From Real to Realm

Thump, thump, thump.

The heavy sound of boots echoed along the dark wooden hallway. Armor rustled with each step, the added weight making the floor groan in protest.

When he finally reached the double doors, he hesitated. It was still something he wasn’t used to, yet. Many people would love the ability to speak directly to their own god. Yet, here he was, about to enter a room he’d already been in dozens of times to talk to his god once more.

He sighed.

Knock, knock.

A gruff voice echoed from the other side of the doors. “Enter.”

He reached for the doorknobs, hesitating for but a moment before turning them. With minimal effort, he pushed both doors open. They creaked loudly.

Soft shadows were dancing along the walls from the many candles lit around the room. If anything, they only seemed to make the man on the throne look even more intimidating. It didn’t help that he was easily seven feet tall, if not taller. He had the build of a man carved for war and made larger than any mortal had the right to be.

“You asked for me, Iron lord?” he asked, kneeling a few feet from the throne.

Silence hung in the air for a moment before the sound of the wooden throne creaking broke it. The man was leaning forward, hand under his chin, with a smirk. He studied the man kneeling before him.

“I’m beginning to come around to being called Iron Lord,” he said with a deep chuckle. “Now rise, Thaddius. Tell me how our preparations are coming along.”

Thaddius rose with a nod of his head. “Of course. We’ve been in contact with over a dozen of the largest cathedrals dedicated to you. So far, only two have rejected us. They said we were heretics, using your name to garner fame and followers.”

The man scoffed. “This is exactly why I should’ve gotten involved sooner.” His knuckles went white as he gripped the arms of his throne. “People have gone soft without a proper war.”

Thaddius nodded. “I agree. It’s as you said when you first appeared before me. The people of Athyris need to be pushed to grow stronger. Only war makes the most sense.”

“Peace is stagnation. A blade left sheathed too long rusts. The people of this world have mistaken comfort for strength,” he said, the wooden throne cracking beneath his grip. “They must be reminded that strength is the only thing capable of upholding peace.”

After taking a moment to breathe, he spoke again. “Continue.”

“Of course,” he said, pulling out a scroll. “Smaller cathedrals and chapels have been much more willing to agree to join us. It’s taking a bit of time to reach each one before we can send word back, but we’re making excellent progress. We have at least one in every major empire so far.”

“Our numbers?”

Thaddius read the scroll, then started making some mental calculations. “I’d say a strong guess would be a little over a thousand so far.”

The Iron Lord sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Not enough to take on any empire without suffering severe casualties.” He rubbed his chin, thinking.

“If I may, Iron Lord,” a third voice spoke up from behind the throne.

“Go ahead, Killian.”

A man, the complete opposite of Thaddius, stepped forward from a dark corner. While Thaddius had the build of someone who’d been fighting all his life, this man looked like he’d never done physical labor before.

“We may not need to fight the empires ourselves, not yet.”

Thaddius and the Iron Lord leaned in, awaiting a further explanation.

“Send your followers to attack smaller targets. Convoys, villages, farms. They gain experience and become stronger for the future.”

Thaddius sighed. “Such an excellent idea, Killian.” He rolled his eyes. “Dumbass, we’d be nothing better than bandits and brigands! I refuse to reduce our lord to nothing more than the leader of a band of bandits!”

The Iron Lord raised a hand. “That’s not all you had in mind, is it, Killian?”

Killian grinned the kind of grin to send shivers down anyone’s spine. “We pilfer the attire of another empire and wear it during our raids. It is possible we might leave survivors or could even lose a man or two during each one.”

The Iron Lord grinned.

Killian continued. “What do you think happens when the empire in control of those lands becomes privy to who might be attacking them?”

The silence in the room hung for a few moments as the three of them let the implications sink in.

Veydran, the God of War, stood from his throne. “Thaddius. Killian.”

Both men knelt immediately.

“Yes, Iron Lord?” they asked in unison.

“Begin preparations immediately. Let them bleed beneath another empire’s banner.”

“As you command, Iron Lord.”

“Oh, and to give my faithful followers some incentive, tell them this. I am looking for the elite among our numbers. A Lord of War needs his generals to command on the battlefield after all.”

Thaddius looked up, excitement obvious. “Of course, Iron Lord! I will do my best, as will the rest of our men!”

With that, Thaddius rose and quickly left the room to begin giving the orders he was just given.

“Killian.”

“Yes, Iron Lord?”

“You will need to build a team of advisors, pick them well.”

Killian stood slowly. “As you command.”

Val shot up in bed, breathing sharply. Sweat clung to her skin as the room spun for a moment. For those few seconds, she couldn’t remember what had happened.

Then the soft mumbling from Lynesia next to her grabbed her attention.

Home… fuck… I’m home.

Val’s breathing calmed, but her stomach still twisted. It felt like she’d been falling in her sleep, though she didn’t remember dreaming.

Lynesia curled closer to Val’s side, tugging lightly at her shirt.

Val lay back down and let Lynesia curl into her, but she knew she wouldn’t be going back to sleep any time soon.

A few hours later, the bed was empty. Lynesia was in the kitchen making breakfast while Val was relaxing in a hot bath.

Unfortunately, Val never did fall back to sleep. Instead, she was forced to endure the twisting in her stomach until Lynesia finally woke up. As soon as the two of them were out of bed, she mentioned taking a bath.

Knock, knock.

Val glanced at the door. “Come in?”

The door opened to Lynesia standing there with a tray of hot food. That was literally all she had with her.

Val’s mind short-circuited for a second, seeing Lynesia nude with only a tray of food.

Lynesia giggled. “Mind if I join you?”

Val sat up a bit. “No, not at all.”

After setting the tray down on the little stool next to the tub, Lynesia slowly climbed in. After settling in her usual spot between Val’s legs, she grabbed the tray. It was large enough to stretch across the entire tub, resting on either side of the rim.

“I’m surprised seeing me nude still brings out that reaction from you,” she said, leaning back against Val.

Val smirked, gently kissing the top of her head. “You’re beautiful. I’ll always need a moment to admire you when you surprise me like that.”

“Are you feeling better?”

Val tilted her head. “Feeling better? What do you mean?”

Lynesia sighed, gently running her fingers along Val’s leg. “I’m not stupid, Val. I can tell something is bothering you.”

Silence hung in the air.

“I honestly don’t know.”

It wasn’t the answer Lynesia was expecting. “What do you mean?”

“I shot awake, covered in sweat, early in the morning. I don’t know why. My stomach has been in knots ever since, and I don’t remember a nightmare or any other form of dream.”

Lynesia chewed on some of the food, thinking.

“Maybe it’s intuition?”

Val shrugged. “I’ve never really been big on intuition. I doubt it’s something like that.”

Lynesia fed a bite to Val. “Maybe you’re just not used to it. Maybe it is intuition, and you’re struggling to understand it.”

Val chewed, then swallowed. “About what, though? Danger? That’s too vague considering our chosen careers.”

She giggled. “That’s true. Maybe it’ll become clearer after you’ve had some time to think about it?”

Val sighed. “I hope whatever it is becomes obvious quickly. I don’t like this feeling.”

Lynesia pulled Val’s hand up to kiss the back of it. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“I’ve got some downtime to figure it out, I guess.”

Lynesia slid the tray to the side and back onto the stool. “You know…” She slowly turned in Val’s lap, grinning. “I might know a way to distract you.”

Val recognized the look in her eyes. “Oh? Is that so?”

Lynesia leaned forward, kissing Val hungrily. “It’s been a while…”

Blood was beginning to rush south quickly for Val.

Damn, it really has been a while.

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