The Mad King's Road

By Paul Lucas

The long journey of the Dwarf Brunhilde and her human husband Mathir have taken them from her clan's home mountains in the far south to the northern city of Algren.. Their chosen route is a vast and ancient trading highway built by an insane emperor called the Mad King's Road.

Just a month before their journey's end, they meet Tobias, a dashing Envoy from the Kingdom of Raelen. Brunhilde finds her thoughts of him turning very naughty indeed. But between her own marital troubles and someone trying to steal her clan's treasured magical gem, does she dare indulge in her most erotic urges?

BOOK TWO of the FANTASY ENVOY EROTICA series!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul Lucas
• Release date: Jun 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301523221

Paul Lucas

I grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, just a few snow drifts away from Buffalo, NY. I am a life long science fiction and fantasy fan, and avidly keep up on developments in the fields of science, technology, and ancient cultures.Currently I am a freelance writer and artist, with fifteen years of experience in the field. In 1998 I had a tabletop RPG published, and in 2005 my first novel CREATURA came out. My shorter works have seen the light of day in publications such as Strange Horizons, Afterburn, Tales of the Talisman, Fables, and others. Currently I do a lot of personal commissions and ghost writing work.

Book preview

THE MAD KING'S ROAD

BOOK TWO of the FANTASY ENVOY SERIES

By PAUL LUCAS

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Copyright 2013-2017 by Paul Lucas

Cover Art by Paul Lucas

ON THE COVER: Mathir the jeweler gets frisky with his Dwarven bride Brunhilde on a long wagon ride

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Other Books in the FANTASY ENVOY Series by Paul Lucas

THE CLERIC'S FAREWELL

THE MAD KING'S ROAD

THE ELF WIFE

A NIGHT AT THE DEBAUCHERY

100 POTIONS

DEEP DELVE (Coming Soon!)

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MAPS

Ximenes World Map

Gail-Algren Section Of The Mad King's Road

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CHAPTER 1

Brunhilde of the Irontree Clan sat nervously in the temple of the Nature Goddess, her short legs dangling an inch from the stone floor. She played idly with a pendant hanging from a leather cord about her neck.

The pendant's jewel was painted to look like common turquoise. To the untrained eye it appeared to be mildly valuable, but nothing special. Underneath, however, was an uncut but internally flawless emerald worth no small fortune. It was her clan's gift to her and her new husband, to be worn by her when they were married a second time to satisfy Mathir's family and the laws of his home city of Algren. In a way, it would represent all her beloved kin on that special day, so they could be there in spirit if not body.

The jewel also supposedly held a significant amount of magic. Like the uncut jewel itself, the magic was as yet unformed and held only in potential. The idea was that the magic would form alongside the shaping and cutting of the jewel, becoming an enchantment that would be beneficial to Brunhilde's new family, but in a way that would be unique to them.

A gift of truly great value. She would normally have never taken it out of its strongbox, but she wore it today, hoping it would bring her good luck.

She had been officially married--at least by the laws of the Dwarven Clans of Atheris--for nearly a year now. It had taken most of that time just to travel overland to the kingdoms of the Northern Continent where her husband Mathir originally hailed from.

Brunhilde placed the pendant back into her cleavage and glanced around at the marble walls and columns of the temple of the Nature Goddess. Early morning sunlight slanted in through high-arched windows, dappling its warmth on the large array of cultivated plants the priests and priestesses kept throughout their place of worship. Even the legs of the stone bench Brunhilde sat on were covered over with ivy.

The sect had no official name for their deity. It was a quirk of their faith that had always bothered Brunhilde. What kind of god had no name? But the acolytes here insisted that their goddess was known by a thousand titles in a thousand languages, and all were equally correct. So why bother choosing just one?

The followers of the Nature Goddess were renowned as nurturers and healers; no local landholder of any kingdom on Ximenes went a year without having the sect's clerics bless their fields and harvests. Using their magic to promote fertility and natural abundance was the religion's specialty.

In a way, that was why she was here. She needed to have her own personal fields blessed, as it were.

An older human woman named Felda knelt just a few feet away, wearing the formal white and violet robes of a senior priestess. On the floor before her was a small bronze brazier etched with intricate leaf-and-vine designs. Dull cherry-red coals glowed within.

Brunhilde had met her the day before, when they had discussed what was needed for this magical divination. The priestess' smile was easy and casual, framed by a dozen laugh lines around her light blue eyes. Did you bring the items, Brunhilde of the Irontree Clan?

At least the priestess knew how to properly address a Dwarf. Brunhilde pulled out a small leather package. She unwrapped it, revealing a cloth soaked in dried blood from her last period, and a small vial containing her husband's semen, fresh from this morning.

Excellent, Felda said. She took up both items as she began softly chanting a prayer to her goddess. Like most humans, Felda was tall and spindly. Not as bad as elves, but humans still mostly lacked the pleasantly compact, robust builds of dwarven folk. Not that humans could be distasteful to look at. In fact Brunhilde found her own human husband, Mathir, to be one of the handsomest males she had ever met.

Felda uncorked the vial, pouring the viscous whitish fluid onto the cloth with the dried blood. Then she placed the fabric into the brazier, where it quickly cooked and blackened on the coals. Brunhilde crinkled her nose at the pungent odor. Why did so much magic have to be so damn smelly?

She was caught off guard by the sudden flash of unnatural greenish light as the cloth and liquid were magically incinerated to ash all at once. Felda's chanting reached a crescendo and went quiet. The human simply knelt there for a few moments, still and quiet.

Brunhilde didn't even realize she was holding her breath until Felda suddenly exhaled gustily, saying a quick prayer of thanks to her goddess. She stood, nodding at an acolyte who had been waiting quietly at the far side of the room. The junior priestess quickly set about cleaning up while Felda led Brunhilde out of the room and into the temple's expansive entry chamber.

Well? Brunhilde asked.

The goddess has blessed me with a very clear divination. But clarity is not necessarily the same as pleasant. And this is an area many women find extremely personal and emotional...

Just tell me!

Felda frowned. You and your husband cannot have children together.

Brunhilde blinked, biting her lip. She had been so afraid to hear those words. She and Mathir had been trying to get her pregnant since before they'd left Atheris eight months ago. Being pregnant while travelling with a caravan would have been no easy feat, she knew, but they had wanted to time the birth of their first child with their arrival in the capital of the Darlani Empire. It would have been an amazing way to cap their first year as a married couple, to start a family right away in their new homeland.

But despite Mathir and she trying many, many, many times, it never took. They even tried what fertility potions and magic they could afford to buy along the way to help things along, but nothing came of it. Finally, in desperation, they used what little remained of their spare money for this divination so they could find out what may be the problem.

What--what's wrong with me? she asked the priestess in a small voice. It obviously couldn't be Mathir's fault. He was very virile, given his many enthusiastic and passionate performances in bed. It had to be her...

Brunhilde's anguish must have shown in her face. Felda lay a hand gently on her muscular shoulder. "Easy, Brunhilde of the Irontree Clan. There is nothing wrong with you. In fact, you are quite fertile. So is your husband. You are just not destined to produce children together."

But if we're both fertile...

The priestess shrugged. I can't say for sure what the trouble is, not without another and much more elaborate divination. But this does happen sometimes, especially with couples who are of different races such as you and your husband. Your sex would likely be most welcoming to the seed of most males, but your husband's seed may find it unfriendly... almost like his sperm would have an allergy to you, or vice versa.

An allergy?

Well, yes. Think of it this way; two neighboring kingdoms can have a very positive and friendly relationship, but the residents of one kingdom may become ill in the land of their neighbors, so they could never move or settle across the border, as much as everyone may want them to. Your husband's seed would be like those would-be settlers; it may very much want to take hold in you, but it just cannot as its new land makes it too sick to thrive. But that may not hold true for the seed of other males, or for his seed in other, ah, female lands.

Brunhilde bit her lip. "I think I understand. But can we do anything about