The light revealed a small chamber with verdant green walls tinged in places with pink, while she herself was in a pool of amber liquid. Feeling slightly dizzy, Diamond looked up to see that the way she’d come in was almost a flap, or a leaf, covering an entrance some eight feet up.
For a moment Diamond couldn’t place what she was in, stunned and dizzy as she was. But as she took another breath, her eyes widened and a sense of lethargy began to overcome her.
“P-pitcher...plant.” She mumbled, thoughts beginning to slow down. “Have...have to get out…”
Diamond tried to mouth the words to a spell, but her tongue felt so large, and the mana started slipping through her grasp. Her fingers clawed at the walls of the plant several times, but she just felt so tired. So sleepy...and content…
She barely blinked as a female soldier fell through the flap with a clatter. The woman spluttered as she mirrored Diamond in climbing to her feet to look around, but Diamond’s light was fading as she slowly sank backward against the pitcher plant’s wall.
“Where am I? No, no, don’t let the light go out! You have to help me get out of here!” The other woman’s voice was oddly muffled, but it slowly faded as the soldier began to succumb as well, and silence filled the plant once more.
Diamond slowly drifted off to sleep, and not even noticing when a pair of vines slipped down the throat of the plant to keep the two women from falling under the surface of the liquid.
* * *
“I have to admit that he’s a brave bastard.” Evrial said, shaking her head in shock.
“Agreed.” Desa replied faintly. “But where the hell did that golem come from?”
The arrows had stopped a minute ago, when all but three of Kelvanis’ soldiers had finally fallen. Desa wasn’t certain where the pit traps that had engulfed the enslaved mages had come from, but they had vanished and the golem had ripped into the soldiers like an unstoppable juggernaut. Some of the soldiers had vanished into pit traps like the mages, while a few others had tried to run, only to be shot by her soldiers. A handful of soldiers had even surrendered to them rather than facing the golem any longer. The golem was now scarred with numerous cracks and gashes, but it seemed barely affected by the damage.
On the other hand, the only one still fighting was the man that had looked so smug earlier. Desa couldn’t help but admit that she felt a little put out that he’d managed to last this long. The human was scorched, his armor damaged from a close call. He also seemed to be favoring his ribs on his left side, while his left arm was dangling uselessly at his side, but the man was still trying to fight. She’d seen him manage to deflect blows away from other soldiers at least three times over the course of the battle, but it hadn’t changed the result of the battle in the slightest.
“Alissa said it fell from an alcove near the ceiling. I have no idea how it got there, though.” Evrial answered Desa’s question with a slight shrug. “Seems insane to me.”
“I was more meaning that it even existed. Do you think anything else Sistina has done seems all that sane? She didn’t even warn us she had a golem!” Desa demanded, gesturing at the fight. “I’m half wondering who this was a demonstration for! Them, or us?”
“Whichever it is, I think the battle’s over.” Evrial interjected as the man was sent flying into the cavern wall by a backhand blow. “That had to hurt.”
* * *
“At least...I’ll die...honorably…” Jared gasped softly, coughing and wincing at the coppery taste that the cough produced in his mouth. He couldn’t move anymore, and pain spiked through him with every breath he took.
The golem slowly approached, the steps thundering with its immense weight. But it stopped in front of him and he looked up, waiting to see his death coming for him. But to his surprise, it didn’t move, it just stood there.
After a minute he gasped out. “Just finish me...already, would you?”
The golem didn’t move at all, and he slumped back tiredly. Then he heard soft footsteps coming up from behind the golem. Stepping around it was a woman that he’d never seen before, a seemingly elven woman with a faint wood pattern to her white skin, golden hair, and deep, vivid emerald eyes. She studied him for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.
“Death.” She said simply, pointing at the golem next to her. Then she pointed at him. “Surrender. Choose.”
“Heh. Simple choice, eh? You didn’t give my men a chance to surrender.” Jared laughed softly, wincing slightly as pain spiked through him. “Why me, and not them?”
“Space. Attention. Importance.” The woman’s words were oddly clipped as she looked at him and shrugged. “A chance. Others live.”
“Fine, fine...I’ll surrender. Just...don’t expect me to move on my own.” Jared gave in, shaking his head and letting out another series of coughs. Glancing past the golem, he saw a handful of demoralized soldiers who the elves had captured and recognized Derek Mason among them. At least the polite young man had survived.
“Good.” The woman replied, smiling gently at him. Then she knelt down, placing a hand on Jared’s head. A slow, gentle warmth spread from her hand, and she spoke simply. “Sleep.”
Without the slightest ability to resist, he felt himself drift off.
Chapter 48
Diamond slowly woke up, feeling warm and relaxed. She also realized that her arms and legs were restrained, and for a moment she was afraid that she was about to have the day when she’d been branded repeat itself.
But when she opened her eyes, she found herself able to see. She was being held to a tree by thick vines, and warm yellow light was shining down on her. That seemed odd when she considered that she could see the cavern ceiling above her. She was still dressed, though the cloth looked slightly damaged. It looked like something had eaten or dissolved parts of her skirt!
Standing in front of her were two women. One looked like a dryad with pale skin, golden hair and emerald eyes, while the other was a dusk elf with faintly silver-pink hair and sky-blue eyes. The dryad was standing up straight, in fine, leaf-green clothing and her posture almost like a noble’s. In stark contrast to the dryad, the elf was wearing a bright red blouse and black trousers, but was sitting cross-legged in front of her, looking far more at ease.
“Ah, you’re awake!” The elf’s eyes brightened and she smiled. “Sistina said you would be soon, but I didn’t think you’d be quite this quick.”
“Umm...Sistina? Who are you?” Diamond asked, playing for time as she began to try to place what had happened. She vaguely remembered a pitcher plant, which sounded like a dungeon, but what was going on with the elf here? “What happened?”
“This is Sistina, and I am Phynis Constella.” The elf spoke nonchalantly, gesturing up at the dryad with a grin. “As for you? You were part of the invading group from Kelvanis. To get you out of the way Sistina dropped you into a pitcher plant, and then we came and pulled you and the others out before you got digested.”
“I...I see. And now what?” Diamond asked, feeling stunned at the explanation. “What happened to the Adjudicator and the others?”
“Oh, he’s the Adjudicator? Somehow that makes me want to change my mind on his surrender…” Phynis’ eyes narrowed, and Diamond felt her eyes widen as she finally registered the woman’s name.
“Wait, you’re Princess Phynis? But...but why are you here?” She asked, stunned by the lack of guards if nothing else.
“No, I’m not a princess anymore. I told my mother that I was done. Quit, no claim on the throne, no lands, nothing. I’m just Phynis. And I’m here because Sistina claimed my brand for her own, making it so that no one in Kelvanis can command me.” Phynis smirked slightly, grinning at Diamond. “Which is why, miss priestess, we’re here to offer you the same opportunity for freedom. And what’s your name, anyway?”
“Ah...are you serious?” Diamond asked, hope starting to well up in her heart for the first time in what felt like decades, and tears glittering at the edges of her eyes. “Could I really be
free of them? Would she…?”
“Sistina has never given me an order. She has never given any of us orders. I think she rather likes having them, because they increase the rate at which she gains mana, but she otherwise lets us do what we want.” Phynis replied compassionately, smiling gently. “So if you want to do it, it is your choice. And you will be free if you so desire it.”
“Please! I don’t want...I don’t want to be a slave anymore!” Diamond broke down, begging as hot tears began to spill down her face, heart almost breaking. “Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!”
“Sure, all you need to do is relax, and she’ll do the rest.” Phynis assured her softly, smiling, then paused and asked. “But you never did say what your name was.”
“He...he renamed me, in a way that I’ve completely forgotten my old one. Now…” Hesitating a moment, Diamond swallowed before answering softly. “Now it’s Diamond.”
“Beautiful.” Sistina spoke softly, kneeling down next to Diamond and touching the center of the brand before giving a gentle smile of her own. “You will be safe.”
As the mana began to flood into the brand, Diamond gasped as she felt the first taste of freedom, and her tears began to flow even more freely.
* * *
Evansly swallowed again as he finished his report. He didn’t want to be the one to write a letter to the High Adjudicator, but there was no one else in the area to write it in his place. Not with Jared missing. And there was no other term for what had happened.
Fifty elite soldiers and the Adjudicator of the entirety of Western Kelvanis had vanished into the mountainside, and less than an hour later the tunnel they’d entered was gone as though it had never existed. No sign of the soldiers, no sign of the Adjudicator, not even a sign of Jared’s pet mages. The loss had him worried, because Jared was highly regarded as one of the most forgiving Adjudicators in the kingdom.
Evansly could only hope that he wouldn’t be held responsible for the disaster. And without Jared, he wasn’t certain that he could get the forces that he obviously needed for security. It was a grim thought, and so very unwelcome after the excitement of the last few days.
Still, there was no going back, so he re-read the letter one last time, before sealing it and calling for a messenger.
* * *
Jared winced, trying to adjust his position slightly. He was in a soft bed, his left arm in a splint, and compresses covered most of his upper body. While some would say that he was lucky to be alive, he wasn’t entirely certain about that, with the way his injuries ached. And, of course someone had left the pitcher of water and the mug on the left side of the bed. He suspected it was a deliberate attempt to spite him.
But he blinked in surprise as the door to his room opened and in stepped Topaz and Princess Phynis. He opened his mouth, then shut it again, confused by the sight of seeing Topaz in normal clothing, her hair glittering strangely against it as she carried in a large basket of medical supplies, with Phynis holding a basket of wrappings. He might be confused about the situation, but at least it gave him an opportunity to fix the water problem, which he would be a fool to pass up.
“Topaz, move the water to the other side of the bed for me.” He ordered, wincing slightly as he shifted again.
“No.” Her voice held a note of distinct pleasure, he realized in shock as she glanced over at him.
It took a moment for Jared find his voice again. “What? But...but you can’t…”
“I was curious whether or not Sistina claiming my brand would actually work, so I asked Phynis to let me come here. And I have to say, having the freedom to actually tell you to go fuck yourself is delightful.” Topaz spoke almost pleasantly, her smile brighter and happier than he’d ever seen it before. “You know, if you weren’t a slaver and power-hungry jerk, I might actually like you. But then you took pleasure in stealing everything that I felt important. So no, Jared. I won’t move the water for you.”
Phynis giggled as Jared gaped at Topaz, and then he slowly managed to speak, gathering himself. “You...you are bound to that dryad, then? You’re her slave?”
“Technically, yes. However, she doesn’t give orders. She’s perfectly happy to just sit under her tree and soak up sunlight most of the time.” Topaz told him, smiling broadly. “I must say it’s much nicer than waiting on you hand and foot.”
“I think you’re going to find that things are going to get very awkward in the near future.” Jared replied, trying to ignore her thinly veiled insults, which he had to admit hurt somewhat. He’d thought that he’d treated them well enough, and it was only natural to take advantage of slaves. Especially in Kelvanis. But a part of him was feeling vindictive as he continued. “In case you were unaware, some of the changes that were made to you make you want, to crave sex with your owner. So it might almost be better for you to have whatever she did undone if you don’t want to be intensely frustrated.”
Both women went silent, staring at him, and satisfaction flooded Jared for a moment. But then they began to slowly giggle, then laugh. Topaz giggled and shook her head, her eyes glittering as she smiled, her voice almost sickly sweet. “Is that so? Well, that explains so much of my attraction to you, Jared. You were so confident in yourself that you enforced desire in all of us? Well, Jared, I’m sorry to inform you, but I’m fine with trying to woo a dryad. Especially a dryad who isn’t trying to control my entire life.”
“But...but she’s a woman!” Jared protested, his confusion at her reaction only growing.
“...Are all human men like him?” Phynis asked, looking up at the slightly taller Topaz as she ignored Jared.
“No, no...he’s just obviously incapable of imagining that women might like one another. It explains why he only ever had one of us in his room at a time.” Topaz replied, shaking her head as she went back to the door and opened it. “Well, a little, at least.”
“Poor man.” Phynis smirked and closed the door behind her. He faintly heard her voice through the door. “Has he never heard of lesbians?”
In the bed, Jared just watched them go, utterly stunned by what had just happened. After a minute he slumped backward in his bed, thoughts racing in circles, and feeling even more utterly defeated than when he’d been backhanded by the golem.
* * *
“Sistina?” Phynis asked, slightly nervous this time. Her hands were behind her back and she was fidgeting nervously.
The dryad looked up after a moment, blinking and tilting her head to the side with obvious curiosity. She was sitting under her tree, as per normal, but at least none of the priestesses were around. That they were all priestesses of Medaea had come as a distinct shock to her, as had the information about what had been done to the seven of them. And that information was what had prompted her most recent visit.
“I, umm...I had something I wanted to talk to you about.” Phynis murmured, trying to quell the mass of butterflies in her stomach.
“Yes?” Sistina was getting very good at that word, Phynis realized with nervous humor. And the slight smile on Sistina’s face was also gratifying as it showed the increased emotion she’d sensed in the dryad since her own rescue.
“Well...when I visited the prisoner, Jared, I learned something. He said...that the girls were changed to, umm...want to sleep with whomever owned them. And that’s you.” Phynis explained, and her anxiety spiked as Sistina nodded. She took another breath and then asked. “Will you?”
Sistina seemed to consider that for a long minute, and then slowly nodded, her voice gentle. “If asked, yes.”
“I...I see.” Phynis swallowed, looking around almost habitually to make sure no one was nearby. And then she asked, almost inaudibly as she looked at the ground. “M-me first?”
A gentle finger slid along Phynis’ chin, raising her head just in time for Sistina to initiate a kiss with Phynis for the first time. Phynis’ eyes went wide as Sistina’s soft, warm lips met her own, and then the insistent kiss blew her thoughts away as she melted into the warmth a
nd affection that flooded her via the kiss.
When Sistina broke off the kiss, her arms were around Phynis’ back, and the dryad was looking her straight in the eye. In the depths of her eyes, Phynis saw a flicker of violet even as Sistina spoke warmly, gently. “Yes.”
Epilogue
Serel slowly emerged from the flood of desire and lust that had been wracking her body and mind for longer than she could remember. Each time she returned to herself it was the same, and just like always, she weakly pounded a hand against the violet crystal coffin surrounding her.
Just like the last time, the crystal didn’t care at all. Somehow the thick, syrupy liquid she was suspended in filled her lungs yet didn’t drown her, and it was hard to see through. She wasn’t sure if the crystal or the liquid was violet. It really didn’t matter, as most of the time she was completely out of her mind with the pleasure that flooded her.
The crystal was just barely taller than Serel and was suspended upright at one corner of an immense pentagram set into the floor of the room. Four other crystals were in each corner of the pentagram, each with one of the other female Enforcers she’d attended the party with, each with nearly mad eyes like her own. The pentacle itself glowed with light that looked violet to her blurred sight. In the center of the pentacle was an altar upon which lay Medaea, the goddess now completely naked save for the gems which Serel vaguely remembered placing on her body.
At the foot of the altar was another crystal, this one with the angel within it, her body enveloped in similar liquid. Thin cables ran from the base of each of the crystals to the top of the one with the angel, and from the base of the angel’s crystal into the middle of a massive diagram built into the altar on which the goddess lay. The altar was glowing as well, though she could barely see it.
Ancient Ruins (Ancient Dreams Book 1) Page 36
