Anthology Short Story: Sweetwood (3/3) (Patreon)

Note:

Patreon analytics are telling me you all are boycotting this short story. I figured I'd edit the last section today so people can read the whole thing in one go over the weekend. We can start with Spire of Blood and the novel version of the paladin story next.

Part 3:

“Hey Edmund.” Sweetwood began. “Will that old man give us the six acres of land?”

“No,” Edmund shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid the human we tossed that mushroom to doesn’t have six acres of land to give us. He was just an old friend of mine.”

“Oh.” Sweetwood said. “He seemed nicer than the other humans. The ones wearing shiny clothes didn't seem very nice.”

“The guards, yes.” Edmund sighed. “it seems like we will not plant your children here. Perhaps there will be another lord more amenable to speaking with us if we travel a while. Or maybe we’ll be able to find somewhere without humans that’s free for the taking.”

“That would be nice.” Sweetwood said. “You know, Edmund, you looked very brave and handsome back there. Those humans thought they could cut us down like a pair of spring saplings, but you cut them down instead!”

“I did, didn’t I?” Edmund chuckled. “You know, the sight of those guards used to fill me with admiration and terror. Now they look like little more that crayfish in their bulky armor. They amble about clumsy and slow, thinking they’re dangerous with their claws or swords. They don't know anyone with magic could come along and crush them with magic as easily as dropping a stone in the river.”

“Well, I’ll have to show you my gratitude for saving me once again, Edmund.” Sweetwood said as she pressed herself against him. She reached for the buttons on her dress, eager to be rid of it now that they were back in the forest.

Edmund placed a hand over hers. “Wait, dear. I think we have someone who wants to speak with us.” Then Edmund turned and glanced behind him. “This forest is quite dangerous for a young woman. Back when I was human, I only dared to wander this far in myself.”

He and Sweetwood turned, and Alice stepped out from behind a nearby tree. She followed the two of them after they left the village, rushing out towards the deadly forest and the pair of fay-touched creatures wandering ever deeper into it.

“Hello...” Alice said as she revealed herself. “I... saw what you did back there.”

“And you’re not afraid?” Edmund raised an eyebrow.

“I am.” Alice admitted. “But I’m also interested. I saw how easily you defeated my father and six of his guards. If I had a fraction of that kind of power, I could do whatever I wanted. I wouldn’t be married off to some distant yeoman, and I’d could more than the keep’s gardener. I could even be the next baroness after my father, if I wanted to.”

Edmund nodded. “I suspect you could. It wouldn’t take much, just knowing how to find a few plants high in certain aspects of fay magic. Maybe one or two spells of your own to defend yourself.”

Alice fell to her knees. “Teach me, please! I want to learn your magic. I promise you ten times the land you wanted from my father!”

Edmund shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to pass on fay magic. The way it worked with me isn’t something you can replicate. Looking back, the odds of my survival through that were quite low. And besides, teaching you would interfere with my own studies. But if you wander the outskirts of the woods, you might find something useful to you. Or you might find something that will eat you. The risk is yours to take.”

Edmund turned to continue. Sweetwood looked at him. “I think you should teach her something, Edmund. She looks nice, and terribly desperate.”

“You have a kind heart, Sweetwood.” Edmund said.

They headed towards the fairy grove, and all the while, Alice followed them. She stayed just far enough back to be out of sight, but as they got deeper and the woods got darker, she found herself in ever greater danger.

By the time Edmund and Sweetwood arrived at the small grove they called home, Alice was already hopelessly lost.

“I suppose you might as well come in.” Edmund sighed as he opened the thorn-laden shrubberies guarding the entrance to their grove and beckoned Alice out of the shadows. He'd watched her trail them all the way here, never faltering despite the danger. The girl really was committed.

“Finally home.” Sweetwood sighed. She’d restrained herself from disrobing and getting comfortable, but now that she was back in their grove, she would not wait any longer. She flung her clothes aside into a nearby pile and collapsed backwards onto the moss, letting her natural green colors flow back into her arms and legs as she lounged. “The moss feels nice today. Join me, Edmund!”

Edmund chuckled. “I suppose I shall.” He took off his own shirt and pants, then tossed them to Alice. “Put those in the chest in the other corner, along with your own. You’ll want to be as close to the forest as possible if you’re to have any hope of feeling fay magic.”

“You... you want me to undress?” Alice blushed.

It took Edmund a moment to remember how strange a concept that had been when he first started living with Sweetwood. Humans weren’t accustomed to their own skin.

“You’ll get used to it.” Edmund explained. “But if you’re going to live with us, you'll live like us. I can’t guarantee you’ll learn any magic, but I suppose pointing out a few important plants wouldn’t be too much trouble for me.”

At the sound of that, Alice quickly disrobed herself. She stood there in the forest, bare breasted, with her arms crossed over her chest, concealing her naked nipples.

“I suppose I’ll go wash and fold our clothes then...” Alice muttered.

Edmund wasn’t listening. He was already wrapping Sweetwood in his arms and making sweet, passionate love with her. The sound of Sweetwood’s pleasured moans made Sweetwood’s cheeks flush an even brighter shade of red.

“Making love like lustful beasts...” Alice said in a hushed whisper. “I’ve always heard fay magic was carnal and wild... but...” Even as she shook her head, her fingers crept between her legs. Before she knew it, she was rubbing herself in time with Sweetwood’s lustful sounds. The two women fell into tune, and Alice almost felt as though she were linked to Sweetwood through Edmund’s power.

When Alice closed her eyes, she saw Edmund’s face looming over her, licking and probing as his warm breath blew across her neck. She imagined her wet lips meeting his.

Months passed, and then Alice’s visions went turned from fantasy to reality. It started with a gentle touch. She let her hand linger on Edmund’s when he was describing the magical uses of a certain plant root.

She leaned her head against his side as he ran his fingers through her hair. Edmund sensed her growing lust over the past few months. Each day it had been mounting like a rising tide, pressing against the dam she’d built over all those years living as a young noblewoman. She was supposed to value her maidenhead and purity more than her life itself, and wait for the man her father sold to. He would claim her and she would make children for him until she died.

That entire life sounded dull now, compared to the mounting passion she felt inside her. Why would she be with some yeoman who wanted her political ties when she could be with Edmund, right here in the faywilds?

And so she made her choice. She threw away the life she might have known. It was likely gone to her already, ever since she vanished into the forest that day she followed Edmund and Sweetwood, but now she chose for herself to embrace the life of the fay.

“Take me, Edmund.” Alice begged. “Like you do to Sweetwood on your bed of moss.”

Edmund raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sweetwood, but Sweetwood seemed giddy at the prospect.

“Oh, how wonderful, Alice!” Sweetwood said. “Edmund can show you such passion. And I can too, if you’ll have me.”

“P-pardon?” Alice stuttered.

“I know all the secrets of a woman’s body.” Sweetwood said. “I’m sure I can add to whatever Edmund does to you.”

She stepped behind Alice, caressing her back and neck. Alice moaned as she felt Sweetwood’s fingers stroke her hair and back. Sweetwood pulled Alice from behind, hauling her to the bed of moss with superhuman strength and pushing her legs apart as Edmund stood over her.

“You want to learn fay magic this badly, do you?” Edmund laughed. “Then I suppose I will oblige you after all.”

And then he went down to one knee, pressing the head of his cock against Alice’s opening, just as he had done to Sweetwood years ago.

He plunged into her supple depths, and Alice squirmed on the bed of moss. A wide smile spread across Sweetwood’s face as she rested Alice’s head in her lap. The dryad stretched out her hands and took each of Alice’s breasts in her palms. Her fingers caressed the gentle, feminine mounds as she bent down and touched her lips to Alice’s.

Meanwhile, Edmund pushed herself deep and deeper. Soon he had his full length inside of Alice. The young noblewoman quivered around his cock, trembling in anxious anticipation. His member slid in and out in a slow and steady rhythm.

To Edmund’s surprise, wild fay magic flowed about him just like it did when he made love to Sweetwood. It wasn’t as great in quantity, and all of it came from him, but it was there, like a tether forming between him and Alice.

Intrigued by the sudden development, Edmund fed magic into the tether, urging it to grow and strengthen. It did so, growing from a thin thread to a thick chord that thrummed with each thrust of his hips.

“Be one...” Edmund muttered, as the fairies had years ago.

And then they were one. Edmund felt a connection sink into place, like chord connected to his mind. It wasn’t as tight as his connection with Sweetwood, which was bound to his very soul, but it was there. This bond was far safer than the one he’d made with Sweetwood, and Edmund could reach out to stabilize Alice’s half through the connection.

Alice felt Edmund touch her mind, and she experienced a level of intimacy and euphoria beyond even the intense carnal lust she basked in now. The moment Edmund’s thoughts brushed against her, she felt a spine-shaking orgasm that left her drooling and limp.

Edmund finished inside her moments later, and whatever he was doing with his magic ended soon after.

“Alice feels different now.” Sweetwood said as she pulled away. “What changed?”

“She will need time to recover.” Edmund explained. “I think I could push a little of my magic into her, and her body needs time to adjust.”

“So she’s magical now too?” Sweetwood asked excitedly.

Edmund chuckled. “Not like us. I’m not as crazy as you were that day you bonded with me. I fed her a tiny trickle of power. She has no way to contain it on her own or gather more, but I suspect she could learn to use whatever I gave her.”

Sweetwood squinted at the young noblewoman. “Hmm... she doesn’t have much. We will need to play with her like this frequently if we are to fill her with magic. Maybe she’ll be like us if we keep at this for a hundred years.”

Edmund grinned. “Somehow, I don’t think she’d mind that.”

***

Over the next few months, Edmund taught Alice the secrets to fay magic as he understood them. The concepts were difficult for her to grasp, since she didn’t have the advantage of sharing a soul with a magical being. But Edmund was patient, and he’d already reorganized all the fairy knowledge he’d learned in a way that suited the human mind.

Edmund found teaching her far more rewarding than he expected, and not just because Alice needed a new infusion of fay magic before and after each practice session. Organizing his own notes and thoughts so that Alice could understand them helped him rework his own understanding. He realized he didn’t grasp the fundamentals of magic as well as he thought he did. Alice proved the perfect excuse to rethink everything he knew.

Soon Alice was conjuring sparks, just as he had when he first started learning. Then she moved on to making light and sparks. Sweetwood, who’d shown no interest in the trick when Edmund had first invented it, now joined Edmund and Alice for their lessons.

Edmund suspected she enjoyed playing with him and Alice after practice as more than the lessons themselves, but he was happy to see her overcoming the fear of fire she’d held ever since lightning struck her sweetwood tree.

After a year of practice and fulfilling company, Alice’s capacity for magic grew tenfold. She no longer feared the creatures of the faywilds, and Edmund let her wander around their grove unattended.

Her body was stronger, her skin tougher. The thorns no longer scratched her bare skin, and the open air felt invigorating instead of cold. Her eyes had taken on an inhuman luster as colors danced within them like tiny wells of power.

“Edmund...” Sweetwood said one day. “I have so many seeds within me now. We need to plant some of them soon.”

“You’re right.” Edmund sighed. “I’ve been so caught up teaching Alice I’ve hardly had time to scout the borders of the forest. There isn’t much land outside the woods that isn’t claimed by humans. And clearing land within the forest would mean taking homes away from our fairy friends or other dryads.”

“Master?” Alice said, addressing Edmund as a human apprentice would address their teacher. “You remember my offer when we first met, right? I could give you the land.”

Edmund sat up. “That’s right. But are you certain you want to go against your father?”

Alice smiled. “I was a bastard daughter. My father only acknowledged me because he had to, and when he did, he treated me no better than a servant girl. I’m ready. I promise I remember everyone my father met with and all his business dealings. So long as nothing much has changed in the last year, I could take over for him today and run the barony just fine.”

“Then let’s go see your father.” Edmund said. “Get dressed, girls.”

***

Alice’s old clothes didn’t quite fit her anymore. Something about being filled with wild fay magic had changed her. Her body had become lithe, toned, and athletic. She was more flexible, and Edmond wasn’t sure if that was because of magic or the rigorous demands of their constant sex.

Her breasts were bigger as well. What had been tiny nubs were now bountiful orbs of womanhood. Because of her changes, Sweetwood had to make a new set of clothes for Alice as well. She did her best to match what Alice had been wearing the first time they’d seen her. Alice wanted people to recognize her upon her return.

Once dressed, the three of them headed off to the edge of the forest. Edmund spotted Terric soon after exiting, though he barely recognized the old man now that Terric was standing straight. Some of the gray had drained from his beard and a bit of the hair he’d lost had returned to his head.

“Terric.” Edmond waved as he approached, with Alice on one side and Sweetwood on the other. “It looks like you’re doing well.”

“Edmond!” Terric said, eyes going wide with surprise as he glanced left and right. “You shouldn’t be here. The baron gave orders to report any sightings of you! He wants your head!”

But Edmond only laughed. “Does he, now? It seems we’re of a like mind then. I want his head as well.”

Terric’s eyes went wider still, and he looked behind him as though afraid a dozen armed men would pop out of the barley field. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Edmond.”

“Terric, there is no man here that deserves a reward for catching me more than you do.” Edmond said. “Why don’t you lead the three of us to the keep and collect it for yourself?”

Terric protested a while longer, but Edmond was firm. Eventually, he caved and led the three of them towards the keep, though he continued to whisper warnings and tell them about escape routes the whole way.

“There are a few windows on the upper floors big enough to fit through.” Terric explained. “And if you can slip by the guard at the rear gate, you could run right back into the forest. The baron’s men won’t chase you for long in there.”

“Thank you Terric, but I’ll be walking out the same way I walk in.” Edmond said.

Terric bit his lip, holding back a question as they neared the gates. “P-pardon, Edmund. But my old mind is having trouble with my memory. Did you really have horns the last time I saw you?”

Edmond smiled and snapped his fingers. His horns grew out of his head, jutting from his skull like two signs of demonic power.

Terric gulped in fright at the sight of them.

Finally, they neared the gates to the castle. Men were already stirring at the walls. Edmond’s entrance this time wouldn’t be as quiet as the last time.

“This man found us.” Edmond shouted up. “I’m told he’s due a reward for that. Pass it down and we’ll head inside.”

“You’ll come in willingly?” The guard shouted down from the walls.

“That’s Captain Everret.” Alice whispered in his ear. “A viscous man. I heard he burned the entire population of a neighboring village at the stake because he knew my father was going to lose control of it next season and he didn’t want the lord who took it from him to grow too powerful. If he gets close, expect someone to stab you from behind.”

“I’ll keep your warning in mind.” Edmond whispered. Then he turned to the guard on the wall and shouted. “That’s right, I’ll come in without a blade on me.” He waved his cloak to show he wasn’t concealing anything beneath it.

“Good.” Captain Everret tossed a pouch off the wall. Terric wouldn’t have dodged the bag of gold and silver if Edmund hadn’t pulled him out of its path. The heavy bag thudded into the ground, burying itself with enough force to cave a man’s head in. “There’s your payment, serf. Plus a little extra to hold on to for me. I’ll be coming back later to pick the extra up, so you’d best make sure there are still five thousand gold pieces in there.”

Edmund picked up the bag and hefted it in one hand. While there were quite a few coins in the bag, there was no way there were five thousand. Captain Everret just wanted an excuse to take the reward for himself later.

But Edmund wasn't going to allow that. His powers had grown, and even from this distance he could reach up with a bit of power and prick the vein just above Captain Everret’s heart. He’d been eating well these last few years, and there was a thin plaque of something in there.

Ordinarily, it would take decades more to build up to anything appreciable, but Edmund used a bit of magic to put most of it back into solution, urging it to deposit itself in one specific spot right above Captain Everret’s heart.

The gate opened, and Edmund passed the bag of coins off to Terric before walking through the door gate. Captain Everret headed down the stairs to meet him.

“Alright, that’s far enough, demon.” Captain Everret hissed. But as he spoke, he clutched at his chest.

“Feeling a little pinch there, Captain Everret?” Edmond asked. “The pain should start about now.”

“You damn devil-spawn.” Captain Everret said. “What have you done to me!?” He pulled his dagger from his sheath and lunged at Edmond’s unguarded back, but Edmond saw the blow coming with his mystical senses and stepped to the side.

“Nothing I couldn’t fix,” Edmund scowled, “but sadly, I doubt you’re the type to make a deal with a devil-spawn.”

“W-wait!” Captain Everret pleaded. “You're wrong, I'll help you.!Make it stop! I’ll keep the other guards off you!”

Edmund flicked his fingers and the clot near Captain Everret’s heart spread out, receding back against the walls around his veins.

“Remember, I can make that happen again any time I want.” Edmund said. “Be on your best behavior. That means keeping that dagger you have in its sheath.”

Captain Everret grunted and pocketed the dagger. He’d been watching Edmund’s back for an opening, but Edmund had already proven he could see even when his head was turned. In the end, Captain Everret’s caution won out over his hunger for revenge, and he backed down.

“You heard the demon! Er... I mean, the man.” Captain Everret said. “Move aside.”

“I’m headed to see the baron.” Edmond said. “I hear he’s expecting me.”

Captain Everret led Edmond through the keep to a familiar chamber. He opened the heavy sweetwood door and revealed the baron had rearranged things since their last meeting.

A cot had replaced the large wooden desk. The baron rested atop the cot, his legs still unable to hold his weight after Edmond’s spell weakened them so much. He was more portly than ever now that Edmund's spell had confined him to his bed.

“Baron Rommel.” Edmund said. “I’ve heard you’ve wanted my head.”

“Hello, Baron Rommel.” Alice said as she stepped out from behind Edmund.

“You!” The baron jabbed a meaty finger at Alice. “You ran off with this wild... thing! You betrayed me! Do you realize how much the loss of those eight archers hurt my war effort this year? And the fact that I couldn’t ride with my men, given my... condition. I’ve lost three thousand acres because of you!”

Edmond laughed. “And to think, we were only asking for six. Had you just taken my offer, you’d be healthier and more powerful than ever.” Edmond shook his head. “Well then, Alice. Do what you want with him.”

“You think a little wretched daughter of a whore like you can do me in!” Baron Rommel snorted. “I’ve slain warriors three times your weight, I’ve... ugh... ah...”

An ugly, croaking sound cut the baron’s voice short. Alice held her fingers up and pinched them, like squeezing a straw. The baron clutched at his throat, and his eyes widened as he realized he was suffocating. He reached for the sword at the side of his bed, but Sweetwood bent over and snatched it up first before dashing out of the way.

He glanced at Captain Everret, eyes pleading. But his captain turned his eyes away, not caring in the slightest for his lord’s predicament.

Baron Rommel crawled across the ground, snatching at Alice’s legs as he tried to drag her down. Alice drove him back with a kick and backed off to the far corner of the room. The baron’s eyes bulged and widened as his face turned purple, starved of air.

Alice was running out of power, and this seemed hard on her. So Edmond cut the whole affair short by using the same spell he’d used on Captain Everret. The baron was a bulkier man, and had eaten even better than Captain Everret, so causing the same heart failure in him was even easier.

Just like that, the lord of the Valadel barony was dead.

“Well then, Captain Everret.” Edmund said. “It looks like the barony will need a new lord. Gather the soldiers and messages. We’ll spread the word.”

“The lords might not accept a serf taking a noble title.” Captain Everret warned. “Especially one rumored to wield unnatural power.”

“Oh, I won’t be the baron.” Edmund shook his head. “Alice will be. She’s Baron Rommel’s daughter, after all.”

“An illegitimate daughter.” Captain Everret warned. “Not to mention a woman. I don’t like it.”

“It’s a good thing this decision isn’t up to you then.” Edmond warned. “Alice is the baron. If you’ve got a problem with it.” Edmond snapped his fingers, and Captain Everret felt same sharp pain in his chest once again.

“I u-understand.” Captain Everret said. “Please.”

Edmond reversed his spell again, sparing Captain Everret’s life. He got up and went to fetch the guard and messengers, just as Edmond ordered.

“I never thought it would be this easy...” Alice said as she sat down in the baron’s chair. “I’m the baron now. Well... the baroness.”

“Can you sell us that six acres of land now?” Sweetwood asked.

Alice smiled and laughed. “I can do much more than that, Sweetwood. Here, I’ll lease you the hundred acres directly between the keep and the forest. It’s yours to keep for the indefinite future. I might get you more. I suspect the magic Edmund taught me will be very useful for turning raw land into something suitable for farming.”

“This is wonderful, Edmund!” Sweetwood leaped for joy. “We can finally plant our thirty thousand children!”

“Thirty thousand?” Edmund let out a short, choking sound. “I thought it was only ten thousand?”

“Don’t be silly.” Sweetwood laughed. “You’ve been helping me make a lot of seeds these past few years. More than any other dryad in the forest and then some! I can’t wait to plant them!”

“Suddenly, taking over a barony seems like it was the simple part.” Edmund laughed to himself. “It looks like I’m going to be busy for a while.”

“Before the two of you go,” Alice interjected. “I want you to see something.”

She led the pair of them down the hall to a large bedroom. There, in the center of the chamber, was a massive bed, gilded with gold covered in velvet.

“I have to say, that bed of moss is soft, but the feeling is nothing compared to a proper bed.” Alice said. “Come on, let me show you.”

Then her dress dropped to the floor.

The End.

Author's note:

So that's going to be my submission to the Dukes of Harem Anthology coming out at some point (probably near the end of the year) Chief down in the chat probably knows more about the release date than I do.

Unless I decide to switch it out with another short story. I have a cool idea for a short about a dragon with a massive dragon dong...

Kidding, guys! I can tell by Patreon analytics that 3/4'ths of you guys go on strike whenever I write a short story (though this time it was more like 4/5'ths). I just promised to have a submission for the anthology, so it needed to get done. I will work strictly on novels for the next few months.

I've got about 10 chapters done of the official version of the paladin novel, so expect that to hit Patreon when I'm done editing them. I'll jump on that as soon as I have the first ten chapters of Spire of Blood edited and scheduled for posting.

My goal is to launch Champion of Deania (Book 6), then the Paladin novel, then launch Spire of Blood (Spellheart 7), followed by the sequel to the paladin novel.

I plan to keep the paladin story as a short trilogy/quadrilogy so I might break the pattern after that just to close that series off quickly. With the exception of a longer first book, the paladin novels are going to be more reasonably sized for the genre so writing two of them should only take me the time to write one spellheart book.