“There, the Lady of the Black Tear comes!” a sailor’s voice rang out in the ship. Commotion followed as sailors moved to spot what he saw. In my exhausted delirium I doubted what I saw. There was an enormous sea creature, something like a snake crossed with a sea kraken. Its large triangular head rose up out of the water, at least a hundred feet. The beast’s dozen eyes with its multi-colored irises stared down at us. Its green, iridescent fish skin glistened with seawater falling from it. Truly, this was a horror there against the eternal black of night.
“Lady Tiloshar!” The general bowed as gracefully as any ballroom dancer. “You truly are a vision of beauty every time I have the honor of visiting!”
For a moment I thought myself truly insane, as I thought he was speaking to the sea monster. However, I soon realized there truly was a lady present. She stood atop the sea creature’s boat sized head, her footing as sure as an acrobat’s. I could not quite make out the details of her appearance as she was still atop the sea creature a good distance above us, and the pitch black sky did not provide any light. From what I could tell of her silhouette, she wore a long black robe and some kind of crown on her head. Most disturbing of all, her eyes seemed to shine an eerie crimson.
“Welcome, General Eschellion!” Her voice was a queen’s, a power in it that was at once languid and ferocious. “What choice gifts do you bring me this visit?”
“I bring you a rare thing, indeed, lady Tiloshar! This is Rothan!” He brought me forward, holding me by the arm. “I believe you have never seen such a specimen. He is a Skaldean Fenrir, just like the legends speak of.”
“Is he truly? Surely he’s a half-blood, or less. True Fenrirs are said to be gone from the earth.”
“No, my lady, he is a true Fenrir indeed. He has displayed this many times before hundreds of witnesses. But now he is bound by True Silver chains, and this inhibits his transformation. You must understand the necessity. But I assure you, he is a full-blooded wolf man of old.”
Her cloak rustled in the seawinds. A beam of light reflecting from the Dominion illumined her face a passing moment. There was a smile upon her ivory skin. “He will be the prize of my collection.”
“Lady, in this case, I will need him returned, along with his mind gem. You see, the Empire has great interest in both his mind, and his body. Rest assured you will be handsomely rewarded for separating the two. And besides, you will have the whole night to entertain yourself with his mind.”
The Lady on the sea creature was silent for a long moment. “I have never extracted the essence of a Fenrir. I will need three days’ time.”
The General thought it over and then relented. “Very well. I will not keep my ship within your skies that long. You must understand that even men as brave as my own have rather queer superstitions about lingering in a place with such sorcery that it blots out the very sun. We will sail out and return three days from now.”
“It is agreed, then. You will have the Fenrir and his mind gem in three days.” Her voice resounded through the air, a commanding voice seething with arcane power. “Kephalpa, bring the captive.”
A tentacle thick as a tree trunk rose out from the sea, ocean spray bursting around it. “Fenris protect me,” I muttered as the tentacle wrapped around me. It felt like fish skin against me, except along the inside it had suckers that latched onto my ribs tighter than even the strongest man’s grip. The tentacle coiled all around me, so that a cold, wet alien limb constricted me like a python.
The great sea creature did not take much care as it carried me over the waves. At times it carried me so absentmindedly that I slipped below the freezing water and feared I would drown. Mercifully, it brought me back up in time that I spat brine out and gulped air. The sea creature could swim incredibly fast. Black water rushed under me as the island of Black Tear loomed larger and larger. Finally, we reached its jagged stone shore. A sprawling fortress had been built right along the edge of the island, by what arcane power, in what forgotten age, I could not say. The sea creature kept on swimming, diving under the waves. I emerged into a sea cave that extended into the island. Once we were inside this sea cave, I realized the fortress also extended over this cave. A few torches provided light, as well as some green light that somehow rose up from water within the cave.
“Servants!” the Lady in the black robe called out. She was still perched on the massive sea monster’s head. Though she was still mostly in shadow, I could see now that she had a striking face, of uncanny, almost predatory beauty, with skin pale as bone.
The sea monster dropped me onto the wet stones of the inner cave. I went to stand and immediately several creatures were around me. “Gah! By the gods!” I recoiled when I saw that they were creatures out of a nightmare. They were of different sizes, and all seemed to be stitched together. Orc, human, skeleton, some kind of cat creature, lobster arms, serpent tails, these creatures were combined in morbid ways to form the Lady’s shambling servants. One of the creatures had gorilla arms and pale grey flesh; it gripped me now and tugged me to my feet.
“Take him to the surgery room. Serve him the sustenance elixir or he will not survive the procedure.” The Lady gestured with long fingers and her servants obeyed.
“Let me go!” Somehow I found the strength to speak, through my utter exhaustion. “This is madness.”
“Do not worry. It is only the mind that can make one suffer.” Even at a great distance, I felt the Lady’s eyes pierce into mine. “Take him away. We begin tomorrow.”
6
The rest of the night was a haze. The stitched creatures poured a bright red drink, much like one of Dorgramu’s, down my throat. Despite my thrashing I swallowed enough of it that sleep quickly overcame me. My quarters were much more comfortable than I would have imagined. Rather than bare stone or metal as I had slept on in Cloudspyre and the Dominion, these quarters held a four-post bed, mirrors, even silk curtains.
But when I woke, the illusion of hospitality was over. Like a lamb that is led gently to a quiet meadow so it does not see the knife, I had been lulled to comfort. Now I woke and found myself in another chamber, a somber concrete slab of a room, bound to a long metal table by thick silver cuffs that were built into the very surface of the table. I was more alert than I had been in weeks, and this only made my situation worse as dread could truly fill me. The room was lined with shelves which held sharp surgical instruments: tubes, vials, candles, flasks. In various tubes there were creatures and body parts—hands, eyes, brains—all floating in thick yellowish liquid. A few skulls were strewn on the floor. The cold realization came to me, that this truly was to be my fate.
I pulled at the cuffs that bound me, on my ankles and wrists. It was useless. Though I had more vitality than before, I was still bound by True Silver. I believed even the table I found myself on was made of the cursed metal.
The door opened and a squat little goblin-looking creature came in. I observed him wearily as he inspected me and all the surgical instruments about me. “He’s all ready for you, Lady Tiloshar.” The goblin creature’s voice was a high-pitched croak. He made for the door and passed the Lady of the Black Tear on his way.
Lady Tiloshar came closer now, her long black robe rustling around her as she moved.
“Rothan, the Fenrir.” She looked down at me with her piercing red eyes. These were not the eyes of any human. They shimmered with arcane power as she studied me. “I can tell even at a glance that you are a great warrior, a truly powerful being.”
“It is not only strength that makes a warrior.” If these were my last moments with my own mind, I determined that my will would not break as it had on the Dominion.
“I agree. And I see this in you as well, strength of mind, strength of spirit. Even you must be afraid though. These must not be ideal circumstances to find yourself in.” Her ruby red lips curled into an ironic smile. Somehow this was comforting, even coming from my own torturer. “The god Fenris truly did come to you, didn’t he?”
My thoughts
returned to that moment in Kenessos when Fenris had pulled me from death. I did not think that was something that could be done twice. Perhaps I should not give my torturer the pleasure of answering her. “They say you can carve minds like butchers carve meat. Should you not be able to find this out without me telling it?”
Her lips curled once more. “Very well, if you insist.” Her hands reached out to me, each clasping one side of my head. Her long black nails dug into my flesh. “Rnnnrgh!” I grunted in sudden pain, my teeth grinding on each other. I shut my eyes and felt my breath leave me. Even with my eyes closed, I could see her piercing crimson eyes clear and bright. They were staring into me. Images flashed through my mind, taking me back in a rush to the day when I fought the Black Orc in the colosseum, to the moment when I lay dead and Fenris appeared before me.
“It is true.” I felt her hands release my skull and the anguish of her probing my mind left me. “Not only are you a Fenrir, but you are the very one in One Eye’s memories.”
“One Eye?” Suddenly it came to me. In all the chaos and torture of the voyage, I had nearly forgotten. “You killed him! You flayed his mind!” I went to snatch her throat in my hands, but the cuffs only rattled as I hardly budged them.
“Yes, you were a great presence in his mind as well.” She seemed unconcerned with my feeble attempt to kill her. “Not that it would save you, but there may still be a way to return your friend to his former self. For I been looking for one such as you for thirty years, and none have ever been brought to me, until now.”
“What do you mean? How is that possible? You gave his mind over to the Imperials. What you did with his body… I see from your servants what you do with the bodies that come into your possession. You tear them apart and put them back together like an insane little girl playing with dolls!”
“Hm. You have quite the impression of me.” She took a handkerchief from her robe and wiped her hands. “It is true I work with the Imperials through an arrangement. I hand over a mind gem which contains the minds of those they bring me, but I can create multiple gems from the same mind. Copies, if you will. In this case, knowing that Karlstaff One Eye’s mind could prove useful to me in the future, I decided to save one.”
“And where is he now, as an undead creature with a goblin brain and serpents for legs?”
“I did turn him into a servant of mine. He is rather beautiful now.”
“You wretched witch!”
“You may think of me what you will, but you truly want your friend back, do you not? He is not so unrecognizable as you might imagine. In fact, he could one day be as he was. Better even. Far better.”
I thought of what foul lies she would be willing to tell me. Then again, she had little reason to lie, as I was completely at her mercy. “What could you possibly have to gain from me that you can’t take already?”
“That is my concern, not yours. You may think me evil. But perhaps if you knew me, you would see I am only following my own nature, as we all do.” She ran her long fingernails along my shoulder. “It is unfortunate that we have to meet in these circumstances, Rothan the Fenrir. You will serve. You will serve me well. There is little time to explain my purposes, as I must hand you over to the Imperials three short days from now.”
As she stared down at me, I noticed what before had escaped my attention. Whatever she was, she was also a woman. The beauty of her face was entrancing. All her features were sharp, a long, pointed jaw, large sultry eyes that hardly ever blinked. The powders and paint on her face was truly the work of an artist and made her face all the more striking, accentuating her predatory grace. As her uncanny presence loomed over me, I could not help but accept that I had to take whatever offer she was giving.
“Go on, then. Tell me how I can win One Eye’s humanity again.” It was bittersweet thinking that One Eye might live again but that I would surely not. “At least if I must die in Imperial hands, something good can come of it.”
“I need you to find something for me. But first, there are many… procedures I must carry out. To begin, I must extract something from you now. It must be now.”
My eyes flickered to the surgical instruments on the wall. Try as I might to remain calm, I felt my heart quicken. “What do you mean ‘extract’?”
“It is nothing I will need to pierce your flesh for. In fact, the procedure will be rather pleasant. You might be the one piercing flesh.” She pulled some kind of lever on the table, and it began swiveling upward.
“What are you doing?” The table was now completely upright. I would have slid right off its brushed metal surface had I not been bound to it hand and foot with metal cuffs.
“Be at ease, Rothan the Fenrir. Here, I will aid you.” She caressed my forehead as she stood before me. She looked deep into my eyes. Her red pupils began shimmering hypnotically. Her porcelain skin, her lavishly sculpted features, her red lips were all entrancing. Even her long neck, her sharp cheekbones, the languid way in which she moved were all charged with predatory power. And the raven black hair contrasted in some elegant way with her pale skin. “Rothan, you still don’t know what I am, do you?”
I was so entranced by her glowing eyes that it took me a moment to even make sense of her words. “No.” I shook my head drunkenly.
“You innocent thing. Think of it. Why must my home always be shrouded in darkness from the sun? Why do I surround myself with undead things rather than the living? I am what mortals call… a vampire.” She laughed, gently, and when she did I saw the wicked fangs in her mouth. “What mortals don’t know about us is that we not only feast on blood. Those greatest among us are known as Sanguinar. We can feast on blood like common Vampires. We can feast on mental energy like Wraiths. And we can feast on sexual energy like Succubi. And we Sanguinar vampires know how to use all three of these forces for arcane purposes.”
“And what does a Sanguinar Vampire… want with me?”
“Many things, Rothan, many things.” Hunger was brewing in those eyes shaded by rouge and heavy black lashes. “But, first thing’s first. I must make sure I have what I need to keep you alive and fulfill my bargain with the Imperials.” Her hand traced the contours of my pecs, my abdomen. Her palm pressed against my ribs and her fingers spread all over my flesh. She brought her hands down my torso until they reached my belt. She unfastened it with one deft movement of her clawed hand.
“I don’t understand…”
“You will. All beings from the simplest creature to the greatest of kings understand this.”
She slid my pants down, the fabric chaffing on my thighs. My manhood was bare for her to see, thick but limp. I tried twisting to cover myself somehow, but it was useless. “What is this? Must you take my dignity with my mind!”
“Dignity? Men would give a limb to be you now. Some men have.”
“You’re—you’re truly mad!” I could not finish as suddenly her hand squeezed around my manhood. She slid down into a crouch, her velvety black cloak contouring against her from. Her lips came down sweetly on the tip of my cock. I shuddered “Enough!” I choked out. “You mock me enough! Kill me, but humiliate me no longer!”
“You truly think I do this as a punishment, don’t you?” She pulled back and stood looking up at me. Her hands went on feeling the peaks and valleys of my torso. Even in my panic, her caresses were beginning to stir something inside me. She was hypnotically beautiful. I could not deny that. She was tall and long limbed, yet I was still taller and I was raised higher still by being bound to the metal table. I could not make out her figure entirely as she wore her long black robe. However, her face was beautiful, and it was made more beautiful still by the way she had decorated herself with makeup and powders, rouge and what other paints and substances women used. There were jeweled earrings that sparkled against her raven black hair. These black locks were held up in a lavish style by an ornate half crown and jeweled bun rings. “I will show you, that I mean no punishment, at least not one that you will not enjoy.” She reached for a brooch
on her long robe. She unfastened it and it fell from her like cut hair. I could not control my eyes as they roamed every inch of her body. From head to shoulders, her skin was flawless, milky white. Everywhere her body was made up of long, thin, powerful curves. Underneath her robe she wore only the smallest amount of clothing, a black bodice that wrapped tightly around her narrow waist. A thin undergarment that nearly revealed the contours of her sex. Stockings that came up to mid-thigh. And there were small black skull adornments that covered just enough of her nipples to not be nude. As she took a step forward I could see her breasts sway. They were the largest, fullest breasts I had ever seen, and somehow by some supernatural power they were as firm as a young maiden’s. Each was as large as my face. Even without touching them, I could sense how tender, how ripe they were, how heavy they hung as they bobbed with their own momentum with her slightest of movements. The instinct in me to fondle them, to sink my fingers into them, to spread my lips over them was overwhelming.
She looked down at my rock-hard cock, and a ruby smile spread on her face. “That’s better.” Her long fingers were cool to the touch as they wrapped around my shaft.
“I… I… don’t understand!”
“You still are not relaxed, after all my reassurance?” Her eyes glowed brighter still, and I felt an even greater sense of drunkenness wash over me. “Relax, and enjoy.” As her lips began sucking at me, as her fingers rubbed on my shaft, I began forgetting the madness and absolute misery of the last weeks. She took me deeper inside her mouth, and her tongue began sliding all around it. The suction of her wet mouth, her fingers running up and down my shaft, began building a fever of desire in me. She brought both her hands to my thighs and she somehow took my entire manhood into her so that my shaft felt the twisting contour of her throat. My head rolled back and slammed on the table with pleasure. She was flicking her tongue all along the underside of my shaft. She ran her lips up and down it, again and again, rhythmically, changing her pace like the rise and fall of a song. When she pressed her wet tongue right on the spot where my crown met my shaft, my mind nearly leapt out of my own body.
Wolf Blade: Chains of the Vampire Page 5
