The Throne of Bones.

17. The Feared Name.

Minto's outburst caused the entire structure to shake, blood began rolling from the roots of his horns as they began to grow, and he grabbed the Kilokloth jarring his magic and began ripping it off causing an even more powerful wave of magic to explode from his body blowing both Ozká who had been frightened stiff and Rázá off their feet. 

Minto turned to the vine veil with a roar, then looked back down at Rázá who was practically shaking. 

His skin began to darken until it was the colour of blood, and his wings grew a claw each at the elbow.

"Take me to her." Minto dragged Rázá off her feet and pushed her toward the vines.

"Yes, Immediately!" Rázá ran out with Minto following behind her, each step he took felt like it would be the last sound she would ever hear and it caused her to run even faster. 

As the two of the exited the chamber, the King stood back resting on his throne and wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at the spot Minto's feet had rested. "I could have doomed our entire species." He whispered in the empty hall. "I pray the woman he desires be untouched, lest the son of Sitri bestow calamity upon us all." He ran out of the hall as well.

"Go faster!" Minto roared at the heels of Rázá. And he really was literally at her heels as he had been on all fours with his wings spread wide like a wild beast, he hadn't even noticed it, all his mind was capable of processing was following Rázá to find Miriá.

"Yes!" Rázá coated her hands in dense magicule and made an immediate turn, punching the wall beside her and making a hole. "I will lead a direct hole to the spring!" 

".. To Miriá?" 

"Yes!" Rázá answered as soon as he asked.

Minto held up his hand and opened his palm, a spark flashed, and then another, and then a sudden torrent of azure fire rushed from his palm and hit wall after wall melting them away until another source of light appeared in the newly formed tunnel.

Like a guided arrow, Minto darted through the molten passage carelessly ignoring the red dripping walls. 

Seconds later Minto popped through the smoke and fire he had caused, landing on fresh grass that turned black in contact with his feet, his eyes scanned the opening he was looking at, a waterfall sparkled as it fell into a steaming pool that glimmered with magical properties, and small trees the height of giraffes. 

And then he saw Miriá surrounded by dozens of winged Fae in a corner, male Fae, all naked.

Her right hand was covering her breasts as best it could, and her left covered her groin, several of the Fae had ends of her Kilokloth in their grasp as they were trying to unclothe her and then there was that one Fae who held a firm grasp on her foot.

They had all stopped their advances to look at what had caused the explosion of blue fire.

"Miriá." 

More blood rushed from Minto's horns as the blood coloured appendages began growing again, his teeth became sharpened and tears of blood began running down his face. "K-kill, them, all." He stuttered out an order as if speaking to someone before a black thorny vine rose up out of the ground and pierced the back of the Fae holding Miriá's leg, protruding through his chest and then twisting around his body, tearing and squeezing him until he exploded into bits of blood, bone and pulp.

Rázá entered just in time to see it all slowly unfold.

The other Fae panicked at the sight of the gore and made attempts to fly away, but before they could move a sudden forest of black vines arose and seized them, then raised them in the air and mauled them all to death.

While this was happening, Minto was walking toward Miriá who had her eyes closed and her hands wrapped around her body firmly.

When he placed a hand on her arm she flinched and hugged herself tighter. "Please... please don't." She hoarsely stammered with tears dripping down her face. "Please." 

Her arms and legs bore fresh claw marks, and there were traces of hand prints on her face as well, Minto couldn't hold his rage, the vines all caught fire and began burning the corpses above him." 

"Miriá." Minto called her gently hugging her cheeks. "Miriá, it's me, it's Minto." 

Her eyes shot open when he said his own name, she had large bright eyes generally, but her eyes had lost much of their hue, she was terrified and shaking, she barely found the strength the accept his soft smile as he helped her stand without breaking eye contact. 

"Minto...!" she cried even harder now that she was sure he was before her. "You came, you really came!" She bawled grabbing him in a crushing hug as his temper began to simmer and his features return to normal.

"I'm sorry." Minto whispered in her ear as his wings closed around her. 

"Minto, honoured one!" Rázá ran up behind him and fell to her knees with her forehead against the ground and her wings spread out flat in surrender. "Please!" She begged. "Please forgive me, it was not my place, I understand that now!" 

A moment after Minto picked up Miriá and turned with his wings still covering her Ozká along with dozens of Fae rushed in through the hole in the stone wall. 

"Do not cast judgement I beseech thee!" Ozká came up in front of his daughter and fell to his knees, resting his hands on his legs. 

The Fae who accompanied him broke into murmurs at the sight of their king showing such weakness to an outsider. 

"Son of Sitri, please forgive our ignorance, I wish no harm upon my people, allow me to right what has been wronged." Ozká pleaded with his head hung low, from hearing Sitri the other Fae also fell to their knees, and Rázá immediately broke out into a cold sweat, her skin even, slowly turned white from paleness.

At the mention of his mother's name Minto's hostility became non-existent, replaced by caution and curiosity.

"How do you know my mother?" Minto asked carefully. "What is your relation to her?" 

"I was once her servant; I spent many millennia serving in her army." The King replied. "When your anger surfaced you looked, felt, and behaved in perfect identity to her, your magic too was the same!" 

Silence reined.

"I had not ever in an eon expected the child of Sitri herself to come to my homeland, I beg your pardon young Lord-we have wronged you… please punish my sole daughter for her stupidity as you see fit, if you order her death I shall personally see to it!" 

"I am not the one who was wronged." Minto ground his teeth and growled as his anger began to surface again.

The King nodded in acknowledgement and lowered his head even more. "Favoured lady of the young Lord, I King Ozká, await your verdict."

Everyone raised their eyes to look at Miriá, who had calmed down just enough to be shocked at the sight of a powerful Fae King bowing before her.

Minto placed her to stand, and he hid her behind his wings as she looked at them. "Where are the Fae who were in here?" She asked timidly.

"Dead." Minto replied from behind her, and she looked around at him only to see a thorny forest of blazing blue fire further behind him.

"I have nothing I want then." Miriá looked back at the Fae. "Except to leave here and never return again."

"Right away, we will provide you with our most luxurious escorts..." 

"No." Miriá cut him off. "I remember how we came, we can leave on our own." 

"Thank you for your kindness favoured Lady, I will be sure to oversee that incidents such as these never happen again." Ozká began standing.

"I have two requests though!" Minto spoke up causing the king to dive back to the ground and bow again. 

"Anything!" 

Miriá turned to him with a questioning look. "Is it information about your mother?" She asked.

"No, I want her." Minto pointed at Rázá, causing Rázá to raise her head in delight right as Miriá turned her head in surprise, the two of them gasped.

"Thank you my Lord I will do everything in my power to satisfy you and bare your child-"

"I don't want you as a mate, I want only your power, you will be my slave." Minto shook his head.

"What?" Miriá gasped again. "A concubine?" 

"Heavens no." Minto chuckled. "She controls the serpent; I could use her in our fighting in the future." 

"It is done then, Rázá, my only borne, will be subjected to every whim of Lord Minto, let any who say nay suffer a thousand years in the hell-scorpion pits." Ozká announced, the Fae behind him all held their tongues. "And your second request young Lord?" 

"Let nobody outside of this room know who I am."

"It is done!" Ozká accepted his request without batting an eye.

Minto picked up Miriá and closed his wings on her once more. "Let's go then."

As he and Rázá left through the hole, Minto turned to the Queen. "When we travel, use illusion magic to hide your tail and other features outsiders find attracting, we don't need any attention being drawn to us, and never under any circumstance should you let anyone know you are a Fae, the world thinks your people are still in the highlands of Nimecsta." 

"Understood." Rázá nodded obediently, whispering incoherent words and dragging her hands across her body, her image shimmered, and then she looked like an ordinary human girl with extremely tall hair.

"I can walk you know." Miriá spoke up as they silently walked through the populated corridors full of Fae that parted upon seeing Rázá and her company. 

"Um, Favoured Lady, we have many cloths from many cultures and you are even more poorly dressed than I, please accept one of them." 

Realizing just then that she was wearing nothing except Kilokloth Miriá became red with embarrassment, nodding quickly to Rázá's suggestion.

In the long run, they ended up spending the night there, resting and eating, the only problem was Rázá's constant apologies.

By sunrise they were at the mouth of the great cave hundreds of metres high with the serpent behind them.

Minto walked up to the face of the basilisk and held up a hand, the gigantic serpent's eye followed him as he used magicule gathered at his fingers and drew a complicated rune on a large scale, a moment later the basilisk vanished.

"My Nagmar!" Rázá screamed, but then gasped as a two-foot-long Nagmar slithered up her leg and traversed her body to rest his head in her palm. "Nagmar, why have you become so tiny?!"

"This will help in concealing him, but make sure to keep him hidden when possible." Minto instructed her before scooping Miriá up and unfurling his wings. "Come on." 

They took to the high skies and rode the winds back toward Astrá and the others, a journey that had taken them two days atop the basilisk before had taken them eight days to repeat by flight. 

And once they reached the town where their friends resided after walking the last leg of the journey, they were delighted to find Astrá and the others already waiting at the entrance.

Astrá came running at them first grabbing Miriá and checking her like a concerned mother then turned to Minto. "I have many questions my Savior." Astrá said looking at Miriá and Rázá back and forth before turning to him again. "But for now, we received confirmation from the elves' network that a Dragon has been on the move for two days now.

"Is it Ashrótt?" Minto's mood took a southern turn instantly.

"Kavák, the dragon responsible for Drofox's demise."

Without a moment to himself, Minto took his bag from Wolfsword and hopped in the wagon after helping Miriá and Rázá in.

"Let's go then."