Mage Queen: Dark Sculptor Novel 03 Read online

  Mage Queen

  Dark Sculptor Novel 03

  Author: D. R. Rosier

  Copyright 2018. This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Afterword:

  Other erotic fantasies by D. R. Rosier:

  Non-erotic Fantasy titles:

  Book Description

  Chapter One

  The afternoon sun beat down on the large stone behemoth that was my home, though it wouldn’t be ready to move into for quite a while yet. The walls enclosing the manor house were ten feet high and two feet wide, it was already covered with vines of my own creation, three different kinds which all held the same wards but on different flower types which both looked good and gave off a pleasant combined scent in the small breeze.

  The wards were protective in nature, and designed to warn us of anyone that trespassed and tried to scale the walls. It would also stop earth talents from ripping them down, or fire talents from burning the wards away. Lastly it would stop magical snooping if an enemy mage managed to get a hold of one of our personal items. As long as we were home at least, which gave us one place we could count on privacy.

  That last one had taken a while to figure out with Desirae’s help. I understood fire and earth on my own from people with those magical war abilities, but the elven mage had helped me work out what was required to manage it.

  My sister-in-law Desirae was almost as stunning as my mate Saria. She had the same exotically beautiful face, was lissome, with pointed ears, a cute nose, and high cheekbones. She had the same dark blue eyes and long silver white hair as well. Those attributes were virtually identical in fact, except she looked about ten years older in human years, a woman of thirty who was in fact three hundred. Elves tended to age at a ten to one ratio to humans.

  Their body measurements were similar as well in bust, waist, and hips, but Desirae was quite a bit taller, which gave my petite predatory Saria sharper curves, and the false appearance of larger assets on her tight athletic and sexy five foot four body. Saria was perfectly proportioned in my opinion, and she had the sexiest and tiniest, tight and supple bubble butt that never failed to draw my eye. Last but not least, she had the deadly magical war ability of telekinesis. That, along with her predatory speed and grace with all manner of weapons, made her one of the deadliest people to ever come out of Lelmalond.

  The wards were linked or bonded to all three of us, though only I could initiate new links, all of us could introduce new people to be given access without alarm to the front gate.

  Desirae’s involvement had also served as somewhat of a foil to the humans in Eastguard discovering the true extent of my powers. Neither of us lied about it, but they all just assumed it was my mage and new sister that had laid wards down around the house. Another nice side effect was getting to know my sister a bit, though she was still a bit reserved with me around, any man really, and I couldn’t blame her for it.

  Point was, humans already feared flesh sculptors because of their ability to literally sculpt humans. The power was created to fight disease and heal, but it could be and had been twisted to very evil ends by King Hanson, who I hoped was dead by now. It was only fair, he’d wanted me dead first, and his mage had kidnapped me from my world. If the humans knew the extent of what I’d discovered, they’d fear me even more, and I didn’t want that. Besides dodging assassins, I didn’t want to be shunned more than I already was by people who didn’t know me, just knew of me and my power.

  I had a lot of other plans for inside the house, more defensive and even offensive wards through plants, not to mention home automation for cleaning, lighting, heating, and cooling, but bringing in house plants before furniture and linens seemed like a bad idea, since it would stick out as strange in human minds. Besides, we weren’t really living there yet, and wouldn’t be for at least six more weeks. Until then we’d continue to live in the suite in the keep at Eastguard courtesy of my mate still being on the council.

  We were just checking on the progress of things, and working on the walls.

  We planned to find replacements for the council soon, but everything was kind of on hold as we waited for word on Sera’s invasion, if she was successful or not, and if the king that wanted me dead had left this world. We wanted to make sure it was safe to pass leadership first, and that the fighting was really over. At least, for now, the human race was rather violent after all. It’d been sixteen days since the battle that had won Eastguard a measure of freedom, so we were expecting word almost at any time. So far, Jeran hadn’t been contacted through the ring yet.

  By we, I really meant my wife Saria, along with Jaren, Karana, and Tam. After all, I didn’t have any true authority in the city.

  The small flowers budding on the vines were purple, yellow, and white. It looked good, but I was a guy so what the hell did I know about it?

  I squeezed Regina’s hand, “What do you think?”

  Regina was my second mate, and if I had anything to say about it, most likely my last. I’d given up on trying to argue about it with the redheaded beauty. She was convinced my power, my good looks, and my compassionate kind personality would have women lined up for me. Her words, not mine. I wasn’t convinced, and in truth it didn’t overly appeal to me. The two of them were more than enough. My life already felt full, with one exception but that wasn’t going to work out anyway.

  Regina had bright green eyes, she was intelligent and quick witted, a brutal haggler, and a force of nature when she wanted something for home and hearth. The passionate devotion and love I saw in her eyes when she looked in my direction, was just as fierce. I wasn’t sure how I deserved such an incredible woman, but her ambition and joy were solidly tied around me, and building our future family with Saria.

  Her face had a natural innocent beauty to it, with just a hint of seductive qualities in her full lips that drove me crazy and evoked both a strong protective feeling, and the desire to ravish her at the same time. Her body on the other hand, was pure sinful curves and delights, with bountiful breasts, a skinny waist, and a heart shaped ass to die for.

  She replied, “It looks good. The walls even seem to blend in a bit.”

  I laughed, a bit yes. Our manor was inside a small glade in the forest about three quarters of a mile from the city, and the walls were hard to see at a distance through the trees. There was just enough room in the glade for the walls to surround the monstrous home, and with enough room for a decent garden and back lawn within their protections.

  She smiled up at me, “You do adequate work I suppose.”

  Her lips qu
irked, and I could see the giggle trying to come out.

  I considered drawing it out of her, but kissed her instead, a long lingering kiss, until we heard light footfalls behind us.

  I broke it and turned around.

  Saria smiled. She smiled often now, at least when we weren’t in public and around others. Elves had their intense and predatory instincts closer to the surface than humans did. The light elves could seem cold because of that, they suppressed them to control them and their actions. The dark elves took a different tack, they constantly expressed them to control them, and didn’t hold back so things would build up to an explosion.

  She’d also allowed light foot falls intentionally, if she’d wanted she could have poked me in the back before either of us knew she was there, or even heard her.

  “A handful of human guards are headed this way.”

  I nodded, “Let’s go see what they want.”

  I reached out and snagged her hand to pull her in for a quick stolen kiss, before we walked in the direction of the city. It was closer to a trail than even a small road through the forest, but it was wide enough for a single wagon to get through. It needed to be, so we could get our stuff delivered to the manor when it was done, not to mention the sick people looking for my services, we didn’t want them to get lost in the forest. Still, it was very windy as well through the light forest, my elven mate would sooner carry it all by hand than cut down trees to make life easier, and I was fine with it.

  We hadn’t gone very far at all when the five guards ran up to us. Their faces looked familiar to me, but I didn’t know them well, not even their names. I’d just seen them around, or maybe healed them once or twice.

  The one in the lead nodded tightly in respect to Saria, and then got right to the point.

  “Councilor, Jaren wants you in the council chamber, he’s gotten news he doesn’t think should wait for the morning session.”

  Saria replied in an even voice, “We’ll head there now.”

  Chapter Two

  The other three councilors were there when we arrived. Jaren, Tam, and Karana. Desirae was there as well, standing near Karana. She wasn’t on the council, but she was visiting royalty, the princess heir to the throne of Lelmalond.

  Jaren was a man in his forties, with salt and pepper hair, gray eyes, and a square jaw. He was straightforward and called himself a general. He was eager to step down soon, and just run the guard and soldiers to protect Eastguard and the surrounding farms. He was a good man, with the possible exception of judging me for my magic, and not for who I was, because of his fear. At least he was aware of his own foible, even if he couldn’t overcome it. The man couldn’t wait until I was out of the keep.

  Tam was an irascible man and an innkeeper for his other job, the owner of the only inn in the city. He was in his forties as well, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a wiry frame. He had a lot of common sense, knew virtually everyone in the city because he served them beers, and really took the lead on the council in all things outside of its defense. He just didn’t suffer fools.

  Last but certainly not least, was Karana. I avoided looking at her, but just a glance was enough to burn the image into my mind for a lifetime. She had on body conforming creamy white robes, that hugged her body down to her mid calves. Up top, the robes covered everything except a tantalizing tease of her ample cleavage. She was five foot six in height, with a willowy graceful body with the exception of her generous breasts, which at a guess were C cups and looked just a little too big on her lithe frame.

  Her skin was a rich ebony and looked silky smooth to the touch though I didn’t know that for a fact. Her face was exotically beautiful, with the same thin face and sculpted pointed ears as her light cousins. She had plump lips, seductively long eyelashes, and red eyes. Her hair was a fulminous raven black, though like her light cousins with white blonde hair, there was a silver tinge in it as well giving her a further exotic look.

  She too avoided looking my way as well. We’d been playing this painful game for just over two weeks now. She was that exception I spoke of earlier. When I met her, she’d been flirty and seductive with me, mostly to tease her close friend and my elven mate, and we’d played that game for a while, until it became apparent that our friendship and flirting was headed in another direction. She had a devastating smile that I hadn’t seen on her face in weeks.

  I wanted to explore the possibilities with her, but that was easy for me to say. We didn’t know each other well enough for a commitment, but we were at the stage where we either got more intimate or stayed as good friends. Attraction definitely wasn’t one of our issues, she was exotically beautiful to me, she dripped sensuality, and her graceful predatory movements had a seductive edge to it. I had nothing to lose, even my two mates would be thrilled at Karana joining us if it worked out. Saria was her old friend, and Regina had gotten to know, respect, and appreciate Karana’s presence, personality, power, and generous nature.

  The problem was, like Saria, Karana would have to accept the fact she’d have to accept voluntary banishment from the great elven magic forest Laya, and her home city in it, Amathyr. Humans weren’t allowed in the forest, ever for any reason. The elves also took their oaths seriously, a mate’s place was at his or her mate’s side. If I couldn’t go, she couldn’t go.

  In short, she feared to follow her heart and get to know me, it would just make things worse when the time came for her to go home. She was the mage and advisor to dark elven royalty. I couldn’t blame her for backing off, and not wanting to get closer to me and make it harder for her to leave.

  I’d made my intentions clear, and made the first move, but that was all I could do.

  It sucked that our easy flirty friendship had died as a result, and I was hoping the elves would leave soon so I’d stop having to see her without those bright, teasingly seductive and joyful smiles anymore. Perhaps in that moment it would, if Jeran truly had information that couldn’t wait. Desirae and Karana had finished setting up a shop for magical items and had found a local factor, four days past. They were just waiting for word about the king’s hoped for death, just like everyone else, before they left for home. Desirae would come back no doubt, with a delivery within a few months, I doubted Karana would.

  Saria asked, “What’s going on?”

  Jeran grimaced, and I knew the news wouldn’t be good. He must have noticed our expressions, because he waved a hand.

  “It isn’t all bad, in fact some of it is quite good. I was contacted by one of Queen Sera’s mages. Desal has fallen and is no more, the king is dead.”

  Tam grumbled, “That’s astonishingly good news, so whatever went wrong must be bad. What are we facing?”

  Jeran said, “The elven women. They’re alive, but the queen put them in stasis.”

  Saria asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

  Jeran looked even more uncomfortable.

  “There’s no way to say this politely, but the women were harming themselves, and loudly demanding sex from any man that got near them. Not at first, but as time passed they became more and more insistent.”

  Desirae shuddered, no doubt from her being in a similar situation.

  “It’s worse than that. The king enhanced…” she trailed off and looked at me.

  I cleared my throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable myself.

  “The king enhanced their sex drive to the point it was a destructive addiction, it would be overwhelming to the mind and body, completely override good judgement, and they’d be slaves to their own bodies. At the same time, he didn’t change their instinctual morality or thought process at all. I can’t even imagine the humiliation and shame they felt even as they begged and demanded for sex, while something inside them cried out against it.”

  Everyone in the room looked a little sick at hearing that, which was fair, because I felt sick. My throat closed up, and I found it hard to look at anyone. Especially Desirae, I’d just explained what had been done to her. I’d gotten her approval to do so
she wouldn’t, in that nod she’d asked me to because she couldn’t, and it was important for the others to understand, but it was clear she was being bombarded by very unpleasant memories.

  After a moment of silence, Jeran picked up the thread of conversation.

  “Yes, well the queen says they aren’t fit to travel in a conscious state, and she only has two mages besides herself powerful enough to maintain sixteen stasis spells at once. She also said those two mages are needed at their posts. She has control of the cities and believes things will calm down, and even get better with that monster dead, but there is some unrest. To be fair, I know that’s normal and not her fault, any change of power is tumultuous, but the bottom line is she told me if we want the elves returned home anytime soon, that James needs to go up there and get them. He can heal them there, undo what the king had done to them, and help them recover some strength before taking them on their journey home.”

  Saria looked at me, and I simply nodded. What was I going to say, no?

  Karana said angrily, “I don’t like it. Maybe she isn’t lying, but she’s using this to get her hands on James.”

  I looked over at her, surprised at the depth of anger in her voice on my behalf. She flushed and looked away from my gaze. It was times like that moment that made things worse between us, I wanted her, she wanted me, but she wanted her home more.

  Jaren grunted, “Agreed, which is why I’m not thrilled by this development. I know I haven’t been your biggest supporter James, but you’ve saved this city with your actions and kindness. I won’t be happy to see you go that far away.”

  I chuckled at the backhanded compliment, and he shrugged a bit sheepishly.

  He continued, “Point is, I agree with Karana. She isn’t lying, but she’s definitely using this as an opportunity to get you in front of her, to evaluate you and perhaps recruit you.”

  I shrugged, “I don’t have a choice. I can’t not go, the guilt of leaving those women there and in that condition would eat me alive, and it would destroy my relationship with my mate. I wouldn’t be able to look myself or Saria in the eye. It’s just… the right thing to do, the only thing. I’ll be careful, and I will be coming back.”