by Tamryn Tamer
“What’s going on?” Jericho asked turning to see the scorpion demon grinning. Jericho turned to Luna, “How did you? What happened?”
“Why are you so confused?” Luna laughed. “It was your idea.”
“Huh?” Jericho glanced back and forth between the two. Luna licked her lips seductively. “No. Wait. No! You didn’t!”
“That’s right,” Luna said proudly. “I fucked her into submission!”
Chapter 7
Right Place Right Time
Mirage understood Jinx’s anger with her. From Jinx’s perspective, she betrayed her. Jinx cuddled with her, loved her, and they bathed and drank together when their master wasn’t around. She was the one person in the house Jinx could count on to always take her side. So, it was only natural that Jinx was furious that Mirage stopped her from killing Talia.
“Let go of me you big breasted sluts!” Jinx roared as Mirage and Terra carried her away from the battle. “I’m going to kill that bitch and if you don’t let me go, I’m going to kill the both of you too! Traitors! Hags!”
“It’s for your own good,” Terra said as a roar shook the earth beneath their feet. They managed to find a safe spot to rest a good distance away before the combat started but could still hear the echoes and explosions. “And for the record, I’m supposed to be supporting them in this fight but instead I’m here babysitting you.”
“I’m going to destroy all of your things! Whore! Slut!” Jinx hissed at Terra while trying to escape from the numerous bindings that Terra secured her with.
“Jinx,” Mirage wrapped her arms around the growling Jinx hoping to calm her down. “Even if you could kill Talia…”
“I can kill her!” Jinx snapped angrily. “And I’m not talking to you! We’re supposed to be friends! Bitch! Cow!”
“We are friends,” Mirage continued to squeeze the defenseless spectral beast. She wondered how long Jinx intended to be angry with her. “I’m sure you could kill her but Jericho wants her as a familiar.”
“I’ll never let her become a familiar!” Jinx roared while trying to bite Mirage. “Never! Never! Never! Never! Never! Snakes! Turncoats!”
“Jinx!” Terra stomped. “Can you just calm down already?”
“I’m going to cut off all your hair while you’re sleeping! Harlot! Skank!” Jinx snapped back.
“She’s angry! And I’m furious too! We love Jericho and Talia killed him!” Mirage said defensively while rocking back and forth with Jinx.
“He comes back to life!” Terra snapped. “We all do! It’s no reason to run off like an idiot!”
“What if one of these times he doesn’t come back? Idiot! Moron!” Jinx said angrily.
“Oh,” Terra looked at Mirage and Jinx seeming to finally realize why all the familiars were so upset. “That’s not how it works. He’ll always come back.”
“Maybe you know that,” Mirage said. “But we don’t know that. Every time he leaves, we don’t know when he’s coming back. Every time he dies, we can’t be sure he’s coming back. We just have faith that he will. Why do you think we’re always so excited when we see him?”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Terra said awkwardly. “I suppose it’s pretty stressful. I guess I can see why you’d be upset.”
“If you get it then let me go! Rats! Bimbos!” Jinx growled.
The truth was Mirage wanted nothing more than to let Jinx go. She loved the idea of letting the spectral tiger hunt down Talia and teach her a lesson she’d never forget. Talia hurt the man they all loved, of course they wanted revenge. But the thought of losing Jinx to that type of monster terrified her.
Mirage knew Jinx would lose because Jinx was a good girl. She was brave, courageous, and strong. Admittedly she was also impulsive, emotional, and stubborn but she was still virtuous at heart. Talia was not virtuous.
Jinx had grown a lot since Mirage first met her but she was still the same honorable warrior. That was her greatest weakness and why it was so important for Mirage to protect her. Jinx understood the harshness of the wilderness but she was ignorant of the harshness of civilization.
In a civilized society, men and women didn’t have a duel to determine who’d be king. In a civilized society the would-be kings kidnapped, tortured, bribed, and murdered until they were king. Then to keep that crown they hired people to kidnap, torture, bribe, and murder.
That was the type of fighter Talia was. She would vanish and slit Jinx’s throat without a care in the world. She had no honor and the dishonorable always beat the honorable. Normally in their sleep with a bludgeon.
“Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Bandits! Knaves!” Jinx roared loudly.
“Can we just gag her already?” Terra asked. “Goddammit, I can’t believe I’m missing this fight.”
“It’s fine,” Mirage nuzzled into Jinx as she growled. “Jericho and the others will win. Then we’ll go after Talia.”
“You’re going to let her become a familiar?” Jinx said through gritted teeth. “I thought you were on my side. Heifer. Slag.”
“I am darling,” Mirage stroked Jinx’s dark hair. She was happy that Jinx stopped trying to bite her and was willing to at least talk. “But our master would be heartbroken if we killed her. We’ll come up with other ways to get revenge.”
“She killed him!” Jinx roared. “The only revenge is to kill her back! Dolt! Dummy!”
“She didn’t really kill him,” Terra rolled her eyes. “So, killing her wouldn’t really be fair.”
“Exactly,” Mirage said while squeezing her friend. “And if she joins us you can just find another way to teach her a lesson. Like when she’s not around, have all of her clothing altered to be one size smaller so she thinks she’s getting fat.”
“Wait a minute,” Terra said adjusting her top. “Is that what’s going on with all my clothing? I thought I was going crazy!”
“It was an example,” Mirage smiled at Terra’s uncomfortably tight top. “I would never do that to you.”
“That’s stupid!” Jinx snapped. “I want to make her suffer! She could have killed our master! Trickster! Con!”
Mirage felt a chill up her spine and knew something bad was about to happen but it wasn’t coming from the battlefield. Unfortunately, it happened before she could respond to it.
“You!” Talia yelled at Mirage as she appeared out of nowhere and pressed a knife to Terra’s neck. She looked several years older than she had a few minutes ago. “Potions! Give them to me! All of them!”
“Let me go!” Jinx growled as blue spectral flames started to burst from her body. “I’m going to kill her! Bitch! Whore!”
“Jinx,” Terra said anxiously as Talia increased the knife’s pressure. “Let’s all be very calm. Mirage, give her the potions.”
Mirage wondered how Talia acquired such severe injuries. It couldn’t have been Jericho. Even if her master managed to figure out a way to injure the time witch he was entirely incapable of doing that type of damage to a woman. Sable would have erased her from existence and while Theia might have been capable, she couldn’t help but think the Seraph wouldn’t have gone that far.
“Demon trouble?” Mirage smirked playfully at the aged Talia. “You look like you’ve had a rough day.”
“Shut up,” the murderous woman growled. “Give me your potions or I’ll slit her throat.”
“It’s not my throat,” Mirage shrugged nonchalantly. “Ask for her potions.”
“I’ll give you mine,” Terra offered. “Just let me...”
“Don’t move!” Talia snapped. She tugged on Terra’s hair causing the busty elf to raise her chin, “I don’t trust any of you. I promised Jericho I wouldn’t kill his familiars but you’re not a familiar.”
“Cut me loose!” Jinx roared as her spectral flames continued to glow. “I can kill this old hag! Chickens! Wimps!”
Jericho explained roughly how he thought Talia’s magic worked so they would be prepared. She had the ability to alter the flow of her time or the
flow of anybody she was touching. Mirage started to develop a theory of her own given the fact Talia chose Terra as a hostage.
Out of the three, Terra was the worst hostage to take. Not only was she much more likely to be carrying potions but killing her wouldn’t cause any real harm since she’d be reincarnated. The only reason to take Terra as a hostage was if she couldn’t touch Mirage and Jinx for some reason.
Jericho’s explanation ran through her head again. Talia’s magic required her to touch her victims. Her master had it mostly right but he didn’t have the missing piece. Talia could not alter a person’s time without altering her own. She could tap a person and slow their time to a crawl, but during the moment she slowed their time hers was also slowed.
She chose Terra because she was a ranged fighter and thus was less likely to fight back. She counted on them feeling like they couldn’t fight back. Mirage smiled.
“Jinx darling,” Mirage purred in Jinx’s ear while squeezing her tight. “Will you forgive me if I release you? Will we be friends again? Best friends?”
“What are you doing?” Talia snapped furiously. “Just give me the potions!”
“Yes!” Jinx said while licking her lips. “We’ll be the best of friends again. Just release me. Cow. Heifer.”
“Mirage,” Terra chuckled. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Stop it!” Talia roared while struggling to stand. “I’ll kill her and then I’ll kill all of you! I’ll take the potions off your bodies!”
“Go ahead and kill her,” Mirage said sliding her knife up the back of Jinx’s bindings. “She’ll come back anyway.”
“You better have a plan,” Terra scowled at Mirage.
Mirage had a sixth sense. She could tell when people were watching her, when bad things were going to happen, sometimes even where bad things were going to happen.
It wasn’t magic and Mirage couldn’t say exactly what it was or when she acquired it. She did remember the first time it saved her life. A lord in a castle wanted to hire her to kill his wife so he could start a war with another lord and fully intended to kill Mirage after the job was done. She knew it as soon as she approached the keep and walked away. The assassin hired to replace her wasn’t so fortunate.
She’d also heard of others with the ability like generals who experienced so many battles they could sense when a conflict was about to start or crime bosses who felt they should avoid a specific meeting.
Talia also had the ability which is how she was able to react so quickly. But the ability had a pitfall, it prioritized the greatest danger. At that moment, Jinx was the greatest danger causing her to completely ignore Mirage as she blinked forward and grabbed Terra’s leg.
“What the hell?” Terra said as Jinx froze midair. “What’s happening?”
“She sped up our time,” Mirage said while pressing her knife against Talia’s neck. “She needed to increase her time to avoid Jinx. And she was touching you and I was touching you. Her magic is like lightning, it passes through everybody in the chain.”
“I’ll slit her throat,” Talia said impatiently as Mirage wrapped her arm around Talia’s narrow waist. “I swear. Release me at once.”
“Go ahead,” Mirage smiled. “I don’t even like her.”
“You’re a real bitch sometimes,” Terra grumbled. “Do you know that?”
“I’ll make it up to you Thursday,” Mirage said condescendingly. “I’ll let you sit on my face.”
“Really?” Terra said curiously. “But you never let me be the dominant one.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Mirage said. “And you only get to sit on my face if you die.”
“Alright,” Terra said impishly. “Talia, if you could go ahead and kill me that’d be great.”
“What?” Talia asked as Terra lifted her chin and pressed her neck forward. “What are you saying?”
“Here’s the deal,” Terra said. “Mirage has you. Either you’re going to let me go and be captured and I get nothing or you’re going to slit my throat and be captured and I get special sex with Mirage on Thursday. I’m getting something for me.”
“What kind of trick is this?” Talia asked. “If you think I’m joking about killing you…”
“Wait! You only specified die! Ha!” Terra grabbed Talia’s hand and slit her own throat.
“What!” Talia dropped the knife as Terra’s body collapsed on the ground. “What the hell?”
“Well,” Mirage said. “She got me there. I only specified she needed to die. Oh well. Now, as for you, I’m going to need you to go where Jinx was just sitting and let me tie you up.”
“I am a demigoddess of time! I will not be taken prisoner by a lowly shapeshifter!”
“Lowly?” Mirage chuckled. “I’m a familiar of Jericho Voidcaller. I am anything but lowly as I’m sure your demon compatriots are discovering in dealing with the others. Anyway, your choice. We can either stand here together until we both die of old age or you can let me tie you up and slow our time.”
“And let your friend kill me?” Talia scoffed.
“That’s the thing,” Mirage laughed. “Jinx is a good girl. She’s really just the sweetest once you get past the temper. She would never kill somebody who was tied up. I promise. But I suggest you make your choice fast. You’re not getting any younger.”
“Fine,” Talia reluctantly agreed. “I’ll let you bind me.”
“Oh,” Mirage said keeping her arm around Talia’s waist as arrived at the bindings. “Also, after we give you some healing potions Jinx is probably going to punch you a few times. She might kick you as well. Nothing personal.”
“I thought you said she wouldn’t hurt somebody who was tied up,” Talia scoffed as Mirage bound her legs together and arms behind her back. She double checked that Talia wouldn’t have a way to move or escape.
“I said she wouldn’t kill somebody who was tied up,” Mirage clarified. “I never said anything about beatings. Now, return our time flows to normal so we can get you healed up.”
“You’re really going to heal me just so she can hurt me?” Talia asked.
“I’m healing you because my master wants you,” Mirage said coldly. “I’m going to let her beat you because she’s going to be very angry at me for not letting her kill you and I have to give her something.”
“I’m going to kill you! Witch! Crone!” Jinx roared as she landed on Terra’s corpse. She pivoted and glared at Talia tied up and Mirage standing over her. “Traitor! Trickster! Con! Swindler!”
“Jinx,” Mirage smiled sweetly at her furious friend. “I just captured her for our master. If you want to kill her you can go right ahead.”
“You lying whore!” Talia snapped angrily. “You said she wouldn’t kill you.”
“You cheated me!” Jinx roared. “You know I can’t kill somebody that’s all tied up and helpless! Crook! Cheat!”
“Look how injured she is,” Mirage maintained her grip on the time manipulator just in case she wanted to try slowing or speeding up time. “Do you really think that would have been a fair fight? You would have killed her in an instant. At least let her get healed up. And then you can beat on her as much as you want.”
“Promise?” Jinx said staring at the bound witch. “I can beat on her as much as I want and you won’t stop me? Cow. Hag.”
“I promise,” Mirage answered. “But I really don’t think you should beat on her Jinx. You’re better than that.”
“But she killed our master!” Jinx roared furiously. “We can’t let her get away with that! What if he wouldn’t have come back this time! She would have killed him for real! She needs to be punished! Goblin! Villain!”
“That’s a good point,” Mirage smiled mischievously while feeding Talia potions to help her injuries heal. “Talia, how do you think you should be punished for killing our master? What’s a suitable punishment for a demigoddess for murder?”
“A suitable punishment?” Talia stared at Jinx fearfully. “I don’t know.”
“Here’s what I think,” Mirage grinned. “And Jinx, you can chime in here if you think I’m wrong. I think being forced to serve a mage would be a great punishment for a demigoddess of time.”
“What!” Jinx snapped angrily. “That’s not a punishment! Serving our master is great! He treats everybody good all the time and brings me treasure! Idiot! Sow!”
“And I would never serve a mortal,” Talia scoffed while downing another potion. “It would be the ultimate humiliation for a demigoddess to serve a mortal.”
“Did you hear that Jinx?” Mirage smiled naughtily. “The ultimate humiliation. Could you imagine how humiliating it would be for a demigoddess to have to live with us in our house serving our master?”
“But it’s not!” Jinx stomped. “Serving Jericho is the best! Heifer! Dimwit!”
“Jinx,” Mirage glared at her stubborn companion. “I don’t think you’re getting it. Talia is a demigoddess. A demigoddess serving a mortal is a fate worse than death.”
“Exactly!” Talia said before realizing what Mirage was doing. “Wait! No! It wouldn’t be that bad!”
“A fate worse than death?” Jinx smiled wickedly while rushing forward at the partially healed witch. “Would you hate it? Would you really hate it? Wench. Fiend.”
“No,” Talia insisted. “I’d love it.”
“You’ll hate it!” Jinx said victoriously. “You’ll serve our master as punishment for killing him!”
“I will not!” Talia growled. “I am a demigoddess! I won’t serve anybody!”
“We’ll see about that,” Mirage smiled and pointed at Terra’s body. “Jinx, can you loot her for me. I can’t let go of this one in case she tries something with time magic.”
Jinx nodded and rapidly grabbed all of Terra’s items and gear leaving her corpse to disintegrate. She rushed them over to Mirage who happily collected them while wondering what she should make Terra do to get them back.
She smiled as she thought about how she was having a pretty great day.
Chapter 8
Family Planning
