“Perhaps you prefer this form?”
Despite the change of appearance, the voice was still distinctly impossible to place as male or female in pitch. There was something admittedly humorous about seeing a dark-skinned, ripped and hung man with such a soft-spoken voice. However, I was not going to be able to take any conversation seriously with that ridiculously sized thing between his legs hanging out without care.
“Or perhaps you prefer –”
The form changed again. Shrunk. Reduced until what was a smaller, flat-chested young woman appeared. I estimated the age to be about eleven or ten, and there was something fundamentally wrong with seeing such a hungry, predatory gaze on someone who looked like they could not spell puberty, yet alone experience it.
“If I must choose, I would select the first form,” I said dryly. “I typically prefer women above the age of consent.”
Erzili’s shrill voice laughed as it returned to the African goddess. “Age of consent? My, my darling! Erzili loves the sound darling! Erzili loves it! Age of consent. You absolutely must tell Erzili how you came up with that!”
My response was a casual, non-committal shrug. I could not begin explaining the nuance of how the concept of the age of consent was created, nor did I possess any desire to do so. I noticed that neither Arol nor Wunder had risen from their one-knee down position, the duo both still motionless in what was a gesture of loyalty. Or was it subservience? Do nightmares have loyalty? I kept my gaze on Erzili and felt the burning envy and greed gnaw at my heart. Before me was someone capable of shapeshifting. Erzili could shapeshift. If I can get that ability –
“Rise my darlings. Rise, and tell Erzili how your search fared.”
Arol and Wunder stood, and I noticed there was a sharp difference in the way they carried themselves. Wunder had always been laidback, giving the air of an easy-going uncle, or the air of a person who put in a minimal amount of effort in anything he did. Arol, while possessing her moments of childishness that contrasted with her moments of dry wit, was also considerably relaxed to an extent.
Yet, as they stood before Erzili, they might as well have been completely different people. Wunder’s eyes were sharp, alert, and his body was straight and at attention. He carried with him a suddenly intimidating and militaristic air that had been completely absent in the few brief hours I had been his acquaintance.
Arol mimicked that air, though with far less nuance and precision. Most notably, her eyes were half-lidded, and her expression was stone-faced. The childishness I had come to associate with her vanishing like the poltergeist herself.
“We were unable to find the source of the power-spike Leader Erzili,” Arol said, completely toneless. “Upon searching the area, we did however encounter the skeleton standing before you. He is named Janus.”
“Oh?” Erzili’s eyes twinkled. “Wunder, I did not sense you use the Fort Pass to allow this skeleton in.”
“That is correct,” Wunder said. “This skeleton was able to enter the Fort and survive without the Fort Pass.”
Some numerous mutterings and whispers were growing, my ears barely able to pick up all the ‘unbelievable’ and ‘a skeleton could do it?’ that washed across the crowd of gathered nightmares. One hundred and fifty-six nightmares, as I remembered the voice at the gate saying.
“My, Erzili is impressed darling.” If her eyes were twinkling before, they had gone supernova now.
“That is not all, Leader Erzili,” Arol continued. “The skeleton is a soulborn who appears to have retained a large number of his precious memories. His Nightshaman is the esteemed Lord Mavros Cuvar.”
The crowd almost went wild with cheer. Excitement galore as the numerous noises and shouts encapsulated the entire Fort. ‘Another one!’ came the cries. ‘We’ve got another one!’
An unsettling sensation landed in my stomach at those cries as I locked my gaze with Erzili, feeling her piercing stare break through my mask as she looked at me appraisingly. “My, my, what a rare treat. I never knew Mavros darling to be so experimental. Especially considering his rather old age.”
The unasked question was directed at me and I knew it. “Yes, he is… almost rather worn out.”
“Four-hundred years will do that to anyone darling.”
“Time certainly flies.”
“Oh?” Erzili’s sharp eyes almost seemed to glow even sharper. “But Janus darling, isn’t Lord Mavros only just two-hundred and forty-nine? Surely, he must have regaled you with tales of his adventures, with his grand theories of the Ninefall and his experiences as a Black Elvani during the Anathema-War?”
My teeth opened, and then shut. “No,” I said. “All he ever talked to me about was his goal of creating the ultimate lifeform. He had an obnoxious laugh and tended to only be interested in his own greatness, so forgive me if I ended up tuning out a lot of his stories.”
Erzili’s eyes widened a small fraction. So small that I almost missed it. The tug on her lips was more overt, as was the soft laugh. “My, what a surprise darling. What a surprise. You have met Mavros.”
“Was that ever in doubt?”
“Darling, darling, any nightmare can claim to be named by anyone from Mavros Cuvar to Ymir the Younger, after perhaps hearing their names once or twice. But not everyone knows about their little quirks.”
Disregarding me, Erzili turned to Arol and Wunder. “It seems you darlings have brought back a truly special one this time. Although it is a shame that you were unable to find the source of that troubling power…” Erzili’s gaze landed on me slowly. “Erzili believes this is more than enough to make up for it.”
“There… is something else, Leader Erzili.” Arol began.
“The kobolds are making a move.” Wunder continued. “We have a small platoon of them approaching from the Masakh Mountain – we have reason to believe that they may be building their numbers for a
