“You should have let us come with you.” Ziran complained the moment Naz and Eli stepped out of the portal and into Aratessa’s castle on Purgatory. “You were in danger and we could have protected you.”

  “I was with Naz, and I promise I didn’t take any unnecessary risks.” Eli countered before furrowing his brow. “Besides, how did you even know about last night?”

  “Minerva came in this morning and briefed us before meeting with Aratessa.” Sira replied.

  Eli took a moment to look at the siblings. Both had black hair, with long pointed ears that marked their elven heritage. Their grey Hightower family staff uniforms covered most of their caramel-colored skin, and while neither were outwardly armed he could see the telltale bulge of concealed weapons underneath when they shifted under his gaze.

  “I followed our safety protocols, but I had to at least try to apprehend…whatever they were.”

  “Minerva said they were short?” Sira asked.

  “Yeah. Maybe 4 feet tall?” Naz answered.

  “They used a school of magic I’ve never seen before – green flaming explosions, strange portal rituals. Have you heard of anything like that before?” Eli added.

  Ziran looked at his sister before shaking his head. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”

  Eli exhaled and nodded as he looked around the portal room. It was dimly lit, with black and red tapestries covering the black stone walls, floor, and ceiling. Since he’d last visited it looked like the latest tapestry depicting the history of the House of the Spider had been completed – one which showed a stylized version of him and Aratessa in a tight embrace while a group of others looked on with expressions of joy.

  “It’s fine. We’ve sent everything we have about the incident to Aria.” Eli said, looking back at his retainers. “She said that the council’s having a fit right now given how public everything was, so we’ll get to the bottom of it one way or another.”

  “It’s probably better that it comes from her anyways.” Naz said with a grin. “Especially after the last public event you caused – they’re going to start seeing a pattern here.”

  “Listen, that chimera had to die.” Eli countered. “And that was partly Isla’s fault too.”

  “There was also the chase through Paris.” Sira added. “As well as that time that you blew a hole through Aria’s house.”

  Eli was about to respond when Minerva opened the door to the portal room. She wore a grey dress that was the same color as Ziran and Sira’s uniforms – one that was now accented with a belt around her waist that showed off more curves than the shy angel normally did, to Eli’s surprise. She squealed in delight before flapping her wings once, skimming across the floor of the portal room in a way that caused her short red hair to flutter backwards. Her wings wrapped around him at the same time as her arms, pulling him into an enormous hug.

  Despite her enthusiasm to get to him, her embrace was surprisingly soft and gentle. “I was worried about you.” She whispered in his ear.

  “I’m fine, I promise.” He whispered back as he hugged her before kissing her neck softly. “In no small part thanks to you.”

  She continued to hold him for a long moment until Naz tapped her on the shoulder. “I was there too, you know.”

  Laughing, Minerva wrapped one wing around the larger orc woman. “Thank you, Naz. How was your date?”

  “Wonderful.” Naz replied dreamily as she put and arm around Minerva. “You did a great job, by the way.”

  As the three of them disentangled their limbs, Eli belatedly noticed that a pair of ebony-skinned dark elven attendants had entered the room after Minerva. They were wearing the black and red uniforms of Aratessa’s house, and carried a chest between them. In front of the pair was a dark elven guard that Eli recognized – one who was wearing a full set of armour with a short sword sheathed on her hip, a crossbow strapped to her back, and a bandolier of throwing knives hanging across her chest.

  “Captain Shadowsong.” Eli said, stepping towards her with a smile.

  “Lord Consort.” She grinned in reply, her red eyes locking onto his as she clasped his arm. “Welcome back.”

  “What’s the occasion?” He said, looking at the chest that the dark elven attendants brought. “I thought I was just coming back to spend some time with Tessa.”

  “The Raven Queen.” Minerva answered from behind him. “She’s here, and she’s…unhappy.”

  “About what?” Eli asked, turning.

  “She won’t tell us until you’re here. That’s why I brought you some clothes.” She said, nodding to Eli’s now-ruffled outfit. “No offence, but I don’t think this is a meeting to be had in a hockey jersey.”

  “Fair point.” Eli conceded.

  “Come.” Seraphina said, waving. “We’ve got a room ready for you to change. It would be wise not to keep the Raven Queen waiting.”

  Casting a glance over at Naz, Eli nodded. He followed the dark elves to a nearby guest bedroom and waited for them to place down the chest of clothes before beginning to disrobe. As he and Naz took off their jerseys all of the elves began to file out of the room. Before Minerva could follow them Eli caught her hand and shook his head.

  “Please stay? we need to know everything you can tell us before we meet with the Queen.”

  “Alright.” Minerva said, biting her lip slightly as the door closed behind Seraphina.

  “When did she get here?” Eli asked as he pulled off his undershirt, leaving him bare chested in front of the angel.

  Blushing, she replied. “About 30 minutes ago. She arrived with an entire retinue of dark elven guards and driders – all of whom were fully armed.”

  “And what did she say?” Naz continued as the two of them pulled down their pants before opening up the chest.

  “That she needs to speak to Eli as soon as possible, and that it’s of the utmost importance.”

  Eli recalled the dark elven realm he’d briefly visited before pulling on a pair of incredibly comfortable black pants – ones which he knew were made from a combination of local fibres and spider spun silk. “What do you think she’s here for?”

  “Well…” Minerva started, furrowing her brow. “I know that she’s been busy consolidating her power. Absorbing the House of the Snake has been a boon for her, but the effort it’s taken to bring those people and resources under her control has led to her withdrawing from most of her engagements outside of Shadowhome. In fact, I think this is the first time anyone’s seen her outside their realm for at least a month.”

  “So whatever it is, it’s probably something that happened inside their realm.” Naz commented as she pulled on a shirt.

  “Do we have any eyes or ears inside who have given us clues?” Eli asked as he mimicked Naz’s motion.

  “We do, but they’ve been quiet.” Minerva replied as she smoothed the material across Eli’s chest, lingering on the stylized emblem of the spider. “So whatever happened was probably discreet – at least for now.”

  “We should get going.” Naz said as they finished dressing.

  “One last thing.” Eli said before leaning forward and kissing Minerva softly on the lips. “Now I’m ready.”

  Minerva reluctantly let Eli pull away, giving Naz the opportunity to swoop in and steal a kiss of her own. With both women temporarily satisfied he walked towards the door to the hallway and nodded to Seraphina, causing her to turn and lead them wordlessly away. As he fell into step behind the guard captain his small retinue followed him and together they made their way to Aratessa’s throne room.

  Pausing before a large set of wood-and-steel doors, Seraphina looked at Eli. “Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I’m going to be.” Eli said, nodding tersely.

  “Good.” She replied before swinging the doors open with a thud.

  “His Excellency, The Royal Blood, Slayer of the Chimera, Destroyer of Liches, Protector of Purgatory, Friend of the Orcs, Son-In-Law of the Hightower Family, Lord Consort Eli Grayson now entering the court with his lordly retinue.”

  Eli grimaced at being heralded in by the court guard, but managed to keep a straight face as he marched down the aisle of the packed room. Glancing to either side he saw court attendants, orderlies, guards, and other members of Aratessa’s court – almost all of whom he recognized from his attendance in court before.

  The darkened room was arranged around a stone dais, on which rested the throne of the House of the Spider. It was made of pure white marble with a design of a stylized spider on the back – one that matched the design of the clothes on his chest. On it was perched the sexiest dark elf he’d ever laid eyes on, wearing a tight silver silken dress that desperately clung to her voluptuous curves. She was seated with one leg laid casually over the other and leaning forward, her red eyes boring a hole into his golden ones and her long white hair tied up in a ponytail behind her back.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  My little Tessa. He thought to himself, grinning at her nickname.

  Further back from the Spider Queen herself was her house’s namesake: an enormous black brood mother of a spider laying on top of a pile of eggs. At first glance the spider looked defenceless, with its weight swelling to a point where its movements were ponderous and slow. However, Eli knew from experience that at least some of her hatchlings were likely close by, ready to protect their mother or the queen herself if needed.

  It was a complex relationship – the one between a dark elven house and the creature they chose as their patron. Eli didn’t understand the spell itself, but he knew that it imparted sentience onto the animal where there would normally be none, allowed the spell caster to communicate with and care for the creature, and allowed the creature to command all its offspring. In exchange for the gift of sentience and continued care, the creature would often command their offspring to assist the elven house in various ways, forming a symbiotic relationship. For the House of the Spider, it meant having a flexible workforce that doubled as a fierce line of defence when the castle was attacked.

  As Eli drew closer to the dais he looked at the group of elves that were standing near the throne. Their all-black armour was like that worn by the elves under Aratessa’s command, though in place of the spider insignia there was the outline of a single feather. While they’d been outwardly stripped of any weapons, he had no doubt at least some of them had concealed weapons underneath. At their head stood a lithe dark elven woman wearing a gown made entirely of those same feathers – one that had been cut strategically to show off her back and legs. She scowled at him as he stepped onto the dais next to Aratessa.

  “I missed you.” He said, taking her hand and kissing it while ignoring the Raven Queen for a moment.

  “I missed you too.” Aratessa replied with a slight blush and a smile at the public display of affection.

  Putting on a confident face he turned to the Raven Queen and addressed her. “Queen Zephyra, this is an unexpected visit. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  “I have some questions for you.” The raven queen replied, her red eyes narrowing. “I urge you to answer them fully and honestly.”

  “This sounds more like an interrogation than the friendly conversation you made it out to be.” Arartessa said, her anger rising. “An interrogation of my Lord Consort – my man, no less.”

  “Yes.” Zephyra replied defiantly. “That is what this is.”

  “I will remind you that you are in my home, and that our relationship thus far has been built on mutual respect for one another’s jurisdiction. If you violate that-”

  Zephyra met Aratessa’s anger with her own as she cut her off. “I need answers, and I am willing to put Shadowhome’s continued relationship with the House of the Spider on the line to get them.”

  “This is outrageous! I should throw you out right now!” Aratessa shouted, standing.

  As the two women devolved into a shouting match, Eli did the math in his mind for a moment. He knew from his previous court sessions that while they’d made huge strides towards becoming self-sufficient Shadowhome was still supplying Purgatory with critical goods, including the glowing mushrooms which formed an essential part of every dark elf’s diet. That knowledge was enough to convince him to play the Raven Queen’s game, at least for now.

  “I have nothing to hide.” Eli replied, holding his hands up to stop the two. “So long as it doesn’t involve putting an ally or someone I care about at risk, I’ll answer you voluntarily.”

  “What is your opinion on the Mercenary Guild?” She asked.

  Eli couldn’t hide the look of distain on his face. “Well, Prince Anar hired a satyr from the guild to try and assassinate my fiancée, so… let’s go with ‘not great’.”

  “What about hiring or trading favors with other outside forces? You’ve got quite the list of friends outside of this house – elves, orcs, demons, angels – the list goes on.”

  “I ask for help when I need it.” Eli replied, his brow furrowing. “If there’s something you’re fishing for, you’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

  “Have you hired any recently?” She pressed. “For any clandestine jobs?”

  “No.” Eli replied.

  “That’s quite the insinuation.” Aratessa added.

  Unperturbed, Zephyra continued. “Where were you, your harem, and your retinue last night?”

  “I was on Earth, with Naz.” He said, gesturing to his orcish girlfriend.

  “Can you prove that?”

  “Absolutely.” Eli said without hesitation. “There was an incident where someone exposed magic to humanity. I tracked them down as best I could. The council was notified – as a council member you or your delegate should have received word already. I can provide you a list of independent witnesses who would corroborate my story.”

  The Raven Queen leaned backwards to one of her advisors, who whispered softly in her ear. She paused for a moment before nodding, then looking at Aratessa. “I am satisfied.”

  “If I might… what is this about?” Eli asked. “We’ve proven our good will to you by returning your patron. You clearly think I’m up to something – either by my own hand or through a proxy. At least tell me what I’m being accused of.”

  Zephyra furrowed her brow for a moment as she mulled over his proposal. “I would ask that we meet somewhere more…private to discuss that.”

  “I have an office over there.” Aratessa responded, pointing to the back of the room. “Let’s go.”

  “Very well.” Zephyra said, following the beautiful elven woman as she began walking.

  Together with Naz, Minerva, Sira, Ziran, and all the Raven Queen’s guards it was a tight squeeze to get everyone in the office. The tension was thick in the air as Eli took his seat at the table with the two dark elven queens, his eyes darting between the two. Not for the first time he noticed that they wore similar looks – their expressions guarded and neutral in a way that spoke to their years of practice as politicians in a society which loved scheming and subtle political machinations.

  And then there’s me – the wrecking ball here to shake things up. He thought to himself.

  “There was a break in.” Zephyra admitted once the door was closed. “The thief accessed the royal vault and stole an item of great value.”

  Her frank admission surprised the two of them. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Eli said. “Based on the fact that you’re here, I’m assuming the thief is still at large? And that you think it’s me?”

  “Yes.” The Raven Queen responded, not bothering to clarify whether she was answering the first or the second question.

  “Why?” Aratessa questioned.

  “Because the item in question is a book written about Royal Blooded humans.” Zephyra answered, finally tearing her gaze away from Aratessa and locking eyes with Eli.

  Eli’s eyes went wide. “You had a book specifically about Royal Bloods?!”

  “Yes.”

  “Impossible. I’ve been searching for information about Royal Bloods since I awakened! There’s almost nothing out there – only whispers and references to it in other books!”

  “It’s quite rare, but it’s authentic, I assure you.” She responded. “But based on the look of genuine surprise on your face, I can see now that it wasn’t you who stole it.”

  “If I’d known you had it, I would have offered to buy it.” Eli said. “But no – I wouldn’t have stolen it from you.”

  “I believe you. The rest of the dark elven community is…more suspicious.”

  “They see it as a sign of weakness on your part.” Aratessa realized. “If your own allies are turning on you and stealing from your vault, then you’re weaker than ever – and they should strike to remove you from your throne.”

  “Others…may have come to that false conclusion, yes.” Zephyra admitted.

  “Do you have enough forces to hold them off?” Eli asked.

  “While I have the largest standing army out of any of the great houses…no one house could withstand an attack from all the others at once.” Zephyra explained.

  “What if we helped you retrieve the book?” Aratessa asked. “It would clear Eli’s name – and therefore show the other houses that your alliances are as strong as ever. That should be enough to make them change their minds.”

  “An interesting proposal.” Zephyra said. “And what would you want in exchange for this act of kindness?”

  Eli grinned. “I want a look at that book. Give me an hour with it, and we’ll call it even. I’ll give it back in the same condition I found it in.”

  “That’s all?”

  “That’s all.”

  Zephyra slowly nodded. “Very well. How would you like to begin your investigation?”