Kingdom Come: Ch 14

Lord Soma held his breath, taking a single step back, while Istvan cried out and nearly bolted. The nervous crowd of soldiers scattered with him as the light faded, a collective gasp went up around us.

My jaw dropped.

In human form, Karalti was small, lean and athletic, like a dancer or a gymnast: a balanced, compact ribbon of muscle and soft curves. Her skin was creamy and iridescent by torchlight, the curves of her back and her face glinting with hints of pearly color, like a rainbow boa’s scales. Her hair was a glorious, a razor-straight fall of inky blue-black that poured down to her hips. And her face… she was Tuun. Wide, high cheekbones, a full, small mouth, eyes as elegant as a calligrapher’s brush stroke. She was perfect, from her long slender neck down to her graceful, narrow feet. She was also buck-ass naked, and every single man on the parapet was staring at her in open-mouthed astonishment. 

When she saw my expression, her eyes grew big and dark with excitement. Then she squealed, ran, and pounced. “Yay! I did it!”

I caught her mid-leap. “Tidbit, I-” 

Karalti made a distinctly inhuman screech of joy as she latched onto me with her arms and legs and spun us around. Her hair swirled across my arms like heavy silk, and as I breathed in the cloud of scent, I finally realized what my dragon smelled like. It was lotus flower. Karalti smelled like lotus in full bloom, waxy and sweet.

“Hector! I did it! I can go with you inside again!” She butted her head against my neck, chirping and trilling. “We can sleep together again! No more cold stables, no more stinky hookwings! Comfy bed! And snuggling!”

“Absolutely, Tidbit. I mean, Karalti. I mean… ummm…” The combination of her scent, her strength, the petal-soft skin of her cheek against mine was quickly stripping me of higher function, common sense, and self-control.

She pulled her head back to meet my gaze with hers. Her eyes were still the same: a brilliant amethyst purple shot through with veins of silver, the iris and pupils large and birdlike. Before I realized what was happening, I fell into it, into her, just as I had when we’d sealed the Bond. Her feelings were more mature now, no longer the raw, primal need of a hatchling seeking food and safety… and as I gazed into her, I realized something. In the time we’d spent together, that first flush of pure, simple love had never changed.

“I meant it when I said you can always call me Tidbit.” Karalti’s full lips parted as she leaned toward my mouth. Sweat crawled down the back of my neck, because I could not bring myself to stop her.

“Eeee! Hector!” Rin’s musical voice broke over the stamping of boots and the chatter of men. The little Mercurion rode on the back of one of her turrets, the other one bounding along after her. Suri was just behind her, leading Cutthroat and staring at me and Karalti in stunned confusion. The dragon’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she molded the front of her body against mine as the pair drew near.

“I can definitely, really explain this!” I blurted once they were earshot. “Suri, this is-”

“Karalti, I know.” Suri had Cutthroat’s reins in one hand, clasping them just under the brutish hookwing’s jaws so that she couldn’t turn around and bite anyone. Her other hand was on the hilt of on her sword, adjusting it so that the end didn’t hit people on the way past. She was wearing her gift from Ignas: a fine suit of flame-scorched plate armor and a long, black-red cloak that faded to scarlet around the hem. Ignas had called it Burning Man’s Plate. She wore it without the helmet, her short red hair tousled and freshly trimmed. “No mistaking that look she’s giving me. How the hell’d you shapeshift like that, Special-K? Is that a Queen Dragon thing?”

“That’s my secret.” Karalti scowled. She rubbed her cheek along mine like a possessive cat before stepping back and tossing her hair over one shoulder. The limited coverage it had given her naked body was suddenly completely irrelevant.

“Good grief, man!” Soma tutted, sweeping his cloak from his shoulders. Before I could stop him, he advanced and lay it around Karalti’s shoulders. “Here, your Holiness… this is the least of the gifts I could give to honor such arresting beauty.”

Karalti opened her mouth to try and speak aloud, but all that came out was a weird honking rasp. Her eyes widened, and she clamped her hands over it with a little squeak of dismay.

“Baby steps, Tidbit.” I gave Soma a reluctant nod of acknowledgment and straightened up the cloak so that it covered Karalti’s modest, but shapely chest. Then, something occurred to me. “Wait: do you have an inventory?”

“Yeah!” She said. “When I changed, my saddle and the saddle bags went in there.”

“Then you should be able to carry armor and weapons.” Curious, I surfed to my own Inventory and selected the Naziri armor set. It came with everything but gloves. I added the Cold Iron Gauntlets I’d found in the tomb underneath Taltos. “Here, Tidbit: I don’t think you have any weapon proficiencies yet, but these gloves double as unarmed weapons. They’re good against undead, too.”

“Yeah! I have unarmed proficiency!” Karalti huddled in against me while I made the transfer to her Inventory - I still had access to it - then closed her eyes for a moment. “Okay... aaaand... equip!”

The leather armor appeared on her body, a Middle-Eastern looking assassin set with layers of artfully aligned leather and plate. It hugged Karalti’s curves a little more than it had on me, and she made it look good. The gloves were brutal: full-sleeve gauntlets forged from pitted cold iron that went almost all the way to her shoulders. She examined her hands, delighted.

“There you go.” Suri clapped her on the back before she had time to react. “You look like a right little warrior princess now.”

Karalti pulled her lips back over her gums, flashing top and bottom rows of razor sharp, shark-like locking teeth. Dragon teeth. Even Suri leaned away.

Istvan grunted. “A dragon who turns into a maiden. Now I have seen everything. Forgive me, Flamehair, Mercurion - we have not been introduced?”

“Nope, but we are now. Suri Ba’hadir, the Lioness of Dhul Fiquar.” She held out a hand to Istvan first, and then belatedly added: “And Countess.”

A tic started by Soma’s eye as Istvan shook ahead of him. When Suri turned to him, he lifted his chin. “A Dakhari countess now? Ignas is handing out titles like priests handing out candy to children during the Dark Moon Festival. Trying to make up for Andrik’s noisy nationalism, is he? Flaunt his tolerance?”

“Andrik’s death opened up a few appointments, and Ignas rewards loyalty as much as he disciplines insolence in his retainers.” Suri flashed him a lovely, acidic smile. “You must be Lord Lorenzo Soma. He told us all about you.”

“Wait: you’re Lorenzo Soma?! THE Lorenzo Soma?! Oh my goodness, I’ve heard all about your work with L.A.E.H.T Engines!” Rin, oblivious to any sort of ritual noble protocol, burst out before Soma could really react to Suri’s barb. “Is it true that you managed to extend the range of the Super Storm DM-Long Haul by 2000 miles!?”

Soma blinked at her a couple of times. “Why... yes, as a matter of fact. Just before this nonsense with the Demon broke out, we were looking at putting those engines into mass production for His Majesty’s navy.”

“Lord Soma is an Artificing genius.” Rin turned to us, while Istvan watched on with arched brows. “He’s published over fifty articles about the development of hybrid long-distance airship engines using BCM-GCM synthesis via induction compression and conjugated Words of Power and... oh...” She trailed off, suddenly realizing that only one other person in the room had understood anything she had said.

Soma laughed uproariously. “Spoken like a true Artificer! Passion, that’s what I like to see! Not enough passion around this place, and it kills morale. You’re a light in the dingy gloom of Fort Koronya, girl. Those turrets are yours, are they? Mind if I look at them?”

“Yes! I mean, no! I mean... sure!” Rin blushed bright blue. She was clearly starstruck.

“Hold a moment, Istvan.” Soma pulled his one normal gauntlet off, revealing surprisingly work-worn hand. He went to Hopper and Lovelace and knelt in front of them. The pair of Artificed turrets jittered in place like nervous hounds. “Khors breath, they’re responsive, aren’t they? Oh... yes, yes. Look at that! I can’t smell any gas around them... but these joints must leak during movement, surely? I always had that problem with articulating joints…”

“They’re sealed with copper solder and silicone gel, like kneecaps!” Rin blurted.

“Oh, yes, I see the mechanism now... fascinating. What Word conjugation did you use to stabilize this: EOM or MOT?”

Karalti cocked her head, clinging to my arm. Suri watched on with a touch of bewilderment. Istvan had that sullen pouty face going again. And me? I was confused. Soma was the weirdest combination of meathead jock and science nerd I had ever met.

At that point, Istvan reached his limit. He swallowed, as if choking back bile, and his mouth turned down at the corners. “Soma! Quit with your damn machines and pay attention to your officers! The marshals are making their approach! We are here to win a war, not play with trinkets!”

Soma paused nattering with Rin. He turned as he rose to his feet, eyes narrowed to icy slits. “These ‘trinkets’ are potentially the blueprints for very powerful weapons against our enemies.”

“Oh, yes. Let us send heavy metal creatures out into the mud carrying payloads of mana in their veins.” Istvan gestured angrily at the turrets. “You’re not stupid, Soma! These can’t swim! They can’t move quietly through the mangroves! Why do you want to send machines into the Great Marsh when you know the undead use that... that poison to make more of themselves!?”

The Count’s lip curled. “You’re a fine one to talk about poisons, you insolent drunkard. Bolza might have let you get away with this behavior, but I’ll have you on the gallows by morning if you don’t sober up and pull your head out of your-”

“Hey, guys. Cool it.” I held up my hands. “Please.”

Istvan’s eyes flashed hotly as he turned to glare at me. Soma’s jaw clenched. Rin, still kneeling beside Hopper, seemed to deflate.

“Some kinds of machines can be used in swampland,” I said. “But Istvan’s got a point.”

“Yeah. It’s not a one size fits all situation. Some Artifacts could be a liability, or just end up delivering payloads to the enemy.” Suri gave a curt nod of her head. “They’d have to be specialized to move through brackish water.”

“It’s true,” Rin added nervously. “The articulated design on Hopper and Lovelace makes these guys fantastic on uneven terrain or in urban scenarios, but there’s a risk that, umm, the joints get clogged with mud. We could develop ones with fewer moving parts to overcome those issues. I always wanted to work on an ATV-style Artifact.”

“Yes, yes... that’s entirely possible. I actually have some blueprints and have been arguing with Istvan here over that for months now.” Soma stroked his stubbly chin, the captain’s insolence apparently forgotten for the time being. “You, girl - Rin? I like you. Istvan, you handle these foreigners. This talented Mercurion and I need to discuss Artificing and trade.”

Istvan’s eyes glittered with bated rage. 

“It would be great to get a brief on the situation here.” Suri joined me and Karalti on my other side. “The more we know, the more we can help.”

“Yeah.” I glanced at the two men as they gave each other the stinkeye when they thought no one else was looking. “And it sure looks like you need it.”