It was too easy for Nomed to bend Nissassa to his will. The pheromones released by the flowers were very potent, and all female creatures seemed to be vulnerable to their scent.
In the royal bedchamber, the only window had been shuttered tightly against any breeze that might threaten to rush in and disturb the fragrance's lingering presence in Nissassa's nose. A steady fire crackled the wood in the fireplace and provided a soft, romantic glow to the scene that played itself out on the large, comfortable bed inside the room.
By having his way with the Ogress, Nomed assured himself that his hold on her would never weaken. Even as he felt his magical abilities ebbing, Nomed spread the darkness he'd left inside Nissassa to subdue her into a deep, languid slumber.
Then, the Shadow Lord temporarily lost his corporeal form again after exerting himself. He hovered in this state admiring his latest conquest for several minutes. "It would be a shame to have spent so much effort and have to kill her already without making good use of her first," he thought sinisterly to himself.
The truth was that killing Nissassa now would barely sustain Nomed at this point, anyway. In the war with the Ogres he had expended so much magic, betting on being able to kill some of them afterward and replenish all he'd wasted. However, Ogre Warriors barely cultivated their magic at all, and their most powerful magic users had so-far managed to avoid capture.
Even the sacrificed king and queen of the Ogre Kingdom had provided a mere snack in comparison with the magic Nomed had at first taken from the Fairies he'd killed after escaping from the ruins almost two years ago.
Back then, he'd floated aimlessly through the dark nights, hiding during the day. Finally, Nomed had been attracted by the sound of water.
Two Fairies had been playing in a river by moonlight, giggling and sharing stories about the mischievous pranks they had played on various travelers. One had long, violet hair and shining amethyst eyes that glistened as she spoke. The other listened intently with an amused expression on her freckled, yellow face. She had short hair, the color of a daffodil.
The full moon shone so brightly in the sky that Nomed hesitated before striking. As he worked his way closer through the shadows, he heard some of their conversation.
"Well, I once cast a mist spell so thick that the man couldn't find the pond a foot in front of him, and he fainted from thirst!" the purple Fairy boasted.
"Did he die?" the yellow Fairy asked, awed.
"No. I got bored watching him sleep, so I removed his shoes and took them to the bottom of the pond. When he woke up and drank from it, I used magic to cause his smelly shoes to rise up and bump his nose!"
The Fairies laughed ecstatically at the funny joke. The pair had barely sensed the Shadow Lord's presence before he'd savagely ripped into their soft flesh and sucked out every last drop of magic.
Up until that night, Nomed had used his magic tome to maintain communication and control over the two puppets that had broken into the ruins and set him free. He had limited himself to checking their progress once a night because the magic stored in the book had already been tapped many times. Nomed couldn't risk using it too often, lest its magic be completely depleted.
Only after he'd absorbed the magic from several Fairy victims could Nomed re-form his body. The accumulated power also allowed him to recharge his magic book and activate the search spells in the tome, thus increasing the radius of his tracking ability.
Now, after all the trouble the Shadow Lord had gone through to hunt the boy who had his gem, the two puppets had ended up destroyed.
Nomed clenched his vapor fist tightly. Sighing, he looked over at Nissassa asleep on the bed.
Just then, a sound in the adjoining room distracted him, and he forced himself into solid form to investigate it.
Cera was clearing away the remains of the mini-banquet that had been left behind by Nomed and Nissassa when they'd gone to the bedchamber. Upon seeing the lovely bouquet of flowers and imagining what they must be doing right then, she had been overcome with jealousy. She knocked the flowers onto the floor carelessly and angrily slammed the plates and serving dishes onto the tray she held.
"Cera, isn't it?" Nomed said, smiling thoughtfully at her.
"Oh! Your Lordship. . . . I'm sorry. I didn't hear you enter," she stammered, blushing in embarrassment.
"How do you know we were done with those? I hadn't called for you?" he asked, as he made his way over to the table.
Cera's cheeks turned a dark purple as more blood rushed into them.
Nomed couldn't help but think that maybe Cera had come right when he needed her. He fingered a knife on the table in front of him and smiled at the flustered Fairy.
Unsuspecting, Cera stared down at the ground and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, my Lord. I knocked at the door, and no one answered. When I entered, the food had gone cold. I thought you were done with it and didn't want it to start spoiling."
"That was very thoughtful of you," Nomed said as he took the knife into his hand and fidgeted with it. He planned to slit her throat with one quick motion.
However, at that moment several bursts of warm, colorful light suddenly shot in through the balcony door, which had been left ajar. They zoomed through the air and shot into Nomed's back one after the other.
Nomed dropped the knife onto the table and put his hands out to steady himself on its surface.
Hearing the sound, Cera looked up and gasped as she witnessed the last few bolts strike her master.
"My Lord!" she cried out in concern and moved toward him.
Nomed started laughing hysterically, causing the Fairy to stop mid-stride as she'd made her way over to him on the other side of the table.
Twelve Fairies had lost their lives unexpectedly. Yet, this news didn't upset Nomed. Instead, it had come as a welcome surprise. Each of their souls had returned to him upon their death, carrying all the magical powers they'd had left in them when they'd died, and something more. Nomed now knew where the boy had gone.
His laugh rose in intensity until the blue Fairy started to shake involuntarily with fear. Nervously, she took the tray she'd stacked up with plates and utensils and fled.