by S L Dearing
Thomas Blaylock turned and saw Alia Stark. She was now free of her bonds and floating above the table, as were Sam and Tanner. Not a single drop of blood or the tiniest bruise or laceration appeared on them anywhere. Her long red hair billowed around her like flames and her eyes were black.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" the Shape cried.
The Shape turned and ran as his Hordesmen rushed in from every angle, swords drawn. Alia raised her arms and two swords flew into her hands. Her black eyes never left Blaylock.
The Shape grabbed Anne by the arm and dragged her with him.
Tanner and Sam had now also commanded weapons to their hands. Coeli continued to hide under the table. Then she remembered the prisoners. They were still locked up in the dungeons.
She ducked and ran, pulling the torn dress around her. She fled through the passage and down the stairway.
Alia could feel the power of the goddess moving through her, magic at her fingertips, but she wanted to feel the steel in her hand and their blood on her skin. She could feel Tanner and Sam next to her. Their feet hit the table and they moved forward.
127
"Did you see that?"
Vance nodded.
"Yeah, it's time to go in," he said.
Connie looked at him.
"How can you be sure?"
"Ravens… Lish loved those birds. They're the messengers of the goddess and they just kicked some falcon ass and broke through a ceiling. If those birds are doing what I think they might be doing, it's time."
Connie stood up and yelled to the soldiers.
"Alright. You heard him, Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going in. Right flank with me, left with Worley."
Vance looked over at Connie.
"Subtle…"
Connie smiled.
"Aww, c'mon, really?"
Vance allowed himself a small smirk and nodded. Connie raised her arm and the right flank followed her quickly to the other edge of the clearing. Vance looked around at the young faces, so much like his own.
"Ok, we hit hard and fast. Something's going on inside the castle, so they won't be distracted too long. Nobody gives up."
They all nodded and brandished their weapons. Vance turned back towards the castle's archway. Monsignor Klaus' corpse was barely recognizable. The falcons had picked its face clean. He glanced over at the left flank and felt his stomach knot. They saw their targets. Then Vance yelled the charge.
"NOW!"
Both flanks descended on the unsuspecting Black Horde. Connie was the first to reach the two main Horde guards. She hacked at them full force and they went down quickly, but she hadn't seen the seven or so who were coming in the other direction and they sounded the alarm.
Forty or fifty of the Black Horde came spilling out of the barracks to the left of the archway, but Vance's left flank was ready. They charged the onslaught of villains and the battle commenced.
The Fail soldiers kept pace despite being outnumbered. Their passion and conviction drove them forward. Connie was fighting several of the Hordesmen when she lost her footing and fell. They took that opportunity and lunged at her. Suddenly, Quinn and Todd jumped in and ran them both through.
"Watch your step, Connie."
"Very funny."
The two young men smiled and ran back into the fight. As they continued to fight, no one had realized that even more Hordesmen had joined the battle. Finally, Connie turned around.
"Christ!"
Vance turned to see a hundred plus men running at them.
"Well, whatever's going on in there, I hope we're winning."
Quinn and Todd had now joined them. Todd blocked a strike and then slit the Hordesman's throat.
"Yeah, ‘cause I'm thinking they're about to hand us our asses."
Quinn looked over at him and smiled.
"Now, where's all that positive thinking?"
Todd grinned back at his partner and Connie looked at Vance and then took a deep breath as they all ran towards their attackers. Vance knew the battle wasn't over yet.
128
Coeli moved quickly down the stone steps and into the tunnels. She ran for what seemed an eternity. She finally stopped and leaned against a wall, tying pieces of her dress back together across her breasts. She cried quietly.
"Where are they?" she whispered.
She listened. The sound of the battle carried through the dark, dank walls of the castle. She pushed herself off the stone and continued down the corridor. In the distance was a faint flickering light. As she got closer, she heard voices.
"Did you hear that?"
"Naw, I didn't hear anything."
"It sounded like a girl."
Coeli pressed herself into a dark space and looked around the corner. There were two Horde guards at the entrance to the dungeon. One had keys on his belt. The other was sitting at a table, eating.
The one with the keys was looking out into the dark corridor and Coeli again pulled back into the darkness. She slowed her breathing and wiped her nose as she looked around for a weapon.
The guard stepped into the hall and looked up the dark corridor.
"I'm going to see what that was…you coming?"
The other guard looked at him and shook his head."
"No…it's nothing."
"Look, there's something going on…"
The other guard lifted up his arms and pointed to the ceiling.
"YEAH!! Yeah, there is!! There's a party going on up there, but I'm stuck down here with you. That's what's going on. So, if you want to fuck off down the hallway and play with yourself in the dark, you go ahead. I already set up a plaything in the back so I'm gonna eat, then I'm gonna go get laid."
The guard with the keys shook his head and moved into the darkness. Coeli could hear the sound of his footsteps growing closer. She moved through the dark, her fingers moving nimbly over the walls, as she felt the wet, rough stone against her skin, then suddenly her hands found wood. She stopped and moved her fingers up until she felt metal. It was a torch. The top was made of steel and cut into sharp, diamond-shaped spearheads. She slowly and quietly lifted it from the cradle and allowed her arms and body to become accustomed to the weight. She looked at the ground and realized that more light was behind her. She turned and saw that the Horde guard was lighting the torches as he moved towards her. She moved the unlit torch behind her back and leaned against the wall.
The guard moved slowly around the corner and reached up, lighting another lamp. He glanced down the corridor and Coeli stumbled out of the darkness, her hands behind her. She looked up and saw him. She let her eyes grow large and she shook her head.
The guard smiled and glanced behind him and then back at Coeli. He lunged for her and she backed into the darkness.
"You wanna play, huh?"
Coeli waited, barely breathing, until she felt him in front of her. She had moved the torch in front of her and was holding it, spear side out.
"There's nowhere to hide."
He was only inches from her now.
"I know."
Her voice caused him to spin around as Coeli pushed the torch forward and up. She heard him gasp and then she felt the weight of him against her hands. She pushed harder, until she couldn't move. She let go of the torch handle and moved towards the light. She glanced down the now brightly lit hallway and saw the other guard still eating. She reached up and removed the lit torch, then walked several feet back in the other direction and saw the first guard. He was almost dead. The spears had caught him in the chest and neck. His blood flowed quickly from his neck and his empty eyes stared endlessly into the darkness, his chest rising slower and slower until it stopped. Coeli lifted the lit torch above her and placed it in the empty cradle.
She then leaned over the body and grabbed hold of the torch handle that was in the guard's chest. She took a deep breath, placed her foot against his shoulder and pulled. The torch came out and his body slumped over and fell to the side.
She looked at her hands, now covered in bl
ood, but she felt nothing. She looked back at the dead guard and saw the keys. She took them off his belt and tied them to her dress. Then she saw a cup that looked about the right size to extinguish the flames of the torches. She took it and started to douse the light.
Every time she put out a light, she would move into the shadow. The Horde guard who was eating never looked up. She had two torches left when he finished. She was about to douse the next light when he got up and looked down the hallway. She pressed herself against the wet stone.
"Are you out there?"
His voice echoed against the empty walls.
"Typical, you fuck off and I have to stay here. But that's fine with me, that Chink bitch has been dying for it."
Coeli gasped. Molly!
The guard turned around and moved further into the room. Coeli quickly doused the final two torches and quietly entered. She could hear his footsteps going in the other direction. She looked around the room and saw several swords and daggers against the far wall. She moved swiftly and laid the bloodied torch down and grabbed two daggers. She then moved in the direction she had heard the footsteps, and then she heard the yelling.
"Get the fuck away from her, You Bastard!!
"Don't you touch her!!"
She heard Molly.
"Get your hands off me you ugly Piece of Shit!!"
Coeli ran to the doorway and saw the guard. Then she saw Molly. Molly had her hands and feet tied. She was hanging by her wrists from a hook on the ceiling and the guard was lifting her up and placing her on a table on her stomach. She thrashed and struggled as best she could, while the soldier pulled out a knife and stared at her trousers, then cut away the cloth, exposing Molly's ass and legs.
"Son of a Bitch!! When I get up from this table, you're dead!"
The Hordesman laughed and punched Molly in the back, just under her right shoulder blade. He then grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. He placed his mouth against her cheek and licked the side of her face.
"I just love Chinese!"
He had become so preoccupied with Molly that he hadn't seen Coeli slip into the room and under the table. The soldiers were yelling at the guard. Grant Turner looked away and as he did he saw Coeli move under the table. He gripped Jones, who was standing next to him. Arthur Jones looked at Grant and then in the direction of the table. Jones nodded and turned back towards Molly.
"It's a good thing her ankles are tied up, Coward. If her legs were free, she could break your back."
The guard sneered in the direction of the cell.
"Yeah, I guess it is a good thing then, huh?"
Coeli looked over at Jones who saw her and nodded. Coeli looked at the dagger and then the ropes around Molly's ankles as they dangled in front of her. She moved forward and slipped the blade between Molly's legs and began to cut.
Molly felt the tension change around her ankles and looked over at Jones. He nodded at her and held up his hand, crossing and then uncrossing his fingers. Molly smiled and started to laugh.
The Hordesman had just dropped his pants then frowned and looked at the back of Molly's head. He again pulled her hair, forcing her head back.
"You won't be laughing in a second, Bitch, when my dick is inside your ass!!"
Molly laughed even louder and then before the guard could react, she pushed her body back and wrapped her now free legs around his torso and squeezed. Her legs interlocked and she pressed all her weight against him.
He yelled as she gritted her teeth and then there was a snap and he fell back. She let go of him as he fell and then she pushed herself back and landed on her feet, spinning around and falling on top of him. He tried to grab her still-tied arms, but she was too quick and she pressed her thumbs into his eye sockets. He screamed as she crushed the life out of his head.
Then she turned and looked under the table to see Coeli staring at her.
"Are you ok?" Coeli asked.
Molly smiled and held out her wrists. Coeli scrambled out from the table and cut the ropes as Molly grabbed Coeli into an embrace. Coeli welcomed the familiar warmth and let her tears fall again.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"
Molly smiled and then let the smile falter as she took note of Coeli's clothes. Coeli looked down.
"I'm ok."
Molly frowned and softly touched Coeli's face. Coeli smiled back through her tears.
"I'm really ok, but Mom and Tanner and Sam are upstairs alone. They need your help."
Molly nodded.
"We need the keys."
Coeli looked at her dress.
"Oh, I forgot…here."
Molly took the keys and started to unlock the cells as the soldiers rushed out. Coeli pointed towards the front room.
"There are weapons up there, just follow the corridor to the stairs and then follow the noise. They're in the throne room…please hurry."
Myron raced out of his cage and grabbed Coeli.
"Oh, I thought you were dead, Girl!!"
Coeli smiled as he squeezed her and kissed her cheek. He then touched her face.
"I'm ok," she said.
He nodded and watched the troops head towards the weapons. Then he winked and ran after them. Grant and Jones were then let out. Jones took off his shirt and gave it to Molly. She smiled and took it. He didn't say anything, but Molly nodded.
"I'm fine, really…really."
Jones nodded and frowned as he moved to join the others, but made an effort to walk over the corpse of the guard, stepping especially hard on what was left of his manhood. Grant grabbed and held Coeli against him. He lifted her face.
"Where's Hannah, Shay?
"And Chelsea? Where are they?"
Larry Hearst was now standing next to them. Coeli looked at the ground and shook her head.
"I don't know. I haven't found them yet."
Grant nodded.
"But you will, Sweetheart. Right?"
Coeli nodded and threw herself into Grant's arms again. Larry touched her head.
"I will, I promise."
Grant held her, until Myron walked back in.
"I'm sorry, President Turner, President Hearst, we need you."
Grant and Larry nodded and kissed Coeli on the forehead and then Larry walked to the doorway.
"You find the other girls and then get the hell out of here…you get back to the Fail, ok?"
Coeli nodded and let a tear fall as she felt Grant's hand slip out of hers. The dungeon was quiet and still. Coeli saw the key ring hanging from an open cell door. She reached over and took it out of the hole and tied it to her skirt again.
Then she moved back into the dark corridor, determined to find her friends.
129
More and more of the Black Horde filled the room as they had the courtyard. Metal clashed as Alia and the boys held them at bay. Rona Mason was now hiding behind the great throne, watching the battle commence.
Suddenly the main doors were thrown open. A young Hordesman ran into the room.
"They're attacking… they had more soldiers waiting and they're attacking!!"
Blaylock and Brollen had grabbed their weapons and were about to join the melee, when they heard a loud noise coming from the side door. Blaylock turned to see Grant, Larry and Myron rushing into the hall, brandishing weapons and followed by the Fail soldiers. Blaylock snarled at the intrusion, and then looked around. He didn't see Coeli anywhere. He rolled his eyes and turned to Brollen.
"Fucking little bitch! Can you believe this shit? Show her a good time and she does this?"
Brollen snarled and shook his head, as Blaylock pushed his long black hair out of his face.
"Gary, find that little cunt and gut her, would you?"
Brollen smiled and nodded as he stormed off through the fighting towards the dungeons. The Hordesman was still standing at the door.
"General, they're attacking, Sir."
"Yes, I can see that… can you see that we have our hands full here?"
The Hord
esman nodded, still panting. Blaylock shrugged and nodded.
"Good, SO GET YOUR ASS OUT THERE AND FIGHT!!"
The Hordesman stumbled backwards and out the door as Blaylock turned back around.
"Oh, Tommy, come out and play."
Blaylock turned around and raised his eyes towards the end of the room. There on the table was Alia, staring back at him, her eyes danced a shimmering gold in the soft light and he smiled. He knew it was all her now. He slammed his swords together and moved towards her.
The hall was filled with the crashing of metal against metal and death was everywhere as smoke from burning draperies filled the room. Alia walked slowly towards Blaylock, spinning her swords like propellers. Blaylock was grinning as he began to circle around her.
"That kid of yours is real sweet. Glad you could be there to watch me take her innocence."
He grinned wildly, but Alia shook her head.
"She'd have to be a virgin for that, Tommy."
She watched him and saw the corner of his eye twitch and his smile began to fade.
"She was a virgin."
Alia smiled and shook her head as Blaylock allowed himself to frown.
"How would you know, Bitch?"
Alia began to laugh.
"I know all kinds of things…Tommy. I know Coeli gave herself to Sam before you and Rona took her from our village. I know what you did to that little girl at St. Viviana's. All those other girls…I know that you were a pathetic little nothing before the War, an assistant to an assistant to an assistant. You raped and murdered those little girls because you couldn't fuck a real woman with someone else's dick, let alone your own. You're terrified of women. Remember what happened in the cell? Limp… lifeless… pathetic."
He smiled again and his eyes blazed.
"Pale attempt to get a ‘rise’ out of me, but you're not my type…too old. Virgin or not, your girl will never forget the day she got fucked by me."
