by Alexis Ward
I felt Tabitha bump into me again. She stuck an arm out from under the covers and pointed toward the pad of paper, ink bottle and quill that sat atop her backpack, then she pushed on my lower back again. I sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I get the hint.” I stood up, then brought over the items as Tabitha sat up. She kept the covers bunched up, covering her large breasts, but her back was left mostly exposed. I set the paper down in her lap and handed her the quill and ink, then sat down behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pinning the blanket to her and pulling her against my chest. She started to write.
A short while later she held up the paper near her shoulder so I could read it. “If those stones are worth as much as they seem to be, she won’t just need some traps and stuff to keep treasure hunters away. Walls, soldiers. A castle. Gemstone mines are exceedingly rare and profitable. It would also be wise for her to marry… someone she can trust, before the suitors start piling on, making her life difficult as they try to marry into wealth. Just things to think on for later. But for tonight… play with me?” she wrote.
I gave her a gentle squeeze with my arms. “I think I can manage that. What about Sasha though? It’s not like she’ll be in another room.” I said.
Tabitha scribbled on the bottom of the page: “It’s not like we can’t all just enjoy together, is it? You like both of us. We like you. It’s simple.” she wrote.
Is it really that simple? “I mean… if you say so. Man your customs here are weird. And wait, are you implying that I should marry Sasha?” I said.
She wrote a little more: “Yes? Was I not obvious enough? She won’t say anything, because in the case of marriage, it’s the man who is supposed to take initiative. But you might consider talking with her about it sometime. I’m tired of talking, get under here with me?”
“Sure.” I heard a slosh of water and a muted sigh from the bathroom as I set Tabitha’s writing implements down on the bedside table. I peeled back the covers and crawled in next to Tabitha as she moved back toward the middle of the bed. Her hands immediately found the belt of my pants and she fumbled with it as she tried to get it undone.
My hands found hers and I helped her with the belt, and my pants. She pressed against me as my pants slid down, and my half erect cock brushed up against her thighs and tummy. I wrapped my arms around her and relished the warm, silky smooth sensation of her skin as she planted hungry kisses along my collarbone and neck. Her hand wandered down my side, over my thigh, and then grasped my cock firmly.
She slid on leg over me and positioned the tip of my cock against the slit of her pussy. Tabitha looked down at my as she ground my tip gently against her wet opening. I could feel her legs quiver with pleasure as my tip grazed against her clit. She pushed my cock slightly into her tight pussy for a moment and her mouth opened silently and she let out a long exhale. I decided to take this in a different direction, I grabbed a hold of her shoulders and pulled her down atop me, then rolled us over, which caused the covers to tangle around us as I ended up on top of her.
She lost her grip on my as we rolled, and instead I held her wrists down above her head as she half-struggled against me, with a big smile on her face. “Did you want something Tabs?” I whispered. She nodded vigorously and ground her hips and her pussy against my dangling cock. I removed one hand from one of her wrists and then guided my cock into her pussy as I pushed my hips forward. She shuddered as she took my entire length. She felt hot, tight, and even more wet than the last time we had fucked. Her free arm wrapped around me and pulled against me as her nails dug in, urging me to fuck her.
It was at that moment that the door to the bathroom opened. Sasha stood in the doorway, wrapped in nothing but a towel. She looked at us in the dim candle-light, the details of what Tabitha and I were up to mostly concealed by the blankets that covered us. I laid atop Tabitha as she continued to writhe, blissfully unaware of Sasha watching us. Sasha stepped up to the edge of the bed and let the towel fall from her shoulders, revealing her slim, muscled body. “Well, you don’t have to stop just because I’m in the room. You think I didn’t notice the last time you two had some fun?” Sasha whispered as she slid under the blankets next to us.
Tabitha strained against me again as she tried to push my cock deeper inside her. As Sasha snuggled up under the blankets, facing away from us, I thrust gently into Tabitha’s pussy, over and over as she embraced me with her arms and entwined her legs around mine, urging me to give her more.
Sasha seemed completely content to pass out while Tabitha and I climaxed only a few feet from her. After we caught our breaths, we all snuggled up together in a big pile of tangled limbs and fell asleep one by one.
Chapter 7 - Wealth and Taxes
Collecting the money from Duriet the next day went smoothly. He paid the bulk of it in thin rectangular gold bars, which could be redeemed at any moneychanger for proper coins. He also handed Sasha a heavy purse of coins, which could be spent immediately. On the way to Duriet’s we had talked a little about the situation, and the gem mine, and we had all agreed that if it was to be a business, we would need to take steps to defend the land a bit better. The first of those steps would be moving back into Sasha’s grandfather’s castle. Or rather, getting the castle to a point where it was livable.
At Duriet’s place, I said the words that would put the plan into motion. “So, Duriet. Do you know any carpenters or stonemasons looking for work? Or cleaning staff?” I asked as Sasha divided up the gold bars between her backpack, Tabitha’s, and mine.
Duriet shrugged. “I know lots of craftsmen. Some in town, others back at home under the mountain. What kind of job you got in mind?” he asked.
“Castle restoration.” I said. Duriet looked at me strangely.
“I mean, ye got enough raw cash there to buy a castle, but--” he paused as Sasha held up her hand.
“My grandfather had a castle on our land. It is still standing. Just… not in working order.” Sasha said.
Duriet ran his hand through his beard and tugged his fingers through a tangle. “Huh. Never took you for the landowning type, but it’s not my job to ask too many questions. You’ll want Mabby, half-devil, strong as an ox, and smart as a whip. Runs a stonemasonry crew.” Duriet said as he drew a crude map on half a sheet of paper with a charcoal stick. He handed the map to me. “She’s a few blocks further off of main street. That’ll get you there. But eh, be careful, it’s a rougher part of town.” he said.
We left Duriet’s shortly after that. While we were standing near his shop, away from the crowds of people, I had to ask something. “So… what did he mean by half-devil?” I said.
Sasha sighed. “It could be a few things. They may be particularly… cutthroat in how they make deals. Or maybe she just has horns and a tail. There’s quite a lot of variety when humans start mixing with extra-planar creatures. But if she’s able to stay in town and do business, her heritage probably isn’t anything too worrisome.” she explained.
“Fair. Lets go knocking then.” I said.
A short while later we found ourselves in the ‘rougher part’ of town. Most of the buildings were cobbled together things made of scavenged bits of wood, stone, and odd shapes of canvas. Groups of people stood in doorways gossiping, tinkers pushed carts of goods about, shouting about their wares, other folks were busy puking up their guts and/or getting drunk off of rotgut in alleyways, even now at midmorning.
I made sure my rifle and knife were easy to ready. Tabitha stayed close, at least one hand always clinging to my arm. Sasha stood beside and slightly behind me, walking with her spear in one hand. Most people looked the other way when they saw that long spear and the intimidating aura Sasha seemed to have, though I knew from my time with her that it was mostly an act, though a convincing one.
As we got closer to Mabby’s place, the buildings took on a different quality. More stone in the construction, strong right angles. Still nothing bigger than one story, and the people still smelled of mud, excrement, and sickly-sweet rotgut. I
pointed to a particular building that didn’t look too different from the others on this block. “I think that’s the one.” I said.
“Can you handle the talking again, please?” Sasha said as she looked around, alert for any threats or unusual activity.
“I suppose so, yeah. Why do you keep deferring to me on such things?” I asked.
Sasha looked down toward the ground. “I don’t like new people. City people, I guess.” she muttered.
“But isn’t Tabs ‘city people’?” I asked as I pulled her close and ran my hand through her hair.
Sasha sighed. “That’s different. Just… please take the lead.” she said.
I shrugged. “Can do.” I stepped up to the wooden door and knocked.
After a few moments the door opened about an inch or two. On the other side, all I could see was darkness. “Uh, is Mabby the stonemason here?” I asked.
I heard a thud and a girlish squeal. “Ow my toe. Yeah. Just let me find a candle.” There was a spark and then I saw a slice of the room illuminated in dim candle-light. What I saw of the room was spartan and bare of any decoration, and entirely build out of smooth stones held together with plaster. My view was quickly blocked by a tall stocky woman with black hair and strange burn marks on her face and hands. She held a candle in one hand, and her other hand rested on the doorframe. “I’m Marybeth. What do you need?” she said.
“Greetings. I’m Clive, Clive Dumont. And here’s Tabitha and Sasha. We’re looking for a stonemason willing to do some long term work. We have a castle that will eventually need to be in working order. Right now we’ll gladly settle for having a wing of it restored to ‘livable’.” I pulled out some of the coins Sasha had handed me earlier and held them up so Marybeth could see them. “Interested?” I said.
Marybeth’s face was carefully neutral. “Interesting. And how much work do you think that pittance will buy you?” she asked.
I held the coins out to her. “Oh, that’s just to pay for the time you’re spending listening to our pitch. We have quite a bit more than that available, you see. You’re welcome to name your price.” I said as she took the coins out of my hand and stuffed them in a hidden pocket of her shirt.
“Five hundred coins, and I’ll come along and have a look at what needs to be done. Then we can talk an estimate based on that. Deal?” she said. She met my gaze, and didn’t blink at all. Her eyes seemed to glimmer and change color as I looked at her, alternating between deep reds and browns. I glanced over at Sasha, who nodded.
“Tabs, if you’d count out a hundred coins please. The rest to be paid once you’ve written up your estimates Marybeth? Agreed?” I said.
Her eyes narrowed and she looked at me for a moment. Then she held out her hand. “Deal.”
I took her hand, which felt unusually hot. I could feel her strange markings under my fingers, and they didn’t feel so much like scar tissue as they did like thick scales, like one would find on a lizard. “Count on it.” I said. Tabitha handed Marybeth a small pouch, which Marybeth insisted on counting herself.
“Is it Mabby, or Marybeth then?” I asked.
She shrugged and continued counting. “You’re the boss. Pick one.”
“Marybeth it is. Sounds more official. How soon can you leave?” I asked.
She finished her count of the coins, nodded, and tucked it somewhere under her shirt. “For this amount of money, anytime. You in a hurry?” she asked.
“Yes actually. Today, as soon as possible is preferable. Towns, even small ones like this, I find unsavory, as do my companions.” I said with a glance toward Sasha and Tabitha.
Marybeth shrugged. “Hmm. Give me ten minutes to get packed.” she said, then she closed the door and left us standing in front of her house.
I turned to look around and Sasha caught my gaze. Her eyes flicked to a particular alleyway behind us, where a few men had gathered. At first glance they seemed to just be talking and drinking amongst themselves, but they would occasionally look our way, just a little too often for comfort. “We seem to have attracted the wrong sort of attention.” Sasha whispered.
Marybeth emerged from the doorway, dressed for the cold weather, with a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Ready.” she said.
“Good. Let’s get going.” I said. We retrieved our bags and stuff from the Inn, then proceeded back out of town, toward Sasha’s ancestral lands. The men in the alleyway didn’t cause us any trouble, but the impression of them paying us a bit too much attention lingered on my mind. On our way out the north gate of Doubel, we were stopped by some men in the typical red and green uniforms of Baron Hightower, led by Sebastian. He had eight men with him, and together, they formed a loose wall that blocked our pathway through the gate.
“So, rumor has it you’ve come into some coins, Viscountess Trevarthan.” He managed to affect a sneer as he pronounced her name. “I just wanted to let you know that an official representative of the King will be here in about two week’s time to figure out the issues regarding your claim. Baron Hightower is very interested in seeing you before then, if you’re available.” Sebastian said.
Sasha looked to me. I sighed. “We will consider your invitation. Are we being detained or something?” I said, one hand on the carry strap of my rifle.
Sebastian shook his head. “Of course not, you’ve committed no crimes as far as I’m aware. Just a friendly invitation and reminder. That’s all. Move aside boys, we seem to be blocking the road. My apologies for that.” he said dryly. His men all moved to stand to one side of the wall, and normal traffic in and out of the gate resumed. I said nothing further to him, and walked out onto the wide snowy plain, Sasha, Marybeth and Tabitha followed behind me.
Once we were out of sight of the town, Sasha took the lead. She led us off back into the forests and foothills, along an entirely different route than the one we had taken to get to town. “We aren’t going back home right away are we?” I asked.
Sasha shook her head. “No, we need to stop by the castle, so you all can understand what we’re going to have to deal with.” she said.
No matter how much I tried to discreetly pry, she refused to elaborate on that statement.
Chapter 8 - Beneath the Ruins of Castle Trevarthan
Around midday the next day, we arrived at the base of a sheer cliff, with narrow stairs carved into its side. “It’s up at the top. We can take a day to go around, or spend a few hours taking the stairs. Your choice.” Sasha said.
“Uh, well, stairs I suppose. I just won’t look down.” I said.
It proved to be less dangerous than I was expecting. There were ample hand-hold carved into the stone. Whoever made the stairs had spared no expense on attention to such details. At the top was a ledge, perhaps three feet wide, and a tall wall made of stone bricks, grey and weather worn. Marybeth ran her hand over them. “Hmm. Very old. And impressive.” she muttered.
I nodded, and then looked down. Below us was a hazy vapor, which had obscured our view going up, and now blocked any chance of seeing down below, past maybe twenty feet. When I looked back up, Sasha was standing over by a small door, which she unlocked with a key from her pocket. “This way. And remember, this place has been mostly abandoned for generations. My great grandfather was kinda paranoid and crazy, to hear mom tell it. He built this place, and a lot of the castle’s secrets died with him.” She pushed the door open and pulled out a torch from her pack, which she lit and handed to Tabitha. “You’re in charge of the light, stay in the middle of the group.” Sasha said.
We went through the door into a long narrow hallway. Sasha pointed out a couple doors, saying that those rooms were where she normally stayed when she used this entrance. She led us through an elaborate great hall, to a dusty old throne room. The whole interior of the place was made from dark purple stone, and covered in a fine layer of dust. There wasn’t much of value around other than ancient wooden furniture and the long dark red rug in the throne room. On the back wall of the throne room she paused at a wall that
looked no different from any of the others, she felt around until she found what she was looking for, then pressed a brick inward.
There was a grinding of ancient hidden machinery as a section of the wall swung inward. Sasha gestured, “This pathway leads into the caves beneath the castle, and the place where I found the gemstones. Since you’re all going to be living here, I want you to know about it. There are monsters down there however, so it’s not something we’re going to go have a peek at right this minute.” She pressed the particular brick again and the door swung slowly shut.
A few twists and turns later brought us to a kind of lounge. Long low wooden tables, and dusty old cushions littered the floor. “If you and Tabitha want to go ahead and set up lunch here, I’ll show Marybeth around to the less structurally sound parts of the castle, where her skills will be needed. Be back shortly, okay?” Sasha asked.
“Got it.” I said.Tabitha nodded. Marybeth and Sasha left their packs with us. Tabitha and I knocked the dust off the cushions and unpacked some foodstuffs. Sasha and Marybeth lit another torch so that they could see, then left through a different door than the one we came in through. In total, this large square room had four doors, one on each wall. Tabitha set her torch into an empty holder built into the wall, then came back and sat down next to me, as she produced her pad of paper from her backpack.
