by J. E. Keep
He took a moment, pondering the possibilities before answering. “Go to the tavern. There’s a spot there where they’re always lookin’ to hire folk for various things. Always dangerous things. Costly. Never easy.” He shrugged his shoulders. “That’s your best bet, I’d say.”
She nodded, and almost looked happy with the “assignment.” It was something that used her skills, her abilities. The ones that had failed her not long ago, but still. It was better than... She stopped her thoughts, thinking about the rumours and stories about the woman she was going to meet.
“So... Thia is... the Thia?”
He turned and briskly trotted up into the building at a quick pace. “The one and only!” he called out.
Chapter 27 – The Nobles
Caprice’s wait for her father to visit through the secret entrance in the library was agonizing. The time spent with that overbearing Viscount was wearing on her. The lack of freedom, the anxiety and doubts...
She lingered in that old library, staring at the false shelf where she knew the secret entrance lay. Where was he? He should have been there already!
Her own thoughts were rattling about in her head so frantically it took her a while to hear the scratching at the entrance. The pushing and futile movement. “Daddy?” she murmured, getting up and moving to it. She rested her ear to the wood and heard the movements on the other side, of someone trying to push the entrance open in futility.
What was going on? She pulled back and her eyes darted about, and it was then she noticed it. It should have been apparent to her sooner, but she’d been so consumed with her worries! Nails had been driven into the secret passage, sealing it shut tightly. They were driven in so deep she couldn’t conceive how she could get them out without risking detection, and the inevitable attention of the Landsreck guards.
Worry ate at her, but it was then she saw it. Through the very narrow space along the floor a scrap of paper was pushed through. There was barely room for it, and the writing was made with a pencil, the kind carried in a pocket to make quick notes, the handwriting familiar but obviously hurried.
Child,
There is more going on than we realize. The Court is full of rumours that if we do not find a resolution with the Rensfords, the Queen shall pursue a case against us for the death of the Duke.
We’ve grown too powerful too fast. We have made many new enemies.
Destroy this note.
It ended there.
Immediately she began tearing it into pieces, and her heart pounded in her chest. He was supposed to come with solutions. Answers. She crumpled the splintered note in her palm as she walked quickly out of the library. What was she supposed to do? Walled up inside this mansion with a man no better than her late husband?
Still, she would never cry. Not over this. Not over any of it.
Chapter 28 – The Soldiers
The outpost was about the finest of its kind, which is to say it was worn, barely more than makeshift, and poorly planned out. Though it sprawled larger than most, owing to its proximity to the main supply lines for the front. Altogether Major Kelifron estimated it held up to a hundred troops, with the possibility to hold a division if necessary.
No place ever held its maximum capacity of troops though. Not for long, at least.
It was part civilian trade station, part military outpost in practice. The empty bunks were rented out to traders to recover some costs, and the locals and merchants valued the safety that came with operating safely under the watchful presence of the Union troops.
What should have been a wall around the place, however, was little more than a ramshackle series of broken barriers, poorly maintained. For in all the Endless War there had not been a single major breakthrough at the front lines that had jeopardized anything this far in the rear since the nearly mythological early years. A wall would only serve to keep out bandits, but no bandits would be foolhardy enough to directly challenge the state so.
“There’s no excuse for this,” spoke the severe Major to his adjutant as they passed through the entrance, his piercing eyes soaking in the ill-prepared nature of what could’ve been a fort with a bit more due diligence. “We have to be kept at the ready. They may not suffer a Kron attack, but there are other dangers closer to heart.” He cast a brief look to Liena’sa on her horse as the pair rode in front of the other two men, who were busy back mending the cart and staking out the road.
She thought better than to argue as her gaze met his. He was quite attractive when he was upset. She hid her smile well, though, and gave him a stern nod in return. “A little time and effort would go a long way. They have no pride in their work.”
The half elf was nearly as severe as him, with her fair hair tied back tightly and her clear blue gaze. Her jawbone and eyes were sharper than a human’s, and those pointed ears gave her away to any who cared.
“It’s about that and more,” he said to her as they headed in through the miniature village of tin-sheet-roofed homes and buildings, the sound of the little makeshift marketplace in the late-afternoon sun carrying to them. “A state of readiness keeps the men sharp, feeling purposeful. It places a feeling of awe, security, and fear in the people. Instead, they see us looking weak, lazy, and vulnerable. Oh yes, the bandits won’t take advantage of that. They know that though they might take a quick jab at us through such installations and succeed, they’d be tracked down later and made to pay. But what of those who don’t fear reprisals, Lieutenant? What of those who need what we hold here more than they feel they need their lives?”
It was a test question. He did that to her routinely. Put her to the test to grade her insight. Hendrik Kelifron was never satisfied with performance, not truly. There was always better to be achieved. It’s what made him such a great survivor.
He had a point that few ever would think of. Including herself, if she was being honest. Her gaze moved forward, thoughtfully, as she stared over the ears of her horse. Lives were cheap. She knew that as well as any. Even she’d lived longer than most, and she was still a babe according to some.
It was as if she was seeing the world through new eyes, and she tried not to dismiss it. There was no reason for her not to scoff, to laugh him off. There was no group more cohesive than those few that routinely got themselves killed just to make a point.
“It never hurts to maintain an air of strength,” she finally agreed.
As they approached the stables, the Major dismounted without waiting for aid, the spry officer moving and taking the reins before going to her horse and doing the same, entirely ignoring the dirty stable hand. “Why do you think the rebels do things like throw their lives away on fool’s errands like assassinating the Queen, Lieutenant?” Was it another test question? No, he answered for her. “Because they fear the power of the state. They feel in their hearts anything more would be foolish and doomed. They peck at the body of power because that is all they can envision.”
He could make such thoughtful gestures, letting Liena’sa off her horse before guiding the two to the army-reserved slots near the end. “What happens when we stop maintaining that air of strength you just spoke of then?”
“They peck harder,” she responded, staying near to him. Even for someone of her station, she was cautious around outsiders. He was, in many ways, her protection. Her security.
“Though I think the fact that the assassin failed bodes well. It will be even better once you find her.”
The look he gave her as he straightened his uniform was of disapproval. She’d failed that test question, she realized immediately. “They dream bigger, Lieutenant.” He led her on, giving the half-asleep stable hand a kick in the shin. “Tend to the horses there. And give it your best.” The harshness of his tone brooked nothing less than that.
“Y-yes, sir!” he said, scurrying off, leaving the pair to continue their journey.
“They dream bigger. And as for the assassin? Her capture won’t solve anything, or help anyone... but us,” he remarked sternly, st
riding towards the central station as if he were going to tear it down with his bare hands once he got there. “But in this case, that’s enough.”
“Yes, sir.” Her brows furrowed in the centre as she easily kept his pace. She was used to it by now. “But if those like her understand they’ll fail and get caught, wouldn’t that keep them in line? For all but the suicidal, I mean.”
“Or,” he responded, “it makes them realize that a better hope rests in acting together for once. Trust me, Lieutenant. I know how they think.”
Chapter 29 – The Rebels
There were a lot of people waiting, though not what Rosa would’ve expected.
The building seemed to serve as the command hub of the city.
And brothel.
It was teeming with scantily clad men and women, hanging on and taking clients to the various rooms of the place. It was jarring to see herself brought to so seedy an environment.
Marin didn’t slow down though. He kept going, and after pushing through a thick, red velvet curtain, he opened his arms. “Been too long,” he said as he approached the elven woman that stole all the focus of the room.
It wasn’t hard to understand why. Even though there was flesh everywhere, what she wore was both scandalous and modest considering the surroundings. The gown reached the floor and was a smooth, almost shimmery material that Rosa had seen back in the City. It hugged her body and dipped terrifyingly low between her breasts.
As Thia turned to hug Marin, Rosa saw that it was even lower in back, revealing the line of her ass to the room. Rosa felt dirty just looking and dropped her eyes to the floor.
“It’s good to see you in one piece again.” Her words were genuine as she pushed back some of the blonde hair from the elven man’s face. “I barely see you anymore.”
After ending their warm embrace, Marin smiled to the lovely woman. “I know,” he said softly, with more familiarity and fondness than she’d ever heard from the man. “Doesn’t mean I don’t think of you though,” he remarked with a kiss on her cheek that touched the corner of her lips.
It was fleeting, but he gestured to Rosa. “And no doubt you’ve heard about my companion by now,” he said.
“Of course,” she said as she turned, her green eyes sparkling as they trailed up and down Rosa’s figure. “Quite beautiful.” Thia stepped forward, pushing the knotty ponytail off of Rosa’s shoulder. “You must be exhausted. I’d say with a little rest you’d be as perky as anything.”
The noblewoman didn’t back away, didn’t dare insult the elven woman as she stared up at her. She didn’t know how it was possible for one person to be so attractive. With her deep-brown hair and those wide, exotic eyes, she was beginning to understand where the rumours came from.
And that didn’t even touch on the fact that her body was to die for.
Marin stepped in, a hand casually upon Thia’s hip and waist as he whispered to her so Rosa couldn’t hear. “She’s not interested in working here,” he said, knowing the disappointment that was likely to cause in the business-minded woman.
Thia’s hand withdrew and she looked to Marin as if she hadn’t heard right, a brow arching. “We’ll discuss later,” she said breezily as her gaze returned to Rosa. “Why don’t we see about finding you a place to spend the night, get you a proper bath and we’ll have a chitchat in the morning, alright, doll?”
Rosa nodded dumbly as her blue eyes went between the two curiously.
Marin gave a warm—almost dreamy—smile to the legendary woman. “Thanks,” he said simply, though the word seemed to carry a great deal of weight. He turned towards Rosa and touched a hand upon her shoulder. “Hope you appreciate that,” he said, though there was no way Rosa could appreciate the significance of it all.
Suddenly Rosa felt incredibly self-conscious, and she shifted in her leather boots.
“Thanks,” Rosa said in return, taking in a deep breath. “You have no idea how much I could use a bath right now.” Thia laughed, placing her hand firmly on the other woman’s shoulder, and even though they were almost the same height, Rosa seemed so much smaller.
“I’m off to visit Terrel. I’ve not seen him in ages,” Marin said, waving good-bye to Thia and blowing her a kiss. “We’ll talk later.”
“Ta-ta.” Thia blew a kiss back, her thick hair looking perfect even as she moved. Every little motion seemed so practiced to make herself look as amazing as possible.
“Terry,” called the elven mistress to one of the gentlemen who served the clientele outside the velveteen den, “take our guest to get cleaned up.”
The young man bowed and did just that, escorting Rosa out of the room.
Her new guest was barely gone when Thia recognized the heavy footsteps reverberating through the marble floor. From behind her another set of velvet drapes pulled aside, and the towering hulk that emerged, appearing terrifyingly out of place in the refined hall.
“So that’s the little noble your boy hedged his bets on and lost, hrmmmh?” came the growling voice of the massive, brutish man, his body coated in fur, his face wolfen. A half man, half beast. One of the lycanthropic breed of humans, dressed in but a leather harness and kilt as he loomed behind Thia.
“Mhm, and it seems she’s too good to be useful to me, as well.” Thia’s red lips quirked. “We’ll see how we can persuade her. She has a beautiful figure.”
A deep rumble emanated from low within the monstrous brute’s chest, and he reached out, placing a large hand upon Thia’s hip, the sharp, dagger like claws threatening her waist with their pointed tips as he leaned down, nostrils flared at the elven woman’s scent. “If she’s not interested in working for you, my pet”—he licked along his fanged maw—“perhaps I have an even better idea for her.”
Thia’s eyes fluttered closed at his touch and her entire body went soft against him. “Oh, do tell, my love.”
The black fur of the towering behemoth bristled, and his grasp about her waist tightened as he parted his mouth and nipped at the elven woman’s neck. “It can wait,” he said in his bestial voice, his other clawed hand coming around and resting on her thigh as he tugged that beautiful dress up her leg. “But I can’t any longer.”
She smiled and nodded, her smooth skin and fine dress at his mercy as she pressed into him. “Then we’ll have to see to urgent matters first,” she agreed, and her palms moved to the back of his hands. He was so strong behind her, and she knew there was no saying no. Not that she ever wanted to.
His knees bent, and it brought the misshapen man closer to her height as he leaned over her back, pushing her towards the nearby countertop. The sounds of sex permeated the place, even back to the elven mistress’s lavish office, though the heated breathing of that wolf-man as he bent her and pulled her dress up over her ass, exposing the swell of flesh, was strangely out of place. Though with the way his throbbing male need pressed through his kilt and against her, there was no mistaking it for anything but the heavy breathing of desire.
She had no shame as she pushed back against him, her voluptuous body displayed for him as she spread her legs. Her arms braced her weight against the counter, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough. Not to take the brute of a man behind her.
Her bare slit already glistened with need as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes, wriggling back and forth against his hidden cock.
It didn’t remain that way long however, for a simple flick of his thumb loosed the leather kilt about his hips, and it fell away promptly. Revealed beneath, the heavy, enormous length of throbbing, veiny cock pushed up between her legs. It didn’t spring with the intensity of a smaller organ, for with its heft, the weight of that blood-engorged member gave it a slow rise as its heated flesh touched her wet slit.
A low growl rumbled in her ear as he ground himself against her sex and angled his own hips, eager to have the elven woman that was every bit as beautiful as he was monstrous.
She was known far and wide for her skills and abilities. She’d sold herself to men that were h
andsome, charming, rich. Men that promised they’d take care of her, that gave her intense orgasms and devoted touches.
Yet the hunger she felt for any other man couldn’t compare to her need for the beast. For his huge cock and dangerous claws. No human, no elf could promise to do to her what he did, and her smooth slit was soaking wet with her lust.
To say he speared her honeyed cunt would’ve been false. He practically bludgeoned it with that broad, flared crown of his, battering her labia as he forced that gargantuan girth into her narrow, elven cunt.
With each battering buck of his hips, he let loose a snarl or a growl, his claws digging into her pristine flesh as he forced his throbbing, veiny shaft into her with an urgent need that was nearly heedless of his monstrous strength and ferocity.
She screamed and her sounds mingled with the other moans of her brothel. He was exquisite.
No man could cause her pain like he could, not just by fucking her. She felt like she was being torn apart, and her legs spread wider to try to accommodate him. It was fruitless, however. The only thing that would help him impale her fully was brute strength, which he had no lack of.
“Yes!” she cried, but it was filled with anguish. “Fuck!”
As he forcibly crammed more of that inhuman cock into her womanhood, she could feel the twinge of pain as each throb of desire in him flowed through its length. He bucked harder, plowing deeper into her by sheer force, grunting as his broad, muscled chest puffed out, his shoulders back as he rutted into her.
His heavy balls swayed as he managed to force her narrow canal wide enough to thrust.
“Oh fuck. Oh fuck.” The prim elf was, by all appearances, a business woman. Stern. Powerful. Being pounded by the beast behind her, though, stripped it all away. It left her in ruins, exposed for what she truly was. Her cunny was flooded with arousal, puffy and swollen for his attempts to impale her, and even the thick honey that welcomed him wasn’t enough to make it much easier.
