--The Fourth Realm--

A fanfic taking place in the Realms of the Blood, created by

Anne Bishop whom I worship and pay tribute to every day.

Just kidding. Or so you think.

(Written by the Great and Powerful Keski,

spell checked by Microsoft Works Word Processor)

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Chapter VI

Frustrations

---

"So you want us to stop him."

(I do.)

"With my Black Jewels and Anna's power."

(Yes.)

"Even though you wield more power than us."

(Not against this foe. I wield as much power as he does. He is, as I have said, my brother. Your Queen wields a power that can stand against him.)

Luseik sighed. "I guess I don't have a choice but to agree."

(Oh, you need not agree. Your Queen already has, and she wields the necessary power. You only have to go if you feel she needs your protection. It is unlikely that she will, but it is your decision.)

"Well… How long do you think it will take?"

(That depends on how efficiently you complete your task.)

"You're not being very helpful, you know."

Anna sighed. "Look, all we have to do, is find this Akarui guy, and then get him to stop building that… thing. Right?"

Luseik drew one lip back. "I'm only agreeing because you are, Queen. I'd personally rather not, but if you wish, I will not resist."

"Then it's settled. We'll go. Oh…" She turned to Oebr. "Where are Keski, Satiyen, my dad, and my uncle?"

(The four that were with you are safe in Everdusk, the dark world Yachesa created.)

"That filthy, tainted place," Luseik snarled.

Yachesa returned the snarl.

(Yachesa, calm yourself.)

"Well," Anna said, "I'd say we're ready. So how do we get out of here?"

(You must leave through the Gate to my left.)

Luseik looked and saw the candles and the stone slab. He'd already examined them, but found they were spelled against fire. Ironic that they should suddenly be able to use them.

Anna waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the candles. Nothing felt any different, but when Luseik used witchfire, the candles flared to life. When the last one was lit, the stone slab faded to mist.

(This Gate links only to Everdusk. You can get to other parts of Dachrea from there. You may retrieve your friends before setting out.)

Well, that was good. They'd pick up Keski and Satiyen and the two relatives of Anna's who seemed inclined to attack each other whenever Luseik looked away, then head for

Luseik took Anna's hand and, without another word to the dragon, stepped through the dark mist.

---

Luseik stepped out of the mist into the Dark Altar in Friegham, the capital of Dhemlan Dachrea. He was followed shortly by Anna, then Keski, then Satiyen, and finally Althemen and Alnevar.

They waited until the stone slab reappeared solidly before stepping out of the room that housed the Gate.

"Luseik," said the Priestess waiting outside as soon as he emerged. "Welcome back, Lord. I see you succeeded."

"You could say that," Luseik muttered. "I see it's late. Is the Coach station down the street open this late?"

The Priestess gave him a friendly smile. "For you, Lord Luseik? Of course it will be."

Luseik grunted noncommittally and left the Altar, leaving a confused Priestess behind as everyone else piled out after him.

---

The Priestess had been wrong. Not only was the Coach station closed, there was no one there either, so they were stuck in town for the night unless they wanted to walk or rind the Winds themselves. Everybody agreed that they were too tired to stay awake long enough to get to eastern Dachrea even on a Black Wind, so they made their way to Satiyen's favorite inn, the Black Blood Inn. Upon entering, they were greeted by the smell of smoke and alcohol.

"Oh, hooray," Luseik muttered. "Drunkards and loud noise. Perfect environment for a good night's sleep."

They made their way to the bar, where the innkeeper greeted them, his cat ears twitching as his cat tail flicked back and forth playfully. His cat eyes were bright blue and glittered with a friendly light as he spoke.

"What'll it be, Lord Luseik? I see you've brought your friends, too--and a lovely Queen you have there, I might say. May I ask your name, miss?"

"Anna," she said, smiling.

"And a lovely name to go with that face. Well, what can I get for you?"

"A room will be fine," Luseik said stiffly. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd stop flirting with my Queen."

The innkeeper raised his hands. "Guilty of all charges, terribly sorry, Lord. You sure you just want one room? You've got quite the gathering of friends behind you. I've got a group of three rooms right next to each other, at the end of the hall, if you like. I'd be glad to give you a generous discount; after all, you are the soon-to-be Warlord Prince of Askavi."

"No, that will not be necessary," Luseik said. "How much will the three rooms be?"

"You sure? Business is good, giving you a bit of a break on the price won't hurt me any--"

"Just tell me how much the rooms are, please," Luseik snapped. Anna tugged at his arm. He ignored her.

"Terribly sorry, sir, just trying to be hospitable. If you insist on paying the full price, it'll be fifteen silver marks. Four for each room, plus three for the initial charge." The innkeeper was quiet and looked as if he felt guilty for some perceived offense. His eyes no longer held any twinkle and his tail hung listlessly. Luseik growled and dropped the money on the counter. The innkeeper took it and walked into the back room. A few moments later, he returned with three keys and handed them cautiously to Luseik. Finally, at the innkeeper's caution, Luseik's temper snapped.

"Look, I'm tired, and I'm having a pain in the ass of a day. I'm not going to hurt you, I just want a damn room, and I'm not interested in being pampered just because I'm going to rule Askavi. So don't go acting like a beaten dog just because I wouldn't cheat you out of the money I owe you for the rooms."

The innkeeper looked frightened. "I--I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean any offense, I just--"

Everyone in the inn was staring at Luseik. People began to stare. Luseik swore viciously and stormed out of the room. They heard him cursing as he attempted to find the right key for the door, and then the door slammed. Anna winced and followed him.

Keski blinked at Satiyen, who merely shrugged. Althemen started to go after Anna, but Alnevar put a restraining hand on his shoulder. Althemen growled, but didn't pursue her.

Satiyen took a seat at the bar. "I think I could go for a bit of whiskey before I turn in."

The bartender shuddered and pushed a bottle and small glass toward Satiyen. "What's wrong with the Lord? If I didn't know better, I'd think it was the onset of rut."

Satiyen choked on his whiskey, then wiped his mouth and shook his head. "Let us all pray to the Darkness it isn't anything so serious as that."

A half hour later, everyone had had a bit of whiskey and gone to bed; Satiyen didn't trust Althemen and Alnevar to sleep in the same room without one turning up dead in the morning, so he slept in a room with Althemen while Keski and Alnevar took another.

---

As Satiyen was ordering his whiskey, Anna knocked gently on Luseik's door.

"Go away."

"Luseik, please. Let me in."

"I said go away! Damn it, Anna!"

"Luseik, I'm not leaving until you open the door."

The door swung open. Luseik glared at her.

"Luseik, what's wrong?"

Luseik spun around and went to the bed, where he threw himself down and grunted. "You said open the door. I did. Now leave me alone."

"No." She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "You have to tell me why you're so mad."

Luseik rolled onto his stomach. "Anna, I just--Damn this jacket!" He sat up. With one swift movement of his muscular claws, he ripped the jacket off and tossed the tatters aside. He flexed his wings within the confines of the room and gave a soft moan of pleasure. Anna shifted uncomfortably until he was done. He collapsed forward into the bed and rubbed his face into a pillow. Then he turned onto his side and looked at her. He patted the bed in front of him. Worried at what might happen but unwilling to provoke him, Anna came forward and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Anna," Luseik said. "I'm not mad, I just… Ever since I saw you in Dorothea's palace… I knew I had to have you… I knew you were my Queen, destined to rule Askavi with me. But now that this bastard Oebr wants us to do his dirty work, and all I want is to settle down in Askavi with you."

Anna froze. Surely he didn't want that. She'd never--Oh, Mother Night, she'd always managed to avoid going to bed with a man until now, because she knew any Warlord in Dorothea's service who bedded her wouldn't let her leave intact--broken of her Jewels, her Craft, or worse, her mind--but if Luseik asked, how was she supposed to refuse? Especially with him in the mood he was in now.

"Luseik, I--" She broke off when she noticed him staring at her. His eyes narrowed and she felt his psychic probe feeling, testing, trying to detect something.

"You're a virgin," he said flatly.

Anna nodded slowly.

"Well," Luseik said, shrugging, "it's not a problem. I've performed Virgin Nights before."

Anna's eyes widened. "You don't mean--not now, surely--"

"If you don't want to, we don't have to. It just means I'll have to keep a careful eye on you until we're done with Oebr's little job. Maybe we can celebrate our marriage and ascension to the rule of Askavi by performing your Virgin Night."

"I…" Anna nodded, speechless. "I suppose we could."

Luseik chuckled. "Why so shy suddenly? Come here. We don't have to have sex, we can just… sleep."

Anna shook her head frantically. "No, I--That is to say, I couldn't--"

"Who would you rather share a room with? Satiyen?"

Anna paled. Luseik laughed and used her momentary distraction to grab her by the arm and pull her down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her before she could resist, and then held her in place until she stopped squirming. He vanished her blouse and ignored her protests until she realized that his bare chest was pressing against her back, and something else was prodding her through his trousers. She squeaked, alarmed. Luseik, not bothering to try and quiet his body's response to being so close to Anna, rolled her over to face him and held her close to him. Eventually she quieted down and even allowed her own arms to fall across Luseik's back, running her fingers across that delicate area where the scales and cartilage of his wings joined with the flesh and bones of his human body.

"How does something like this happen?" she asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"You. A mix between a human and a dragon."

Luseik stiffened. Anna inhaled sharply.

"I don't mean anything negative by it. I just wondered how a hybrid like you could be born. I didn't think a relationship between a human and a dragon was possible. Not a relationship of… that… kind."

Luseik chuckled. "Let's just say there was a lot of magic involved."

"Well, I'm glad. You're perfect… Just the man I've always wanted… Dark Jewels… a fantastic body, in more than one way…" Luseik chuckled. "And it helps that you're a Warlord Prince from a faraway land, come to take me away from my miserable life, just like in a fairy tale."

"Trust me, my Queen… You'll never be miserable again. Not as long as I'm protecting you."

Held in his embrace, Anna drifted off to sleep. The next morning, she was left to wonder exactly when his wings had formed a protective cocoon around her.