Love as a Form of Binding

Whatever had caused the floor to collapse had happened long before. What was left was a hole in the floor that was not immediately apparent – until Thiery walked off into space without looking in time to see the opening.

"Here!" Illa called out, "Thiery's fallen through the floor!" She crept forward and looked down. What she saw in the dimness below caused her to jump into the opening as well. Mother's shadow flitted past overhead as she overtook them, seeking to find the main hall if she could.

Mother needed to know how many queens there might be here. She didn't think there were all that many, given the state of the place. She just needed to know in case she had to step in to help, since the number of queens were a rough guide to the strength and power of the king and his ogres.

She tried to think of a number that might be a problem for Tobias and her daughters if things went badly. If there were more than twelve, she decided, then she'd wade in, as it was Tobias' first real fight. If he won this, he could move up to facing multiple demons alone. Goblins weren't hard to kill, but they moved quickly and very erratically.

That's why they were so good to practice with.

Thiery found himself in a chamber full of very surprised goblins. In fact, he'd landed on the back of one of them and sliding off, he swung his axe at one leg and dodged as the thing fell over. His left hand met his right on the haft of the axe as he reversed the blade around to cleave deeply into the goblin's head with an overhead strike. He was amazed at how deeply the blade of the axe had gone and the effort that it took to free it. The other goblins in the room pulled back in startled shock until they'd gotten a look at the diminutive fighter in their midst.

Thiery wrenched the axe free and turned but by that time, he no longer fought alone. Illa spread her wings and wheeled around, tearing at the eyes and faces of several as she passed shrieking like a banshee.

Thiery had grown some and changed a little in his appearance, but he'd changed more inside himself and had no time at the moment to wonder or think on it. He was just a little taller than most of the smaller goblins now, though he lacked the bulk of any that were larger. He more than made up the difference with adrenaline once he saw Illa there with him. He had a battle axe. By comparison, she had her fingernails. Thiery didn't like it one bit.

He tore into them.

The last semblance of order evaporated as Racephet and Zele landed after Illa's entrance. The demon went in one direction and the hellhound ripped into the panicked goblins jammed into the other entrance, all trying unsuccessfully to get out. Thiery and Illa took the ones still in the room. A minute or so later, the room was silent, but for the heavy breaths of Zele as she came back to them slowly along the pathway.

Illa and Thiery looked around while a dying goblin on the floor twitched weakly as his throat artery sprayed its last few pulses. Illa looked at her wet nails for a moment.

"That was a bit of fancy work," she grinned over at Thiery, "How did ye manage that? " She mimicked the reversal and overhead swing that she'd seen the kobold perform, "I saw ye do that just as I came through."

He shrugged, "I dunno, Illa. I never thought of it, I just did it," he said, picking up a sword and a dagger from the floor. He offered them to Illa.

She slapped her hand over one of his pectoral muscles with a smile, "Never ye mind, Handsome. I'm likin' what I see, so keep doin' it."

She took the dagger and held it in one hand, her thumb over the pommel and the blade along her forearm. She smiled at the kobold, "Yer nae done growin', I think, Theiry, look at yer arms. Either that, or yer lookin' a wee bit bigger te me somehow."

The kobold looked, but he saw no difference. What he saw and felt were his arms still trembling from the adrenaline. He shrugged with a smile.

Racephet returned, "Nothing but collapsed stonework that way."

They looked at Zele, covered in gore as she spat. She looked up, "More this way."

They were just about to file out of the room when three more goblins jumped through the hole from above. Zele took one by the throat and Thiery claimed two more in quick succession. Illa couldn't believe what she'd seen. Thiery had planted his feet and just paused long enough after killing the first with one blow to the neck to wrench out his axe and hook the bottom of the blade into the shoulder of the second to pull him onto the sword in his other hand.

Racephet looked astounded for an instant, but he recovered quickly, "I did not teach you that," he said.

Thiery grinned with a nod, "I think ye meant tae."

Racephet nodded with a smile.

They looked up as Toby called down, "Those were the last up here. What the hell are these things?"

"They're goblins," Illa shrugged as she looked up at him.

"Aye, goblins." Thiery nodded, "Why de ye ask. Laird?"

"I dunno," he said, "They look like orcs to me. I thought goblins were the same thing, but smaller or something."

"Orcs?" Thiery looked confused, "Is that what they call 'em where ye're from?"

"Yeah – I mean no," Toby said, "I've never seen any. I only know what I've read in books and seen in a movie."

Thiery shook his head at Toby, "I've no idea what ye're talkin' about, Laird Tobias. I've seen books before, but what's a movie? And anyway, ye even said they was the same things. How can they be different if they're the same?"

"From what I read," Toby said, "Orcs are the same thing, but a bigger kind of goblin. Stronger, too."

"Well they come in different sizes," Illa said in explanation with her hands on her hips in a no-nonsense way, "They get stronger and meaner the bigger they get. Pick a size that suits ye."

"Aye," Thiery said, "And the big ones smell worse too."

"Never mind," Toby said, seeing the way that Maezou and Alecto were looking at him, "Do either of you know where this passageway leads?"

Illa and Thiery looked at each other. "It's the way te the main hall, "Thiery said, "This one goes that way too."

"I've never been down here, "Illa said, "But I can lead the laird and the ones upstairs there." She kissed Thiery quickly, "Meet ye there." She flew up through the opening to lead the others and Alecto jumped down to take her place after a brief discussion above.

As they walked cautiously along the corridor, they met no more opposition, but at one point, Zele stiffened and indicated the hallway ahead with her eyes. "I smell more," she whispered.

Thiery took rearguard as Racephet extinguished the flames on his body. They crept along until the passageway opened up into a large chamber at least sixty feet high.

There must have been well over a hundred of the things there and several larger ones who seemed to be the leaders, since they were arguing over some point while the rest simply waited for instructions. There was a loud bellow and the larger ones fell silent as an obviously more important one spoke to them.

"I will begin this," Alecto whispered. The others nodded and she was gone, a quickly moving rumor of darkness in a dim place. When she reached the opening into the cavern, she spread her wings and soared out, little more than a thin and rapid shadow. As she turned past the highest levels of the openings and caves filled with waiting goblins, she was joined by Maezou who had seen her from the level above.

They turned and wheeled in opposite directions at different heights, but they had two things in common. Neither of them was directly visible, and any goblins that they passed close to simply fell dead.

It was more than a minute before the large goblins at the bottom realized what was happening because of the bodies that fell to the main floor, but by then, both Racephet and Tobias were among them, though at either ends of the large cavern.

Tobias grabbed one of the larger goblins by the throat and as he lifted him up off his feet, any that were watching shrunk back in fear as the goblin yelled and dissolved. Toby's eyes flashed blood red as he glared around him. The majority of the ones on the floor ran from him until they almost tumbled at the feet of the other demonlord who had been standing there in the shadows.

Racephet's flames roared into life as he stood with his glowing wings spread, and the noise of their frightened screams rose as he began to spit tongues of fire from his mouth.

"It's nae good us being stuck up here," Thiery muttered as he looked down, "we cannae help much like this."

Zele turned her head to look at him in a bit of surprise. What he'd said was about the last thing that she'd have expected to hear from a kobold.

"Look there!" he cried, "They've got archers!"

Illa looked down from the edge of the passageway where she now stood. If she looked straight down, she could see Thiery and Zele. Her eyes followed where he was pointing. She saw the bowmen.

Zele looked and growled. There was a gallery on the opposite side and it was filling with goblin bowmen. From their vantage point, it would be easy shooting.

"If Thiery wants to go there, Zele can take him," Thiery turned and saw the demonic Zele standing on two feet and looking like a feminine form of dark and silent death.

Thiery grinned and nodded, "Aye, Miss Zele. I'm wantin' te go."

Above them, Illa jumped and spread her wings.

The row of archers didn't see the imp hurtling toward them from the side. Only two of them had their bows up at the instant of time when she arrived at the end of the row.

Zele saw Illa and thought about slowing just a little, not wanting a collision, but an instant later, she saw the imp's plan and beat her wings hard to add to their momentum. Thiery hung in Zele's grasp trailing his axe, but leading with his sword. He wondered if his arm would break, but it was long past time to voice any concern like that.

Illa grinned as she trailed the dagger in one hand and hung the claws of the other hand out while she rocketed past at the level of their faces. She only retracted her weapons as she neared the obstacles of the two bows. As she came clear of the row, she wailed to draw their attention from what was coming while she raced around for another pass.

Several of the bowmen tumbled backward in pain, some of them were now blind in one eye and one was dying from a severed throat artery. The rest were now intent on getting at least one shot off at the imp. It would have been a natural thought to them that she'd now seek another target, since imps were not known to stay in any fight.

The last thing they expected was to see her come straight at them, her wings beating hard and her teeth showing clearly as she howled out her hatred like the shrill keening of a shrike.

Three raised their bows, but it didn't matter. Zele had judged her altitude and speed perfectly and when she released Thiery, he landed on them while she pulled straight up to come around again, her hands pushing off the cavern wall from the closeness of her passage.

There were a few things on Thiery's body that hurt now from his rough landing, but they didn't stop him. He pulled his sword free and just set to it. He wished that he was stronger and faster, but there were goblins who had the opposite desire, since he proved difficult to engage. Two goblins to his left fell over with an imp on them slashing furiously and the last chance of the rest passed as Zele landed and became the hellhound again in an instant. Swords broke over her head and shoulders and axes were blunted or broken on the first strike. There were never any second attempts. Zele hated goblins.

The larger of the two that Illa had landed on grabbed her and pulled her under him. Her claws ripped into his face, but he hung on and managed to free his dagger. Illa's mind had just formed the thought that perhaps her luck had run out when the goblin disappeared, hauled back by the hooked bottom of Thiery's axe over his shoulder, but he wasn't done yet. He spun and jumped at Thiery, closing his teeth on the kobold's shoulder. The bad angle left Theiry few options and no clear way to grip much more than the goblin's stringy hair – and that pulled out in large hanks. The bastard wouldn't let go.

But he did indeed let go as Thiery watched the face recede from him with its eyes squeezed tightly shut in pain as he screamed with his mouth wide. Illa had him by the head, squeezing for all she was worth as she tried to position one nail on each of her hands just a little better. The rest were already in deeply, under his scalp and in through his cheeks.

"Hold still, ye reeking piece of shit!" she hissed through her teeth, and then with his last movement, her claws were where she'd wanted them and she sank the middle one on each hand through his ear canals and into his brain until her fingertips touched his head. He was still on his knees trembling as she wiggled her fingers around.

She ripped her claws out of his head and grabbed his hair as he sank backward slowly.

"Can ye hear me better now?" she screeched at him, "I said, FUCK OFF!" She yanked his head back to bang it onto the stonework and the two lovers grinned at each other for a moment. When he got up to stand, Thiery swung his axe through the goblin's throat and the head lolled almost completely severed.

"Why' d ye do that?" Illa asked, "He was dead already."

"I know that, Sweetness," Theiry sighed, "It's just that, ... He had ye down, Illa. I wasna goin' te let him hurt my girl, and I know he's dead and all, but I just wanted a last swipe at him, that's all."

Her eyes opened a little wider, "Oh, so I'm yer girl now, am I?"

Thiery felt foolish then and didn't know what to say. He thought that he'd said something wrong and had no idea how to make this transgression better – if it was even possible.

She stepped up to him and kissed him just once. "I was wonderin' how long it was goin' te take ye te see things my way, boy. Come on then, let's not let Zele get too far ahead or there'll be nothin' left tae kill."

They ran along the passageway as quickly as they could, mindful that they might pass other passages on either side.

"When did ye become my girl, Illa?" Theiry whispered, "When did ye know?"

"I think it started about three seconds after I saw ye come down the steps inte the hall, and I decided what it was that I wanted while we were walkin' together with you holdin' my hand. But that first moment was a big one, "Illa said decisively.

He tried to think back, but came up dry. "What were ye lookin' at then?"

She sighed, "That was the moment that I first saw yer wee backside," she said, "and then ye turned around, Thiery. I thought I was goin' te fall from the ledge.

Ye do have a sweet backside, ye know."

"Anyway," she smiled, "Ye became my boy while I was watchin' ye sleep under me on the shelf. I made my decision then, though it didna happen until I had ye inside me for the first time. It'll sound odd te hear it, but that's when I accepted ye as mine, even though I already knew that I wanted ye te be mine. I also knew that I was yours already.

Ye know that imp girls like me always make their choice. It doesna happen all that much from what my mother told me, but we choose the one that we think we want forever the first time, Thiery. I made my choice, so yer stuck wi' me now."

"But what'll happen if ye find a male imp?" Thiery asked, "One that's the right kind fer ye?"

"I'll tell him te bugger off, Thiery," she grinned, "I told ye, I made my choice and it's you. If there was a hundred imp girls here with their men, I'd be the only one that's got a male wi' long blonde hair and a smile that can melt me – and that was before.

Now, I've got the same sweet smile on the same handsome face, and my male's one who'll fight fer me. Imp boys might do that for their girls, but they don't learn te use a sword and an axe in an afternoon and then go lookin' fer a fight. And imp boys don't grow the hard muscle that ye did after a fuck with us. They might get a bit protective, but they don't turn inte fighters that'll hunt goblins fer fun. There could be a hundred in front of me, but I've the nicest – and now the biggest. My mother told me what te expect after a fuck with an imp boy if it ever happened, Theiry. She never told me anything about a boy like you.

Don't ye kid yerself, things like that count fer a lot te a girl like me." She finished with a solemn nod that only lasted an instant before they were both chuckling.

They followed Zele down the corridor to come out on the ground floor of the chamber. After that, it was just plain brawling. Alecto landed and began to smite down any that were in her sight. They just dropped from her glance.

Mother looked down from where she hovered near the ceiling. She thought the whole thing was going rather well, but there was something that needed doing. "Tobias!" she called out. "Tobias!"

He threw down the last of the ones near him, looking only long enough to see the unnatural angle of its neck before he looked up. Seeing the demoness there was a little awe-inspiring, he had to admit, but it would have been nice to have her down here with the action. Then again, he thought, they were managing fairly well without her.

"The king," she called out clearly, "Take the king!"

Toby looked around himself. He couldn't see the one who was in charge at all.

Maezou heard it and looked down. She beat her wings twice to change her course and twice yet again to get more speed before she folded them against her tightly. She doubted that she had the time, but she'd try. This was no time to lose her mate. Her heart beat harder when her mind came up with his terminology – her husband.

But Toby sensed his danger a second later and he spun around. There was the old king right there, a giant among goblins, stepping forward now that Toby's wings and tail were out of the way to stab downwards. Maezou's eyes opened wide and she would have screamed in warning and despair if there was time for it.

But there wasn't.

Toby felt two things distinctly. He felt it when his body took its own defensive measure and the lizard-like plates on him rippled to present a smooth and almost seamless surface. He hadn't thought of it, it had just happened. The second thing that he felt was the impact of the point of the blade against his chest. That hurt him a little, though not much, surprisingly.

The scales turned the blade and Toby seized the goblin king by the throat. He closed his free hand over the fist holding the dagger. The king hung there in shock until Toby twisted the hand to point the dagger at its owner.

Maezou spread her wings wide to slow herself.

The pain of the unnatural movement of the goblin king's hand was visible to Toby in the eyes of his opponent, since he wasn't allowing the king's hand to release the dagger. There had been something of a triumphant roar from him until Toby had his throat. The sound turned into a hissing gurgle, but now it had progressed into some sort of shriek.

The noise went on as Tony felt the goblin's tendons tearing and the joints cracking then. He didn't need to see it in the king's eyes. Maezou landed, but only stood watching in shocked surprise, since Tony seemed to have this in hand. She thought that he'd be dead.

For the first time in Toby's life, he hated something. He knew that they hadn't done anything to him to start this, other than what they'd done to Illa's mother and Thiery's mother as well perhaps. This had been rather impersonal to him up to this point, but it had gone past that now. He slid the dagger in down low into the king's belly. When he got to the hilt, he dragged it upward, sawing as he went. When he got to the thing's breastbone, he didn't stop. He just sawed harder for a moment or two until it was obvious that the dagger was clearly inadequate for the task. Toby placed the point inside the king's nose and pushed until the point hit the inside of the skull at the back of the king's head.