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Chapter 30
The room belongs to a sorceress, but she has no magic when it comes to hospitality. I'm lashed to a pole in four places by thick rope and forced to stand. The one with the unibrow and the red-feathered cap called himself Aldric; I've heard of him before. He and his guards bound me from head to foot and brought me here in a cage. Talen came too. He gave himself up once I got caught.
I suppose he didn't want to leave my side, which I really don't mind. I know we'll get out of here okay. Before we escape though, I want to know a little more about what's going on, and I think I can only get those answers from Kahket herself.
So here I am biding my time, and I wonder when she'll show up.
Hopefully it's soon. I've been standing in place for two hours, and my legs are in need of a stretch.
Being who I am, I case the joint with my eyes.
Draperies of black velvet hang in front of several tall narrow windows. I can probably slip between those in a pinch. Each pane is meticulously cut; the tops are shaped into triangular wedges. Occasionally, the flicker of lightning against a horizon of red ash and purple storm clouds highlights my body armor. I'm sure what's revealed in those microseconds draws the eye because of its weirdness. The guards that took Talen and me gawked at us the entire way.
Do the two standing behind me continue to stare? Probably.
I've a thin-long legged silhouette that's decidedly human. But without seeing my face, they can't know for sure. They've got to be asking questions. I know I would.
Is the armor my actual skin?
Am I a man underneath this, or am I some kind of alien? Am I a demon? Am I a monster? What the hell am I looking at exactly?
They're all good questions.
I envision how I must look to a casual observer gossiping with another.
"I see a chest that must belong to an incredibly athletic boy," they might say. "I see a pronounced Adam's apple that moves up and down and the metal responds. Doesn't that defy all known metallic properties? How is this possible? What exotic material behaves like this? I see the outline of a large penis, a scrotum, and a navel. Are these molded into the armor? Or does this belong to the one wearing the extraordinary skin?"
How could they not be curious?
It actually amuses me. The more secrets I maintain, the more afraid of me they'll be. And in the bitter business, fear is a potent weapon.
There's a part of me though that wonders if any of them think I look regal. I guess I've always felt cheated that I lost my claim to the throne of Atlantea. I know I've got to move on with my thoughts lest I get emotional. The memories of my beloved people always make me cry, but I would have made a good king. I would have treated those under me with love, respect, and compassion.
My cheeks feel wet.
It's the world that's made me a killer.
All the regal men I've known have worn fine cloaks. For the first time in my life, I've one of my own. I gaze at it lovingly. Black and silver, it drapes over my broad muscular shoulders and swirls about my delicate and extremely athletic feet. I've such beautiful feet; both sexes have stared, sniffed, and licked them. The corobidian boots are lovely too. Anyone can see by the height of my arches and the length of my long bony toes that I'm a sprinter.
Runners and swimmers have the best bodies, built for speed and sex.
I'm built for both.
Maybe they think I'm part cheetah under this shiny visor.
I won't dispel that illusion. I just wish I could purr. If I could purr, I'd do so for Talen. I'm sure it'd drive him crazy and that'd be fun.
The light flickers again.
I watch the lightning and marvel how it resembles a white trident thrown from the heavens. It reveals a mesh of otherworldly detail...of metal forged so perfectly that it shows every minutia of my skin as well as the embellishments associated with a craftsman forging the masterwork of his life. Within seconds, thunder shakes the walls. The rain roars like the king of the jungle. It grows louder and louder. It falls in colossal sheets; it writhes about the towers of the city like the death shrouds woven for the funeraries of the embalmed.
Are the gods so angry with Soulwarden? I think perhaps they are. They've plenty of reasons to be. It's a place of wickedness unlike any other that I've seen. Rape and murder are common enough affairs here. Torture, mutilation, and amputation are done for pleasure. Flesh is traded for turnips. Perhaps the rain is one last attempt to wipe the place clean before a final judgment is laid down upon its people.
I pray I'm not here when it happens.
However, dread fills my belly. The volcano looks very unstable. It looks ready to consume the world in fire. Yet, am I the only one that sees this?
I stare through my visor through the window. Tempest Mountain blooms redder than before. I see gargantuan lava spikes soaring upward from its cone, and the ground trembles once more. But this time, it's not thunder that causes it.
There's a table occupying the center of this room. The legs are crafted from spicy wood that's been worked into lion's paws; they stand thick and powerful. Dozens of glass jars, burning copper kettles, bottles, candles, and beakers connected by glass tubes are arranged next to scales for various titration experiments or perhaps the brewing of potions. Unfurled parchments and ancient tomes lay open to anyone that dares to look. The place smells of foreign spice, most of which is unrecognizable. I do detect formaldehyde, alcohol, and various poisonous vapors. There's brimstone and something sweet, yet unsavory.
Is it rotting flesh?
A small blinking light on the inside of my glass visor alerts me to a miniscule illustration of a mask filtering fumes over a man's nose. I smile because Tethyr knows I can't read. The suit's designed to show me that there are filters within the helmet removing the toxins from the air to make it safe for me to breathe.
My god truly loves me.
The carpet beneath my armor-shod toes is vermillion. Because the place is so hot, I'm sweating; droplets are evacuating through the chinks on my boots, creating a patch of water that steams.
I look to my right.
My lovely Talen's here with me too. He's bound to a pole just like me. They've lashed him about the waist, about the ankles, and about the arms. We both flexed when they bound us, and I'm pretty sure the magical armor created a little additional thickness as well.
At this very moment, I continue to flex, and so does Talen. The truth is...if we don't flex, our bonds would loosen so much we could be out of them in a second or two. They'd probably droop and that wouldn't look so good as far as the pretense goes.
It's a shame they don't know we're black dragon assassins. The colored roses we wear on our ornamental shoulder shields are more than just heraldry, they're the calling cards for Hunter and Tiburon. People will know us by our deaders soon enough.
I can't wait for the day when I can demand of my prey, "Say my name!" And they'll know who I am; they'll know their life is over.
Talen is here only because I got caught. Disappointed in myself, I let out a loud sigh.
"What?" he asks quietly, voice emanating from the speakers in my helmet.
"It's just that I got hit with some kind of psionic blast. We wouldn't even be in this situation if I'd known what I was getting into."
"We'll get out of this," Talen replies. "Have I told you I love you?"
Talen's so awesome. He doesn't say "I told you so" or try to rub it in. All he says is "We'll get out of this." Could I ask for a more perfect boyfriend?
"About ten minutes ago," I say, "but I never tire of hearing it."
I hear him chuckle. "I love you."
I stare at his sweaty footprints the exact size of his boot on the carpet. They steam too. "Don't be afraid," I say to him inside my helmet.
"I'm not," he replies looking at me. I wish I could see his pretty eyes.
The sorceress enters.
She's a tall woman of slender build and wears a robe of deep scarlet that is fastened by buttons in front.
Why does she like red so much? I wonder.
About her pale neck hangs a necklace of gold; fine diamonds draw circles around three exquisite rubies. I vow to steal that necklace and present it to Luminara. I've no doubt she could wear it better anyway. I examine the sorceress like I'm window shopping now. This confident witch thinks she's the one in control, but all I see are a mantle of ermine that's as misplaced as lipstick on a pig.
W-wait though...why is she wearing that? The room is blistering hot.
The face of the sorceress is filled with cruelty. I've seen that look before. All of the Timeron knights had it. Her skin is like flawless alabaster, but not in a good way. She has a pair of thin unattractive lips and a wide grin filled with teeth. When she smiles, it's almost like a statue has come to life. Her visage reminds me of a puppet operated by a ventriloquist. It's almost comical really. Her huge cleavage is on display through a boob window cut in the shape of a diamond.
She runs a fine comb through her hair as she watches me.
It's dark lustrous hair, as black as crude oil. That black hair falls down about her gown of scarlet, adding hue and color to everything she wears. She's a witch, but I know from her bearing she thinks herself a goddess of some kind. Maybe she is...I've no idea. I've no idea how to gauge the strength of magic.
Her eyes move over my armor as if I'm naked, and she's swallowing my cock down to the base. I've seen that look so many times; seeing it on her makes me want to retch.
It's the desperate flirting look of a whore who needs to wet down her cunt with wine so she can take more men to bed. I bet she's been on her knees more often than she's been off of them...that's for sure. And it's no wonder 'cause she's ugly as a mud fence and probably bitter about it. She's probably fucked every piece of tail she's ever got and then some. I hate women like this. I hate anyone that looks at me like a piece of meat there JUST for the taking. I may have a horse cock, but I don't fuck anyone with it. I've no compulsion to stick it in any hole there is.
"I'm Kahket," she says, "and you're mine now."
I roll my eyes. How many times have I heard someone say that particular piece of drivel? To be fair, there IS a certain finality to her statement; kind of similar to a distant peal of thunder. She walks right up to me so that there's barely an inch separating us. She runs her fingers along my killsuit.
I flick a switch in my helmet; it deadens the nerve impulses transmitted through the metal. I don't want to risk arousal. Only Talen gets to see me aroused. With the nerve impulses off, she might as well be trying to seduce a lump of coal.
"Can you feel my touch?" she asks breath heavy with playfulness. She fogs up my visor on the outside and speckles it with stray spit.
"Nope."
Kahket frowns but continues to touch me, trailing her fingers lower. "Are you a human under this?" she asks feeling the bulge of my dick through the codpiece.
"Maybe."
"It doesn't matter," she says, obviously a little frustrated with my short answers.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"To see you...my guards tried to remove your helmet, but they say it won't come off."
"That's 'cause it's my real face," I say, lying to her. "This is how I look all the time. I'm actually naked right now."
Talen giggles. "I can't believe you're saying that to her."
I hear movement from a corner of the room, and look there without turning my head. I spy a shadow and I increase the night vision. It's that demon that mind blasted me. Fuck. I swallow uncomfortably and watch; the thing rakes a pair of monstrous claws on sumptuous wood paneling, and the wood curls underneath its nails. The temperature suddenly plummets.
Things make sense now. I understand why Kahket wears the fur. She knew the demon would cool things off. I muse to myself that she probably fucks it. Eerily I hear a loud heartbeat but it's not my own. I look through the glass visor at the room searching carefully for the source of the sound.
"What is that?" I ask.
"The heartbeat?" Kahket says.
"Yes."
"Ravidan wants to eat you," she replies. "You should feel flattered. He eats only the most ravishing of the young. The others, he merely tears to pieces."
"Is that supposed to frighten me?"
She cups my balls, rubs her fingers over the muscular torso imprinted on my breastplate. I still feel nothing. But it doesn't stop her from letting her robe part at the middle. I roll my eyes, but sure...I take a look. What guy wouldn't? Her pussy is literally dripping with cunt juice. Boy does she ever want to fuck me.
"Is this your skin?" she asks. "It feels like metal."
"I've a metallic personality," I say.
"What's your name?" she asks. Her hand trails down my spine and over the skin of my lower back. She smooths her fingers over the spheres of my ass. I clench, to make sure she doesn't find my fecal slit and poke a finger in my hole. "I bet you smell like ambrosia."
"I'm Hunter. And you'll never find out what I smell like."
Her eyes widen and she steps back from me with surprise. Soon, she regains her composure. "Hunter!" she exclaims. "Of course, it makes sense now."
The sorceress searches the tabletop with wild eyes and then calms herself, reaching for a small porcelain bowl. She lifts it up and reaches inside with her fingers, picking up a jewel. I recognize it immediately. It's a ruby about the same size as my thumb. The guards must have taken it out of its container in my belt pouch when they searched me following Ravidan's psionic blast. I need to figure out a counter to that. Otherwise he can screw with me whenever he wants.
"This is the eye of blood," she whispers.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Kahket turns her eyes back to me, making sure to whirl in such a way that I see all of her body yet again. She takes incredibly slow steps, hips sashaying back and forth, wet pussy juice dripping onto the carpet. I'm sure she thinks she's being sexy, but it really isn't. Please put on some clothes, I want to say. But Kahket, if anything, removes even more of her clothes. She's essentially nude now and runs a hand between her tits. She thrusts her fingers down over her navel to insert a finger into her cunt. She pulls it out a second later, dripping, and then says, "If you'll open your visor, I'll let you lick this from my finger."
"Eww," I say. "No thank you."
She gasps and squeezes her tits with both hands. They aren't pretty and stand out from her chest like two swollen grapefruits complete with stretch marks. I suddenly realize she's painted her huge nipples and the surround areola with red lipstick.
Who fucking does that?
I decide she's partially deaf because my comments don't faze her. It's like she isn't listening. She just continues with this fake exhilaration, and I bemoan the fact I can't choke her out because I'm lashed to a pole on one side of the room.
"How little you understand, Hunter," she declares. "I saw the outline of your body, the visceral shape of your cock protruding through magical metal as if bound by tight silk, and I desired to make you my lover. I don't give my body to just anyone."
"Coulda fooled me," I say out loud.
Her eyes narrow angrily. "But now, I see you as worthy of far more. Tell me, did it feel good to kill the Black Prince of Ladika?"
I think about that question. Technically, I can't claim credit for that. I glance at Talen and decide to speak. "Yes," I say, "It was exciting." Then I speak to Talen using the private com unit on the inside of our helmets. "You don't mind do you?" I ask him.
"No," he chuckles.
"He was a fool! Hideous to behold, not like I imagine you must look like under this armor," Kahket says, walking around me.
"This is what I look like," I say.
"Liar," she replies. "You sound like a teenager. I love teenaged boys."
"Wrong again. I'm an 80-year-old man with saggy skin and man boobs. The armor just squishes everything into place."
She scowls and looks at the ruby in her fragile hands with eyes filled with lust. "How could I have known that tonight's events would bring Hunter himself into my hands?"
"I'll play your game," I say, "how could you?"
"You're clever," Kahket says, "a bit rude, but clever. It only proves I'm right. You're a teenaged boy through and through underneath all that." She stops near the window probably to show me her ass. Honestly, she's got a fat ass, and I don't like it. Her naked toes disappear beneath the edge of the black curtain. A goblet floats from a table into her hand...it's a nice trick. I wish I could make things float.
Delicately Kahket raises the goblet to her lips and drinks deeply. I know it's just red wine but she makes a show of it by letting some spill down her curvy front. "When my spies told me that King Braedir moved his own men to the Preceptor's manse following the fire, I suspected he sought to sell information of what he found there to the highest bidder. It was within my interest to keep the church of Tethyr unaware of the details by which the Preceptor met his end, you see.
"If Braedir had succeeded, I'm sure he intended to go straight to the largest money purse. That is...once the fool stumbled across Ravidan as you did and could present tangible evidence. As you may well know, those who say they follow Tethyr still control this shithole, and they have the deepest pockets. So, I put a shield over the manse...an impenetrable magical barrier to keep those with prying eyes from discovering my assassin. The only way through is by use of a blessing from an amulet worn by the most powerful Death Knight general to have walked Wynwrayth in centuries.
"No one gets close to Calisto unless it's pretty boys who rarely survive their breeding. And let's just say afterward, they're not so pretty anymore. Braedir's a stupid man, hardly worth the skin he's made of. Some call him a king, but I know you don't. So don't even lie to me about that. What agency sent you? Are you a spy for the church of Tethyr? Does anyone know what you've found out? If so, I want names. I want to know who you told, or things will become much more unpleasant, I assure you."
"Why did you kill the preceptor?" I ask.
"Ahh, to hear the sound of your voice...my lover finds his tongue at last? What I wouldn't give to see your face."
"If I show you my face, can I get a straight answer from you?"
She sets down her goblet. "Yes. I give you my word."
"Don't do it, Kian," Talen says.
"I've got to. I want to know, and Luminara needs the information," I tell him.
I hear him sigh, but Talen doesn't object.
I set the visor to close automatically after ten seconds. Then I pop it using the tongue pad. As it slides out of the way, she gasps. "You're so young...so beautiful." She steps forward, hands trembling. "I've never seen such color...such gorgeous eyes and fine skin. Your hair is like sunshine spun into silken thread. Your nose looks chiseled from marble."
She reaches out to touch my face and the visor slams shut, resealing itself.
"Time's up," I say. "Now you've seen me. Answer the fucking question."
Kahket groans and casts about the room with her eyes. Then she shakes a finger at me. Taking her time, the sorceress decides upon a high chair at the laboratory table and slides it to just in front of me. I wonder what the hell she's doing.
And then it occurs to me, she's going to give me a free show.
Fuck. Why does this happen to me?
Kahket sits down and spreads her legs. Still facing me, she lifts her feet up onto the chair cushion and then licks a finger. A moment later, she inserts it into her pussy and starts masturbating her labia.
I just roll my eyes. "Do you have to do this? If you don't tell me what you promised, your word is worthless," I remind her.
"His death was accidental," Kahket says between pants. "The Preceptor hid something valuable from me. You see, the Chamber of Souls in the Basilica here in Soulwarden is a powerful place. It's been bound with spell and faith for a thousand centuries to provide a resting place for the bones and relics of the god of thieves. Bones...Tethyr's only reminder of a once earthly presence within this world. They would've been safe there forever. I had to convince the ones who had access to those bones that things were not safe. And I did this by orchestrating a lie. I spread fear from door to door with my minions. You remember Aldric, don't you? He's very useful and my most loyal servant. With his help, word spread on the street that the king might actually be considering the disbandment of all churches to Tethyr within the city. Everyone knows Braedir's an idiot, but he's also well protected. He has allies in the Church of Moh-Dehll and the Church of Taleta. I knew everyone who heard the lie would believe it, because the best lies have a kernel of truth to them. Braedir's just slimy enough that everyone knows he'd invite Calisto's army into the city if it meant he could turn a profit. No one knows Calisto is here on my account and not Braedir's."
Her fingers vibrate faster; her breath grows short. Kahket stretches her spine over the back of the chair, and her sweaty boobs point straight at the ceiling. Her ribs flare beneath taut skin.
"Please fuck me," she begs. "Unnnggghh..."
Tethyr's teeth, she's so gross. Her fingers are literally dripping with juice.
"I understand," I say. "The church leaders didn't know if the holy places would be endangered if a revolution broke out. So they took steps to secure the relics from looters. They took them out of the basilica and entrusted them to the Preceptor, who found a place for keeping them. You didn't know where that place was, so you sent your demon in to find it. But Ravidan failed. He gave the priest a lethal dose of whatever poison you designed to draw the truth from his mind, and you still have no idea where the sacred relics are kept."
She grins. "I'm not telling you anything more." Her face is slick with sweat, and I know she's visualizing me fucking her. I know that she wants me to make it real for her, but there's no way in hell that's going to happen. Still, I've got a plan. Maybe if I play with her a bit, she'll get more talkative.
"Fine," I say. "Cut my legs free of this pole."
She smiles and a knife flies into her wet hand. Then she swipes at the ropes binding my ankles and my thighs.
"Show me your cock!" she commands. "I want to suck you off right now! I know I'll be the best fuck of your life."
I thrust her back on the chair with the sole of my boot. Just that little bit of motion leaves her breathless.
"My pussy cries out for you! I shall cut the rest of your bonds if you promise to ravage me!" she yells, breathing hard.
I place my metal shod foot between her legs and press the tip of my big toe to just above her clit and apply pressure. I start vibrating it there like a thumb on a worry stone. She gasps and her eyes roll into the back of her head. A moment later, she squirts and the stream hits my legs.
"Fucking bitch!" I swear through the helmet.
"She's really into you," Talen says. He's laughing, but this isn't funny.
"You promised to fuck me!" she screams, once her squirting dies down.
"No I didn't!" I reply. "You made that all up yourself. But I did get you off."
She stands up and kicks the chair behind her with such force it shatters the window. Wind parts the drapes and the rumble of Tempest Mountain intrudes upon us.
"It makes no difference if you know, brat, so I'll tell you. I sent Ravidan into the mansion to find the bones for me. He stumbled across the secret door and was about to retrieve them when members of the church came calling on the Preceptor. To distract them, Ravidan set fire to the library and hid in the room until such time as he could escape with the box."
"But the king placed guards around the house, guards loyal to him, which prevented your demon from escaping unnoticed," I say.
She drops to the floor and licks between my toes. I really am glad I can't feel this.
"It was more than that," she says, after about three minutes. "The room under the library was ensorcelled with powerful enchantments. Ravidan couldn't escape once the steel door was allowed to close, and I lost communication with him. Not, at least, until you found the entrance for me. Twice I'd been there before and had never even guessed as to its location."
"What's in the box?" I ask her.
Of course Kahket doesn't answer. Instead, she rises to her feet and smiles.
She's a clever girl to leave me wanting for that information. But the stink of her pussy is now pissed all up and down my armor. She's marked me like a dog, and I'm so angry about that I don't think I'll even grant her an easy death much less give into her sexual bribes.
"You're going to have to give her something," Talen says to me in the helmet.
I swear to myself. He's right.
I close my eyes and visualize Talen naked. I visualize the last time I made love to him, and how his sweet little asshole puckered before my purple mushroom head. And between my legs, my dick lengthens. It extends to one side and then down the right leg. The armor bulges out as it does so, and she watches with drool forming on her lips. To help me out, Talen whispers things into my ear...tells me what he wants to do to me later.
"Dust," she whispers stepping forward to feel my erection. "Perhaps nothing...perhaps everything. A god may not affect the world physically but must do so through his worshipers. That is, unless the god is flesh and blood."
The sorceress drops to her knees and licks the armor directly above my lengthening dick. I continue to think of Talen, even moving my leg gently so that my cock rubs a little on the inside of my armor.
She thrust away from me, watching me with accusation, wiping her mouth.
"You treat me like a whore," she says.
"I treat you like a slut," I reply. "Whores get paid."
She screams at me and kicks me in the nuts, but only ends up bruising her kneecap.
"I hate you!" she yells at the top of her voice.
After five minutes of crying and wringing her hands, Kahket regains her composure.
She brushes past me, turning her back willfully, knowing in her confidence that I'm no threat. I'm sure she thinks she can destroy me with a single command. I'm sure she's visualizing her demon feasting upon my flesh or drinking my blood from the remnants of my own skull. This is the arrogance with which she carries herself.
Ravidan steps forward and cuts away our bonds even though we could have escaped. I suppose it's good that they don't know that.
"Follow me," Kahket commands. "I know NOT what god you worship, Hunter. But if you are wise, what you see in the next few moments will bend your knee in my direction. Until then, I shall treat you with a respect that you've not afforded me. I know that all boys who are so beautiful are also ignorant and stupid. One is not balanced without the other. But know this...I'm your better, and I'm about to prove it. I shall accept your apology in a few minutes. Know that nothing else will do save your mouth on my maidenhood, your tongue on my clit, your cock in my cunt. I will taste your semen before the night is through."
"Maidenhood?" I scoff. "Like you've got anything of your maidenhood left intact."
"Keep with your insults, Hunter. Know that I forgive you and shall not punish you too severely when you see my true power. Now follow me." She snaps her fingers and Ravidan gets behind both Talen and I and urges us forward with claws.
I wonder if she realizes that she's still nude. Then again, she probably does.
The sorceress grabs her hair brush once more and opens the door. On the other side, a foul stench of something rotten filters through my helmet and I see Calisto Blackmore, General of Taleta's armies in full plate mail regalia. Maggots crawl over the armor and his eyes glow with an evil blue light. I can't imagine being sodomized by him. I think it would have killed me. I add his name to the list of people that are going to die soon. There's no way I'm letting him hurt another pretty boy.
"Where are we going?" I ask her.
"Before the Grand Council of Assassins," she says calmly. "For I've been summoned, and one does not refute the summons of the Grand Council. Not if one wishes to live."
Chapter 31 shall be posted next week. If you like this novel, please remember to check out my other stories and writing samples by visiting my webpage at http://slckismet.blogspot.com/p/books.html