The Execution of High King David Ardry ap Gwydion

     When the redcaps swarmed over the prone body of Concordia’s former High King, the cheering and acclaim suddenly ceased. The assembled fae became pale and silent, inadvertently letting the sidhe’s pained screams echo in the still air. The sidhe, once called David Ardry, once called High King, writhed in agony as the redcaps began slowly eating him alive. He screamed. The sidhe called for his deceased ex-wife, Morwen. He screamed for his sister, Faerilyth, then cried for his cousin, Coriline. The names of his former bodyguards and friends, the Trueheart Brigade, echoed off of the stronghold’s uncaring walls. Tara-Nar, David’s own former stronghold, observed the execution of its master with unseeing windows and closed doors.

     The redcaps, now resembling nothing more than a pack of ravening dogs, bit and tore at their former king, ripping flesh from bone, gnawing on exposed joints. Observing the faces of the crowd was an exercise in human nature. With every loud, wet slurp, a fae turned faintly green. Most of the pooka had fled the moment the demon Rahzel, (also known as Jonas Foster), pushed the fallen king from the scaffold into the nightmarish creatures. The few trolls who had attended watched the execution with stoic faces, yet one wept silently. Only four sidhe were present, and out of those, only one was laughing. High Lord Varich watched the spectacle with cold black eyes, mentally recounting every ill David had ever done him. Queen Mary Elizabeth of the

Kingdom of

Grass sipped Scotch-laced tea. The elderly sidhe showed no emotion as blood spattered the paving of Tara-Nar’s main garden. Former queen Honoria Wingate-Foster stood motionless beneath the overhanging branches of an oak tree, her unblinking violet eyes fastened on the grisly action. Marius’ students stood, some using meditation techniques to avoid vomiting. Spider Pennworth stood by her teacher, resolutely facing the opposite direction, her fingers in her ears. Trenk and Valerie, former Technocrats, showed no expression; they had seen much, much worse in their time.

     Iax, Forge of the Generals, was panting. With every scream, he breathed a little harder, a bit faster. His eyes positively sparkled when his tyrant shoved the sidhe into the redcaps. Ax’s gnarled hands gripped the edges of his bench, his powerful grip creaking the wood. He was fully intent, eyes locked on the shrieking mass of bloody flesh that was David. Every spatter of blood brought a soft moan. When gobbets of flesh were licked up by the redcaps, Ax groaned under his breath. The cracking of bone made his eyelids flutter shut. He relished the pained screams, and laughed loudly when David tried crawling away.

     One name echoed, and everyone from

Brandenburg paled. Ax’s eyes immediately turned to his tyrant, and he nodded approvingly to himself when Rahzel leapt gracefully from the platform. He laughed when Rahzel’s sword flashed, removing David’s remaining ear. The demon tyrant kicked David in what was left of his bloody groin, saying something only David could hear. The redcaps, who had parted to allow Rahzel access to David, were growling and almost purring approval. When Rahzel lifted his helmet’s faceplate to spit squarely in David’s face, the redcaps, and Ax, cheered. The demon lifted David by his hair, and spoke quietly. There was a flash of steel in the noon sun, and the sidhe king’s lifeless body fell to the pavement. Rahzel held David’s head on high for a moment, and then began smashing it against the cobblestones. Again and again he pounded the head into the rock until all Rahzel held was a fistful of gore. The redcaps cheered again and gathered around to lick up the spatters of brain matter and bone. The demon climbed back onto the platform, and Luther stepped forward to speak against civil war in Concordia. Ax heard none of it.

     All the blacksmith demon felt was pure relief. Now, at last, Dia was truly avenged. Her real murderer had met his gruesome fate, screaming louder than Ax suspected she had. Now, in his mind, Dia’s imagined screams could be drowned out by the memories of David’s shrieks of pain and fear. Iris was safe at long last from the sidhe king’s predations, and Ax could only smile with his pleasure in that secure knowledge. His eyes couldn’t leave the bleeding corpse, and when Luther swung easily off of the platform and strode towards him, he had to tear his attention away from it.

     “Take the body to a peak and throw it off,” the vampire instructed. Ax looked into those dead blue eyes and smiled with unadulterated joy.

     “With pleasure,” he said, dripping with sincerity. Ax strode towards the body, letting the earth flow through him. By the time he reached it to carry it away, he resembled nothing more than an earth elemental, but his hands were still “human.” Lifting the corpse easily, Ax took a moment to slide his flesh fingers into a gaping wound. Caressing the ragged flesh, he nearly purred as he felt splintered bone. This was truly a pleasure more exquisite than sex. Turning, a peak caught his eye, and Ax strode towards it.

     As he walked, a flash of reddish-gold caught his eye. Honoria had shifted from her position in shade, walking through a patch of sunlight to a different side of the tree. Hatred and lust wa

rred in him, and at that moment, all Ax wanted in the world was to rape Honoria on David’s cold body. It was a disgusting desire, one that would have gotten him killed in a second, and the more rational part of his mind shrieked in repulsion, but the urge was a powerful one. Her curves were well concealed by the men’s clothing she wore, (Jonas’ clothing, his mind added), but Ax knew the pleasures awaiting a man beneath the voluminous cotton. Something in his eyes warned her, and when Ax strode towards Honoria, her posture shifted, becoming slightly threatening. Her violet eyes darted from the body in his arms, to the bulge in his jeans, and then quickly to his eyes. The demon grinned, and walked to stand before her, his eyes on her lips.

     “Did you enjoy it, Honoria?” Ax leaned closer, cradling David’s body. "Did you like hearing him scream?" He held the body out, almost offering it to her. The sidhe recoiled, taking a sudden step away. Ax grinned, viciously, and advanced. "I know you liked it. Seeing the blood, hearing him scream…"

     "Get the fuck away from me," she hissed. If she’d had mobile ears, they would have flattened in anger. The demon looked closely at her, and something in him twisted in a sick delight. He saw fear in her eyes.

     "Oh, I don’t think I will," he murmured. One hand slid into the corpse, twisting around and emerging slick and red. He reached out and almost delicately placed fingertips against her lips. "Open your mouth," he said. His voice was cool and soft, but her jaw clenched. She couldn’t speak, or his bloody fingers would slide between her lips. Ax’s smile…changed somehow, and his fingers dug in, pressing her lips against her teeth. Pain flared, but she didn’t react. Shifting the body, Ax held it pressed against his side, and the other hand curled around her neck. His thumb stroked her neck softly. "Open your mouth, Honoria." His voice had fallen into a bedroom purr, and the incongruity made her flinch. With blank eyes, she parted her lips. Ax moaned softly as he slid his fingers into her mouth, felt her soft tongue. His eyes locked with hers, and the crushing weight of their battling wills almost thickened the air. Her jaw shifted as if she was about to snap her teeth shut, and the hand around her neck tightened suddenly.

     "Suck the blood off, little fae." His tone held an imperious command, thumb still stroking her jawline. Her violet eyes closed, and she licked his fingers clean, sucking the blood from under his nails. Ax shuddered all over, his eyes watching the motion of her mouth. When his fingers were clean, he smiled sweetly at her. "See? I even slaked your bloodthirst for you. Considering how much you want to be a vampire, you should be happy." The hand slid back into the corpse, emerging glistening red again. Honoria would have jerked away, but Ax’s hand was still on her neck. Almost tenderly, the demon stroked his blood-wet hand across her face, leaving a wide swath of David’s blood on her skin. He grinned, suddenly, and winked at the motionless fae.

     "Well…got a corpse to dispose of." He pursed his lips and strode off, adjusting the body over his shoulder, whistling cheerfully. Ax’s steps bounced as he walked, and the fiery gaze following him never once bothered his mind.