“So it is a mutually beneficial relationship. He is not bound to serve you but he does it in exchange for Sylphania’s blessing.” I reasoned.

“He is a hired thug!” Shani insisted.

“Why is this airhead still around?” Terath asked.

I ignored their antics. “Is Terath going to join us?”

“He does have a contract to protect the temple. But we just dismantled that. There is no clause forcing him to help us relocate. And we might have to enter a new contract for a new temple. We will need a location first. It is up to him how he wants to proceed.” Thessia said.

“But he failed to protect you. Was that not a breach of the contract?” Lucy asked.

“There was no real damage done to the temple.” Terath insisted. “I would have intervened otherwise.”

“An excuse! He did not even notice because he was sleeping!” Shani added.

“I am not a lawyer. In the end no harm was done. Thank you Amaya, Lucy and Shani for protecting us.” Thessia said.

Shani locked smug as she stared into the hole. The earth elemental was still down there and had not surfaced yet. That was about to change. The earth rumbled and a big hand emerged, then another. Terath pulled his body out of the hole. Thankfully nothing collapsed. Maybe he was keeping the tunnels intact with his powers.

Terath had a body made of rocks. He had two bulky arms and two thick feet. His torso was almost a triangle resulting in wide shoulders. His head looked relatively human, except for the stony skin. And the spikes on his head formed a crown. He was probably around three metres tall and made for an imposing figure.

His eyes roamed over all of us. “What a curious group you have here. I was not expecting a lady of the fey to visit Unitera. It has been a long time since I have met one of your peers.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Ok. So, are you joining us or not? We are kind of in the middle of leaving…” I said. I had a feeling that this giant rock was in no hurry to do anything.

“Hm.” Terath replied.

“Just leave him! Let’s go!” Shani said.

The spell summoning her would run out soon. I really needed to find a way to keep her in this world. I could not justify using all my spell slots for her. And I was sure Terath’s presence would make her jealous. Another problem for the list.

“Well, you stay here and think. We will be on our way.” I announced. We had already wasted too much time. I calmed down my storm so we would not constantly be rained on. I imagined my companions would not enjoy the experience.

“Lucy, lead the way.” I did not know where her village was. Only that it should be somewhere north of here.

We simply left, leaving a confused earth elemental behind. He caught up to us with long strides a short time later.

“I shall accompany you for now, while I debate my future.” He said.

“He is just looking for a new place to nap!” Shani commented. I had a feeling she was not entirely wrong.

Our group was certainly a curious one. We had Elandru, a wood elf priest. Thessia, a dryad and high priestess. Lucy the kitsune, Lily the succubus, disguised as a dragon kin, Josef, Minerva and Iris were humans and I was an archfey. Terath and Shani were both elemental lords.

Iris approached me as we walked. “Amaya.. My lady… How shall I address you?”

“I don't really care to be honest. I have never really been that interested in titles. They have their uses in some situations but in private I am fine with Amaya.”

“I see. I wanted to ask you about your county and how we fit in. You want to establish a knight order.. Maid knight order.” She corrected herself. “What about your normal troops? How is your force organised?”

“Ah. You see… I have never been to my county. I got that title recently for helping the Dominion. I should say we got the title since I am sharing it with Lucy. I only know that our county is close to the black forest.”

Iris looked surprised. “I… I see. And… you are an archfey, in a relationship with your warlock Lucy, who is a kitsune.”

“Correct. By the way, it might be time to let you in on a little secret. Lily is not really a dragon kin. She is a succubus.”

“A… demon. Lily is a demon?”

“Indeed I am.” Lily confirmed. Since we were a small group and ours was the only conversation everyone was listening.

“Let me tell you the whole story…” And so I explained how we met her near Iron Rock and summoned her in Unitera. I even mentioned our raid on Beira’s lab. I still had the research we stole. Something to look into perhaps, once we were in our county.

I skipped over the part where I improvised the ritual. Shani was happy to tell everyone about her contribution. She made it sound very dramatic.

“You… you bestowed one of the greatest honours of the fey on a succubus? One that you did not know that well?” Thessia said, sounding rather disturbed.

“Lily has served us well so far. Her oath is strong, I can feel the bond. She has given us no reason to doubt her.” I said, shrugging. In the end we gave her power and status. Something a lot of demons craved. Sticking with us was in her own best interest. And by treating her well we had earned her loyalty.

Lily looked really proud as I praised her.