Avria’s eyes fluttered open as a gentle gust of air brushed over her face. As focus came with consciousness, she gazed at the unfamiliar vaulted ceiling above her. Several moments passed as she began to study this new environment more closely. She glanced then to her right, where the small gust of wind had apparently originated. Immediately she saw the culprit was a vast and open balcony, where the light shined far brighter than she was used to, upon waking up. She sat up, allowing the soft blankets she was tangled in to fall, revealing she was without clothing.

  She raised an eyebrow, truly puzzled at her new surroundings and her nakedness, until she saw the silhouette of a man walk out of one of the open doors at the other side of the room; most likely a closet. She shot a defensive glare at the intruder, pulling the blankets up to cover herself, only for her eyes to widen at the sight of… Daniel? She thought, as his brown eyes focused on hers and a large smile creased his face. Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed back to her, the ceremony, her meetings and the festivities that followed it and… She blushed at the memory of the night, only then realizing that Daniel had made his way over to her.

  He was dressed in his royal crimson cloak, adorned with golden embroidery, as well as a set of light bone-armor beneath it.

  “Good morning.” He said with a grin, glancing at the open balcony. “Or… afternoon, rather.”

  She followed his gaze, realizing that she was now very, very late for the meeting she had scheduled with the Domanician council members, as well as Daniel’s human friend, Angelo the night prior. “Spirits!” She cursed, bolting from the bed. “Why didn’t you wake me, Daniel!?”

  “You looked comfortable.” He shrugged, “I already sent a runner to inform them that we had a prior engagement and would see them shortly. Also, I figured you needed the rest after… you know.”

  “Stop.” Avria hissed, scrambling to get ready. She bathed quickly, and dressed herself in nearly matching royal attire to Daniel, that he had graciously laid out for her. “Next time, please refrain from allowing me to sleep until nearly mid-day.” She grumbled. She made long strides toward the door, but halted just before reaching it. She turned around, looking up to meet Daniel’s eyes. Time slowed for her as she gazed into them, the memories of their night propelling themselves to the fore of her mind, causing her cheeks to blaze again.

  “There she is.” Daniel grinned. “We can properly say good morning to each other after the meeting. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She couldn’t help but let slip a smile. He had read her thoughts accurately, and was correct. There would be plenty of time for them to enjoy each other’s company. After all, she was his wife, and he, her husband.

  With that, they made their way hastily down the winding halls of the palace, to the dining area where they were scheduled to meet. Avria quickly saluted several royal guards who were outside the entrance as the doors slid open, flooding the hallway with boisterous laughter from within. Avria vaguely recognized the sound, and her suspicions were confirmed as she saw her father bringing his hand down on the table in a fit of laughter. Avria’s eyes shifted to the culprit, who was sitting right next to Telmos. He was a human man, but with darker skin, and eyes that were shaped differently, similar to the older human who traveled with Greyson. With them in the hall, were several dignitaries from Domanicia, who wore blue grey cloaks with golden insignia sewn into them. Alongside Katrina, High King Alektor himself, Delmos, princess Ambrosia, Queen Athica, and at the end of the table, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, Robert.

  “Avria!” Telmos shouted, waving her over energetically. “And Daniel too. I’m glad you were able to join us.” He glanced at the human, who Avria assumed was Angelo without his Dae disguise on. “I told you they’d be here.” He chuckled. “My daughter would never miss a promised appointment, even after her wedding night.”

  Avria inhaled deeply, calming her rising irritation at the snide comment. It was to be expected after all. “I must apologize for the delay… Lord Angelo, I presume.”

  “Guilty as charged.” Angelo smiled, standing and bowing his head.

  “Get your ass over here.” Daniel chimed in from the side, striding forward and embracing him in a hug.

  “Took you long enough to get here, brother. You guys get lost on the way?” Angelo said with a smirk.

  “I’m surprised they even made it here at all.” Delmos laughed around a mouthful of food. “Considering what those two are capable of on the battlefield, can you imagine their bedroom!? Spirits have mercy on us all.”

  “Delmos!” Telmos barked, turning a sympathetic eye to his daughter. “Dear, please join us. I apologize for the comments. Do not worry about your tardiness, it is completely understandable. We have been chatting with our new friends from Domanicia and Daniel’s human friend. Who I must say, is quite hilarious.”

  “You’re too kind.” Angelo bowed dramatically before returning to his seat. He took a moment to gather himself, before his expression turned more serious. “But, now that everyone is here, I can tell you the real reason for my arrival here.” He looked toward Daniel, who had taken a seat right next to Alektor. “Dan, I… I didn’t come to see you before because… it was just too damn dangerous. I heard about you guys.” He pointed to Daniel, Katrina, and Robert. “From some mercenaries who returned from the second battle of Vul De Rah. They told tales of humans with incredible powers. Firsthand accounts of Daniel’s abilities. Not just the stories we heard the year prior, of how Robert conquered this city single handedly.”

  Angelo paused for a moment, seeming to dwell heavily on his words. “I was hunted when I arrived in this world… had to claw my way out of some serious shi~, uh… situations. Too much to go over now… but in the end I managed to gain the trust of the high nobles and council members. By that time, there were stories of demons and all sorts of crazy things coming out of Eleutheros. Half of us didn’t believe them until we came face to face with one… it killed almost two hundred warriors before I was brought in to kill it… purely based off the rumor that humans had the ability to hurt them… then, the tales of Eleutheros didn’t seem so outlandish. Then the rumors of your power and accomplishments weren’t so farfetched.”

  “A demon made its way all the way out to Domanicia?” Daniel asked, leaning back in thought. “Probably a survivor from the battle; dozens of them got away, after all.”

  “Most of them fled to Visoth.” Angelo continued, “that’s what we’ve heard. Now there are rumors that the demons have been welcomed by the emperor.”

  “Rumors…” Alektor chimed in, taking a calm sip of wine. “Hardly rumors at this point.”

  “Well… now we know.” Angelo clenched his fists on the table. “They came for us over there, Dan. They’ve possessed or coerced enough members of the high council, and maybe even the king himself to form an alliance against Eleutheros.”

  “What?” Telmos reeled. “You can’t be serious.”

  Avria let out a deep sigh as the weight of his words rested on her. The empire of Visoth was enough of a problem when Eleutheros was at full strength. But weakened now as they are? And to add the entire kingdom of Domanicia on top of that? Dark days are surely ahead of us, she thought. Sparing a glance at Daniel, who was staring forward in deep contemplation.

  “That’s why I had to make it out here, Dan.” Angelo said through grit teeth. “Our kingdom has fallen… all but these three houses; Lord Bre’kon chief among them.” He gestured to Lord Bre’kon and the two other lords sitting beside him. “Their families and warriors made their escape by ship… and should be reaching your southern clan territory of Exous within the week… they were exiled for their reluctance to join the demon’s cause, and had no choice but to escape.”

  “Refugees.” Alektor nodded, turning to whisper something to an attendant. “I will inform the King of Exous of their arrival, and order him to allow them passage to Lokkodonia.”

  “Thank you so much, your highness.” Angelo bowed his head, followed by the three other lords.

  “How many men do you have with you?” Daniel asked, leaning forward on the table.

  Bre’kon cleared his throat before answering, “between the three of us… probably close to two thousand people. Less than half of them are warriors.”

  “That’s not much.” Avria said, bluntly. “But they will be welcomed here. As will you.” She nodded toward Angelo. “Another spirit-sent with us will do well for our people, and our cause if we are to mount a defense.”

  “In terms of military strength,” Queen Athica started, bringing everyone’s attention to her. “What would you say are the capabilities of Domanicia? And for that matter, the Visoth? We have a decent amount of intelligence from Visoth, but next to nothing from Domanicia.”

  Bre’kon shared a quick glance with his two Dae companions, then with Angelo, who began speaking on their behalf. “Our… uh… their, military capabilities are pretty good. They’re fairly well rounded, and have powerful warriors. And Visoth is… well massive and filled to the brim with willing subjects. They also have really powerful warriors. Couple all that with the demons who are bolstering them, and well… we’ve got ourselves a huge problem.”

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

  “Do they have any humans?” Daniel asked suddenly.

  “Not that I know of.” Angelo shrugged, “I don’t’ have a whole bunch of intel on the other humans either, Dan. Just you guys and Henry.”

  Alektor leaned forward, pouring himself a bowl of sweet wine and taking a sip before speaking. “I want to know everything about their military structure and capabilities on the battlefield.”

  ~

  By the time Angelo, lord Bre’kon, and their two companions had finished speaking with Alektor, it was already well into the evening. Avria and Daniel invited their guests to join them in the royal study to relax a bit and enjoy some wine and refreshments after such a tense conversation. The three nobles opted to retire for the evening, but Angelo agreed, seeming eager to catch up with his friend. Avria was still a bit weary of the man, more so due to her innate defensiveness than anything he had done. Then again, Daniel was the best judge of character she knew in this entire world. His spiritual senses could not easily be fooled, if at all. And he had confirmed his identity, as well as the fact that there was no demonic influence at all. So, for now, she would put her faith in her husband and give Angelo the benefit of the doubt.

  Avria, Daniel, Angelo, Katrina, Robert, and Delmos all made their way to the royal study. Where there was an assortment of food and beverages laid out for them in advance. They funneled in and began taking their seats, chatting amongst themselves before Daniel was ready.

  “So, tell me everything, bro.” Daniel started, handing Angelo a bowl of wine then sitting down across from him, next to Avria. “Now that we’ve got a bit of time, we can talk a bit. What have you been going through over there? How did you wake up? What kind of power do you have?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been curious about you guys as well.” Angelo pointed to Daniel, Katrina, and Robert. “All I’ve heard are the rumors, but I guess I’ll start off.” He took a long drink from his wine, seeming to steady himself for a hard tale. “I woke up in the outskirts of a city called De’Currus in Domanicia... I was totally discombobulated… confused and scared as shit, man. I was in a field basically… surrounded by crops and some farming equipment. I didn’t know that at the time though, they looked like huge boulders to me. I made my way toward the lights, thinking I was dreaming or something, before a group of warriors came out to investigate the light. Which I now know was the portal or whatever that brought us here.”

  Angelo took a moment to take a bite of some food, before continuing. “They didn’t know what I was, and I didn’t know what the hell they were either. Difference was, they had weapons, and I was just trying not to shit myself. Eventually I was captured by them and brought before their local governor. Who had it in his mind to throw me in a dungeon, while he figured out what to do with me.” He hung his head, shivering at the memory. “Dae can be a fucked up bunch sometimes… but so can humans. They tortured me for weeks, trying to get information out of me. All the while, and unbeknownst to me, reports from all around Pelemont were coming in of strange creatures appearing out of nowhere. Learned that after the fact.”

  “That’s horrible; I’m so sorry.” Katrina said, her tone reassuring.

  Angelo let out a dry chuckle, hollow humor in his expression as he pressed on. “It wasn’t until a spirit visited me in my cell that it started to make sense. Up until then, I couldn’t even speak their language… I was just babbling nonsense to them. The spirit gave me my power… and the ability to communicate with them. After that, things got a bit better… she stayed with me for a while. The… uh… spirit. She kept me company and taught me basically everything I needed to know about this world. It was so much to take in; to fathom and wrap my head around. But, it worked out. I couldn’t have done it without Mel’Reina… she saved me in more ways than one.”

  “That’s wild.” Daniel let out a tense breath, looking at Avria. “Our beginnings aren’t so different.”

  “Some were harsher than others.” Avria huffed, crossing her arms. “But the Dae are flawed creatures… like any other.”

  “A spirit found us early on.” Katrina said, “then again, we actually woke up IN the spirit forest, so… I suppose it was easier. Robert was exposed to the Dunamis first and was our translator at the beginning.” She smiled, pointing at herself. “Then I got it on the way to Vul De Rah.” She let out a chuckle as she pointed at Daniel. “HE was the last, fighting for our lives when we got here. They wanted to kill us when we first arrived.”

  Daniel huffed, but went on to explain in more detail the events of their arrival, and basically up to when Robert was captured.

  “That’s enough.” Robert grumbled from the far side of the room. “No need to go into any unpleasant details. I’d prefer to forget all that stuff.”

  “Fair enough.” Angelo said, his tone sympathetic. “I’ve heard enough of the rumors over the years to gather what happened. How you were saved by a spirit and all.”

  Robert’s eyes flashed with hot rage as he looked at Angelo. “She didn’t save me.” He rasped through clenched teeth. “And she wasn’t a spirit.”

  Daniel shared another glance with Avria, then shook his head at Angelo, signaling him to drop the subject.

  “Well, what happened to the spirit that helped you?” Katrina asked, regardless of Daniel’s warning.

  Angelo paused for a moment, then smiled, looking up toward the ceiling. “She’s around. Wanna meet her?”

  Avria expanded her senses, attempting to detect anything that wished to be hidden. A skill she had acquired after awakening her humanlike power within Ool’ak. She sensed nothing, again. She had thoroughly scanned the man many times since she met him. Then, a small flicker appeared around him, and the distinct signature of spiritual energy ebbed into existence.

  A spirit expanded from Angelo’s body, seeming to step right out of him and sat down at his side.

  Avria blinked in surprise, again, sharing a glance with Daniel who seemed as puzzled as she was. She hadn’t sensed it, and apparently neither had he.

  “Everyone, this is Mel’Reina.” Angelo introduced her, smiling.

  “It is… very nice to meet you all…” The spirit replied, her voice almost ringing like a song. She looked humanoid, with her form definitely female, but her eyes were large, and completely white. Her hair, or what Avria thought was her hair, seemed more like long blades of grass that hung down the sides of her face, which was rounded. Within her mouth were rows of sharpened teeth that sent slight shivers down her spine, as the vivid memory of being devoured by Ool’ak was resurfaced. She had what looked like scales up her arms, and pointed ears that poked out through her hair.

  “Nice to meet you.” Daniel said as he bowed slightly, his voice pulling Avria back from her observation of the spirit. “Thank you for saving my friend, I owe you for that.”

  “I do not believe you owe me for anything… human.” She replied, tilting her head to the side. “I did what I did out of my own curiosity, and need for knowledge. And, in doing so I have found a partner…” Her large eyes seemed to narrow as she studied Daniel more intently, the only hint of emotion she had showed thus far. “You are different from the other humans…”

  Avria tensed slightly, fighting back her instinctual reach for her power.

  “Oh?” Daniel leaned back in his chair, glancing at Angelo, who shrugged. “What do you mean?”

  “I can see glimpses of the future… threads that are… certain for most Dae…” She scanned the room, her emotionless face sparing a few seconds for each of the room’s occupants. “That is why I found Angelo… so interesting at first. I saw many unsure futures with him… nothing was set in stone… and thus, I was intrigued and excited that I could truly experience a level of uncertainty for once… the Dae here both seem to share a similar level of ambiguity… but you… you have nothing… it is like you do not exist at all. Merely a force that operates outside of our world…”

  Avria’s brow furrowed at the words of the spirit; they made no sense at all. She knew that some spirits had the gift of foresight, some more accurate than others. But this was strange, at the very least. The words of spirits should not be taken lightly.”

  “That is because my fate is destined by something far beyond your comprehension, Mel’Reina.” Daniel’s words surged with a power and certainty that brought Avria’s attention to him. His eyes reflected that power as he stared at the spirit, unblinking and determined.

  “I do not understand…” Mel’Reina said, her face slightly twisting in what looked like confusion.

  “Don’t be confused, Mel.” Angelo chuckled, “Dan always likes to sound like he’s the smartest person in the room. Bu~t that usually isn’t the case.”

  Avria barely acknowledged the words that came from Angelo; she was fixated on Daniel. The curve of his brown hair, the shape of his jaw, and the burning intensity of his eyes as he stared down a spirit. She felt a sudden heat rise in her again, at the sight of her husband. My husband, she thought, that warmth spreading through her body again. He was hers now, to love and cherish for as long as they both should live. But his words carried weight to them; the strange entity that saved her in her darkest hour coming to the fore of her mind. He knows something about it, she thought.

  “Enough about me, guys.” Angelo’s voice came back in a rush. “Let’s talk about how you landed a girl like this, Dan. I’m still not buying it.”

  “They actually hated each other at first.” The annoying voice of Avria’s brother, Delmos, chimed in, sounding as smug and irritating as ever. Avria grumbled inwardly, trying to maintain her composure. He does love to embarrass me.

  “Don’t ask me how it happened, friend.” Delmos continued, “One minute, she’s telling father and I how much she wants to kill him, and how I should steer clear of his demonic influence. The next, they’re locked in a lovers embrace!”

  Avria’s ears burned with a mixture of embarrassment and rage, as she stared daggers at her brother.

  “I find the intimacy of mortals… strange to say the least…” Mel’Reina said, bringing the attention of the room back to her. “Your ritual of copulation is perplexing, indeed. But not entirely unpleasant…”

  “Unpleasant?” Katrina asked, her words mirroring the look of confusion on her face. “Have you…?”

  “Well, Mel it’s getting a bit late!” Angelo interrupted. “Why don’t you get some rest?”

  The spirit turned her attention to him, and seemed to almost pout, but ended up smiling. The sight was slightly unsettling to Avria, having never seen a spirit behave in such a way.

  “As you say.” Mel’Reina said, reaching her hand out to place it on Angelo’s shoulder. “It was very nice to meet… all of you… I’m sure we will have many more opportunities to get to know each other…” With that, she melded into him, much the same as spirits were able to do in any environment. But this was the first time Avria had seen it done into a being of some kind. Within moments, the spirit was gone. And Angelo breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Uh… Angelo.” Daniel’s voice broke the short silence that followed. “Did you and… uh, Mel’Reina—”

  “Look.” Angelo held his hands up and shook his head in frustration. “When one of those demons attacked us, she almost died trying to save me. She was able to survive only by me sharing my power with her, and causing…” He gestured to himself, “this. In somewhat melding with me, she inherited traits and feelings that humans have. I can’t explain it any further than that.”

  “Traits, feelings, and… urges?” Katrina asked, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow.

  “That is…” Delmos put his hand on his forehead, shaking his head in disbelief. “That is completely unheard of… a spirit can’t be intimate. They-”

  “Untrue.” Robert interrupted from the other side of the room. “They do reproduce, just not in a way that we can comprehend. They aren’t gods, more like a species that is on a higher plain of existence. They have bodies if they want them, and if her consciousness inherited some of Angelo’s human emotion and tendencies, it would be possible.”

  Daniel let out a laugh, standing and slapping Angelo on the shoulder. “You’re sleeping with a spirit!?”