Ignixis only titters. “You know I’m forbidden from the pleasures of the flesh. I purged such enslavement to nature long ago.”
Princesa frowns. “What about that time you almost wandered over to those sex workers?” Her grin widens as she glances at me. “Remember, Dracoth? His tongue was practically hanging out.”
A faint smirk tugs at my lips.
“Bah! Mock an old Elder, will you?” Ignixis waves a dismissive hand. “I kept abreast of your actions in my absence. Your near defeat at Jazreal’s hands was... most concerning, young Dracoth. You must do better. You will do better!” His face shifts to a sudden sneer, dripping with boiling venom. “There is too much at stake now,” he says, his tone and face disturbingly neutral again. “Go. You have a long journey ahead. And when youreturn, you will face Drexios and claim the title of War Chieftain, as destiny demands.”
His words swell my pride, fueling the fire of ambition that has long burned within me. The plans I’ve dreamed of, the ones I’ve prayed for, are now coming to fruition.
“Can you look after Sandra until we come back?” Princesa chimes in, breaking my joyous musings.
Ignixis pauses, his irises fixed on the domed ceiling. “Ah, the pleasant one. Yes, I shall see what can be done. Though it may not be wise for me to be seen.”
Princesa’s silver eyes narrow dangerously, her hands trembling ever so slightly with frustration. “If anything happens to her, Demon Egg-Head, I will trap you in barriers so tight you’ll beg for Arawnoth to burn you to ash,” she snarls, her voice cold as the surrounding ice.
“My, my.” Ignixis lifts his hands in mock surrender, a thin smile tugging at his lips. “Seems Arawnoth’s blessing has made you bold. Fear not, I will see to her safety.”
“Good,” Princesa snaps, returning to stroke Todd, the cyloillar on her shoulder. “She doesn’t like the heat, so keep her somewhere cool.” Her brow furrows for a moment before she adds softly, “Oh, and tell her I’m sorry. But I haven’t forgotten our promise,” she adds with a smiling nod.
“Very well,” Ignixis mutters, though his faint grimace betrays his reluctance.
“Do as she commands,” I growl, glaring at Ignixis. “If Sandra wishes to return to her home planet, arrange passage.”
With that, I wrap an arm around Princesa’s waist, pulling her close as we move toward the exit, leaving Ignixis behind in the cold shadows of this frozen prison.
“Time to claim our destiny.”
Chapter 39
Dracoth
Crimson mercury
Thehowlingwindsweepsacross the snowy tundra as if some malevolent god seeks to brush us from existence, but I stride firm, melting the stabbing flakes that cling to me. Princesa, however, falters. Her fragile human body wilts under Aroth’s bitter touch. She shields her face with trembling hands as I urge her onward, my hand firm against the small of her back. Her feet sink deep into the top layer of snow, her head bowed, each ragged breath whipping across the frigid air.
The sight sickens me—this weakness, this helplessness. But worst of all are the unfamiliar feelings it evokes: concern, anxiety. These emotions are as foreign to me as I am to this frozen wasteland. The bond twists my mind with brutal handsas if Arawnoth himself is bending my will, reshaping me into something else.
I should resist. I should fight. But I dare not—could not. I study Princesa, seeing her beautiful golden hair pulled by the gales, wondering if the Gods are reshaping her as they do me. This is our destiny. If I must protect the female, shield her, then so be it.
“It’s fucking freezing!” she yells, her voice strained through chattering teeth, clutching her pet cyloillar,Todd, under her furs close to her bosom. “Can’t we take one of those flying car things?” she complains, her face open and pleading—not for the first time.
It’s only been a few hours since we departed from Ignixis, though I share her sentiment. This land of Aroth, with its unending freezing whiteness, would test the mettle of the hardest Magaxus warrior.
“No,” I grunt, catching her face morphing into tight-faced annoyance.
“No?” she shouts, struggling to be heard over the cutting winds that howl like a pack of hungry hydraliths. “Why not?” she asks incredulously.
I notice the frost sparkling on her face; her pale skin is almost blue under the biting chill. Without thinking, I brush the cold from her, marveling at her delicate features.
“It is forbidden,” I murmur, lost in the moment.
She shuts her eyes, leaning into my touch, her cold fingers curling around mine. The coldness she exudes worries me.
“Mmm, you’re so warm,” she whispers, her voice barely audible over the storm.
We still have hours of travel ahead before we exit Virennix territory. Despite her furs, I worry her human weakness will succumb to the cold. I pluck the female from her feet, my strength easily cradling her in my mighty arms. She squeals insurprise, but her face lights up with a smile. Good. I do not wish to silence her again.
My pace quickens without Princesa’s trudging steps, and I feel her nestle in tight against me, burying close to my molten heart like the cyloillar she clutches, searching for the heat she desperately craves.
