by Joshua King
I felt them both rising toward a climax and I increased my speed, both with my cock slamming into Ashe, and my tongue, flicking Lilly’s pearl. In unison, their voices raised, and their moans became more intense, until I felt Ashe’s hands on mine, squeezing as her body shook below me, and Lilly’s fingers grasp my hair, her thighs squeezing me as she vibrated. They rode their waves simultaneously, and when Lilly released me, I allowed her to float back to the bed. Ashe left me to join her, laying down beside her as they beckoned me to them.
I removed the rest of my clothes, my eyes locked on the girls as Ashe removed her shirt and Lilly removed her nightgown. I knelt to join them and they both came to me, my mouth joining Lilly’s for a moment before moving to Ashe’s. Lilly began to kiss my neck and move her hands around the base of my cock, stroking me as she slid her body closer. She laid down in front of me, spreading her legs around me as she stroked me, pulling me closer to her core. I felt the tip of my cock sliding through her folds, gathering her juices on its tip, before I plunged inside of her, eliciting a cry of pain mixed with pleasure.
Lilly clenched around me, squeezing my cock inside of her as I pulled her hips until we ground together. I felt myself stretching her walls and pushing deeper into her. Ashe pulled my head into her bosom and I took her breast into my mouth, as I rocked my hips back and slammed into Lilly. I sucked on Ashe’s nipple, lavishing it with attention as my hand slipped between her legs into her hot core. I found her pearl with my thumb and began to massage it in circles, mimicking the motion with my tongue on her breast while picking up speed on Lilly. It didn’t take long before I felt myself getting close to an orgasm myself. I picked up the speed more and felt us all rise off the ground. We began to float higher into the air as the sounds of Lilly and Ashe moaning filled the room around me.
I pushed deeper into Lilly, until I felt like I would split her in two. I slammed into her with ferocity and her moans turned into the cries of an orgasm. My cock throbbed as I felt myself losing control, and Ashe began to shake, riding her own climax as I rubbed the pad of my thumb across her. My head fell back, and I let out a roar as I spilled into Lilly, my hand filling with one of her breasts, my other hand filling with Ashe’s ass as I pulled her into me. I emptied myself into Lilly and we slowly lowered down to the bed before I collapsed beside her, spent and satisfied.
19
For the first time in as long as I could remember, I actually slept as long as the others did. When I woke up, all five women were on the large mat with me and everything felt more peaceful and calm than it had since we left the city. We took our time getting up and dressing in the clothes Erral’s family had cleaned and mended for us. We still had fresh changes of clothes in our bags, but without knowing what might be ahead of us, it seemed like a better idea to keep those in reserve for as long as possible. The day was already well underway by the time we walked out of the house and joined Bex, Jaxxim, and Bugs. Giants of all ages and a surprising range of sizes were moving around the village, taking care of daily tasks that seemed to include a large amount of hauling around rocks and fallen trees. It seemed Erral’s impulse to yank the tree out of the ground wasn't new. Rich, tantalizing smells wafted toward us from the fire and I let it guide me to the circle of blankets. The blaze had been reborn from the night before and several women crowded around it with large pans of food. It surprised me how hungry I felt again, but I figured I might as well eat as much as I could before leaving the village. The food cubes still taunted me from the supplies Malakan left for us. We hadn't yet reached the point where they were our only option for nutrition, and I wasn't eager to get to that point.
We settled on two blankets in the same area we sat the night before and I accepted a large earthen mug from a young woman. I wanted it to be coffee, but the chances of there being coffee trees on this particular mountain didn't seem very high. The smell rising up from the mug was dark and spicy, and a cautious swig revealed a flavor not unlike dragging my tongue along the bottom of a fireplace after toasting marshmallows. I strangely enjoyed it. The mug was most of the way empty and I'd tried two odd-looking fruits from a basket set in front of us when Valmont walked up to us again.
"How long will you be able to stay with us?" he asked.
"I wish I could say it would be for a long time, but we need to get going as soon as we can," I told him. "It's been wonderful being able to take a break here, and I appreciate your hospitality very much, but we can't afford to slow down. Malakan is somewhere out there waiting for us, and I don't know if there are more challenges of my sanctification standing between us. Either way, there is so much to be done and we can't put it off."
"You're right," the giant leader relented. "The Underworld is depending on you. I hope you know you have the total and unending allegiance of the giants with you always. No matter where you are or what you are facing, you can rely on us to help you." He reached up and took a necklace from around his neck and held it out to me. "I want you to take this with you. Have it wherever you go. Never let it be somewhere you can't easily reach. The charm on this necklace has been passed down throughout all the generations of the Giants. It will connect you directly to me at any time and from anywhere."
My hand still between us, clutching the necklace, I met Valmont's eyes.
"There may come a time, likely very soon, when I'm going to have to use this. I will need to call on you to stand by my side on the battlefield and finish what was started."
"And we will be there," he reassured me. "All you have to do is hold that charm to your heart and call out for me, and we will come."
"Thank you, Valmont," I said.
He leaned down to give me a warm embrace and as we stepped apart, I saw Marcella rushing up to us. She held a large basket in her hand and as she approached, she scrutinized each of our bags. When she got to us, I saw that the basket was nearly overflowing with fruit, bread, and parcels of wrapped food. Thank the universe and patron saints of my taste buds, she brought food, so if I went through another of my phases and need my strength, I wouldn’t have to resort to Lego-snacks. That's when I realized she was scrutinizing our bags because there was no way she'd be able to shove all the food she brought us into any one of them. We hurried to rearrange the contents of several bags until Ashe held one that was nearly empty. Marcella helped her slip the food into her bag and secured it closed. Even with the strap in place, I had little confidence we wouldn't experience a fruit explosion at some point along the path.
"You're sure you can't stay longer?" she asked.
"They have to go, Mama," Erral said. "They'll be back sometime, won't you, Hayden?"
"Of course. When the war is over, I would love to come spend more time here."
The words fell out of my mouth so casually it almost took me aback. I never would have thought I would be at a place in my life when telling someone I'd come by for a visit after the war ended would seem as normal as making plans for the end of summer vacation. Finally, we had everything we needed and it was time to go. We said our reluctant goodbyes, approaching Valmont last. He held a note out to me.
"Malakan told me to be expecting you. He said when you arrived to make sure you'd gone through the first stage of your sanctification, and I was meant to keep you safe before it was time for you to head on your way. This is from him. It will show you what comes next."
My group gathered around me and I unfolded the note, expecting another riddle or vague set of clues. Instead, the note was more personal and straightforward. Though Malakan hadn't signed it, it was obvious it was from him. By now the sharp edges and elaborate swirls of his writing were familiar.
"What does it say?" Bugs asked.
"It says we have to continue on, but there won't be any more portals to help us along the way for a while. We're going to have to travel on and do it on our own. It says I have to remember this isn't just one mission. It's multifaceted, and I have to think about my own goals as well as the bigger picture."
"What does that mean?
" Lilly asked.
"He's reminding me that I have to keep focusing on my sanctification as well as building our army and searching for Darian. I can't lose focus on any of them, because if I do, they'll all fail."
"Does it say where to go next?" Stephana asked.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "It just says to think of where we haven't searched and go there. That's it. No other guidance or hints, or anything."
"Where could that be?" Bex asked. "We've been searching where he tells us to go, so maybe you were supposed to go where he hasn't told us?"
I looked at him incredulously.
"So, you're recommending we go search... essentially everywhere."
"I probably should have thought that one through better."
"Probably." I let out a sigh. "It has to mean something. We have to remember he's the one who set up this search, so he's not confused about any aspect of it. It's not like he lost himself and doesn't know how to tell us where to find him. We have to try to think of everywhere we've been and the places we haven't gone. Where have we searched so far?"
"Solan City," Aurora offered. "We searched the bar and the palace."
"We went to the woods," Ashe said. "We searched the Dark Fae Fortress and the Fae village."
"Then the train," Jaxxim said.
"And the village with the inn where you found me," Lilly said.
"Then Nakatomi Tower, but that was kind of an accident, then back through the city and the palace to get through the portal that brought us to the mountain. That's it. That's our whole journey. It seems a whole lot less impressive when you distill it down that way."
"You missed a step," Bugs said.
"What do you mean?"
"That's not your whole journey. You missed a step. In-between accidentally going to the tower and going back through the city. You came and got me."
My eyes widened.
"He's right. And that's exactly it. Think about it. What do all the places we've searched so far have in common?"
My group stared back at me.
"They are all on land?" Stephana asked gingerly.
"Exactly," I said. "When I went to get Bugs, I had to jump into the river. I thought I saw things down there, but I had no idea what they might be. It was completely different than anything else. Maybe that's what Malakan’s trying to tell us. We haven't searched in the water, so let's go find some water."
"It is a huge, largely unexplored area," Bex said. "It could be just what we're looking for."
I smiled at them.
"Let's get going."
We said our final goodbyes to Erral and his family, then set off toward the side of the mountain he said would be easiest to descend. When we got to the bottom, we'd be able to travel toward the Water Realm. We talked for a while, then fell into a comfortable silence as we made our way over the rocks and down the path. This way was definitely easier than the one we had taken the day before, and not feeling like I'd aged several decades in the span of a few minutes made me feel like I could probably skip down the mountain and to be perfectly happy. That feeling ended fairly quickly when I heard a skittering sound beside me as we reached a plateau as large as a clearing in the forest. I paused and heard it again. It sounded like something sharp against the stone.
I turned my head to the left, straining against the wind to see if I could identify the sound. It was a low, scrambling sound, not necessarily menacing on its own, but as I listened, I noticed there was more than one. There were tons. Perhaps hundreds. Whatever was making that sound had an army with them, and they were surrounding us in the clearing.
“Everybody stop,” I said, placing one hand on my short sword and attempting to look around in all directions. “Something is here.”
Jaxxim pulled out his sword and stood at the ready, but most everyone else just stopped and strained to hear. Ashe dropped her bag of food supplies and joined me at my side. Her face contorted as she strained to hear the sound, and then suddenly her eyes widened. I thought she had heard it, finally, when her mouth opened, and I realized she was looking at something ahead of us. I turned to see what it was, and my mouth fell agape.
Before us, and now surrounding us on all sides, were thousands of small creatures, the size of a hamster, round and fat. They looked rather cute, except there were so many. Nothing that cute traveled in an army. Except my girls, I guess.
“What are those?” I asked.
“Wamapongs,” Ashe half whispered. I could tell she was being torn by a fear of how many of these things there were, and by how much she wanted to pick one up and cuddle it.
“Thanks for the clarification. What the hell is a wamapong? That sounds like a terrible game people from the 1970s played while wearing micro athletic shorts and sweatbands… and none of you are following any of these references so never mind.”
“It’s a rat. A vampire rat.”
I stared at Ashe.
“It’s a what?”
“A vampire rat,” she said.
“That is not a fucking thing. You are making that shit up.” Her face didn’t change, and my shoulders sagged. “You aren’t making that shit up?”
“No. They are rats…”
“Just with bigger fangs and no expiration date?”
“Essentially. And some of the vampire powers.”
“Oh. Of course.”
“They don’t usually hurt people.”
“Usually?”
“As long as you stay away from them.”
“Perfect.”
“So, what do we do?” Bex asked from behind us.
“Well,” Aurora said, “the best option is to very slowly turn around and walk away.”
“You want me to sneak away from rats? What’s the next best option?” I asked.
“Hope you don’t die,” Ashe said.
I did not like how she said that.
Mentally I tried to count how many there were around us and make a plan. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was something.
“Nobody move. I’ve got an idea,” I said.
Just as the words came out of my mouth, one of the wamapongs opened its mouth, revealing a row of very tiny, very sharp teeth. It hissed at us, and suddenly they were moving. It looked like the ground itself was rippling as thousands of these creatures charged us. I raised my hand into the air and concentrated.
The air shifted, or more accurately, cut off. I had sealed us all inside a bubble of protection. It was small, but enough for all of us to fit with a little room to spare, and I left an opening at the very top to allow air in. Around us was a nearly transparent wall, shimmering a blue hue, through which we watched as the animals attacked. They began to bounce off our protective bubble and scurry away, annoyed at being denied. I began to chuckle at the sight of them bouncing, hundreds at a time, flying backward and away.
Then it hit me. Flying. They were flying away. On wings.
“What is with this place and things that are supposed to be small and unassuming flying around trying to kill me?” I asked. “First the damn butterflies and now rats that would make the ones in New York cry.”
Before I could close the top, one of them was inside, flying down in a kamikaze dive toward us. It darted around Jaxxim, missing his blade by an inch before barreling down on Bugs. Bugs dove out of the way and the animal flew into the bag of food supplies. Without so much as a moment’s hesitation, it grasped the bag and began to fly up toward the opening again. Just as I closed the hole, the bag had made it halfway through, and fruit and bread spilled down the side of our protective bubble. Swarms of the creatures pounced on it and scurried away with their treasures.
We stayed in our positions for a few more moments, but they began to disperse, leaving us alone, at least for the time being. When the last of them had winked out of sight, disappearing over the horizon behind us, I let down the wall and turned to Bugs.
“At least they didn’t get my sandwich,” he said, pulling a sandwich out from somewhere inside his coat and taking a l
arge bite.
“Gotta have priorities,” I agreed.
He munched his way through the sandwich as we continued down the mountain. I had gone ahead several yards to check the way when I heard a scream that made me turn back. I ran toward the sound, knowing it was Lilly. I saw her ahead of me, and for a split second I couldn't process what I was watching. It looked like the mountain was swallowing her whole. Rocks had shifted out of the way and stretched away from each other to open up in front of her. She tried to move away from the edge of the gaping hole, but the ground shifted, and she disappeared.
"Lilly!" I shouted and ran for the hole.
I stood at the edge of the hole and looked down, hoping it to see her so I could reach down and take hold of her hand. Instead, there was only blackness. I took a step forward and felt something grab my ankle and yank me down into the abyss.
20
I expected to feel myself falling down a deep shaft into the mountain, but instead I hit solid ground almost immediately and started sliding downward. My speed kept picking up and there was nothing on either side of me to grasp hold of to stop my descent. Above me, I heard the frantic voices of Aurora and Stephana as they tried to figure out what happened, then Bex and Jaxxim as they tried to decide what to do next. They had very little chance to come up with any sort of plan, because the next thing I heard was a high-pitched yelp and then a collection of screams and muffled profanities as I assumed the entire rest of the group tumbled down behind me. At least wherever this ride was taking us, we were all going together.
The absolute blackness meant I couldn't see anything around me, so there was no way of knowing how much farther I was going to slide before there was finally some sort of end. When that end did come, it was sudden, hard, and cold, made all the more unpleasant by Jaxxim landing on my back and Bugs coming to a stop on top of him. Somewhere to one side, the women's voices overlapping told me they had come to a similar fate, tangled in a heap at the bottom of the funhouse slide from hell.
