Night Cursed

by Mark Albany

  Most of the islanders had joined in the search party. I didn’t blame them at all. The first thing I’d wanted to do when I got back home was see what kind of damage had been done. Hell, the first thing I’d done was walk right up to the castle to see what they were doing.

  I smiled as my memories came back. It seemed like such a long time ago. I was so much simpler then, so much more ignorant of the terrors that were living in the world, and the fact that I was one of said terrors.

  “I’ll head out with the islanders,” Kalna told me once we’d cleared the jetty and were on solid ground again. “I’d like to get my bearings in this place. Besides, I’ll probably know what we’re looking for just as well as any of these boys.”

  I nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. Don’t get seen.”

  She grinned and stuck her tongue out at me. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.” She turned to catch up with the islanders, who had already started moving deeper inland. I turned to the rest, who were looking at the destroyed village, not sure what to do next.

  “Look around,” I directed them. “See if anybody’s in these buildings. If they’re abandoned, maybe find someplace we can take shelter in for the night. No telling what comes out around here once it’s dark.”

  They all nodded in agreement and started to spread out, looking through the buildings. I did the same, heading deeper in, keeping my hand on my blade. Eira followed closely behind and a little to my side. Not too close, but never straying far from her position.

  There was something she wanted to say or do, but something else was holding her back. I was exhausted and didn’t feel like prying it out of her at the moment. Maybe after a good night of sleep and some food I wouldn’t be hurling over the side of a ship I’d push her to tell me.

  “There aren’t any bodies,” I noted aloud, looking around.

  There wasn’t any smell of rotting flesh either. The Trelans didn’t seem like the type that would bury the bodies of the people they killed. My mind’s eye flickered back to the blackness I’d seen consuming the corpses in Kalna’s village, like that was how it fed. Had that been what happened here, or had the people been herded away alive to be indoctrinated into the Trelans’ army? Maybe a combination of both?

  I shook my head. There seemed to be plenty of ghosts in this little town. I went around every corner expecting someone to be watching or ready to strike. My nerves were already frayed from the long day, and this tension wasn’t helping.

  I gritted my teeth and held the sword tight as I drifted into the wooded area outside the town. These trees grew very close together. I hadn’t ever seen their like before. They were green and healthy, looking like they’d never seen the bite of winter, and were heavily laden with vines that dripped down almost to the ground, making navigation impossible. Less than a minute into the trek, we’d already lost sight of the village.

  A few minutes passed. Then I heard Eira’s voice.

  “Braks? I thought we’d… take a break.”

  I turned to look at her. To my surprise, she’d already dropped her dress to the ground. Her crown was gone, as it always was when she was undressing. I’d always wondered if she could make it disappear at will, or if it was even there at all. Her long, thick purple hair was drifting down over her back, contrasting beautifully with her white skin. Her pale, almost pupil-less eyes were trained on mine as she came closer, her hands undoing my belt.

  “What are you doing?” I already knew the answer. Even if our minds hadn’t been connected, it was fairly obvious. The belt came away, and she tossed it and the sword attached to it aside before responding.

  “You need me, Braks,” she whispered, pressing her heavy breasts into my chest as she leaned in closer. She pressed her lips to my neck and let her tongue flicker out to taste the sweat on my skin. “And if I’m honest, I’ve been needing you since I felt you fucking Kalna yesterday.”

  “Right,” I felt my arousal already starting to show. “About that—”

  “You don’t need to explain, Braks,” she whispered, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to press her pale lips to mine. She took my hands in hers, bringing them up to cup her breasts. I squeezed them firmly and rubbed the pert nipples with my palms. Her hands had slipped into my trousers, pulling them down enough for her to find my cock with her fingers. Her thumbs lightly ran over the quickly-hardening head.

  “You just need to fuck me,” she murmured, her lips less than a hair’s breadth away from my skin, letting me feel her hot breath. “Hard.”

  She dropped to her knees in front of me, pulling my pants down with her. My cock came free. Her lips parted and her tongue darted between them, lathering the head with wetness. Her hands came up. One gently cradled my balls, and the other grabbed my hand and pushed it to the back of her head.

  My mind went back to my first time with her. I’d been barely controlling the power inside me, and she’d sucked me insatiably before Kalna came to join us. I remembered pinning her to the ground and finishing inside her.

  I could tell she was thinking of that first time too. A smile touched her lips as she leaned her head back, moaning as she sucked my cock into her mouth, urging me to take control. I wasn’t sure whether it was because my mind was on it or she just wanted a repeat of that night.

  She bobbed her head over me a few times before I did as she wanted. Her hand dropped between her thighs, rubbing at her lips with two fingers. Both my hands gripped her head. She relaxed her jaw in anticipation of what was to follow, moaning encouragement as I held her head in place, pushing my cock deeper into her mouth. Her agile tongue flicked and danced over the shaft as it found the back of her mouth and kept on pushing. The gentlest of reactions was all I felt as the head pushed into her throat, filling it slowly until I was all the way inside her.

  Both her hands were gone from me. One hand had fingers inside her pussy, while the other was reaching behind herself, teasing the hole on the other side. I was pumping her mouth full of me over and over again, gasping in pleasure as I felt her tongue slipping out of her mouth and teasing at my balls each time I bottomed out in her throat.

  We kept the sounds of our sex relatively quiet. Even though we were out of sight of the village, we weren’t out of earshot. I struggled to keep my moans of pleasure contained, even when I saw Kalna arriving. The search party had moved quickly across the small island, the others knowing the land. I growled, licking my lips as she paused to gaze at Eira on her knees, my cock filling her mouth and throat as she toyed with herself.

  The elf didn’t bother undressing. She just peeled her weapons and pack off as she came closer, giving herself a moment to press her lips to mine as she ran her fingers appreciatively through Eira’s hair. Once she pulled away, she dropped onto her knees next to Eira, kissing the ice woman’s neck, watching her take my cock into her mouth over and over again. Kalna’s hand moved down between Eira’s thighs, replacing the woman’s hand, fingers teasing her clit and then slipping inside her, fucking her in time with the thrusts of my cock in Eira’s mouth.

  Eira was already on the edge. I could feel her scream of pleasure curtailed as I pushed myself into her throat again. Her eyes closed and her body went limp, even as her throat tightened around me. Kalna didn’t give her a moment to recover though, pushing her to another orgasm in quick succession as the elf’s free hand slipped inside her leather leggings, toying with her own pussy.

  Eventually, Eira could take no more and pulled away from my cock, gasping for breath. Kalna didn’t give her a chance to reclaim it, quickly wrapping her lips around the shaft. I closed my eyes, running my fingers through Kalna’s pearl-white hair, urging her to take me faster and suck me harder. I felt close to my own climax as Eira recovered enough to watch. She was breathing hard, panting as she licked her lips, cleaning the drool that was coating her chin from when I’d been fucking her mouth.

  As I did the same to Kalna, Eira moved in closer, pressing her breasts into my thighs, her lips kissing lightly at my hips. I grow
led when I felt her nip at my bare skin. It was getting harder to focus as I felt Kalna starting to approach her orgasm. Eira quickly joined in, her hand slipping inside the elf’s leggings and teasing her pussy to let Kalna focus more on my cock in her mouth. She did, pumping me in and out faster and faster, even as soft cries of pleasure escaped from between her lips.

  Just as her hips started to buck against Eira’s fingers, my cock twitched inside her mouth. My hips drove forward as I filled her mouth and throat with my cum. She gasped, sucking it down eagerly, still trying to recover from her orgasm. She kept bobbing her head, still sucking and toying with my cock with her tongue until I was fully spent. Finally she pulled away, smiling and licking her lips.

  Eira got to her feet first, making sure to press against me all the way up before she kissed me.

  “That was delicious,” she whispered and kissed my cheek as Kalna stood up to kiss me too.

  “I’ll say,” I agreed with a small smile, running my fingers over Kalna’s cheek and Eira’s naked body. I took a deep breath. The sex, enjoyable as it was, had done its job, and the darkness had withdrawn for the day, probably disgusted with the change of pace. I smirked and leaned in to kiss Kalna first, then Eira.

  “I think we should find the rest of our party.” I gave Eira a firm smack on her ass. The ice woman jumped and squealed uncharacteristically, grinning as she moved over to where she’d left her light dress in a pile in the middle of the jungle. As she slipped it back on, I noticed that her crown reappeared, like it was a part of her dress.

  I chuckled softly. Eira turned back, a quizzical look on her face.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just finding that even with our little connection, I’m still learning more and more about all of you.”

  Kalna grinned and ran her fingers through Eira’s purple hair.

  We got back to the village after a few minutes of walking, seeing the men still searching through the various houses. The sky showed the last hints of red before the sky abruptly flashed to full dark, and some of the islanders had already returned from their scouting mission. I could safely assume that they hadn’t run into any Trelans.

  “We should finish sweeping this town and then find somewhere to set up camp,” Kalna said, squaring her shoulders.

  I nodded. “I agree,” I said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’ll check in with the rest of the scouts and make sure we’re alone. At least on this part of the island.”

  “And I’ll check in with Leena back on the ship,” Eira volunteered. She was the first to break away, moving lightly over the ground like she was floating. Kalna paused a moment to peck me on the cheek.

  “See you soon,” she whispered and moved deeper into the village. I looked at both of them moving away, and a small smile touched my face before I headed over to the islanders.

  Chapter 5

  A handful of houses in the center of the village had been left more or less intact. I wasn’t sure why or how, but with the whole village abandoned, it seemed rather wasteful. Kalna found one of the buildings had a functioning fireplace. It was built into the center of the single room of the building, with a chimney to funnel the smoke out through the top. The whole place was made of a mixture of mud bricks and wood. It was unexpectedly stable, as well as surprisingly fireproof, since there were scorch marks on the outside but none on the inside.

  Eira got the fire going as Kalna prepared some food from our own supplies. Leena had stayed back to help oversee repairs, but it had gone on long enough, as far as I was concerned. As full darkness settled in, we had a quick meal, then Kalna and Eira both settled down on a mat on the floor. It looked comfortable, and there was more than enough space for the three of us.

  Kalna patted the side of the mat next to her, but I shook my head.

  “I’ll join you in a bit.” I spoke softly, still sitting next to the fire.

  She nodded, understanding. Thanks to the power inside me, I had less and less need for sleep, even if it had been a tiring day. The way my mind was churning, I wasn’t going to get much rest anyway.

  The elf nuzzled gently into Eira, and soon, their breathing deepened, indicating that both had fallen asleep. I drew my knees up to my chest and stared into the fire.

  Is it safe to come out now?

  I shook my head. The voice had a sickening quality, like oil gliding over water. Each time it spoke, it left a bad taste in my mouth and a churning in my stomach. I wanted to talk back at it, but seeing Eira and Kalna asleep, I didn’t want to wake them by expressing my annoyance.

  That’s fine. You don’t have to talk to me. I know I have your full attention anyway. You know the whole concept of trying to control me is futile, right? Keeping me suppressed until the circumstances demand it only means you’ll be less prepared to handle me when I do eventually get to come out and play. The only way you’ll ever be able to control me fully and be completely able to unleash our powers is if you do so often and with very little regard for the lives you’ll be ending. You won’t just be fighting against sea monsters, remember? There are soldiers out there that you know are in thrall to their masters, and you’ll have to kill them. The number that you’ll have to kill will add to this feeling of remorse you already have, and that weight will drag you down the same way it did Gelid.

  “His name was Liam,” I murmured under my breath.

  He chose the name Gelid, not me. There was some significance to it, but I forget what, now. Either way, you need to release me if you want to control me. Keeping me in a cage until you need some killing done only ensures that I do worse and worse things each time you do.

  Leena was still awake, probably still working on the boat. I could feel her reaching out through our connection. It had been a while since we’d… bonded last, and that made the bridge between our minds a bit tenuous, but I could still feel her touching my mind, trying to help. She could sense my foul mood.

  Yes, you have your lovers to help you keep me down, but will keeping me down save you? Keep them alive? Save your people? Is that what you really think? Don’t answer. I already know it’s not.

  I was starting to consider just trying to sleep anyway. It would give me something to do, other than sit here and carry on this very one-sided conversation.

  That’s adorable.

  “Shut up.”

  My focus was broken a second later. The sound of wood cracking echoed across the empty town. I was on my feet in a moment, my hand on my sword as I sprinted out of the building. I didn’t have a clear view of the docks from here, which is where I assumed the sound had come from. My sword came clear of the sheath, glittering darkly in the dim light cast by a handful of torches. I jogged over to the docks. As they came into view, I could see what had caused the noise.

  The ship was sinking into the harbor. The water wasn’t deep enough for it to sink all the way, but given the angle the remaining masts were at and the way the rest of the ship lay in the water, I could tell there was no easy way to get that ship sailing again. Certainly not with the materials we had on hand.

  Wasn’t there someone still on the ship?

  “Leena!” I called desperately, looking around as my heart sank into my boots. Another sea monster had come and scuttled the ship. Oh Gods! Its stench was still heavy in the air, but I couldn’t see any tentacles coming up from the water or any other movement. It looked like the thing had come, destroyed the ship, and then left, though it seemed to have waited long enough to eat those that had been on the ship. Among whom was Leena. My Leena!

  “Braks!” I heard her voice. I felt relief wash over me like a wave as I turned to see her. She looked tired and disheveled, but very much alive. I ran over to her and wrapped her up in a tight hug.

  “Holy fuck,” I gasped. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I sensed you were having a hard time, and with the other two still asleep, I thought you could use some company. I left the ship and was halfway to where you were when I heard that… what happened?�
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  I turned back around, looking at the ship. No movement could be seen from it, even though the ship was still in the shallows. If the ship had only sunk, there would have been survivors. There should have been survivors.

  You’re welcome for that, too. If I hadn’t been bothering you, Leena would have stayed on the ship and died with the rest of them.

  “Shut… up,” I gritted through clenched teeth as I jogged across the jetty, looking over the ship. I knew in my heart there were no survivors, but I still had to be sure. I had to check.

  The stench from the monster was bad. It stung my nostrils when I breathed it in, but I kept moving forward and looking around. The parley boat, a small vessel with a sail and enough room for six or seven people, was floating free from the boat, apparently untouched by the beast. The waves slowly pushed the boat toward the shore.

  I extended my hand, watching as icicles formed and gently started to push the small boat until it slid up the sand on the beach. When I looked up, I could see what was left of our crew—mostly islanders now, and Eira and Kalna—waiting and looking at me.

  I closed my eyes and gathered my thoughts. It was difficult. My blood boiled as I thought of the brave men who’d joined us as volunteers, now nothing more than food for those terrifying monsters. Even so, I needed to put on a composed front.

  Leena put her hand on my shoulder. I looked into her pale green eyes, smiling as I squeezed her hand with mine.

  “The monster’s gone.” Then I cleared my throat and raised my voice. “Those that were on the ship are lost. The best we can do to honor their memories is carry on. And we won’t be doing much of that without some rest. Everyone should get some sleep. Maybe move a bit farther away from the shore for now, and post some sentries. We’ll discuss our options in the morning.”

  The good thing about being seen as a leader was that people left the difficult decisions to you. Sure, they could criticize, but they didn’t want to be on the hook for making those choices themselves. There was some grumbling from the survivors, but they eventually agreed and filed off to get some rest.