by D. J. Manly
This time it took a few minutes to calm them. After repeated attempts, finally Ash was able to get a word in. “I must carry out a task given to me by Abbadon. When I return, and I will, total victory will be yours and I guarantee you, not a single drop of blood from any of you will be shed. Now, go, rest, eat; soon I shall return.”
Connerly stood by his horse now gazing up at him. “Ash,” he said softly, meeting his eyes. “I will not allow this.”
He had shared pleasure with Connerly on numerous occasions during this war. “You must find your sexual release with another soldier,” Ash told him.
Connerly looked angry for a second. “Do you think that’s it? Do you think I am concerned only for my sexual pleasure? I love you, Ash…I love your half demon hide.”
Ash scowled at him. “Don’t love me, Connerly. If you can not separate sexual pleasure from love, I will refrain from touching you again.”
It was cold. Connerly felt stung by his words. “I look at you and see how stunningly beautiful you are, and you know,” he lifted his sad eyes to his, “I almost forget who your father is.”
Ash lifted one corner of his mouth in a half smile. “Well, perhaps you should look beyond the beauty, Connerly, and straight into my Demon heart. You’d save yourself undue misery.”
Connerly looked away.
As Ash began to move his horse forward, Connerly turned around and grabbed desperately onto the reins. “What if you don’t come back? I can’t just let Rush take you hostage…and leave you to the mercy of…”
“Let go of my horse, Connerly,” Ash growled, his black eyes filled with fury. For a minute Connerly could have sworn that he saw the fiery pits of hell’s light behind them. “You will wait here with the others. You are now in charge of these men. When the time comes, I will send word to move forward into the valley. Until then, stay put.”
Connerly let go of the reins. He watched him turn his horse around and gallop off in the direction of Eden.
* * * *
“Damn,” Rush said as he inspected the men lined up on the roof of the Eden Sun Dial, “he has tricked us again. He rode south. He plans to take his men through the Fireball Passageway.”
Talon shook his head. “I don’t think he’d go through the Fireball Passage. We got here before him, that’s all.”
Rush walked around the roof several times before he spoke again. He looked at Talon. “What if he split the army? What if he took half the men through the passage, and let General Connerly lead the rest here? He’s done that before. In all the battles I have fought in, not once have I set eyes on Ash. He has always been elsewhere. I…”
“Rush, calm down. Be patient. They will show,” Talon said. “Trust me.”
“But you’ve been wrong before Talon, and it’s cost us,” Rush pierced him with his blue eyes.
“I’m not wrong this time,” Talon said stiffly.
“Well, if when we return the Sun Valley is in ruins, we will know, won’t we?” Rush returned.
Talon cleared his throat and turned away.
* * * *
Ash approached Eden just before sun set. He was not looking forward to this at all. But, there was no choice. Rush had to be made to break his vow. Abbadon had to be released. Bringing his horse to a halt, Ash stooped down on his haunches to listen. He could hear the sounds of soldiers breathing and sweating, in spite of how quiet they had been instructed to be. Well, this was their lucky night. They didn’t know it, but each one of them would go home alive. Reaching into the dirt, Ash rubbed his hands on the ground and then across his face, streaking it with mud. Removing his long handled sword from his side holder, he sucked in some breath, plunging it into his side. It hurt like hell, but the pain would subside within seconds, and the wound would heal by tomorrow. The blood was running now, soaking the white line shirt he wore under his gold plated armour. With a grunt, he lifted off the armour which identified his colours and threw it aside. From a distance, once identified, they would shoot and ask questions later. Next, he pulled the Sky flag off his horse, the flag that was now embellished with Incubus symbols. With a slap on the horse’s backside, he sent him off, then, began walking to the border of Eden. The blood was now running down his side, seeping into his black leather pants, and trickling down into his knee high silver boots. As the huge sundial came into view, Ash lifted up his eyes. His keen night vision could pick out the armed Sun soldiers on alert above. He pushed forward. Crossing into Eden’s boundaries, he fell on his knees, hoping someone would find him before the intense sun of Eden rose in the sky.
CHAPTER THREE:
General Talon patrolled the roof of the sun dial with a feeling of trepidation. Rush had left, returning to the valley an hour ago, and taking twenty of the fifty sun warriors with him. If Rush was right, it meant that Ash’s army had already penetrated the walls of Sun Valley City and his career, maybe even his life was over...that devil…that evil son of a bitch… Each time he had led him to believe that he was going to do one thing; he had turned around and did the other. He had slaughtered his people without mercy, and all the while, laughing in his face. Biting on his thumb nail, he watched the sun begin to rise in the sky. As each second ticked by, he knew Rush had been right. Ash had led his soldiers though Fireball passage. Well, he hoped the hot sun burnt the bastard to death…then again, with his luck, his demon hide would take to it like a duck to water.
Giving the order to stand down, he told his men they were heading home. If Ash had attacked, they would be needed, if it already wasn’t too late. Descending the steps of the tower and wearily walking out into the already humid predawn, Talon heard a voice shouting. It was an Edenite, and he was coming on a run.
“Where in hell did he come from?” Talon mumbled under his breath. “It’s barely five in the morning.”
Out of breath, his face red from the exertion, the young man looked at the soldiers and pointed off into the distance.
“What is it, boy?” one of the soldiers demanded, impatient to get onto his horse and be on his way.
“A man,” the boy gasped, trying to catch his breath, “collapsed over there by the border. He’s wounded…bleeding.”
Talon nodded at the soldier. “Take two men with you and check it out. You’ll catch up with us.”
Annoyed, the soldier motioned to two of the others and they mounted their horses, galloping off toward the border; the frantic boy scrambling after them in the dust.
* * * *
Rush was perplexed, to say the least. When he arrived home all hell had not broken loose. Ash’s army had not attacked the city. He was beginning to think that Talon had been right this time. Maybe those devils were headed to Eden. He was just in the middle of contemplating whether or not he should return his men to Eden when the city gates opened to admit Talon, along with the rest of his men. What in hell was going on?
Slamming his hand against the rail of the balcony, which stood off of his private quarters, Rush scaled the barrier and jumped three feet to the terrace below him. Impatiently he waited for the horses to approach. Talon slid off his horse, and walked over to his leader. “Rush,” he said, looking around, “What…where…?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Rush replied anxiously. “I don’t trust this. I don’t trust this at all. What in hell is he up to now?”
Talon shook his head. “I don’t know. I was sure the city would be in ruins by the time I arrived and… I feared for your life.”
Rush folded muscular arms across his broad chest. His long braided hair fell around his square shoulders. He stuck out his chin in determination. “I would never let Ash take me alive.”
Suddenly the warning signal sounded. Someone was approaching. Rush tensed. Talon placed his hand on his sword, then relaxed when he saw that it was only the three men he had left behind. Talon approached, his eyes narrowing curiously as he noticed two of the men astride one horse, and another horse being led with a man’s body thrown over it, bound and gagged.
&n
bsp; Rush narrowed his eyes. “What is this?” he demanded.
One of the soldiers jumped off of his horse. He bowed his head at Rush. “My Lord, we have captured the leader of the Sky Warriors. That man…ah…thing… on the horse is Ash, son of Abbadon.”
Rush’s eyes widened, “are you certain of this?”
“Yes,” the soldier said, as Rush and Talon walked over to the horse. Rush grabbed a fistful of long dark wavy hair and pulled the man’s head back. His face was covered in mud. “Give me your handkerchief,” he told Talon. With the handkerchief in hand, he wiped the mud from his face. For a moment, he was spellbound by the sheer beauty of his mouth, his cheek, the shape of his jaw. He didn’t open his eyes. Rush allowed the head to fall back down. He turned to the soldier. “You are sure this is…?”
“His clothes are covered with blood, my Lord,” one of the other of the three soldiers spoke out now, his breathing a little laboured, “but there is no wound. We know he has the power to heal himself and…”
Rush put up a hand. “Enough. Where did you find him?”
“Eden’s border,” he replied. “And look,” the soldier went to his horse and took something out of his saddle bag. He opened his palm to reveal an inverted pentagram in solid gold, suspended by a black leather cord. “This was around his neck.”
Rush studied the emblem for a minute, then his eyes returned to the figure on the horse. He was at least six five, maybe bigger, solid and muscular, with jet black hair…and oh so beautiful. It was Ash. He had heard that Ash could seduce the angels themselves if he put his mind to it. He was dangerous, extremely dangerous. How he had come to be where he was…was another story. But it did explain why his army had not turned up anywhere. Rush pursed his lips. “Put him down in the prison,” he said, turning to the men who had brought him in.
“The prison my Lord,” Talon interjected. “He is a murderer. He has slaughtered thousands of our people. He is half demon, and has magic. You can’t mean to keep him alive? He is extremely dangerous.”
“We can not kill him yet. He could be useful to us. He could tell us where his army is. This could be the key to…”
“This isn’t the key to anything my Lord,” Talon protested. “He is the devil’s son, the epitome of deception and evil. He is the epitome of seduction itself. I don’t believe that it’s a good idea to…”
“Talon, although I will take your objection under advisement, I have made my decision.” Again, he turned to his men. “Put him in irons. Strip him. Make sure he has nothing concealed under his garments.”
The soldiers nodded, walking over to untie the ropes around Ash’s ankles and wrists.
At the same time there was great grumbling among the soldiers who felt that they should have the right to torture and kill the prisoner. Rush scanned the crowd of men with his blue eyes, then in a loud voice, he said, “Go. Rest now. When the prisoner finishes his usefulness, then I will consider allowing you to have your retribution. But just remember, my friends, we are the people of the Sun. Don’t allow your hatred for the Sky and Incubus people to make you into the same kind of character that they are. We must be better men.”
There was a noticeable lowering of heads before the soldiers went off in various directions to take their rest.
* * * *
The three soldiers who dragged Ash down into the darkness of the prison, which was located below the sun tower, were none too gentle. Ash didn’t expect them to be. He decided to keep pretending he was unconscious. He figured they’d be less tempted to beat the daylights out of him that way. He was wrong.
The blow came out of nowhere. A direct hit to his stomach sent him stumbling across the concrete floor and crashing into the wall. He could pretend to be out no more. Another hit, this time a kick to the testicles that knocked the wind out of him. He slid down the wall and onto the floor.
Two of the soldiers held him now. They stood him up against the wall, one on one side, one on the other, while a third gave it everything he had. Nothing was sacred. But he could take it. He closed his eyes, making his mind slip off to another place where there was no pain. Then the pain stopped.
Placing his wrists in iron clasps that were secured to the concrete wall, one of them was ripping at his clothes now. When the soldier opened the third button of his shirt, he stopped. Three pairs of eyes moved over him.
One of them licked his lips. “Come on,” the soldier urged the others, “undo the rest of his shirt.”
The one who had begun, continued, undoing the final button, then opening the shirt to reveal Ash’s incredibly beautiful torso. He felt a hand move down over one of his pectorals, then pause at his stomach.
“The pants,” the other one said. “Take them off. He’s incredible. He’s so gorgeous,” Ash felt lips at his throat.
A clumsy pair of hands tried to undo his pants. The soldier’s hands were trembling so much; it took him three attempts to undo all the fasteners.
Ash placed his head back against the concrete and closed his eyes. He decided to endure their juvenile fascination with his body. His pants were being pulled off now, along with his boots. A hand moved over one of his buttocks. “Look at that beautiful ass. I wonder if it’s true…if he really can give sexual pleasure like no one else.”
“Where did you hear that?” One of the man asked, a hand began to move over Ash’s cock.
“I heard it, that’s all. His great grand dad or something was the god of lust and sexual pleasure.”
Ash opened his eyes, looking directly into the eyes of one of the soldiers. “That’s true, he was the god of lust and sexual pleasure, among other things,” he murmured, that deep voice sounding like ambrosia to the men’s ears.
One of the men groaned, his tongue darting out to flick across one of Ash’s nipples. The other was on his knees now, trying to swallow the length of Ash’s thick cock. There was one in behind him, his hands sliding over his body. “I am your slave,” the one behind him said, his mouth coming down to kiss his shoulder. Ash knew that he could easily get them to undo the chains and release him, but it was the last thing he wanted. “I want you to bring the Lord down here,” he demanded. “Bring him to me,” he said, “and I will fulfill your deepest sexual depravity. Now, move away from me. I am your prisoner. You will treat me as such.” There was no point in letting Rush know that he could control his captors.
The three soldiers reluctantly moved away from him. “Secure the chains around my ankles,” he added. They both hurried to secure the ankle holds. “Now go, and make sure your ruler comes down here to me tonight. Do you understand?”
The three men bowed their head, then turned and left the dungeon. Ash laid his head back against the hard concrete again. Those three men would now do anything he told them. Once they had tasted him, their lust was stirred. Now, let’s hope it would be that easy with Rush. He would seduce him, then get out of this place and go home. Abbadon would finally be in control, and he wouldn’t have to do his bidding anymore. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
* * * *
Rush had the guards on high alert. He was sure that Ash’s warriors were on their way now to rescue their leader. The three men who had taken Ash to the dungeon reported back to him an hour later. Only one of them spoke, the other two stood silently by, listening. “We have stripped him and secured him in irons,” the soldier said. “You need to see him tonight.”
Rush was not used to soldiers telling him what he must do. He gave him an odd look. “Why did you say that?”
“You must, my Lord,” he repeated, “please.”
“I will see the prisoner when it suits me, and not before,” Rush replied sternly. “Now, leave me.”
The soldiers went scurrying off.
Later he remarked to Talon that the men were acting strange. Talon simply shrugged. “I have warned you not to trust that one. You should have executed him immediately.”
Rush waved that away. Perhaps his men were trying to tell him something, he th
ought. He needed to see the prisoner, make him tell him where his army was. He paced in his quarters alone for awhile, watching the clock. It was after ten in the evening. He knew he should see him, but for some reason he was putting it off. When he finally did make his way to the prison, those same three soldiers were hovering around outside. “What are you men doing here? The guards are here. Why don’t you go home?”
Quietly they shuffled off without a word. Rush gave them a backward glance, as he ordered one of the two guards to open the door of the dungeon. “Stay nearby,” he said. “I will probably need your assistance in case he doesn’t talk.”
“Yes, my Lord Rush,” they both said in unison. One of them handed him a torch.
Rush took a breath, ducked his head and entered. He lifted the light up so that he could see the figure chained to the wall. He took a step towards him, placing the torch up into the holder jutting out from the wall. Ash was sleeping, his head had fallen forward, black wavy hair covering his face. Rush ran his eyes over him. Naked. Completely. The soldiers might have left him with his undergarments. He turned away, flushing.
“My…my…” a deep voice said suddenly from across the room, causing him to jump. “You certainly are modest, Rush.” Rush turned back around, meeting his eyes, beautiful black eyes with thick sooty lashes. Ash smiled at him. “To what do I owe the honour?”
Rush sneered, pushing his long blond hair back off his shoulders. “You won’t feel that way shortly.”
Not bad, Ash thought running his eyes over the sun king. In fact, this wasn’t going to be such a bad assignment after all. The guy was built, hung like a horse, and drop dead gorgeous. Rush was nervous, Ash could tell, and desperately trying to find a place to put his eyes, but somehow they always managed to make their way back to his naked body. Ash straightened up to his full six foot six height, giving Rush a clear view of his smooth muscular torso and beautiful thick organ.
