The Wood Knot Warrior Pt 03

Author's Notes:

The Wood Knot Warrior Part 3 is my contribution to the third Tales of Leinyere Story Event... that never happened.

Continuing the story of Dell du Krane, Eryllis Harrowane, and Kharza.

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

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Tales of Leinyere - The Wood Knot Warrior Part 3

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Chapter 1

Karter du Krane blinked his eyes open as his body clock told him it was time to get up. He'd developed this discipline from years of being the manager of the Wood Knot Inn. He was responsible for keeping the inn and restaurant businesses running smoothly and maintaining the inn's status as a neutral and protected territory for arbitrating territorial or cultural disputes. With Humans, Wood Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs living close to each other, the need for his skills to prevent bloodshed kept him busy.

Thankfully, nobody had been on the warpath in the last month.

He was more relaxed today than six months earlier as his son, Dell, was back in the kitchen. After being abducted by Pixies, then off galivanting to bring justice to the wicked, he'd finally settled back into his favorite role of being their chef.

A smile appeared on his face as he thought of how much of their success was due to his son's incredible talent in the kitchen. Their reputation for delicious meals exceeded most of the high-end culinary establishments in Grennesh. The inn's rustic setting and comfortable atmosphere would never outclass the fine dining restaurants with their glamor. Still, the Wood Knot Inn couldn't be beat for pure satisfaction from an excellent meal.

It tickled him that his competitors up there inside the city's walls were grinding their teeth in frustration as, time after time, they failed to lure Dell away with promises of riches and fame. They'd even tried to poach Dell's team, but Karter paid them well, ensured their families were taken care of, and they loved the atmosphere.

The only issue they faced now was they had more business than tables! The dining room was twice as large as it once had been, but their reputation was attracting even more customers! Thankfully, Dell had the kitchen working like precision-engineered clockwork. His team was brilliant at preparing and serving the meals Dell created. He also had ingredients prepared in advance in the cold cellar should he need to take some time away from the inn. The team was trained to make a wide variety of favorites, so this eased Karter's worries when Dell was away.

The latest addition to their family, Tawna the Pixie Princess, hadn't returned from the Tanglewood yet but Dell said he received the occasional mental touch from her, so she was well. Her connection to his son was another impressive bit of magic. Thankfully, it seemed to do no harm.

He had some appointments in Grennesh, so he pushed himself out of bed to start his day.

It felt good to have his family back.

-=-

"Diced cucumbers would give it a satisfying crunch," Dell said.

"But it has the lettuce and grated carrot for that," Maggie argued. "Does it need more spicy sauce?"

Dell examined the folds, but they seemed to contain the filling without leaks... so far.

He shook his head. "There's enough to enhance the flavor of the chicken pieces without it becoming a drippy mess when eaten."

He'd been trying to teach Maggie his skills as she was his senior assistant in the kitchen, but she seemed to have a block in the creativity side of cooking. She could follow Dell's instructions which made her a good backup for when he was away, but she wouldn't be creating any culinary masterpieces on her own.

"Dell! We have a courier in the lobby looking for a signature! Karter's in the city."

The chef looked toward the kitchen doorway at Hildy, who grinned in delight at seeing him so absorbed in a new creation.

Dell smiled and nodded. "Yes! An impartial test subject!" he said to Maggie, who rolled her eyes.

He quickly tucked his experiment into a paper sleeve and walked to the Inn entrance, where a tall, slim man in a courier's vest stood waiting. The man's cheeks were pink from the late fall cold air.

"Hi, I'm Dell du Krane. You have a delivery?" Dell asked, and the man nodded.

The man pulled an envelope and a clipboard from his pack and looked at the front. "Does a Maevria Stormguard reside at this address?"

"She does," Dell confirmed.

The man held out the board with a sheet of paper on it. "Please add your signature on line ten."

Dell signed the form, and the board went back into the courier's pouch as he handed Dell the envelope.

As the man turned to leave, Dell caught his eye. "Could I ask you for your honest opinion on a new dish I'm contemplating adding to the menu?"

The man looked at Dell in surprise. "My opinion? Uh, I'm on a delivery run, so I don't have much time...."

Dell could see the man was torn as his interest had been piqued by the wonderful scents coming from the kitchen but he was on a deadline.

"Then you're in luck, as this is meant to be eaten while on the go! It will only take a moment," Dell said with a smile and handed the paper sleeve to the man to accept.

"What is it?" the slim man said as he looked closer at the tubular meal in his hand.

"I'm calling it a wrap! The outer layer is unleavened flatbread wrapped and folded around the filling. This one has roast chicken in a spicy sauce with greens. Take a bite and let me know what you think," Dell explained.

The man lifted it to his mouth and took a bite.

His eyebrows rose at the chewy-crispy texture then the spicy sauce reached his tongue, quickly followed by the tangy roast chicken. His eyes closed as his chewing slowed.

Dell grinned as he already knew it was a hit.

When the man finally finished his first bite, his eyes opened, and he looked at Dell. "That's delicious! It conveniently fits in the hand, and the taste is incredible. It's crunchy and tangy, and the outer layer is soft and chewy!"

Dell smiled at the man and saw him reluctantly passing the wrap back.

"No, no! You can have it as thanks for your participation," Dell insisted, watching the courier's face light up. The man raised the treat in his hand in salute and rushed out the door. Dell saw him taking another big bite as he hustled away. Obviously, it would be going on the menu.

He spotted Opphai walk in from the dining room. She'd quickly become an integral part of the team, and her endless cheer lightened the mood of any room she entered. While she was taller and more muscular than Dell, there was no intimidation factor with her as she looked so soft with her fluffy, pointed cat's ears and long, thick braid of hair hanging down her back. Her server's dress lifted her significant breasts to expose the white skin of her cleavage while clinging to her extra generous curves.

"Opphai, could I ask you to bring this upstairs to Maevria!" Dell asked, and the tall, white-skinned female skipped over to Dell to take the envelope with a smile and rushed away.

Dell took a moment to recover from witnessing her chest bouncing so dramatically then walked back into his kitchen with a sigh of satisfaction.

Time to prep for the lunch rush!

-=-

Eryllis was almost back to the inn from her foraging task. Dell mentioned he needed some star crescent mushrooms for a new pasta dish he wanted to try. He said they needed to have a strong umami. This would give the sauce its rich and meaty flavor but distinctly different from his rich meat sauce.

She pulled her coat a little tighter around her as the morning's chill tried to slip inside. Winter seemed to be hurrying to push the last nice fall days away.

She smiled as she recalled something Geneviere Warrick mentioned to her in her last letter regarding the bitter bite of winter. While they hadn't had the opportunity to meet face to face yet, they'd become pen pals, writing letters to each other. That began with her thank you note for the two-wheeled cart the woman gifted her as compensation for her late brother's false claim against them. She'd been surprised by the letter that returned a week later from the woman, but she'd been charmed by the sincerity of her words and responded in kind with her own letter.

They'd tried to find an opportunity to meet in person, but their individual schedules kept this from happening. Geneviere was now the head of the Warrick household, and as such, the first families of Grennesh pulled her into their not-so-secret cabal. They were the unofficial rulers of society in the city, and the Warricks maintained a vote in this council. While her elder brother lusted for this, Geneviere found it most tedious.

Luckily, Geneviere had a brilliant mind and navigated these meetings without becoming entangled in their intrigue. She also managed to redirect their efforts toward more beneficial goals when their thirst for control led them toward darker paths.

On the few occasions Geneviere had been available, Eryllis was pulled away to handle some crisis.

She sighed, and her breath steamed.

She shifted the heavy basket on her arm. It was late in the season, so she was lucky to find what she did. Being such an expert forager, she'd filled the basket, but she was certain those were the last for the year.

As she climbed up the steps and walked in the front door, she inhaled the wonderous scents from the kitchen, and her stomach grumbled at being empty. She smiled as Dell was back where he belonged.

She'd recovered from his abduction, and they'd reaffirmed their love many times since then, so her mood was much lighter. Her temper was taking a well-deserved vacation.

She wondered how Kharza was enjoying her wilderness training with Ket. She shook her head with wonder as the idea of trying that with her two-year-old, Jessa, was ridiculous. Orc children grew up so much quicker.

Eryllis was crossing the bar and saw Dell leaving the kitchen in haste.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she moved to join him.

He smiled and kissed her, and this eased her worry. He took the basket from her and set it on a nearby table as he guided her towards the stairs.

"Nothing's wrong. I just got a touch from Tawna. She's coming for a visit. There was a sense of... anticipation?" he explained.

They climbed the stairs and walked into their bedroom.

"Couldn't you have received her downstairs?" Eryllis asked Dell as she removed her coat, and his face froze. She grinned at his expression.

"I... supposed I could, but this is where I instinctively went," he said softly. He gave her a self-conscious grin. "Hey! I'm not the magic user in this family. I don't know how this is supposed to work."

He turned his face toward the bed as his eyes went out of focus.

A veritable cloud of brilliantly blue butterflies appeared out of thin air above their bed and fluttered their wings excitedly. Just as quickly, they flapped out of sight, leaving behind three Pixies hovering on their wings.

First was Queen Sa Lih Pish Stella, with flowing white hair and softly glowing pale blue eyes. Next to her was Sa Lih Pish Marlah, first in line for succession with reddish-gold hair and glowing pale green eyes. Last, but not least, Sa Lih Pish Tawna with her golden yellow hair and eyes like her mother's.

Dell bowed politely to the queen, and Eryllis followed a second behind. Stella was pleased but glanced at her daughters.

"I wasn't expecting a royal visit," Dell said cautiously.

The three Pixies settled to their feet before him. Their wings disappeared, and all three bowed their heads. Stella spoke first.

"I am deeply sorry for the actions we took during your visit to the Tanglewood. Our efforts to entrap you for our selfish needs were not the behavior of civilized beings. Our need to save our people from extinction did not justify our attempt to take your freedom. I hope you can forgive us," the Queen said humbly with her head down.

"I, too, am profoundly sorry for my attitude and how I deceived you. You deserved better, and I'm ashamed of my actions. Please forgive us," Marlah added softly, eyes downcast.

Dell was stunned as this was not what he was expecting. He was very pleased and quickly glanced at Tawna, who was smiling proudly at her mother and sister. He mouthed thank you to her, and her eyes twinkled.

"I accept your sincere apology and believe we should put this unfortunate event behind us," Dell said, borrowing the words from something he'd heard his father say at one of the arbitration meetings.

Stella and Marlah looked up with relieved smiles and saw Dell curiously looking toward their tummies. Each of the three showed a little dome where his children were growing.

He smiled, and they giggled happily. "We are coming along nicely. The physicians are pleased with the progress," Stella said.

"That's wonderful! Please let me introduce my partner and the mother of our three children, Eryllis Harrowane." He looked to Eryllis. "This is Queen Sa Lih Pish Stella and Sa Lih Pish Marlah."

"I'm also grateful for your acknowledgment of the mistake of imprisoning my

mate

," she said evenly, and Dell felt the steel behind her calm words. Her emphasis on the word mate was not missed by anyone.

"My daughter, Tawna, was most effective in shining the light of truth on how my isolationist practices warped our perception of others. I'm ashamed to say this was largely due to my giving into my fears for my people after we were attacked. I lost a daughter in that tragic event, and it caused me to make many unfortunate decisions," Stella admitted.

Eryllis nodded and smiled at Tawna.

"Where is Kharza?" Tawna asked.

Eryllis smiled. "She's out doing wilderness survival training with her two-year-old son."

She got three astonished exclamations from the Pixies.

"Was the apology the only purpose of your leaving your palace?" Dell asked curiously.

Stella smiled. "Tawna informed me of the special nature of the inn's neutrality and how it is used for arbitration and meetings between different races."

"Yes, that's one of the roles my father manages here," Dell admitted.

Stella smiled. "Might we have a meeting with him and you two?"

"I'll have to see if he's back from Grennesh. He had business in the city," Dell explained.

"If we have time, I would love to see the Inn. Tawna has spoken fondly of it," Marlah said with a hopeful smile.

Dell smiled. "This is our bedroom. I'm not sure why I felt the need to come up here when I felt Tawna's call."

The pretty blonde's face turned a lovely shade of pink, and her mother and sister giggled. Dell assumed this meant the pull to meet here originated with Tawna.

"Let's go downstairs and see if my father has returned," Dell suggested.

They nodded, so Dell led the group to the main floor. He spotted his dad walking in the front door with Morgan Ducane, Grennesh's Master Wizard.

Karter saw Tawna, and his eyes widened in delight as he spotted two more beauties.

"Dad, could we meet in your office? I need to make some introductions. Privately," Dell said.

"I need to speak to Eryllis so I can wait out here," Morgan offered.

"No, please, you should join us," Stella insisted with a sultry smile.

Looking at her in surprise, Dell saw Tawna nod, so he went with it. "Yes, please join us."

The two men glanced at each other then Karter led the way to his office.

Once the door was closed, Dell made the introductions as the men removed their coats. Their eyes widened in surprise. They were in the presence of royalty.

Stella addressed the group. "We arrived today to officially apologize for attempting to enslave Dell so he could help the Pixie nation with our falling population numbers. Our men are becoming infertile. Dell is very fertile and was able to give children to us and a small group of Pixies in the Tanglewood. We've seen the error of our ways and are deeply sorry for how poorly we treated him."

Karter choked off what might have become a laugh but shook his head and waved his hand to ignore him. Dell glared at his father, who pretended not to see it.

Stella continued. "In speaking with Tawna, she told us of the Wood Knot Inn's status as neutral territory. She suggested we might come here to make a plea for assistance in helping boost our population with fertile male volunteers. The Pixies females who are ready for this assistance would come here. Once they've mated with the volunteer, they would return to the Tanglewood. Our children must remain within the Tanglewood from conception until their early teens to ensure a strong binding to Pixie Magic."

Dell frowned. "Should you three be here?" he asked in concern and the three Pixie's smiled at him fondly.

"Short visits are fine," Stella said.

Dell nodded in relief then his brow showed another concern. "Does this mean the children can't come to visit?"

"It would be safer for them if you visited the Tanglewood," Tawna said, and he nodded slowly.

"How would we determine which males are suitable for you?" Karter asked the Queen.

Stella smiled. "Dell tells us Humans are particularly fertile. Healthy, attractive males who are not in a monogamous arrangement with a partner. We learned that Dell had multiple partners here so we incorrectly assumed that he would not mind his activities in the Tanglewood."

Karter cleared his throat. "Any particular age restrictions?"

Dell stared at his father incredulously.

Stella chuckled. "Age between Pixies and Humans is meaningless. We live a very long time compared to Humans. You're considered young to us. We find you and your friend Morgan to be physically pleasing. If you're fertile, you'd both make excellent volunteers!"

Karter smiled widely and nodded.

Morgan looked more than a little surprised, embarrassed, and flattered.

"It's a worthy cause," Dell said to the Wizard, who flashed him an annoyed look but couldn't deny the appeal. He nodded to the Queen as well.

"Commander Falco is single, healthy, and a handsome man. I think he would be a good match for this project," Morgan added.

Marlah locked eyes with Dell. "Are you interested in volunteering? You made quite an impression when you were in the Tanglewood. I know many who would gladly mate with you!"

Eryllis looked at Marlah in shock, but the Pixie seemed surprised Eryllis would have an objection.

"Let's say I did my part for the project for now, okay?" Dell suggested gently, and Tawna gave her sister a disappointed look.

"We will support your project here at the Inn as we can maintain secrecy," Karter offered and got smiles from the ladies.

"We need to know how many Pixies will visit and how often? As information about Pixies must remain a secret, we'll need to limit the number of volunteers to only those we absolutely trust," Morgan said and got nods from Karter, Stella, Marlah, and Tawna.

Dell frowned. "Isn't there a chance of health issues for the children if there are too few volunteers? I've heard terrible stories of small villages that refused outsiders to join. After a few generations, the children began to show signs of physical and mental weakness."

Stella shook her head gently. "Inbreeding isn't something Pixies need to worry about. Pixie magic ensures all children will be born as Pixies with randomized features and characteristics but none from the non-Pixie partner. We can mate with other races but only make more Pixies. Even with Pixie-to-Pixie mating, the children often bear no resemblance to their Pixie parents."

Dell sighed in relief. So, his children with the ladies in the Tanglewood would be healthy. That was a relief. Eryllis took his hand in hers as she must have guessed his thoughts. He smiled at her.

Stella looked at her daughters. "We are very grateful you've offered to assist us with this! Now that we have a tentative agreement, we will need some time to organize the efforts at our end and will get back to you when we have a preliminary schedule worked out. Does that sound good?"