“Lear, I really wish you’d reconsider. This threat of rebellion is very credible. It came from one of your own squad!” Asher pleaded.

“You’re a king. Stop begging and order me to stay, or leave me be! I know it’s a credible threat, but my wife is pregnant!” Lear crossed his arms, “She’s due any day, now! If I don’t get home before the baby is born, there’s a high chance I won’t be having any more in the future! I might not even have a marriage at all if I don’t make it back in time! So like I said, issue an order, and I’ll tell you where you can shove it, or stop wasting both of our time and just let me go!”

“But-” Asher sputtered.

“No buts.” Lear shook his head, side-stepping the king, his boss, and heading for the door. “I’ll make it back as quickly as I can. The mushroom portal has a cool-down period of two days, remember? I’ll be gone for at least that. But almost definitely longer. Meadowbell can keep investigating in my absence. She’s highly trained and I have faith in her.”

“She’s not you.” Asher grumbled, turning and falling into step beside Lear.

“Yeah, yeah.” the captain snorted, waving his hand languidly, “But I trained her. She’s almost as good as. They all are.”

“And just as trustworthy, thank goodness.” the king sighed.

“Of course. Like I said, I trained them!” Lear rolled his eyes.

“Yes, but we grew up together, of course you’re trustworthy. I’m glad you picked a good group of underlings.”

“They’re a good bunch.” Lear nodded.

“Well, I’ll keep Meadowbell on it. Get back as quickly as you can.”

“You’re lucky you’re an old friend. Winna is still going to kill me, though.”

“I still have to meet her.” Asher grinned, “She sounds great.”

“Like I tell you every time, you’re welcome to come to the cottage, but I don’t want to pressure her to come here. You never do it, though.” Not to mention the fact that they’d yet to figure out exactly how the protective runes worked, so Winna couldn't leave the perimeter of her mountain-ringed home, lest shades sense her presence and try to kill her. Once he and Dern figured that out, he’d make some kind of pendant so that she could go wherever she wanted, without any fear. Once she could travel outside her homeland, he planned to take her, and now their child as well, on a very belated honeymoon, preferably to a beach somewhere.

The king grimaced, “I have too much to do here to be away even for two days. Although maybe soon…we’ll see. I could use a break.”

“I know. You work hard. A lot harder than your good ol’ uncle did.”

“Yeah.” Asher snorted, “Things were…not good under him. I like to think they’re better now.”

“They’re much better.”

“You helped make it so.”

“I’m well aware of that.” Lear grinned, “I was the best assassin you had back then.”

“Yeah, you were.” Asher snorted. “You still would be, if I could get you back into it.”

“I just don’t want to anymore.” Lear shook his head. “In self-defense or battle, that’s different, but not in cold blooded assassination.”

“I know.”

“Besides, Marna probably wouldn't like it. I don’t want to lose her mark.” Lear absentmindedly touched the triangular mark on the back of his left hand. “The rest of the squad can do the dirty work easily enough nowadays.”

“I’m joking. I’m never crazy when the only solution we can come up with for a problem is death.”

“And that’s one of those ways you’re different from your uncle. You value life.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Asher sighed, shaking his head, “I didn’t want to take power the way we did, you know? But that was the only solution I could think of, all those years ago. I see other solutions now, but…I was young. We were both young.”

“I know. And I know you still feel guilty. But I still think it was the right decision. He would have destroyed this kingdom, and caused all of our drama to spill out into the rest of the world. It already was, in some ways.” Lear shook his head, “I think it was the right call.”

“Well, not everyone does.” the king sighed, shaking his head, “I really did think we’d caught everyone back from that last one. I know we had our other informants, but I couldn't have asked for better spies than Arden and his aunts. They really did a magnificent job in getting information.”

“Indeed they did. I was very pleased. Revenge is a powerful motive.” Lear smiled a little.

“I think it was justice that Arden wanted.” Asher said thoughtfully.

“Yes, most likely. He’s too pure to be believed, but his aunts definitely wanted revenge.” Lear snickered, “And I don’t blame them in the slightest!”

“Me either.” the king shrugged.

“Speaking of Arden, there’s every chance he’ll be back from his mission by now, and is just chilling at the cottage until I get back. I’ll send him along in my place as soon as I can. Would that help?”

Asher blinked, then smiled, “Oh, yeah! That’d work. At least I’d have two of your squad here. My generals and ministers all squabble amongst themselves, but you lot are the only ones who I can trust to really get things done.”

“Yep.” Lear shrugged. “I knew you’d need a group like mine.”

“You were right.”

As they’d talked, they’d passed into the palace gardens, and now approached the ring of enormous mushrooms that would take Lear back to his wife and hopefully still unborn child.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

They nodded in greeting at the guard, a centaur named Cedarmane.

Goddess help him if he’d missed the birth of his kid. He hadn’t been joking when he’d said Winna might leave him if he did. She’d have every right to. What kind of father missed the birth of his own child? Extenuating circumstances aside, of course. But his circumstances weren’t extenuating, and he could return to hunting down a potential rebellion once he knew his wife had safely had their child, and had taken some time to be with them.

Hell, he’d go back and forth every two days if he needed to. That’d be exhausting, but he could do it. Diana could even help him with the magic for the portal on Winna’s side, if he needed it, and Asher could help him on this side. Diana’s magic was malleable enough that he could convert it into feeling similarly to his own, and Asher’s was one of the only other people that had been given power over the portal, given he was the king of the fey.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in a little while.” Asher sighed dejectedly.

Lear rolled his eyes, “You’ll be fine until I get back. And again, I’ll send Arden along as soon as I can.”

“Yes, yes.” Asher stuck out his hand, and Lear clasped it. “Until next time. Give your wife my good wishes, and I hope the kid is cute.”

“They’ll be half me, half Winna, of course they’re gonna be cute!” he gave a bark of laughter.

They turned to face the ring of mushrooms.

“You save your energy for that wife of yours!” Asher told him, reaching out, his magic surging into the mushrooms.

The energy coursed through the fairy ring, moving faster and faster until it became a solid stream of glowing gold light.

Lear stepped inside, waving, “See ya!”

The magic pulsated around him, and the world blurred.

-

“One move and I won’t hesitate!” Bellows snarled.

Somehow, the slippery dwarf had managed to escape while Arden had fought off the two other attackers who’d joined in their little fray.

The situation was bad.

Rowan had managed to free himself, and had one of the fey cronies captive, but Marrina was pinned to the ground, a blade to her throat, by yet another.

Bellows himself had thrown Winna to the ground, he had one hand on her throat, but instead of restraining her hands or arms with his other hand, it now held a knife too. It’s place was pressed against her pregnant belly, pressing in just the slightest bit already. Arden desperately hoped that being thrown to the ground hadn’t hurt Winna and Lear’s child at all.

The poor mage looked a little dazed, likely from having been thrown to the ground so roughly. Her eyes were wide in fear, and full of tears as she stared pleadingly at Arden, this time truly terrified because she couldn't pull the same trick again. The monstrous dwarf would be expecting it, and would undoubtedly stab her the moment he felt her magic stirring even the slightest bit.

Damned fool knew exactly what to do to stop both him and her.

Arden cursed inwardly. Why hadn’t he felt it as they’d approached?!

The simplest answer was that he hadn’t expected it yet. He figured they had the rest of the day and into the next before they needed to really start worrying about Bellows coming into the area. But they’d not even been there for twelve hours before he’d found them.

So, so stupid! He should have known better! But would he have felt their presences, unfamiliar as they were, amidst all the other magical beings around him? There were a lot more fey folk in this area than the surrounding ones, and parsing through them all was far more difficult. It required an immense amount of concentration, even for Arden, who was good at that kind of thing.

Still. He should have been more careful. Falling asleep like that and leaving poor Winna awake all by herself was abominable, and had led to the situation they now faced.

Lear would have his head for this.

“Now that you understand the situation,” Bellows grinned cruelly, “What a lucky trip this has turned out to be for me! Very profitable, in the long run, I think! Not only am I getting back my two errant belongings, but I’m getting some fun new additions, too! An elf and a human mage! I had no idea how lucky I’d get! What a find! Human mages are rare indeed! And if all goes well, I’ll have her child, too!”

Winna grimaced, squirming a little.

“Stop moving!” he ordered, shifting the knife on the woman’s belly, and she froze again.

Arden’s eyes darted towards Irving, who had passed out from repeated shocks by the metal restraint. Serha was still frozen in place from the last order she’d been given, but tears streamed down her face as she looked on in horror, unable to do anything but breathe and cry.

“Serha. Go get my bag.” Bellows ordered, releasing her.

Serha gave a sob and hugged herself tightly, “I-I won’t!”

“Do it!” he said in a commanding tone.

But the selkie clenched her jaw and didn’t move. Electricity crackled through the air, and Serha’s screams echoed throughout the area as she collapsed to the ground, now unconscious as well.

“Fine then!” Bellows rolled his dark, evil little eyes, “Rowan, let him go or I’ll kill the mage.”

“No, you want her alive.” Rowan said shrewdly, “She’ll make you a lot of money, and you won’t risk that.”

“Then I’ll kill her and cut the child inside her out, and raise it to be my perfect performer! Or I’ll cut the child out, kill it and keep the mother! Either would work, I don’t have to have them both!” Bellows snarled, a vein in his temple starting to pulse. “Let him go.”

Rowan recoiled immediately at the horrible suggestions, and let go of the fey crony, which told Arden the centaur suspected his former captor was capable of committing such an evil.

Bellows addressed the now freed crony, “Pik, go get my bag.”

Pik darted off. From the peculiar crimson hat he wore on his head, Arden knew that this Pik person was a redcap. They were a vicious lot, and not usually well liked, as they were typically inclined towards violence, given their need to dip their hat in blood every so often to keep their magic. That said, there were a good number in the military, and could be decent. But this one had chosen a dark path indeed, it seemed, given he was willing to work with Bellows.

The redcap was soon back with the bag, and took it to Bellows, who didn’t move, but instead gave instructions, “Open it. There are several of my special little magic bands in there.”

Doing as Bellows said, the redcap crony pulled out rune-carved metal bands in varying sizes.

Arden swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted was for one of those things to be on him, binding him to this horrible, evil little dwarf’s will. But if he moved so much as a muscle to act against Bellows or his minions, Winna would be hurt, or possibly killed, and there was every chance Marri would be as well.

He looked to Rowan, who looked as hopeless and helpless as he felt.

Pik advanced towards Arden with one of the rings, which was open on a hinge that was invisible when it was closed.

“Now, don’t give me any more trouble, or someone will die, you hear me, elf?” Bellows snarled.

“Half-elf.” Arden snapped.

“I don’t give a shit what you are! You’ll soon belong to me, and you’ll be whatever I say you are!” the vile dwarf roared.

Arden glared at him, but returned his gaze towards the redcap, who was now almost to where he stood.

Half-baked plans of how he could still save them all raced through his brain, but all of them ended with Winna or Marri or both dead, and that was untenable.

Then, Winna laughed.

She was lying on the ground, being practically throttled, had a knife against her body, threatening the life of both herself and her unborn child, and she was laughing. It was a cold, mirthless laugh that was completely terrifying. He’d never heard such a grim noise come from the human mage in the years he’d known her.

“What?!” Bellows demanded, glaring down in confusion at her.

Arden blinked, suddenly realizing why Winna was laughing, and a wicked smile found its way over his own face.

A familiar magical presence had appeared. It was a magical presence that he was so used to feeling that, in the heat of the moment, he hadn’t even noticed it.

But to Winna, it would mean everything.

“My husband is home.” the human mage said, then spat in the dwarf’s face, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “LEAR!”