Loyalty Oath

by Edmund Hughes

  “This is a little intense!” shouted Jack, struggling to speak over the sound of the wind.

  “What?” shouted Mira.

  “This is a little intense!” he repeated.

  “What?” shouted Mira.

  He gave up. It was an intense means of traveling, and a little uncomfortable, given how cramped together they were. He was sandwiched in between Mira and Katie, with the former’s butt pressed tightly against his crotch, and the latter’s breasts smushed into his shoulders. If the circumstances had been a little different, he might have found a way to enjoy himself.

  CHAPTER 29

  The hours passed by in a slow, uneventful fashion. Jack fell in and out of sleep, and he was in the process of emerging from a nap when the rushing air began to subside. He sat up, wincing as his muscles groaned from the odd angle he’d been lying at.

  An island that Jack assumed to be their destination lay ahead of them, no more than a mile or two in the distance. Raptoran Island was deserving of its name, if for no other reason than its untouched, prehistoric appearance.

  “Is that it?” asked Katie.

  “I think so,” said Jack. “Though it’s not like I have a photo of the place to use for comparison.”

  It was a small island, with a long, pristine-looking beach and a massive mound made of black, volcanic rock at its heart. It looked more like a small mountain that had detached from a continent and floated off on its own rather than a place that would be easily inhabitable by people. There wasn’t much flat ground outside of the beach or much growing on the small patches of dirt and soil that were there.

  “I don’t see any sign of a rogue wizard,” said Mira.

  “Well, that’s probably the point of him picking a remote location like this in the first place,” said Jack. “To stay off people’s radar.”

  The sun was setting over the horizon as Ryoko climbed back into the boat. She was dripping wet and breathing heavily from the exertion of using her powers to move the ship, but she was also smiling, like someone who’d just had a satisfying workout.

  “This is the location you indicated, sir,” she said. “Raptoran Island.”

  Jack nodded slowly. “I don’t like the idea of disembarking this late in the day, but I’m not sure we really have a choice about it.”

  “Right,” said Katie. “It’s not like we can spend the night sleeping in the speedboat.”

  Jack glanced around at the women, and a devilish part of his mind considered it. They’d all be piled atop one another if they tried to sleep in the boat. Their soft, warm bodies pressing against him. They’d probably be too hot to wear their clothes, on top of that.

  “Jack?” said Katie. “Why are you staring at us like that?”

  “No reason,” he said. “Come on. I can probably get the boat a little closer so we don’t have to swim.”

  It worked well enough. Jack anchored the speedboat as far into the shallows as he could get without bottoming out, and it wasn’t much trouble for the girls to carry the relatively small amount of baggage overhead and onto the shore.

  He felt a little odd about just leaving the boat anchored out in the open, even though there was obviously nobody around to notice it there. It was that same line of reasoning that made him anxious.

  They were so far out from anything remotely resembling civilization. The boat was their only connection back to the rest of the world, and trusting that it would stay where it was until their return trip felt a little like being an astronaut stepping out onto the surface of a new planet.

  The bulk of their supplies consisted of basic camping equipment. Jack saw to setting up the tent on the beach, making sure it was clear of the tide. The tent would be large enough to fit them all inside, though they would still be packed in pretty tight. He felt his thoughts meandering back in the direction of his earlier fantasy and had to focus on what he was doing to keep from pitching a second tent.

  “Do you think it’s safe for us to build a fire?” asked Katie.

  Jack shrugged. “Probably. I mean, we’re here to find Xepher, who was supposedly one of my grandfather’s friends. The fire makes us more visible, but that might just mean that he comes to us.”

  Katie nodded and set about hauling chunks of driftwood. She set them down into a neat pile and then used a touch of pyromancy to coax the fuel into flames. It was a little unnecessary, given that Ryoko had packed sandwiches and chips for dinner, but still comforting to have.

  They took seats in the sand around the fire, and Ryoko passed them each their food. Jack ate slowly, scanning the beach and surrounding area for threats.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a question about the Order, Katherine?” asked Mira.

  Katie’s expression was a little dubious, but she lifted a hand palm up, signaling Mira to go ahead.

  “Where is the Order of Chaldea’s central base of operations?” asked Mira.

  “Straight to the point, I see,” said Katie. “The Order does have a central base of operations, but I don’t feel like it’s information I should be discussing. Even now that I’ve burned my bridges with them.”

  “It’s information that’s important,” said Mira. “It might very well be prudent for Jack to know, if not myself.”

  Katie shook her head. “If it’s ever something that needs to be shared, I’ll explain. The Order’s base is… strange. Especially in comparison to how bureaucratic and mundane the work of most field agents is.”

  “Oh come on,” said Jack. “You can’t tease us by saying that and not giving any more detail.”

  Katie flashed a small, mischievous smile.

  “I’ll give you one more tidbit,” she said. “The Order’s base is basically what a building would look like if humanity had figured out how to responsibly and routinely use magic in the same way they use electricity. That’s all I can tell you.”

  “It’s going to be a little inconvenient for us to not know more if the Order attacks us and either captures you or renders you incapable of explaining more,” said Mira.

  “It’s alright,” said Jack. “I’ve managed to deal with the Order so far. And it’s not like I’ve done anything to outright provoke war with him.”

  All three of the girls reacted to his last statement. Mira let out a mocking laugh. Katie sighed and massaged her temples. Ryoko frowned and set a hand on Jack’s leg.

  “What?” he said.

  “You are woefully oblivious at times, my sweet Jack,” said Mira. “You escaped from the custody of the Order, and then you engaged in a supernatural standoff with them in which one of their own members defected into your company.”

  “You’re… phrasing to make it sound worse than it really was,” said Jack. “I’m sure I’ll be able to work things out with Margaret eventually.”

  The only reply came in the form of the crackling of the fire. He let it drop and turned the core of his attention toward eating his sandwich.

  Katie stood up as dinner neared its end, stretching and pulling loose the hair tie that had been holding her ponytail.

  “Okay, let’s get this over with,” she said. “I drank the potion about twenty minutes ago.”

  It took Jack a second or two to realize what she was talking about.

  “You’re sure you’re okay with this?” he asked.

  “If I wasn’t, it would be a bad time to realize it,” said Katie. “I’m the only actual human on this island, aside from the warlock we came to find. I don’t think any of us have much choice here.”

  “Mira and I won’t take much,” said Jack. “Just enough to keep our reserves topped off.”

  “And I promise I’ll be gentle,” said Mira, in a teasing voice.

  Jack shot her a look. Katie walked over to where a thick tree trunk had washed up on the beach and sat down on it. She looked a little nervous, which Jack could understand. It had taken her enough time to get used to even just him feeding off her, and now she’d be offering herself to him and someone else in quick succession.


  “You can go first, Mira,” said Katie, in a somewhat anxious voice. “Just to get it over with.”

  Mira looked a little hurt by Katie’s words and tone.

  “Katherine, I assure you that this won’t be as bad as what you’re imagining,” said Mira. “It will feel different than it does with Jack, but I assure you, no less pleasant.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” muttered Katie. “I swear to fucking god, if you try anything weird, I’ll destroy you with my magic.”

  “I would never dream of it,” said Mira. “If for no other reason than because I still consider you to be Jack’s thrall, in practice if not in truth.”

  Katie’s expression turned into a full-on scowl, and she clenched her hands into fists. Jack set a hand on her shoulder and shot a look of warning in Mira’s direction.

  “I think Katie has a point,” said Jack. “It’s probably better if we just get this over with, before someone says or does anything else.”

  He stepped back from Katie, who was still seated on the log. Mira walked over slowly and sat down next to her, close enough to place their bodies in direct contact.

  Katie turned her head away from Mira and pulled her hair back. Mira slid in a little closer, her mouth drawing near to Katie’s neck. Out of context, it almost looked like an intimate moment between two young women, one of them being led into feminine experimentation with the other.

  Mira let her lips close the last few inches and sank her teeth into Katie’s neck. Katie’s body instantly tensed up, and Jack got a chance to see what her face looked like while she was being fed off of for the first time.

  It looked a lot like it did when she was on the cusp of an orgasm, during sex. Mira, true to her word, didn’t try to escalate the situation. She had one hand on Katie’s shoulder, and the other against the small of her back. She took a small sip and gently pulled back, bowing her head in deference.

  “Thank you, Katherine,” said Mira. “I appreciate this more than I think you know. I am in your debt.”

  Katie gave a tiny nod, but refused to make eye contact with her. Even in the dark, Jack could see how red her face was. She ran a hand along her neck, shooting Mira a lingering gaze as she stood up from the log and walked back over to the campfire.

  “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” said Jack.

  “It was… different,” said Katie.

  “How so?” asked Jack.

  Katie opened her mouth but hesitated before speaking. She scowled and shook her head.

  “Just different,” she said. “Now, come on. It’s your turn.”

  Jack smiled. He put his arm around Katie as he sat down, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She smelled awesome, like lemon trees in full bloom.

  “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” he said.

  “Yeah,” said Katie. “I guess we have. I used to worry so much about what Peter would think of me doing this. Of how letting you feed off me might have tainted me in his eyes, had he still been alive.”

  Jack shook his head. “I honestly don’t think it would have.”

  He knew that it wouldn’t have, after speaking with Peter’s ghost, but there was no way for him to explain that to Katie without revealing the magic in the staff.

  “I think I’ve finally found a way forward,” said Katie. “Helping you is part of it.”

  “Only part of it?” asked Jack.

  “The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know,” she said in a snarky voice.

  Jack cupped her cheek and kissed her. She kissed him back with enthusiasm and ran a hand along the inner edge of his thigh. Jack let his fingers slide along her back, over to her side, and then across one of her breasts through the fabric of her shirt.

  “Mira and Ryoko haven’t turned in for the night, yet,” he whispered. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind us using the tent for a few minutes.”

  “I’m equally sure that they would,” said Katie. “Tent sex has a lingering smell, Jack.”

  “We could go for a walk down the beach, then,” he said.

  “And split our group up?” asked Katie. “The two of us indulging in our urges isn’t worth leaving Ryoko and Mira in potential danger.”

  “We could, uh…” Jack scowled. They were barely fifty feet away from the campfire and tent, within full view of Ryoko and Mira.

  “Just get on with it and bite me,” said Katie. “You can dunk yourself in the ocean afterward if you can’t cool your jets on your own.”

  “Fine,” he said. “It’s hard for a guy to just ‘cool his jets,’ or whatever.”

  “And you think it’s any easier for a girl?”

  They kissed again. Jack almost shifted her off the log and down to the sand before getting a hold of himself. He still had one hand on her breast, which felt like it was taunting him with its awesome softness.

  “Just do it already,” said Katie.

  Jack let his lips graze the sensitive skin of the nape of her neck, eliciting a sharp, shaky breath from Katie. He planted a soft kiss over his chosen spot, and then sank his fangs in.

  It had been a while since he’d last fed, and he’d forgotten how much of an instant rush it was. Katie’s taste was the perfect mixture of sweet and sour, and Jack felt himself sinking into the euphoria as it hit him in a sudden wave.

  Her reaction was far more pronounced than it had been with Mira. Katie had a hand on Jack’s thigh, and she squeezed her fingers in deep. She let out tiny, high-pitched, pleasured whimpers that seemed more exaggerated than usual. He wondered if maybe it was due to the overlap of being fed on twice in such quick succession.

  He had to draw from the depths of his willpower to do it, but Jack managed to make himself take only a single small sip. Followed by one more quick one that he sneaked in just as he pulled back. Katie was shivering, and Jack put an arm around her and let his hand hold hers.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “…Tired,” she said. “Just tired.”

  Jack frowned. The toll of serving as a blood battery was self-evident on Katie’s face. He and Mira would have to be extremely careful about using their blood magic moving forward. Mira had assured him time and time again that feeding was generally safe when kept within certain limits, but he wasn’t interested in taking advantage of Katie’s goodwill.

  “Do you want me to carry you to the tent?” he asked.

  “I’m not a fucking child,” said Katie. “I can walk.”

  She stood up on wobbly legs and almost immediately fell back into a seated position on the log. Jack pulled her into his arms and lifted her with ease. He carried her across the sand and gently placed her inside the tent, on top of one of the sleeping bags that Ryoko had unrolled for them.

  “Sleep tight,” whispered Jack.

  Katie mumbled something unintelligible and let out a yawn as she rolled over onto her side.

  CHAPTER 30

  Jack, Ryoko, and Mira retired to bed soon after. The tent was a tight space for all four of them to be sleeping in together. Jack lay in between Ryoko and Mira, and he had to make an effort to keep his earlier excitement from feeding off Katie from convincing him to do something stupid.

  The girls were cuddled up against him, which made it even harder to get to sleep. Mira had stripped down to her underwear, and her breasts were in direct contact with Jack’s shoulder. Ryoko was wearing a nightgown, but she was hugging Jack from the side as though he was a teddy bear.

  He didn’t even have enough room or privacy to take care of himself, so to speak. It was an agonizing sort of torture, but the girls were already asleep, and waking one of them up for sex in the tiny tent wasn’t really an option.

  Eventually, Jack managed to drift off. It didn’t feel like he’d been asleep for very long, however, when the ground began shaking underneath him.

  He sat up in the tent, frowning as he tried to place the sensation. It wasn’t an earthquake; he knew that much immediately. The shaking had a slow rhythm to it, as though he was standing on the su
rface of a bass drum that was being struck every few seconds.

  “What is that?” whispered Ryoko.

  “I don’t know,” said Jack.

  “We’re on Raptoran Island,” said Katie. “Do you think it could be—”

  “That’s a T-Rex you’re thinking of,” said Jack. “A raptor wouldn’t shake the ground like this.”

  He winced, realizing that his suggestion was even worse.

  “We must face whatever it is,” said Mira. “It should be no trouble with the combined strength of all of us.”

  “Right,” said Jack.

  He didn’t bother putting his clothes on before leaving the tent, and neither did any of the girls. He smiled as he glanced them over. Mira was in her bra and panties. Ryoko had on a tiny nightgown that barely went down past her butt. Katie had a t-shirt on, but no pants.

  They certainly weren’t going to intimidate a potential threat away from them.

  “There!” said Katie, jabbing a finger ahead of them.

  Something emerged from around the edge of the stone mountain at the center of the island. It was a huge, hulking form, easily twenty feet tall and clearly heavy enough to shake the ground with its weight. It looked humanoid, almost, with a head and four limbs, but it was thicker around in all areas, proportionally. It was also made of smooth, grey stone, lacking any significant features other than the patterning of the rock.

  “A stone golem,” said Mira. “It’s a magical construct. Be careful, it could be stronger than it looks.”

  “It looks pretty fucking strong,” said Katie.

  Jack took the lead, stepping forward and summoning his Spectral Sword. The weapon made him feel a little less naked, and he spun it in a small flourish as he considered how they should approach.

  “Let’s see if we can hit it with ranged attacks, first,” he said. “Ryoko? Can you do that water blast thing?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Ryoko stepped forward, and water began rushing from her palms as though she’d turned a large faucet on full blast. She gathered the liquid around her legs, letting it pool into the shape of a bubble for a few moments, and then directed it at the monster.