Carnival of the Soul

by Cebelius

  He'd cased it soon after leaving Shu with Peter, and quickly come to the conclusion that he would need some kind of distraction ... or an army, to get inside. There was one working gate, and the walls were about thirty feet high and had a slight outward slant that made climbing without specialized equipment impossible.

  There were patrols on the parapets, guards in the towers, and a lot of guards at the gate even though the portcullis was closed. Koschei's paranoia was on full display, and the whole thing served to piss Terry off. Why couldn't anything be simple? Why did it always take a template to get these things done? Why couldn't people like Baba Yaga leave him the hell alone?

  He thought of his women, and hoped they were all right. Then again, why wouldn't they be? They weren't in the Wildervast at an undead freak show trying to break into a castle to kill a supposedly unkillable man.

  He wished Shy were there, and for a moment lost himself remembering the way she felt in his arms. Her warmth and softness. As though his memories were intent on mimicking real life, Laina intruded on his thoughts, then Euryale, and he spent precious moments dutifully remembering each of his girls even as he shook his head at himself. It was as though he wasn't allowed to play favorites even in his own head.

  Life was simpler without a harem. It might not be better, but it sure was simpler.

  As he heard a muffled roar of amazement and the thunder of applause from inside the big top, he chuckled, and started to walk away. He wasn't going to make progress just following the show around. He had to find some way to get in to see it.

  Steeling himself, he walked up to one of the barkers standing in front of a game. It was a greased metal pole backed by a colorful and beautifully carved wooden totem. The pole ran up to a bell, with a donut-shaped weight at the bottom balanced on a wooden seesaw with a leather pad on the other end. The barker was leaning casually on a sledgehammer, and Terry asked, "What kinda prizes can I get if I play your game?"

  "Ring the bell and become an Eldritch in your next life," the barker replied pleasantly. He swung the hammer up as though it weighed nothing and used it to point at the highest totem just below the bell, which was a fairly good carving of an eagle, and said, "Reach the eagle and you'll start your next life with health and wealth. Reach the hawk and you'll be born healthy. Reach the sparrow or below and you leave your next life in the hands of fate. Best of three swings, one soul token."

  Terry considered a moment, then asked, "What if I wanted to get in to see the show?"

  He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the big top. "Are there any games where I can win free entry?"

  The barker's expression didn't change, but that was no surprise. The barker didn't have a face during the carnival at night, just an oddly shaped skull. Its green eye-lights flickered to the big top, then back to Terry. He said, "Well, none of the straight carnival games will give you what you want but if you go to one of the gambling tents, you can exchange your soul token for chips. You can play the games in there until you have enough to buy back your token plus one more, and that'd let you get in to see the show without spending your original."

  "And what if I just want to talk to the Harlequin and Hellequin?" Terry asked.

  "Why would you want to see them?" the barker asked.

  Remembering what Renardine had said about the fact that Koschei had deposed the pair from rulership of the Carnival, he said, "Maybe I think they could be more than just performers again, given a bit of help."

  "Are you tryin' to be clever?" the barker asked, folding both hands over his sledgehammer as he set it in front of him.

  Terry sighed and decided to just go for broke.

  "I need to get into the castle. Once inside, I can kill Koschei and I was told those two could get me in. Now is there a way to fucking talk to them or not?"

  The green eye-lights flickered, and the barker tilted his head as he chuckled and said, "You're crazy."

  "Yeah and?"

  The skeletal barker laughed harder, his skull tipping back as he guffawed, then said, "Yeah, okay, ya got me there. No one here is a fan of Koschei, but its way above my pay grade to do anything that'd piss him off. I tell you what, talk to Kalty. If she likes you, maybe she'll give you what you need."

  "Where can I find her?"

  The barker gave Terry directions and even wished him good luck as he walked away.

  By the time he found the tent he was looking for, the sun was peeking over the horizon again, and Terry took that as a good sign.

  He paused in front of the pale-blue tent and read the placard posted there.

  Kaltes-Ekwa

  Goddess of Fate

  Oracles, Prophecies, and Sacred Exchanges

  Open at Dawn

  Terry was amused to see a slightly less ornate sign hammered in below the first that read: We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason or none.

  The flap of the tent was pinned open, though a beaded curtain kept him from seeing much of anything inside. The interior canvas revealed by the flap was a much deeper blue, and speckled with white to look like the night sky full of stars.

  No barker greeted him or stood in his way asking for a token, so Terry parted the beads and stepped inside. As he did so, the flap behind him loosed itself, and dropped into place, sealing him into the tent.

  The interior was lit by a pair of brass candelabra that flanked a woman seated in front of a small round table on which was centered a wooden rest for a crystal ball. It was a deliberately small, cozy space, and the whole setup looked so cliché that Terry grimaced and wondered if he'd made the right choice in coming here. Dark-blue velvet curtains speckled to resemble a starry sky blocked off most of the tent's interior, the room he was in being only a small portion of the tent as a whole.

  The woman drew his attention as she shifted, and a pair of long lapine ears rotated up with her interest until they stood erect and alert atop her head. She had a pleasant face, dusky in the candlelight and entirely human looking, with green eyes and full lips. Long, lustrous black hair cascaded around her shoulders and she wore a diaphanous silken confection that would probably have been see-through in better light.

  Given what he could see before the table blocked his view, Terry found himself wishing he had better light.

  Her voice was melodious and sweet as she said, "I have only one rule when I conduct an interview. If I answer a question you ask, you owe me a soul token. Other than that we may converse for as long as you desire. Now, what brings you to me, Terrence Mack?"

  Terry blinked, then reordered his thoughts. No matter what, I can't phrase anything as a question.

  There was a simple, armless chair across from the woman, and at her gesture Terry stepped forward and sank down into it. He thought about what he needed, and how best to get it without asking a question. He decided the best way to start would be to simply tell her why he was there.

  "I've been cursed by Baba Yaga. In order to lift it, I have to free her, and kill Koschei. I was told you might be able to help me."

  Kalty smiled, and the expression reached her green eyes, which glimmered at him as she said, "I may. In order to secure the aid of the Hellequin, you will have to speak to her. In order to speak to her, you must pay in soul to see her show. If you pay with yours, you are doomed to fail in all of your various tasks. Mortals who surrender their souls trade away their agency."

  She leaned forward, fingers knitting together under her chin. Terry couldn't help but notice the cleavage just barely hinted at by the shifting shadows and candlelight, and had trouble keeping his eyes focused on hers. Kalty noticed his wandering eyes, but her smile only grew mischievous.

  "Fortune has favored you, template. You entered my tent just as the sun chose to show himself, and dawn is pleasing to me. There is a way you can get the soul you need from me, but I wonder if you're willing to pay my price?"

  Terry opened his mouth to ask, then stopped himself. He gazed at her in frustration, but her smile only broadened. She quirke
d an eyebrow at him and cocked her head just a touch, her black-furred lapine ears drooping just a bit to that side as she silently challenged him to speak.

  I can't ask. I have to commit, or leave. For all I know she's going to send me on ANOTHER fucking mission. This is getting ridiculous.

  Thinking about it for a long moment, he sighed and chuckled ruefully to himself.

  Well, T-Mack? Time to shit or get off the pot.

  "I'll pay, assuming you aren't asking for my soul."

  Kalty laughed. It was a rich, heady sound as she stood and trailed languid fingers on the table as she rounded it. Her words were husky and promising.

  "Hoho, well. Yes and no, Terrence. Yes ... and no."

  Terry's eyes widened as he saw her hips swaying. She wore a belly dancer's silks, and the play of shadows from the candlelight across her flesh captivated him. Lifting her hand, she traced his jawline with her fingertips as she smiled, green eyes glimmering.

  It was only the subtle flicker of one of her erect rabbit's ears that broke the spell, reminding him that this woman wasn't human. That didn't bother him as it once might have, but it was still jarring enough to recall him to himself. He stood and found that she was a few inches shorter than he at the crown of her head, though her ears made her taller.

  They were black, like her hair, though the insides faded to pink. His hands traced her waist as hers lifted, curling under his arms to rest fingertips on his shoulders.

  He kissed her, and her lips parted easily under his. He sensed her smile, and her tongue was agile, dancing from her mouth into his and then out again as though inviting him to play. He grinned into the kiss and rumbled deep in his chest.

  Her body called to him; its warmth and sensual allure faded his recent horrific memories. She smelled of cinnamon, and as his hands roamed her belt of coins jingled softly.

  It occurred to him to ask if she remembered his curse, but again the thought flashed through his mind.

  No questions. I told her, if she forgot that's her own affair.

  Their languid kiss broke and she lifted one of her hands further, nails playing across the back of his scalp as she said, "It's been a long time for me, Terrence. I do hope you're willing to make this worth my while?"

  "Where's your bed?" he asked with a cocky grin.

  She laughed at him, her eyebrow quirking as she said, "Haha ... I hope you understand that you just offered me your soul. I have but to answer, and you will never leave this place. Fortunately for you, if you lose your ability to complete your objectives, I won't get what I want out of you, so this time I will not answer. Be careful you do not ask another question though, Terrence. I might answer reflexively, and the rules are the rules."

  His eyes widened as he realized what he'd done, and hers twinkled as she leaned up and bit his lip, then whispered, "Take me through the curtain, and it might be best if you don't speak again."

  "Probably, but if I don't I can't thank you for not nailing me."

  "So polite. Hush now. It's time for you to move me."

  She leaned back to look up at him with a mischievous grin, glanced to her left, then back at him, one eyebrow cocked. His hands slid under her ass and he lifted her effortlessly as he strode to the curtain and swept it aside.

  Her legs wrapped over his hips and she giggled throatily, kissing his neck and nibbling on his ear as he revealed another fairly small room. A dresser backed by a mirror stood to one side, its surface covered by a variety of bottles and what looked like a small jewelry box. A lovingly carved chair with arms and a back stood before the dresser, and another small table with less ornate chairs was just to Terry's left. Directly in front of him was what looked at first glance to be a high bed, with a solid wooden frame three feet high.

  When Terry set Kalty down on the massed blankets though, she sank down, revealing the whole construction to be just a large box filled with blankets, sheets, and pillows.

  He blinked at that, and she laughed. Having not released her hold on the back of his head, she tugged at him, and he willingly fell in after her. She shifted and rolled, settling atop his waist and shimmying her upper body as she discarded the silks that hid her from him with a practiced twist and flick.

  Her nipples were black on her dusky skin, her breasts ripe teardrops that rode proudly on her arched chest. His hands smoothed up her sides as she stretched languidly and rolled her shoulders back, glorying in his touch. He palmed the pert globes and brushed his thumbs over her areolae, which pebbled as her nipples hardened.

  "Mmm, it has been long since I reveled in the touch of man," she murmured, then brought her hands down to his chest and the plain, undyed shirt that covered it. She tugged impatiently at the fabric, and Terry leaned up and shucked the shirt, then kept pressing forward.

  She squealed in mock surprise as he dumped her onto her back and then hummed with approval as he leaned over her, kissed her lips, then her throat, then the slope of each breast. As his lips brushed her nipples and he teased her apparently sensitive breasts with tongue and teeth, his hand slid down and caught at her panty line of coins.

  She shimmied and the metal slid down her hips as he pulled, and then his kisses trailed lower. Her belly was not quite taut, but smooth and soft, and it was a joy to slide his hands over her supple flesh.

  Kalty's green eyes widened a bit, then she grinned broadly as she saw him moving lower, and she spread her thighs luxuriously for him as she said, "Oh, good boy. You have no idea how excited I was to learn you enjoyed doing this."

  Terry hesitated a bare instant, then put his questions away. It didn't matter when or how she'd learned what she knew. Her scent still had hints of cinnamon, but now also the unmistakable musk of a woman in lust filled his nostrils.

  She had a trimmed thatch of hair above her sex, and his breath ruffled it as he kissed the slopes of her inner thighs before wrapping them up in his arms. He pressed the fingers of one hand over her mound and tasted traces of sweat as he bathed her with lingual attention, his tongue playing through her folds with easy familiarity.

  Kalty groaned as his fingers split around her and pressed her open, and the scent of her got stronger as his tongue pressed deep.

  Before he could get any further involved though, she shifted up and her fingers slipped through his hair, trying for a grip. He lifted his head and quirked an eyebrow at her as she hunched up to stare at him, panting, "Let me ... share."

  His lips parted but she pressed a finger to them, her eyes widening meaningfully as she shifted and threw one of her legs over his head and twisted in a graceful pirouette from the knee that put her atop him and answered his unspoken question.

  The weight of her body settled over him and he shifted his hips up to let her get his trousers down, and as he rewrapped her thighs and parted her cheeks he felt her warm breath feathering over his already half-hard shaft.

  His fingers sank into the warm flesh of her backside and he noted with a barely suppressed smile that she did have a rabbit's tail, the fluffy little black ball sat just over him as he pressed his tongue deep into her sex, and he saw it shiver as he felt her take his length past her lips.

  That is too fuckin' cute, he thought, then put his focus back where it was supposed to be, spending the next several minutes finding out just what Kalty liked.

  Apparently, she liked quite a bit, but as he shifted, squeezing her ass cheeks to give himself a better angle, one of his fingers grazed the puckered rim of her bottom and he felt her flutter around his tongue.

  Oh really?

  He teased her a bit more, fingernail tracing between the pucker of her ass and her slit and she whimpered around his cock. He felt her take him deep, felt her throat squeezing around the length of him, and grunted as the sensations made him tighten all over.

  Slicking his finger, he pressed it in to the first knuckle in her backside, then the second, and began gently rocking it inside her as his tongue slid down to focus on her clit.

  Kalty moaned deep in her throat and her l
ips left him as she dropped her head to his thigh, panting as her hand slid around his length, squeezing and stroking mindlessly as she shivered and hunched. She reached back with her free hand and pulled her cheeks even further apart as she panted, "Hah ... harder!"

  Not one to refuse a lady's needs, Terry sped up his attention and pressed his finger deeper into her. She rewarded him with a guttural moan as the fist pumping his cock sped up. He distracted himself by concentrating on her clit, rolling his tongue in hard circles as he fingerfucked her bottom as hard as he dared, not wanting to hurt her.

  She shuddered and splayed her knees, sagging over him as she let out a high keening wail and came, the tight ring of her bottom clamping down hard and flexing strongly around his captive finger.

  Her hand loosened around his shaft, but that was fine. The pleasure flooding through him was of a different, but no less satisfying sort. He always got a kick out of learning what a woman really liked.

  A moment later she pulled away from him and shuffled around in the pile of pillows and blankets, pressing her face to the sheets as she presented her bottom to him. Her eyes were pleading as she looked back at him, and she pulled her cheeks apart with both hands as she moaned, "First in my pussy, then ..."

  She trailed off, and the invitation made Terry throb in anticipation. He shifted up, set himself, and pressed deep.

  Her lips parted in a silent 'Oh' as she felt him enter, and her eyes rolled back as he clamped hands over her hips and started to rock.

  Kalty didn't seem the sort to want it gentle, and as he increased his pace she moaned and panted her approval. Her pert black tail puff, sitting right at the apex of her bottom, bounced and shivered as she rocked back at him, and it didn't take long for him to feel the rising urgency building up inside.

  She sensed it too and her eyes widened as she nodded frantically, her cheek smushed against the sheet, her hands still clamped around her ass to keep it open as she gasped, "Fuck me! Cum! Inside!"

  Yes Ma'am.

  A few moments later he did just that, and she gasped and seized up, trembling under him as he leaned over her and forced her down, his hands settling on her shoulders as he crushed her into the sheets. If he'd read her right ...