. We both have duties that keeps us apart from time to time. With … Lily, whichever one of us has duties outside of Qualinost, will be safer if Lily is with them."
"You're sure?" Tanis asked.
"Yes, I am sure," Laurana stated.
Tentatively, Tanis reached out to take the Amulet.
"Just remember they can be mischievous." Eric reminded him.
"Yes, Father," Tanis replied.
"Can I get up now?" Reika asked eagerly.
Tanis nodded.
Reika shot up to hug Eric. "Thank you!" she cried, then glopped onto Tanis. "Master, what do you wish of me?" she beamed.
Tanis blushed, "Just … sit and relax for the moment." he told her.
Reika moved over by Laurana, conjured a chair and sat down.
"May we sit too?" Tikiez asked, looking at Eric.
"Go ahead."
Tikiez shot to her feet and conjured a plush armchair for herself, then a more elaborate plush armchair for Eric with a high rise back trimmed in gold.. She pushed Eric to sit, then sat down herself. The chair Elanza was in also became a plush armchair. Saphrin made her own plush chair, then turned Eric's chair material into a purple velvet.
Seeing this, Reika turned her and Laurana's chairs into plush stuffed chairs with velvet. Tanis let out a yelp as he was pushed back into a plush velvet covered chair with a high back trimmed in gold with a crown symbol on top.
Tikiez added a pair of gold wings atop of Eric's chair that held a crown above the back. She stuck her tongue out at Reika.
Tanis' chair also grew a large pair of gold bat wings holding up a crown that reached the ceiling. She stuck her tongue out at Tikiez in return.
"ENOUGH!" Eric told them.
"Stop it!" Tanis added.
"What?" Tikiez asked innocently. "We're all sitting now, aren't we?"
"Only the best for our Masters," Reika agreed.
"A little too much," Eric grumbled.
"Mischievous?" Tanis asked.
"Just a bit," Eric replied.
"Eric, could you clear something up?" Laurana asked. "I heard you caused trouble in the Black Knight area, why did Kitiara come here?"
"When I found out that Soth was still around and had killed Sally's Master, trapping her, I wanted to find him and end him. I had Tina and Sally stir up trouble I was sure the Black Knights couldn't deal with. It worked, the sent Soth after me. Unfortunately, I was weakened when he showed up. I was only able to beat him to the ground, he got away. He hasn't been seen since. The coward fled. After that, I met a Knight I know. Kitiara was his boss. I had a good trade with them while we were headed to go rescue Lily."
"She wants Master to trade only with her," Tikiez stated.
Eric grinned and said, "So do the dwarves. They are not happy I'm driving the price of steel down. As to why she showed up here, I have no clue."
"Kit has a scheme planned," Tanis said.
"I'm sure she does," Eric agreed. "I'm guessing something to gain an advantage in her favor. She was very nice to me when we visited. Gave me double my asking price. I'm pretty sure she wants to use me."
"How much steel did you trade to her?" Laurana asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not that it's any of your business, but 470 pounds," Eric stated. "I don't play favorites or sides with people that make war and kill for Gods. Being loyal only to the gods and fighting these endless war you have here is pointless."
Elanza nodded. "I remember how upset that one knight was after you told him that." To Laurana, she said, "He called Eric to duel, but Eric didn't have a sword, so he just refused to talk to us after that."
Eric chuckled. "He was upset, wasn't he?"
"What do you believe in?" Tanis asked.
Eric jerked a thumb to the side. "The people on the street. The ones who have to suffer from the chaos of all these wars. The ones these leaders, holy and unholy, prey on and get their sons to fight for them, then leave good lands ravished in the wars the leaders with their grand visions create. Their Gods may smile upon them, but I do not."
"How is trading steel going to help?" Tanis asked. "You're just feeding the fires, giving them materials to wage these wars!"
"At the moment," Eric agreed. "The dwarves are unhappy with me, but they don't see the long term effects. I traded with Sir Mondar, I traded with his enemy, Sir Ralstat. Now, after having a source of steel at a good price, they will expect to keep having that source. They will adjust their expenditures. What do you think they will do when I tell them all that the only way to keep me trading with them, is if they keep the peace?"
"They can still buy from the dwarves," Tanis stated.
"At a much higher price, meaning less steel for them and possibly more for their enemy," Eric countered. "Think about it."
"Economic blackmail," Laurana stated.
Eric nodded to her. "Correct. I'll even help keep the peace."
"And if that doesn't work?" Tanis asked.
"Then I'll apply a little stronger incentive to not wage war," Eric replied. "Soon, I'd like to get all the major leaders here and explain it to them. Many know me, or of me. Whether they want to listen or not, is up to them. I will stop these continuous wars of religion that eat away at innocent people who are just trying to make a living."
"The Gods may not like your plan," Tanis said.
"Screw the Gods," Eric stated. "They don't live down here on the ground with the rest of us."
"What you propose is very dangerous," Laurana told him. "I hope you have a way to back up your bid for King of the continent."
"I'm not a king," Eric told her. "If the need arises, I will be a policeman."
