The Nekromancer - 67. Chapter 67

Amnor Sen stared at the small chest, two thousand gold neatly packed inside. The caravan had been decimated, six guards limping into Fort Longjaw with the caravan. It was a relief to be behind the fort walls, even if they were only wooden walls. The caravan was disbanded, Niss forced to pay out the six thousand to the surviving guards. Amnor Sen and Jeremy had more than enough gold to make it to Absolom, as soon as they returned to Quantium. The two had no intention of setting out any time soon though.

Relaxation was not going to be found in a fort, but certainly helping defend the stockade from gnoll raids would be less taxing than guarding a caravan. Amnor Sen figured he and Jeremy could take a week to stock up before starting the journey back. Of course, the elf was a little worried about Jakun waiting, but the amurrun had proven he could handle himself several times over. Amnor Sen had no doubt Jakun could deal with a mage college. Besides, the paladin would have been so far out of his peerage at the college, not being able to use a single spell. Nine Hells, he could barely summon the energies needed to cure people, the very ability most paladins were known for. No, he would have just been in Jakun’s way in Quantium. As long as the catfolk stayed away from summoning undead dragons, the elf figured he would be okay.

The door to their room opened, Jeremy entering the small space with a surprisingly sober step.

“Bad news. The captain doesn’t want civilians to stick around longer than a couple days. He was planning to put together another caravan. Since we did such a good job fighting off the gnolls before, the idea is to send us back with a trapped caravan. The drivers and the merchants will all be carrying weapons,” Jeremy said, dropping onto their bed. “For our assistance, he has offered a wagon filled with trade goods to be sold in Quantium. But the caravan is only going to Finderplain.”

“Fuck. And here I was hoping to fuck you nonstop for the next three days,” Amnor Sen sighed.

“I mean, you could still do that. We’re not in charge of anything. Just the heavy lifting, so to speak. Even that won’t be worth much if the gnolls remember you. And they should. It’s barely been a week since you dropped their barbarian.”

Jeremy rolled over, his butt raised in the air hopefully. Amnor Sen let out a rueful chuckle, running his hand over his husband’s pants.

“True, but I do not wish to set out without knowing what is happening. When do we leave? What are the shifts? How many guards can we count on? You know, the kind of info a treacherous half orc would want to give to bandits she created from a burning village.”

“Oh! You’ll be happy to know that Niss is being sent north to Bronze Hook. She will have no part in the caravan.”

“Thank the gods lawful and good,” Amnor Sen sighed. “We might actually make it to Finderplain in one piece. Who’s leading?”

“A gnoll, actually. A former slaver. Her name is Li Deadfinger. And she has a pet.”

“A ranger?”

“With a crossbow,” Jeremy chuckled. “Do you think she’ll peg me if I asked nicely? Then I could say I’ve had a woman.”

Amnor Sen groaned, running a hand over his face.

“If you’re that starved for dick that you have to turn to a girl to satisfy you-”

“No… I mean, yes, I want you to fuck me until I see Desna’s stars. But I’m not dick starved. Well… no more than I usually am.”

The cleric let out a quiet sigh, rolling over. The bed shook slightly as Amnor Sen sat beside him, the paladin laying back and putting an arm around his husband.

“Come here,” he murmured, pressing his lips into the human’s neck. “I just want to hold you for a while.”

Pulling the cleric into his arms, Amnor Sen wrapped a leg around Jeremy, breathing gently against his neck as their bodies melded together.

“I love you. But you aren’t getting anything from me until I’ve spoken with this Li. I swear to the gods, we will make love before we leave.”

Jeremy nodded, his body shivering in Amnor Sen’s arms. The cleric tried to push himself even further into the paladin, Amnor Sen kissing him lightly.

“You are a good man, a good husband. You deserve to be taken care of. You do not have to go to a gnoll to satisfy your urges, unless you truly wish to.”

“I really don’t. It would be interesting, but I think the novelty would wear off fast,” Jeremy admitted, his voice scratching.

He felt warm and safe, protected by his husband. Why would the man ever leave this?

“I know you’re curious, and I want you to know I am not saying no. But you shouldn’t do things unless you absolutely want to. Besides, who knows what would happen if a girl shoved herself inside you? You might get pregnant,” Amnor Sen chuckled.

Jeremy snorted, shaking his head.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Come on, we already have a kid.”

“Jakun doesn’t count. All we do is clean up his messes.”

“That’s what having a kid is about,” the cleric laughed. “Not that it’s true. He isn’t always making messes; the ones he does make are just really big. At least he’s slowing down on the necromancy. His new friend seemed friendly.”

“I hope he learned some new things. It would be nice to not get our asses kicked by another dragon,” Amnor Sen frowned.

“I mean, from what I’ve figured, he was trying to kill Loran. Not that that makes it any better, but at least Ivris was not supposed to destroy the world,” Jeremy shrugged. “He was a moron, but he wasn’t being malicious… well, not toward anyone but his former master.”

“That was exactly my point. I am hoping that he has grown at least a little wiser,” Amnor Sen said. “But we’ll have to see when we get back.”

"But seriously, Amnor Sen, if you thought it was a good idea to have a kid... At this rate, I'm not sure we'll ever make it to the Worldwound. Maybe we should settle down in Absalom. We can still do good in the world there," Jeremy said gently.

The paladin frowned at his husband, taking a deep breath. But he wasn't going to dismiss the idea out of hand. After so long on the road, he could see the lure of a nice easy life, settling down as a smith in the Center of the World. Maybe Jeremy had a point.