Empire Builder 1: Breed, Populate, Conquer by Dante King (free e books to read online txt) 📕

washed and dried. That was just as well, after the mess the women had left their clothes in after the battle.

“We better go and help Vinata with the cooking,” Imogen said. “She doesn’t like to prepare meat.”

“By all means,” Ben said with a broad smile.

Lulu and Imogen smiled at Ben and left the bedroom.

Ben opened the giant wardrobe and rifled through the robes he found there. One half of the wardrobe was dedicated to dark robes, the other contained dresses and women’s clothing.

“It looks like the wardrobe was prepared with you in mind as well, Melody.” Ben pointed at the women’s clothing.

“Oh, excellent.” Melody walked over, flicking her tail around her naked torso. “The peasant’s clothing I wore before was not really suited to the wife of a dark lord.”

Ben put a hand around her waist. “I find the clothing you’re wearing right now perfectly suitable.” He did wonder if they needed to get dressed at all. Perhaps they could turn the tower into a nudist camp. Looking at the beautiful women beside him, he wouldn’t have minded.

Then he remembered Sir Gallant. The elder knight would have been mortified, and the younger one would probably have perved on them. Better to get dressed, Ben figured.

Ben put on a black robe with a high collar. Underneath the robe he wore a blood-red jacket and coal-black trousers. It needed some adornment to be a properly fitting outfit for a dark ruler, but the fabric was splendid and looked regal already. It would make a good start.

Melody put on a summery yellow dress. It looked comfortable, but it wasn’t so long that it would conceal her legs. There were other dresses in the wardrobe, far longer and more ornate, but those would be better suited to evening wear.

Having washed and dressed, Ben and Melody left his bedroom to go and eat. They entered the dining hall on the floor above. This floor had outward sloping windows, giving them a tremendous view of the forest below.

Melody and Ben enjoyed their time looking at the view over the forest. After some time, Vinata, Imogen, and Lulu arrived, wheeling trolleys topped with trays of food. Sir Gallant the Younger was perched on one of them. He helped pass around the trays, which appeared to be moving by themselves, with him walking underneath them.

It turned out that the kitchens below contained plentiful supplies of fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices. There was even some wine in a cellar. That saved them from having to gather more food immediately, but Ben knew he would have to check how long the supplies were going to last, and where they could get more.

He didn’t imagine he would find a supermarket around the corner, so the issue would have to be addressed sooner rather than later.

The nymphs had been able to prepare a roast meal in record time with the help of the tower’s magically enhanced ovens. It was the best roast Ben could ever remember eating, tender and juicy, roasted and seasoned potatoes on the side with the perfect layer of crispness. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a home-cooked meal.

As they ate, Ben plied Sir Gallant the Younger with questions. The little statue was the only one present who had seen the dark lord at the height of his power. The Elder was still patrolling the area outside the tower.

The homunculus had to sit on the table while they talked, as he was far too short for any chair. Ben didn’t see any harm in it, and he preferred to have the mischievous figurine sitting where he could see him, rather than peeking up the women’s skirts under the table.

Vinata informed him, Nipper was still downstairs, feasting on the less edible remains of the deer carcass.

“Tell me more about the dungeons, Sir Gallant,” Ben said as he carved off a slice of roast venison, the meat dripping with dark, chunky gravy.

The little man’s chest puffed out at being addressed this formally. Ben suspected he’d lived in the shadow of his elder companion for some time, who likely had less complimentary names for him.

“The dungeons were always a failsafe for you, Ben,” the little stone man began to explain. Ben had asked Sir Gallant to address him informally. Evidently, the younger version had an easier time remembering this than his somber elder companion.

“You fought most of your battles above ground, fearing no one. Not even me, I might add.” The knight gestured prodded his own chest, self-importantly.

Melody snorted, but Ben ignored the comment.

“What was the purpose of the dungeons then?” Ben asked.

“When your armies were not to hand, you still used them to lure lone adventurers to their doom. It was only when the day of your defeat neared that you made full use of the extensive caverns and catacombs you had carved out beneath the earth.”

“I saw the day of my defeat approaching?” Ben leaned forward. He felt suspense at learning more about his own past.

“One of your wives foresaw it,” the statue explained. “She was a soothsayer and could see the future. She assured you that you would be defeated. This was your fate and could not be forestalled.”

“What did the dungeons have to do with it?” Ben asked. The other women remained silent, eating only slowly, for fear of interrupting the story.

“They were your last hope of preserving your power when the Usurper waged war on your empire. You placed the many parts of your realm in the dungeons.”

“You mean like this tower in the crystal relic?” Ben asked.

“Exactly, or like the masters who volunteered to be frozen in relics. Or like all the magical power that was channeled into the energy cores inside the dungeon.”

“Those cores we retrieved from the vine monster hall?”

Sir Gallant nodded. “There are hundreds more of those in the dungeon. The dungeons were made so powerful, they could never be assailed. Eventually, the Xurian Realm gave up on trying to conquer them and left them alone. Fortunately, stray travelers could still