by Taylor Kole
“Bellora, what have you done?” Junea gasped as she stared in horror at Flavius. She knew mortal wounds, and by the way blood pooled under him, she feared he’d been murdered before her eyes.
The young woman turned to Junea. The disgust on her face looked more out of place than a trapper sitting at the head of a dining table, calmly gesturing to be passed the vegetables.
Before she could step in Junea’s direction, as Junea feared she would, the original guard barreled from the hall, absorbed the scene and drew his short sword.
“She killed him!” Junea yelled.
The air crackled with uncertainty. If Bellora chose, she could lunge and attack Junea before the hunter reached her. Did her life-long maiden hate her enough to kill her?
The warrior closed the distance and shielded his charge.
Seeing the sword in the hunter’s hand had to make Bellora realize the immensity of her mistake. Yet she crouched defensively, as if she planned to fight the combat veteran.
She circled a moaning and kicking Flavius, his hand slipping in his own blood.
“Time to die, devil child,” the guard said as he assumed his fighting stance.
The main door opened, footsteps pounded, and Ursus entered with his weapon drawn.
A second passed as she worried Bellora’s lover would side with her.
After reading the signs and stepping into the light, his face turned from shock to scorn, “What have you done?”
“None of you understand!” Bellora shouted. “I am meant to birth a god-son. It is my destiny. Interfere at your peril. The gods favor me. It’s predestined that I live beyond this day.”
“You’re mad,” Junea said.
“I was wrong about JoshRidley being my mate,” Bellora said. “This is RobertJohnson’s kingdom. We are his servants. This woman betrays the true god who lords over us. To join her is blasphemy.”
As Ursus came abreast of the other guard, he shook his head and hardened his features. “You are sadly mistaken, woman, and I’m afraid you have made your final mistake in this life.”
The two experienced warriors quickly fell into a pattern, closing on the maiden.
Despite the impending horrible death, Bellora maintained the venom in her gaze. Her eyes rocked from Ursus to the lead guard, the dagger held before her, dripping the blood of JoshRidley’s acolyte.
When they reached the ever-weakening Flavius, Ursus stepped over the young man, falling behind his partner.
The guard before him said, “Drop the weapon and I will make your death quick and painless.”
As his sword reached striking distance, the hairs on Junea’s arm stood up. She fixated on every moment, knowing she wouldn’t feel safe until Bellora was subdued.
Instead of lunging, disarming the woman, and finishing her with a savage thrust, the off guard screamed, startling Junea.
Rising to her feet, fighting her trembling legs, Junea had trouble processing what saw. Ursus had struck the guard and buried his blade so deep that the point protruded from the man’s chest. Bone showed white against the blood-smeared steel.
Bellora jumped in place, clapping, splattering red droplets across her face.
The two men fell to the ground as one, and as the front guard went limp, Ursus guided the blade out, shushing the man into eternity.
Junea’s will seemed to ebb with the warrior’s life, for as he slipped away, she eased onto the cot.
Rising, Ursus barely caught the leaping Bellora, who wrapped her legs around his mid-section and kissed him in mad triumph.
Junea had a brief hope of the other two warriors returning through the door, but she soon accepted that she had witnessed a calculated coup. Bellora’s suggestion of scouting the perimeter had been a ploy to get the men alone with Ursus.
Glancing at the dark corridor, she brought her hand to her mouth. Flavius was dragging himself up its slant. Knowing he would soon be dead, but unable to watch him suffer another killing blow, Junea sought to distract the duo.
“Why would you do this to me?”
“You, you, you, you, you,” Bellora said as she released Ursus, and turned her attention to Junea. “It’s not all about you, Miss Precious. I know that is hard to grasp, but other people breathe and dream and plan. IT IS MY DESTINY TO MOTHER A GOD!” She twirled on the balls of her feet. “He is going to be a great hero who changes the way we live. I thought JoshRidley was to be the father, but I see now, he was simply the step, along with you, bringing me to our god, RobertJohnson.”
“You’re mad, Bellora.” Noticing Ursus examining the dead guard and fearing he would soon seek out Flavius, she addressed him. “Tell her, Ursus. She is too young to know of RobertJohnson’s cruelty. You must know if she goes to him and discusses my existence, tells him of this place, he will fillet the both of you before visiting the same fate upon me.”
“She doesn’t have visions, my dear,” Bellora said. “I’m the one blessed with sight, as you can see.” She motioned to the dead hunter. “It is I the gods favor.”
Ursus nodded, but his aged face hung heavy, as if with doubt.
Seeing this, Junea said, “How could you do this? You’ve been a friend to my father since I was a child.”
“He is a good man. So am I.” His tone ended all hopes of further assistance.
“You’ll see, little Miss Princess. There are other people in this world besides your highness. But don’t worry, I will leave you all of the supplies, and when RobertJohnson embraces me as his lover and ushers me to the head of his chamber, I will have your life spared. I will even convince him to raise your son alongside our own. Give your child the honor of serving mine in the Golden Guard.”
Retrieving her discarded dagger, she wiped the blade on the dead man, and sheathed it. To Ursus, she said, “We need to take these bodies outside.”
“I will bury them to keep them from attracting predators.”
“Don’t bother, drag them far enough from the trail and they’ll be eaten in the night. When you return we’ll move to a soft bed, you can have a treat, and then we can finally sleep.”
He nodded, then studied Junea.
“Don’t worry about her. She will be no trouble. I know her. She won’t leave because she has no clue where we are. She expects everyone else to take care of her. But since we all need to stay together tonight, I’ll apprise our princess of why she should behave. It’s about time we talked as equals.” She kissed Ursus and turned to Junea.
As she skipped over, Ursus noticed Flavius’ blood trail leading out the door and he barked a curse.
Bellora laughed, and clapped. “Ha! He offered himself to the demons.”
Without a word, Ursus grabbed the ankles of the dead hunter and dragged him toward the door.
XXII
“Talk about scary,” Karen said as she applied lotion to her legs.
Josh wished she would do that any place other than their shared bed, but the word scary itched inside his brain. What did she know about fear?
He remembered skittering demons in the dark recesses of an alien birthing chamber, dozens of eviscerators rushing toward him.
“Just as I finished the entire McCluster account, the power went out. Zip. You know the old laptop’s battery won’t hold a charge for longer than five minutes, so I’m freaking out. I checked the fuse box, nothing. Then I think about which neighbor might be home so I can borrow some juice and bam! It hits me that the power is probably out in the entire building—at least this floor. I’m pulling my clothes on, hoping I can make it to a nearby outlet. Just as I’m thinking my life is over, the power kicks back on.” She shook her head at the memory. “I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if I lost all that work.”
“Nothing would have happened,” Josh said while staring up at the ceiling, his weak arms at his sides. An image of Artemis’ body going limp from being snapped between barbed fangs flashed in his mind.
“Well,” Karen said as she dried her hand on the edge of the blanket and clicked off
the lamp. “I might have lost all of that work.”
“Then you would have retyped numbers into the computer. Same as the day before, same as tomorrow.”
“Wow.” She turned on her side and placed an arm on his flabby midsection. “I’m glad I have you to share my days with.” After a beat where he didn’t reply, she sat up and looked him over—no doubt wanting to vomit from the pasty sight illuminated by the streetlights and moonbeams. “I know what you need to unwind, baby.” She slid her hand down his belly and into his boxers.
The tingling sensation as she gripped him neared pleasure, so he didn’t interrupt her. But this wasn’t working. He had been fighting it all day, but he couldn’t live like this. Skinner had ascended to Apotheosis, leaping at will, influencing all with his might. His old pal would probably use some super bow that fired arrows the size of small trees, and become revered for shooting sixty bolts a minute.
As the sensation in his groin brought him back to the moment, he thought of Junea’s lithe body, her smell, the softness of her skin.
“There we go,” Karen said. “Just relax, baby.”
She scooted closer to him, and even as they grew more intimate, he considered how he used to think of this as the greatest treatment of his life. Why?
Skinner was probably in a bath at that very moment with ten maidens in a circle around the perimeter. He would dip into one, give her a flurry, withdraw, and start on the next in a game of duck duck splooge.
Karen moaned, as if his flabby body held the capacity to excite her. He turned his head and sighed.
Respecting the effort she applied, he tried to focus on the sensation. A half minute later he gently grabbed her head, and pulled her free.
“This isn’t going to work. I’m sorry.”
“What the hell, Josh? This kind of attention usually sets you right for a week.”
“But it isn’t working.”
“What isn’t? What’s wrong with you? Talk to me.”
“It’s not working for me,” he yelled. Then, while shaking his head, he added, “I’m sorry.”
Pain erupted from his privates as she squeezed him. “It seems fine to me.”
Josh looked closer as she wiggled his member in between her two fingers and thumb. The lights passing through the window and the digital clock allowed him to see it clearly. He was arooused, and the pathetic sight made him mewl like an injured calf.
He moved Karen to the side and climbed out of bed, trying to avoid the horror of it all.
“Where are you going?” she called as he slinked out of the room.
He appreciated her attempts to help him, but also knew she had already flopped on the mattress and would be asleep within five minutes. Nothing much bothered her, a reason she would survive his upcoming actions.
In the dining room, he booted up his old laptop, and sensing no danger whatsoever, he visited the Venture Together website. He entered Bruce’s login and password, and for the twelfth time that day, marveled at the networth of the Meisenheimers.
Tomorrow marked four days since he left Betaloome. By the time he dumped enough equity for his second trip, and then picked up the precious metals, over fifty days would have passed. In another fifty a clan of psychopaths would terrorize his people.
He had a child in danger—danger of its head being dashed against a rock upon birth. That was scary.
He must be inserted by the following morning. Until then, he simply hoped Flavius, Bellora, and Cronin would ensure Junea’s safety.
As he committed his first and last class one felony, heat in the pit of his stomach told him he needed to hurry or all would be lost.
XXIII
After a full night’s sleep, Bellora felt great. Free.
She reminded Junea of the dangers of leaving the pavilion, but knew Junea would stay put. Shen then left her bound but the room unlocked. She dropped a knife at the end of the hall.
Surprisingly, all of the concerns for her old mistress evaporated the moment she stepped from the shelter and watched Ursus close the strong door. The closing of the door felt like the good ending to a bad story. It had been tough to endure, but with it completed, she was glad for the experience.
Bellora’s courage and bravery had earned her freedom. She was now a queen in the making.
She and Ursus followed game trails for three shadow bars. Another six were spent carefully picking their way through the forest. Finally, Ursus stopped along a shrub line.
After hydrating, he motioned for her to come closer.
Looking at the aged face, Bellora thought about how easy it had been to take control of this man. She’d even kept her main virginity intact. Ursus wanted release, yes, but the particular methods hardly concerned him. So she had practiced her mouth skills and offered her backside for his thrusts. She would be a champion pleaser, and was uplifted that even with the alternate option, every one of Ursus’ rams tingled with pleasure. Afterward, she always felt a sense of power. She felt like a woman.
Ursus pointed to a grated road waited beyond the foliage. Bellora almost screamed with excitement. A road of such quality meant they had reached the Atlantean pointus ascendus.
Once she became impregnated by RobertJohnson, she could see keeping Ursus on as her personal bodyguard. Maybe toss him the occasional release to keep him loyal.
“Let’s move closer,” she said.
They crept to the edge and peered. She had never seen a road so wide and flat. Pitfalls lined both sides. They were intact, which was evidence that demons had learned this area was dangerous for them.
Normally, the northwestern and northeastern corners of each nation held the pointus ascendus. For Atlantis there was only one, and it rested in the center of the north wall.
Each level guarded their entrance to keep demons from the lower realm out. A stone building with many windows took up the center. Metal fencing rimmed the building and roads. A dozen heavily fortified and armed men stood sentry across its entrance.
Bellora sniffed her freshly-washed but sweaty hair. The braids were unraveling, but perhaps that made her appear wild, able to keep pace with a god. She wiped under her eyes, and smoothed the front of her tunic. Compared to the reflective silver armor, shaded with hues of blue and emblazoned with an image of the coliseum, she knew she would at first appear lesser than these men, but her confidence and beauty would win the day. And her mention of having met RobertJohnson (a small lie, for she had only seen him on his steed), and having a message for him would earn her the respect needed to be chaperoned to her sweetheart.
“Let’s go.” She gripped Ursus by the arm. “Stay close, but let me do the talking.”
Ursus breathed deeply. “I hope your visions are true, m’lady. The first law states no bottom dweller may enter Atlantis.”
“We are not bottom dwellers, Ursus. We are emissaries of the one true god, RobertJohnson, here on his official business.” She broke the canopy and felt her confidence rising with each stride. The men in the distance would soon be her subjects. She would rule them with the love of a stern mother.
It took forty paces for the guards to notice their approach. Many of the men banged their fist against the metal of their chestplate.
Twice the number of soldiers poured from two stone buildings and took post to either side of the wall of men. Ursus tossed his salca into the brush.
Bellora stopped fifty feet from them. A half-dozen bowmen lined the upper deck, arrows knotted.
A lone soldier, whose color pattern of blue and silver was inverted, stepped closer and spoke. “What is the reason for your boldness?”
“I am Bellora, and this is my escort, Ursus. We are here to speak with RobertJohnson.”
The lead guard and a few others chuckled. When this died down, he said, “Lose the dagger and tell your inbred to toss his weapon on the ground and then you may step forward.”
They did as instructed.
As they approached, Bellora adjusted her posture.
Meeting Bellora, the l
eader ran his hand along her cheek. “What could two balls of dirt, such as yourselves, have to request of our benevolent Lord?”
She pulled back, but before she could protest, the other guards advanced. The speed at which they subdued and secured Ursus stole some of her confidence.
She swallowed and searched for her voice.
The guard snatched her by the arm. “RobertJohnson would have nothing to do with a rat like you, but I might.” Pivoting, he started toward a building, dragging her with him.
She tore her arm free and kicked his unguarded shin. As he lowered his face and cursed, she raked her nails deep into his cheek. His flesh curled under her fingernails. She turned to run,
A fist to met her abdomen and dropped her to the ground.
While catching her breath, the first guard cursed a tirade. A few moments to compose himself and he strode to her and leaned close.
Wincing, he said, “I was going to keep you for myself, maybe let you leave if your legs could take you. Now, once we have passed you to every man for seconds and thirds, I’m going to open your stomach and watch you wobble while your guts spill.” Rising, he addressed a soldier. “Take that one top side. He can die in the coliseum.” To another man he barked, “And bring me aloe for the marks this wench placed upon my face.”
Bellora tried to catch her breath as she sat up.
The officer scowled in her direction.
“You stupid man,” Bellora gasped as she climbed to her feet. “RobertJohnson came to Reysona months past. He employed me as his eyes.” She breathed deeply. “I have news of dire importance.”
The leader’s posture stiffened. Still, he eyed her with distrust. “Tell me of this news and I may let you live.”
She inhaled three slow breaths and said, “I will tell you nothing, servant. As instructed by the god RobertJohnson, I will deliver the message to him, for it is of that value. And if you want to live, you will beg my forgiveness as you escort me to him.”
The man scoffed. Yet Bellora saw his eyes narrow in concern.
Men led Ursus up the inclined road.
