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"description": "Here we follow the adventures of Berria, the world's only Kathallic unicorn, often nostalgic as she was introduced to her faith by Ferrl and ends up visiting many of the same places he told her stories about. In fact, a visit from him is what sets off the whole trip. The story, though, is just a [i]bit[/i] more than a 'greatest hits tour,' though the occasional check-in to find out how old characters are doing is certainly a fun part of it. Roughly eighty-nine thousand words. IB's in-browser view seems to cut off at two hundred of what it calls pages (it's less than ninety, printed), so please download the .DOC file and read it offline or you'll be cut off.",
"description_bbcode_parsed": "Here we follow the adventures of Berria, the world's only Kathallic unicorn, often nostalgic as she was introduced to her faith by Ferrl and ends up visiting many of the same places he told her stories about. In fact, a visit from him is what sets off the whole trip. The story, though, is just a bit more than a 'greatest hits tour,' though the occasional check-in to find out how old characters are doing is certainly a fun part of it. Roughly eighty-nine thousand words. IB's in-browser view seems to cut off at two hundred of what it calls pages (it's less than ninety, printed), so please download the .DOC file and read it offline or you'll be cut off.",
"writing": "Fantasie Eviscerotique\n\nEpisode 6\n\nby Adrian VanWormer (Kathalla at FA and IB)\n\nPrologue\n\n\t*Awaken, Priestess.*\n\n\tBerria’s eyes opened instantly, wondering if that had been a dreamed memory or her Goddess’ actual voice. Her underground bedroom was lit only by the long night-candle, and the only sounds were the breathing of the slaves sharing her bed. Business at the temple had been slow of late, so her last two purchases had been a man and woman who’d been disciplined by their former owners for being just a bit more aggressively affectionate than was strictly proper. This, of course, kept them from being bored in the long periods between visiting worshipers, simply sharing those affections with each other, but the priestess had been getting a bit lonely, too, and last night hadn’t been the first time she’d ordered the pair to join her in bed and share her instead.\n\n\t*You weren’t dreaming,* Kathalla’s voice continued. *You will have a visitor today, and I wished to remind you of one thing before they arrive. This may seem incredibly simple, even obvious, but I cannot tell you why it’s more important than it first seems... Any deity hears, whenever Their name is spoken. Every time. Normally, They’re simply coming up in conversation, so They ignore it.*\n\n\tThe unicorn blinked in the near-darkness, murmuring, “That’s... as obvious as You suggested, my Goddess. Can you tell me anything else?”\n\n\t*Nothing more on that subject, no. I’ve given you the only hint I can, with what I’ve already said. I can, though, clarify that your visitor will be arriving in Silkmane in time for lunch, and will enjoy such at the inn before seeking you out. Schedule your day appropriately.*\n\n\tBerria nodded to herself, grimacing faintly into the darkness, as the sensation of contact faded. Deities said exactly what they meant to, no more and no less, so it would be pointless, not to mention impious, to make any sort of demand for clarification of the perplexing non-information. Instead, since she clearly had time before needing to get the temple ready, and even that job could skip the usual kitchen prep as a worshiper who ate first wouldn’t be cooking any slaves, she relaxed back into the featherbed’s support, working her hands between herself and the warm forms on either side, gripping the half-erect vulpine shaft on one side and brushing fingertips against the faintly-moist labia between the squirrel’s thighs on the other, her touches gradually firming into a pair of intimate caresses, and a smile touched her muzzle with the entertaining mental bet of just which lover, both clearly enjoying arousing dreams, would wake first.\n\n* * *\n\n\tSir Ferrl, Earl Gatuque and the Drachathian ambassador to Unicorn Vale, winced at a momentary pang as his horse looked up and whickered a greeting as he passed the stable. The stallion’s mannerisms, loyal and affectionate, reminded him all too much of the horse’s great-grandsire, Cherrah. The first horse he’d ever owned, and the only true warhorse among them, had died peacefully in his sleep of old age, more years ago than the aging wolf really cared to think about. Shaking off the weight of memories, he led his leashed companion around the giant toes of the statue of Roxanarra, ignoring several townsfolk who were outright staring at her nudity as he headed for the discreet rear door of the other temple beneath that magnificent structure.\n\n\tTo his mild surprise, the chapel at the bottom of the stairs was already well-lit, a clean black swath of satin draped over the pulpit, and the priestess was stepping out of the curtained hallway even as he looked around, having already been on her way. “Um... am I interrupting someone else’s worship?” he asked.\n\n\tBerria shook her head with a smile, “No, I had advance warning and got things ready for you and...” The filly blinked at the naked unicorn so much older than herself, “Is that Ria?!?”\n\n\tFerrl nodded, “I’d forgotten that you’d already met her... Yes, she is, and she just turned forty. As she’s starting to feel her age, and is already quite a bit older than the average most slaves survive to, she asked... no, begged me to let her offer one final service before her regular duties start to suffer. She is here... to be sacrificed. After her years of loyalty, to the point of being a form of love, to myself and my family, I...” He looked down, “I can’t trust myself to do it right, as my sacrifices have always been rather casual. As a priestess, do you think you could manage it, despite her species?”\n\n\tBerria hid a shiver that combined dread and anticipation. This mare was as unique as she was, she the world’s only Kathallic unicorn, and this the first and last unicorn slave in over a thousand years. In one sense, it would be... fitting for her to be the one to wield the sacrificial blade, but she couldn’t help but fear the reactions of the rest of her race if word ever got out that she’d killed one of their own. They already looked askance at her in town for following the ‘wrong’ Goddess, unable to understand the dark and forbidden desires that had led her to ‘forsake’ Malia, at least in their eyes, at such a young age. Consciously gathering her faith in, and love for, Kathalla to strengthen her will, she stepped over and addressed the mare directly, “Ria... do your Master’s words truly match your inner heart’s desire?”\n\n\tThe slave nodded instantly, her gaze respectfully low, “Yes, ma’am. Every morning, I’m feeling my age more and more. I wish to give my Master my ultimate service while I still can. Younger, fitter slaves can take my place in seeing to his comfort in his own... maturity.”\n\n\tWolf and priestess shared a raised-brow glance and a pair of snorts; Ria had been very tactful in pointing out that he was no spring chicken himself. He still stood the better part of seven feet tall, but the enormous muscle of his youth had faded quite a bit, and it had been difficult to pull himself away from his desk job for enough exercise to keep it from turning into fat. He was still a fine specimen of wolfhood, despite the dusting of silver on his muzzle, but his best years were far behind him, and it showed.\n\n\tFinally returning that nod, Berria mused, “By implication from his own admission, I don’t think your Master wishes to see you suffer greatly, as a full, ritual sacrifice would entail. The depth of your obvious devotion suggests that you would cooperate with outright torture, but I can think of at least two Goddesses who might object that such is unnecessary.” Stepping to the side, she gestured to the granite slab between the pulpit and the carved obsidian face on the wall, “Let’s keep this simple, and as pleasurable as possible. Lay down on the altar, spread your legs, and please your Master one last time in the usual way. It will be the last; just as you enjoy the satisfaction of having served well, your life will end.”\n\n\tRia glanced to her owner, who nodded as he reached over to unfasten the collar from her neck, somewhat stiff with age as it hadn’t been removed since her own mid-teens, then reached for the belt of his own breeches. The moment she was freed from restraint, the unicorn padded directly over to the altar, sat down on its edge, and lay back.\n\n\tThe priestess, Ferrl knew, had been guessing at things she could not know in that speech. Making love to the middle-aged unicorn was not, actually, ‘usual’ at all. She’d been one of his sons’ first lovers, of course, just one more piece of their educations as nobles who couldn’t risk going to the altar of their own weddings inexperienced, but she’d only served her Master in that way when his wife was in season and they didn’t wish to have one or more additional children at that time. There’d never been any foreplay, the order itself sufficient to cause Ria’s body to make itself ready, evidenced in the here and now by the puffy slickness of the folds her spread legs bared. Since this was, though, to be the last time, he decided to surprise her just a bit, and knelt down at the side of the altar then leaned close, nuzzling his way up one fit, white thigh.\n\n\tThe mare’s eyes fluttered open at the unexpected touch, distracting her from how cold and just wrong her neck felt without its collar, and she couldn’t restrain the nicker of surprise when her Master’s tongue parted her folds, licking deep with an extra little flick at the ridge along her upper passage. She’d occasionally done exactly this for his daughters or even wife, but had demurred any offer they made to ‘return the favor’ as it wasn’t her place as a slave to be given such. Merely serving was a true pleasure; she could be aroused by simply dishing up a meal or mopping a floor, and having her tongue made use of was usually good enough for at least one sympathetic peak for each her efforts elicited from a Mistress or ma’am. Some part of her resisted the pleasure building in her loins as the wolf lapped steadily, but it was overridden by the thought that this was her Master’s way of saying thanks for her decades of service, and that it was his to give no matter her ‘place’ or the proprieties thereof. It was her pure and simple duty to accept, and enjoy, that expression of gratitude however he wanted to give it.\n\n\tNo one, Ferrl knew, except Ria herself, could truly understand how her mind worked, but as her owner he had a better idea than most. Under intensive training, unicorns as a species had the quirk of establishing ‘locked’ mindsets that could define some or all of their world in a way that they couldn’t even think something contrary to what they’d been taught. With benevolent teachers, this could and often did result in fantastic skill at art or craftsmanship, making unicorn-made goods some of the most sought-after in the world. Ria, however, had been kidnapped in her mid-teens, locked in a cell, and ‘taught’ by heartless criminals, their words frequently punctuated by blows of a whip, that she was a thing, not a person; that she did what she was told, never what she felt, as property didn’t think for itself. Those trainers had eventually been caught and stopped, sentenced for life to hard labor, but the damage had been done, resulting in the most perfectly-behaved slave in the world, never hesitating, never complaining, and never misbehaving, because she literally could not even think along those lines. Like all unicorns, she’d been born and raised Maliite, but her very soul had been affected by the slavers’ constant insistence that the ‘Holy One’ of her youth had abandoned her. Face to face with her Goddess’ very mortal incarnation, she’d told that face that it didn’t exist, because she couldn’t believe otherwise.\n\n\tThus, he had a good idea of just why those hips rose, thrusting the mound between them against his muzzle; why those dusky pink lips were inflamed and her slick juices dripped down the cleft of her rump to fall from the quivering bulge of her anus. No other woman, slave or free, had ever reacted so intensely to his tongue, the fact that her Master wanted her to have pleasure making her experience just that, and it was far more than just mental. In the first two minutes of licking, her passage clenched in climax three times in quick succession, and as the third peak passed he straightened up, still kneeling, to push his thick shaft deep into her rather than risk her going dry too soon. A fourth peak hit almost instantly as she half-screamed, “Yes! Yes, Master!”\n\n\tHe didn’t hold back in the slightest, each thrust pushing in until her labia were stretched almost painfully by his still-growing knot, then pulling back to tug at her outer depths with the slight flare of his head before diving in anew. Her body was meant to accommodate stallions just as long as he was, and her mentally conditioned acceptance translated to a physical relaxation of her sex, as even a slight, perfectly natural tension there would resist the bulge at the base of his shaft, and resisting anything her Master wished was anathema. Every three or four thrusts another peak rolled its way through her body, the nigh-constant, spasming massage of her passage fueling well his own pleasure, and even as his eyes sank closed he saw the observant priestess nodding to herself and stepping closer.\n\n\tBerria drew the short, curved dagger almost all Kathallic clergy carried as she moved to stand behind the altar next to the mare’s head. The other unicorn was looking up at her, at least a scrap of awareness in those dark brown eyes despite the flood of pure sensation pervading the bulk of her consciousness. The middle-aged knight’s breath was coming with a hint of raspiness now, and his climax couldn’t be far behind, so the younger mare knelt down and reached out, setting the edge of her dagger against her senior’s throat where she could feel her racing pulse right through the blade.\n\n\tRia’s pleasured moans broke off with a ragged, “Goodbye, Master! Thank you, Master!” just before his head rolled back to howl and his hips rammed forward, knot locking into place as the first gush of seed struck her cervix. Her body seemed to be one solid, continuous orgasm as she exulted in her Master’s pleasure, and it only grew more impossibly intense as the priestess dug her blade in and pulled it smoothly across her throat. She could feel the pressure of the cut, the sudden warmth splashing over her throat and breasts as her blood sprayed, but there was no pain, there couldn’t be any pain while she served, only satisfaction that she had this gift to give her beloved owner and that he’d accepted it.\n\n\tThe message she’d been woken up with had been running in circles in Berria’s mind all morning, and even as she made that fatal cut, its meaning finally crystallized in her mind. When she’d ‘come out’ as a Kathallic, seven years previously, Sir Ferrl had helped her own education, and even loaned her some of his earlier memoirs of his adventures in a nation more tolerant of their religion, including the full story leading up to the opening of the Vale. Thus, she was one of the very few people in the world who knew what had been forgotten, Ria’s born name from before she was enslaved. Bowing her head over the dying mare, she waited until those pulsing spurts of crimson visibly started to slow, the large puddle of blood streaming off of the edges of the altar, then murmured a prayer of dedication like none other she’d ever spoken, “Malia... sacrifice is not your norm, but to You I dedicate this, returning to You the soul of Your child, Xavaria, lost for so long.”\n\n\tA voice like thunder shook her soul, *Who dares?!? Wait...* and it suddenly quieted to a harmoniously feminine whisper, *did you say Xavaria?!?* The slave’s final breath had slipped out as a happy sigh even as the Goddess had yelled, and there was a nigh-infinite joy in Her next words, *It’s her! She’s here, in My heaven from which I thought those bastards had barred her forever! Oh, thank you, priestess of My sister! And thank you, Ferrl, for being as good a Master as I knew you’d be.*\n\n\tFerrl had obviously heard the whole conversation, and was chuckling as he pulled his shaft free of the body on the altar, “Kathalla has to have been involved in what you just did... and I think She just set a record for the biggest surprise ever pulled on a fellow deity, with your help. Good job.”\n\n\tStill shivering with reaction after the initial sensation of having seriously angered a Goddess, Berria shook her head, “I’m sure I’ll think of it as such, eventually... but right now I need to go change clothes. Coming that close to divine retribution made me wet the shift under my robe.”\n\nChapter 1\n\n\t“Look... I don’t like you, and you don’t like me. I get that. You can’t pretend we’re not both clergy, though, and sometimes that means we’ll need to work together.”\n\n\tThe older unicorn’s mouth worked as if forcing out a bad taste, but he finally nodded, “Very well, ‘Priestess.’ What is it that you need?”\n\n\tThe senior Maliite priest had not, of course, offered her the courtesy or comfort of meeting him in his office, and Berria was acutely conscious of how out of place her black robe was in the corner of the chapel. “My request is simple, but the events leading up to it are complicated... This afternoon I officiated over a sacrifice, but not to Kathalla. I commended that soul to Malia, and whether you believe me or not, She accepted it. Yes, the rumors that we normally eat the sacrifices are true, but I flatly wouldn’t dare, this time. What I’m asking is for a funeral, a proper, respectful grave, for Xavaria, long ago the first filly stolen by those who dug under Malia’s Wall, and for the rest of her life one of only two Godless unicorns I’ve ever heard of. She asked to die, as she was getting rather old for a slave, and to her great disbelief is now in Malia’s heaven. There is, however, still the matter of the body in my temple’s meat cooler.”\n\n\tAfter a slow nod and a moment’s thought, the priest subtly brightened, “The funeral is a given; she was a casualty of our nation’s darkest hour, but which led to our great renaissance, and deserves to be remembered with respect. Said nation, however, has never formally recognized the institution of slavery within its borders, and ‘Ria’ was still a unicorn, whom you’ve just admitted to murdering. By my authority as a senior priest of Malia, I place you under—”\n\n\tA quiet but firm voice from one of the other gray-cowled clergy going about their duties, preparing for tomorrow’s restday, interrupted as the figure paused nearby, “You don’t want to finish that sentence...” Slim black hands reached up to draw that cowl away from a feline face, also black save for an uneven diamond of white on her forehead, “Not, at least, if you want to remain a priest of mine.”\n\n\tEyes wide, the stallion shook his head, “But, Holy One... she’s killed one of our own! She even stood there and brazenly admitted it! Her religion itself was legalized by the Act of Toleration we passed into law on your suggestion, but nowhere does it override our existing laws about murder, cannibalism, and the like! As we finally have evidence of the crimes previously hidden, why shouldn’t we prosecute?”\n\n\tMalia’s semblance snorted, “That would be persecute. I know Kathallics, and most of those I’ve met, I liked. I have, in a body just as you see before you now, made love with more than one of them. If you think my tolerance of my sister’s temple in my nation is even slightly grudging, you’re sadly mistaken. I will not let you punish a priestess whose faith, clearly, is greater even than your own, for the ‘crime’ of returning to me a priceless treasure that I’d thought forever out of reach. Give my lost, and finally found, child a fitting funeral... and if you take even the tiniest action of retaliation against Berria here, I shall repay my sister, a soul for a soul, by allowing you to be the second unicorn ever sacrificed in Her local temple.”\n\n\tHer priest swallowed hard; this was the first time he’d ever heard of, that a deity of light had resorted to explicit death threats to one of Their own clergy, but that didn’t mean he didn’t believe she was serious. Summoning up memories of the faith that had drawn him to the priesthood in the first place, and pushing his earlier, momentary ‘triumph’ from his mind, he bowed, “By your will, Holy One.”\n\n\tWith one more nod, Malia turned toward the front door, beckoning with one hand, “Walk with me, Berria.”\n\n\tGrateful for her assistance but somewhat apprehensive at her mere presence, Berria followed the mortal Goddess out into the chilly winter evening.\n\n\t“First off,” the cat mused as she sat on one of the marble benches between the carved columns of the temple’s porch and patted its free half in invitation, “I want to apologize for scaring you so badly this afternoon... When a mortal speaks a God’s name, it’s not the sound that gets our attention, it’s your own mind’s knowledge that that name is divine that opens your mind to that God. The first thing I saw when your mind got my attention, then, was a unicorn, bleeding to death, and your foremost and thus most visible thought was the dedication of her soul. Though a mind like mine transcends yours in ways you cannot even comprehend, even such as I have limits, and we cannot simply absorb every detail of a situation in an instant, which explains, but doesn’t excuse, my initial reaction.”\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded, a faint smile finally gracing her muzzle, “In that instant, I honestly expected to die in the next. Since then, I believe I’ve figured out why the hint Kathalla gave me was so incredibly vague... I wasn’t meant to figure it out until just that moment, lest my very thoughts attract your attention and ruin Her surprise. I’d suffer more than a momentary fright for my Goddess, though, as She clearly desired events to unfold as they did.”\n\n\tMalia had to chuckle, “She got me good, I’ll give Her that much, but in the end it was exactly as I told you and that priest, the most amazing, valuable gift I could be given. I cannot even begin to repay what Xavaria’s soul was worth to me.”\n\n\tOne brow high, the priestess smiled, “I wouldn’t ask you to. I was doing what I must, the only thing I could do by my understanding of Kathalla’s will, and that you spared my life when I had the sheer, big, brass balls to murder a unicorn in your name was payment enough.”\n\n\tThe Goddess actually laughed, clapping her companion on the shoulder, “That’s certainly one way to phrase it! In any case, now that my apology is out of the way, I’ve been asked to speak to you about your position in the Sisters.” She quirked one brow at the blink this fetched, “Yes, I know that you’re a member... but you’re wasted in that role, here in the Vale. Other than the embassies and newer temples, this entire country is still effectively a church, and I keep an eye out for the sort of abuses your kind looks for. Quite simply, you won’t find much to do here that fulfills the oath you took. Thus, it’s time for you to roam a bit. Liquidate your temple’s current holdings, close up shop, and travel. Another Kathallic, one with less breadth of duty, will be by to take over your job here before you can be missed, and I can promise that you won’t be alone on the trip.”\n\n\tGlancing down the temple steps at the street, where a few patches of snow that had been missed by the sweepers still lingered, Berria grimaced, “The dead of winter is hardly the best time to start a journey... but I’m pretty certain just Whose suggestions you’re passing along. I’m not about to quibble with Her, so I’ll do just as you recommend.”\n\n\tMalia smiled, and leaned in to kiss the unicorn on the cheek, “Good... and, again, my thanks.” Even as her body wavered and vanished, the warmth of that kiss remained for the whole walk back to the other temple.\n\n* * *\n\n\tGern and Joi looked up as their Mistress stepped into the room, but she immediately waved a hand, “Carry on, you two.” Neither one needed to be told twice, the fox pressing in again ‘til his knot splayed the other slave’s labia wide, while the squirrel, her knees nearly touching her shoulders, just laid her head back and moaned.\n\n\tThe extreme lack of detail in the orders she’d been given didn’t bother Berria. She was used to it, as the standard way deities guided the mortal realm. There were only two conclusions she could presently draw; first, that just where she’d be going would be revealed by whoever she’d be ‘not alone’ with and, second, the only ‘assets’ of the temple she needed to deal with were the pair still fucking on her bed. She didn’t bother to take off her formal robe as she padded closer, stopping at a small chest of drawers and kneeling down to rummage through the bottom one. Even as he moaned in pleasure, his knot finally making it into his tight friend, Gern glanced over, ears perked, knowing that she kept some very interesting... ‘toys’ in that particular drawer.\n\n\tThe priestess fought to keep from smirking at his interest, as her hand closed around something too sharp to call a toy, yet utterly impractical as a conventional weapon. The odd little knife had the grip of a push-dagger, the rod between her middle and ring fingers leading to a pair of three-inch blades facing opposite directions, parallel to the oblong grip nestled against her palm.\n\n\t“Shit,” the male slave muttered. “Joi... I think we’re about to retire.”\n\n\tBerria chuckled, even as the squirrel’s eyes fluttered open with a squeak. “Yes,” the unicorn confirmed, “so there wouldn’t be much point to punishing you for speaking out of turn. You two just stay knotted together; this will only take a few moments.”\n\n\t“But... but M-mistress...” Joi stammered.\n\n\tThe priestess shook her head, “Neither of you has done anything wrong; I simply have to go on a trip, and I don’t know when my replacement will be here. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty more playmates in Kathalla’s heaven soon enough.” Not wasting any more time on rather pointless words, she tucked her bladed fist between the two slaves, just above where they were joined at the crotch, and shoved Gern down with a hand between his shoulder blades. Both slaves squealed in pain as their lower bellies were penetrated, graduating to ragged screams as she gave one hard yank toward their chests, the odd knife slitting both bellies until it hit the slightly more petite squirrel’s sternum. Being face-down on top, gravity alone was enough to spill the fox’s guts, but just to be completely fair Berria reached through the tangle of his slick intestines and into Joi’s wound, fingers slipping deep between her entrails to get a good grip then pull them free. “I know I’m going too fast for Your tastes, Kathalla, but these lives and souls are Yours nonetheless,” she murmured even as she extracted her empty, bloody hand and gripped the back of Gern’s neck, positioning her knife again then shoving down, a second yank doing to the pair’s throats what she’d first done to their torsos.\n\n\tStill joined by the fox’s swollen knot trapped in the squirrel’s sex, the slaves writhed and squirmed amidst their own blended intestines, blood pumping out over their chests and the bedsheets. *Oh, don’t worry too much,* her Goddess whispered in reply to her prayer. *They were screwing the whole time you were out, and provided themselves with the pleasure you didn’t, while you do have a trip to pack for. I’ll get rid of poor Gern for you, but you do, at least, have time enough to cook some decent travel food out of fresh squirrel.*\n\n\tBerria nodded with a smile as her dual sacrifices slowed and finally stilled, the dead fox and his spilled insides wavering and vanishing a moment later, then licked her lips as she looked over the other corpse, her sex splayed and mingled juices trickling out from between her labia. It had taken years to accustom her herbivorous digestive tract to accepting meat, and she still had to grind things up into a mix that was at least two-thirds grain and vegetables, but that ratio meant that she’d be able to fill at least two large saddlebags with rations for the price of one slave.\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe priestess sighed as she finished the climb to the surface and latched the door for what could be her final time. That underground complex was actually one of the largest and best-equipped Kathallic temples in the world, built by the same craftsmen and artisans who’d worked on the more acceptable Roxanite church of the building above, and she’d been honored to call it her own, however rarely it actually saw use. Two horses’ reins were looped around a small hitching post, normally used by secular visitors making deliveries, and she took a moment to add another length of leather strap as a lead for the well-loaded packhorse, tying it to the back of the other one’s saddle. Horses, she’d been told, had seemed like an incredible innovation when the Vale first started accepting visitors... but that had been several years before she’d been born, and she’d grown up quite comfortable with the big, useful, and occasionally playful beasts. Some priests and teachers, too, still made occasional reference to ‘the Great Mystery’ and its final solution... The town of Hoofstomp, off to the west a bit, dated back to the Vale’s very founding, but for most of that millennium the residents had no knowledge whatsoever of domesticated horses, while hominid unicorns had feet, not hooves. Thus, the long tradition of giving settlements equine-themed names had proven quite confusing to later generations until their recent, renewed exposure to the outside world.\n\n\tThe town of Silkmane, though with recent increases in trade it was rapidly becoming a small city, was close to the southern border with Drachath, close enough to reach by laboriously-dug tunnels when followers of Karnaal had been kidnapping unicorns, but it was the border with Atheria to the east that occupied most residents’ attention, two days’ ride distant on a good horse but usually taking three or more for heavily-laden carts and wagons. For lack of any instructions to the contrary, having only been told to travel with no other details offered, Berria untied her saddled horse and started leading the pair down the road to the east. Between Ferrl’s memoirs, more conventional books, and tales from travelers, she felt she knew Drachath almost as well as a native, but all she knew of Atheria was its general, recent history and some highly entertaining stories about a few prominent individuals there. The kingdom as a whole was still enough of a mystery to make it attractive as a destination.\n\n\tIn stark contrast to her usual robe, and simply for her own amusement at the irony, she wore a pure white linen sundress. The neckline was high enough to hide her priestess’ pendant, and the skirt reached perhaps an inch past mid-thigh, pretty much perfect for comfortable riding along with the patches of lambskin softening the sides of her saddle over the stirrup-straps. The dress was, perhaps, more fitting for a girl in her mid-teens, rather than the mare’s very early twenties, but she’d never been a particularly large woman and, while her religious activities had given her decent muscle tone, her limbs were still slim enough to pull off the look.\n\n\tA gust of winter wind made her briefly regretful of her choice, or at least suggested that she stop at a seamstress’ shop for some underdrawers, but the satin shift under her dress helped a great deal, and she had a good wool cloak rolled up right behind her saddle if the weather took a turn for the worse. At just the edge of town where a customs station had been set up, she returned the friendly nods of some of the guards (and ignored the stares of those who actually knew who and what she was) and climbed onto her horse. She’d barely nudged the slim gelding into a walk, though, when a lightly-musical voice to one side of the farthest guard post asked, “Spare a ride for a total stranger, Miss?”\n\n\tBerria blinked at the waif who’d spoken; the bat couldn’t be more than twelve years old, but her eyes were strangely old and wise for just that first moment. The impression passed quickly, leaving just an average-seeming young girl, except for one ‘coincidence’ the filly just couldn’t ignore: she was wearing exactly the same dress as she was, except for the necessity of its much lower-cut back for her wings. Scooting a bit back in her saddle, where there’d be just enough room for their two bodies, she leaned down and offered a hand, “Of course... Kathy.”\n\n\tThe bat grinned as she climbed up, murmuring, “You remembered that part of Ferrl’s stories... Anyway, it’s Karen, this time... and this should be interesting. You see, this isn’t just an incarnation I’ll tire of and demanifest. Unless something goes very wrong, I’ll get to experience dying of old age, probably with children and grandchildren.”\n\n\t“A novel experience indeed,” Berria chuckled. “It’s a bit unusual, though... I must, however, assume that you have a good reason.”\n\n\tKaren nodded, “Oh, it’s good enough, though nothing earth-shaking. There’s simply a boy out there, whom we’ll ‘coincidentally’ meet in passing, who rose from the lowest of the low to exceptionally high associations and wealth. In his area, there are exactly three girls the right age and species to consider themselves matches for him, but none will see past his money and influence, while his background leaves him ill-suited for seeing past their own deceptions. All of them will seem nice enough, but they’d be after him for what it could gain them, not for himself. I don’t give a solitary shit about money, as I hardly need it, and I’ve got more power than I can safely use already. This body’s perfectly average, as will be any children it bears, and he need never be the wiser.”\n\n\tThe priestess nodded her ready acceptance; after all, it wasn’t her place to judge just what a Goddess should or shouldn’t do.\n\n\tHer unexpected traveling companion giggled, “I caught that thought... and the devotion it shows has more meaning than you might believe. You’ve never actively wondered why you were offered the position of a Sister of Order; you simply took it on faith, though I’m sure you knew as well as Malia that a Sister would be wasted in the Vale. Tangentially related to that very faith, which is almost, but thankfully not quite, ‘blind,’ you’re a natural killer. Yes, you do it for fun, but others who can say the same get too caught up in how forbidden what they’re about to do is. Those who don’t enjoy it also attach a lot of mental baggage to the act. You, though, when the time for killing comes, do it so easily and naturally as to be a form of advantage. You’re no great warrior, or mage, or assassin, but you’ll walk right up to someone and slit their throat if they need killing, while everyone else, your target included, is too stunned with disbelief that you’ll so casually commit murder. Sure, your underdrawers might get a little moist in the process—if you were wearing any, at least—but the act itself is far easier for you than even a ‘hardened’ soldier. That’s one reason I had no objection to how Gern and Joi died; you knew you had to ‘liquidate’ your temple’s ‘assets,’ so you walked right up and did it. An average person would have dithered endlessly about it before working themselves up to the act, and even a rarer sadist would have added needless complications just to satisfy their own perverted pleasure, and in the sort of situations a Sister is meant to address, both of those paths would be counterproductive. Thus, between your nature and your faith, you stand out as being one of the best possible people to solve whatever problems might arise.”\n\n\tChuckling softly as she accepted the explanation, Berria nodded, “Alright... though I suppose it goes without saying that your intended permanence of your current incarnation is cause for disappointment on my part. After all, I do enjoy killing, and this journey would be more entertaining if I got to kill you a time or three.”\n\n\tThe child smirked, “Oh, I’ll make up for that along the way, I assure you... At the very least, though my own body must remain virginal as part of my ruse, I plan to show you a few things you’ve never quite imagined, as you’ve never had a bat so you have no idea just how long our tongues are. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.”\n\n\tLaughing merrily, the unicorn freed an arm to wrap around Karen’s barely-there breasts in a quick hug, “I’m sure I will!”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria had always been an independent-minded sort since her foalhood. She’d driven her poor parents to distraction, always asking questions about things they’d been raised to take for granted, and frequently stating opinions contrary to the traditional consensus in a firm, piping voice while her eyes practically dared them to contradict her. It was probably something of a relief for them when, as was traditional for unicorns who hadn’t chosen a career or found a personal vocation, she started wandering the towns and villages at age twelve, staying at various temples with other children her age on their own journeys of discovery. One farming town near Hoofstomp had started raising imported sheep and cattle to feed the new, frequently non-herbivorous visitors to and residents of the Vale, and the timing of the visit worked out better for her than for the three boys and one other girl a priest had escorted between villages. They’d arrived just before a slaughter. She’d watched, fascinated, as an enormous bull was restrained with ropes and chains, and her breath had started to come faster as a foreign cat in a bloodstained apron started stropping a long knife with an honing steel. A most unfamiliar tingling had started in her girl-parts when he stepped up to the bull, and the sensation increased seemingly tenfold as he sawed through its throat to the sounds of the steer’s bellow and her companions scampering away, retching. She’d never before thought about just how much blood there was in an animal that size, and she’d watched raptly as it gushed and gushed and gushed out over the ground. Not even the smells as the bull died and its bladder and bowels let go could ruin what she’d just seen, and when the carcass was hauled over to the next processing area and disemboweled, she thought she’d piss herself from the strange feelings between her thighs.\n\n\tThe next stop on the ‘tour’ had been Hoofstomp itself, with an educational, overnight visit to the Drachathian embassy. That’s where she’d seen her first slaves, including Ria, though at least that time she hadn’t been alone among the youngsters in trying not to get caught staring at the naked men and women in collars. When they’d first arrived, the young unicorns had been given a list of places that were off-limits and the explanation that they were technically in another country while inside that large building, and had to follow their hosts’ rules. That list had included the walled-in ‘back yard,’ the corridor containing the ambassador’s personal quarters and those of his family and senior staff, and the basement. Berria had probably been the only one of the children who’d noticed the very lack of emphasis, or even detectable expression in the priest’s face or tone, on that last one, suggesting a deliberate effort to keep a temptation away from them by not letting them know there was anything interesting about it. Naturally, in the case of one very observant filly, the effort failed, and she was hiding behind a wine rack when the earl and his visiting daughter (that’s how she’d been introduced, anyway; the unicorn couldn’t figure out how a wolf could have a vixen for offspring, and the way she’d call him ‘Master’ when she thought no one else could hear was just plain confusing) came down the stairs, leading one of the slaves she’d previously seen. The room they led the buck deer to had a thick, heavy door, and Berria heard the scrape of a key as it was locked behind them, but the keyhole itself sufficed to see and faintly hear what followed. The sex was certainly a fun show for its forbidden aspects, the vixen riding her very father while the buck penetrated her from behind in a way the child hadn’t realized was possible. When the earl reached around his daughter with a knife in his hand, Berria’s insides clenched like when she’d watched the bull, and when he cut the deer’s belly open and his entrails came spilling out, so much like that bull’s but a person’s this time, she did wet herself. Faintly, she could hear the two citizens praying to Kathalla, and without a thought she prayed along, thanking Her for the amazing show. What was left in her bladder was lost the next moment from shock when the Goddess answered her, and more than just her; the wolf was calling her name as he squirmed out from under his playmates to unlock the door, inviting her in for a night she’d never forget.\n\n\tThe priest in charge of her ‘tour’ stared hard at her over breakfast the next day, but so long as she pretended that nothing had changed, and wasn’t trying to ‘corrupt’ any of her yearmates, he evidently saw fit to not mention her changed soul either. As soon as she got home, she declared that she’d found a farm she could find contentment working at, and she’d been halfway packed before her surprised parents got around to giving her permission. They’d hardly expected that sort of enthusiasm over farm work... but, then, they were probably stuck thinking of a ‘farm’ as a place for grains, vegetables, and fruit. She enjoyed herself immensely, both caring for animals as they lived and watching and feeling them as they died, and every restday after her monthly wages she’d hike to the embassy where that friendly wolf would have someone for her to... play with. She’d lost her virginity to a hornless brown stallion even as he’d bled all over her. Only when she’d turned fourteen, though, the day her parents and teachers no longer had any legitimate claim on her, did she put on a Kathallic acolyte’s pendant for the first time, in full view of the embassy’s dining hall.\n\n\tThat same independent spirit had sustained her while living mostly-alone in the newly-built temple, but she was finding it a novel, and pleasant, experience to have a partner to travel with. Karen may have been young, but bats in general were stronger than they looked, and she was quite helpful in setting up either short-term camps for a mid-day meal or overnight ones in the well-established spots used by merchants traveling along this same road. There were two roadside inns between Silkmane and the border, too, but the donations to the temple she’d brought along had been few and far between, though of course Sir Ferrl had left a generous sum in the entryway’s donation box. With a good tent and a warm sleeproll, made even more cozy by a naked, affectionate bat, those inns were an expense she could very happily live without.\n\n\tA free-standing stone wall with two wide arches in it straddled the spiritual border between the Vale and the world at large, one entrance watched over by a unicorn priest with faith enough to tell more than just one’s religious affiliation by sight or touch, while the other arch was the domain of a platoon of Atherian soldiers. “What are your names and your purpose for entering our kingdom?” their officer asked once he’d cleared the merchant wagon the ladies had been following all morning.\n\n\tBerria shrugged, laying a hand on the bat’s shoulder, “This is Karen and I’m Berria, the adult companion of my friend here. Bats, I’m sure you know, aren’t particularly common in any nation, and she’s looking for a chance to snare a husband she’s not related to.”\n\n\tThe lieutenant nodded, accepting that easily enough, but the private who’d been going through the packhorse’s saddlebags looked up, “Got somethin’ odd here, sir. They’ve got just your average travel supplies, but the rations are all meat and grain cakes. I have to wonder what the ‘corn has been eating.”\n\n\tAt a blink and a questioning look from the officer, the priestess chuckled, “There’s plenty of winter-browned grass along the way... but I’d be lying if I said I was living on it. I made the cakes, and both of us enjoy them. I’ve been adding gradually larger proportions of meat to my diet since I was thirteen, as I rather like it. Don’t you?”\n\n\tAt least half the troop consisted of canids of various sorts, and half the rest were feline, so there were a number of muffled chuckles of agreement as their lupine leader considered his options under the law, which had always been a bit ambiguous in cases where there was only ‘suspicious activity,’ not a clear-cut crime or other violation. Finally, he shrugged, “I’ll write up your clearance, which you’ll have to show to the gate guards in other towns as an obvious foreigner. I’m afraid I’ll have to note the general fact that you’ve demonstrated unusual habits, so they might keep a closer eye on you than most visitors. The Atherian army tries not to step on too many toes where privacy is concerned, but I can’t promise that you’ll be as free as other foreigners or our own citizens.”\n\n\tBerria frowned faintly, but nodded, “I suppose I’m used to that, if in a slightly different way. Thank you for what consideration you’ve been able to show within the constraints of your duties.” Her dark sense of humor, naturally, suggested other responses, ‘Just don’t ask who the meat came from,’ for example, but she’d reined in that side of her personality quite firmly. As amusing as their reactions could be, getting arrested, or even just denied entry to the country, would have been no fun at all.\n\n\tNodding back even as he finished filling out the form, with its necessary annotations in the section he normally got to leave blank, the wolf passed it up, “And thank you for understanding that I’ve little choice in the matter, so it’s nothing personal. Have a good journey, ma’am.”\n\nChapter 2\n\n\t“What was that guard talking about, that they’d seen more unicorns coming this way lately?” Berria asked as she led the horses through the early evening foot traffic of a small city whose name she didn’t know.\n\n\tKaren gave a little shrug that made her wing membranes flutter, “Almost every unicorn is good at what they do, but they also tend to be honest when acknowledging that someone else is better. Atheria’s new archmage managed an ‘impossibility,’ converting energy into matter, and some of the better unicorn wizards have been visiting to see if it’s something she can teach them. It’s not impossible; I do it all the time. That’s how I made this body, though of course my way involves almost infinitely more fine control then the unspecified lump she made, the size of a grain of sand. The unicorns ended up disappointed, as she showed them the arcane twist involved easily enough, but if any of them try to channel that level of force it’ll kill them. It almost killed her.”\n\n\tThe priestess nodded, mentally shivering at the concept of that sort of power. Every Goddess she’d met, recently, had seemed unusually forthcoming with information she’d never dreamed of knowing, so while the one riding her horse was being so frank, she decided to ask, “Is there anything I should look into in this town, or are we just passing through? One of my failings that you neglected to mention while explaining my Sisterhood, of course, is that I’m not an experienced investigator either.”\n\n\tThe bat shrugged again, “Not a great deal, but enough to entertain you if you want to go after someone. We’ve got one habitual cheat who predates the opening in the Vale, a drug smuggler who hasn’t quite figured out how to get his wares past that border yet, and a recently-acquitted rapist who managed to cast just enough ambiguity on the girl’s willingness that the magistrate was obliged by his oath to rule in his favor on grounds of ‘reasonable doubt.’ I know he did it, though.”\n\n\tBerria’s smile held no warmth as she nodded, “It’s time to spend some of our temple’s donations on lodgings, then. If you’ll simply tell me who and where, and any minor details that will keep me from getting caught, the rapist won’t see another sunrise. Whether or not you get their soul, of course, is also up to you.”\n\n\tKaren grimaced, “I’ll pass on that. This fellow had no subtlety, no style. He’d simply bore those already in my heaven, so his soul is free to wander until it’s reborn. Maybe he’ll do better next time.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria finished stowing her traveling gear in the room, made sure her pack of clothes was on top for easy access, and stepped out to join her ward in the common room. “Any trouble from the locals?” she murmured across the small table the bat had chosen.\n\n\tThere was a faint hint of a smirk on her muzzle as Karen shook her head, “Nothing worse than a few odd looks since I seemed more comfortable and confident than they expected. The bar man and wenches didn’t see us come in, so there was nothing strange about ordering pork stew for two, and I doubt anyone’s paying enough attention to connect that order with your species. They’re staring at your horn, not your bowl.”\n\n\tThe mare’s lips twitched in a brief smile, “Staring, I can handle. They’re just curious, which is a damned sight better than my countrymen’s disapproval.” She snagged a slice of bread from the plate between them and dunked it into her stew, stirring slightly, then took a bite of it. “This is nice,” she mused after swallowing. “Not over-salted, so the meat’s fresh, and enough potatoes and carrots that carnivores might complain, but it’s a good balance for me.”\n\n\tKaren waved her spoon vaguely toward the kitchen as she nodded, still speaking quietly, “Naturally I know what’s best in their current offerings... but I’ll be trying to cut down on that sort of thing as we travel. I have to get so used to acting normal that it’s no longer an act, for that other bat’s sake.”\n\n\tBerria simply chuckled, then dug into her meal in earnest. Her childhood journeys had been for children, despite their unchildlike conclusion, so had been in much shorter increments than she’d been traveling. Her recent meals had been eaten on the move or awkwardly around campfires, and hadn’t quite added up to the energy she’d been expending; a proper, filling meal in with decent furniture and dishes was a welcome break from the routine.\n\n\tShe was just mopping up the last of her stew with the remnants of the bread when she heard footsteps drawing near, and a voice half-rumbled, “So... is what they say about unicorns true?”\n\n\tBerria blinked as she chewed, glancing up at the slightly pot-bellied coyote in garb just a shade or two finer than a common worker’s, then over to her companion as she swallowed, “You said you were going to cut down on that...” The bat smirked, and the rapist she’d described simply blinked. “That,” the unicorn mused as she turned back to him, “is an impossible question to answer, since there are so many myths about my folk, most of them patently false. All I can say is ‘probably not,’ unless you’re more specific.”\n\n\tThe canid nodded, a faint smile on his muzzle, “I guess I deserved that... The one about your kind running away from anyone but a virgin is obviously wrong, and the cook here would take umbrage if I implied anything about poison, I suppose.”\n\n\t“Let me simplify things a bit,” Berria suggested. “We’re mortal. We have no special powers, we breed the same way any other race does, and we tend to be uncommonly good at our jobs. Anything ‘they’ say beyond that, you can dismiss as baseless rumor.”\n\n\tThe man wasn’t the only one in the room looking interested in her reply, but the hint of annoyance in her tone had the desired effect, and he half-bowed as he took a step back, “Thank you for... clearing that up. I’ll just go finish my ale.”\n\n\tNodding mostly to herself as he stepped away, the unicorn murmured to her companion, just barely loud enough to be overheard, “On our way here I noticed what looked like lanterns in a fairly nice park... We’ve got some time before bed, so how does an evening stroll sound?”\n\n\tThe peeking hints of canines around Karen’s lips suggested more than simple anticipation at a pleasant walk as she smiled, “That... would be enjoyable.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tTo any casual observer, Berria seemed to be cleaning or trimming her fingernails as she passed under a wrought-iron arch into the city park. Where a bit of grime had built up under a couple of her blunt nails, she did actually clean them, but her main goal was the placement of extremely thin crescents of metal, mindful of their outer edges. They were something of an experiment on the part of an apprentice smith, that she’d adapted to her own unique use. He’d been learning to make folded steel, but out of simple curiosity had worked with an alchemist to unfold it again; along with the usual iron ores, one layer of the finished product had been another metal entirely, one that a particular acid could dissolve without harm to the steel, letting him separate the layers into surprisingly strong sheets thinner than parchment. He hadn’t been able to figure out how to make a useful tool or weapon out of the results... but she had. The crescents she’d asked him to cut for her were fragile, and wouldn’t hold an edge for long, but for this moment they served as short extensions for the nails of one hand, effectively tipping them with finger-wide, razor-sharp blades.\n\n\tShe could hear the grass-muffled flurries of steps behind her as someone darted from tree to tree, but quite deliberately didn’t look to spot them, simply meandering in the general direction of a corner of the park where the lamps’ light only barely reached. Sure enough, as she and Karen feigned an interest in the winter-dormant bushes there, those steps changed to a purposeful stride as the coyote came up behind them and growled, “If either of you scream, I will stab you in the fucking cunt and be over the wall before the guards even notice.”\n\n\tSharing an amused glance with the bat, Berria turned around calmly enough, “Was that supposed to be intimidating? If you were as scary as you thought, that girl would never have gone to the constables in the first place. You really should learn to do better than that; acquittal on a rape charge is still a distant second to never being charged at all.”\n\n\tThe man blinked, but recovered from surprise quickly enough, lifting a broad dagger to turn and catch the distant lamp-light with its gleam, “I guess you know what I’m here for, then... This should be a great deal of fun. Your casual mention of breeding left me... curious, as to how it’d feel to take a not-quite-willing unicorn, and your young friend there is just nubile enough for my tastes. She should be nice and tight...”\n\n\tKaren rolled her eyes with an amused giggle, “Oh, I am that. I need to stay a virgin for a while yet, but even my ‘guardian’ would have had a hard time getting even half her tongue into me if she’d bothered licking more than my outer folds. My maidenhead, however, is already spoken for; I’m afraid we’ll have to disappoint you tonight.”\n\n\tThe rapist blinked again, then shrugged, “A sound enough principle... but did you think I was going to give you an actual choice?” as he started working his belt buckle loose with his free hand.\n\n\tHis more mature prey chuckled, “Of course not... or at least not intentionally. Now, which of us would you like to try to rape first? In all fairness, I must mention that you won’t succeed in either case, but I’ll relish the attempt.”\n\n\tShaking his head, the coyote stepped closer, his knife in one hand and his firming cock in the other, “This is a new trick, one that none of the other girls I’ve taken have tried, but it won’t work. You’re trying to confuse me, to break my confidence, but it’s just words. Actions speak far louder... and on that subject, if either of you tries to run or call for help once I’m ‘occupied,’ it will be a throat I cut instead of a twat. Just to throw you off your game like you’re trying to do to me, you get to be first.”\n\n\tGlancing around, Berria couldn’t see anything convenient to lay on, so she just shrugged and backed up against the five-foot stone wall before reaching down to gather up her skirt, “You’ve been warned as honor demands, so let’s get on with this so we can get to bed at a decent hour.”\n\n\tThe ‘yote blinked as she bared her sex and he caught a whiff of arousal even if it was too dark to see her petals’ gleam, “Gods... you want this! Well, that takes some of the fun out of it, but I still get to fuck a unicorn, and that’s worth doing on any day.”\n\n\tHis ‘victim’ only chuckled again as he drew nearer her spread legs, “Oh, I’m horny enough, pardon the pun... but not for the reasons you’re probably guessing.” One hand still holding her dress out of the way, her other drew a silk scarf from a skirt pocket, already tied into a slipknot and effectively invisible in the darkness, and as he bent down to position himself for the first thrust, she eased the gauzy strip around his open muzzle then pulled it tight. Even as his eyes widened in confusion and he brought his dagger up, her other hand closed around his balls, fingers grouped and slightly curved as if dipping up a sip of water. A pained squeal made it through his nostrils as she tugged up, the blades at her fingertips cutting cleanly through his sac where it rested in her palm, and she continued the motion right through his sheath and the base of his erection.\n\n\tThe scent of blood filled the night air as the rapist fell backwards, writhing in agony. He dropped his knife, one hand flying to his groin where thick spurts of his life pumped out, the other pawing at the scarf around his muzzle, but the bat was there, kneeling and brushing aside his hand to grip his muzzle herself, pulling it up and holding it steady.\n\n\t“Thank you, dear,” Berria murmured as she knelt down as well, head dipped, positioning the tip of her horn at the juncture of his throat and jaw. Straddling his kicking legs to brace herself, she pushed, slowly but firmly, eyes closed as she mentally tracked the layers. The contact let her sense his agony and dismay, as well as the realization that he’d been set up and this was punishment for his treatment of other women, which only further fueled the unicorn’s enjoyment as she penetrated his upper throat, then the back of his mouth, and finally, with a harder thrust, the bone of his skull, her horn pushing up into his brain. She felt his consciousness falter and fail, though his body kept twitching for a long moment, and she paused only to untie her scarf and stuff his severed cock and balls into his muzzle before rising.\n\n\tKaren held up a washcloth from one of her own pockets, and smiled as she followed her friend back down the path, “I could feel how much you enjoyed that... We’ve still got an hour or so before we should actually sleep, so I’m looking forward to licking up the mess between your thighs before bed.”\n\n\tGrinning as she wiped her hands clean, the crescents under her nails discarded as each one was knocked loose, Berria murmured huskily, “Thank you... You braced his head perfectly, and you’re right about my enjoyment, just then and when we get into bed.” She finished with her hands and started scrubbing her horn with the cloth, “‘Cutting down’ on divine hints or not, if there are any more like him you’d like me to see to in passing, just let me know.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tTheir only stop on the way out of town was, at Karen’s ‘suggestion,’ an unremarkable house in the lower middle class residential district, where a very confused teenaged feline was told to get an alibi ready. Her eyes got unbelievably wide as these two total strangers mentioned, ever so casually, that the watch would be asking her about a coyote found dead with his own dick in his mouth, and both travelers were grinning as they left the girl on her knees, weeping with joy and praying in thanksgiving.\n\n\tThey were still a few days shy of the capitol when the wispy midwinter clouds started thickening ominously. The morning had started cold and calm, but well before noon a freezing wind started plucking at their clothes and the horses’ manes. “I think we’re going to have to find somewhere to stop, and not just for the weather,” Berria remarked. “The cold has helped keep our Joi-cakes fresh this long, but we’re almost out and what’s left is starting to taste just a bit off. We need shelter and more travel food,” and her cloak fluttered as an errant gust reminded her that she still needed to shop for underdrawers, and she shivered as she emphasized, “in that order!”\n\n\tKaren nodded, “We could head back to Openheim in about four hours, wasting the daylight we tried to save yesterday; there’s a country inn, more of a hostel really, about two hours’ ride north cross-country, or three by the roads; and, just a bit south of due east, this road passes close by a smallish town called Greenswald, which we’d reach just after noon at our horses’ usual pace.”\n\n\tThe mare couldn’t detect any particular emphasis on any of their options; this choice was clearly up to her. “Alright,” she nodded, “let’s pick up the pace a bit and hit Greenswald. Inns’ prices for traveling food are ridiculous, and fighting through the brush in weather like it looks is coming isn’t my idea of fun anyway. Speaking of which, you might want to fly on ahead. I think I see snow falling, ten or fifteen miles east and heading this way, and flying will keep you a lot warmer where it counts than riding, as well as getting you to shelter much faster.”\n\n\tHer friend grimaced, “You’ve got several good points... I hadn’t really considered the weather, since I’m still not used to that being an issue, but for mortals it certainly is.” She squirmed free of the saddle and reins, slipping to the ground. “I’ll meet you at whatever passes for a temple in Greenswald.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, nudging the horse to the other side of the road to clear the bat’s wingspan, and the next moment she was alone, watching the rapidly-shrinking figure fly away. “Alright, boys... let’s have a bit of speed,” she muttered as she flicked the reins, urging her saddle horse into a canter and hearing the packhorse follow suit as the lead strap tightened. “She’s not the only one some exercise will help keep warm.”\n\n\tBefore half an hour had passed, she had to stop the horses and fetch a blanket from the pack animal’s load, wrapping it around her cloak and hands as she urged them to a trot for as long as they could keep it up. The wind was getting steadily worse, and was soon joined by flurries of snow, billowing through the air or swirling dryly on the road. The air was a good bit below freezing, which wasn’t particularly pleasant to travel in, but at least it kept the snow from melting in the mare’s blanket or cloak. Dropping back to a canter as needed to let her chilled beasts rest helped, but each burst at a trot was shorter than the one before, and all three assorted equines whickered in relief when the faint outline of town walls came into view about eighty minutes after Karen had left.\n\n\tThe lone guard huddled in his tiny shelter waved her urgently on without a word; questions or inspections could wait until a traveler wasn’t at risk of freezing to death, obviously. Now that they’d slowed down, the horses in particular were in danger of their sweat freezing in their coats, so Berria’s first priority was shelter for them, her usual frugality discarded as she led them to the first inn’s stable that presented itself and tipped the attendants to get them unsaddled, unloaded, and rubbed dry quickly.\n\n\tHer blanket still wrapped around her cloak, the next priority was locating her friend, and she frowned faintly as she passed the open-air marble columns of the town’s shrine, busts of deities presiding over snow-covered altars and incense bowls. The bat wasn’t there, of course; it would take far greater foolishness than mere inexperience with mortality for a girl in a woolen dress to stand around where she’d promptly freeze. Just a bit farther up the town’s main road, though, a minor sort of commotion drew her attention; it was the town’s guard station, and there seemed to be more people coming and going than usual, or just standing around in its porch’s shelter rather than watching the walls like they should.\n\n\tAs the unicorn drew near the open door to the station, a familiar voice called from within, “There she is! I told you she’d be here soon, and she’s got the road pass. I’m sorry I landed too close and spooked that private, but just look at the weather out there! Would you trudge through an extra hundred yards of that just for some silly regulation about landing approaches?”\n\n\tThe milling guards parted to let Berria through as she stepped inside, shaking snow out of her blanket. Karen was flanked by a captain and a lieutenant while a rat in a damp white robe held wads of bandages against either side of her wing membrane, right next to her ribcage on one side. The senior of the officers turned, his expression mixed, to rumble, “I’m afraid your ward’s been hurt... but, if you do indeed have the pass she mentioned, and considering her age and that she’s a newcomer to Atheria, I think we can skip the fines this time. An arrow through her wing is probably deterrent enough to keep her mindful of kingdom law in the future.”\n\n\tNodding as she fished around in her cloak for the document in question, Berria shot her companion a look of tolerant exasperation, “She’s still learning, aye, sir. Thank you for your prompt care of the wound, and it’s a good one for the lesson in question. She’ll recover, but she’ll also remember just how close it came to killing her, I think.”\n\n\tThe healer spoke up, “I haven’t done anything but stop the bleeding, yet. Care of anyone hurt during the commission of a crime, however minor, is limited. If you want me to do anything more, it will cost you.”\n\n\tHer friend looking rather indignant at that, the mare chuckled, “Alright... How much to simply close the edges of the wound? It can heal the rest of the way naturally, and the discomfort while it does will serve for the lesson I spoke of.”\n\n\tThe doctor nodded, “That’ll be just a silver penny, then... and you, young lady,” he addressed the bat, “no flying for at least a week! If you stretch the membrane before it’s healed, it will tear an even bigger hole than the arrow left.”\n\n\tKaren looked somewhat rebellious; she was, obviously, used to doing as she pleased, mortal consequences rather meaningless to a Goddess incarnate, but on another level she did indeed realize that the decisions of the ‘elders’ she was thousands of years older than were logical enough for the situation as normal people saw it. She made sure to remember to wince and yelp at the burning sensation as the edges of her wound were forced to grow back together, the flesh knitted but still red and raw-looking through her wing’s short fur.\n\n\tFishing around in her purse as the healer worked, Berria frowned slightly, then shrugged, “I should have stopped by a money-changer. I’m out of Atherian silver, so I’ll have to give you a Vale half-crown, which is based on the Drachathian coin by weight, so it’s just a bit bigger than the penny you asked for.”\n\n\tNodding as he finished his work, the rat reached out to accept the coin, “That’ll do, though we see so few unicorns around here that I might just keep it for the stamped face, not spend it. It’s a reminder that, sometimes, legends do walk among us.”\n\n\tThe priestess rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, “Every town or inn I stop at, I have to spend time telling folks that I am no legend... but I understand the novelty value at the very least. Thank you for your efforts, and I’ll get my ward to a nice warm inn now.” She glanced to the guard captain as well before, at his nod, taking Karen by the hand and leading her back into the storm.\n\n* * *\n\n\tIt was, evidently, the lunch break of more than one of the guards she’d seen milling about the station, and three of them were sharing the common room as Berria sat down for lunch. She’d attracted more than enough attention for one day, though, so simply did her best to keep from grumbling as she ate her way through the perfectly decent vegetarian meal she’d been served with an external semblance of enjoyment. Karen, for her part, noticed her disappointment and was at least a little amused by it, but played the part of a reasonably contrite child throughout her own bowl of chicken stew.\n\n\tAs the unicorn shook snow out of her cloak in a guest room, from a quick dash outside to fetch a pack of clothes that also held a few books, her ward murmured, “I suppose I should apologize for today... and you were right in ways the guard knew not, that this was a lesson. I know that ground-bound authorities are leery of fliers for the potential security risks we represent, but I was too used to having at least mortal magic handy to obscure my comings and goings. I honestly hadn’t planned or predicted that I’d get shot, though since I have been it might get a bit of sympathy out of Crellan when we meet, even if it’ll keep us from flying together at first, which is the best way to start a courtship between bats.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, “Your seeming age happens to be when mortal children start taking on adult responsibilities, which is why things worked out as well as they did. If you were even a little older-looking, I’d be broke after paying a fine, cooling my heels for days while you were in jail, or both. Just as the arrow barely missed your chest, we only barely missed a serious road-block in our travel plans, so I’ll expect you to be more mindful of the situation in the future. This... Crellan you want to meet, he grew up as a bat, an experience you missed out on, so the rules are ingrained into him and he’ll take it amiss if you seem too ignorant of them.”\n\n\tGrimacing, Karen nodded back, “If I’d known about him and his possible futures earlier, I’d have started younger, perhaps even manifesting as an embryo and learning from birth itself... Maybe I’ll do that to be one of my own granddaughters, as it would be worth it for the experience, but for now I did the best I could.”\n\n\tThe priestess had to laugh, “Indeed... You were the first member of the pantheon to figure out how to be any sort of mortal, so I guess it’d be fitting if you have the whole experience sometime, from birth to death.”\n\n\t“Sheesh... leave my family out of this, please! Roxy’d think I’m crazy just for this incarnation’s plans to go through the discomfort and pain of pregnancy and childbirth. If Malia heard I’d be spending a couple years in diapers, myself, I’d never hear the end of it, and for me ‘never’ means a lot more than it does to you!”\n\n\tStill chuckling as she sat down on the bed, Berria ignored her book for the moment to instead pull her deity into a warm hug, nuzzling her ear as she murmured, “As much as I enjoy the vices endorsed by your official persona... I must also respect the effort you’re making, that no other God or Goddess ever has, to truly understand the lives of your worshipers. I won’t attract attention by naming names, or even thinking too hard about them, but there are members of your ‘family’ who think of Themselves as tolerant and benevolent, but They’d never ‘stoop’ to the level of trying mortality for Themselves. That you would is just one more reason to love and serve you.”\n\n\tThose dark eyes were very old and wise again as Karen smiled and kissed a white cheek, “And your love and service are worth that effort. The other Gods don’t appreciate what they’ve got, in the simple devotion of so many mortals. Your lives may be short, your bodies fragile, and your trials often enormous compared to your limits, but you are what’s important. Never forget that it’s the Gods who need your kind, not the other way around. Without you we’d be nothing.”\n\n\tSmiling through tears, the unicorn gave her friend one more squeeze and let go, “That sounds like one of the things I must accept on faith, as no mortal could fully understand its deeper meanings... but, for now, I must endure the ‘mortal condition’ of boredom. If we have any daylight left when this snow finishes falling, we’ll get some shopping done, or do it tomorrow if the weather’s being stubborn, and I’ll just read a few tales of adventure while we wait.”\n\nChapter 3\n\n\tBerria fished around in her purse for a few Atherian coppers... She’d have to have a word with someone about the exchange rate that merchant in Greenswald had quoted; even that deep into the kingdom, there should have been enough commerce with the Vale to keep fees at a minimum, but they hadn’t been. “I’ll only be using the room to change clothes, and there will probably be a page or two coming by soon to move my gear and horses to the palace,” she noted as she paid the innkeeper. “That’s just for your information, mind you; I don’t begrudge your one-night minimum on any rental.”\n\n\tThe rabbit nodded as he pocketed the coins, “I’m glad you understand, ma’am. Even having an hourly rate would put my fine establishment in another category entirely, and I have a reputation to consider.”\n\n\tGiving him a nod in return, the mare shared a look of amusement with her ward as she picked up one of her smaller bags and headed up the stairs. Ten minutes and a cursory grooming later, the pair were back in the street, a light, cold drizzle falling on the unicorn’s black satin robe and the traveling cloak the bat wore over her good white dress. The wind was a mere breeze, but chilly enough to make Berria appreciate the woolen bloomers she’d finally gotten around to buying to wear with her shift.\n\n\tSmall awnings had been added to the guard posts at the palace gates, given the weather this time of year, just to minimize the need to polish rust from the soldiers’ plate armor. Those troops frowned at the black robe and openly-worn Kathallic pendant of their newest visitor, but her horn confused the situation enough to let her pass unchallenged. One reputation unicorns did not have was for pestering nobles or administrators frivolously, and there were certainly enough additional guards in the palace proper to deal with a lone, dark priestess should she cause trouble.\n\n\tLate afternoon was dimming to early evening as the ladies padded up the hall’s carpet toward the herald at his lectern. The doors to the throne room were open, but relatively few members of the court were visible beyond them; this time of day, traditionally, was when actual work got done, often the results of the more socially active morning court’s conversations, so the king and most of his nobles were absent until court supper called them back together.\n\n\tAddressing the herald, Berria’s voice was cool and firm, “Please inform the queen that a sister is here to see her. Not her sister, a sister. Using that exact phrasing is important.”\n\n\tThe middle-aged bear nodded, glancing between her pendant and the dagger in her belt, “I’ll send the message. You and your... companion will have to wait on a bench out here; until and unless you’re recognized, I cannot allow you to go farther with that knife, though I fully realize it’s a required part of your ‘uniform’ as a priestess. Your companion can hang her cloak on one of those pegs to dry while you wait.”\n\n\tUnicorn and bat both nodded, settling onto the comfortably-padded bench on the other side of the foyer from the waiting pages, one of whom darted down a hall with the herald’s note in hand. Less than three minutes had passed when guests and soldiers both looked up at the sound of running feet, and a wolf in her early twenties burst into the entry hall with a grin on her muzzle, “It is you! Serra told me about meeting you, Berria.” She glanced over to the lieutenant of the guard detachment, “This woman and any guests she designates are to be allowed unrestricted access to the palace, including the persons of our king and queen, without delay or question. She is permitted whatever arms she wishes at any time. For the record and by your rules, consider her an Agent. That’s my official word, so spread it.”\n\n\tThe burlier wolf’s eyes were wide at those orders, but he nodded quickly enough, “Yes, Agent Pria.”\n\n\tGrinning again as she turned back to the guests, the bitch reached out to pull them both up by the hands, “Come on, you two. Serra’s feeding little Kees, but it’s almost his nap time; I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about.”\n\n\tIt was a fairly long walk through the palace halls to reach the royal wing, through several doors flanked by alert guards who snapped to attention as a recognized Agent passed them. The large, comfortably-furnished sitting room they finally reached was occupied only by a cougar, lounging in one large chair with his royal purple cape tossed casually over another, and a tigon with a gown bunched around her belly and a tawny-furred infant with just a hint of light brown stripes held to one of her bare breasts.\n\n\t“It is you!” the king unintentionally echoed his Agent as he stood up, grinning. “I had no idea I’d end up with such a wonderful wife, two of them in a sense really, or a son who stole my heart the first time he grabbed my finger, those years ago in your temple... All I knew at the time was that I was having a great deal of fun.”\n\n\tBerria smiled back as she dipped a respectful curtsy, noticing the bat doing the same behind her, “It’s nice to see you again too, your Majesty. I’m afraid that temple of mine has a different keeper, these days, as it was pointed out to me,” and she glanced heavenwards, “that I was an adequate priestess, but useless in the Vale as a Sister. Thus, I’ve been wandering to see what I could help with, along the way taking care of a rapist who thought he’d gotten away with it, and picking up this wayward orphan, Karen,” and she took a step back to lay a hand on the waif’s shoulder.\n\n\tSerra arched a brow, “I have to suspect additional ‘guidance’ in your meeting her, too... as she’s just about the same age as another friend of ours who’s just starting to notice girls. I haven’t heard of any orphaned bats among the nobility, so I have to guess that she’s fairly common... but that’s all to the good, as little Crellan still isn’t all that comfortable with highborns.”\n\n\tThe priestess nodded, “I share your... suspicions, which we should say no more about, but you know as well as I that these ‘arrangements’ usually work out well.” Glancing around, she picked a couch and led her ward over to it. Karen, for her part, was doing a very credible imitation of a base-born youth in unexpected company, obviously trying not to look at a queen’s tits while seeming too overwhelmed, or even a bit frightened, to speak.\n\n\t“Ah, yes, Rickar and Gabri. You probably heard of that ‘arrangement’ from Ferrl, and I’ve got a niece and a nephew both older than I am from the pairing,” the tigon chuckled. The head at her bosom lolled back as her son finished his meal, already half-asleep, and she gently set him in a cushioned basket on the floor by her seat before working on pulling her gown back up.\n\n\tThe king watched her breasts shifting as she wriggled into the snug garment, and looked over his guests and other wife with a wry sigh, “As much as I look forward to her usefulness once she can resume her own duties as a Sister, I have to admit that I’ll miss the buxom softness she’s slid into ever since she was too large to keep up her exercise.”\n\n\tHis queen smirked, “Yeah, yeah, and Pria likes the new tits too, but I’m already tired of the backaches. As soon as little Kees is walking, I’ll be getting back into shape, and you can join me. I’m not the only one getting softer; you’ve been spending entirely too much time in meetings the last few months.”\n\n\tKeesanrel shrugged, a flicker of annoyance crossing his muzzle, “As useful as it’s proven to be to have the new gate network, we haven’t had it long enough to build up decent power reserves for each one, and I can’t believe how many times I’ve needed to explain that to presumably-intelligent dukes and their representatives. If I told you some of the amazingly-petty things I’ve had to explicitly prohibit opening a gate for, you’d probably go on a ducal tour and geld the whole lot of ‘em to make sure they don’t breed. Unfortunately, just about all of them already have.”\n\n\t“Ah!” Serra exclaimed with a smile. “I’m usually too focused on helping you relax after one of those annoying meetings to bother asking you about its subject, which would only make you tense up again of course. It’s good to know why you’re so often in such a state when you come to bed, though. Please, dear, I can only help you with problems I actually know about, so do try to keep me in the loop a bit better. Our son doesn’t take so much of my time that I can’t corner an idiot to deliver a few rather grizzly threats, or if I can’t Pria can.”\n\n\t“As much as I’d rather watch our adorable kitten while you do the work,” the wolf quipped around a grin. “He knows his ‘Auntie Pria,’ and we have fun together.”\n\n\tBerria glanced over to the king with her brows high, “It sounds like you’ve settled into a pleasant enough life since last we met, but it’s also a bit more complicated than I’d expected.”\n\n\tThe cougar chuckled knowingly, “Indeed... but I wouldn’t trade this life, or either of my girls, for the world. You may find it amusing to know that, just after my wedding, I made sure there’d be no grounds for a scandal with how things worked out. I cornered the Magistrate General and got a signed legal opinion from him. An Agent of Atheria has the same authority as the king, and the ruling I sought was that there are no exceptions to this authority unless directly overridden by said king. That includes conjugal rights with the person of the queen. Now, Pria’s not my only Agent, but the rest of them know better than to try taking advantage of their supposed equality the way our bitch does. They know exactly what Serra did to my father, one dark night, and that she still has that knife.”\n\n\tHer companion blinking wide-eyed beside her, the unicorn simply nodded with another smile, “I remember that knife too. I have something distantly similar, that I used on that rapist I’d mentioned, and Agents aren’t known for being stupid. I don’t wonder that they’ve accepted the situation as you’ve described.”\n\n\tSerra grinned for a moment, then sobered a bit, “It’s just about time for supper... so why don’t we head for the court dining room? Your young friend can meet our archmage’s ward, as well as what passes for ‘normal folks’ in the palace, so just maybe she can find her voice again when it’s not hiding from royalty.”\n\n\tSitting up a bit straighter on the couch, there was still a bit of stiffness in her voice as Karen spoke up for herself, “I’m not entirely as timid as I seem, your Majesties... but we skipped lunch to make sure we’d get to your fine city before dark. Supper sounds like an excellent suggestion.”\n\n\tThree sets of ears perked up at her dusky, musical tone, and Pria mused, “Sounds like our singing trio will have a fourth member soon... Whoever arranged for her to follow you here, Berria, obviously knew what They were doing. Let’s head to the hall so I can make the seating arrangements official before it gets crowded, while our feline friends climb back into their capes and crowns.”\n\n\tRolling his eyes slightly, the king nodded to the rising ladies, “Her implications about our public costumes aside, my Agent has the right idea... and, afterwards, as it’s only fitting for an itinerant priestess of your stripe, you can join us for a visit to the Drachathian embassy and a bit of fun while the bats are getting acquainted without our imposing presence as a damper on things.”\n\n\tBerria’s expression brightened, as even she’d heard about that embassy and its basement playrooms, and licked her lips for more reasons than the prospect of a good supper.\n\n* * *\n\n\tKaren’s practice, and occasional mishaps, on the journey from the Vale had proven adequate. She and Crellan were friends by the end of supper, hints of lingering shyness on both sides suggesting the potential for more once they were a year or two older, and neither the young bat nor his mismatched feline parents seemed to suspect anything about the girl’s act. Berria was able to leave them together with a clear conscience as she followed the royals out of the dining hall, to her initial surprise heading straight back to their suite and even bedchamber, where Serra stayed behind to take care of her son with the comment that it was Pria’s turn for fun as she’d had the last one. The route got a lot less confusing when the king opened a trapdoor in a corner of the room and started climbing down, his Agent and guest following close behind. The long tunnel was paved with cobblestones, its walls and ceiling tiled with marble, and it was lit by bright but infrequent magical crystals, with a quartet of palace soldiers at the far end to guard a door unlocked by a key on a chain around the king’s neck.\n\n\tThat door opened onto a large, busy kitchen, two bipedal corpses still being cleaned and skinned while several other meals were in other stages of preparation, and Keesanrel addressed a collared filly who’d rushed over to greet him, “Good evening, Hela. Is there anything noteworthy going on tonight?”\n\n\tThe slave shook her head, “No, your Majesty. We presently have six guests in the main room and about twenty in the others, the standard dip while courtiers had supper with you, though the usual number attended that just to be seen, and we’re working on their actual dinners that they ordered in advance. The tables will fill up quickly in the next hour, so you should get a good seat while you can.”\n\n\tNodding, the cougar led his little group through the bustle toward the playroom, commenting as he went, “In case you’re wondering why the guards stayed on the other side of the door, Berria, it’s because of an accident very shortly after the tunnel we came through was finished. One of my courtiers was using a slave for target practice with throwing knives, testing their skill by trying to hit as many non-vital points as they could, but they only had so many knives. One he reused was still slick with blood, and it slipped out of his fingers in my direction. The knife missed me by several inches, but by the time it hit the floor one of my guards had already shot the supposed ‘assassin’ with his crossbow. Rather than risk another accident like that, I harped on my good relationship with the Drachathian ambassador, and pulled the concept of insulting him with a visible lack of trust out of my ass, to get my troops to leave me be when I’m here. A lot of them are Maliites or Warkin, too, so I think they’d be more comfortable thinking of my religion simply as an abstract, rather than seeing what I do to practice it.”\n\n\t“I know what you mean,” the priestess nodded as she took a seat at the table he’d led her to, “and probably to a greater degree than you do. As far as I know, I’m still the only Kathallic unicorn, and I can count the number of my countrymen who aren’t either Maliite or Roxanite on my own fingers. Disapproval of the sort you fear was simply part of my daily life, any time I stepped out of my own temple. I’m actually glad to be out of my homeland and out from under that constant cloud.”\n\n\tA pair of nods and glances were exchanged among the royals, Pria speaking up, “I’d guess it was more than your religion they disapproved of, unless you were unusually discreet... You see, I’ve practiced a great deal at noticing ‘little things,’ as part of my job, and two of them came to my attention over the course of supper. First there was the detail that you didn’t eat much for someone who supposedly skipped lunch, suggesting that you were saving room for more here at the least-vegetarian ‘restaurant’ I know of, and then there was the slice of beef roast you slipped onto your plate then hid beneath your potatoes.”\n\n\tThe king’s eyes wide in mild shock as he stared at her, Berria gave him a toothy smile, “Actually... I was able to hide that from the unicorns. My ‘official’ form of protest against how I was viewed, or so I led them to believe, was that I boycotted the stores staffed by my own race. Those run by relative newcomers to the Vale... also happened to be the only ones that sold meat for the other immigrants. What I bought for my own use, at least when I didn’t have a fresh slave to cook, was always an unremarkable wrapped package by the time I left those shops.”\n\n\t“Damn,” Keesanrel half-chuckled, “I guess there’s no questioning your vocation, if it led you to overcome your own, born physiology!”\n\n\tThe mare’s eyes glinted mischievously, “While dispelling legends and rumors every time I stopped for the night at an inn rather than make camp, I frequently reminded folks that the only thing special about unicorns is how well we do our jobs, but none of them followed up with the obvious question of what I’m good at... They say you’re best at what you love to do, and I love killing things, preferably people. Even before my priesthood, I worked at a farm raising chickens, sheep, pigs, and cattle, and I was very good at getting them to trust me, even to love me in their simple way, right up until I slit their throats and disemboweled their corpses. I suppose, at its core, my motivation is that it’s forbidden; I get a thrill knowing that I’ve done something so naughty, so depraved, as to casually take a living creature’s priceless life... I’ve been having an unusually large amount of fun along those lines lately, starting with the day your father,” and she looked straight at Pria, “brought Ria along, at her request, to die on my altar.”\n\n\tThe wolf’s smile was bittersweet as she nodded, “That slave was my second female lover, after my sister introduced me to the concept, and she’ll always have a special place in my heart... I’ll miss her, but I know she’s in a better place now.”\n\n\t“Better than you might think,” Berria chuckled, “as I actually sacrificed her to Malia, not Kathalla. That very nearly got me killed, but it was the right thing to do. It will, however, be the last time I take that particular risk; let’s see who and what is available to dedicate to my Goddess, tonight,” and she turned her gaze on the rows of waiting slaves.\n\n\tThe king nodded, a glint of anticipation in his own eye, “As her parting gift when she was relieved as ambassador, Dame Elaria left a standing order that her old ‘guards’ were to be kept on the staff roster of the embassy, meaning that whenever I’m here with either Pria or Serra, our play is on the house. They hadn’t even met me, yet, so at the time it was just a whim in case they came back, either to visit or as Junior Agents. Still, choose anyone you want; the price is already taken care of.”\n\n\tThis fetched a grateful nod, “That’s good to hear, as my ‘mission funds’ as an itinerant Sister are strictly limited,” before she padded to the foot of the stage, casting long glances both ways as she evaluated the prospects. There were the usual menials of prey species’, a couple felines, and one husky wolf who’d probably served as heavy labor, but the hourglass figure of a buxom, obviously pure-blooded vixen caught her eye, and she stepped up to approach her at the far end of the left line. “You,” she noted, “look expensive. I know I’ve never been able to afford your like for my old temple. How did you wind up here, of all places?”\n\n\tThe slave actually met her eyes, which was even more surprising than her flat, blunt tone, “I did my damned job too well. Two weeks ago, my then-owner couldn’t find his flogger when a greasy serving plate slipped out of my hands and broke, so he decided to try an old-fashioned spanking instead, at which point he found out how much I like getting those. He also found that he enjoyed giving them, very much. We had ten nights in a row of a great deal of fun, before his wife got tired of being ignored and demanded he get rid of me. He was willing to sell me back to the slavers, or even to just give me back, or give me to one of his friends, but that bitch took a hard line, vetoing one option after the other. She wanted me dead, but didn’t have the guts to do it herself. Useless fucking cunt...”\n\n\tBerria’s eyes were very wide by this point; any properly-trained slave should still be referring to her old Mistress as ‘Mistress’ or, if they wanted to convey ongoing disagreement, ‘ma’am’ was an acceptable, subtly-insulting substitute. “I take it,” she finally guessed blindly, “that you lost your temper at some point and told her what you really think, despite your training.”\n\n\tOne hand idly tracing the curve of her ring-collar, the vixen nodded, “Yeah... I couldn’t exactly make it worse, so I decided, well, fuck it. I did every inch of my duty within reason; I’d even licked her when the Master was away on business, and she has something against washing down there. Not the most pleasant experience, I’ll tell you! If being more fun in bed than she was is a capital offense, and there certainly didn’t seem to be much chance of budging her on that point, I figured I might as well spend my last day or two telling folks what I actually think, not what my trainers tell me to say.”\n\n\tNodding once, the mare reached out and wrapped a finger around that iron collar, then turned and promptly strode back toward her table, the fox yelping as she scrambled to follow along. “Your Majesty,” she began, “you might wish to check with the staff, because I don’t know their policy on this... but I’ll find someone else to kill tonight. I want to keep this one.”\n\n\tThe king licked his lips as he looked the beautiful vixen up and down, obviously understanding one reason to take her along, but it was Pria who volunteered, “Since this place gets its... ‘disposable staff’ so cheaply, they’ve occasionally smuggled out a surplus of such to other temples at no charge. My being de facto staff doesn’t matter; the fact that you’re a priestess, though, does. I’m very nearly certain that she’s yours for the asking, and I must admit to a bit of envy that you’ll be leaving with curves like those for companionship.”\n\n\tBerria grinned as she turned to take a fresh look at the curves in question, “Oh, yum, I agree there... I’ll be double-checking as soon as I can get that filly’s attention, but for now, slave, consider yourself mine... and keep the attitude. I rather like it.”\n\n\tBlinking at the combined shocks of meeting a king, the wolf’s position as embassy staff and thus the effective co-owner of all the slaves, a member of Kathalla’s official clergy taking an interest, and of course the minor detail that she might actually live a little longer, the vixen could only shake her head, “But, ma’am... Mistress, I’d never have copped this ‘attitude’ if I expected to live to see tomorrow! I... I’ve already broken the rules beyond any chance of forgiveness. I’m a good slave, really, despite appearances!”\n\n\tLetting go of that collar to put her hands on her hips, Berria gazed up at the slightly-taller woman, “A good slave... wouldn’t even be able to think the private opinions you’ve given voice to. If you’ve had those sorts of thoughts running through the back of your mind, then your trainers failed in their goal to break your spirit, and it’s that spirit that I want for my own. I may, indeed, kill you someday, but I’m not exactly your average priestess. You haven’t been here long enough to realize, but I’m probably the first unicorn ever to step into this club, or at least this end of it. There’s a chance one of the visiting unicorn wizards stopped by the other room just to get laid, after all. If I’m willing to step so far outside the normal rules of my very species, what makes you think I give a damn about the rules for mere slaves? Here,” and she took four quick steps back to the nearer line of those waiting to serve, “this is what I think about ‘good’ slaves!” One of the hands at her hips jerked to the side, suddenly holding her dagger, and in one more smooth motion she’d rammed it through the neck of the stallion at the near end of the line, then tore it out through the front of his throat. He couldn’t even nicker in surprise as his windpipe split, and blood sprayed for several feet in a broad arc in front of him as he slumped to his knees, then keeled forward to twitch on the floor for less than a quarter-minute then grow still.\n\n\tKeesanrel blinked once and laughed, “Guess we’re having horse-meat tonight.”\n\n\t“Tasty...” Pria agreed with a grinning nod.\n\n\tThough standing orders had seen her using a privy bucket just before being sent out to serve, the vixen had been on duty for a couple hours, and promptly lost what had built up in her bladder as she watched a fellow slave not just die, but be casually, irreverently slaughtered like some mere animal. Her eyes were huge, her expression a hairsbreadth from outright panic, as she sank to a kneel, knees wide around the puddle she’d made, and whimpered, “M-mistress...”\n\n\tWiping her blade off on her robe, Berria sheathed it as she returned with slow steps, her voice husky, “No... I’m not going to do that to you, not tonight. You’ve had a shock, dear, and it’s only natural that it will take time for you to grow accustomed to your new status, having been so certain of your fate before. We actually have something in common, as I’ve wet myself more than once from particularly intense surprises... and I’m afraid I’m going to have to make your shock of the night even worse. I think I’ll head generally east or south in my travels, now, to cross the border into Drachath by land or sea as fate determines. Once beyond Atheria’s borders, within which no born slave can be free... if you make it that far with me, I will free you. Getting used to an owner who doesn’t mind a bit of honest back-talk will pale in comparison to that, I’m sure. Now... there’s just one thing I need from you before we settle back for a meal of fresh stallion steaks, which I will be eating too... What is your name?”\n\n\tThe slave stared at the floor, her voice barely audible, “C... Cin, spelled with a C. I can’t actually read or spell, but that’s how I was told to introduce myself. Evidently my ‘line’ is traditionally given as naughty of names as they can fit into a syllable or two.”\n\n\tHer new owner leaned over, her pendant lightly bumping her black nosepad, and kissed her on the forehead, “Given how delicious you look, your name as it sounds is quite... fitting. Oh, and speaking of that... yes, I wash myself, and unicorn fillies are always... sweet. When I take you back tonight, I’d like a chance to prove that in bed, and it’s also a fair guess that my tongue’s thick enough that you won’t be missing having a male owner that much.”\n\n\tCin shivered where she knelt, then looked up into her Mistress’ dark brown eyes, “I... I think I’ll enjoy that. ‘Returning the favor’ after use for another’s pleasure was no part of my owned life, but I certainly enjoyed myself while ‘being made use of’ by my old Master’s cock. Thickness... is a good thing.”\n\n\tBerria leaned in to kiss her new possession again, this time on the lips, and grinned, “I wholeheartedly agree... but that filly I mentioned just came in with the group that’s dragging our dinner into the kitchen. Give me a moment to make sure I can take you home, though I’ll beggar myself to pay your fair wholesale price if I have to, then get up so the domestics can mop up your piss as you take a seat for supper. Forget your training, forget your past life... you’re mine now, which is an experience rather unlike the tedium most slaves suffer. You have a good mind, and a strong spirit, and at my side you’ll learn to get used to using both of them, my lovely Cin.”\n\nChapter 4\n\n\tBerria looked up, way up, as the liger in an officer’s uniform set down a bowl of barley with spiced beef strips mixed in, “Thank you, sir. This sort of breakfast is perfect for traveling on.”\n\n\tBaron Jerek nodded, “It’s only the least I can do, for bringing such a good friend for my son. He needs someone to fly with, and my wife’s experiment to let me do so managed only to prove that I’m not as fearless as I look. I don’t deal with heights well.”\n\n\tSaid wife chuckled as she kept gathering odd bits and pieces from around the workroom she’d invited the unicorn to. “On our way back from Southwall,” Beckah mused as she started to work, a pair of gemstones and a length of silver wire floating up from the bench in front of her, “Serra described the Sisters of Order she’s a member of, and it’s a concept I can wholeheartedly support. I’d do so even if I hadn’t been such a direct beneficiary of one of their missions. Now,” and she focused just a bit more, melting a nearby gold half-monarch and settling it around the silver wires binding a pair of amethysts before concentrating on shaping the fine detail as it cooled again, “these earrings will be, amidst the frills and ruffles in the gold, marked with a repeating pattern of the letters L and R respectively so you can tell them apart, though they’ll look identical enough from any distance. You activate or deactivate either one by wrapping a finger entirely around it for several seconds. The one for your right ear will make your horn invisible, the one on the left will turn your fur black if you need to be sneaky, and either one will react to verification stones as if they were the seal on an official document, in both Atheria and Drachath. They’re not the same as an Agent’s badge, and stones fancy enough to tell the difference will say so, but they can still come in handy in proving you have some sort of official sanction. They won’t trigger standard, ‘pocket’ type magic detectors, even while active, but I’ve been told not to make things completely undetectable, even though I could. They’ll still set off the sort of comprehensive detectors you’ll find in palaces and embassies, though once more they’ll ‘read’ as document signatures,” and the floating components stilled as she cupped her hands around them in the air, concentrating on the spells that would do what she’d just described.\n\n\tBerria had heard, of course, about the blind girl to whom magic came so easily, but even sitting five feet away while she worked she could hardly believe it. Either one of the illusion-stones she’d been describing would have taken her friend Ferrl the better part of a day to make, and the extra little features would have been flatly impossible. “What will the endurance on these stones be like?” she asked after a couple minutes of eating, once the feline relaxed from her effort. “The fur-darkener sounds like something I’d like to use casually, since I’ve always looked good in black...”\n\n\tThe white cat frowned faintly, then brightened, “Pass me your pendant, unless you think your Goddess would object to Her symbol having an enchantment in it. By themselves, the earrings would last about six hours each, but I can arrange to let your necklace ‘feed’ them from your own internal energy, even if you aren’t mage enough to use it yourself. Everyone has power, but most people simply can’t access it. If you keep both illusions running constantly, you’ll need to eat five or six extra bites of food per day, but that’ll be the only price.”\n\n\tNodding as she passed over her necklace, Berria pointed out, “Any God, manifesting in our world, makes a great deal of impact, even the slightly-devout able to sense Their presence from miles away. The Goddesses, though, know a trick to be a bit more... discreet, one that Kathalla invented. Since Her mortal semblance practically always has magic, just to cut down on performing miracles instead, I doubt She’d mind a little spell.” That emphasis on Kathy’s magic, since Karen had none, could be a useful seed to plant, she figured. If anyone did grow suspicious, the bat’s lack of magic just might convince them they were wrong after all.\n\n\tBeckah planted one fingertip on the pendant as her gifts worked within the obsidian, and she noted, “There’s a potential drawback to this method... I’m hemming it in with as many restrictions as I can, but if someone gets too close to you with an uncharged enchantment of their own, one that manipulates light-energy as an illusion does, your pendant just might try to recharge it too. It shouldn’t actually hurt you if it does, but it might leave you feeling unexpectedly tired and hungry.”\n\n\tAccepting the pendant as it was handed back, Berria nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind... and thank you very much. Karen was a pleasant enough traveling companion that I was happy to have her along; your assistance in my ‘mission,’ if you can call random wandering that, is a completely unexpected bonus, and I appreciate it.”\n\n\tJerek spoke up again from his oversized chair in a corner of the workroom, “You’re a friend of the family, so we’re happy to help... though I think I heard the king muttering something about ‘mission funds’ too, so it might be more than a few enchanted trinkets that you’re leaving with.”\n\n\tDropping the earrings into a pocket of her robe, the unicorn finished her quick breakfast and stood, “That couldn’t hurt, as I was down to less than a florin in leftover donations after that merchant overcharged me to convert coinage. Thank you both again, and I’ll stop by, at least to check on Karen and Crellan, if I pass this way again.” Both felines waved as she stepped out of the workroom and down the hall of the suite. It wasn’t far to the single guest room in the royal wing she’d been given, and she nodded to the guard private outside her door as she opened it.\n\n\tCin looked up from where she was folding freshly-cleaned clothes into a canvas haversack, “A clerk stopped by with a few small bags. They weigh about a pound each, they clink a lot, and they’re closed with metal rings, two copper, two silver, and one gold.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, “That’s a bit more than I was expecting, but so were the enchantments I was just given too. We have just two little problems to deal with before we go... first, as much as I enjoy looking at you naked, it’s still winter. You were a house-slave, so you probably didn’t need to think about the weather much, but I’d rather not have your more flavorful parts freeze off. I’m afraid you’re going to have to wear something, dear.”\n\n\tThe vixen gave a throaty chuckle, “Oh, those parts are always warm... but I can’t say the same about my nipples. I think I saw some sort of cloaks in the closet here; I’ll see what’s warm and fits. Now,” and she stood to open the closet and start looking, “what was the other thing we need to take care of?”\n\n\t“The local archmage, for all her power and subtlety where magic is concerned, missed a detail.” She fished the amethysts out of her pocket as she sat on the bed near the packing, “She made me a lovely pair of enchanted earrings... but I’m not pierced. Your teeth are in good shape, and much sharper than mine... would you do the honors?”\n\n\tCin paused in feeling the weave of various cloaks to blink over her shoulder... Her ‘attitude’ the night before had been a product of depression and bitterness, and once those had passed her training had tried to come back to the fore, and it was taking an active effort to behave like a casual, slightly snarky non-slave. It was almost purely an act, given how far those aspects of her born personality had been beaten down over her years of training, and that training protested, vehemently, the concept of drawing her owner’s blood. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to keep moving, pulling out a pair of cloaks, each a bit thin for the coldest weather but adequate as a pair while giving her the option to wear something lighter when it wasn’t freezing. “M... Berria,” she made herself say as she turned and padded to the bed, “I think I can, but I’ve got a lot of conditioning to overcome. I don’t know if you realize it, but when we’re about three years old, slaves go through a regimen where we’re ordered to bite or claw an overseer, then whipped within an inch of our life for the act itself if we obey, and just as badly for disobedience if we don’t. As long ago as that was, any time I think about my teeth and your flesh some part of me anticipates agony.”\n\n\tBerria frowned, “Hrmph... well, I can’t do anything about that ancient an abuse, but you didn’t seem to have trouble using your teeth, gently, on other parts of me last night! Just think about it like that... The pain is slight, and stimulating, so the only difference is the flavor of ‘juice’ you’re rewarded with.”\n\n\tThe vixen moved a clothes bag aside to sit on the bed beside her, musing softly, “I’ll just keep telling myself, you ordered this... I think I can do it, that way. Where on your ear do you want it?”\n\n\t“Along the outer edge about halfway up,” her owner replied, “so it will dangle nicely unless my ears are pointing straight up.” The mare half-turned to slip her arms around her slave’s soft fur, those glorious breasts pressing into her own, more modest pair through her robe, and she was very glad she hadn’t gotten around to putting on her underwear for the upcoming trip yet. A single layer of smooth satin separated their nipples, which wasn’t enough to keep all four points from firming up at the contact. Her slight shiver from the faint pleasure grew as that vulpine muzzle neared her ear, its breath warm and seeming impossibly loud this close, and she couldn’t quite restrain a whimper as Cin’s tongue slipped out to brush her ear’s sensitive rim. “Do it,” she whispered as the first touch of teeth made itself known, “please...”\n\n\tThe bite was far from painless, but cuddled up like this, anticipating it, wanting it, her soft squeal was marginally more aroused than protesting. She was panting as she shifted the hug to lean over her pet’s other shoulder, and she could smell herself through her robe when those teeth closed a second time. Letting go of the vixen, then, she slipped off the bed to pull her robe up and off, the slave’s eyes widening at the sight and scent of her obvious pleasure. “I know we planned to leave momentarily and have lunch on the road,” she panted, “but after that I’ve changed my mind. Just let me get the earrings into the new holes so we don’t waste your work... while you clear the bed so we can use it one last time. We’ll leave in the early afternoon.”\n\n\tCin moved immediately to obey, lifting aside the bundles crowding the bedspread, her voice husky as she murmured, “Yes... Mistress.”\n\n\tBerria had to smile at that deliberate ‘slip.’ The vixen had been bred and trained for just this sort of thing, and deeply enjoyed her service when it touched upon her specialty. She decided, then and there, to make no issue of forms of address where pleasure was involved, and simply lay back on the bed, earrings clinking faintly, to spread her legs.\n\n* * *\n\n\tCin was still getting used to riding. She’d occasionally been shuttled between auction sites and slave barracks by cart, and had otherwise used her own two feet the few times she needed to step beyond an owner’s front door, but a long lead-strap, coiled where it could extend at need on her newest, strangest owner’s saddle, helped a great deal as she got used to moving with the gait of the huge animal beneath her. Of course, fitting Berria’s former packhorse with a saddle did rather restrict what they could carry along, things like tents and sleeprolls left behind, but the money the king had given them, and the queen’s recollection of her long-ago trip and the inns along the way, presented a welcome alternative to camping. In the first small town they’d stopped in on that route, she’d been wide-eyed and aghast at the way everyone kept staring at her Mistress. Other than her horn, wasn’t she just another equine? Well, sure, she did eat meat, but the strangers being so rude couldn’t know that. As they settled into a small, comfortable room to start stripping off their rain-damp traveling cloaks, she (daringly, by her old standards) asked, “What is these people’s problem? It’s not like you’re bright purple or have six-inch fangs, but folks kept looking at you like you did.”\n\n\tBerria laughed as she draped her outerwear over a chair to dry out, “Such vivid images your phrasing brings to mind, my dear...” then sobered just a bit, “I suppose you couldn’t know. I hadn’t realized it myself, but a slave would be one of the very few types who’d see me without prejudicial baggage from their childhood. Here, let me drape that,” and she took the vixen’s cloak to keep working, “and let me explain those idiots on the street. A bit more than a thousand years ago, there was no such place as Unicorn Vale. My kind were spread all over the world, a little too spread. Our skills at whatever vocation calls us made us very much in demand for all sorts of things, and our employers were very reluctant to let us wander away from any particular job, so it was getting hard for our colts and fillies to find mates they weren’t related to. Those who could find mates had large families, but there were few enough such pairs that our population dwindled, and inbreeding was becoming a problem, here and there... while loneliness was a worse one. Finally, a young stallion with no hope to find a mare to call his own prayed a lament to Malia, and She sent Her clergy to try convincing the rich and powerful to permit their horned workers more freedom of movement. They refused. When they could prove infringement of citizen’s rights, those clergy turned to the courts, and the courts levied fines... which the rich simply paid then carried on with nothing changed. Finally, Malia got fed up and, in the space of a single hour, every single unicorn in the world vanished, and the unclaimed wilderness that’s now the Vale was surrounded by a shimmering light that no one could cross. That’s how it was for centuries to come, the Wall inviolate, the Vale a haven for my kind... but we were starting to stagnate like that. Too much protection can be an extremely bad thing, and it was at the figurative last minute that our culture was saved by opening it to the rest of the world once more, though with a bit more caution this time, like having an army of unicorn soldiers ready to enforce fair employment standards.”\n\n\tCin nodded as she shimmied into a translucent lounging robe, something like a Roxanite’s save for her wearing a slave collar instead of a religious necklace, and she had to smile at the way her owner watched the interesting jiggles from her contortion. “That explains the history, but not the stares,” she noted, just to get a distracted filly back onto the narrative.\n\n\tBerria blinked once, then nodded back, “That’s because I’ve covered our side of the story, but just think about it from the perspective of the rest of the races. The unicorns were gone, and children started growing up hearing stories about the wonderful workers that used to be there, but now weren’t. As those who’d actually seen or met unicorns died out, the stories kept getting passed along, but bore less and less resemblance to the rather unexciting truth. Stories... became legends, and the occasional bard looking for good fantasy-fodder only made it worse. Simply because we all have white fur, we started being associated in those tales with innocence or virginity. The concept of purity changed into a baseless story that our horns could purify poisons, while those horns’ vaguely phallic shape spawned the notion that ground unicorn horn could restore an old man’s virility. If you actually think about these ideas, they’re flatly ridiculous, but the legends had so long to become accepted fact that they tend to be in the forefront of other people’s minds the first time they meet one of us for real. Now, no matter what we tell the general public, our horns do have a power... but it’s slight, and subtle. If you touch my horn, I can sense your mind. Not enough to ‘read’ your thoughts, but I can tell whether you’re lying as well as get a general sense of any intentions you may have toward me.” She smirked broadly, “The few times you’ve brushed my horn while we played, all I picked up was your pure, honest lust and enjoyment, but you’re a vixen; I don’t need a horn to tell me that!”\n\n\tThe fox had to laugh, merrily, as she nodded, “I suppose that’s obvious enough... In bed, I’m the simplest creature in the world, wanting only to play until we’re both too tired to go on, then to sleep in your embrace, sated for the moment.”\n\n\tBerria nodded absently back as she shimmied out of her shift and bloomers, glancing at her reflection in the room’s small steel mirror. “Hmm... there was one thing Beckah didn’t say about these earrings she gave me, since she apparently assumed I’d use either both at once or just the right one.” Fishing her white dress out of a bag, she pulled it on, smoothed out a few wrinkles, and padded closer to the mirror, one finger wrapped around her left earring. That ear and her hand darkened first, fur fading through the shades of gray toward black, and the effect spread quickly down her body without so much as dimming her dress, but it wasn’t a simple muting of light. The archmage was much too subtle for that basic an effect... Her fur was still smoothly glossy, highlights from the setting sun streaming through the window showing yellowish in her coat, and her brows rose as she noted the point she’d been curious about, “It does make my horn black, too! Well, black and shiny...” She grinned over at her slave, “C’mon, let’s go down for supper. If they stared at a white unicorn, let’s see how they react to a black one, along with a ‘properly dressed’ pleasure slave.” Pausing only to double-check her pendant and tie on a white sash to hold her dagger and purse, she led the snickering vixen out of the room.\n\n\tThe rumble of a dozen or more conversations filled the common room as they stepped into it, but like a spreading wave they trailed off as the various diners and drinkers stopped to stare instead. Pouting as she stepped toward a pair of free stools at the bar, Berria asked whimsically, “What, hasn’t anyone seen a black unicorn before?”\n\n\tThe silence was broken only by her vixen’s faint titter, at least until one canid alone at a table for two, the sword belt and helmet on the other seat suggesting a night guard having breakfast before going on duty, pointed out, “No, ma’am. As far as I know, no one’s ever seen a black unicorn, and I’m pretty sure you were white when you came in.”\n\n\tThe mare chuckled, “Point... definitely a point. Anyway, the fur’s just an illusion, since I’m not really on any official sort of duty so didn’t wear my priestess’ robe, but I always thought I looked good in black anyway.” Turning to the bartender who was finally recovering enough to resume cleaning the mug in his hands, she asked, “Could we get two bowls of that squirrel stew I smell, a few rolls, and two ales?”\n\n\tBlinking a bit, the aproned cat put down the mug and padded toward the small hearth that kept the stew pot warm, musing, “Your... companion is also a bit odd, since not many folks in town can afford slaves and they wouldn’t come here for supper anyway. I may not have much to compare her to, but I doubt she was cheap, and no man here will complain about the view.”\n\n\tCin glanced to her owner with a question in her eyes, and got an encouraging nod before addressing the citizen directly, “I didn’t cost her a farthing. I’d been thrown away and sure I was about to die, so I started mouthing off to my betters. As it turned out, she finds that amusing enough to keep me breathing. For now.”\n\n\tThe off-duty guard stepped closer, still fastening his sword belt as he commented, “She may find it amusing... but I have to find the both of you rather suspicious. Followers of the dark, generally, aren’t encouraged to advertise their leanings, small towns like this aren’t used to women running around effectively naked even when justified, and, last I heard, unicorns were vegetarians, but that stew isn’t. Can either of you give me a good reason not to take you in for questioning on general principle?”\n\n\tBerria rolled her eyes, which just earned a sterner scowl from the dog, but answered promptly enough, “I can’t be particularly specific, but one ‘good reason’ is that it’d piss off a number of folks who you’d rather not irritate. King Keesanrel was there when I... ‘obtained’ Cin here. Yesterday, I had lunch with him and the queen. The earrings I’m wearing were made while I had breakfast with Archmage Beckah and Baron Jerek. Finally, I’d be a bit irritated if I had to use one of the royal pardons I’m carrying this soon after leaving Atheria City. My odd diet is already noted on the road pass I got at the Vale border, and I expected to get at least as far as Crown Port before being arrested. The closest thing to a ‘crime’ I’m currently committing... is shaking up the thinking of everyone I meet, you included. I’m simply tired of trying to pretend to be normal, and who knows what might come of people realizing that their world-view doesn’t cover everything? They might manage something amazing, just because they no longer think of anything as being impossible.” Dinner had been delivered while she spoke, so she grabbed her bowl and took a bite, then frowned as she swallowed, “Bartender... tell your cook that cloves don’t go with squirrel. Save them for the ham; he should have used garlic this time.”\n\n\tThe cat, to her surprise, smiled broadly, “Finally, someone noticed! Most of our regulars don’t care what’s in the stew as long as it’s filling and cheap, but the chef thinks I learned to brew ale just because I’d burn water if I tried real cooking. He may be right about me, but my sense of taste works fine, damn it! I’ll pass along the suggestion of a ‘prominent customer,’ and gladly.”\n\n\tBoth ladies giggled at that, but the guard was shaking his head, “Your... interpretation of people’s reactions may or may not have merit. All I see is someone running around advertising that they’re contrary, whimsical, and more than a bit evil, and that they’ve evidently been rewarded for it. I’m glad to hear that you’re just passing through; if you weren’t, pardon or no, I’d have to insist you do so. They don’t pay me enough to deal with the obviously insane, so I expect you to be on your way and out of this town before noon tomorrow.”\n\n\tBerria shared another glance with Cin, and they both rolled their eyes before digging into their meals without another glance at the trooper who was collecting his helmet on the way out.\n\n* * *\n\n\tAs they rode out of the town’s east gate, Berria had a chance to think about last night’s near-confrontation. The moment they’d finished dinner and returned to their room, Cin had doffed her quasi-robe and distracted her past all possibility of thought, and things hadn’t been much better before breakfast, though at least then they’d tried to be quieter about it for the comfort of any late-rising patrons in the other rooms. Only now, well-fed and with nothing but the road and horses for distractions, was the unicorn coming to realize just how close she’d come to being arrested, or at least held for questioning. In addition to the delay to her own travels, it would have been a disservice to her friends, as they were still close enough to the capitol that the captain of the town guard would probably simplify matters by sending for Pria to confirm things as Agent, an inconvenience the wolf didn’t need with two spouses and a child to occupy her.\n\n\tHer flighty, frivolous, whimsical act that night had been a needed catharsis after her years of struggling to stay discreet but suffering mass disapproval anyway, back in the Vale, but there was also the detail that these strangers weren’t the source of her troubles, and didn’t deserve the stress of dealing with her in flaunt-it mode. By the time she and her pet passed through another small town at a lazy walk to browse its marketplace, then, she’d reversed her enchantments, appearing as a plain white equine, with her pendant tucked under the neckline of a modest enough dress. She did get a few glances from both guards and citizens, showing more envy than suspicion, simply for owning an obvious high-end pleasure slave, but that sort of attention was no problem at all, and it gave the both of them something to snicker over once they were back on the road.\n\n\t“I think I’m finally getting the hang of this riding thing,” Cin remarked as the walls of Crown Port came into view. It was still chilly, a bit of a bite in the humid, salty breeze flowing in from the sea, but the day had dawned cloudless and sunny for a change.\n\n\tBerria chuckled, “At least with that horse, yes... but we’ll be selling this pair, probably at that stock yard I see on this side of the wall. Horses take a lot more room on a ship than people do, and it’s usually only animal traders with breeding stock or the wealthy who can’t be bothered with petty details who take them along. I can certainly afford to, but simply trying would attract more attention than we really need today. Once we’re back on dry land, you’ll get a better idea of your current horse’s quirks in retrospect while you get used to a new one.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, a faint frown on her muzzle, “I’m still... a bit ambiguous about leaving the country. My ‘act’ has been getting easier, just from practice, but there’s still a difference between pretending to be a belligerent slave and actually being a free woman who can behave as she pleases within the usual limits. Then there’s still your occasionally-dropped hint that you might kill me at some point... The fun we’ve been having, both in bed and at the public’s expense, has certainly been a lot more entertaining than what I expected when I went on duty in that club. I feel... repaid, for the unfairness of my old ma’am’s decree, so I don’t think I’d mind being sacrificed now. Balance has been attained, and I’m at peace. Your proposed change in my status, though, would throw me into fresh chaos.”\n\n\tHer owner nodded, her expression serious, “Think on that for a while yet, then. What do you want? Weigh your feelings in the few hours we have until the evening tide. If, by that time, you honestly believe you’d rather face the Fanged One’s heaven than mortal freedom, I’ll stay one extra night, find the local hidden temple, and kill you. Either option represents something of a wrenching change, and I’m leaving it in your hands which change you suffer. If you choose to live, I’ll never mention sacrificing you again; you’ll die of mishap or old age like any other woman, but you’ll have to live as a citizen for a long time yet.”\n\n\t“That will take some getting used to,” she nodded back, “particularly since I’d probably have to change my name. In those deep, private thoughts I shouldn’t have had, I rather liked thinking of myself as Cin the Sinner, Mistress of Naughtiness. Hmmm... don’t whores tend to assume a false, public name? In that sort of job, I could go by ‘Sin’ with the proper spelling... at least, once I learn how to read and spell.”\n\n\tBerria had to smile to herself; whether she realized it or not, on some deep level the slave had decided to live. “We’ll have a couple hours between lunch and checking for boats with the harbormaster,” she noted, keeping her conclusion to herself. “There’s usually at least one good second-hand shop in walking distance of the docks, since sailors often sell the damnedest things for drinking money. I’ll find you a children’s primer and start teaching you to read as we sail.” Reining in, then, she pointed to the pens of horses and cattle, two men already eyeing their mounts as they guessed her purpose there, “Let’s spend a few minutes on our gear, for now. I’ve got an idea for sort of half-rolling up our saddlebags with the long lead tether, into one big pack either of us can carry, while the other can manage the rest of our bags. Don’t take off the saddles themselves, though; they’re worth a few extra silver with the horses, and I doubt either of us would enjoy hauling them through the streets.”\n\n\tCin chuckled as she dismounted, much more gracefully than the first evening out of Atheria City when she’d landed on her well-padded rump in the dust, “I have to agree there. I hadn’t appreciated, until this moment, the convenience of having an animal to carry all our gear. I thought you were being overzealous in trimming down our load at the palace, but no, that was just foresight and greater experience showing, now that we have to carry it ourselves.”\n\n\tThe mare nodded as she started working a saddlebag free, “Just one more lesson, at least as important as the reading, for you to learn. Despite your duties, you were sheltered from more than weather in your old role. There are a great many details to a ‘normal’ life that you’ll need to learn.”\n\nChapter 5\n\n\tHer plain brown traveling cloak, donned while rearranging the luggage, served to keep Berria fairly average-looking... but the finely-wrought gold of her earrings, and her obviously-expensive slave, were enough of a discrepancy in the eyes of the gate’s senior lieutenant that she had to spend a few minutes in his office while he examined her road pass and the repeatedly-amended ownership document she’d gotten for Cin from the playclub’s records. Given her intent to leave the country, that pass was filed to be sent to the local earl’s archives and, in its place, she was issued a three-day visa as a traveling foreigner, which thankfully included her slave in the basic list of her possessions so she’d only have to deal with the single chit if questioned.\n\n\tDespite draconian rules about litter with some fairly major punishments associated, the closer they got to the harbor itself the worse the air smelled, a blend of dead fish, rotten trash whose dumpers hadn’t realized would just come back with the next tide, and the occasional waft of foulness where a sewer canal had frozen in place to back up the flow. It was a mild surprise, if logical on reflection, that the better restaurants along the waterfront invested heavily in incense, which added an odd aftertaste to the lunch the pair stopped for, but it certainly beat the alternative.\n\n\tAt the direction of a serving wench, their next destination was no formal office, but rather a stand of sorts, a large shack with an awning over a counter along an opening for the full length of the building’s landward side. Welcome warmth radiated from within, a large brazier burning at each end of the interior, and a sea mink with off-white, salt-frazzled fur climbed off of his stool to serve them as they approached.\n\n\t“We need basic passage for two to just about anywhere in Drachath,” Berria told him. “Speed is no great priority, but I’d like the trip to take less than a week, so long layovers are discouraged. If no one’s heading that way tonight, I’ve got two days to spare on my visa before things get complicated.”\n\n\tThe mink nodded, clearly pleased to have a customer who knew exactly what they wanted while leaving him room to juggle the details if needed, “Aye, ma’am, just lemme check a thing ‘r two.” His search through a large book and a sheaf of parchment sailing plans was interrupted by a commotion several piers south of the centralized office, and he leaned over the counter to peer with a frown, “Keelhaul me... not another one!”\n\n\tA motley assortment of sailors and guards were clustered on that pier, two longshoremen hauling up a net. Even at this distance, amidst the trash and fish they could see a hint of bright russet fur tangled with dirty white. “What... what is that?” the mare asked.\n\n\tThe seaman shook his head sadly, “It’s been happenin’ nigh two weeks now, lass... but that’s th’fourth or fifth kid they’ve fished out of th’harbor. Some of ‘em ain’t no more than babies, an’ the oldest they’ve found was ‘bout two years old. Every last one of ‘em was a meat eater, but that’s th’only clue anyone’s got, an’ even that could be a coincidence as there haven’t been many of ‘em yet. Nobody knows why they’re bein’ thrown in ‘r who’s doin’ it.”\n\n\tThere was really only one response any Sister could make... “I’ll be back another day,” she told the man. “I can’t leave quite yet, it seems.” At his confused blink and nod, she turned on her heel and started marching back inland with a visible determination that ignored her burden of bags.\n\n\tCin was clearly confused as she followed along, “Berria... Mistress, what does this have to do with us? You’re a priestess, not a constable!”\n\n\tThe mare shook her head, “I can’t discuss it here... but I’m slightly more than even you know. I took an oath to help with things like this. Now, all of the lodgings right here are simple bunkhouses for sailors; the real inns are another street or two back, so let’s find one.”\n\n\tThe inn she chose was only a marginal step up from those bunks, but it had the advantages of low prices and proximity to the sort of neighborhood no constable ever entered alone. If anyone had seen whoever had been killing children, they were probably on the dodgy side of the law themselves, and certainly wouldn’t be volunteering any information to the authorities. As they packed the clothes they were likely to immediately use into the room’s crude furnishings, and mindful of the thin walls in a building like this, Berria quietly filled her slave in on the Sisters of Order, what they stood for, and what some of the other members had done in the recent past. “I killed a man on my way to the city I found you in,” she concluded, “in my capacity as a Sister. He’d gotten acquitted for a crime he’d actually committed, so the law couldn’t touch him, but I could. That’s where the pardons I mentioned to that guard a couple nights back came from; the king’s wives are also members, and he’s prepared to forgive anything we do within the context of our oaths of service.”\n\n\tCin’s voice was awed as she nodded her acknowledgment, “I had no idea such an organization existed... but there’s a word for people like you. You probably won’t agree with it, but it’s the only title that fits... Hero.”\n\n\tThe priestess blinked hard, then shook her head, “You’re right, I don’t agree with that, and not only for the word’s gender-specificity. Another Sister, the one living most distant from us here, had a different phrasing for it... ‘All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’ Now, my murderous hobbies aside, I like to think I’m a fairly decent person, so what else could I do?”\n\n\tHer vixen smiled gently, “You could do what almost every other person in the world does... throw up your hands and say there’s nothing you can do. I mean, just look at it objectively... you’re in a strange town, with no contacts and no clues; the only thing you know is that the crimes are occurring, and that’s obviously even less than the guards who are trying to solve them. No normal person would insist on helping out in such circumstances, and that, Mistress, is what makes you a heroine.”\n\n\tBerria shrugged, “I’d argue the point, but I suppose it’s a title that can’t be self-bestowed, and if you see me as a heroine there’s nothing I can say to logically disprove it. Besides, it would waste time better spent on other things. I’ll be making a quick tour of the neighborhood just to familiarize myself with it and look for the best spots to hide from patrols or spy on others’ comings and goings from. You should probably stay behind for that, as the obvious conclusion people seeing us would come to is that you’re for rent and I’m your madame. I’ll also be putting on my black fur and robe to sneak around tonight with what I learn this afternoon, and I’m afraid you’re just a bit too soft to keep up... If you can think of some sort of exercise to do, perhaps eventually you can join me for this sort of outing.”\n\n\tCin didn’t look happy at her exclusion, but her grudging nod showed she understood the reasoning behind it, “My legs are good for more than looks... but you’re right about the rest of me. I’ll try some quiet push-ups and sit-ups while you’re out.”\n\n\tWaggling her brows in mock-lasciviousness, the mare cupped and hefted the slave’s heavy bosom through her robe, “Just be careful on the sit-ups, or you could bruise these on your knees. I don’t want them sore when I nuzzle them tonight before my outing.”\n\n\tCin rolled her eyes with an indulgent smile, “Those are the only reason my exercise may pay off more quickly than most. I’ve got built-in weights! You can play with them later; don’t you have an investigation to start?”\n\n\tLaughing softly, her owner let go with a nod and straightened her cloak on the way out, “Take care of yourself!”\n\n* * *\n\n\tA two-hour stroll hadn’t been nearly enough to fully explore the warren of the worst district inside the city walls, but it had certainly been educational. Berria had spotted no fewer than five of the subtle signs indicating one of Karnaal’s fences, and one crude brick wall had been even more subtly constructed so the faintly-lighter blocks, if one squinted just right, formed the inverted question mark indicating that a temple to the God of Lies was hidden nearby. It had been something of a relief to spot the fangs of her own Goddess scratched discreetly into a shadow-darkened rafter just half a block out of that particular district.\n\n\tObserving anyone in those dark and twisted alleyways wouldn’t be easy... so, fishing her pendant out of her dress, she stepped into one of the shops marked by a black rag. The fence there was a bit leery of her necklace, but a servant of his God’s ‘sister’ was certainly more welcome than the general public, and he finally agreed to sell her a small supply of a drug she’d heard of from another Sister that would heighten her senses as well as keep her awake at night. She couldn’t use it for more than two nights without risking addiction, but the man had charged her roughly twice its value anyway so she didn’t feel like wasting money on more of it. It was almost the right time for an early supper as she stepped out, so she tucked her illegal purchase into her bloomers and headed back to the inn.\n\n\tCin was flushed and slightly sweaty when Berria found her, resting on the bed, and despite it being the poorest cooking they’d yet encountered she devoured two large bowls of the common room’s stew. The priestess had to chuckle as she chased the dregs of the second bowl around with a slice of brown bread, “You’re serious about this exercise thing, if it left you with that sort of appetite...”\n\n\t“Mistress,” she quietly emphasized, “I don’t like your going out alone. I know I can’t help you, that I’d only be a hindrance and a liability, but the thought of what might happen to you out there with no one to watch your back is all the motivation I need to get stronger, strong enough to help. Yes, exercising that hard hurts, but when it’s for you, pain means nothing.”\n\n\tBerria swallowed a nibble of her own bread, her voice very serious as she murmured back, “Cin... there’s a big difference between a slave’s trained loyalty and the sort of attachment you’ve just admitted. I can’t buy devotion like that. I still plan to free you... but I swear to Kathalla that I won’t abandon you. Other than private or specialized business, for as long as you wish you may stay at my side.”\n\n\tThe vixen fought visibly to keep from bursting into tears, her heart in her voice as she whispered, “Thank you... Mistress.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria crept slowly across the rooftop, mindful of loose tiles and recognizing her own inexperience. Any thief worth the name would be moving two or three times as fast, but she’d never done anything quite like this before. The sound of voices grew as she neared another alley, and she paused, straining to hear past the faint ringing that vial of cloudy brandy had left in her ears. Only the occasional word or phrase drifted up; ‘roof man,’ ‘swag,’ ‘lookout.’ Frowning in the darkness, she eased herself around and crawled away. That was the second batch of thieves she’d found, in addition to three drug deals and what sounded like planning for a murder, but no one had mentioned children yet.\n\n\tDropping carefully into a more silent alley, she considered her options... It was getting late even for the night life, and it felt like her dose was starting to wear off, too. Turning east along the cramped passage, littered with broken and rotting shipping crates, she started easing her way toward the harbor; she could watch that for perhaps thirty or forty minutes, but unless she actually saw someone carrying a child-sized bundle, the night would prove a bust.\n\n\tThat drug helped her vision far more than her hearing; there was almost no time between her finally noticing the sound of breathing and the rise of a dimly-lit form to one side. “I don’t want to hurt you,” a quiet voice said, “but I can sense that you’re female and none too strong, and your outline suggests that you’re unarmed. All I want is a little money, not your life; please hand over your purse for both our sakes.”\n\n\tWhat moonlight managed to seep into the alleyway suggested a hint of white fur as Berria lunged, toward the strange voice, and she only barely kept from stumbling over his bedding as she pressed him against the wall, her left hand’s fingertips suddenly warm amidst his fur and several trickles of blood. “You picked the wrong woman to say that to,” she hissed. “What you’re feeling is a set of blades under my fingernails, and if I press even a little bit harder, I can reach right into your belly and pull out your guts.”\n\n\tThe pain of those small cuts was evident in the stranger’s voice as he stammered, “P-please... I only w-want to get out of this c-country before they find me! Please don’t k-kill me; you’re right that I made a mistake, and I won’t th-threaten you ever again!”\n\n\t“I’m here,” the unicorn half-whispered, “merely to investigate the dead children that have recently been dredged from the harbor. I have no interest in any other of the crimes this district is rampant with. In a moment you’ll feel something against your throat that you should consider to be a Truthstone, and all I want to know from you is whether you’re involved in those deaths. If you lie about it, you will die.”\n\n\tEven as her invisible horn settled against him where she could feel his pulse, racing with panic as it was, he gave his head a careful shake, “I haven’t ever killed anyone, children included... but there’s someone I suspect. Around here she’s called Nutswolf, or simply Batshit, because she’s crazy!”\n\n\tHe couldn’t see Berria’s surprised blink as she sensed pain, panic, and complete honesty from him, but she kept the pressure of her horn and blades constant as she replied, “Here’s what’s going to happen... I’m going to go back through this alley and proceed to the inn I’m staying at, and you are going to follow me. You won’t cry out, you won’t try to run, and you’ll make no move to harm me. Any failure to meet these conditions will see you bleeding out in one of your home’s fragrant gutters. Do you understand me?” and she curled her fingertips slightly for emphasis.\n\n\tThe man yelped as more of his flesh tore, and he nodded desperately, “Yes! I’ll follow you! Please don’t hurt me anymore!”\n\n\t“Good,” she muttered, then pulled away in a quick twirl to go back the way she’d come. With only the slightest hesitation and a glance toward the harbor as he weighed his chances, the stranger followed along, though he lagged behind enough to stay out of her reach while still making his cooperation and compliance clear. It took less than ten minutes, by a more direct route than her earlier wanderings, to reach the inn, and she stopped at the shuttered window where a single candle’s light seeped through. Rapping one bladeless fingernail against the wood, she murmured at just above a whisper, “It’s me, and a... guest,” before turning to the man in question, “You climb in first.”\n\n\tIn the slightly better light of this neighborhood, she could finally make out that he was some sort of canid in shape, dressed in many layers of ragged, torn clothes against the cold, and he swallowed visibly before nodding, “Yes, ma’am.”\n\n\tCin rubbed her eyes with one hand while lighting more candles with the other, clearly having been dozing by the window before waking to open it, and she peered curiously at the stranger as she completed her circuit of the room... He wasn’t just any canid; he was a wolf, and his dirty fur was pale enough to suggest it would be white if he were clean. “Mistress? Is this... is this the one who...”\n\n\tBerria shook her head as she closed the shutters again, “No, but he might know who did. Let’s see what we can do about the gashes in his belly, then ask a few questions.”\n\n\tThe man shook his head as he sank onto a crude chair, “No need, ma’am. Just... just give me a moment.” Both ladies looking on in confusion, he leaned back, laid both his hands over the bloody cloth at his midsection, and closed his eyes, brow furrowed in concentration, then an expression of even greater pain wrinkling his muzzle. Just short of two minutes later, he relaxed, opened his eyes, and managed a wry grin as he panted slightly, “Whatever you had on your fingers was very sharp. It cut cleanly, making it easy to fix the wounds; the biggest danger I was in was from infection from my own filth.”\n\n\tShaking her head in mild wonder, Berria sat on the edge of the bed to start turning off her enchantments, “You’re a healer... What’s someone with a gift like yours doing, living as you were? You should be in a fine house where people pay you good silver and gold for your aid, not living rough and waylaying shadowy figures for copper.”\n\n\tIt took the wolf a long moment to recover enough to reply, at first simply staring with bulging eyes at her suddenly-white fur and the spiral of her horn where it poked out of the slit she’d cut in her black robe’s cowl. Giving himself a shake, then, he looked down and murmured, “My name is Elaric... and mystic talents crop up fairly frequently in my family. You’ve probably heard of my uncle, the wizard who tried to single-handedly conquer Southwall, and nearly succeeded. That family and I, though, we... have a difference of opinion. I was never a willing part of their spying or other crimes, though I’m sure some of the documents I was given no choice but to courier were highly illegal. I didn’t like them, I didn’t want to help them, but even with something like your Truthstone, I couldn’t say I didn’t participate in their treason. The magistrates would insist that I should have delivered those packets to them, not their addressee, proving complicity enough on my part, but they don’t know... how much pain a wizard can make someone feel while keeping them alive and externally healthy. When someone finally managed to stop my uncle, I was thrilled, but cautious; I knew they’d be looking for his relatives even more intently than when my grand-uncle the duke fell from grace. I couldn’t even stick around to watch that torturing bastard hang; I threw whatever was handy into a bag, got on my horse, and fled. I couldn’t use my gift to make a living, as it would make me too prominent, too visible... but I didn’t really know how to do anything else, and my life’s been getting steadily worse for nearly a year now. I’ve sold everything of value I had, and begging on the wharfs doesn’t pay well enough to even eat reliably. I only accosted you, ma’am, because my healer’s senses suggested you weren’t much of a threat, and I was getting desperate...”\n\n\tThe unicorn didn’t need her horn to see the honesty in his eyes, to hear the hope in his voice that someone might finally listen to and believe him... “I understand,” she finally murmured, “why you want out of Atheria... and I was planning to take a ship to Drachath, myself. Help me find this child-killer, and I’ll take you with me. I still don’t agree with the methods you were driven to, as robbing someone you thought was helpless sounds a lot like your uncle’s way of doing things, but if you can aid my mission I’ll do what I can to help you start your life over.”\n\n\tHer guest shook his head, “If you’d been as helpless as I thought, and carrying a heavy purse, I’d have left you unharmed and with your gold, taking only two or three coppers. I’m not evil, just... hungry.” Glancing up, he quirked a brow, “And besides, I always thought unicorns were fairly gentle, peaceful creatures. You really would have ripped my guts out with your bare hand, though, wouldn’t you have?”\n\n\tHer vixen giggling softly, Berria simply smirked and made sure he could see the little blades she was plucking out from beneath her nails, “I’m probably the most evil good person you’ll ever meet. Yes, I occasionally solve or avenge crimes against the innocent, but I do it my way, and I would have enjoyed the feel of your entrails in my grasp.” There were still a few hours before winter’s late dawn, so she started getting ready for bed, taking off her earrings and setting them aside, but she made sure to face Elaric as she took off her necklace. “I’m a priestess of Kathalla,” she told the wide-eyed wolf, “and every rumor you’ve heard about my kind is probably at least partially true. I kill people, I enjoy it, and I frequently eat at least part of them afterwards.”\n\n\tThe wolf nodded slowly, then paused, blinking as he looked to Cin, “I know you mostly do that to slaves... but surely you wouldn’t kill this beautiful vixen!”\n\n\tFingering her collar with a grin, Cin shook her head, “No... she swore to her Goddess to keep me as a lover. I would follow her anywhere, do anything she asked, even if she asked me to die, because she’s the best Mistress, and the best person, I’ve ever known. When we get to Drachath I’ll be a free woman, but, collar or no, I’ll always be hers.”\n\n\tNodding with a chuckle of her own, Berria slipped out of her robe and sat on the bed to work her boots off in just her skimpy shift, “For tonight, since you’ve had just a bit more rest than me, I ask that you keep my dagger nearby, and if you hear Elaric trying to leave and I’m still asleep, stab him a few times for me, would you dear?”\n\n\tPicking up the sheathed blade that she’d once been certain would take her own life, the vixen nodded, “Yes, Mistress,” then glanced over to the wolf. “Let’s get a bedroll spread out for you... We’ll see about getting you cleaned up in the morning; as you are now, you stink too much to let anywhere near our bed.”\n\n\tNodding wryly, Elaric agreed, “In my hypothetical robbery, I’d have stolen two coppers for food... and one for a bath. I’m not enjoying my... aroma any more than you are.”\n\n* * *\n\n\t“There she is,” Elaric murmured. The trio was peering out of the very alley he’d previously called home, watching a perfectly average-looking wolf in her late teens stringing up damp laundry to dry. “Don’t let her semblance fool you... as it has so many passers-by. I pity her, really... She suffered two very different pressures, both extreme, and the combination broke her mind. The few times I was close enough to, I could sense something wrong in her brain. Her father, before he drank himself to death, frequently ranted to her about how wolves are the best of all species’, how they’re at the top of the food chain, and stronger, and smarter, and just about any other form of superiority you could name. The second trauma... was when she was fourteen, got pregnant, and miscarried. I wasn’t here at the time, but it’s agreed that it was a perfectly natural accident, that time. Now, she’s obsessed with the concept of breeding up more ‘superior’ wolves. She’s been using herbs to go into heat three or four times a year, and she can usually find some lupine who doesn’t know her who’s happy to take a willing bitch, knowing that he’ll be gone on the next tide so any pups are her problem, not his. She’s tried her tricks on me a couple times... but I’d been warned. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, getting away from her when her scent made me want to stay. Once she finds someone and gets pregnant, though, she has no patience, and keeps trying different drugs or herbs or diets, anything she thinks might make her child grow faster, with the fairly predictable result that she keeps losing them.”\n\n\tBerria nodded beside him and whispered, “Sounds like a mess, alright... What makes you think she’s also a murderer, though?”\n\n\tThe white wolf, much whiter now that he’d bathed, and wearing one of Cin’s clean, spare robes since he was only two inches taller than her, grimaced, “Illnesses of the mind are rarely static... They evolve, the sufferer’s traumas playing upon each other, forming new, bad connections... Many customers of her laundry service have mentioned her muttering about ‘competition,’ about folks ‘unworthy to call themselves predators.’ In what passes for logic in her mind, it’s a fairly short leap from improving wolves’ lot by breeding more of them, to simply reducing the number of non-wolves around, and she still has her obsession with babies clouding the mix. The little ones would be an obvious target, to her.”\n\n\tNodding again, the mare straightened, “I’m mostly convinced, though I’ll check before taking action. You two stay here. If... if we’re separated, just go back to the inn, and I’ll be back to join you soon enough. I promise.” Vixen and wolf both looked a bit confused at her phrasing, but she focused instead on the laundry girl, stepping out of the alley and walking right up to her. “Have you been... culling your inferiors lately?” she asked in a direct appeal to the neuroses she’d been told of.\n\n\tThe bitch looked up with a blink, then smiled brightly, “Why, yes! I’m sure you can appreciate that, as prey, wishing to fall to only the best... Are you here to offer me your throat? I must admit to curiosity, as I’ve never had a unicorn, but horses are certainly good meat.”\n\n\tShrugging with apparent nonchalance as the innocent-looking girl failed a very important test, Berria mused, “Might as well. I mean, we’ve all gotta go sometime, right? Why wait until I’m too old and stringy to enjoy?”\n\n\tDropping a bundle of wet shirts back into the laundry tub, the wolf’s smile was warm as she leaned close, “Thank you, and this will be quick.”\n\n\t“That it will,” the mare agreed in a much harder voice, one hand darting up to grab the wolf’s own throat, holding her half hunched over as her other hand brought up the gleaming curve of her dagger. A peasant dress and a couple layers of linen shifts were no barrier to that edge, stabbing up through her lower belly then ripping up ‘til it hit her ribcage. Blood fell like rain around a torrent of entrails, steaming in the cool morning air, and even with the grip at her throat the girl screamed. Reversing her dagger and dropping it into her brown cloak’s sleeve, Berria reached through the gaping wound and slightly to one side, finding the slick, oblong shape of a kidney and getting a good grip before tearing it free. Any of the ‘filter’ organs, she knew, had enough blood flowing through them to guarantee that the loss would be fatal, but it wouldn’t be nearly as quick as that stallion in Atheria City had bled out. Dropping the organ and letting go of her throat, the unicorn spun away, letting her victim fall into a whining, writhing heap atop her own intestines. With the ‘insurance’ of that lost kidney, there was no way a healer could save her in time; she’d be dead in another minute or two, and in agony the whole time.\n\n\tGuards had started running in from the both directions along the narrow street at the sound of the first scream, and they arrived, swords drawn, to find a unicorn of all things, a smile on her face and her cloak splattered with blood, one of her hands completely red as she calmly sheathed her dagger.\n\n\t“Do any of you,” the suspect asked, “have a signature verifier on you, for official documents? This woman... is the one who’s been throwing children into the bay, and was also in the process of trying to kill me when I... returned the favor. I’ll need to speak directly to either your earl or the highest military commander of the city, and the fact that my earrings are signed like an official warrant would be is the first step in getting that meeting.”\n\n\tTwo lieutenants exchanged a glance, then one of them replied with a hint of hesitancy, “I have something like that in my office... We’ll see how much of your story checks out there, but for now,” and he straightened up, “you’re under arrest for assault... no, murder. I think that girl just stopped breathing. Please surrender your knife and any other weapons you might have, and come with me; you seem cooperative enough for the moment, so we’ll skip the manacles, unless you try to run or touch a weapon after you’re disarmed.”\n\n\tChuckling, she held her dagger out hilt-first, “This is all I have on me... but it was enough this time.”\n\nChapter 6\n\n\tElaric was walking as if half numb as he followed Cin back toward the inn, muttering, “I can’t believe it... either part! She just walked up and gutted Batshit like a fish, then stood around to let the guards arrest her!”\n\n\tThe vixen’s voice was like no slave’s he’d ever heard; it was firm, husky with the echoes of barely-restrained passion as she insisted, “My Mistress... is an amazing person in so many ways. Did she look worried about the constables? Though she’ll deny it to anyone who asks, she’s a heroine, greater than any of the heroes in the tales I overheard my old Master reading to his children. She’s no great warrior, or thief or mage or anything else of the sort, but she knows herself as few people do. Her spirit is indomitable; she’ll never turn a blind eye to true evil, and never hesitate in dealing with it as it deserves. That’s her job; she’s a Sister of Order, sworn to the good of the common man wherever she may roam. She promised she’d return, and her very confidence is why she will. A hero always comes home...”\n\n\tThe wolf nodded slowly as he walked, managing to relax enough to show a hint of lupine grace once more, “I... I think I envy you, that she’s let you see that spirit of hers to that degree. I look forward to getting to know her better, even if it’s only for a few days on a ship, and I think my life will be the poorer for having known her and parted ways, however much better it may be in other ways once I’m truly free.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria did her best to maintain her pleasant, cooperative demeanor as she was led to yet another office. The lieutenant had sent her to his watch captain, who’d shuffled her to a naval commodore, but if she was reading the lettering on the office door right, she was about to meet the high admiral of the Atherian navy. It didn’t help her patience that the captain had ordered her shackled for the ‘safety’ of the other officers.\n\n\tThe silver-muzzled, elderly wolf who was gazing through the window at the sea glanced up at the clink of chains, frowning faintly as he took in the two militia sergeants flanking the door as their obviously-harmless prisoner took a seat on her own volition. Swiveling his larger chair around, he folded his hands on his desk, “So, Berria, as a rather odd report names you... they tell me you have something to say to me, that will somehow magically absolve you of murder, or convince us that a harmless laundry girl was in fact a multiple murderer herself. I’ve seen and heard a lot of things in my time, but this should impress even me if you can manage all that.”\n\n\tHis prisoner simply smirked, “Oh, no magic... just documentation. At your rank and in your position, I know that you hold a copy of the Red Files. Contingency plans, emergency procedures, things that not even you know the contents of until the time is right. Well, it’s time for you to open the file labeled S. O. One. I believe you’ll find quite the interesting document in there about me, and it’s in the context of my role as described there that I investigated the seamy underside of the city, found an informant who knew who was most suspect, then questioned her. She effectively confessed before I exacted punishment on the spot.”\n\n\tFrowning slightly, the admiral pried himself out of his chair and stepped over to lift down a large painting from the wall, behind which was an iron door. As he fished a key out of his pocket to open it, he rumbled, “Very few people know that the Red Files even exist... and even fewer would know one by name. The first test of your hinted authority will be whether there even is one labeled... oh.” One quadrant of the safe’s contents consisted of parchment envelopes dyed bright red, and he’d just, indeed, found one with ‘SO1’ on it in royal purple ink. Extracting that one and putting the rest back, he left the door open for a moment to return to his chair and start leafing through its contents, “Elaria, Stalya, wait, Queen Serra?!? Great Gods... ah, here we are, Berria.” He read in silence for a long moment, then flipped back to the cover page describing the Sisters in general and his official, standing orders should one reveal herself to him, then looked up to address the guards, “Unchain this young lady at once. She is free to go, and you can tell the watch colonel that the case of the drowned babies is closed. If a Sister of Order says she knows who did it, and that person is dead, continuing the investigation would be a religious and diplomatic insult of the first order.” Turning back to the mare, he smiled faintly, “I apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience we’ve inflicted upon you this day, but I’m sure you realize that it was necessary, given the secrecy of your rank. If any lesser authority could easily find out who and what you are, it wouldn’t stay a secret for long.”\n\n\tHolding her hands to one side so the sergeant could unlock her shackles, Berria nodded with a smile of her own, “I do understand... My only worry, this day, was that a ‘lesser authority’ might refuse to escalate my case as high as I needed, in which case my fallback plan was to tell them where I’m staying so they could take my possessions into custody, where they’d find a royal pardon with my name on it.”\n\n\tThe old wolf’s smile broadened, “Exactly the sort of sound strategy I’d expect, from the sort of woman this file describes.” He started repacking the envelope to return to the safe, “In any case, thank you very much for your service to this great city. Parents of young cubs were living in agonizing terror as they kept vanishing, and my officers had been beset by frantic mothers just because someone was a few minutes late getting home. I’m glad we can put that all behind us, now. You are free to go, while I must have a word or two with these soldiers about what might befall them if they breathe a single word of what they’ve seen and heard here, today...”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria had barely opened the door to her room when she was almost bowled over by an ecstatic Cin, the vixen planting kisses all over her face and neck. She angled her muzzle to catch her pet’s after the ninth or tenth peck, locking lips with her for a long, deep, proper kiss, then slipped an arm around her waist to pull her fully into the room, musing with a smile, “I told you I’d be back... I’ll need to catch a late lunch downstairs, as I missed mine while arguing with officers, then we can get around to that book shopping I didn’t get to yesterday. We can catch a ship tomorrow, the last day my visa’s good for. ”\n\n\tBoth of her companions nodded, Elaric commenting, “Cin was certain you’d return... but she certainly seems happy to be proven right. Confidence or no, this wasn’t the easiest wait for either of us.”\n\n\tThe priestess gave her vixen another squeeze, “I know... My only regret about the whole situation was making my lover wait, wondering if I was alright.”\n\n\tCin didn’t seem to want to let go, now that her Mistress was back, her voice on the verge of tears, laughter, or both as she returned the hug, “I won’t worry nearly so much, next time... but you have to admit, this time was a bit more serious than you simply stepping out to explore! Obviously, you found one of the high officials you insisted that first guard take you to. I’m... I’m glad,” and she leaned in to kiss her again.\n\n\tTheir lupine guest chuckled, “So am I... and not just for your return. I’m happy to have played some part in ending a horror in this town; it makes me feel less like a beggar or refugee, and more like a man. A life without accomplishment is no life at all, really...”\n\n\tChuckling as well, Berria shook her head, “I’d argue that it’s a life without satisfaction that’s empty. You can do things that others value but still bore yourself to tears, and that’s what I want to avoid. Now, I’ll grab a quick bowl of stew here, but we should also plan to shop for meat pies and travel rolls tomorrow, and some clothes and something to carry them in for Elaric, since he can’t go borrowing a woman’s robe forever. The food is because we can’t tell just what kind of ship we’ll be on; its galley could end up being even worse than this inn’s kitchen, which is a risk I’d rather not take. There’s no real rush on any of these plans except my own, immediate hunger, but we shouldn’t dawdle either. We should have plenty of time to get everything done before tomorrow’s evening tide, but we dare not miss it, and I’ll be going white but hornless just to avoid confusing the sailors.”\n\n\t“Wise as ever, Mistress,” Cin agreed with a grin as she let go and opened the door again..\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria frowned at the passenger cabin as the deck hand who’d led them to it returned to duty. It was, she knew, fairly generous for a merchantman where the bulk of the internal volume was dedicated to cargo, but she’d been at least expecting bunks. The room was only about six feet deep, but it was twice that long, a sturdy-looking cot set up at each end and hooks set into the walls to support hammocks that they didn’t have. A half-remember story surfaced, and she glanced at the legs of the cots, then turned to her roommates, “Looks like those are a rarity for naval furniture, as they’re not bolted to the floor. Neither is large enough to sleep two, so I was thinking we could fold them up and just lay out sleeprolls. If we tuck spare robes or cloaks between the blankets, we can turn one end of the cabin into a single large bed that won’t be too uncomfortable.”\n\n\tElaric nodded with a frown of his own, “I’d been about to suggest that I take a bedroll on the floor and you two use the cots. I’m sort of extra baggage on this trip, after all.”\n\n\tThe unicorn shook her head, “Neither of us would like sleeping apart, but we couldn’t put the cots together either. Their rods would make a most uncomfortable lump in the middle, and there’s too much chance of sliding them apart in the night and one of us falling through. We could fold one cot, I suppose, and share the floor while you use the other one...” She glanced over to Cin, “Or should we stick with the big bed plan for all three of us? He cleaned up well enough that I wouldn’t mind. What about you?”\n\n\tThe wolf blinked in mild shock as the vixen looked him up and down, her tongue peeking out as it slid across her lips. He’d already been surprised at just how many, and how good of, clothes the pair who owed him nothing had bought on his behalf. The snug breeches and loose blouse he was wearing was one of the most comfortable outfits he’d ever had, and in his large knapsack were more, along with two white robes for when he started practicing as a healer again. He knew he cut a fairly fine figure, dressed as he was... but it had never been his looks that noble girls had been after him for. These two, though, were judging by simple lust, with no thought of the political connections he’d been pursued for before his family’s fall.\n\n\tThe slave nodded to her Mistress, “I wouldn’t mind either. Your fingers are skilled, and your tongue is frankly huge by vulpine standards, but knots are fun too. I heard the captain’s warning that we should stay either in the cabin or well out of the way on the foredeck... As long as we keep the portholes open during the warmer hours of the day to keep the room aired, there are certainly better ways to pass the time than just sit around watching the coast slip by.”\n\n\tBerria nodded back, “Well, we should spend some time doing that anyway... since fresh water is limited to drinking on the ship. We won’t be able to bathe until we make port. If we spend the entire trip having sex, fresh air or no, we’ll be fairly rank and probably itching in uncomfortable places by that time. Besides, we still have reading lessons to see to as well.” Moving farther into the cabin, she set down her burden of bags and packs and started extracting blankets, “Fold up those cots and lean them against the hull, would you, Elaric?”\n\n\tThe healer was briefly amused, as he worked, by the minor detail that neither lady had asked his opinion of the proposed sleeping arrangements... but their assumptions, however high-handed they might be, were accurate enough. Both women were older than him, the slave only marginally, but each was certainly attractive in her own way, and it had been long enough since he’d had even an insincere lover that he’d have accepted an offer from far worse than these two.\n\n\tIt didn’t take long for the ladies to set out one large blanket, a layer of spare clothes, their three narrow sleeping pads side by side, and two more blankets, one to smooth out the rest of the nest and another to sleep under. Even as she latched the cabin door then reached for the ties of her cloak, Berria commented, “Remember the horn, both of you. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there, and I don’t want anyone skewering themselves while changing positions, even if we do have a healer handy,” and she grinned at the wolf before hauling her travel-wear up and off.\n\n\t“Actually,” Elaric rumbled, reaching for his own blouse ties, “I have a confession to make on that subject, one that I never told my family or they’d have tried to get me to use the one unique aspect of my gift for evil...” Both ladies looked curious as they continued taking off their layers of winter clothes, and Cin’s bosom was particularly distracting as it moved with her contortions, but he made himself continue, “Any healer can be fed by a mage, vastly increasing their abilities. Everyone has that sort of power in them, but it’s like a muscle, getting stronger with exercise, so healers or wizards have effectively more than ordinary people. There’s something about my gift, though, that may or may not be unique, but my tutors never once mentioned it even as a possibility, so at the very least it’s incredibly rare... I can take power not just from the magically inclined, but from anyone, with or without their consent. I know it will leave them tired; I think it might leave them comatose, or even dead, if I kept taking and taking... but, for as long as we travel together, I felt you should know about the possibility in case one of us is injured. Even a mortal wound, if I start stabilizing it with my own internal energy while you gather a large crowd of regular folks for me to draw on; I’d have a good chance of saving someone who no other healer would dare try to help.”\n\n\tBerria’s eyes were a bit wide as she nodded, “Thank you for trusting us with that secret... and, while I know a great deal about powers of all sorts, you’re right in how rare you are, as I’ve never heard of the possibility either. Healing has always been a very specific, specialized gift, but what you have could also be used as a weapon.” She paused to ease down her bloomers, catching sight of the vixen behind her staring and licking her lips, and grinned at her from between her own legs before looking up again, “For now, though, powers are unimportant. We’ve got better things to focus on, so drop the breeches, puppy!”\n\n\tThe wolf blinked, then smirked as he sat down to peel off his pants. “You’ll need a different endearment,” he mused wryly, gesturing at the erection that had just been waiting for release from its confinement to fully firm up, “as this is not the tool of a cub!”\n\n\tBoth ladies’ eyes widened at the swelling shaft. He wasn’t quite as big as the only other wolf Berria had seen ‘in action,’ the legendary Sir Ferrl, but he was still distinctly above-average even by lupine standards at ten inches counting his knot, and the shaft proper was not thin. Cin licked her lips more blatantly, one hand dipping almost unconsciously to stroke her own groin, and she practically purred, “Mistress... can we keep him? That looks delicious, in more ways than one...”\n\n\tNodding absently, the unicorn couldn’t stop staring, “If... if he’ll let us. My kind may be built to take stallions, but I’m going to need a bit of practice to fit all of that in comfortably.” Wrenching her gaze upwards, she grinned to him directly, “And your point is well taken. You’re no puppy, alright! You are a pure and virile wolf!” She patted the blanket next to her, “Come, join us, and let’s see what that beast of yours can do...”\n\n\tThere was no sign of the frightened beggar-turned-robber Berria had met in that dark alley, now. A young man faced with two naked, ready females knew exactly what to do, and he eased down between them, leaning to one side to nuzzle his way between Cin’s breasts while a hand reached the other way, cupping one of the mare’s smaller teats in passing before stroking down her soft-furred belly, a happy sigh escaping her muzzle as she spread her thighs a bit. Neither of the ladies were inexperienced themselves, though, and their hands bumped as they both reached for his cock, eliciting two giggles and a barked laugh.\n\n\t“I get it first,” Berria said huskily, arching her hips to stroke her moist folds against his exploring fingers.\n\n\tHer pet pouted, but nodded, “Then I get his muzzle.” Four hands eased Elaric onto his side, the mare curling up against his belly with her rumpcheeks around his shaft, while the vixen felt around to be sure of where her invisible horn was, then eased one leg under the wolf’s neck, working her inflamed petals closer to the tongue that was already licking his lips in anticipation. Berria hissed in satisfaction as that blunt head nudged up against her mound, squirming a bit until the angle was just right, then bit her own lip as she eased back and felt herself being stretched open.\n\n\tElaric’s own sigh of pleasure lasted only a second before being muffled by Cin’s sex, but he wasn’t about to complain; instead he licked firmly, parting her folds to savor her fragrant nectar from its very source, and her thrumming murr seemed to warm the cabin’s air a bit more by itself. Their positions made thrusting a challenge, but it was one he was up to, pressing in until his hips met Berria’s rump then withdrawing, and the mare only added to her slave’s sounds of pleasure as she bent forward far enough to capture a nipple between her lips, gently suckling as a happy shiver ran through her own body.\n\n\tAs pleasant an experience as their interlocked, writhing bundle of bodies were, all three were privately thinking of better positions for future times, at least when thought was possible; the wolf’s broad tongue and thick shaft, as well as the unicorn’s snug, moist, and faintly fluttering passage, that last detail just getting ‘worse’ as her pleasure rose, all did as they were intended, and it wasn’t long before three muffled cries of pleasure got buried in the blankets, Elaric’s restrained howl last of all, and he finally pulled his muzzle out from between Cin’s thighs to blink, “That was good... but it felt like the whole ship lurched. Is vertigo a common side-effect of sleeping with unicorns?”\n\n\tChuckling from the vicinity of her pet’s cleavage, Berria shook her head, “No... that was just a coincidence. We just slipped the moorings and are underway.”\n\n\t“Ah!” he nodded, extracting himself from russet thighs to sit up, “and a lovely way it was to start a voyage, too... if a bit awkward. I think, for future play, we should declare one or the other of you a sandwich, and simply keep you occupied at both ends in a straight line, rather than this tangle.”\n\n\tCin nodded with a bright smile, “I was thinking the same thing! ‘specially since it’d be my turn to be the one in the middle for a proper stuffing while I lick your seed out of Mistress’ depths... just as soon as you recover.”\n\n\tElaric smirked, reaching down to cup a hand around his half-softened sex and his eyes sinking closed to slits for just a few seconds before his dusky flesh twitched and started firming up again. “There are benefits,” he rumbled in something between amusement and lust, “to being a healer, already used to effectively accelerating a body’s recovery process for normal wounds. If it weren’t for the issues we already raised about hygiene and smell, I could go, quite literally, all day long.”\n\n\t“If we get somewhere where you can, I’ll have to ask you to prove that someday,” Berria nodded even as she disentangled herself from him to take her new position at the head of the nest-like ‘bed,’ “but for now...”\n\n\tWolf and vixen grinned almost identically as they got into line, and once again words became superfluous.\n\n* * *\n\n\tHer companions already settling down to sleep, Berria climbed the narrow steps to the deck for a breath of brisk sea air before her own rest. The night lamps of the ship were bright, needing to be seen even through fog to avoid collisions with other vessels, so she had no trouble maneuvering around the masts and rigging to the foredeck she’d been told to use, settling onto the weathered planks next to one of the night watchmen of the crew.\n\n\t“Evenin’, ma’am,” the otter greeted her cordially enough.\n\n\tThe mare nodded, “A good evening to you, too, sailor,” then turned to the right, no, starboard she mentally corrected herself, rail to watch the distant lights of a coastal town move slowly to the aft. She sighed softly, “I’ll have to come up here during the day, tomorrow... I never realized how lovely a sea voyage could be, even at night, and I’m sure it would be even better under the sun.”\n\n\tThe deck hand nodded, a faint smile on his whiskered muzzle, “Aye... Ye’ve got that right, an’ ye probably don’ know th’half of it. Th’sea, she c’n be treacherous if ye turn yer back on ‘er. Reefs, crosstides, pirates, e’en an unexpected gust sendin’ ye over th’side, only constant vigilance’ll keep ye hale an’ sound... but a calm eve like this, th’salt in yer nostrils an’ the waves gently lappin’ at th’hull, this makes it worth all th’rest.”\n\n\t“It’s certainly peaceful,” she agreed, then tilted her head, “Wait... I hear splashing, more solidly than those ‘gentle waves,’ and... squeaks? Clicks?”\n\n\tChuckling, the sailor stood, legs wide as he easily compensated for the roll of the ship, and beckoned her to follow as he moved toward the very front railing, “Ye’ve never heard dolphins at play? They like t’swim alongside ships, as a lot of what we call trash they call a good snack, an’ ‘tis considered a good omen to have ‘em with ye on a voyage.”\n\n\tFollowing him a bit more carefully, as she still hadn’t quite found her sea legs, Berria got a good grip on the railing then leaned over to look down. Her eyes widened at the lamp-lit sight; sleek, slick gray forms, slightly lighter on their undersides, were surging from the foamy wake where the keel cut the water, bigger than any fish she’d ever seen and frequently crossing each other with an extra thrust from their strong tailfins. They were playing, she realized, and the odd sounds they made, once she’d heard them for a while, seemed an awful lot like laughter. “Fish... that play games. If you’d described them to me before tonight, my good man, I’d have called you a liar to your face. This is... amazing, and thank you for showing it to me.”\n\n\tSmiling, the otter shook his head, “They ain’t fish, not exactly; they breathe air, through those holes in th’top of their domes, an’ I’m told they ain’t built like a fish inside, but I’ve never seen fer m’self. ‘tis mortal bad luck t’hurt one of ‘em, an’ ye’d not want t’scare off th’rest anyway. Y’see, if a sailor goes over an’ there’s dolphins about, they’ll save ‘im, pushin’ ‘im up to keep ‘is head above water, an’ lettin’ ‘im hold their fins as they drag ‘im back to th’ship, ‘r toward shore if he’s wrecked in open water.” Reaching for a bucket on the deck she hadn’t noticed, he pulled out a small fish and tossed it toward the playful group, one graceful form leaping in a perfect arc to catch it in their beak four feet before it touched the water. His passenger simply staring, the sailor grinned, “We always try t’keep a treat or two for ‘em, as there’s many a good seaman who owes his life t’phins just like those.”\n\n\tBerria smiled and nodded once more, “Again, my thanks. I go now to my rest, with my sense of wonder refreshed. There is always more to this world than we presently believe, something new and amazing to touch our hearts and souls and remind us how lucky we are to be alive.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tAs they were waking up and getting dressed, an activity frequently delayed by a grope or quick lick at any tempting piece of anatomy their cramped-quarter contortions offered, neither of her companions believed a word of her description of the playful dolphins. That, of course, led to her insisting that they dress warmly enough for a winter picnic, and they dragged one of their bags of provisions up to the foredeck to dine. The wind was a bit fitful, with frequent, small adjustments needed to the triangular sails amidships, and the wheel deck to the aft was also busy, but the combination only proved the logic behind the captain’s orders. The three landlubbers, out of the way at the prow, were able to avoid interfering with the seamen as they sat and ate, all eyes rapt on the energetic creatures escorting the ship.\n\n\tThe pod of dolphins thinned a bit as the trio ‘cleaned up’ by tossing their scraps over the side. Some of that food, of course, the larger creatures ate, but mere crumbs were snatched up by smaller fish... who, naturally, were eaten in turn by the dolphins themselves. By the light of the clear winter day the travelers could see a fair depth into the water, and they all had a laugh at the multi-stage meal taking place beneath the waves.\n\n\tBetween the wildlife and the distant shoreline, fishing villages looking like a child’s toys at this range, the mismatched group stayed entertained until it was time to eat again, small meat pies and rolls baked with winter berries dug out again along with a skin of cider. The somewhat worn stomach of a cow, sealed at one end and corked at the other, lent an odd tang to the lightly-fermented juice, but that fermentation itself was vital for any beverage that had to stay potable for days or weeks. Unless a source of fresh water was available that could be absolutely trusted, those of large cities employing their local mages to keep it clean, the drinks of even children were mildly alcoholic for simple safety, and things like that cider were mild enough that none of the threesome were even slightly inebriated as they climbed back down the stairs to enjoy themselves in play and lessons for the rest of the afternoon. Though the season remained late winter, Elaric in particular, having been born the farthest north of all of them, could feel it getting gradually warmer as they sailed south. Even with the porthole windows open to keep the air fresh, they were more than warm enough as they made love atop the blankets in their cabin, before closing them to cracks and cuddling up beneath a single blanket to share the warmth of their bodies throughout the night.\n\nChapter 7\n\n\tElaric gave each of his new ‘friends’ a kiss as he tied the sash of his robe, but didn’t linger in the cabin. Both the vixen and the disguised unicorn often woke up feeling playful, which had certainly been pleasant to take advantage of on other mornings, but he’d made himself a promise last night while they clung to each other as the ship rolled and bucked. He spotted the first mate on deck as he climbed into the open air, and had to smile as the man paused and blinked. “Yes,” he confirmed, “I’m a healer... and I wanted to see if my services might be required. I won’t ask for a farthing, instead considering it fair repayment for how you and the rest of the crew got us safely through the storm last night. There are bound to be a few bruises and scrapes I can help with, or at least make sure they don’t end up infected.”\n\n\tThe muscular rabbit nodded thoughtfully, “Aye, we’ve a cut or two from last night’s excitement... but mayhap it’d be better if you held off.” He gestured in a wide arc, “These be the most dangerous waters of yer trip, and there might be something a mite more serious for you to deal with before we’re through.”\n\n\tBlinking curiously, the wolf peered around. Instead of the open ocean with land to starboard they’d enjoyed watching for the first three days, now there seemed to be a small or medium island almost everywhere he looked.\n\n\t“If ye know geography, then ye know there be a mountain on the shore o’ Northlook, wi’ a smaller one t’the sou’west,” the sailor went on. “‘tis but the tip of a whole range o’ mountains, but the land don’t stop just because the water starts. These islands be the peaks of those mountains, with good, deep water between, so ‘tis easy enough to navigate, but also easy fer those of fell intent to hide. A wider gap between those peaks, off to the east, has a name even lubbers be recognizin’... Black Gulf. The kings an’ their navies, they do their best to clean the pirates out now and then, but it’s been a few years.”\n\n\tElaric nodded, his expression grim, “That explains the hut by the wheel deck... Before that storm drove us below last night, I noticed when a gust blew aside the tarp. Swords and strung bows, kept handy but protected from the sea spray. In any case, your point is well taken; I’ll save my energy in case there’s a worse need for it later.”\n\n\tEven as the mate nodded back, a voice called down from the crow’s nest, “Sail, ho! Port and fore!”\n\n\t“Barnacles!” the rabbit swore. “’twould be port... This leg o’ our course, only trouble comes from that direction. Get ye to the ladies, lad, and keep ‘em safe!”\n\n\tThe wolf couldn’t remember actually touching the stairs in his rush to the passenger cabin. “We’ve got trouble,” he said even as he stuck his head through the door. “The lookout just spotted a ship, and according to the first mate it’s probably pirates. Now, I’m no expert at navigation, but it’s a bit ahead of us, which I think means there’s no way to get this lumbering tub turned around to run, not with the wind coming from due north. They’ll be slowed down, tacking at an angle, but they’ll almost certainly catch up, and even if we pile on the canvas to outrun them, once they’re in line with the wind any pirate would be presumably faster than us.”\n\n\tBerria pulled her head out from between Cin’s legs, blinking as she licked her lips clean, “Sounds like you’ve been paying more attention to the sailors than I have... Your description of the situation and our options sounds logical enough, anyway.” Rolling over, she reached for one of her bags, “Cin? Let’s at least get dressed so we aren’t obvious rape-bait for any unfriendly boarders, and I’ll put on my last set of nail-blades just in case.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, outwardly calm but with very wide eyes and a hint of raggedness to her breath. She reached first for the pair of underdrawers she’d gotten while shopping in Crown Port but had never actually worn, noting, “In those tales I overheard from my old Master, even I could tell that the pirate adventures had been toned down for children’s entertainment... What can we really expect?”\n\n\tBerria simply blinked and shrugged, as she’d been born in a landlocked country she’d never previously left.\n\n\tNoticing, Elaric volunteered, “It depends on the pirates... From what I heard around the docks, the relatively ‘nice’ ones take hostages. The crew will be held for the bond the captain posted in the ship’s home port, if he posted one. Passengers will be questioned to see who, if anyone, will pay well for their safe return, and anyone without a patron will be enslaved, usually sold or traded among other pirates though it’s not unknown to be forced to sign a ‘voluntary’ enslavement contract under Drachath’s rules.”\n\n\tNodding, Cin swallowed hard then asked, “And... and the not-nice ones?”\n\n\t“They’ll enslave enough of the crew to get the ship to where it and its cargo can be sold, kill the rest, kill any male passengers, and keep the women around as ‘entertainment’ until they get bored and kill them too.” The wolf smiled humorlessly, “Needless to say, the crew is getting ready to fight, since none of those options are pretty but they have no way of knowing how ugly it’ll really be until it’s too late.”\n\n\tBoth of his lovers groaned, still pulling on their clothes, and Berria suggested, “Find somewhere to hide my knife, Cin. I’ve got my blades and a horn that might surprise them if I keep it invisible.” She glanced up toward Elaric as she fastened the ties of her black robe, “There’s a slight chance that they may balk at harming a priestess, and if so it’ll be worth possibly alienating the crew... If someone is hurt, though... well, you seemed a bit confused when I called your gift a weapon. It is. The worse the injury you try to treat, the better it will be from our perspective, if you drain the pirates for energy.”\n\n\t“Holy...” the healer breathed, eyes wide, then straightened up with a nod, “I understand. I should go up, to start getting a feel for the crew from my healing senses’ standpoint, just so I don’t hurt them, and in case I’m needed. You two will have to weigh the odds, and decide whether you’d be enough help to join in or if your chances are better hiding rather than fighting. I can’t really offer an opinion in either direction.” At their nods in return, the grim unknowables of the situation visible on their faces, he turned and headed back up to the deck.\n\n\tA hissing sound resonated with his childhood memories of the few fencing and assassin-avoidance lessons he’d been able to squeeze in between his medical studies, reflexes he hadn’t remembered he had making him duck just as an arrow thunked into the deck a couple yards to starboard. Peeking more cautiously out, the pirate ship was barely a hundred yards off the port beam and closing fast, both ships’ crews exchanging arrows. The aggressors had been prepared for this, several tower shields bolted to their foredeck to give their archers cover, while the merchant sailors had to take what they could get, and the senses Elaric had been preparing to extend immediately told them that two of his party’s hosts had already been hit, though not badly.\n\n\tOne of those wounds was a mere graze, so he ignored it; half-crawling on the deck to make himself a more difficult target, he scurried over to where the ship’s second officer was crouched behind the middle mast, a shaft sticking out of his lower thigh even as he returned fire. The wolf stole a glance around the other side of the mast before taking cover, that part of his mind that saw things without his eyes locking onto a target. He could feel the pirate’s body; the strength of his muscles, the imbalances of an unvaried diet, even the beginnings of a fungal infection at the man’s groin since pirates were unwelcome at most ports and rarely had the freedom, or inclination, to bathe. Come to think of it, even at this range he could smell that ship, and he guessed that no dolphin worth their flippers accompanied its voyages. “I’m going to try something,” he told the sailor even as the bear loosed another arrow to uselessly strike one of those damnable shields. “You will feel a moment’s intense pain, worse than what the arrow’s causing now, but after it you will be clear and lucid, but the fellow poking his head out around the left-most shield won’t be able to say the same. He should be quite distracted for at least a moment, so take your time and make the shot count.”\n\n\tThe officer grunted, his muzzle already taut from the pain of his wound, “A fair trade... Do it.”\n\n\tGripping the shaft of the protruding arrow, Elaric closed his eyes, feeling the strength of the pirate’s life-energy... then pulled, physically and mentally. Even as he ripped the barbed arrowhead free of the sailor’s muscle, his gift went to work repairing it, and the bear’s barely-restrained roar was echoed an instant later by a cry of surprise from the starboard side of the pirate ship. The healer drew mercilessly on his unwitting donor’s strength, but an ordinary person had only so much; there was only enough power for the crudest of bindings, rejoining the muscle fibers in proper alignment but at less than optimal strength, even as he sealed the torn veins and skin.\n\n\t“Distracted?” the seaman mused, wonder in his voice even as his own discomfort faded and he nocked another arrow, “That fellow looks asleep, if not dead!” His bowstring thrummed as he released, and there was a rumble of satisfaction in his next words, “Quite dead, now... I don’t know what you did, but it worked. Thankye.”\n\n\tElaric nodded as he opened his eyes again, “Take it easy with that leg, as it’ll be a bit weak and sore... but I just heard another scream on our side. Gotta go try that trick again!”\n\n\tHe didn’t make it to the injured deck hand sheltering behind the wheel. Even as he’d tried his ‘trick’ and moved on, the ships kept getting closer, and whooping warcries from several pirate throats made him look up in time to see a dozen men swinging across the remaining gap on ropes tied to an extension of their fore mast for just this purpose. Merchanters were already scrambling to drop their bows and ready their swords, the pirates releasing the ropes to draw in midair as they fell the last few feet, landing easily. It was the sort of maneuver no honest sailor had much practice in, and it gave them the initial advantage in speed and surprise. Echoes of agony impinged on the healer’s senses as the first cutlass thrusts drove home, and his legs gave out on him before he’d quite reached the steps to the wheel deck, a whimper escaping as he fought to push other men’s pain from his mind.\n\n\tIt was hard to damp down his mystic senses, because the inner urge to help, that every good healer had, meant his instincts were actively fighting his intellect. Each new wound was answered by a cry from his own soul, urging him to run to the injured man and ease their pain, even as that pain’s echo made it feel very much like he’d been the target of every cut or thrust. Those same senses told him that two of the early wounds would be fatal in short order, but he was too far from those men to help fast enough, and a surge of pure dread gave him the strength to finally shut down his gift entirely. Twice in his life he’d been sensing someone as they died, and they numbered among the worst experiences he’d ever had.\n\n\tThe helmsman of the pirate ship spun his wheel, the two hulls finally drawing alongside one another. Even as one crew fought to clear an area and another fought to stop them, a gangplank was dropped, steel spikes digging into the merchants’ deck, and a gaudily dressed white fox stepped across in his polished maroon boots. Brushing back the feather in his tricorn hat, he paused to parry a swipe from a sailor’s sword, a quick riposte puncturing a lung. Elaric had a clear view of the whole maneuver; the skill and reflexes would have impressed him, if it weren’t for the expression on the buccaneer’s face, showing only mild annoyance as if the man’s life meant far less than the inconvenience of dispatching him. “Whoever let that one through just lost a week’s rum-ration,” he noted absently to the badger following him.\n\n\t“Aye, sir,” the mate acknowledged in a voice like gravel.\n\n\tDrawing a silver whistle on a chain around his neck from his satin blouse, the fox blew one shrill tweet, at which point the frantic melee calmed somewhat. The pirates each took a step back, focusing entirely on defense, and only a few more clangs of steel on steel rang out before the merchanters got the idea. Other than the groaning wounded and the creak of timbers, it was ominously silent before he called out loudly, “You are honored to be the latest prey of the real Black Gulf Pirates. Previous pretenders to that name grew soft, retiring to easy living or taking jobs as traders. I find the phonetic similarity with ‘traitors,’ there, particularly ironic... but I digress. Unlike them we take few conscripts, fewer slaves, and no prisoners, and it shan't be long before my name, Whitefang, is known from the green isles of Dachiland to the frozen reefs of Vivenge!”\n\n\t“Ha!” Sailors from both ships flinched in surprise at that scornful, feminine voice. Berria climbed the rest of the stairs to the deck, her vixen following behind, and sneered at the pale vulpine, “Your goals are mutually exclusive. For all your finely-polished words, you obviously aren’t very bright. How can anyone learn your name, self-bestowed as I’m sure it is, if no one escapes to tell of it? Fucking moron!”\n\n\tThe captain scowled at her tone, looking her up and down, “Interesting... If it weren’t for that insult, you might have been one of our few conscripts. A Kathallic priestess might enjoy the same sorts of... entertainments a pirate crew does, and it never hurts morale to keep a nubile wench around. It seems, though, that you’d rather meet your Goddess in person than keep a civil tongue in your head.” He gave his bloodied cutlass a flick, “Clear a path, men; I should see to that ‘meeting’ before she prays and gets us all in trouble.”\n\n\tHands on her hips, the priestess simply smirked as he drew near, “Too late on both counts, my fine idiot. I’ve already met Her, in more than one incarnation, and I was too busy praying to join the early fight. I have commended my soul to my Goddess, and I’m ready for you.”\n\n\tUnder his dandyish clothing, the fox was obviously strong; he wielded his heavy cutlass like a rapier, one arm raised for balance as he turned his final stride into a textbook-perfect thrust. Several of the merchant seamen groaned as they watched; the mare didn’t even try to dodge, instead lunging forward to meet that blade. It penetrated high on her belly, just a bit off-center, and Cin screamed as bloody steel emerged from her lover’s back, but Berria herself remained silent. She forced her legs to work, shock already weakening her, and took just one more step, the sword’s guard rumpling her satin robe. The pirate’s arm was still extended as he gawked in disbelief, but now he was in her arm’s reach, and thin steel crescents glinted as her hand lashed out, driving her grouped fingertips into his throat.\n\n\tElaric scrambled to his feet as she finally slumped down to a kneel; this time, nothing could deny his instinctive urge to help... but before he could cross the deck another commotion arose. Shrieking like a soul in agony, Cin leapt for the first pirate to move to his captain’s aid, slashing at his face with her Mistress’ short dagger. She managed to land one cut on his cheek, but she’d never had any training in combat; it was flatly amazing that she’d overcome her early conditioning to attack anyone in the first place. Just after her third clumsy swipe the other pirates came to her target’s assistance, clubbing her down with the pommels of their swords.\n\n\tWith that distraction, Elaric made it to the priestess’ side, surprised to find her still conscious, though his senses indicated she had a torn kidney and her digestive tract was a mess, both bleeding heavily into her black robe. “No,” she rasped as he reached for her, “help Cin... I’ve been free my whole life, but hers is just starting. Please, save her potential.”\n\n\tHis protest died on his lips as he winced, sensing new agony as a pirate drove their blade into the vixen’s back, and for once he barely noticed as the throat-cut captain shuddered and died. Twisting around to reach for the slave, he also reached out. In other times, he’d have been disgusted with himself at how easy it was to mentally differentiate between pirates and merchants, and to take the former’s very life-force as he worked frantically to repair Cin’s pierced and torn lung. Her cut ribs hovered on the edges of his awareness, bone-knitting magics waiting eagerly, but keeping her breathing was the clear priority. Rough hands gripped his shoulders, but he didn’t even notice; his instincts simply pulled on those pirates’ strength all the harder, and distant sounds of surprise and confusion went unnoticed in his trance as those two men simply collapsed.\n\n\tBerria breathed shallowly, eyes closed as she felt her blood soaking its way further through her fur and robe, knowing that events were unfolding as Kathalla had hinted while she’d prayed. The cutlass still impaling her hurt like nothing she’d ever imagined, but she felt no fear, and that very lack let her accept the pain as just another feeling. It might have been going too far to say that she enjoyed it, but mere agony was unimportant under the glow of faith filling her mind. Her healer friend was busy, saving one whose life had come to mean more than her own, so she simply listened, a pained smile oozing into her expression as she heard the first shouts of surprise from pirate and merchant alike. A glow very much like her own faith was growing from the starboard, landward side of the ship, and she moved carefully, trying not to tear her wound any wider, to look in that direction and finally open her eyes.\n\n\tThe flying figure dipped down before arcing up, inches shy of the rail, to land lightly on the deck. Her horn glowed visibly as well as spiritually, illuminating her eight-foot, naked body. Folding her feathered wings behind herself, the impossible unicorn stepped forward, her voice sounding more like an entire choir as she said simply, “This violence will stop!” The angel stood tall and proud for a long moment... then glanced around. About half the chorus had faded from her tone as she noted, “It already has stopped, hasn’t it? Sorry, I’m rather new at this...”\n\n\tElaric glanced up, “And I’m almost exhausted... This one will live, and most of the pirates will recover, but I can’t channel much more power, certainly not enough to save Berria...”\n\n\tThe winged unicorn blinked, pushing through the awestruck merchanters and near-comatose pirates to the black-robed form surrounded by blood. Kneeling down, she laid a hand on a too-still shoulder, then sighed with relief as its owner twitched weakly, “Good... I did make it in time.” She reached for the sword still stuck through the smaller equine, the healer yelping in protest as she started to pull it out, but he was too stunned and tired to stop her. She glanced over at him, “No, she won’t bleed out... and she will recover. My word, and that of my Goddess, on it.”\n\n\tBerria’s eyes fluttered open again, and a faint smile grew on her muzzle as she looked up, “Hello, Xavaria... Yours is certainly a face I never thought to see again. Grown a bit, have you?”\n\n\tThe angel grinned broadly, “After you killed me, I remembered all sorts of things those slavers made me wall off in my mind! One of them was the legend of angels... and I knew it was just a legend, but those stories had always been my favorites as a filly. Once I’d gotten my bearings on the other side, I was actually kinda bored. I’d spent my life doing things for people, so I asked Malia if there was any way I still could, and She did something with my soul, searching it or such, then mentioned this as a possibility. It’s not quite the same as what I did for Ferrl, but now I get to go all over the place and help people! Only those in dire need, and in cases where a divine hand would be borderline interference, but I guess that’s why your Goddess told you not to worry even if She wasn’t doing anything about these pirates Herself. And if I’ve grown, you seem to be missing something...”\n\n\tEven as she reached up to touch an earring, her horn reappearing to renewed gasps from the sailors, Berria nodded, “I’d kept it hidden just to keep stupid assumptions about legends to a minimum... Anyway, Kathalla didn’t say She was doing nothing... but She did tell me it wasn’t my time, so I had no real worries.” She glanced over at the dead captain, “And I got to stop a major asshole from ever hurting the innocent again. All in all, a good day, and more than worth the discomfort of being run through.”\n\n\tXavaria glanced down at the bloodstained cutlass she was still holding and grimaced, “That can’t have felt good... Anyway, I’d better heal the rest of the survivors, then fly off again. These wings are neat!” Leaning down, she touched her horn to the other unicorn’s and whispered, “Be well, sister,” before dropping the sword, straightening up, and moving toward the nearest groaning body.\n\n\tStanding as well, the priestess indulged in a long stretch, slightly marred by the day’s chill and her wet and torn robe, then padded the two steps over to her companions, “Hrmph... Sleeping on the job. I’m going to have a word with that vixen when she wakes up.”\n\n\tElaric blinked twice, then looked to his patient, “At least she will wake up... Even before that bastard stabbed her, the others had cracked her skull. That was probably the nastiest concussion I’ve ever fixed.” He glanced up again, “I’ll expect an explanation, eventually... That... that’s an angel over there, and I thought there was no such thing! All she’s missing to match the legends is a halo, unless you count her glowing horn. On top of that, your conversation implied that she’s the returned spirit of someone you killed?” He shook his head ruefully, “This is all... extremely weird, the kind of things I’d never believe if I hadn’t seen them for myself.”\n\n\tThe merchant captain who’d gotten off with nothing worse than a few bruises and one medium-small cut was also nearby, practically radiating curiosity, so Berria summarized just to keep from being thrown off the ship, “She’s an angel, they didn’t really exist until now, and she was a slave in life who was getting too old to serve so I sacrificed her to Malia. That in itself is a fairly complicated story, so you’ll just have to take my word for it for now. Related to that, though, she does have a halo, but it’s purely spiritual, so you wouldn’t ever see it unless you became a priest. I can see just the sort of glow the legends speak of, myself, around her neck where her collar was in life.”\n\n\tThe wolf nodded, finally managing a faint smile, “I guess that makes sense, as much as anything can at the moment... You look healthy enough through that sword-cut in your robe, so why don’t you carry Cin downstairs? She needs rest,” and he glanced to the captain, “and I need to help tie up these pirates. We can either tow their ship to port or see if we’ve got enough live crew to man her, but there will probably be some sort of reward involved for bringing the ship and her criminal crew in.”\n\n\tThis fetched a blink and a spastic nod from the captain even as the unicorn struggled to lift the slave who weighed more than she did, “Oh, aye! Prize money for th’ship, head money for th’crew, an’ if they’ve still got booty from other victims we’ll get a cut o’ that too. Ye’re th’strangest passengers I ever did carry, but th’most profitable too, even after the men we lost.”\n\n\tXavaria called over from where she’d been healing the fourth wounded sailor she’d gotten to, “Don’t mourn them too much... The sea itself is a Goddess of a sort, not really aware, but the way sailors almost worship Her has had an effect over the centuries, enough that there’s a watery sort of heaven for those who died today. They’ll be enjoying good weather and strong breezes for eternity.”\n\n\tA few of the nearby seamen looked close to tears at this revelation, and the captain gave the angel a bittersweet smile, “Thank ye for that, lass... ‘tis a comfort indeed, to know somethin’ like that awaits the likes of us.”\n\n\tOne or two of the pirates started to groan and twitch, suggesting that they were about to wake up from their draining, which spurred the sailors and healer to stop savoring the moment and get back to work.\n\n* * *\n\n\tAfter dropping her pet off on the tangled bed of blankets, Berria stopped by the galley to beg some fresh water from the cook... once she’d convinced him the fighting was actually over and no one was going to steal his salt pork at cutlass-point. Back in her cabin with half a bucket of the precious fluid, she stripped off her ruined robe and shift and set to work with a washcloth, cleaning the blood out of her fur. Unlike mortal healings, that granted by Xavaria’s merest touch had involved none of the usual, burning pain, nor even the common side-effect of a missing patch of fur that needed to regrow naturally. The only remnant of that thrust was in the bloodstains and her own memory; there was literally no physical sign of the wound on her body.\n\n\tHer clothes, she quickly decided, were a complete write-off, so she focused on cleaning just her own fur, and had almost finished when the unconscious vixen finally started to stir. She twitched, then groaned, and finally sobbed, her eyes still closed as she moaned, “Oh, Mistress... You were...”\n\n\tSince her lover couldn’t seem to find the next word, Berria leaned down to murmur in her ear, “Just fine.”\n\n\tCin’s eyes flew open with a startled squeak, and she blinked at the face hovering near hers, then slumped in despair, no mean feat while already laying prone. “So they killed me, too... Oh well, so long as we ended up in the same heaven I suppose things worked out for the best.”\n\n\tThe mare chuckled, “No, we’re both still quite alive... I told you I’d been told not to worry, right after I prayed. The world’s first genuine angel showed up. We’d already effectively won the fight, thanks to Elaric draining the pirates to save you. I wasn’t the only one to get a sword in me, you know, and you’d be dead if he hadn’t been there. A few people did die, on both sides, but Xavaria healed the wounded, including me. It was the second-closest time I’d ever come to dying... but the important thing is that I didn’t.”\n\n\tHer vixen blinked again, then lunged up to hug her tight, “Gods... if being run the fuck through was only second place, I’m not sure I want to hear what took first prize! I... I can hardly believe it, after I saw that bastard impale you, but if I had anything to donate or sacrifice, I’d do it in a heartbeat, just for having you back.”\n\n\tChuckling softly as she returned the embrace, Berria nuzzled her ear then mused, “You may or may not remember, because you took a nasty blow to the head before you were stabbed too... but I got ‘that bastard,’ nail-blades through the throat, and he’s one of the casualties who won’t be coming back. Also, you were beaten down and finished off because you attacked them. When I was hurt you went nuts, managing to score on a hardened killer despite your lack of training. I take that as a sign of true love, that a slave, with years of conditioning against violence, could do that for little old me.”\n\n\tSaid slave’s embrace became crushingly tight for a moment, “I... I do remember, but it’s foggy. There’s this red haze in my mind’s eye... but you’re right. I’d die for you, or kill for you, whatever it takes to stay by your side. That conditioning is... almost emotionless. It discourages any sort of attachment, but I failed on that point a week ago.”\n\n\tBerria pulled back a bit to grin at her, “I know. That’s why I didn’t sacrifice you for a bit of fun along the way. I don’t see any failure; I see you transcending your previous life and all its trappings. You’re well on your way to being a confident, vibrant, free woman. In fact...” She let go of the vixen to instead grip the iron ring around her neck, “Kathalla... I have some notion, these days, of just how much power You gain when You ‘helpfully’ make something or someone disappear, but could You simply take a couple wafers of this? I’m thinking that its broken halves will make a good souvenir, a symbol of Cin’s personal journey and triumph.”\n\n\tA spiritual chuckle reached both mortals, *So you’ve caught on to My little secret; how, despite My few worshipers I have at least as much power as the more popular Gods... My vision of your most likely future path, in any case, suggests that the first blacksmith you reach would bungle the job and severely injure your lover while trying to remove that collar, and that alone makes it worth My attention.* Toward the end of Her commentary, darkness flashed to Berria’s perceptions, and the ring came away in her hands in two precisely-equal half-circles, their flats polished to a perfect mirror surface.\n\n\tThe unicorn couldn’t help but laugh, acknowledging, “It was just a logical extension of Your tale about Beckah and the near-lethal power, on a mortal scale, needed to make a grain of sand. Naturally the process can work in reverse, and only a deity would be able to deal with the results.” She shifted both halves of the collar to one hand and offered them to Cin, “Here... We’re in Drachathian waters so it’s perfectly legal, not that I’d let that stop me since the time is right. Take these as a reminder of your old life, one you’ll never live again, though mind the edges; they may be flat but they’d probably make a decent knife in a pinch. You are free.”\n\n\tBlinking away tears, Cin nodded as she accepted the pieces, “Free... to follow you forever, in this life and the next. As you don’t have legal authority to demand such anymore, I freely give you my oath on that instead, in Kathalla’s name.”\n\n\tAs the two ladies hugged again, a faint whisper sounded in their souls, *Heard and witnessed.*\n\n\tThey were still locked together when the door opened and Elaric walked in, commenting, “Ah, good, you’re both awake and alright... That angel unicorn just flew off again and we’re underway, with the pirate ship in tow, most of its crew tied up, and a few others, disarmed, helping to sail both ships. We’ll be stopping one port earlier than planned, since the city of Wolf’s Bay is home port to a naval squadron, meaning it’ll have an official with the authority to deal with our prisoners and pay any rewards that’re due.” He patted a pocket of his robe, not nearly as clean or fine as it’d been that morning, and smiled wryly as it clinked, “The captain had his purser refund what we’d paid for passage, though I think we got the short end of the bargain. He’s looking at a profit of hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of monarchs, when we’re probably the only reason he’s even alive to collect it. Giving back just the few silver we paid for passage seems like a bad joke to me.”\n\n\tBerria thought for a long moment, then shook her head, “I think I’d remember as bad a pun as ‘Wolf’s Bay’ if I’d run across it in that list of towns that had files on the Sisters of Order that I read a couple years back. There’s a fair chance I could intimidate a fair share out of the captain, but it’d be impolite as his guest to do so, and I’d rather not compound one rudeness with another. We still haven’t touched the gold in the bag Keesanrel gave me, so we’re not hurting for funds, and I didn’t sign on as a Sister to get rich. Since one port’s as good as any other, I was thinking of debarking anyway, then looking up the local Maliites for some basic combat training for Cin and myself. We can also see about setting up your practice as a healer if the town doesn’t have too many already, or you can keep tagging along, though I’m not sure just where we’ll be going next.”\n\n\tThe vixen’s ears perked up, and she nodded vigorously, “Yes, please! To the training, I mean... With any other lover, I’d never dream of seeking that kind of thing, but your job means you look for trouble, and I’d very much like to watch your back, effectively for a change, the next time you find it.”\n\n\tElaric chuckled with a nod of his own, “Just because of which family I was born to, I’ve had a bit of teaching along those lines, and I wouldn’t mind brushing up on it... As for a practice of my own... well, let’s just see how things stand in the Bay. I’ll only stay if they have a distinct shortage of healers. If there are enough for the population, even if one more wouldn’t hurt, I’d rather remain in your company if I may. Not only would I prefer to end up somewhere there’s a distinct need for my services, as that’s more satisfying than being one more healer among many, but my life’s been just plain interesting since I met you. Getting laid more often, and far better, than I ever had before doesn’t hurt, but I’d follow you just for the excitement out of bed too.”\n\n\t“Good,” the priestess nodded, “and I agree that the last few days and nights have been fun...” She glanced to Cin, “Dear? Your oath, just before he came in, could be interpreted as a marriage proposal... You at least show more emphatic devotion than most wives, anyway. If you’re going to be with me anyway, no matter what, we should probably get officially married just for the legal fringe benefits, but I had an additional thought...” She looked back at the wolf, “We’ve both been enjoying your company, too. Very much so, even. I know, from what my horn has sensed when you’ve touched it, that you consider us very close friends, but part of you is holding back. I’m guessing it’s the part of your mind that still considers our companionship temporary by necessity. Unless there’s a firm, profound need for you in Wolf’s Bay, and if my vixen consents, would you consider letting a Roxanite priest marry us as a threesome? Once you get used to thinking of us as ‘your’ girls, what’s behind that inner reluctance just might blossom into something closer to love than to friendship.”\n\n\tElaric blinked hard at the offer, and the vulpine took his stunned moment as a chance to reply with a giggle, “That is a good idea... He’s certainly a satisfying lover, but I’d feel better about having him in the long term than some random stranger whenever we just need a man in the mix. I’m... not very brave, despite today’s appearances, and he did save my life, which naturally makes me love him just a bit.”\n\n\tThe wolf finally snapped out of his shock and chuckled, “If I accept, I’m sure that won’t be the last time I save either of you... Beyond the friendship and ‘known quantity’ issues, as real as they are, having a healer for a husband would probably be a very good thing in your business. This... is nothing to say ‘maybe’ to, or put any conditions upon.” He straightened, “If your distant speculation that there’s a lack of healers here proves true... we shall simply tell the next town we visit that has one to spare, and they can fill the gap. Ladies... I accept your proposal enthusiastically.”\n\n\tFinally extracting herself from the protracted hug, Berria caught Cin’s eyes and tilted her head suggestively before reaching a hand toward Elaric. Blinking a bit, he accepted it, then the black-furred paw as well when Cin got the idea and reached out as well. Finally, vixen and unicorn joined their free hands and the priestess spoke, “I lied about finding a Roxanite. By my own authority as an itinerant priestess of Kathalla, I declare us man, wife, and wife. We’ll shop for rings and register a marriage certificate tomorrow when we get to town.”\n\n\tBoth of her new spouses blinked a time each then smiled, the moment finally broken by her husband’s belly rumbling. Giggling again, Cin broke the three-way handclasp and reached for the luggage, “It is a bit late for lunch, with all the excitement this morning... Let’s see what our travel rations can do for a traditional wedding feast.”\n\n\tElaric nodded with a throaty chuckle of his own, “You do that, while I head up top and make sure there’s nothing else I or either of you are officially needed for. Once that’s settled and we’ve eaten, we can take advantage of this precious bucket of water, clean up a bit, then have a long, equally-traditional wedding night.”\n\n\tTwo muzzles grinned, showing sharp and blunt teeth respectively, at that very welcome prospect.\n\nChapter 8\n\n\tTrallen had always disliked gate duty. Some of his fellow acolytes actually looked forward to it, and he could even understand why. They enjoyed having hours of quiet time to sit and think, to imagine, to envision something to create in one of the workrooms at a later time, but he just wasn’t that artistic. It had been a struggle to learn to play paired kettle drums, learning beats by rote and repetitive practice, which led to his being thrown completely off the beat about one performance in four as some clever soloist decided to start improvising. He often thought he’d have been better off joining Tarragh’s temple instead of Malia’s, as he was certainly a decent enough fighter, but he was on the small side even for a rabbit. Just looking at the huge canids and felines at the other temple made him acutely conscious of the differences between him and them, and he privately doubted he’d have ever worked up the nerve to apply.\n\n\tHis long ears perked as the gate’s bell rang; there weren’t any scheduled deliveries today, but it was still a public entrance for those with some business other than the front hall’s sermons and lessons, which was (as the priests had explained to him more than once) why a live acolyte or novice needed to be posted here rather than doing something else with their time. Managing to smile at the break in the monotony, he got up from the crude, weather-beaten chair and opened the smaller door set into the gate, then blinked... He’d never been very good at sensing souls without a physical touch, but the figure at the head of the small group practically radiated darkness. His eyes locked on her pendant, which explained just which darkness the stranger was so devout to, and it took him a long moment to actually see what the visitors were. A unicorn?!? Those were Malia’s ‘favorites,’ he’d been told, gentle and peaceful unless provoked. And that vixen looked like she should be in a Roxanite robe, while the fellow dressed like a healer was just plain confusing. “Can... can I help you?” he finally managed to force out.\n\n\tThat far-too-strange unicorn nodded, “Yes, you can. My name is Berria, and I’ll need an introduction to whoever handles basic combat lessons. My husband needs a refresher course, and my wife and I need to start from the very beginning. We’ll pay whatever the standard donation is for this instruction, unless someone prays to... well, your Goddess. If anyone asks Her about me, or if I so much as say Her name, I’m sure She’ll immediately decree that we get whatever we want for free, as She feels that She owes me something, but I wouldn’t feel right taking advantage of that.”\n\n\tTrallen shook his head, “This just keeps getting weirder and weirder... I suppose you can come in, and I’ll lead you to Sir Shallar, who assigns students to instructors and vice versa. He’ll probably want to evaluate you personally, first, just part of making sure everyone gets the best teaching they can.” He turned to clear the doorway, only to stop, blinking, as he nearly ran into a lightly-armored black feline who he had not heard come up behind him. Come to think of it, her face was almost...\n\n\tThe newcomer’s voice confirmed his faint suspicion. “Oh, Berria...” Malia chuckled. “You made a good attempt, but you can’t sneak anything past me when a soul like yours enters one of my churches, and the gate’s set far enough into the wall that just outside of it qualifies.” She glanced to her acolyte, “Do as you just suggested, Trallen, but tell my knight that he’s not to see a single farthing from these people. They are very welcome, wherever I have influence.”\n\n\tThe rabbit managed to stutter, “Y-yes, m—” before she simply vanished. And this day had started so normally, he thought to himself as he wrenched his mind back under control yet again. Glancing over his shoulder, he murmured, “If you’ll follow me, sir, ma’ams...”\n\n* * *\n\n\tElaric tossed himself onto the bed with a groan, “Gods... I hadn’t realized I was that out of practice. The routine that skunk was drilling me on is simple as those things go, but it’s more about balance than strikes or blocks. If you don’t get it just right—and I didn’t—it wrenches your wrists and ankles something fierce, and takes about three times as much energy as you keep compensating for weight that’s where it’s not supposed to be.”\n\n\tBerria nodded in sympathy, reaching up to rub one of her own shoulders... only to pause with a faint nicker of surprise, followed by a moan of appreciation, as Cin stepped up behind her to take over, kneading firmly into her abused muscles. “I’ll be returning that favor when you’re done, dear,” she mused, then noted to the wolf with a half-smile, “I think we both know how you feel... They had us on weight training, a logical place to start, but it’s certainly not a pleasant one. I always thought I was in decent shape, and I suppose I was for what I was actually doing, but if I’m going to learn to swing something bigger than my knife, hard enough to cut through chain armor, I’ll need to work on getting a lot stronger.”\n\n\tHer wife chuckled as she massaged, “Me too, and probably more than you... I’d been mildly pleased as I noticed myself toughening up a bit, just from riding those horses from Atheria City to Crown Port, but compared to this... that was a drop in the fucking bucket.”\n\n\tElaric glanced at the shuttered window, judging the angle of the light... Since they knew they might be here for a while, they’d chosen a large but rather run-down inn, one whose owner was very happy to see business on more than an overnight basis. They had one of the better rooms, set on a rear corner of the second floor, with several vacancies between them and the shorter-term rentals that valued access to the taproom over living space. “It’s almost evening,” the wolf mused, “but we’ll be back there again tomorrow... I’m rather grateful that the day after will be a restday and we can have some time off; until our bodies are used to this work, the first week or so will be rather agonizing, according to my past experience. Back to the point, though, does anyone have any ideas for the rest of the day?”\n\n\t“First,” Berria answered, her voice a bit on the low and breathy side, “I’m going to do unto Cin’s shoulders as she’s just done to mine... I’m feeling much better now, love. After that, well... hanging around with Malia’s bunch all day reminded me how long it’s been since I’ve done anything religious. I... sensed something about one of the taverns we passed between here and the temple, and I’m pretty sure it’s where I can find my fellow Kathallics. I’m not sure whether either of you would be comfortable, there... Cin’s seen one of those clubs, from the ‘wrong’ end of things, so she’s got a good idea what goes on there, but you, El, you’re a healer. I’m guessing it might be difficult for you to be somewhere where people are deliberately hurting other people, and your help to heal those wounds would be unwelcome.”\n\n\tThe wolf snorted faintly, but he was smiling as he replied, “You’re certainly phrasing things delicately, aren’t you? Torture and molestation combined, followed by death, almost exclusively with slaves. I’m not entirely unfamiliar with your religion... nor would it be quite the problem you suspect. It’s sensing these things, not seeing them, that I have trouble with. If I never let my healer’s senses loose, or restrict them to a single, narrow focus before invoking them and shutting them down again the moment they’re unneeded, I’m no more sensitive to that sort of ‘play’ than any other carnivore would be. I’m not one of those idiots I’d occasionally met in politics who tries not to even admit where the meat in their dinner comes from... The only real issue that I’d have is that you’re doing this sort of thing to a person, not an unthinking beast. Sex and blood aren’t nearly the problem that torture is.”\n\n\tCin spoke up with a chuckle as she stepped around to give her ex-Mistress access to her shoulders, “It’s not all that bad, at these clubs... I only saw perhaps half a dozen such deaths before Berria pulled me out of the line and claimed me as her own, but the longest one took perhaps five minutes from the first cut, and for one other they’d played more gently first for nearly an hour. I was expecting pain, yes, and a great deal of it, but not for long. My only real concern was whether I’d find myself reborn or in the Fanged Goddess’ heaven, since not everyone at that particular club was Kathallic. I liked my life as a pleasure slave, and having millions of souls to choose from as lovers had been something I’d looked forward to.”\n\n\tBerria nodded from where she kneaded her wife’s abused muscles, “I was chatting with the queen of Atheria, before she actually attained that rank, when she and her prospective husband stopped by my temple to play... She passed on the words of another slave she’d killed, who looked forward to that same sort of afterlife. She said, ‘What does my soul care, that my body will be bloody meat?’ Because, my husband, one detail you might not have known is that the slaves tend to double as the meals at those clubs. It’s a purely artificial distinction of society, if you think about it. It’s the soul that matters, and if it’s in a better place... does it really matter whether someone’s roast beef dinner once walked on two legs or four? I really should visit this city’s club, tonight or sometime soon, and in my company either of you would be welcome there, but I won’t force either of you to attend, now that I’m certain both of you know the details.”\n\n\tElaric shook his head somewhat ruefully, “I can only wish more people shared your philosophy where bodies are concerned... A couple of times, in my previous life, I failed to save a patient, and their family members sobbing over the corpses as if they could beg them to move again are among my less pleasant memories. In both cases, any God’s heaven, or even simple rebirth, had to be a vast improvement over their final moments, and I’d have been much happier if those relatives had thought to celebrate their life and their release from pain instead.”\n\n\tThe unicorn rolled her head in one complete circle to help release just a bit more of the tension Cin’s talented fingers had almost eliminated, then replied, “That’s how I want to be remembered... I have faith that the heaven that awaits me will be a great deal of fun, and if I grow tired of that I need but ask and Kathalla will release me to be reborn. I’d be quite put out with either of you if you act like those families you just described; miss my companionship if you will, but carry on with your own life. Now... about tonight? Your own question of what we should do still depends on whether you want to come with me to... dinner, or whether I should put it off ‘til another evening if you’d rather I stay. I can’t let my religious obligations slide forever, now that I’m in a town for more than one night, but I don’t own either of you, so you have a say too.”\n\n\tCin nuzzled her ear, “I’ll go with you... and this time I probably won’t wet myself when you rip out someone’s throat. I was... under a bit of stress, that night we met.”\n\n\tElaric fingered his rings, one white gold and the other red gold, as he chuckled at the mental image. The vixen wore two of white gold, while his other wife had the same combination as he did, if worn in the other order, each representing the fur of their spouses. “I’ll have to get that story from you two sometime,” he mused, “along with a few others I can think of. More detail on the Sisters, what you’ve done for them before meeting Nutswolf, Cin’s growing rebellion... but, for now, I’d rather not spend the evening alone. I’m... curious enough, I suppose, to investigate the ‘forbidden’ vices of the Kathallics and see whether I love them, hate them, or am indifferent.”\n\n\tBerria chuckled as she pulled off the rough blouse she’d sweat into and fished around in a dresser drawer for a white dress, “That last bit is... unlikely. You’ll either run for your life with a case of dry-heaves, or come to enjoy our ultimate expression of personal freedom and power, as we do what we wish despite it being forbidden, in fact enjoying it all the more just because it’s taboo.” She glanced over to Cin, “If this club’s anything like others of its kind, we’ll get a complimentary bath after the festivities, so we should all bring a change of clothes. We’ll need to find a laundry service for the stuff we stank up today, and I’ll be asking the local clergy where I can get a new black robe.”\n\n\tBoth of her lovers nodded at her sensible suggestions as they reached for fresh clothing too, and only a few visits to the privy further delayed them before stepping out into the light of the setting sun to walk down the street. The priestess took the lead as they neared the Black Mare Tavern, fishing her pendant out of her dress on the way to the curtained passage right next to the kitchen entrance. “Guests of mine,” she noted to the usual guard just within before she could raise a fuss over their souls.\n\n\tThe tigress nodded respectfully, “Aye, Priestess.”\n\n\tThe room past the buffer-chamber at the bottom of the stairs wasn’t quite as fancy as any of her own old temple’s three playrooms, nor nearly as large at the embassy’s in Atheria City, but this was a large and busy port city, and compared to smaller towns’ part-time clubs this one showed it in its fine marble and comfortable furnishings. Berria blinked in momentary confusion as her eyes locked on the darkest soul in the room, as the tigress wearing nothing but a pendant identical to her own could have been the stair-guard’s twin sister. Come to think of it, that’s probably what she was; siblings that close often shared interests, but not always to the same degree, so both twins being Kathallic but one more spiritual and the other more physical was plausible enough.\n\n\tThe other priestess swallowed her bite and dropped the remaining half of the heart she held back onto the torn-open corpse of a mouse, stepping around the table with a bloody smile of welcome, “Well, hello! This is a pleasant surprise... I’m Lorina, first among the local faithful, and I bid you warm greeting in our Goddess’ name.”\n\n\tSmiling back, the unicorn gestured to either side behind her, “I’m Berria, late of the Silkmane temple in Unicorn Vale, and these are my spouses, Elaric and Cin. We’re in town for what’ll probably end up being a few weeks, so I decided to introduce them to just what I do for fun other than have lots of sex on a ship.”\n\n\tLorina nodded with a rumbling chuckle, “Not that that wasn’t plenty of fun, itself, from the looks of those two... A vixen and a nice lupine knot? I can see why you married them... and, oh, my... is that a healer’s gift I’m sensing in your husband?”\n\n\tNodding as she led her group toward the unoccupied of the four tables, Berria grinned, “Yes, though I won’t be asking him to extend anyone’s suffering. He’s a good man, but you know how rare it is for a healer to be enthusiastic about our sort of fun.”\n\n\tElaric rolled his eyes with a faint smile, “We don’t know whether I’m in that category yet... but that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To find out?”\n\n\t“That we are,” Cin agreed, glancing around as she took a seat, “so let’s see just who and what we have to experiment with tonight...”\n\n\tNodding as she started looking around too, Berria took in the other patrons, one skunkette sitting alone and a pair of male wolves she could sense the bond of love between, along with a teenaged lion at the priestess’ table, probably her date for the night. There were only three slaves left along the back of the small stage, two rabbits and a... she paused, blinking. Her eyes had tried to slide past that third figure, and something faintly wrong about the gathered souls tugged at her consciousness. “Lorina,” she mused, “close your eyes... Ignore the dark souls, concentrate only on the Godless... Doesn’t one feel just a little strange to you?”\n\n\tThe bigger woman blinked, eyes closing as she felt around... then they opened again as she frowned faintly, “Now that you point it out, yes. They’re all ‘gray,’ but most of them are simply a lack. Just one is a projection of light and dark, blended with a purity I’d say was impossible for even a third-tier necromancer.” Both priestesses turned toward that third slave, forcing themselves to see them despite the seemingly sourceless urging to notice nothing odd.\n\n\tThat compulsion faded, as did the projection, and the white-souled vixen on the stage sighed, “I guess my cover’s blown... I still hadn’t quite made up my mind whether to go through with my idea, but I guess it’s time to ‘put up or shut up,’ as the mortals say. You’re really amazingly perceptive, even for clergy, Berria.”\n\n\tThe tigress’ confusion was probably only worsened by the distraction of the largest breasts she’d seen in a long and varied life, so it was up to her guest to reply with a faint smirk, “I wouldn’t know about perceptiveness, but I do have the advantage of having known three or four of your previous lovers... Roxy.”\n\n\tMost of the other patrons, their priestess included, were wide-eyed and staring at the implications of that name, while the mortal Goddess simply smirked back, “That you do... and while I could probably name them, there’s another name, that you probably heard from them, that’s more important tonight. Pola. That’s what the ‘idea’ I mentioned is about, as I made this body... like hers.”\n\n\tThe unicorn brightened, half-nickering, “Ah! Yes, Elaria told me about her... so I’m guessing you’re here to experience that ‘ultimate pleasure’ for yourself?” She glanced to her spouses, “We should probably see what leftovers from these other fine folks’ dinners we can eat... because temporary mortal incarnations don’t stick around long enough to have nutritional value, and fox meat isn’t the best anyway. As for play, though, your worries about torture are of no import tonight, El, as Roxy here literally cannot feel pain with the way she’s rearranged her brain, and will very much enjoy the most ‘agonizing’ things we can think of. The fact that she’s not actually mortal might also make a difference to you, but I’d rather it didn’t. People tend to die around me a bit more often than is strictly normal, and that’s just something you’ll both need to get used to if you’re going to have me for a wife.”\n\n\tElaric wrenched his gaze from nigh-mountainous cleavage to remark, “True, but folks also often live around you, who wouldn’t have otherwise. The rest of the young children in Crown Port, the sailors ‘Whitefang’ would have slaughtered out of hand, and the like.” He glanced back at the club’s least-expected guest, “You also seem to attract a lot more divine attention than most... The angel on the ship, Malia at the temple, and now... ‘Roxy’ as you call her. I’d hardly believe it if it weren’t for the obvious mystic forces at work; it would take a miracle to keep me from immediately noticing a rack like that the moment I came in!”\n\n\tHis wives and a few of the patrons snickering their agreement, Roxy crossed her arms under her breasts and took a deep breath, those huge orbs seeming even bigger as they rose, then murred with a smile, “These have given away my identity more often than I care to admit... but people love them so, and I’m almost never turned down when I jiggle them in a prospective lover’s face.” She stepped down from the stage, moving toward the threesome’s table, but it was the wolf couple she next addressed, “I’m afraid what’s to follow won’t be exactly to either of your tastes, but if you’d like I could, another night, manifest as a male. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done so... How about tomorrow evening, in your bedroom?”\n\n\tThe men shared a glance, then one of them nodded, “That... that sounds quite lovely, actually. If your more manly aspect is as... physically gifted as you are now, if in different ways of course, I think we’d enjoy that immensely.” Reaching for his discarded clothes, he grinned to his lover, “Come on, Rolf; let’s go borrow the tub and leave these folks to their woman-loving fun.”\n\n\tThe vixen chuckled as the pair gathered their things, “You won’t be disappointed. I always scout my prospects before going male, and I will be exactly as well-hung as either of you can take enjoyably, and the perfect tightness for your enjoyment too.” Even as she climbed up onto the table, those wolves were half-erect from sheer anticipation as they filed through the kitchen door.\n\n\tAs the vixen who made her own ample bosom seem underdeveloped laid herself out, Cin was licking her lips, and she reached over to pluck her wife’s dagger from its sheath. “I’ll second my husband’s vote that this situation is unbelievable,” she mused, “but I’m not going to let shock keep me from taking advantage of the opportunities involved either. Time to test that bit about non-pain.” Since the other vulpine’s head was at her end of the table, she stood and leaned over to kiss her upside-down lips, even as she pressed the knife’s point to a spot where her own ears were most sensitive to affectionate claws, gradually increasing the pressure...\n\n\tRoxy returned the kiss, of course, but a muffled squeal rose in volume through it as her skin and then cartilage were penetrated, her breath coming faster through flared nostrils and her bosom heaving, even as the scent of her arousal suddenly and strongly flavored the air and the watchers at her other end could see fresh moisture dribbling onto the table between her thighs. She was still panting when the former slave broke the kiss and pulled the dagger out of her new piercing, “That... was as good as I’d hoped! And it’s only a relatively mild beginning! Oh, me this is going to be fun...”\n\n\tAll six of the patrons, and even one of the lapine slaves, chuckled at that, and Lorina pulled a chair away from her table to wave her boyfriend toward, “Come on... We had what we thought was our fun for the night already, but I want to ride your lap while those four or five play. You two,” and she addressed the rabbits, “haul your former roommate into the kitchen so they can start working on the meal, then return to your room. I doubt anyone will be feeling a need to kill you with her available.”\n\n\tHer voice a bit ragged, Roxy nodded toward the priestess, “Thank you... If someone did hurt them while I’m here, it’d detract from my own fun. I should have thought of that before... but when I do this again, and I’m sure I will, I’ll make sure I’m the last or only ‘slave’ around at the time.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, “That’s a good plan,” then glanced to her husband. “Your turn! Cin, give him the knife for now; I’m going to go see what other ‘toys’ are on that rack over there...”\n\n\tBlinking a bit as he was handed the dagger, as he’d only planned to watch rather than participate that night, Elaric thought for a moment, absently licking at the bit of blood on the blade’s tip. Nodding to himself, then, he leaned in to lap at the thick nipple capping one of those magnificent breasts, then gently blew on it, smiling as it stiffened visibly. Planting the dagger’s point at the nubbin’s exact center, then, he started pressing gradually harder, much like Cin had, and his lips drew back from his sharp teeth at the first hint of fresh blood. Unlike that thin ear, there was far more thickness of flesh than length of steel this time, and his other hand came up to steady the heavy orb as Roxy started moaning again, hard enough to risk shaking her teat off of the knife before the first inch had sunk in. His wife’s hands joined his, keeping that breast as still as possible as the nipple split completely, and he kept up his slow, steady thrust, taking nearly a minute to bury the blade completely in soft flesh, russet fur and white both stained dark by the trickling streams of crimson.\n\n\tThe unicorn smiled fondly from where she divided her attention between the toy rack and the healer’s satisfying willingness to inflict injury, only to be interrupted by a quiet voice from the other side, “May... may I help?”\n\n\tIt was the skunk from the other table. Up close, she turned out to be in her mid-teens, lithe and nubile, but the moisture matting her thighs and the flecks of blood on her arms and chest suggested she’d already proven her right to be here tonight. Berria nodded, “I wouldn’t mind, and I’m sure our playmate’s philosophy is ‘the more the merrier.’ Here,” and she held out a short, thick iron bar and a very slender dirk from the rack, “you can start by providing a couple extra hands. I’ll take these, myself, but any of us can use any of them!” Her own hands selected a thin-bladed skinning knife and a stubby dagger with a gut-hook.\n\n\tNodding back as they both padded toward the occupied table, her voice was still just a bit shy as she murred, “My name’s Crissi. I’m still sort of new to the club myself, as it tends to take me weeks to save up my admission fee, but I’m finally getting used to it. My first few times I somehow felt that my mother was watching, and oh what she’d say if she saw me with both hands inside another girl, only one of them by a natural orifice! I thank... and, to be honest, suspect Kathalla, that everyone still thinks I’m out with my university study partner these evenings.”\n\n\tThe priestess chuckled knowingly, “Just keep it in mind that if you do your job right, your playthings won’t live to tell anyone about it, and your siblings in faith can be trusted to keep your secret too. I can’t say I ever had your exact problem, but I guess that’s why I was a full priestess by your age, and I certainly understand how this can be hard at first.” Setting her borrowed blades on the table between Roxy’s ankles, even as her husband slowly twisted her own knife where it was buried in fat, she gestured at the growing puddle of vixen-juice with a grin, “If you really like feeling your hand inside a woman, though, she’s certainly wet enough to let you in with little effort. In fact, I heartily suggest that you do so. What I was told of Pola suggested that giving her normal pleasure actually multiplies what she’s feeling from converted pain.”\n\n\tCrissi snickered softly, setting down her burden before claiming a free spot on the far side of Roxy’s hips. Grouping her fingers together, thumb in tight, she nudged them between those swollen lips... It wasn’t quite as effortless as the mare had suggested, of course; that snug passage was spasming continuously, and a gasping moan from the vixen’s other end punctuated it only getting worse, but the skunk persisted, pressing as hard as it took to bury her hand in warm flesh before balling it into a fist to start pumping.\n\n\tRoxy squeaked what might have been a strangled ‘Yes!’ if she were in any condition to speak, but Elaric chose that moment to pull the knife out of her breast and lay an empty hand on it instead, sealing the tiny veins running through the huge orb while making sure as many nerves as possible lived to feel the remaining damage. “This is certainly... an experience,” he admitted with a tight grin, and both his spouses could discern his scent among the more blatant musk of a vixen, seeping out from the gap where his breeches bulged.\n\n\tGlancing over at the tigress and lion, both struggling to keep their eyes focused as they rutted vigorously in their shared seat, Berria mused, “Quite a show, too... and it’s about to get better.” Pointing at the iron rod, she started handing out suggestions, “El? You’re the strongest of us, so why don’t you break her knees? Cin, that dirk is a bit on the blunt side... which makes it perfect for piercing sensitive places, like the pads of her feet. I think I’ll use the two remaining knives, the flaying blade to cut off those magnificent tits then the other dagger to pull out her guts, but I’ll be sure to miss your hand, Crissi, so don’t worry.”\n\n\tThe skunk snickered, “Once there’s a new hole, I’ll help with the gutting. Turning insides into outsides is always fun.”\n\n\tThe unicorn’s wasn’t the only chuckle of agreement as she and her spouses reached for tools to make the writhing Goddess’ night even better.\n\n* * *\n\n\t“I’m almost certain she cheated,” Berria chuckled as she sank into the enormous tub, almost big enough to swim in if she were alone, though it was just shy of crowded with six bodies around its carved bench. “Even with El’s help to minimize the bleeding, there’s no way an ordinary, mortal body would have lasted the better part of an hour like she did.”\n\n\tElaric nodded from across the tub, an odd smile on his own muzzle after the night’s interesting new experiences, “She did cheat. She was dribbling and squirting right to the very end, when at that rate a normal woman would have gone dry in the first ten minutes. There were several oddities about her reproductive anatomy that explained that, though I’ll spare you the technical details. Also, as normal as those organs looked once Crissi had punched them out through the hole in her belly,” and he nodded to the skunk, “they were missing some vital components for actually bearing a child. Then there’s her blood, which was subtly odd... More efficient, really; she could have lost a lot more of it before impacting her consciousness or mobility.”\n\n\tLorina’s eyes were a bit wide by the end of that speech, and she shook her head in residual wonder, “She certainly knew what she wanted and how to go about getting it, it seems.” Slipping an arm around the lion beside her, she grinned, “In any case, that was probably the best ‘show’ I’ve gotten laid to in my entire life. As much fun as I’d had before you three showed up, the second act of the evening turned out even better. I hope the wolves have as much fun as we did, tomorrow night.”\n\n\tNodding, the other priestess smiled, “I’m sure they will... but, before I forget, there was another reason I wanted to come here tonight, if far less interesting than how things worked out earlier. My black robe was ruined on both sides by a cutlass a few days ago; would you know where I can get another?”\n\n\tThe tigress blinked once, then nodded, “Yes... There’s a tailor’s shop on Incursion Street, named so because it was the site of a fairly major battle the last time an Atherian invasion got this far south. It’s parallel to this street, four or five blocks north, and its proprietor is one of Karnaal’s bunch and makes their skulking garb. More than one religion wears black, though, so he’s happy for the extra business. Oh, and speaking of business, don’t worry about your cover charge for tonight. The ‘slave’ was free, and your sharing that rat meant less to throw away. The price of bread and cider, compared to the fun I had, was meaningless.”\n\n\tBerria nodded back, “Thank you for that, and the information too. I’ll be sure to wear my pendant when I visit that tailor so he knows what to make or sell,” even as she turned on the bench to reach for one of the scrubbing brushes littering the tub’s rim.\n\n\tCin’s hand beat her to it, and the vixen smiled, “Please... allow me, my wife and Mistress. After a night like this, it’s the very least I can do in thanks.”\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded, chuckling affectionately as she offered her bloodstained arms.\n\n* * *\n\n\tSir Shallar spun on one foot, lashing out with a wooden sword, only to find it blocked by crossed, shorter pieces of hardwood, then stumbled forward with a grunt as a fourth practice weapon crunched into the chainmail over his spine. Dropping his second sword, he held up his hand for a pause, “Very good, ladies...” He glanced over his shoulder at the vixen, “I didn’t have to pretend not to know that was coming. I honestly thought you were too far out of position from my last attack, but I was obviously wrong.” Looking back to the unicorn, he smiled, “You two have come a long way, in less than three weeks. I’d have to judge your training in ‘the basics’ complete. There’s still a lot I can teach you, if you’re interested, but if you’d rather continue the journey we’ve occasionally spoken of, you can do so with the knowledge that you’re no longer defenseless.”\n\n\tBerria glanced at the wooden substitutes for large daggers she was holding, still a bit breathless from the fight as she smiled, “Well, once we buy the steel versions of these... You’ve been an excellent teacher, sir knight, and we all thank you for your time and attention.”\n\n\tThe muscular stag shook his head with a grin of his own, “I can’t take all the credit... You and both of your spouses,” and he glanced over again, “particularly your former slave, have shown a level of effort and dedication that surpasses most army trainees. You’ve worked for these lessons, and learned them all the better for it.”\n\n\tCin’s smile was grim, “I’m... motivated. Seeing my love run through by a sword once was one time too many. That blow you didn’t expect wouldn’t have landed if it weren’t her you’d been attacking at the time; in her defense, I move faster and strike harder than I ever could otherwise.”\n\n\tThe knight nodded, respect in his eyes, “So I’ve heard... The last two restday sermons came as something of a surprise, as we were told of Malia’s first angel, and I have to envy your wife for being the first in the world to experience her healing touch.”\n\n\tThe unicorn chuckled at the irony and mused, “I also have the ‘honor’ of being the reason Xavaria is an angel, rather than a still-living mortal, but that’s a tale you’d probably rather not hear,” and she touched her Kathallic pendant in suggested explanation. “In any case, thank you again for your lessons, and for your advice. I’ll finally be breaking the seal on that bag of gold King Keesanrel gave me, and we’ll shop well at the Count’s Arms before resuming our wanderings.” She set her ‘daggers’ back on the rack of practice weapons and shot a gentler smile to her wife, “Come on, El’s probably having lunch with the fencing tutors. Let’s join him, then see about spending one last night at the inn. We’ve got some packing to do, between lovemakings.”\n\nChapter 9\n\n\tThe trio’s journey was generally southward, though the mountains of Northlook necessitated a few detours even with the sturdy horses they’d picked up on their way out of town. The increments of their travel were almost leisurely, allowing time each morning to keep practicing what they’d learned in Wolf’s Bay, save for the several days it took to cross the mountain pass; spring was just around the corner, but it was still a brutal time of year to cross those elevations, and they had little choice but to push on as hard as it took to reach the shelter of evenly-spaced inns and hostels each day. They rarely had to pay for their lodgings, along the pass, as there was almost always someone in the innkeepers’ families with a cold or worse who Elaric could heal in trade. Once back in the gently-rolling foothills, they noticed an immediate improvement in the weather, warm winds from the south having been blocked or chilled by the snow-covered mountains. It rained fairly frequently, but it only rarely had a slushy sort of snow mixed in.\n\n\tWhenever a decent-sized city was convenient to stop in for the night, they did so, and sought out the local playclub as well. There was no repeat of Roxy’s entertaining appearance, but Elaric had learned a trick from her, however imperfectly, that let him channel some of a slave’s pain into their pleasure centers, letting all three of them take their sweet time with normally-agonizing torments with a clear conscience.\n\n\tNot far from the duchy border between Northlook and Fariach, the wide highway’s top inch or two reduced to sticky mud by a recent rain, a fellow traveler coming the other way caught their attention. The donkey was very roughly dressed, in several layers of worn homespun, and his head hung low until the approach of hoof-beats required him to glance up just to make sure he didn’t run into anyone. Both ladies had to restrain a giggle at the way he looked up, then down, then back up again in a classic double-take, and he stopped dead in the road for a long moment, staring at the white wolf’s matching robe.\n\n\t“Gods be praised!” he half-brayed. “I thought I’d have to walk all the way to Greenhill ‘fore I found a healer... Please, m’lord, can ya spare the time t’visit my poor village? There’s one as is in sore need o’ yer help, an’ we’ve all scraped t’gether t’cover yer fee.”\n\n\tElaric blinked, “But of course! None of us have any urgent business, and we have enough money to get where we’re going. Don’t you worry about any fees; I’d be happy to help if I’m needed as badly as you suggest.”\n\n\tThe previously despondent equine showed renewed energy as he turned around and started walking again, explaining as he went, “I’m Palarin, an’ it’s me uncle as fell ill... Six generations, my family’s worked this land, and three o’ those generations were in th’field yesterday, clearin’ rocks an’ breakin’ up th’sod fer the spring plantin’. Ol’ Uncle Hellach was movin’ a bit stiff-like, but we thought nothin’ of it since he’s gettin’ on in years, but just afore lunch he fell down an’ wouldn’ get back up. We’d say he was sleepin’ normal-like, but he’s all tense; we set a few of th’littles to sittin’ on his arms an’ legs jus’ to keep ‘em straight in th’bed we hauled ‘im to.”\n\n\tThe healer nodded, “Then you were right in seeking out someone like me... If nothing else, I can make his muscles relax before they do him permanent harm. As to figuring out what’s actually wrong with him, that will have to wait until I’ve had a chance to see him, I’m afraid.”\n\n\t“Oh, aye,” the farmer agreed, “we knows how that works. Me youngest sister, well, ma had trouble birthin’ her, an’ had to be fixed up by a feller from Greenhill. He was mortal ‘spensive, an’ a bit too aware o’ his lofty station if ya get me drift, but we paid good attention while he was talkin’ down to us lowly folk. He probably didn’t realize it, but there were plenty’a nuggets o’ wisdom in his prattle that we’ve used t’keep ourselves healthy since then fer free.”\n\n\tAll three travelers chuckled, Berria musing, “I’ve worked a farm myself, in my youth... and I learned to never underestimate the power of peasant practicality. Your ‘folk’ have a way of looking at the world that often sees far more, and better, than highborn eyes.”\n\n\tSince she’d been keeping her horn-hiding illusion active to keep interruptions to a minimum while traveling, and her pendant was packed up with her new main and spare robes, the other equine simply nodded up at her with a grin of his own, “They calls us ig’nant... but we knows when t’keep our eyes an’ ears open an’ our mouths shut, which is more’n that healer knew.” He gestured onward, “Now, ‘t’ain’t more than a five, six miles or so t’our cozy village o’ Hayshire, an’ we should be gettin’ in just in time fer supper.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBy the travelers’ best estimates, every person in the little village set amidst several farms came out to see the arriving strangers. They just stood in doorways or on porches, staring... As modest as the trio’s garb was compared to what two of them had seen in Keesanrel’s court, it was far above the norm for peasantry this far from a real city, and these people had long memories. Well-dressed strangers’ arrival had often boded ill for them, in past generations, but more than one hard gaze softened at the sight of Elaric’s robe.\n\n\t“It may be supper time,” that wolf mused as he climbed down from his saddle, “but I’d prefer to inspect your uncle without delay. Could you lead me to him?”\n\n\tPalarin nodded jerkily, his long ears flopping, “O’ course! Jus’ another sign yer better’n the last healer t’come this way,” and stepped down the path between the general store and a small tavern toward the crude residences just off of the central street.\n\n\tPausing only to tie all three horses to the hitching post in front of the store, his wives followed along at a more leisurely pace, then stepped through a small home’s open door, though the bedroom with the stricken peasant was too crowded by family for them to comfortably enter.\n\n\tElaric shook his head as his hands moved slowly through the air a few inches over his patient. Once the children had climbed off of him, the donkey’s body was slowly curling toward a fetal position from unconscious tension, his muscles stark under his gray fur and a layer of sweat. “This man,” the healer rumbled in a voice stiff with iron control, “has been beaten within an inch of his life, but very carefully so as not to leave obvious marks. His bones are bruised, his muscle fibers are laced with scar tissue, and just about every part of him shows signs of long-term stress. If, as you said, he showed no obvious signs but a bit of stiffness just before he collapsed... then it was because he worked damned hard not to. Forcing his body to move normally after what it’s endured... depleted his reserves, and his tension is a result of extreme exhaustion, despite his having eaten normally.” He glanced up, “Do you have a wise woman, a horse leech, anyone in this town who knows plants well? My powers aren’t enough to completely restore him; we must bolster his empty reserves, and I can tell which plants will help... but not which are poisonous. I’ll do what I can to ease his cramping, and keep him unconscious through the night, but once we’ve got a day of light available I’ll need to wander the nearby hills and forests, finding the ingredients for a tonic. Without such, he won’t last a week.”\n\n\tPalarin scratched absently behind one ear as he thought, then shrugged, “Hellach his’self was th’one as knew those sorts’a things best... but little Tabina was interested, an’ he’d been showin’ ‘er a thing or two these last months. ‘nless ya wants’ta send fer someone in town, she’s yer best bet.”\n\n\tThe wolf smiled grimly as he straightened up, absently wiping his hands on his robe as if to clean off the unpleasant details he’d sensed, “Even in the same climate, the plant life can differ greatly from one place to the next. I’d rather have local help, however inexperienced.” Leaning over once more, he laid a palm on his patient’s head, the man’s next breath coming as an unconscious sigh of relief as his muscles relaxed into a more average sleeping posture, “There... He’s feeling no pain, not even dreaming, and will stay that way for at least twelve hours unless I either wake him myself or give him another dose to stay down. I’ll take care of the bone-bruising once we have the rest of what he needs.”\n\n\tThe visible demonstration of his power brought wide-eyed stares from the children and solemn, determined nods from the watching adults, those with lingering, suspicious expressions promptly losing them. The plump matron of the clan elbowed her way to the front of the crowd and dipped an abbreviated curtsy, “M’lord, if that’s all ye c’n do now that th’sun’s down, perhaps ye and yer ladies could join us fer supper?”\n\n\tElaric smiled gently at her, “We’d be honored to share your table... so long as you forget that ‘m’lord’ nonsense. I’m just a man, doing what I can with the gifts I was blessed with, as are we all.”\n\n\tThe equine nodded, a hint of color at her cheeks after a smile from a younger and handsomer man than she’d received in years, and turned to lead the way toward the large table in the middle of the house.\n\n* * *\n\n\tTypically for such a small, isolated village, Hayshire’s population had very little variety of species. Equines predominated, both horses and donkeys, with several families of rabbits rounding things out. Counting the central town and the nearby farmhouses, there were several hundred people there, enough to avoid rampant inbreeding, though the family news in the conversation around the breakfast table was enough to suggest to the visitors that these people had a slightly more liberal definition of ‘closely related’ than most city-folk would have strictly approved of. Even as the meal’s dishes were cleared, Palarin returned from the errand he’d eaten earlier for, a lapine girl on the very cusp between childhood and womanhood following him into the large dining room.\n\n\t“This is Tabina,” he told the trio as they rose from their bench, then turned to the child, “an’ the wolf there be yer teacher’s best hope, with yer help. He’ll be askin’ ya ‘bout certain plants, an’ all you need t’worry ‘bout is whether they’s safe t’eat.”\n\n\tGlancing toward the room she knew her mentor was unconscious in, the girl’s expression of shyness faded visibly toward determination as she nodded, “Yes, sir. I know most’a th’plants ‘round here, an’ Hellach taught me to nibble ‘n spit fer the rest. I c’n tell the diff’rence between bad-tastin’ an’ toxic.”\n\n\tElaric nodded, only a hint of a smile at Tabina’s earnestness marring his serious expression, “Good. Let’s not waste any more time; lead me to the nearest concentration of wilderness so I can start trying to sense the minerals Hellach needs.”\n\n\tAs their husband followed the child through the front door, Berria and Cin exchanged a glance, the former musing, “Let’s help with the dishes. I doubt there’s much else we’d be good for, around here, and it beats sitting and waiting.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, an unhappy but resigned grimace on her muzzle, but the matron of the donkeys’ family interrupted, “Yer not the only ones with li’l to do, here in town... I’ll not say nay to yer help, but we’ve plenty of biddies with nothin’ to do but gossip all day. That’s gotta be better’n just sittin’ and waitin’ fer yer man to get back.”\n\n\tThe visiting ladies exchanged another glance, both fighting to keep how little that suggestion appealed to them from discourteously showing on their faces. Under the pretext of moving toward the kitchen, Cin stepped around her wife, close enough to breathe an almost inaudible chuckle and murmur to her alone, “Take entertainment where you can... Mistress.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tOnce resigned to facing it, the day turned out to be quite a bit less onerous than the priestess had feared. Simple circumstances were a source of amusement, as she and Cin chatted with the wives of shopkeepers and carters in a small floral garden between the village proper and one of the nearby fields. Those simple village ladies, after all, assumed that Elaric was the dominant focus of their somewhat unusual marriage, a talented and successful man who could easily support having two wives, even if only one of them had any chance of bearing his children. There was an obvious difference between peasants and the sorts of ladies found in temples or noble courts; after only a slight hesitation for fear of offending the upper-class newcomers, a dappled bunny who was probably Tabina’s mother, or at least aunt, broached the subject of what it was like to bed a healer... and Cin’s grin was truly vixenish as she confirmed his multiplicity to a blend of titters and braying guffaws from the village women.\n\n\tOnce onto subjects no ‘proper’ lady would discuss in public, they spent some time speculating on just what a white wolf’s offspring would look like on the off chance he managed to impregnate the vixen. Fox-wolf hybrids were rare, but hardly unknown; Berria’s fellow Sister Elaria had married one, after all. That speculation, in turn, led to a minor surprise, that a town this small possessed a Roxanite ‘church,’ in the form of an adobe hut on the outskirts that housed a brother and sister, both hybrids themselves. As mules, and being infertile, they were considered ‘safer’ to casually dally with than most, even if they were both mere novices by rank, and even these fairly conservative peasants had gotten over most of their disapproval at the twin siblings being each other’s most frequent lovers.\n\n\tJuicy gossip and ribald speculation occupied the group until almost noon, but since more than half of them needed to prepare lunch for their families the gathering broke up at that point. To the visitors’ surprise, as they turned onto the street of the house they were staying at, Elaric and Tabina were walking toward them from the other end, the wolf carrying a basket of assorted greens and the rabbit’s young face looking downright triumphant. “I think this will work,” the healer grinned as he followed his wives inside. “The timing couldn’t be better, even... While lunch is being prepared, I’ll just commandeer a spare pot of water and a spot at the hearth to boil it, along with a little wine or vinegar to better extract what I need. We’ll have Hellach back on his feet by evening.” Setting his burden down on the edge of the kitchen counter, most of it already occupied as three donkeys prepared lunch, he reached over to give his ‘guide’ an affectionate head-ruffling, “And I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks.”\n\n\tA blush showing through the whiter portions of her dappled fur, Tabina nodded, eyes downcast as she visibly struggled to control her expression, “Um... ‘twasn’t nuthin’, sir.”\n\n\tThe rabbit retreating the moment he turned his attention back to the leaves and fronds in his basket, Berria had to chuckle to her husband and murmur, “I think someone’s got a bit of a crush... I’ve met rabbits half her age who were sexually active, within certain obvious limits... and while I wouldn’t mind, and Cin seems amused too, you should be careful if she starts making offers. She’s only eleven or so, and I’m not certain how her parents would take things if you were caught.”\n\n\tThe wolf smirked faintly as he pulled a cutting board out of the counter to start sorting through the selection of greenery, whispering back, “I’d already guessed about the crush... I was sitting down to disentangle a vine from a bush when she ran up to show me another find, and ‘tripped.’ I may not have anything like your horn’s senses, but what I do have did not note any pain in her foot. The fall, and the hand on my crotch where she caught herself, had to be deliberate.” The clatters and bangs of an industrious kitchen covered both his murmur and his wives’ giggles, but he spoke up before anyone could notice anyway, “Ma’ams? I’ll need a medium-sized soup pot, a gallon or so of water, and maybe half a pint of wine or vinegar. This’ll take at least a couple hours to boil down, so I may as well get it started now.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tElaric held his hands to the sides of his patient’s neck, eyes closed in concentration, as he ‘manually’ worked the man’s throat muscles and lungs, making him swallow the tonic his wife was feeding him one careful spoonful at a time without inhaling any of it. One hand moved lower, over Hellach’s belly as he probed to make sure his digestive system hadn’t been completely shut down by the stress that had caused his collapse, then opened his eyes with a faint grunt of effort. “It’s working. We’ll need an hour or so for the trace elements and minerals to spread throughout his system, then I can safely wake him up. At the moment, his induced coma is the only reason he’s not screaming in pain, even in his sleep. I’ll spend that time finishing the healing of his bones, and you should expect the entire family to be unusually tired and hungry tonight, since I’m borrowing some of your strength to help him.”\n\n\tPalarin blinked, “Dayuhm... That ain’t nothin’ like what that other healer-fella did. Sounds like yer half mage ‘r somethin’.”\n\n\tThe wolf smiled slightly even as he moved his hands to the prone man’s shoulders and gathered his concentration, “That’s... actually a fairly good way to describe it. Normally someone’s a healer or a mage, but never both... but I’m not like most healers. I’m the only one I’ve ever heard of who can do things quite this way. Now let me work. As distasteful as they might find it, I’ll need you to ask the ladies to include some of the dried meat from my saddlebags in the meal they’re preparing, as I’ll really need it by then, and to make a large portion of your usual fare for Hellach too, as he’ll need it even more. He hasn’t eaten in over a day, and any questions you might have can and will wait ‘til he’s fed.”\n\n\tNodding, the donkey cast one more glance, respect shining in his eyes, at the healer before turning and stepping out to relay his orders.\n\n\tThe equine family was a bit somber as they gathered for supper a while later, but only until that bedroom door creaked open. More than one face had tears in wide eyes, over cheek-cramping smiles, as Elaric and Hellach emerged, the old donkey’s arm draped across the wolf’s shoulders for support as he half-staggered down the short hall to the dining room. His wife scrambled up from the bench as quickly as her old bones would let her, and rushed over to take hold of him from the other side, her supporting arm hugging almost tightly enough to do fresh injury, but he hardly seemed to notice, simply hugging her back as well as he could.\n\n\t“Praise the Gods,” Karfoll, the wrinkled, silver-muzzled patriarch of the family rumbled. “Praise Them all... and thank you, healer.”\n\n\tElaric gave him a wan smile as he helped the older couple get settled, then took his own seat next to his wives. That smile widened as he spotted the strips of rehydrated meat mixed in with steamed barley and carrots, “You’re welcome... and thank you,” and he turned his smile on the women who’d cooked the meal. “I know you can’t have been comfortable handling meat, but I can’t help being a wolf. I just can’t go for more than a few days without it, especially if I’m exerting myself as much as it took to get Hellach back on his feet.”\n\n\tOne of the nodding cooks gave a pained chuckle, “It coulda been worse, sir. At least ya had th’meat, so we didn’t have’ta go slaughterin’ one’a our wool-sheep ‘r nuthin’.”\n\n\tSeveral of the gathered equines chuckled, a bit uneasily of course, at that notion, but replying took a distant second in priority to digging into his meal, as the healer hadn’t understated his need in the slightest.\n\n\tGlancing between the carnivore and his uncle, who was also shoveling food into his muzzle as fast as he could, Palarin smiled and suggested, “Let’s follow their example an’ eat. Questions c’n wait ‘til later.” He’d warned the family about the effects of Elaric’s particular gifts, so it was no surprise that several bellies rumbled in response, his included, and they all dug in.\n\n\tThey gathered in the same bedroom the healing had taken place in, the three visitors sitting on the bed, Hellach and his wife on a bench from the dining room, and Palarin and his grandfather Karfoll on the room’s two chairs. Hellach had insisted on this, in response to the elder’s initial suggestion of gathering the whole family around the home’s central fireplace. Now, his wife still holding him possessively with one arm, he finally told them why.\n\n\t“It was just over a week ago... You know I harvest herbs from several different places, giving them time to grow back, and sometimes that takes me miles from Hayshire. It was at just about as far as I ever go when I met them... and I thank the Gods that I didn’t have Tabina with me that day. They’re gone by now, so I can finally break my promise of silence, but I ran into a whole bunch of strangers in a big clearing. Strangers with armor and swords and bows, at least two dozen that I saw, though there were probably at least a few more. I’d heard what sounded like fighting, and tried to get closer to find out what was going on, but before I could make it through the thicket someone shouted for me to stop and I had three arrows pointing at my face, much too close for them to miss. What else could I do? I followed along as I was told, to where those soldier-folk were practicing, and they took me to a fellow in really fancy armor with a gold circle, damn near a crown, ‘round his helmet. Even way out there on the backside of nowhere, he had a fancier chair than I’d ever seen... That armor hid every bit of ‘im in front, and I certainly couldn’t see any tail with him sitting like that, but from his voice I think he was some kind of cat. He didn’t bother to ask me anything; he just told me his sentries had seen me and Tabina, though he just called her ‘that little rabbit wench,’ in the woods just a bit closer to home, and that if he saw me again in the few days before he left, he’d do to her what he was about to do to me. Now, I had no idea what he meant by that, right then... but I learned quick enough! His men dragged me out to where they’d been practicin’ with their swords, tied me to a tree, and a couple of them with fancier armor set into me with heavy, polished sticks.” His wife’s grip tightened as she whimpered, and he slipped an arm around her shoulders to hold her close, his voice as low as his gaze as he stared at the floor, “I was sure I was going to die... I didn’t know a man could hurt that much and still be alive, but these folks were real careful, and real good at what they did. They never touched my head or belly, and I still can’t understand how they kept from breaking any bones, but they pounded and pounded and pounded...” He took a deep breath and looked up, “It felt like forever, but by the sun it was less than two hours before they untied me and threw me back into the woods. The pain was ringing in my ears so much... I’m sure they repeated their lord’s warning, but I was in no shape to be understandin’. All I could do was crawl toward home as fast as possible, which meant marginally quicker than a snail. After the first couple miles I was steady enough to get back on my feet, and I was thinking more clearly too. The way I saw it, my only choice was to pretend nothing had happened, and to take Tabina somewhere else, anywhere else, to keep teaching her. Couldn’t even stop that, even if it was for her own good, as she’d have asked me why, and the last thing I could do was tell her... at least until now. They’re long gone if that lord of theirs was telling the truth.”\n\n\tEvery face in the room was frowning as the listeners nodded, sharing glances amongst each other, and Berria’s voice was cold as she asked, “Who were they, though? They were obviously strangers, yes... but did you overhear any names? See any livery or crests you can describe?”\n\n\tHellach started to shake his head, then paused... “I don’t know armor,” he mused, “so ‘fancy’ is about as specific as I can get, but most of the men had these things like aprons over the metal...”\n\n\t“Surcoats,” Elaric helpfully supplied.\n\n\tThe donkey nodded, then continued, “They only come to mind now since they were embroidered, and the guy with the crown-helmet had the same thing on his heavy steel shirt as an inlay of copper. I don’t remember it well enough to draw, but it seemed to mainly be some kind of fruit tree and a bird.” He shook his head sadly, “If they hadn’t beaten me senseless just after, I could probably tell you what kind of bird... but even without hitting him in the head, enough pain can daze a man just the same.”\n\n\tMost of the nods this fetched were sympathetic, but Berria’s was more resolute. “I think,” she mused with a glance at each of her spouses, “we’ll need to pause in the next major city, to check with someone familiar with heraldry. Worst case, we’d have to go as far as Wrenshollow, some five or six days away, as the count’s castle there would have what I need.” She looked back to the donkeys, “You’ve probably been under the impression that Cin and I are Elaric’s mismatched wives and he’s the senior member of the family... but that’s not quite the case. If anyone’s in charge of our little group, I am, as I’m something much like, but not exactly, an Agent. I’ve dined with royalty, earned favors from an archmage, and solved crimes an entire city’s guards couldn’t. Your story, Hellach, suggests that something serious is going on, but we can’t possibly know what, which is why I’m going to poke my nose into things. I’ll find out just what that symbol you saw means, then try to find out why someone wearing it would torture an innocent man while he’s just out collecting herbs. If I can’t find out who or why, myself, I’ll go straight to King Lachier and get his investigators or even Agents involved.”\n\n\tAll four of the other equines were wide-eyed at her claims, though they also looked skeptical, so she decided to give them just a bit of hard evidence, reaching up to touch her right earring for a moment. Eight eyes blinked hard as her horn seemingly materialized, and she had to smile at her spouses’ quiet laughs.\n\n\tKarfoll recovered from surprise first, straightening in his seat, “We’d heard that th’last king had started tradin’ with unicorns... but never in our lives thought t’see one in our li’l backwater.” He glanced around at his junior family members and shrugged, “I s’pose the only thing we can do is wish ya luck an’ good huntin’, an’ maybe ask that y’send some’un t’tell us th’whole tale sometime once ya figger out just what sorta trouble Hellach ran into.”\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded, her muzzle grim, “At a minimum, yes. You and yours deserve at least that much, particularly Palarin for ‘daring’ to interrupt our travels.” She smiled at the newly-startled donkey, “If you hadn’t, not only would your uncle probably be dead, given what El said about how much longer he had, but his story would have died with him, and there’d be no way to let the authorities know anything needed to be looked into. If we do find out what’s going on, and it turns out to be a serious problem, I’m going to suggest that the king give your whole town a year off of taxes in thanks.”\n\n\tThe patriarch’s eyes narrowed shrewdly at that, his mind obviously considering the long-term implications. Farming wasn’t exactly a high-margin business, so their taxes were a fairly low actual figure, but their remaining profit had seen them just barely getting by in recent years. Keeping even a small additional percentage would allow for all sorts of minor upgrades in equipment and draft animals, and could have a noticeable impact on the community as a whole.\n\n\tHellach chuckled as he let go of his wife to stretch, “I’ll be glad if my... unfortunate experience ends up doing some good, aye. I’m still more than a little bushed from it, though, so I think we should all go to bed, and you fine people can be on your way to start this investigation bright and early in the morning.”\n\n\tElaric nodded as he stood, his wives following suit, “Sounds good to me. You’ll want to drink about half a pint of that tonic I made, every morning for one more week, and don’t get back into the fields or forests for at least two weeks, but that’s all the recovery you’ll really need. I’ve done everything I can for you, personally, and all you need now is time and a few minerals.”\n\n\tThe equine’s gaze softened as he nodded, “And you’ve my thanks for that, healer. Sleep well.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe group’s horses seemed particularly eager to continue the journey as they were saddled and loaded the next morning. The rest had done them good, but good feed and a lack of exercise had left them with entirely too much energy. Karfoll and Palarin were there to see them off but, just as they were about to mount, Hellach put in an appearance as well, trailed by Tabina and one of the gossip-prone bunnies from the day before.\n\n\t“Farine and I realize we have no claim on you,” the donkey began, “and we certainly don’t want to hinder your investigation, but there’s one last favor we’d like to beg, regardless... As much of a pleasure as she’s been to teach, Tabina’s learned almost everything I can teach, and she’s got a real knack for herbs and plants in general. Then there’s the minor detail that I’ll be resting up for a couple weeks and couldn’t continue the lessons anyway...” He looked up at Elaric, “The favor we ask is that you take her along, and see if you can find someone to apprentice her to. As a healer yourself, I figure you can find another to take her out of professional courtesy, and we’ll be sending her with the fee you declined to cover her meals and any other support she’ll require.”\n\n\tThe wolf’s brows were high as he nodded slowly, considering his request... “That sounds like a good idea, actually,” he finally replied. “The money probably isn’t necessary, if I can find her a good teacher... Practicing healers and even herbalists tend not to be poor, and if she’s as much a joy to teach as you suggest a good one will take her on at no charge.” He glanced to Palarin with a wry smile, “As your own experience demonstrated, though, not all healers are... nice. I’ll do my best to find someone better than the money-gouging babbler you told us about, but there’s a chance I’ll find someone who’s greatly experienced but has a few attitude problems. The money might smooth things, in such a case, but that sort would still be my last choice. They’d have to be a very good teacher to inflict the rest of them on her.”\n\n\tFarine’s ears had dipped as he outlined that worst-case scenario, but they perked up again as she nodded, “It’s th’ teachin’ that’s ‘mportant. I trust you’ll find ‘er some’un nice if you can, but don’t strain yerself worryin’ ‘bout it if ya can’t.”\n\n\tHer daughter had been looking on nervously at the hint that things might be called off, but smiled broadly at the final agreement, “Yay! Thank you!” She looked between her mother and former teacher, standing a bit straighter despite the heavy bag of food and clothes on her back, “I promise I’ll be good, an’ learn as much as I can!”\n\n\tHellach chuckled and ruffled her head affectionately, “I know you will... I’ll miss you, scamp. Make sure you find time to practice your reading and writing, as there’s a lot of useful knowledge in books, too, and we’ll be expecting the occasional letter from you. I’ll read ‘em to your parents when they get here.” Glancing up, he pulled a folded stack of rough paper out of his belt and offered it to the healer along with a small pouch of coins, “I’ve written up a summary of what she already knows, for you to pass along to whoever you find, but we’ve delayed you enough on your journey. Carry on, and know that you take the thanks of all of Hayshire with you.”\n\n\tElaric nodded solemnly as he took the packet, then climbed up onto his horse.\n\n\t“Here, Tabina,” Berria offered, “you should ride with me since I’m the smallest and we’ll fit together in the saddle.”\n\n\tWithin another minute, the girl’s pack had been tied onto a horse and all four of them were mounted, sharing one last wave with the villagers before starting down the road.\n\n\tOut of idle curiosity, the wolf slowed his mount a bit to take the rear of the column, trusting the horse to follow along with minimal guidance as he unfolded the homemade papers. To his mild surprise, the first sheet was a letter to him, though the other two were clearly a simple, summarized list of studied subjects.\n\n\t“Honored Healer,” the letter began. “I certainly couldn’t mention this in front of the town leaders, much less a child’s mother, but you deserve fair warning. She’s everything I said she is, as a student, attentive and intelligent, but she’s also very much a bunny. I still love my wife for her heart and her soul, but honesty compels me to admit that my interest in her body has waned as we both got older. The little minx I’ve been escorting through the woods, miles from any observer (except those damned sentries), has rekindled some of the physical flames of my youth. She’s very good with her tongue, and her rump is far more stimulating than what’s in my aging bride’s underdrawers. Even though I couldn’t tell you to without raising suspicion, I earnestly hope you read this before a day or two passes and the novelty of the journey wears off enough for her libido to reassert itself, or you and your wives could be in for a big surprise. If you or they object to a child’s attentions in that manner, and I’m almost certain you will, I ask that you be firm, but not unkind, in your rejection. Explain to her that it just isn’t proper, and she’ll accept it. Not happily, I guess, but it won’t hurt her to rely on her own fingers for that sort of thing. She certainly enjoyed them while I was halfway down her throat.”\n\n\tThe letter wasn’t signed, of course; just like its avoidance of Elaric’s or Tabina’s names, at least token precautions against the possibility of someone else reading it had been taken. Crumpling the sheet and stuffing it into a pocket of his robe, the healer tucked the other pages into his saddlebag, resolving to use the letter for kindling the next time he built a campfire... and to find some opportunity to discreetly warn his wives.\n\nChapter 10\n\n\t“Seriously,” Berria murmured, barely audible over the crackling flames where they camped a few days after leaving Hayshire, “it’s not a problem. When I first set out on this journey, I had a lover almost as young as her, even if she was actually... um, like Roxy.” The odds of Elaric ever returning to Atheria were slim, and those of him interacting with their royalty even slimmer, but the priestess had decided long ago to take no chances with Karen’s identity. “Mortal or not, though, I’ve had younger lovers or even slaves back at my old temple, and with rabbits or foxes age matters very little. Cin was certainly a lot younger than Tab when she started... practicing, after all.”\n\n\tThe vixen giggled softly as she turned the sticks some well-seasoned jerky was warming on, then stirred the pot of vegetable stew.\n\n\tHer husband nodded a bit reluctantly, but his reply was interrupted by the sound of rustling brush, and he shut his muzzle as the rabbit in question stepped back into the circle of firelight after doing her business amidst the trees. He caught just the faintest hint of a peek, more a suggestion that his mind filled in the details of than an actual view of private flesh, as she’d still been pulling up her breeches as she neared. He had to fight to keep from smiling, at that; she was a little minx, but not nearly as subtle as she thought. She’d been far enough away for privacy while he’d whispered with his other girls, and logically should have pulled her pants back up before taking the first step back toward the camp. Her ‘forgetfulness’ on that score simply had to be deliberate.\n\n\t“We’ll be getting to Wrenshollow tomorrow, by lunchtime I’m guessing,” the priestess mused more conversationally, “but I actually have a suspicion of what we’ll find... More than one holding in this part of the kingdom is named after birds, but as we were riding I remembered an old story I’d read.” She glanced toward Tabina with a smile, “When I was just a little older than you, I met someone who taught me about my interests, just as we’re trying to find for you and yours. He let me read his memoirs, and one of his first... well, jobs, was in a barony not far from here, one with a bird name and a reputation for growing fruit. I’ll still want to check the count’s library... but I’ve got a nagging suspicion that the heraldry for Lark’s Reach will match Hellach’s description.”\n\n\tHer wife nodded as she turned the sticks once more, then started dishing up bowls of stew, two large and two small, “That certainly sounds like a good lead... but what then?”\n\n\tBerria paused to snicker as Tabina snatched at her bowl, one of the larger ones, barely avoiding spillage as she sat back on a log and scooped up a spoonful to blow on. Her expression much more serious, then, the unicorn shook her head even as she accepted the other big bowl, “I’m really, really hoping I’m wrong, actually. The baron in question is Queen Serra’s half-brother. Yeah, they’re a whole kingdom apart, but the story of how she and Keesanrel met is a complicated one. Hell, they were actually both in western Vivenge at the time... Regardless, I consider the royal family as personal friends, and I’d be unhappy to have to inform Serra that her brother’s beating people up in an earldom far from his home, in the company of soldiers who have no business being there in the first place. Or, at least, that’s what the situation looks like... I’ll have to see if any rumors in Count Wrenshollow’s court have to do with their neighbors. Thank you, dear,” and she accepted one of the sticks of jerky from Cin, its very edges a bit singed, but that’d been the point of warming them near the fire in the first place. Just a bit of mild burn could add a pleasant accent to the flavor of almost any meat.\n\n\tTabina blinked, pausing her near-inhalation of her own supper, then outright stared as blunt white teeth nipped off a small bite of the preserved beef.\n\n\tBerria followed that bite with one of stew, then chuckled to the disbelieving youngster, “No, unicorns don’t eat meat... except me. Don’t worry yourself about it, you’re still perfectly safe with us... but I’m a bit unusual in several ways. As I once described it, I’m the most evil good person you’ll ever meet. My job is to help people, and my husband’s a healer... but I’m also a full priestess of Kathalla. I’d never hurt any of my friends, but I’ve killed people who hurt others, and I have to admit to enjoying it.” She neglected to mention, for the moment, slaves, as the wide-eyed bunny probably wasn’t thinking clearly enough for complex explanations.\n\n\tElaric chimed in, “I watched her do that, once. An insane woman had been killing children even younger than you... but she stopped her. That bitch will never hurt anyone ever again.”\n\n\tThe word of a healer, not to mention a man she very much wanted to get closer to, did much to calm the young rabbit, and she nodded once before taking another bite of her meal. She thought for one more moment as she chewed the veggies, then swallowed, “Sorry for kinda freakin’ out for a bit, there. I knew I was gonna have to get used to meat-eaters when I left Hayshire. Heck, I knew I’d be travelin’ with two! But... I kinda thought I’d have one vegetarian in the bunch, someone on ‘my side.’”\n\n\tCin settled onto the other side of the log from Tabina, murring before starting her own meal, “Dear, we’re all on your side. Judge people by their actions and attitudes, not their teeth,” and her sharp canines flashed in the firelight at her friendly smile.\n\n\tThe bunny blinked, then giggled around a smile of her own, “Hellach said pretty much the same thing... and I’m trying! It’s just... not as easy as I thought it’d be, being out in the world for the first time.”\n\n\tElaric had noticed the way his comment had calmed her, earlier, and suppressed a chuckle of sympathy for his wives. The vixen, he knew, was being deliberately charming, but the subtle clues were firming up, suggesting that, even at her tender age, Tab preferred men and knew it. His suspicion only grew when her gaze darted instantly back to him, her big brown eyes softening, the moment he opened his mouth to say, “That, as much as my status, could be why he sent you with us and not someone else. We’re a small group, a safe group, that you can start getting used to before we reach a real city... which, as Berria said, will be tomorrow. Eat your stew, dear; we’ll all need our sleep.”\n\n\tCin grumbled as she gnawed a chunk of jerky off of one of her sticks, swallowing before clarifying, “Just sleep, I’m pretty sure you mean. I don’t like the look of those clouds the moon’s not quite peeking through, so we’d better use the little tents. I still wish we could have found one big one with enough pieces to split between the horses...”\n\n\tBerria grinned mischievously, deliberately catching Tabina’s gaze before rolling her own eyes and muttering, “Vixens...”\n\n\tSheltered as her upbringing may have been in that farming community, the rabbit got the inference, and her merry giggle was ever so faintly naughty.\n\n* * *\n\n\t“I don’t know how long this’ll take,” Berria admitted, “but at least that means we’ll get our money’s worth from the inn. We can leave tomorrow morning, which will give all of us as much of this afternoon as we need.”\n\n\tThe four travelers shared a few nods, their smallest member’s attempt at looking as serious as the adults actually rather amusing, where they stood under the shelter of the inn’s porch.\n\n\tCin mused, “As much as I appreciate the opportunity... I’ve got a nagging suspicion that the books we’ll find will be a lot harder than that last primer I got through. I’ll try my best, but I can’t be certain just how much good I’ll do, even for mere practice.”\n\n\tHer wife chuckled, shaking her head, “Don’t worry... even nobles aren’t born literate. I’ll point you to the educational section before I go looking for books of heraldry.”\n\n\tSmiling at the vixen’s sudden relaxation, Elaric patted his companion on the shoulder, “I’ll have our charge properly taken care of by the time supper rolls around, in any case. Did you want to take that at the inn, or should I join you and the count’s court?”\n\n\tBerria grimaced faintly, “Until we’ve got some idea just who and what is involved, I’d rather keep a low profile. We’ll spend the night at the inn, including supper and breakfast. If my earlier suspicion turns out to be correct, we’ll rent some space on one of the larger barges heading downriver. That’ll take us right through... the mentioned holding, where we can at least glance around for anything obviously suspicious, but our destination will be Fariach itself. A lot still depends on what I find, so I’ll give you more detail after dinner, with more information and more privacy than an open street.”\n\n\tThe wolf nodded, mentally kicking himself for failing to consider those points in the first place, and simply leaned close to hug both his wives, planting a kiss on each cheek, “I’ll see you soon enough, then, loves. Good luck!”\n\n\tAs the two pairs turned and started walking in opposite directions, Tabina glanced up to ask, “What did you mean, getting me ‘taken care of?’ Are you gonna find me a teacher right here?”\n\n\tChuckling, the healer shook his head, “Not here, no. Now, I mean no insult when I say this... but the sort of town you grew up in, well, it shows.” He gestured at the moderate foot-traffic that shared the street with them despite the light drizzle falling from the clouds, “Just look around. There’s not much homespun wool being worn around here, and even the workers are a bit cleaner than you are after running around in the woods three or four days a week. My intention is to take you to the healer’s college in Fariach, and ask them where an herbalist who wants an apprentice can be found, but first we’ll need to get you some better clothes so you don’t stand out as a back-country yokel, and it couldn’t hurt to stop at a bathhouse while we’re out.”\n\n\tThe girl’s young face was torn between emotions, mostly resentment at the points he’d made, tempered with the unpalatable knowledge that he was probably right, and managing as well to combine nervousness and naughty hope at his mention of baths.\n\n\tGlancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him over the muting rumble of the other citizens, he picked his words carefully and kept his voice soft, “Please be careful with your expression, as I don’t want anyone who sees you to get the wrong impression... but I know what you’ve been doing. That ‘accident’ in the woods the day we met... wasn’t, and I know that you chose to flash me last night, as well as having a good idea of what you and Hellach were up to when no one else was around.”\n\n\tWith his warning, her muzzle was calm enough, if rather tense, but the bunny’s eyes were wide as she stared fixedly ahead and her eartips were very red.\n\n\t“I’ve actually discussed it with my wives,” he went on, “and they assure me that your... ‘goals,’ I suppose, are perfectly natural for a healthy young rabbit, and they don’t actually mind if you succeed in them with me. The more I think about it, too, the less I mind the notion... though don’t you go falling in love. Two wives is plenty, in my book, and you still need a real teacher. As a gifted healer, my study of herbs was... pretty minimal, to be honest. I just wanted to get this whole issue out in the open between us, preferably before we wound up naked in a bathtub.”\n\n\tHer blush had mostly faded, only to return at his last words as her mind started suggesting possibilities, but her expression was far less stiff as she nodded, this time fighting to keep a grin off her muzzle, “Um... thank you, I guess. You’re treating me almost like a grown-up, talking to me about it, and, yeah, I suppose that’s better than my way, either drivin’ you away with my teasing or making you snap and just pounce me.” She smiled up at him with a bit of residual shyness, “You’re very handsome... but you’re also a wolf, and I’d probably panic if that happened.” She looked around as they passed another inn’s stable and the street grew more commercial, various shops on both sides only rarely interrupted by a tavern or warehouse. “Let’s... get that shopping done, and I won’t insist that you help me ‘try things on’ like one earlier thought suggested. That might have gotten you in trouble with the shopkeepers, after all.”\n\n\tElaric had to chuckle, “Hellach said you were a little minx... Looks like he was right. You’ll get your chance to play, I assure you, so you can quit your scheming for now.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe county seat of Wrenshollow was, for its size, one of the more prosperous cities Elaric had been in, given its position at the northernmost navigable stretch of a wide river that ran all the way to the sea and connected at two points to highways leading to the capitol. There were plenty of shops featuring clothing, either tailor-owned or run by merchants who bought their stock elsewhere, and the competition and low transport costs kept prices reasonable. It was hard for the wolf himself to resist some of the items he found; he had to keep reminding himself that he already had a more varied wardrobe than he’d owned in years, and that storage space was severely limited while traveling. It was enough fun just looking, though, that he arbitrarily set a limit of one purchased garment per shop, explaining to his companion that they’d get to see a lot more that way.\n\n\tThat limit, of course, got broken when Tabina found a style of underdrawers that were just a bit more frilly, and a tad more skimpy of cut, than her parents would have strictly approved of, but she needed something to go under the dresses she’d chosen elsewhere, and underwear wasn’t something a girl wanted only one change of. Thankfully, one of their very first purchases had been a large leather purse, and clothes her size folded down small enough that it was only marginally over-stuffed by the time her enthusiasm and energy started to run out.\n\n\tElaric had mentally noted several bathhouses as they’d explored the city, but some inner urging he couldn’t quite define made him look farther down their current street rather than backtracking to a remembered establishment. There was, just a few buildings down from the seller of intimate apparel, another miniature wooden tub hanging from a post... but the storefront it stuck out from wasn’t quite like any of the others. Around the wide wooden doors, the wall was molded plaster, indented stripes suggesting marble columns, and between those there was a repeating theme along the edge of the roof, of paired round shapes, not quite circles or even flattened spheres. He was sure he’d seen those shapes before, fairly recently even, and he thought back through his journey... and then it hit him. The pattern was far smaller than the reality, and flatter too, but other than the lack of central points those shapes were a surprisingly exact replica of Roxy’s bosom.\n\n\tHe touched Tabina’s shoulder and pointed, “There. That’s where we’ll bathe, and you can change into your new stuff afterwards, and... I’ve got the feeling we will not get in trouble there, no matter what.”\n\n\t“No, you won’t,” a feminine, vulpine murr sounded just behind his ear, and he jumped in place before turning around. A familiar grin greeted him, though at least this time she was dressed, but even a medium-high-necked winter gown could do little to disguise her enormous breasts.\n\n\tThe young rabbit had turned nearly as quickly, and blinked up at the stranger in clear confusion.\n\n\tNoticing, her companion half-hissed, “I’ll tell you about it when we’re inside. She’s... a friend.”\n\n\tRoxy simply nodded, giving a low chuckle, and took both mortals’ hands as she led them toward the bathhouse. Another vixen, if far less physically emphatic, was waiting behind the counter as they stepped inside, wearing an opaque white robe and a necklace with the stylized silver pendants of a low-profile priestess, and her eyes got huge as she recognized just who’d shown up. “These two need a private chamber,” the incarnation directed in her sultry rumble, “probably for no more than an hour. I won’t be joining them... though if you have someone who can watch the door for you, I might as well get to know you while I’m here.”\n\n\tIn the time the priestess took to blink twice, her nipples had visibly stiffened under her robe, and she nodded half-spastically as she squeaked, “Yes, ma’am! Um, to both, ma’am! Travin?” When the feline she’d called stuck his head through the beaded curtain leading to the staff areas, she half-blurted, “Two for room twelve... then get back here quick! I’ll pay you double myself, but I need you to take the rest of my shift.”\n\n\tThe cat in an acolyte’s necklace blinked hard at the vulpine newcomer, then nodded as he stepped out, “And you told me you thought this day would never come, just because this isn’t ‘really’ a temple! Looks like your cousin Ela was right...” Putting his ‘professional’ expression firmly back into place, marred only by a faint, residual smirk, he bowed to the wolf and rabbit, “If you two will follow me?”\n\n\tOnce the acolyte had shown them to the designated chamber and closed the door behind them, Elaric grinned down at his companion and explained, “That vixen... was actually Roxanarra, called Roxy when she’s a mere mortal. I’ve met her once before... and she evidently enjoyed my company. Showing up here and now, and making sure we get a good room, is probably her way of saying thanks.”\n\n\tTabina’s eyes widened, “And... she almost certainly knows what I wanna do with you in here! You were right ‘bout this place!” Wasting no more time, she gripped the hem of her woolen shirt and started peeling it up and off.\n\n\tEven as he set down his purse of purchases and reached for the sash of his robe, Elaric glanced around the room. The centerpiece, of course, was the beaten-copper tub set into the marble floor, big enough for three large adults or four more compact people, its rim studded with several faintly-glowing crystals that probably accounted for the thin haze of steam already rising from the water. One corner of the chamber was indented by about a square yard, one side of the intrusion sporting a narrow door marked with the crescent moon commonly seen on outhouses, and on the other side, against the wall, a large padded bench or somewhat shallow couch was draped with a clean white sheet. It could almost certainly serve as a bed if someone was careful. A tray of scrub-brushes and soap was next to the tub, and several large, fluffy towels hung from racks to either side of the door.\n\n\tDropping his robe to one side, the wolf worked at the tie of his breeches with one hand as he turned to secure the sliding bar on that door, not that he mistrusted anyone’s discretion if the entire staff here was, as it seemed, Roxanite, but it never hurt to have one less thing for either him or his companion to worry about. Glancing over at the thought of her, he caught her gaze just as she looked up after toeing off her shoes, the young bunny’s eartips a bit flushed again as she faced him, stark naked.\n\n\t“Pretty,” he mused with a comforting smile, looking her up and down. Her chest was almost flat, only the faintest swells starting to grow there, but her nipples were a vivid pink where they peeked out of her mottled, tan and light brown fur. Her hips were almost boyishly slim, having developed just a bit more than her breasts had, but it was enough to suggest that she’d have a figure to draw eyes in just another few years. “Yes,” he reiterated, “very pretty.” Taking two steps away, he sat down on the edge of the couch to start working his boots off.\n\n\tTabina’s blush faded as she watched him, admiring the flow of his chest- and arm-muscles as he worked, and her tongue snuck out half-unconsciously to roam her lips as he dropped his second boot and reached for the top of the white linen pantaloons he usually wore under his robe. He glanced up with a faint smile, then lifted himself just enough to slide the pants down to his ankles then work his feet free.\n\n\tAlmost as if in a dream, the girl padded closer, one hand extended and her eyes locked on the bulge of his sheath. He made no move to stop her, curious about her intentions, then hissed softly as she reached unerringly for his groin. Her other hand joined the first, both gripping and gently kneading at his sheath, and her muzzle followed suit, her own lips forgotten as she stuck her tongue straight into that furless slit.\n\n\tShe didn’t have long to savor the musky salt that tended to build up just inside; between her hands and tongue, he started firming up immediately, the tip of his dusky member emerging to poke her in the nose then steadily lengthening. Her eyes didn’t even flicker from their focus as he brought a hand up to start gently stroking the fur of her head and neck, but they did sink closed as she wrapped her lips around the blunt head of his shaft and suckled, her tongue swirling slowly around it with the occasional swipe over the hole at its tip. Her hands moved upwards as more flesh emerged, the pads of her fingers brushing lightly along his length, and when those touches finally confirmed that he was as long and hard as he was likely to get, she pulled back and opened her eyes, a smile on her muzzle.\n\n\tThe wolf had to chuckle as he kept petting her, “Like what you see, hmmm?”\n\n\tTabina’s smile broadened into a grin as she glanced up, nodding emphatically, “Yeah! Donkeys ain’t horses, but they ain’t small either... but you’re a bit bigger than Hellach was, ‘specially at the bottom.”\n\n\tElaric quirked half a grin, “That’s my knot... which, I suppose, you’d never have seen the like of in a village of herbivores. All wolves, foxes, and canids have them.”\n\n\t“Guess I’ll learn more ‘bout it later,” she mused, then straightened, “but at least th’tip’s not flared like a horse’s!” Obviously considering the time for words over, she reached up to grip his shoulders, only possible because he was seated, then climbed up, her strong legs slipping around his sides and her eyes closing to slits as she positioned herself, then gradually relaxed lower... The girl hissed, and her lover grunted, at the first touch of her sex to his shaft. Even in the steam-warmed air the moisture on her lips and the saliva on his shaft were a bit on the cool side, but that lasted only until she eased herself still lower, her petals spreading and much warmer flesh gradually engulfing his.\n\n\tTabina’s breath was a steady, rising moan as she sank lower, punctuated by a gasp as he bottomed out, nearly six inches of his thick meat buried within her. “Oh, Gods...” she groaned as she shifted her grip, hugging around his neck and nuzzling his cheek as her hips rocked up to start pulling off of him again, “that’s... that’s...”\n\n\t“... a surprise,” the healer’s own ragged voice supplied. “In the... the letter he gave me to warn me about you...” He had to pause for a couple of breaths before he could continue, “Hellach implied you could only take it up your butt, at your size.” He knew any number of more cultured euphemisms... but she was still young enough for him to judge a certain coarse bluntness necessary.\n\n\tThose brown eyes fluttered open for a moment, then sank closed even as her hips reversed to take him in anew, her voice quavering from the sensations that were sending shivers up and down her body as she gave her head a small shake, “He thought that... he’d hurt me the other way. I told him I’d been practicin’. Four fingers! I... I like it back there too, an’ can take more, but this... this feels a lot better than fingers ever did!” She planted a blind kiss on the side of his muzzle, “Thank you...”\n\n\tChuckling softly, he simply wrapped his arms around her slim form with gentle strength and rocked his hips up to meet her. Young or not, she was quite moist, her scent suffusing the warm air and reminding him strongly of his equine wife with its sweet freshness. His second deliberate thrust applied a bit more, careful pressure, probing for her limits, but he hadn’t found them yet, her own hips pushing harder. By the third stroke, despite her slickness, the friction was getting a bit too intense, so he eased off just a bit for the fourth. That brief brush with roughness certainly didn’t seem to faze her; his fifth thrust was halted midway as her passage clamped down on him, her sudden squeal muffled as she pressed her muzzle into his neck-fur, and he withdrew a bit to press more gently against her walls’ rhythmic clenching. She gradually relaxed again, a profoundly satisfied sigh warming him with her breath, but she was moaning again within two more thrusts. Closing his own eyes, Elaric simply held her as they made love. There were no more worries about her willingness or vulnerability, letting him simply enjoy her young body as she shared it with him, and her second peak, mere minutes later, was joined by his own, the marble tiling of the walls proving far less resonant to his howl than he’d half-feared in a bathing chamber.\n\n\tTabina’s eyes were sultry slits when he opened his own again, and the smile on her muzzle was... satisfied as she savored the pressure of his hot seed within her. Leaning close once more, she kissed his lips and whispered, “Thank you. I... I know that very few men would even consider doing what we did with someone my age, and half of those would have been too rough. You were... gentle and big and perfect.”\n\n\tHer lover chuckled affectionately, pulling her close for another hug, then loosened it enough to kiss her back before replying with a smile of his own, “And you were quite enjoyable too. We still need to bathe... but we haven’t used up too much of the hour Roxy gave us. If you’ll use that privy in the corner first... I would very much like, as we clean ourselves, to give your hindside a try too before we leave.”\n\n\tThe bunny’s eyes widened briefly, then simply gleamed as she grinned, “My butt... is yours for the taking, good sir! And feel free to lick or finger anything that catches your eye while we’re in the tub!”\n\n\tSmirking, Elaric eased her back enough to plant a teasing, sharp-toothed nip on one of her nipples, enjoying the half-squealed giggle that elicited, even as he eased her off of his softening shaft. “That, my dear, sounds like no chore at all,” he rumbled, then let her slide down to stand on her own feet before rising.\n\n\tThose feet were a bit unsteady after two doses of pure pleasure, but she found her balance soon enough, and he enjoyed the view of her well-toned rump and flicking puff of a tail as she pranced toward the privy door.\n\n* * *\n\n\tThere was still a bit of bounce in the girl’s step by the time they’d hiked back to the inn, and it only got worse as they spotted the two ladies in the common room, Tabina bounding over to give each one of them a tight hug and a, “Thank you!” only barely restrained from a gleeful shout.\n\n\tBerria smirked at her husband while the child manhandled her wife, “I take it that was for more than the new dress she’s wearing. I’m glad you two had fun.”\n\n\tCin hugged the bunny back and kissed her cheek, then chuckled as she let go, “I can understand how... attention from him can cheer any girl up. Letting her borrow him was only right.”\n\n\tA half-rueful grin was on the wolf’s face, at the thought of how most wives would react to their husband spending the day with another female, as he took his seat and glanced over the selection they’d ordered for supper. “Let’s eat,” he suggested, “then we can talk about what you two found or decided today. I haven’t forgotten your comment about privacy, Ber, but I really am curious as to what our next step should be.”\n\n\tBoth of his wives nodded at his suggestions, but the rabbit was already filling her plate with potatoes, cornbread, and baked beans in a thick sauce. She was a growing girl, on top of more than one sort of exertion that day, and she was hungry. In fact, she was so busy eating that she barely remembered to fondle the wolf under the table with her feet throughout the meal.\n\n\tOnce back in their room, Tabina was immediately disappointed by the sight of the cot, more than big enough for her, that had been added and topped with a bedroll while she’d been out. Berria noticed, and shook her head with a chuckle, “You had him all afternoon... and now it’s our turn. You can watch, but remember, he’s my husband, and Cin’s. We’ll let you borrow him often enough to keep from getting too bored, but we were here first.”\n\n\tThe rabbit nodded, a bit glum. She’d been thrilled since the shopping trip at the notion of having a new lover, and part of her had assumed she’d have him often, but the unicorn had a point. He really couldn’t be anything more than an infrequent loan, for her. An odd thought occurred, then, and she glanced to the wolf, “El? Do... do you think you’re on good ‘nuf terms with that vixen we ran into to let her pick my teacher? She’d know which one’d play as much as teach...”\n\n\tHis ladies both visibly curious, Elaric filled them in, “The bathhouse we went to was run by Roxanites, so it was subtly geared to encourage just the sorts of things we did... and it was also free, since Roxy herself showed up to introduce us then seduce the desk-girl.” He glanced back to the child, “I don’t think any of us could ask her directly... but once we’re in Fariach, which is still the best place to start, we can find a priest and ask them to ask her.”\n\n\tBerria smirked slightly and added, “Failing that, we could see about enrolling you as a novice of Roxanarra. Those serving Her are... at a bit more risk of certain diseases, and a skilled herbalist is always welcome at their temples. Also, having a pendant of Hers would make people a lot more understanding regarding your... appetites, at your age.”\n\n\tTabina’s eyes got very wide, and she nodded vigorously, “That’s a great idea! I’d love to serve Her, in both those ways... once I’ve learned what I need, anyway.”\n\n\tThe vixen of the bunch couldn’t help but chuckle, “She told you she’s a priestess... Is it any wonder her solution to your dilemma was somewhat spiritual? That’s just how she thinks, no matter which deity’s involved.” Sitting down on the bed next to her wife, she gave her a quick hug, “Her parents might not approve... but that sounds like an excellent course for this girl’s life.”\n\n\t*I agree,* a sultry voice whispered into all four souls.\n\n\tAll of them blinked at that comment, the rabbit hardest of all as she stared down at her own chest... where, dangling from a copper necklace, a bronze casting of a vulpine erection gleamed, neither it nor the chain having been there a moment before.\n\n\t*I pay special attention to all temples, enclaves, and other places, such as that bathhouse, where Elaria’s kin serve, as they’re almost always entertaining for Me to watch... but so were you two, today. Very... tender and gentle, but with a certain fire, too. Young you may be, Tabina, but your potential is great, and with no training at all you are quite worthy to be My novice. Journey onward, for now, and when you reach Fariach I shall guide you to those who shall complete your educations, herbal and carnal alike.*\n\n\tThe bunny’s expression couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether she was about to laugh or to cry, but her heart was in her voice as she nodded vigorously, “Thank You, my Goddess!”\n\n\tThe three smiling adults gave her a few more moments to recover, before Berria cleared her throat, “Back to business, then... that half-remembered crest was Lark’s Reach’s. Several other such symbols involved birds, but paired with geographical features, not trees, so there wasn’t much room for doubt. I heard nothing in the way of rumors about the barony, though, and I specifically asked the count’s son for any significant news. All he could tell me was that a baron’s male cousin was caught in bed with another man, Earl Glenrose is getting a new palace built, and Count Stonecliff has retired in favor of his eldest son. Nothing involving troops at all.”\n\n\tHer spouses both nodded, Elaric scratching thoughtfully at his chin before looking up to venture, “Hellach did say that the troops appeared to be training for something, so perhaps he stumbled upon the very early stages of whatever’s happening. If that’s the case, we probably won’t spot anything untoward while passing through the barony, but now would be a good time to warn the king, so he can quietly warn his constables, magistrates, and soldiers in turn to prepare for trouble and watch for overtly suspicious actions.”\n\n\tHis wives both nodded at that, a hint of relief in their expressions, Cin musing, “That seems to fit the situation nicely... Let’s keep going like we have been and do as you suggest.”\n\n\tA rustle of clothing drew all three gazes to the cot, where Tabina had just pulled her dress over her head, and she was grinning as she reached for her skimpy underdrawers. “Now that that’s settled,” she practically chirped as she pulled them down, “you can do the other things Berria suggested... including my getting to watch!” Sitting down on the edge of her bedroll, she took a moment to carefully untangle her new necklace, spread her trim thighs, and reached between them with two fingers extended.\n\n\tThe unicorn shook her head as she started untying her own blouse, “I guess we’ve got our orders, loves... Let’s give our friend a good show.”\n\nChapter 11\n\n\tElaric took a long moment to savor the last sip in his mug, then set it down with a happy sigh. “You were right, dear... that was good. It smells like a skunk, but somehow that’s the tastiest ale I’ve ever tried.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, taking her own last sip, then smiled, “It’s just part of one of the stories I’d read. I’d decided nearly a month ago, that if I got as far as Fariach I would dine at the Crowned Hops. The weather’s finally warm enough to enjoy an outdoor table... and I was also pretty sure it would save a lot of fuss and bother, too.”\n\n\tAll of her companions blinked, Cin asking, “How? On the barge ride here, you did mention that this was the one kingdom where you’d never met anyone currently in a position of authority... but I thought that meant it would be like the time in Crown Port, where you get one of those authorities to check the files.”\n\n\tThe mare smirked faintly, “Ah, but that’s what I have done!” She gestured to her rear, “The palace is right there... and I wore my pendant and robe but no illusions today. Do you really think that we could sit out here for nearly an hour, enjoying our meal, without some guard or spy reporting the extreme oddity of a Kathallic unicorn? I’d be surprised if it takes them another...” and she looked up at a discreet cough. “Ah, so I did time it right.”\n\n\tJust finishing their nondescript amble down the street from that very palace, two male foxes stood a few yards away. One was dressed as a common, moderately-prosperous merchant, while the other wore an almost transparent robe, a pair of soft shoes, a necklace suggesting that he didn’t mind boys but loved girls, and nothing else. Even if she hadn’t gotten to try much of the King of Ales, Tabina looked like she didn’t mind anymore, grinning and even drooling a bit as she eyed the priest through his gauze.\n\n\tNoting her gaze, the more conservatively-dressed todd chuckled, “I see my cousin needs no introduction... Obviously, he’s here for the young novice, to guide her to her new home and life. Myself, I am Wolran, Agent of Drachath, and it’s my privilege to invite the rest of you to the palace on behalf of his Majesty, King Lachier II.”\n\n\tElaric’s ears perked up, “Ah! That little tale my wife told us on the trip, explaining the vixen in the bathhouse, is making more sense now... You’re more of Elaria’s brood, aren’t you? I was led to understand that most of you had gone west, but a few didn’t feel like traveling that far...”\n\n\tThe Agent nodded, a faint smile on his muzzle, “You’re mostly right, as we’re her relatives who remained, but not really her ‘brood’ as her oldest son isn’t yet into his teens, and her twin daughters are younger still. Of all the slaves she freed, those years ago, I was the only one who tested positive for an aptitude for magic, so the king practically begged me to stay and serve him more directly, which it is now my honor to.”\n\n\tThe priest spoke up with a smile, “Wol here is one of only two of us who were old enough, who didn’t go into the priesthood... but most of us are quite content, serving the Goddess of Love, and it’s starting to look like the majority of the cubs our mutual aunt purchased will be following in our footsteps.” He turned toward the rabbit and gave an odd sort of bow, legs parted just enough to set his sheath and sac to swaying, then grinned, “You, my dear, look just as well inclined toward our Lady... If you’d care to gather your belongings, I shall introduce you to the herbalist She suggested. She’s getting too old to indulge in much frivolity herself... but she’s an excellent teacher, and the young stallion also apprenticed to her is looking forward to... meeting you,” and he winked.\n\n\tTabina nodded enthusiastically, “My stuff’s all in a bag with the horses, we can grab it on the way... but, please! Let’s at least hide in the stable loft long enough for me to ‘meet’ you too! Just lookin’ at you’s got me a bit wet down there...”\n\n\tThe Agent and the healer both mock-rolled their eyes and ‘grumbled’ in unison, “Roxanites!”\n\n\tTurning toward the blushing bunny, Elaric said more seriously, “I’ve enjoyed your company, even out of bed, and consider you a friend. Learn, lay, and live well, dear.”\n\n\tThe rabbit nodded, even as she scampered off her seat to give him a quick hug, then repeated it for both of the ladies, “I’ll miss you all... Thanks for the fun trip!”\n\n\tA few more goodbyes chorused, before the girl took the priest’s hand and walked away.\n\n\tSnagging one more biscuit baked around a slice of chicken, Berria stood too and smiled to Wolran, “Now that our duties to Tab’s family are fulfilled, let’s go meet your king.”\n\n\tThe fox nodded crisply, then turned with a smile of his own, “Follow me, ma’ams, sir.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tOf the three spouses, Elaric was a bit wide-eyed as they were escorted through the palace. Berria and Cin had already seen Keesanrel’s home, which was very similar, but the residence of a king was far better than even the wolf’s grand-uncle’s ducal palace. In the outer halls they had to weave their way through numerous courtiers who’d been arbitrarily dismissed when Berria’s presence had been reported, but further in they passed only guards and the occasional member of the cleaning staff.\n\n\tFinally stepping into a ‘sitting room’ slightly larger than the ballroom of a mere embassy or count’s castle, the trio paused to bow to the pair of seated raccoons even as their escort withdrew and closed the doors. The only other people present were a quartet of kneeling, waiting slaves presided over by a mature skunk, standing nearby wearing only a collar, a belt, and a coiled whip.\n\n\tThe well-dressed ‘coon in his early forties shook his head, “My Agents almost never bow... and I don’t see why you should either, Berria, nor anyone you travel with. You’re the only Sister of Order I’d not yet met, having seen Stalya and Laria during a state visit of Dengar’s king to Gatuque, but you wouldn’t be a Sister if you weren’t worthy of even a king’s respect.” He gestured toward a cluster of nearby chairs, “Please, have a seat and tell me why you’ve come so far.”\n\n\tChuckling as she led the way toward those seats, the unicorn mused, “Well, first and foremost I suppose I should correct one misconception, though it’s something your spies really couldn’t have known...” She held up her ringed left hand, “These two are my spouses, a former pleasure slave and a healer of unusual gifts. I’ve met Elaria, myself, the first time I saw a slave die when I was twelve... so I can’t say my ‘former pleasure slave’ is quite so impressive. She’s certainly far from useless, though, and I do love her.”\n\n\tLachier nodded, chuckling, “Understood...”\n\n\t“As for why we’re here,” she continued, “I have two issues to raise, in chronological order and ascending urgency. First, and just for the record rather than any action to be taken on your part, you’ve probably gotten news via your navy regarding the capture of a remnant of the Black Gulf Pirates.”\n\n\tThe king frowned, even as he nodded again, “I have... I’m almost certain that that ship and her captain are responsible for the death of one of my older Agents, and I was pleased to hear of their fate.”\n\n\tBerria nodded back, “Well, that fate of theirs deserves a bit of clarification. It was the merchanter captain who claimed all of the resulting rewards, but his vessel would have been taken if not for the unique gifts of my husband and the courage of my wife, the pirate captain was slain by my hand, and only the fact that Malia owed me a favor explains why the wounded, myself included, survived.”\n\n\tLachier blinked, then shook his head, “That’s a far cry from the report I got, though I had trouble at the time, believing that a merchant crew could fight off an entire shipload of pirates with only four friendly casualties, all of them fatal, until their sheer prowess drove the rest to surrender.”\n\n\tBeside him, the queen snorted, “I didn’t buy it either, and this goes a bit beyond the usual padding of reports to enhance profit. Perhaps a five hundred noble docking fee is in order, the next time they make port?”\n\n\tHer husband nodded, his muzzle grim, “That’s about what I was thinking too, dear. It’s only a third of what he got for the ship and crew, but he should probably still have that much. It’d be hard for even a sailor to spend a thousand nobles on rum and wenches in just a few weeks.” He glanced over to his guests, “I’ll split that fee with you, in advance. You deserve the thousand-plus nobles, and it’s an admirable testament to your principles, mainly the principle of your secret rank, that you didn’t raise a fuss earlier. Still, just under sixteen pounds of gold is the best I can do for you at this late a date. I also consider that sum a fair bounty for the pirate captain you killed, finally avenging Diral’s murder.”\n\n\tBoth of her spouses rather wide-eyed at that figure, the priestess simply chuckled, “I won’t decline your offer, but it wasn’t for any reward that we did what we did. I had my faith in Kathalla, Elaric his duty as a healer, and Cin her loyalty and love to me to motivate us at the time.” She glanced briefly at her husband while the monarchs simply nodded, then ventured, “Speaking of my husband... I feel I should tell at least one king what I meant when I called his gifts unique. I didn’t even meet him ‘til half a week after I’d left Keesanrel behind, so this is really the first time I’ve had to choose whether to reveal it... In any case, he’s the only healer I’ve ever heard of who can draw power for his gift from anyone, willing or not. Normal people don’t have as much of that power as a mage would, of course, but all of the pirates were weakened, many of them knocked unconscious, and two driven into outright comas, as he used their strength to heal Cin’s cracked skull, concussion, pierced lung, and cut ribs. Their attack on her, when she went berserk after I was impaled and started slashing around with my knife, was actually the trigger-point for their suddenly losing the battle as a whole. His is the only healer’s gift I’ve ever encountered that could be used as an offensive weapon, above and beyond the usual ability to send someone into unconsciousness with a touch, though it does require an actual wound as its focus.”\n\n\tThe nearby skunk snorted, earning an indulgent smile from her owners, and Jessela nodded, “Pai may object on principle to any slave attacking anyone regardless of the provocation, but that just shows, to my mind, how remarkable... Cin, did you call her? Well, how unusual she must be for you to have freed and married her.”\n\n\tHer husband and wife both nodding and chuckling, the vixen dipped her head and murmured, “Thank you, your Majesty, but it’s my wife’s heroism that led me to that. I realized, within days of her obtaining me, that I was owned by the most amazing, courageous, strongest person I could ever hope to meet, at least in terms of spiritual or mental strength. What could I do, but love her?”\n\n\tFlushing faintly at her eartips, Berria shook her head, “I’m not as amazing as all that... I’m just a unicorn. Like all my kind, I know myself and my principles, which could be summarized as a sense of justice and absolute faith in my Goddess. Everything I’ve ever done since that trip when I was twelve and met Sir Ferrl can be traced back to those two, simple things.”\n\n\tNeither of her spouses looked like they really believed that, but Lachier’s ears perked up straight, “Ferrl! Oh, I miss him... We still stay in touch by letter, but for as briefly as he served he was probably the best Agent Drachath ever had. Everything and everyone he’s ever involved himself with has turned out to our benefit, and just knowing that you know him lifts my opinion of you above ninety-nine percent of those I’ve ever dealt with.”\n\n\tThe unicorn blushed again, then pushed on, “I guess now’s as good a time as any to get to my second point, then, as it’s unlikely you’ll simply dismiss it... A week and a half ago, my family was stopped on the road by a peasant farmer in search of a healer for one of his kin, toward the south end of the earldom of Lowland Green, specifically near the small farming town of Hayshire. Though he didn’t realize it at the time, it turned out that his uncle had been tortured by a group of soldiers, led by an unidentifiable figure in plate armor, simply to emphasize their demand that he remain silent about their presence. Threats to inflict the same torment upon his young girl of an apprentice kept the man silent at first... but he’d also been told the group would move on within a few days, so he told us his tale once he was conscious again after his collapse from his injuries. He was a peasant herbalist, with no military background to base a detailed report upon, but he did describe a crest etched into the leader’s armor and embroidered into the soldiers’ surcoats. Upon proceeding to the library of Count Wrenshollow, I identified that crest as belonging to the barony of Lark’s Reach.”\n\n\tThe king blinked hard, “Baron Rikar is one of my most loyal vassals! More than that, while his father followed Tarragh, the son is pretty much Godless, though if he had to choose he’d probably join his wife in her devotion to Roxanarra. I’m almost certain that Rikar has never even had a full suit of armor made for himself... and he’s only got one arm in the first place, so he’d stand out pretty obviously. If this herbalist you met didn’t mention that, it was almost certainly an impostor.”\n\n\tBerria winced, “The arm! I should have remembered that from Sir Ferrl’s memoirs myself! No, Hellach didn’t say a thing about the ‘lord’s’ limbs.”\n\n\t Jessela chuckled softly, “And that, I suppose, proves you’re merely mortal. Still, I understand why you felt this matter should be brought to our attention.”\n\n\tHer husband nodded firmly, “Indeed. Someone, three holdings away from their target however you measure it, is impersonating one of my barons, with soldiers or mercenaries operating in unknown strength to support their ruse. Baron Rikar must be informed of this immediately, and I’d be obliged if you could tell him yourself. It’s less than a day’s ride to his keep, though things aren’t so urgent, yet, that you need to leave immediately. I’d like to invite you and your family to supper with Jessela and myself, the court perfectly able to take theirs without me for once, and you’ll be given a guest suite here for the night. Journeying north in the morning will be haste enough for the circumstances, and I can have a word with my treasurer in the meantime to see that you’re fairly compensated for your help with those pirates.”\n\n\tHis guests nodded, the wolf suggesting, “If your Agent hasn’t already backtracked our arrival and taken care of it, I should tell a page or such which inn our horses and possessions are at so they can join us here.”\n\n\tLachier chuckled, “Wolran’s good at extrapolation, sizing up a situation and finding details that need attention in the present or future, so there’s a good chance he’s already taking care of it, though I’ll have someone check just in case. For now, we’ve got a few hours before dinner, and you may spend them as you please while we check in on our children. The princess is barely old enough for lessons, and her brother is still in the care of nannies, but we should at least arrange for them to have their own supper together so they aren’t a distraction from serious business.”\n\n\tNodding again, the trio exchanged a few glances, Cin deciding first, “Weapons practice. We haven’t done that much on the road, and not at all in Hayshire where it would have spooked the peasants, and I still need as much of it as I can get, especially if we’re investigating what looks like an armed conflict in the making.”\n\n\tHer husband nodded, “Good point. I’ll join you for it.”\n\n\tBoth of them, naturally, looked to Berria curiously, but she shook her head, “I’ll pass on that for the moment. Instead, I’d like to visit the temple here, as it’s one of the largest and oldest of its kind. I should at least pay my respects while I’m in town... and, now that I think about it, you need a chance to practice without me around, Cin.” She chuckled softly, “The ‘bonus’ you get when defending me... isn’t something you should depend on. Time to learn to work without it.”\n\n\tHer vixen nodded her reluctant agreement, so Berria looked back over to Lachier, who was grinning. “You did mention your firm faith,” he chuckled, “but I couldn’t help but remember a couple decades back, when the Vale embassy was first being set up here. There were lots of tours on the principle of ‘cultural exchange,’ and naturally my father offered to escort the embassy chaplain to our temple as well, but he wouldn’t go anywhere near the place. You’ll be the first unicorn to set foot there in history.”\n\n\tThe priestess joined his chuckle as she nodded, “Indeed! Though, as one of their nationals, I might as well visit the embassy myself at some point.” Slipping out from between her spouses, she stood and stretched, “Well then... I’m sure any guard in the place can direct you two to the practice grounds, and I can feel the temple from here. Why don’t we all meet back here in a few hours?”\n\n\tVixen and wolf both nodding, the queen chimed in, “That sounds like a plan. We’ll see you three for dinner.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe unicorn had to smile as she stepped under the polished steel fangs and into the dimly-lit passage of dark, rough stone. Taken strictly visually, this was perhaps the bleakest, most depressing place she’d ever seen, but her heart was light, almost joyous, at the aura of welcome that filled her being. The curtain leading to the main chamber was just ahead, she knew, but there were a pair of side-passages just before it, and in each one stood a black-robed form, torchlight flickering in their eyes as they silently watched her approach. “Praise Her,” she managed to murmur as she passed them, though she wanted to shout it out.\n\n\t“Praise Her,” her fellow priests echoed, even as she tugged the curtain aside and stepped into the chapel.\n\n\tAnother, much smaller black-robed figure was there, waiting for her, sitting on the altar beneath the obsidian gaze of Kathalla’s statue, and as she stepped between the pews that figure moved, its head lifting slightly, then its hands coming up to pull back its cowl. The high priestess had to be nearly sixty years old, her muzzle solid silver and the dark brown fur of her cheekruffs having long ago lost its luster, but her eyes were still bright and clear as her wrinkled lips stretched in a smile. “Now there,” she mused, just a bit of a rasp in her voice, “is a sight I’d never thought to see... a unicorn, walking into my dark temple! Welcome and well met, sister.”\n\n\tBerria managed to smile naturally enough to hide her flash of anger. This was not, after all, the priestess’ temple; it was Kathalla’s! The elderly vixen might have been its chief caretaker, presiding over worship and sacrifice, but in the end she was her Goddess’ servant. Setting those thoughts aside, she stepped a bit closer and bowed, “I am... honored to be here. The one who introduced me to our Goddess’ power and pleasures, Sir Ferrl, told me of this place, and I’ve long wished to see it for myself.”\n\n\tA flicker of annoyance crossed the vulpine’s face, and she sighed wistfully, “I suppose he did turn out better than I’d expected, for a man... I haven’t needed a ‘reminder’ in over a decade, about how little basis my bias has in reality, but it remains a fundamental part of who and what I am. As fairly as I treat my male priests these days, I’d still have been far more satisfied with Ferrl’s triumphs if he’d been born a bitch.”\n\n\tHer junior chuckled, “I can understand that... I swing both ways, myself, and used my own rank to marry a man and a woman at the same time, but I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed that the young bunny we recently traveled with was only interested in my husband. Roxanarra Herself manifested a novice’s necklace for that girl, and there wasn’t even a tiny vulva on it.”\n\n\tThe high priestess rolled her eyes with a knowing smile, “I understand, having known quite a few bunnies during my tenure, and they’re generally worth pursuing if there’s any hope at all.” Straightening, she continued more seriously, “Anyway, now that you’re here... I think I’ve finally found a worthy successor. Your faith glows black like none I’ve ever seen before, and I’d despaired of finding someone I could leave my temple to before age carried me off to Her heaven. I truly believe that She’s finally sent the right person to me.”\n\n\tBerria blinked at the offer, then shook her head with a faint frown, “I’m flattered, of course... but I’m simply passing through. I’m already bound by an oath to both our Goddess and Malia, to serve the cause of justice for the common folk of the world as a whole, and I’ve been fulfilling it fairly well of late as I wandered through three nations. I could hardly be as effective in just one place, no matter how grand it may be. That’s why both Goddesses urged me to leave the temple I served in the Vale in the first place, saying that I was wasted there.”\n\n\tFrowning as well, the old vixen tilted her head as she considered, then gave one reluctant nod, “You, and They, make a good point. There are indeed things that an itinerant priestess can do that an established temple-keeper can’t, as not all problems come to us on their own accord.” She sighed again, “I understand your refusal, but if your circumstances change within the few years I have left, I ask you to reconsider my offer. The next successor I have in mind, compared to your soul, would be a distant second choice.”\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded solemnly, “Should I ever be able, with a clear conscience, I would be proud to accept.”\n\n\tSlipping off of the granite slab, the high priestess stood up, “I guess that’s the best I can hope for. For now, let me show you around the temple. We’ve got some interesting rooms here, designed for one specialized need or another over the centuries, and a visit to the pens and cells of slaves might be rewarding too. There’s almost never a shortage of potential sacrifices, as all of the local slave houses donate their overstock to us, so if anyone catches your eye you can spend some enjoyable time eviscerating them.”\n\n\tFinally smiling again, the mare nodded, “That’s always a pleasant way to spend an afternoon... except for the slave, of course.”\n\n\tOld she may have been, but the other priestess’ sharp-toothed grin was still very vixenish.\n\n* * *\n\n\tCin and Elaric stepped past the guards and closed the dining room door behind them, both brightening as they caught sight of their wife already seated. “Good,” the wolf remarked as he padded toward a chair, “you weren’t in the suite but I was hoping you wouldn’t be late.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, “I almost was, which is why I didn’t stop to get directions to our rooms. I wanted to make sure I got here early enough to admit another of my oddities, just to keep from being served like an herbivore tonight. That also gave me a chance to chat with my friends here about what I should tell the baron, and what steps he and we should take afterwards.”\n\n\tNodding back as she sat, Cin had to grin as she noticed, “You’ve bathed... That explains why you took so long at the temple, I guess. I’d be jealous, except that El and I were rather sweaty after practice, and our suite has an excellent bathtub. We needed it for more than the sweat by the time we were done,” and she winked.\n\n\tThe priestess snickered, “Good for you; that’s a good cure for muscle aches, too. I’m just glad the temple had another robe in my size; the one I started the day with was a mess.”\n\n\t“I did what I could, too, for the aches, and also helped optimize the benefit to our strength and muscle tone,” Elaric noted, then paused. “The details can wait. Our meal’s about to arrive, and one of those dishes is spicy if I can smell it from here through a closed door.”\n\n\tSpouses and monarchs all chuckled and nodded as that door opened, and Lachier gave his little band of slaves a few moments to set dishes on the table before pointing at one small platter of sliced beef on mixed rice and barley, “That’s the hot one. It’s a bit more than I can stand, but Jessela likes it. Try just a nibble of the meat around a full bite of the grains first, if you’re feeling adventurous.”\n\n\tThe lady ‘coon grinned, “That meat, odd as it may seem, is why we’re only served by slaves, never an ordinary servant. You can only arrest a serving citizen... These fine folk,” and she gestured toward the corner where the quartet had sunk to kneels, “know that I’ll flat-out kill them if they breathe a word about my enjoying some forms of pain. It’s just not proper for a queen to be known as a masochist, after all, but I enjoy inflicting worse than a flogging well enough that they also know the threat’s far from idle.”\n\n \tHer husband was still grinning, “She’s kept the secret well... Even when we were playing around before getting married, all I knew is that she cut a fine figure naked, was responsive and orgasmic in bed, and was ‘noble’ enough to keep my advisers happy. The perfect wife for a new king, right? Well, within a few months I learned that even ‘perfect’ can be improved upon.”\n\n\tThough younger than her husband, Jessela was still in her late thirties, so the sight of her blushing like a teenaged girl fetched several chuckles, at least until a rumble from the wolf’s belly reminded them all what they were there for. Straightening up, he reached for the lid of a large silver bowl, then smiled broadly, “I thought that’s what I smelled from that one... I believe I will try the spiced beef, as I can always heal any damage it does, but it also occurred to me that this chicken chowder could also cool things between bites.”\n\n\tMurmurs of agreement arose as his other dining companions reached for more lids and dishes.\n\n* * *\n\n\t“So there she was, already missing most of her digestive tract and in enough pain that she barely noticed the hole I was drilling in the back of her skull,” Berria mused as her family and the royals lounged around with snifters of brandy after the meal. “The high priestess was between the bitch’s thighs, doing what she could to offset agony with pleasure, when I murmured a tiny little prayer to Kathalla for guidance.” She glanced at her husband with a grin, “You wouldn’t have needed that guidance, but despite knowing more anatomy than most laymen I certainly did. With some divine help directing my hand, I slipped that needle through the hole, then triggered the crystal of mild lightning magic, right at the pleasure center of that wolf-slave’s brain. She gushed at least as much as Roxy ever did back in Wolf’s Bay; the priestess got a very wet face, if not for very long, as the stress of that intense a peak worsened the bleeding enough that our playmate passed on a few moments later, but there was a gratifying expression of pleased surprise on her face when she died.”\n\n\tThe queen set her snifter aside to clap slowly, her grin showing fine, sharp teeth, “Bravo! An afternoon well spent, I’d have to say.”\n\n\tLachier nodded, “I won’t disagree... Whatever your investigation with the baron turns up, however things work out, I beg the three of you to come back here before journeying elsewhere. The security arrangements whenever I leave the palace are normally such a pain in the ass that I can find some other way of doing things, but not this time. I will accompany you to our city’s fine playclub; seeing you in action with my own eyes will be worth any imaginable inconvenience.”\n\n\tEven as his wives nodded around lingering smiles, Elaric pointed out, “I’m not entirely unfamiliar with that sort of inconvenience, as one grand-uncle of mine was a duke and another a count. One thing I realized, back then, was that time was the biggest factor, the hassle increasing exponentially as the guards’ advance notice decreased. I therefor suggest that we pick a date and time, say a bit before dinner two or three weeks from tomorrow, and you let your soldiers start getting things set up immediately. With that much warning, it should be almost as simple and easy, from your perspective, as an evening stroll.”\n\n\tThe king blinked, then nodded, “That is an excellent suggestion. I’ll do exactly that for three weeks from now, so if anything comes up to delay you while you’re in Lark’s Reach, let me know by courier or the mage relays and we’ll pick a different, firm date.” He paused to sniff his brandy, then took a sip. “Also, your introductory comment let me make a connection that had so far eluded me... You and your entire family are wanted for extradition and return to Atheria for prosecution,” and, even as the wolf cringed, the raccoon smiled, “but I’ll be sending a note to Keesanrel about that. You, clearly, are no criminal, and you don’t deserve to be treated as one. Just for being a good friend of Berria, much less her spouse, my fellow king and I would decree an exemption for you in the existing warrants, as she wouldn’t be associating with you unless you were an exception to your family’s traitorous history. I’ll be contacting the Atherian throne about it by roughly midday tomorrow.”\n\n\tSince her husband was too stunned by that offer to speak, Berria shifted her glass to her other hand so she could hug him close, “Thank you, your Majesty. We’d thought that just getting him out of Atheria would be enough, but we were obviously wrong. Now... he’s finally, truly free.”\n\n\tLachier nodded solemnly, then sipped his drink again and smiled, “I’m glad I could help. Speaking of help, even as we enjoy a quiet evening a number of my clerks, servants, and generals are scrambling madly around their own offices. By the time you finish breakfast tomorrow your clothes will be cleaned and repacked in your saddlebags, your provisions restocked, your weapons sharpened, your new fortune tucked discreetly away, and you’ll have a number of new documents. These will include authorizations for unlimited free use of the mage relays and royal couriers for as long as it takes you to resolve things, and command authority over one battalion of the Drachathian army, mostly medium infantry but with a company each of archers and mounted skirmishers. They’ll still be mustering and getting their logistics sorted out for a while yet, but they should be mobilized and encamped near the city of Lark’s Reach within no more than four days. The documentation should suffice, but you will find an Agent’s badge pinned to your spare black robe in case someone needs convincing. I’ll expect you to return the badge and documents when you no longer need them.”\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded, “Of course, your Majesty, and I’ll be spending the morning, as we ride north, considering just how best to use the help you’ve provided. You’ve vastly multiplied my options and resources... but that can be worse than useless if I don’t figure out how to use them right. For tonight, I’ve had a bit too much of your fine brandy to strategize effectively, but I’ll give things the thought they deserve when I can.”\n\n\t“Sensible,” Jessela approved with a nod, “but perhaps we should all call it an evening now. You’ll want to be well rested in the morning, so even if it’s not particularly late, we shouldn’t keep you any longer, lest you get very little actual sleep, considering the look I’ve been noticing in that vixen’s eyes ever since you told the tale of your time at the temple.” She smiled wickedly, glancing sidelong at her husband, “I must admit to sympathizing with her... with similar hopes for the night.” The other ‘coon blinked, then grinned.\n\n\tChuckling, their guests nodded, Elaric commenting, “I’m still working on giving my predator’s instincts a freer rein, as my healer’s training had almost completely suppressed them. Thus, I didn’t have quite the reaction to that story that the ladies did, but I’ve never turned them down for a night of fun in bed, no matter the reason or excuse. I believe, your Majesties, that the queen’s suggestion is acceptable to all of us.”\n\n\tLachier nodded back, then stood, “I agree. Rest well, afterwards, but for now we must part, as I’ve got a queen to fuck as hard as I can manage.”\n\nChapter 12\n\n\tNeither the pages and stable-hands who’d helped them on their way, nor the Agent who’d escorted them out of the palace after breakfast, had said a word about the additional horse that had joined their trio, but the king had somewhat understated the material assistance his minions would be providing, and an extra pack-beast turned out to be the bare minimum to handle the additional supplies and equipment. Back in ordinary garb and with her horn hidden, Berria took the lead as they passed under an arch in the palace wall, having studied maps of the area quite intently back in Wrenshollow.\n\n\tThey’d barely made it a mile past the north gate of the city when the priestess’ sudden, barked laugh drew inquiring looks from both her spouses, and even her horse glanced back, curious. “I couldn’t help it,” she told them. “It’s just that we’re not the only ones working on this mystery... Even if we haven’t exactly hired a crier to tell the world, we’re still fairly open and obvious in how we’re going about things, but Wolran, or perhaps another Agent, is also moving toward Lark’s Reach, even though no one can see or hear him or his horse.” She gestured toward the east, “A blur passed by at a gallop, about half a mile away, but its stealthy magic couldn’t hide a nice, black soul, and I could tell it was male and my kin, not a fleeing, devout thief.”\n\n\tCin simply chuckling, Elaric nodded, even as he eyed the sky, “He must be in a hurry, then, since within an hour he wouldn’t need magic to be invisible at that distance. By the look of those clouds, this will not be one of spring’s better days.”\n\n\tThe first, misty drops of the promised rain fell even as he spoke, the group simply nodding and pulling up their hoods as they settled into the companionable silence of the ride, much like their longer journey from Northlook. That was perfectly fine for Berria, as there’d been an idea nagging at the back of her mind for the last several days. The involvement of Lark’s Reach was still purely speculative, but it had been enough to get her thinking about Ferrl’s old tales... and just who’d been behind the troubles, last time. No one, not even a follower of Sliisthar, could lie to a unicorn when their horn could help... but that would be even trickier to arrange than the simple touch a priest of any species would need to merely probe their soul. Not even the Gods were completely perfect, though; there had to be some way to penetrate the defenses granted to the God of Lies’ devout, and Berria was a priestess, and a unicorn, with far more frequent and diverse exposure to various powers, arcane and spiritual alike, than even some archmages could claim.\n\n\tShe focused, of course, on her horn as the obvious place to start, concentrating on listening through it as she would with a touch, straining for the faintest hint of the familiar presences riding in line with her, or even the simplistic emotions of her mount. Fifteen minutes of steadily-increasing effort, though, managed only to give her a faint headache and a half-imagined ringing in her ears. Nodding to herself, not having expected to manage the impossible on her first try, she methodically tried exactly the opposite. Glancing ahead to make sure this stretch of road was straight and clear of obstruction, she closed her eyes, gathering her concentration anew then pushing out. This time there was indeed an immediate effect, but the corner of her mind observing the rest took several moments to quantify the sensation. Through her horn, she seemed to be trickling, her awareness or even her very being seeming to seep out of herself. The flow seemed to increase even as the effort to push whatever it was eased, but she had to pull back as she found herself half-slumping in the saddle, and her eyes blinked open in startled realization. Shivering at the implications, she could only conclude that she’d almost forced her soul out of her body... and everything she’d ever heard on the subject suggested that was a very, very bad idea. Just before she’d retreated back into herself, though, there’d been a fleeting sensation... the steady rhythm of four hoofed feet, a feeling of bored contentment, and a vague desire for a nosebag of oats.\n\n\tStraightening, she tugged her cloak a bit tighter as the cold wind and rain picked up, then tried again. She kept a tight rein on whatever it was she slipped through the portal of her horn this time; it may or may not have been her soul, but she wanted to take no chances if it was... When she’d judged that no more than a quarter of whatever it was hovered in the air around her head rather than within her, she took a firmer mental grip and, without letting any more of it actually emerge, urged what was already there behind her and slightly to one side, toward the riding vixen.\n\n\tShe could feel her projection thinning, stretching... then had to smile as, once again, the sensations of a body not her own impinged on her consciousness. The rolling gait of Cin’s horse, coupled with a subtle, discreet arrangement of the folds of the dress under her cloak, were rendering the ride more than merely pleasant despite the rain.\n\n\tBerria’s sense of satisfaction at having turned her idle thought into a new discovery lasted only until she’d pulled back into herself once more, a silent voice commenting with a hint of an exasperated sigh, *I should have known it would be you... It took Me almost two hundred years to purge the world of this knowledge after I made the Vale, and six times since I’ve had to intervene when other unicorns rediscovered it by chance. Seven now, I suppose.*\n\n\tBlinking a bit, the priestess framed her thought to Malia, ‘So it’s not quite the discovery I thought... Is this... technique as dangerous as my instincts briefly feared?’\n\n\t*It can be,* the Goddess replied, *but only if overused. Had you achieved full separation before realizing it, you’d still have had several minutes to rejoin your body before any serious risk. The real reason I wished the world to forget this of My children’s abilities is... political, in a way. You seek to determine truth, among those who practice deception religiously, but this ability, even more in a way than unicorns’ great individual skills, was the motive behind your race’s ‘popularity’ that caused so many problems a millennium ago. My earlier efforts to save My children... involved collusion with Sliisthar, and as much as for My own reasons, the suppression of this knowledge was promised to Him in trade for His help. Our efforts, at that time, failed, but I gave My word and I shall keep it. You are too firmly My sister’s, though, for Me to simply lift the knowledge from your mind as I have in the past...*\n\n\tVague speculations about ancient, glib lies regarding where a relocated unicorn worker had gone, or even the assassination of select, particularly-corrupt merchants and officials drifted through Berria’s mind, but they were unimportant at the moment. ‘You can at least see my mind,’ she thought instead, ‘and my plans... My intended use of this ability will only be counter to His interests if His are counter to Drachath’s. How serious of an issue will this really be?’\n\n\tThere was just enough of a delay for a hint of nervous foreboding to creep into her mind before Malia replied, *I’ve conveyed... the generalities to Sliisthar, without compromising your own secrets, and His agreement, however reluctant, exists. Neither He nor I can command you, but We do strongly urge... discretion. Let no one, not even your spouses, know just what you’ve learned to do. Your mind is nimble, and We’re certain you can... temporize if need be, to explain away knowledge you should not have. Use that mind, please, as no unicorn would enjoy a second exodus.*\n\n\tBarely managing to keep from sighing in relief, which would draw its own inquiries from her companions, Berria nodded faintly, ‘As You com... suggest, Goddess.’\n\n* * *\n\n\tIt was mid-afternoon, the group very nearly to the keep at the center of Lark’s Reach, when Berria very suddenly stopped in place, the horse she’d been leading nickering in surprise as it almost ran into her. Her spouses halting with a bit less haste, she answered their confused looks with a smile, her eyes half-lidded, “This... this is the exact spot Kathalla manifested. Even decades after the fact, I can feel it. I’d guess a great many common citizens pass this spot and wonder why they’re suddenly shivering, but... the sensation is very welcoming, to me.”\n\n\tCin smiled broadly, nodding, “I can only imagine... I feel the same way about your embrace. There’s nothing else quite like it.”\n\n\tElaric chuckled softly at his ladies, then suggested, “That aside, those guards are already looking a bit suspicious of our sudden halt. I suggest we proceed to the keep.” At two more nods, the mare’s a bit reluctant, the trio walked the few remaining yards before he could offer the small stack of parchment he’d presented at the city gates, informing the guards, “We are here as representatives of the king, and must speak to the baron at his earliest convenience.”\n\n\tBoth guards nodded, the nearer accepting the document. He quickly skimmed the king’s introductory letter, though he paid a great deal of attention to the seal at the bottom, then spent several moments glancing between the more formally-worded authorization for an investigation and the faces of the people it described. Straightening to attention, the burly horse offered the stack back with his left hand while his right saluted, “I shall escort you inside immediately. The baron would be occupied at this time of day—afternoon court, we’d call it, except that he was never that formal and tends to meet small, specific groups rather than gather courtiers—but I’ll see to it that the seneschal assigns a guest room and that you’ll be escorted to Rickar himself as soon as he’s otherwise unoccupied.”\n\n\tAll three visitors nodded, the wolf tucking the parchment back into his cloak, “Thank you. Our business is fairly urgent, but that’s haste enough for now.”\n\n\tThe guard nodded again, then noted to his feline counterpart, “The watch is yours for a few minutes,” and stepped through the gate, glancing around for a footman to take the guests’ horses.\n\n* * *\n\n\tSir Ferrl’s memoirs were prominent on Berria’s mind as the page led her party through the halls, one detail after another striking a chord with the wolf’s written descriptions. The doors at the end of the residential wing’s hall, the spiral staircase where he’d hidden briefly from a guard... and, finally, the elegantly-decorated sitting room a floor down where the Agent had relaxed after his triumph, though the one-armed lion in an ornate chair was no teenager this time, and the blue-gowned lioness beside him far less shy.\n\n\tEven as his guests settled into seats around the room and the page closed the door, Rikar held up a folded piece of parchment, “This arrived during my last meeting, delivered by the mage on Birdsong Lane who keeps contact with the capitol... Since my holding is so close to Fariach, couriers are usually fast enough for any given missive, which is why we’re not formally part of the relay network. The message covers several subjects, but each with a frustrating lack of detail... To summarize an already terse communication, someone is impersonating me with fell intent, a goodly chunk of the army will be camping in my orchards shortly, and you,” and he waved the parchment in Berria’s direction, “are something of an Agent, but with even more secrecy than one would normally assume for the type. These vague hints made it very, very hard to concentrate on the merchants who were here, petitioning for a few small changes in my tax code. Please, so I can at least get to sleep tonight instead of constantly wondering about just what’s going on, give me something, anything more to work with.”\n\n\tBerria nodded, “Taking your points in order... a group of soldiers with your holding’s crest on their surcoats, and inlaid into the breastplate of their evident leader, tortured a peasant and threatened the torture of a child in an effort to keep their presence a secret, a good hundred miles northwest of here. Neither the king nor I believe they wore that crest legitimately, though. The army battalion that will soon be encamped nearby will be under my orders, and I intend to use them to help find these counterfeit soldiers and deal with them. Harshly. Finally, I am an ad hoc Agent of Drachath, temporarily, but that’s just because it’s easier to get people to accept than my real position, which is the same as your half-sister Serra’s, and I’m not talking about her title as queen.”\n\n\tThe lion’s eyes widened slightly, “I... she mentioned some speculations in a letter, several years ago, about setting up some sort of secret, international society, sworn to solve problems... and her next letter hinted that negotiations were going well and it might soon be a reality, but then all mention of the notion stopped. Her missives simply focused on other subjects, and the one time my reply asked her about it, it was as if I’d never written the question. No answer, no denial; as far as her ongoing letters were concerned, the subject simply didn’t exist. I’d almost forgotten the entire matter, by this time, but with the hints you’ve dropped, I must now conclude that this invisible organization does, indeed, exist, and that you and she are both members.”\n\n\tThe mare nodded, a faint smile playing around the corners of her lips, “I am... among other things. My current intention, once those soldiers arrive, is to break them up by company, then by platoon, covering every major road on a west-to-north arc and every bit of country isolated enough, or simply forested enough, to hide the strangers we’re looking for. Each group will have at least one or two members of the company of mounted scouts along... and as soon as one of those scouts reports contact, or a platoon fails to make contact, the rest of the troops can gather, surround them, and get us both some damned answers.”\n\n\tBaron and baroness had been nodding along with her logical plan, until her final declaration, and two golden muzzles smiled grimly. “That’s the most important thing,” Gabri agreed in her soft voice.\n\n\t“Exactly,” Rikar agreed, “and, future questions aside, today we already know infinitely more than we did yesterday. If I may, there’s one slight change to your proposed course I’d like to suggest...” At Berria’s curious nod, he continued, “The actual goal of these impostors is still the biggest mystery we face. Not knowing their objective, we can’t be sure where they’ll finally strike... so, on the off chance that their goal is some sort of infiltration of my holding, rather than simply implicating it elsewhere, I’d like a company or so of your troops to stay behind, to reinforce the garrisons of the three real cities in the barony. Two or three dozen troops in each might not seem like much... but if they’re held as a hidden reserve, they can come as a nasty surprise to an opponent who thought they knew precisely what they were up against and planned accordingly. This is one more guess, one more gamble, but if we assume that our foe’s resources are limited, and they need that kind of no-margin planning, even a small change can ruin those plans in our favor.”\n\n\tSeveral heads around the room nodded, the unicorn agreeing, “I’d planned to hold back some reserve, as only a fool sends their army off while leaving themselves uncovered, and your idea is a better use for that reserve than mine. In the morning, I’ll borrow a few maps and start roughing out the deployment orders so they’ll be available once the commanders arrive to receive them, but tonight I must... investigate. Remember, if you will, the attempted seizure of this land that cost your father his life, and the religious affiliations of those behind it. One thing I must know, as it would color all other aspects of my mission, is whether current events enjoy the same support.” She glanced to her spouses, “Just as in Crown Port, my dears, I’m afraid this is one of those tasks I must undertake alone.”\n\n\tLooking a bit unhappy, both figures nodded, Cin commenting in a quiet murr, “We understand... Just know that you go with our love, and do your best to return to us when you can.”\n\n\tRikar nodded as well, “That’s a point I hadn’t considered, myself, probably because I don’t like thinking about those bastards that murdered Hellar. Please report to me on your findings, whatever they turn out to be.”\n\n\tBeside him, Gabri glanced at the window to one side before speaking, “It’s getting dark, though the night is still young... Will you be starting this investigation immediately, or do you and your loves have time to share dinner with me and mine?”\n\n\tAll three guests managed to smile again, the wolf accepting on their behalf, “I’m sure that there’s time for supper before any more serious business, and we’d be honored to join you at your table.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe guard gave Berria one more nod before closing the back gate of the keep, the thud of the heavy wood followed momentarily by the grating clack of the locking bar. The single torch in the shallow alcove cast only enough light to see who might be knocking at the door; the guard had been told not to ask questions, but he couldn’t help but watch curiously through the barred window as three quiet steps saw the black-robed, black-furred equine vanish into darkness.\n\n\tAvoiding the occasional pools of light from windows, mostly homes with roaring fireplaces that needed the cool night air for a comfortable balance, the unicorn’s route deliberately swung wide of the main street’s many taverns and their lively crowds. She was following the next best thing to a hunch, something she’d sensed on her way to the keep earlier that day, but so subtle she wasn’t sure whether it had been real or imagined. That faint sensation, little more than a vague sense of something in a direction that shifted slightly as she’d moved, had been like an echo of Roxy’s urge not to notice anything in that playclub all those weeks ago. Glancing both ways as she lurked in a dark alley, she waited for one visible member of the night watch to look the other way then drifted silently across the street, another alley opening into the laborers’ district of Lark’s Reach. The barony and its capitol were both prosperous under Rickar’s casual, but wise, rule, so even a ‘poor’ neighborhood was several notches above that warren in Crown Port had been, rendering the journey easier and better-smelling than her last late-night excursion.\n\n\tAmidst the modest dwellings, most holding two or three whole families, she closed in on her estimate of where that odd sensation had come from... The fact that it was back, and growing like a faint itch in the back of her mind, was an encouraging hint that she hadn’t just been imagining it, her relief translating into a relaxation that let her move even more smoothly and silently. With one more pause to let a small group of friends or family pass by, returning after a pleasant evening and quite a bit of ale as best her nose could tell, she crossed the narrow lane and circled around to the back of a single-story, somewhat shabby building, its star-lit details suggesting a store for cheap foodstuffs.\n\n\tThe rising moon lit the east-facing door more than enough to make out the slit at eye-level, covered from the inside, that no legitimate shop would need. Magic-blackened lips curling briefly in a grim smile, Berria stepped up to the building and knocked gently. A long moment passed before any hint of a reply, then the faint sounds of someone climbing a wooden staircase reached the filly’s straining ears, and she spent the moment she still had to herself concentrating, urging just a bit of herself out through her invisible horn, just enough to penetrate the door’s wood. The block over the slit slid aside, though she could make out very little of the face peering through, the hidden temple’s door man having set aside his little lamp and leaving his eyes in shadow to better see out into the night. “You’re not—we’re closed,” he corrected himself. “Come back in the morning if you want to buy something.”\n\n\tCarefully judging the darkness she could sense in his soul through her own’s projection, Berria hissed just before he could close the peep-hole again, “Acolyte. I need to speak to your priest, and he’ll need to speak to your God.”\n\n\tHer first word having frozen him in place, reflected moonlight flickered as the man blinked at the rest of her request, and another moment passed before he nodded reluctantly, whispering, “You’re still not one of ours... but I’m starting to sense that not all of the darkness I see is the night or your fur. Come in and I’ll take you to my priestess.”\n\n\tThe man, once he’d unlatched the door to let her in, turned out to be a fox in a pair of canvas pants, the sort an assistant shopkeeper would wear during the daylight hours of his ruse save for the addition of a short, plain sword, but he’d evidently been relaxing for the evening as his upper body was bare. Berria took a moment to enjoy the view, as he was a subtly muscular sort, while he picked up his small bowl-lamp and led her down the stairs to the ‘shop’s’ basement.\n\n\tThough several doors suggested there was more to the underground temple, the large main room was well-furnished and -lit, a brazier set into a brick alcove with a small chimney hole providing more than adequate warmth. The mare’s attention, of course, immediately fixed upon a dining table in the middle of the room where a pure white feline sat in a simple, comfortable night gown, sipping absently at a pewter goblet of wine, even as her escort took up his position against the wall beside the stairs. One brow rose as the lady looked over her unexpected guest, and her muzzle quirked wryly, “Well... this is certainly a surprise. What does a priestess of the Fanged One need with my sort on a night like this?”\n\n\tBerria thinned her invisible projection, extending one tendril to touch the feline’s mind, eyes alert for any hint that a high-ranking devotee of the God of Lies might be able to detect such, while another, more diffuse projection, on general principle, spread out behind her. Even as she took a seat on the sturdy bench across from her counterpart, she replied, “I’m only peripherally here as a priestess; more accurately, and please don’t panic at this admission, I’m here as a de facto Agent of Drachath.” She smiled faintly at the sudden narrowing of the cat’s blue eyes, “Yes, I know your type doesn’t have a good history with Agents, particularly in Lark’s Reach... but unless my worst suspicions prove true, you needn’t fear history repeating itself. I need you to either answer from your own knowledge, or ask Sliisthar, whether your church is officially involved in a... well, conspiracy, I suppose, though we don’t know enough about it to call it even that much, yet. To determine how we go about investigating and reacting to whatever is going on, though, I must know for certain whether there’s a religious factor to the troops impersonating the baron’s guard that were recently encountered by a peasant several holdings away. Please note, however, that not even your God can help you lie to me about it. I’ll know.”\n\n\tThe other priestess had set her wine aside throughout that speech, fingers steepled in thought. She nodded once, grimacing faintly, at her guest’s final warning, then spent another several seconds considering... Finally, she murmured, “If the church were involved in something like what you described, and it specifically involved Lark’s Reach as you say, I think I’d be party to it. I can pray for confirmation if you insist, but, no, to my personal knowledge we’re not involved with whatever is going on. Other than a merchant overheard grumbling that his usually-smooth meeting with the baron today was interrupted by a message, then cut a bit short, nothing even slightly out of the ordinary has come to my attention in months.”\n\n\tBerria dipped a polite nod, then offered with a slight smile, “That, as you see it, is indeed the truth. Ah... and now you’re confused. I take it you’ve got some sort of magic detector, and you’re wondering why it’s not showing anything... Well, yours isn’t the only faith with its secrets. For now... since I agree that you’d be involved if any of your God’s flock were, I have a second proposal. Do pray to Sliisthar, but simply to propose an alliance of cooperation with the authorities in this case. Someone, you see, is perpetrating a deception on a grand scale, just how grand we don’t know yet, but that should be His domain. Just as Karnaal’s bunch don’t tolerate successful, independent thieves, I’d think He might be a bit upset if this lot manages to pull off their scheme without His blessing. Depending on which of my vague suspicions may prove correct, most or all of the light side of the pantheon could also end up involved, and as my own Goddess has shown, cooperation with Them pays off in tolerance and opportunity.”\n\n\tThe cat blinked once and nodded, “You make an excellent point, priestess,” before closing her eyes and dipping her head, lips moving silently as she prayed. The darkness of her soul, as perceived through the tendril of Berria’s essence touching it, seemed to throb as her lips stilled, darkening in a rhythm much like speech, and the unicorn had to hide a shudder at the sensation and its implications. Determining a mortal’s honesty or intentions was one thing, but direct, if peripheral, contact with the mind of a God not her own was quite... disconcerting. Looking back up, the priestess smiled, “Your proposal... is acceptable, within certain limits. The potential, future consideration of which you speak is not present yet, so we must still be... discreet. My God is, as we speak, spreading the word, and if anything pertaining to this conspiracy of counterfeit soldiers becomes known to His flock, and if that information can be relayed without undue risk to our anonymity, it will be passed on to you or some other official capable of acting upon it. Sliisthar also promises fidelity, having chosen His side. Should your enemy belatedly seek His sanction, it will be denied.”\n\n\tBerria frowned faintly at the discordant sensation those last two sentences provoked, and shook her head, “That final promise... was a lie. And more...” Her brow furrowed for a second, even as her hostess’ eyes went artfully wide in denial, then she brightened, “Ah! You were subtly curious, under the deception; you wanted to test my claim, and now you’re just confused again as to how I saw through it. Well, don’t worry yourself on either point. Fidelity has never been your God’s strong point, and I knew before I ever came here that I’d have to treat any agreement as tentative at best. We will, indeed, appreciate any information your kin can contribute, but at no point will my plans absolutely depend on it. Simply know, as Sliisthar does, that the price of betrayal is all those potential benefits of faithful cooperation. If He deems it worth that price, so be it.” Straightening up on the bench, she gave the confused feline another, broader smile, “In any case, thank you for your time. My night was not wasted, but I should head back now, to get at least some rest while I can.”\n\n\tAs the other priestess nodded, opening her mouth to reply, both tendrils of Berria’s soul pulsed in warning; in front was an attempt to hold her attention and avoid showing any warning signs, and behind a brief throb of divine contact awoke a blend of hostility and determination. The unicorn’s hands, already in her lap, crossed and pushed aside the satin of her robe, freeing the pommel-stones of the two large daggers she’d bought in Wolf’s Bay. The next instant they were in her hands, and she was lunging backwards from her seated position, one boot bracing against the underside of the table as her blades flashed up to meet the fox’s descending sword.\n\n\tThe acolyte jumped back as his first attack was blocked, eyes intent as he looked for an opening, but they widened in surprise the next instant as his target kicked off with her lower leg, tumbling backwards off the bench into a roll. Rather than let her entangle his legs, he jumped again, to the side even as he swung his short sword at the jumble of robes and limbs, but again a dagger was there to block. The fox frowned as he circled around, waiting for a clear opening... This shouldn’t have even been a real fight; with the advantage of his priestess to hold the target’s attention, he should have had her with a single slash, and his own God had given the order to kill, surely aware of the situation and the stranger’s abilities. It had taken three assassinations, none particularly difficult but all successful with no evidence left behind, to reach his current rank... but an adage in Sliisthar’s bible was coming to mind, now, that the only thing more dangerous than a successful ambush was an ambush where the attackers thought they had the element of surprise, but didn’t.\n\n\tBerria planted one foot on the floor, both hands up to guard herself, and watched for any other attacks as she carefully worked her way back toward being able to stand. She could feel the fox’s own observation, the intensity of his thoughts as he calculated the odds... and knew when he’d decided to attack again, just as she started to rise from the stones of the floor. She shied back, suggesting another roll, and it was his face as much as his soul that marked his own change of tactics, from an overhead slash to a forward rush, and she flung a hand and blade hard behind her to keep her balance as her knees thrust, sending her forward to collide with him, chest to chest, her other dagger leading and his expression blossoming to shock as steel pierced his heart.\n\n\tBowled over for real this time by the impact, the unicorn was still disentangling herself when the sound of slow applause from the other side of the table drew her attention. “Very nicely done,” the priestess mused. “Please understand that this in no way changes the alliance we agreed to... It was an unrelated matter, I’m not sure exactly what, that Sliisthar’s sense of honor, such as it is, demanded a response to. This one attack, by someone we could afford to lose, satisfied Him on that score, and you’re free to leave as you had planned. Poor Yarrel there, you see, was just a bit lacking in deviousness... and he actually believed me, these last months, when I said that I loved him and that his promotion was right around the corner. He was a good lay, I’ll give him that, but I can find another easily enough, and the only way he’d have ever made priest would be to see through my lies and have the balls and brains to eliminate me. Obviously, he had neither.”\n\n\tWiping her bloodied blade on the acolyte’s breeches, even as her other hand straightened her robe, Berria nodded, “I think I understand... For the record, I’d told no one of my exact plans for tonight, just that I needed to make ‘a contact.’ Unless you object, then, I’ll leave your description with the keep’s guards, and I swear by Kathalla that all I’ll tell them is that you’re a personal informant of mine. That, I think, should help us both, if you find out anything I should know.”\n\n\tThe cat’s smile widened, and she reached for her wine to sip anew, “Ah, good! No hard feelings, obviously... With your oath, yes, that’s an eminently acceptable course of action. Go in peace and have a pleasant evening, cousin.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tHaving deactivated her illusions in between the back gate and the side entrance to the castle, which would probably cause a great deal of confusion when the captain of the guard tried to reconcile the night’s reports, Berria made her way directly to the guest room her group had been assigned. She wasn’t particularly surprised, of course, to find the lamps dimmed for sleep, but only Elaric laying down in the bed, a large, moving lump under the light sheet and a warmer blanket bunched up just past his feet. Chuckling to herself, she shrugged out of her robe, unfastened her knife belt beneath, and tossed it and her shift negligently onto a chair. Circling the bed to climb on from Cin’s side, she tugged up the sheet enough to release the vixen’s happily-wagging tail, then just a bit higher to bare her rump, nuzzling in to plant a kiss on each hole and elicit a lusty giggle from her wife’s own, full muzzle.\n\n\t“Since I’m the only one who won’t be talking with my mouth full,” Elaric mused, a bit of a burr in his voice as Cin’s talented tongue chose that moment to swirl around the head of his shaft, “I guess I’ll be... be the one to ask, how did your night go?”\n\n\tPlanting one more kiss on the pucker between vixenish rumpcheeks just to watch it clench, the filly looked up to smile, “Quite well. I secured an entire network of informants that might come in handy, and all it cost was one attempt on my life. Since we’re looking for anything suspicious, the unexplained body will probably be reported to us, but don’t worry. I took neither scratch nor bruise, and I did our teacher proud.”\n\n\tA muffled pop sounded from under the sheets as Cin’s head came up, and her outline shifted as both hands wrapped around El’s wolfhood to keep him occupied as she asked, “Are you sure we couldn’t have come along? Things worked out, and you came back safe, but it sounds like tonight you needed someone to watch your back.”\n\n\tHer wife shook her head, “Honestly, this time it had to be me... I hate keeping secrets from you, but in this case I’d promised two Gods, neither of Them Kathalla. I really can’t talk about it... so why don’t we just go to bed?” She stroked a fingertip up Cin’s moist petals, then pressed its gathered slickness against the bud of her anus as she mused, a hint of huskiness creeping into her voice, “After, of course... definitely after.”\n\n\tThe disappointed sigh from under the covers graduated quickly into a happy squeal as that finger pressed in, and Elaric nodded his agreement with the sentiment, “I guess we can both live with that. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but... yes, after.”\n\nChapter 13\n\n\tSince very little could be done without more information, and gathering such depended in turn on the manpower of the promised battalion, the next morning was fairly lazy despite the anticipatory tension. After breakfast with the lord, lady, and two of their mostly-grown children who hadn’t yet settled on careers, Elaric left to consult with the local healers on the off chance they needed help with a tricky case, while Cin decided to go shopping, mainly for good but sober clothing for all three of them, intended to reflect their status as ad hoc government officials. Berria, for her part, paid a quick courtesy call on the local Kathallic junior priest, members of their faith being fairly sparse in the barony with Fariach’s greater facilities so close at hand, but spent most of her morning loitering around the keep on the off chance some news arrived.\n\n\tFor an ex-slave who’d rarely worn more than her collar, Cin turned out to have a surprising flair for fashion. The tunic and breeches she’d obtained for her husband, and the belted robes for herself and her wife, wouldn’t have looked out of place on any official of moderate authority in the administrative wings of either king’s palace they’d been to. Thus dressed, the trio walked down the hall toward the dining room with a bit of time to spare before lunch... only to see two new figures in the uniforms of senior army officers, coming from the other end of the castle but with the same destination evidently in mind. The guard private outside of the double doors, still so new he seemed on the verge of squeaking for more reasons than his being a rat, glanced both ways in a near-panic even as he stiffened to attention, unsure of which authority figure he should salute first.\n\n\tMore than one voice was chuckling under its breath as the two groups converged, the wolf with a major’s triple bars on each shoulder giving a relaxed salute while the mephit captain beside him simply bowed. “Major Syllan, reporting for duty, ma’am. I tried to get here early, while most of my battalion is still gearing up or marching... but Captain Aurin here commands the company tasked for crash deployment this month. That duty rotates among units stationed at any duchy capitol, at least when there isn’t an actual war going on, but Aurin prides himself on his troops’ readiness. They’re already settling in between the orchards and the river, on ground just a bit too rocky to farm, but there are enough flat spots to pitch plenty of tents.”\n\n\tBrows high, Berria returned the skunk’s second, shallow bow with a nod, “I’m impressed, Captain. The king intimated that it would be several more days before I saw the first of the soldiers I’d been promised, yet here you are...” Glancing back to the wolf, she smiled, “In any case, I’ll be glad to get down to some serious planning. Between the company clerk and the local seneschal, I should be able to get the maps I want... Those would include the entirety of the Duchy of Fariach, and the bordering holdings in Crisom, Gatuque, and Northlook. Once the rest of the companies arrive, I’m planning a reconnaissance the likes of which I doubt the kingdom’s ever seen... but, more immediately, Aurin’s timely arrival means we can get an early start on certain defensive deployments the baron has in mind.” She gestured at the doors, “The maps, of course, can wait ‘til after lunch, and the local lord awaits us all. Shall we?”\n\n\tNodding, the two officers agreed in unison, “Yes, ma’am,” as the flustered rodent finally pulled the nearer door open for them, delicious smells wafting out. Detailed plans could, indeed, wait.\n\n* * *\n\n\tMid-morning of two days later, the priestess’ group rode out of Lark’s Reach amidst a small crowd of officers and aides. Their saddlebags carried only a few changes of clothes and a great deal of food, while their packhorse’s burden had been reduced to a few sleeprolls and a command tent issued by the city guards’ quartermaster. Elaric had a new, leather satchel looped across his chest, one pocket carrying the authorizations the king had issued but its main pouch stuffed with crisp new maps, colorfully inked with a dizzying array of routes and waypoints. Those two days had been spent in a frenzy of planning; each platoon’s journey, by itself, was relatively simple, but coordinating them as a whole to each travel a certain distance each day, and arrange couriers from the mounted skirmisher company to keep them in touch with each other and report on their progress to their centralized commanders, also moving each day, rather resembled a dropped bowl of noodles when laid out on any map large enough to encompass the area being scouted. They’d also, if reluctantly, realized while laying out that mess that the whole operation was almost certain to take more than two and a half weeks, so they’d sent their regrets back to the capitol. Their planned fun with the king and a playclub... would have to wait.\n\n\tHer temporary Agent’s badge glittering prominently on her black robe’s lapel, sporting the amethyst of the highest available rank short of the chief Agent’s diamond, Berria suffered her way through an inspection of the encampment and its troops to pass the time before lunch. She understood very little of what she saw among the neatly-arrayed tents and stockpiles of arms and armor, but it certainly seemed professional and impressive from a civilian’s perspective, and she could see in the troopers’ eyes how they appreciated her approval.\n\n\tAfter a simple lunch of beans and biscuits, with steamed jerky added for the carnivores’ rations (Berria decided not to press the issue and accepted a plate ‘befitting’ her species), the entire officer corps of the battalion, and the senior noncoms of the skirmishers, gathered in the large patch of grass behind where the civilians’ tent had been pitched. After another minute to let the soldiers sort themselves out by unit and rank, the unicorn addressed them, “Thank you for coming, and I’ll try to be brief. A few weeks ago, a peasant stumbled across a band of armed men wearing a reasonable semblance of Baron Rickar’s crest, but Rickar himself knew nothing of them and all of the soldiers in his service have been accounted for. These... people tied that man to a tree, and beat him so badly he collapsed a few days later, and would have died if not for the attentions of my husband here. No true soldier of Drachath would ever do such a thing, I know... which is why you and your troops are here, to find the cowards that did. Each of you will be issued maps; we’re deploying you by individual platoons, and each lieutenant will have a clear route to follow. The skirmishers, due to their horses and greater mobility, will have a somewhat trickier job, as they’ll be assigned by the half-squad to each platoon of infantry, and single soldiers will be dispatched back and forth, keeping the larger groups in contact with each other and the four captains who will be spreading out just behind the front lines. Each captain will have a full squad of cavalry to keep in touch with me, and the major here of course. Your primary goal is to find these people, not to engage or destroy them yourselves. When, not if, they are found, both companies of infantry and their attached cavalry will be recalled from their portions of the search, and we will take the enemy with overwhelming force. You probably noticed the company of archers leaving yesterday... and their assignment is to reinforce the garrisons of the barony proper, in case the enemy’s goal is to draw our attention to an external threat while leaving our heartland, mere leagues from Fariach itself, undefended. Now, don’t be too envious of those troops who’ll be sitting on their arses in a comfortable city... for I’m certain that, whoever these people are, we’ll find them, and you are the soldiers who’ll be rewarded for your miles of marching and riding by a chance to see the blood of evildoers on your blades.”\n\n\tAll of the assembled captains were grinning viciously at that promise, their lieutenants glancing at them before following suit, and a few of the cavalry sergeants’ discipline cracked enough to cheer. Stepping up from behind the unicorn, Major Syllan raised his hands for silence, then spoke up, “Taken as a whole, this will be one of the most complex military maneuvers in Drachath’s history, but we’ve broken it down very well, in my opinion. This Agent’s plans were made with the help of myself, my aides and clerk, and the senior staff of the baron’s guard, so I won’t hear any grumbling about civies poking their noses in where they shouldn’t. Remember that your primary mission is to survive. Keep a mounted rearguard in case you run into an ambush, and dispatch a rider with news of anything even remotely suspicious. Your second priority, and it’s damned close to the first, is to be on time. Even if you think you can make just a few more miles before sleeping... don’t, since the stopping points of every adjacent patrol are also on your maps, and your comrades will need to know where to find you to keep in touch. Tell your men to be careful... and good hunting. Now, company A, first platoon!” One ursine lieutenant shambled out of the crowd, and the wolf picked up the top bundle of parchment from the small folding table by the tent, along with a small cloth pouch, “Here’s your route and some funds to reprovision at any towns you come across even if they don’t have an army post. Go over the maps with your men and prep your gear; we all march just after breakfast tomorrow.” At the bear’s nod, he handed over the packet and raised his voice again, “Company A, second platoon!”\n\n\tThe priestess and her spouses simply looked on with smiles as they stepped out of the way of the milling officers. Each was still in a mild state of shock at their circumstances, surrounded by a small army and in command of it, all because a farmer had asked their help as they traveled... but it was real, and their nebulous promises to ‘do something about it’ were finally being kept.\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria stretched out on the tripled sleeproll in her tent, closing her eyes with a sigh as Cin’s fingers dug into her upper thighs. Though she’d made few actual decisions since leaving Lark’s Reach four mornings ago, simply knowing that she was in command, and ultimately responsible for the success or failure of her mission, had given rise to an unconscious tension that greatly magnified the strain of nearly a hundred miles of fairly sedate riding. She could smell woodsmoke through the closed flap of the tent, and knew supper would be served up shortly by the major’s personal cook, but right this moment she needed the massage far more than food.\n\n\tThe vixen was just moving up from her wife’s thighs to her rump when someone scratched on the canvas for attention. Stifling a curse, the unicorn called, “I’m feeling much too good to get up and ruin my wife’s efforts... If you can stand seeing your commander naked, come in. If not, your news or question can wait.”\n\n\tThe unknown figure outside hesitated for a moment, before a black paw reached in to pull aside the flap and Captain Aurin slipped in before too much of the camp brazier’s heat could escape. Glancing briefly around, his eyes didn’t linger on the Agent’s bare rump, instead focusing on a point midway up the far canvas wall as he reported, “We just had a rider report in. He was one of those who were trading places between three platoons each evening, part of the overlapping zig-zag pattern your husband suggested, but the skirmisher he should have met, coming the other way, hadn’t arrived at the middle platoon by moonrise. Their group was about halfway between us and the seacoast, almost to the edge of Gatuque, so it took him nearly a day, with a few naps for him and his horse, to reach us with the report of missed contact.”\n\n\tBerria grimaced where she lay, “Damn... After the first evening we hadn’t had any more problems like that. It could be a repeat of those early mistakes... but we have to assume it isn’t. There’s still time, tonight, for the round-about messages to go through the mages, so tell your clerk to report back to Fariach, and in turn to company B’s captain. It’s time to pull in our resources around there, and you’ll be in charge of the northern sweep from now on. The major and I will head south in the morning.”\n\n\tThe skunk’s nod was shallow as he acknowledged her point without getting a good look at the ‘massage,’ since the edges of his vision were suggesting that the vixen’s fingers were growing increasingly unprofessional in their touch, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll inform Syllan and his staff next.” Not waiting for a reply, he slipped back out, only to stumble due to his high gaze while his tail was still half in the tent, a grumbled curse heard before it was whipped out of the way.\n\n\tChuckling softly, Cin half-purred, “Good, you didn’t let the news tense you back up again...” One finger dipped between her wife’s thighs, its tip stroking upwards in a feather-light tease, “You’re also not rushing off without dinner... half of which is already right here, for me. I’ll toss a blanket over your rump as the food’s delivered, but I’m not about to leave you with mere kneading to be sure you’re relaxed.”\n\n\tThe unicorn grinned into her cushion, “I never expected that sort of restraint when you first made the offer, dear...” and she glanced up and to the side where her husband sat on a stool, “Food first, aye, but I think we all might be curious to see if you can relax me enough to finally take El up my ass. I wasn’t prepared for the difference between him and a lone finger, last time.”\n\n\tWolf and vixen both chuckled, eyes alight with anticipation, until another scratch sounded at the flap, and Cin quickly covered the ass in question as the scent of cunningly-seasoned rations seeped through the gap.\n\n* * *\n\n\t“Alright,” Berria decided as she traded some of the bacon-accented porridge in both her spouses’ bowls with the plainer meal she’d been served, “last night’s experiment was... not as successful as I’d hoped. Sure, I came three times, but this morning I’m regretting it, and I’ll have to find something to wad up and sit on to keep riding from being a form of torture.” She glanced to Cin with a rueful smile as she stirred the vixen’s bowl and handed it back, “I’m sure that enjoying anal sex was literally bred into your line centuries ago, but my kind had no such plans. I guess our adoring husband will have to be content with a mere five orifices.”\n\n\tHer wife chuckled as she accepted her breakfast, “You tried it, though. It’s not your fault it didn’t work, or El’s that he can give some stallions a run for their money where it counts.”\n\n\tThe wolf shook his head with a quiet laugh, “I’ve never complained about the things either of you enjoy, and I’m not going to start now. You are, both of you, more satisfying lovers than any I had as a noble youth, and I’ve never held any special preference among sex, ass, and muzzle. Give me a moment once we’ve eaten, and you can skip the padding; I’m sure I can heal your lingering soreness with a bit of effort, and it’s good principle to do that before you use the latrine trench anyway so renewed stretching doesn’t tear anything.”\n\n\tHis wives both winced at that notion, and Berria nodded, “I hadn’t thought of that, probably because no one would want to, but I’ll accept your off—”\n\n\tHer comment was interrupted by a patter of feet and from outside and a call, “Sir? Ma’ams? Cap’n sent me, urgent message!”\n\n\tSharing a glance with her loves, the unicorn set her untouched bowl aside and stood to slip out of the tent. “Report, soldier,” she directed. Officially, the skunk in his early teens was Aurin’s ‘assistant clerk,’ though a few hints in conversation and the occasional faint, lingering scent suggested that he accompanied the captain for decidedly non-military reasons.\n\n\tThe youngster, wearing only his arming doublet and boots, snapped off a salute that lacked the real soldiers’ practiced smoothness, “Two more skirmishers came in... One came from a couple platoons south of the group last night’s rider was from, reporting the same loss of contact but he’d had farther to ride. The other... he’s from a northern platoon! Says he was holding the rear while they checked a forest, heard yells and a clash, and he took off. Waited three hours, he said, at their last camp like his lieutenant had told him to, but no one showed up an’ he came right here. His group went almost due north from the barony, and was almost to Northlook when it happened.”\n\n\t“Crap...” Berria muttered. “I need to think... and I can’t do that on an empty stomach. Find the major, and tell him to come straight into my tent as soon as he’s eaten. It looks like all our assumptions that we were searching for just one group just fell into the jakes.”\n\n\tBobbing his head in a jerky nod, the captain’s bedmate sketched another salute and took off at a jog.\n\n\tBack inside, Elaric handed her her bowl with a rumble, “We heard, and ‘crap’ is a lot milder than what ran through my head at the news. Sit, eat, and I’ll heal you right now just so we have one less thing distracting you.”\n\n\tThe unicorn was just finishing her breakfast, finally sitting comfortably against the rear canvas between her spouses, when the major, his aide, the captain, and his official clerk filed in, settling onto the floor in two staggered rows as befit their relative ranks. “Despite his youth,” the gray wolf began, “Aurin’s... friend is good at one other thing, and that’s repeating messages verbatim when it suits him. I’m glad you insisted on that point, then, regarding our breakfasts, as the situation has indeed changed for the worse... I’ve got some thoughts on the subject, but you’re the one who talked to the king, so I’d like to hear your ideas first.”\n\n\tHis ad hoc commander nodded, swallowing her last bite and handing the bowl to her wife, “Two groups aren’t much worse than one... but it probably isn’t just one that split into two. Hellach, the peasant who stumbled across the first official sighting of the enemy, wasn’t clear on the numbers, but even taking a pessimistic view of his description would give that band about two platoons worth. One platoon of mixed infantry and archers would not, in my opinion, be enough to overwhelm a full platoon of our soldiers, warned for caution as they’d been, plus their mounted half-squad, with no survivors or escapees in two separate incidents. That means a minimum of two groups the size of the first, and we cannot assume that those two are all of them. We’re looking at at least one full company, already deeply infiltrated into the kingdom and in areas without significant standing troops available. My thought, therefor, takes three parts. First, just as we’d been planning for the ‘lost’ platoon last night, we’ll concentrate our forces, but in both directions. I’ll go south, you go north, so we’ll have a senior commander for both thrusts once the mages tell the couriers to tell the captains to summon their lieutenants. Second, given the presumably increased scope of enemy operations, we need to inform the king that our situation is now officially an emergency. We’ll need all major cities to put their guard forces on alert, and to dispatch what scouts they can, both to reinforce us and to locate any more enemy units they can. The third thought is also related to the first; gathered to their company commanders, our troops will have communication crystals that they can use to prove that they’re legitimate, to other units that might stumble over them while scouting.”\n\n\tHis subordinates simply nodding, since her ideas made perfect sense to them, the major’s eyes gradually widened as she spoke, and he finally replied, “You’ve covered three basic topics... but each to a better degree than I’d worked out myself, yet. Sending magical word to the captains, as convoluted as it may be, beats my thought of dispersing almost all of our own mounted troops as messengers. I’d been planning to report back to higher authority, while not yet calling things an emergency, but you make a good point about how little we’ve actually seen, and if it’s any worse, it is an emergency. As for the general concept of dispersed real troops needing to make sure others they meet aren’t fakes, I hadn’t even considered that, and we’d need some way to do just that if we’re going to avoid accidental attacks between friendly forces.” He glanced down at the blanket-strewn canvas, “I overheard a couple corporals last night, doing the math then griping that there was no way you could be a real Agent, as it’s been barely a decade since the population boom in the Vale had some families start moving to other lands, such as ours. Thus, there’s no way you could have been born in this kingdom, at your age, and they’d never heard of a foreigner being made Agent.” He looked up, meeting the eyes of the three civilians in turn, “I’ll be finding those noncoms, and telling them flatly that you’ve got a better grip on the situation than I do, and say the same to any other grumblers I run into. The king gave you this command, and your competence proves you deserve it.”\n\n\tOne brow high, the filly chuckled, “Not to make you feel even more ignorant... but born citizenship has never been an absolute requirement of Agency. Sir Ferrl, one of the better Agents we’ve ever had, was born in Dachiland, and his daughter, born in Unicorn Vale, is presently an Agent of Atheria. Feel free to cite both examples to those corporals if they give you any more lip about my horn.”\n\n\tNodding, the wolf returned to the subject, “Your proposed split makes sense, coupled with the alerts to other holdings. We’ll be leaving the middle ground, where we’re most likely to find the same group that that peasant of yours did, unchecked, but in the dispatch I’ll be writing, then dictating to the crystal linked to the high command in Fariach, I’ll request that the nearest cities focus their initial scouting in this direction. I’ll take four of the skirmishers we’ve got here to scout ambush spots or serve as couriers, while the other eight can go with you, since you three have your own horses. You’ll only have the communication crystal that the baron gave you, but before we left I got confirmation that he’d officially hired that freelance mage for the duration of your mission, so you should be able to contact the king at need with only a slight delay.”\n\n\tHis wives both nodding, Elaric spoke up, “That sounds like a fair division of our resources. I figured you and Berria would succeed in handling the general plan, so I kept my own thoughts on the route. I propose that we follow the map of stopping points for the nearest two or three platoons as we go south, and pick them up as additional escorts as we go, since we’d reach them faster than couriers from their captain as we gather to find out what happened to the missing patrol.”\n\n\tSyllan nodded once, then stood, the other soldiers following suit as he agreed, “That will slow you down a bit, but with everyone mounted you’d just be stuck waiting for the foot troops anyway once you’d reached their captain. Since there’s no way to really speed that part up, we might as well take advantage of the delay to keep you as safe as possible on the way. For now, it’s time to pack up and break camp; I’ll borrow your suggestion, if you don’t mind, and collect a few platoons on the way myself.”\n\n\tNot having had anything to contribute to the discussion, Cin had been as silent as the captain and aides as plans were revised, but as the soldiers filed out she reached for a blanket and started folding it, noting, “I can handle our gear, but I’ll need help with the tent. You two check the map for the nearest platoon’s camping spot, and the landmarks we’ll need to find it, while I pack the little stuff.”\n\n\t“Good idea,” Berria agreed, reaching for the document case atop a folding stool.\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe two messengers that morning hadn’t delayed the rest of the command troop much, but the soldier tasked with keeping in touch with the nearest searching platoon would have been on his way just before the rest of them ate breakfast if that interruption hadn’t occurred. This, in turn, meant that the route that would have taken until just before sunset, as the larger party followed it, instead had them spotting the campfire in a small grove of apple trees with only a hint of dark blue still visible in the sky, just a few of the brightest stars peeking through between the darker blots of clouds. They could hear the clatter of tin pots through among the trees, stilling as one voice hissed for silence as a horse stepped on a twig, then called out, “Bread pudding!”\n\n\tHaving checked the column of dates and passwords in the map’s margin while there was still sunlight, Berria called back, “Fish stew!”\n\n\tEasing his sword back into its sheath, the feline lieutenant’s voice held a smile as he replied, “Those two do not go well together... and I’m afraid we’re out of both. Still, we can throw a few extra beans into the pot. Come on in.”\n\n\tThe unicorn chuckled as she drew near, “It’ll take more than a few beans to feed this motley lot I’ve got with me, but don’t worry; we passed a village at about noon and bought enough meat pies for everyone, your troop included. There’s been a slight change of plans, since two platoons down south reported losing contact with a third one between them. You men will accompany us in the morning, and we’ll have to push fairly hard to rendezvous with your nearest neighbors at their next camp, but at least part of the search has hit pay dirt, and I think we all know that that’s a good thing.”\n\n\tThe young officer nodded as he sat down on a log, gesturing to the trees, “There are enough low branches to tie up your horses, though I didn’t expect to need that many once the usual fellow got here from our ‘neighbors,’” and he nodded toward a corporal in a skirmisher’s uniform and riding boots. Blinking then, as more of the newcomers came into the ring of firelight and dismounted, he asked, “Where’s the major and captain? If we’re gathering in force, shouldn’t they be leading the way?”\n\n\tThe skirmisher lieutenant who officially commanded the escort, a ram with curly black fur, shook his head as he led his horse to the improvised picket line, “South, we’ve only got a failure to report... but, north, we’ve got a confirmed attack, only their rearguard escaping. That means more bad guys than anyone realized we might be facing, and there’ll be a lot more folks looking than just our three companies, come morning.”\n\n\tThe infantry man winced, then shook his head, “I’ll be praying that whoever we face has some interest in prisoners and ransom... but that speech the boss gave,” and he half-bowed toward Berria from his seat, “suggests that whoever we’re after is just plain mean. I’ll pray, but I won’t count on it.” He glanced around at his troops, “Weapon inspection at dawn, boys. If there’s a dull blade or worn bowstring in the bunch, take care of it tonight, as we’re gonna need them soon.”\n\n\tDespite the clouds, it didn’t look like it would rain that night, so while Cin started clearing twigs and leaves for space to put down sleeprolls, and Elaric joined the supper preparations with their bag of meat pies in hand, Berria wandered away from the fire, finding a nice, dark spot in a tree trunk’s shadow. That cat’s mention of praying reminded her that she’d gone several days without.\n\n\t*When My children are legitimately busy,* Kathalla preempted her just as she knelt, *I feel no neglect. Your faith remains unshaken whether you have leisure to dwell upon it or not.*\n\n\tChuckling softly, the unicorn dipped her head in acknowledgment as she murmured back, “Then allow me to simply add one more deity to Whomever the lieutenant’s praying to, for the safety of my troops who encountered our foe, or a worthy reward for their souls if they died well.”\n\n\t*One of those souls, in the southern of the groups who found the enemy for whom you search, was Malia’s. She’s been paying enough attention to your journey to notice, and that arrival in Her heaven urged Her to look further; one more in that group was Tarragh’s, and the commander of the other, northern platoon was His acolyte. Other than the one who escaped to bring you word, none, Godless or devout, survived.*\n\n\tWincing, the priestess nodded nonetheless, “I’d hoped otherwise... but based my plans on the assumption of exactly what You confirmed. I know not whether it will change anything, once I report Your words to Lachier, but You have my thanks for those words in any case. Now, I shall not waste time on false hopes.”\n\n\tKathalla’s bleak ‘tone’ softened, *You know that this conflict is, for now, strictly a mortal concern, but know too that I’m always here for you, if you need confirmation or comfort. Your morning, though, involved discomfort... and I shared something quite similar, just last night. Guess who’s not a virgin anymore?*\n\n\tBerria had to grin in the darkness, “Karen. Good for You... and for Crellan. Having met his parents, I think I can safely guess that he was a virgin, too, so I can only hope that You didn’t shock him too badly during the mutual deflowering.”\n\n\t*I was... tempted, I’ll admit, to show him all that Karen’s tongue can do... but I kept the kisses shallow, and his little rump inviolate. There are years, yet, to introduce him to more exotic pleasures. On that note, I have but one additional detail for you. Malia investigated your foe as well as your fallen, and passed word. You were wise, to establish early on that they were not Sliisthar’s, but She brings additional word that not one among them is anything but Godless. When the time for vengeance draws nigh, worry not that any devout might fall to your blade, in person or by the proxy of those you command.*\n\n\tThis fetched another nod, “Good. That had been a minor worry of mine, but now it’s one less complication to deal with. Thank You, and praise You, my Goddess.”\n\n\tA brief surge of raw affection thrummed in her soul, then faded, and she pried herself out of her kneel and brushed off her robe. She could see, as she stepped back toward the trees and the light, the camp’s designated cook scooping beans onto individual tin plates, and her belly rumbled faintly in reminder of how long she’d been riding since lunch. Reporting back to the capitol could, at least for a few minutes, wait.\n\n* * *\n\n\tBetween two platoons of infantry, their attached skirmishers, and the escorts she’d left the command troop with, Berria was leading over seventy soldiers as evening fell and they neared the rocky hill that would be the last camp before joining the rest of the company. Peering through the fading light and a gentle, cold rain, she raised her hand to signal a halt. The platoon that had been scheduled to occupy this hill on this night must have already been gathered in by one of the captain’s messengers, as she couldn’t see a fire and hadn’t been challenged... but, according to the contingency plans in the battalion's orders, any change to the original scheduled routes should have seen one or two troops left behind to proceed as usual and meet the incoming reinforcements. “Private Beldon!” she called, and waited for the mounted scout in question to join her at the front of the column. She pointed at the hill, “You’ve got one of the lighter, nimbler mounts... Get up there and see if anyone’s waiting for us. Today’s challenge-pair is ‘flaming lion’ and ‘Surianel.’”\n\n\tNodding, the buck tapped his horse’s ribs with his heels and headed into the gray murk of the evening. The steady patter of rain drowned out his hoofbeats before he was halfway up the slope, and it was getting hard to see even his dark bay mount when he neared the top. Squinting, the unicorn could just make out the rise of one hand to his brow as he peered around, and she could faintly hear him calling out the first half of the challenge. She relaxed a bit in her saddle, at that; there was someone up there, probably just guides to help her find the rest of their recalled unit, and their little camp had been too far from the hill’s edge to see any smoke from their fire.\n\n\tAn equine squeal snapped her attention back onto the distant figure, just in time to see the horse rear, throwing the young soldier down the steep, boulder-strewn slope. Even before the first impact of body against rock, he’d gone oddly limp, and as he slithered to a muddy halt about halfway down she could just make out the long shafts of arrows, two in his leather-armored chest and one protruding from just under the rim of his helm. “Ambush!” she and her husband yelled as one. “They’ve got archers! El, Cin, on me!” she added even as she wheeled her own steed around. Her training in self-defense had sufficed for a lone assassin, but she had no place in a clash between real soldiers, and she knew it.\n\n\tShe led her little family around the edge of the column, the mounted troops already coming up to secure the flanks as the foot soldiers spread out and neatened their lines, unslinging the shields strapped to their packs as they went. Those shields helped as a hissing sound not even the rain could completely muffle filled the air from atop the hill, dozens of arrows arcing down, but the enemy still had surprise on their side, and curses and cries of pain spread throughout the ranks.\n\nChapter 14\n\n\tArchers were the perfect troops for defending a prepared position. Even Berria knew that... which was why all of her archers were manning various city walls back in Lark’s Reach. While they’d be very effective, defending those cities from a guessed-at possible invasion, they certainly weren’t doing her any good now. Her skirmishers, all nineteen of them, had short horse-bows in rain-proof scabbards on their saddles, but the arrows arcing out of the fading light had cut down three of them in the time it took the rest to ready their weapons and loosen the flaps on their quivers. Even then, their return volley was practically blind fire; it was almost impossible to see the top of the hill, and the enemy was using its large rocks and small boulders for cover. Whenever a distinct shape made the mistake of outlining itself against the sky, or when a lucky shot made someone cry out, the skirmishers saturated the area with their short, barbed shafts, but for those first, vital minutes of the ambush the loss ratio was heavily in the ambushers’ favor.\n\n\t“Hold ranks, watch the mud... charge!” one of the lieutenants finally bellowed, and the surviving foot soldiers, shields held high, rushed the hill, half-desperate to close with the invisible enemy before they were cut down where they stood.\n\n\tThe three civilians on their horses were left in that charge’s wake, unconsciously pulling close to one another. “What... what should we do?” Cin asked, her heart obviously still racing.\n\n\tBerria shook her head, “I’m not sure... We’ve got pretty much two options, as I see it. We can assume that our troops are going to die, that all they can do is buy us time, and start riding away as fast as our horses can take us, into strange territory that will shortly be pitch black with no escort. Alternatively, we can assume that we win the battle over there. Even discounting the bodies I can see, we’ve got maybe half again as many troops as the group Hellach found did... and if we flee, but they win, some of those left might die without our help.”\n\n\tElaric was already wincing in sympathetic pain, through the tiny sliver of his healing senses he allowed to follow the battle, and he shook his head, “If our side wins, I certainly can’t abandon them. Both sides are fighting damned hard, and I’m sensing a lot of death, which means any wounds left on the survivors will be far from superficial. They’ll need me, badly.”\n\n\tCin spoke up again, “If... if our side loses, and enough of the enemies remain, they’ll chase us. Our horses have been working hard all day, and even if they were fresh it’d take at least four hours to get back to that town we had lunch at. Tired as our mounts are, it’d be closer to eight hours if they made it at all, and even well-conditioned foot could run us down in that time.”\n\n\tHer wife nodded grimly, “The condition of our horses settles it... We can’t run, not effectively, so it’s not worth the risk of damaging our troops’ morale, even if they win, to find us fled.” She slipped her feet from the stirrups and climbed down, “We’re probably out of bowshot... I’m going to get a lamp off of the packhorse and light it, just so we can see who and what comes back from that hill.”\n\n\tWhile she was there, once she had the glass- and iron-encased candle burning merrily, she also tugged three rolled-up blankets out of the bundle that held their tent. What little warmth the spring day had held before the rain started was fading even faster as the last hints of dusk were replaced by full night, and both spouses murmured their thanks as they bundled up, the mare following suit once she’d secured the lamp to a saddle-strap and climbed back up.\n\n\tThe sounds of battle gradually faded, letting the groans of the wounded emerge, freely and hauntingly, from the darkness. Finally, the last ring of sword on sword cut off with an agonized scream, which in turn ended with unnatural suddenness. The three civilians waited for what seemed like a short eternity, though it was actually less than a minute before a new yelp was heard in the distance. A few seconds later, another sharp exclamation cut off with a gurgle audible even over nearer groans, then a voice managed a sobbed, “No!” before trailing off in a whine.\n\n\tEven as Berria reached the same, horrifying conclusion, Elaric hissed, “They’re killing the wounded! Well, some of them; I can feel others whose discomfort is increasing even as their bleeding slows.” He looked between one wife and the other, his voice very quiet, “We... lost. The other side is bandaging their own wounded, and slaughtering ours.”\n\n\tHer wife simply whimpering, the unicorn asked, “How many healthy bodies can you sense?” Since the sounds and, presumably, the soldiers causing them were getting closer, she reached up to brush back her hood and wrap a finger around her horn-hiding earring while she still could.\n\n\t“Too many,” he answered grimly. “They’ve got at least thirty soldiers left with no more than minor flesh wounds. There’s no way we could fight off that many...”\n\n\tA rough voice came out of the darkness, “He’s right... I can see the shapes of weapons under your blankets. Lose them and dismount, in that order. Once we determine just who and what you are, there’s a chance you might be kept alive... If my captain decides otherwise, cooperation now will earn a quick, relatively painless death later. You don’t want to know what non-cooperation will earn.”\n\n\tBerria couldn’t see much of the man who was speaking, but her pitiful lamp’s light was enough to gleam along the curve of a drawn bow. Silently praying that her spouses had also noticed, she simply nodded and spread her blanket, keeping both hands visible as she drew her daggers by their pommels and dropped them to one side of her horse, before easing down the other side. A thud marked the fall of Cin’s short sword, and their husband’s rapier clattered as it hit a rock on the way down.\n\n\tThe unknown archer had stepped closer as the weapons fell, vulpine features resolving as he eyed the steel, “Huh... None of those are army-issue, and you’re not in any uniform I recognize, military or civil. I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist that you identify yourselves and explain why you were with these troops.”\n\n\tEasing her blanket far enough down her shoulders for her badge to glint in the lamplight, Berria replied in a firm voice, “I am an Agent of Drachath, commanding the entire battalion that you just met a short company of, and my spouses here naturally came along to keep me company. We’re here to look for you, or someone like you, unknown soldiers illegally wearing the crest of,” and she squinted to make out his surcoat in the dark, “Quail Ridge? That’s a new one to add to the list...”\n\n\tThough he wore no obvious rank insignia, the fox’s fine chainmail armor marked him as being something other than a common trooper on his side, and he frowned as he worked things out, “List? If another group, with a different crest, has attracted the interest of an Agent, then there’s been a failure in our ‘no witnesses’ policy at some point.” Nodding to himself, he decided, “If it’s been broken once, there’s no extreme need to keep following it now, and I’m sure the captain will be very interested in knowing how much you know and how you learned it.” He let go of the arrow nocked into his bowstring, a finger curled where it touched the bow itself to keep it in place, and gestured to summon the troops who’d been lurking behind him after cutting every throat that wore an army-regular uniform, “Bind their arms, check those horses for more weapons, then tie them to the saddles. That looks like a folded tent on the packhorse, so it won’t be any problem to add them to the camp once we get there.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe enemy camp was just a few miles west of the hill, less than an hour’s steady march with the foot soldiers in precise formation around the three civilians and their four horses. Several fires blazed with welcome warmth as they neared, the hoots and tweets of bad imitations of owls and birds served as passwords for the loose ring of sentries, tucked behind boulders or hiding up trees. If the quality of armor was how these people advertised rank, then their very lowest had been left behind for the ambush, men in light, flexible leather moving around the fires as they prepared a late supper. Lit by those same blazes, there seemed to be enough four-man tents strewn haphazardly about to accommodate an entire company of infantry.\n\n\tA tiger in chainmail and a steel breastplate, also inlaid with Quail Ridge’s cliff and bird crest, intercepted the fox as his men dispersed to their tents or meals. “Well, Lieutenant? I was certain, when you left, that you understood the no-prisoners policy the general had ordered... but, here you are, with barely a third of your troops and several of the very prisoners you weren’t supposed to take. The women, I suppose, will be entertaining for a night or two, but we can’t leave them alive, and I doubt anyone here has tastes that run toward that man.”\n\n\tThe salute his subordinate tossed off, along with the grin accompanying it, was more flippant and cheerful than anyone who’d just been censured should be. “I’m sure even the general would want these prisoners, Captain!” the man assured him. “The white-furred lady... is the Agent in charge of several companies of regulars, and they’re hunting us. Some different group already got their sorry asses spotted, and that’s why we’ve been running into so many troops. As for my men,” and he frowned, “we only outnumbered them perhaps four to three, and they fought like demons. Even with an initial arrow barrage, I was lucky to bring home thirty from the company you sent me out with. The soldiers, we followed orders with; they’re all dead now. These three, though... they’re civilians. What the general does with them is his own business, but I didn’t want to scare off any of my own troopers, the ones who might be wondering about our mission, by up and offing these in front of them, and until the general makes the call I don’t think we should... ‘use’ the ladies, either.”\n\n\tThroughout this informal debriefing, Berria kept a thin tendril of her soul projected toward each of the officers. Their actual capture had come as enough of a surprise that she hadn’t thought of it then, and shivered inside whenever she thought of what might have happened if the lieutenant hadn’t actually wanted to capture them. The soul hers touched now, though, wasn’t nearly cruel enough to disarm someone then murder them; she could feel a certain disquiet with his standing orders to slaughter enemy soldiers, overridden by his professionalism. The captain, though... what she could sense of his emotions suggested he wouldn’t care one way or the other about their lives, save for the value they represented to his superiors.\n\n\tThe tiger finally glanced up to look his captives over, noting, “You three seem reasonably well-behaved... I’d certainly expect that from an Agent, and your friends are wise enough to follow your lead. Just to be completely frank, though, you’re something between a convenience and a burden. The general will certainly want to hear what you can tell him about all these troops we’ve been running into, but there are other ways to get that information. Those same troops mean we can afford a few extra mouths to feed, as they’ve cut down our numbers a bit, but you’re not worth any more effort than a few plates of grub to keep alive. I’ll be taking your nice-looking tent for myself, and you can have my old one, here in the middle of camp. If any of you set a single foot beyond the inner ring of tents, my men will cut you down without a second chance,” and he glanced significantly to the troopers who were lingering nearby, awaiting their meal. Several of those men nodded, their expressions grim, and one ranking high enough to sport a boiled leather breastplate and bracers slipped away from the fires, his murmurs heard a moment later as he passed the captain’s word to those who’d be keeping watch. “Now,” he continued, pointing at his feet, “dismount and join us for supper. Questioning you can wait ‘til tomorrow evening, since we need to join up with the rest of the army anyway after today’s losses.”\n\n\tEven as she swung a leg over and slid down from the horse, a bit awkward with her hands bound in front of her, the unicorn nodded. “I’m interested in meeting this general of yours, too, so none of us will try to escape, though I hope the rules you’ve laid down are at least flexible enough to let us visit the latrine trench, under guard of course. My spouses and I,” she clarified, “were interrupted and captured just before what should have been our own evening camp, so we probably all need to go. My name, just so you can be more specific than ‘hey you,’ is Berria, my wife is Cin, and my husband is called Elaric. Other than my Agency, none of us have any rank to speak of.” Her probing spirit caught a flash of realization from both companions as they stood beside their horses, and she was proud that neither exclaimed or even let their faces give them away. A healer’s gifts, or for that matter a pleasure slave’s training, could change how they were treated by their captors, but it was impossible to guess whether it would improve or worsen their overall lot, and after a moment’s thought all three of them had realized it.\n\n\t“You can simply call me ‘captain,’” the officer replied, then pointed to a nearby line where his men were being served, “You five, take another couple minutes before your grub’s dished up and lead these folks to the trench and untie them. Better to deal with the smell before the meal than in the middle of it... and, like I said, if even one of them steps out of line, kill them all.” He turned to a fellow who was just settling down with a plate of steaming beans, “You, set that aside for a moment. Find out which of their saddlebags has their clothes, check them for weapons, then put the bags in my tent and tie the horses up with mine. Setting up my new one can wait ‘til we’ve eaten.”\n\n\tNot even daring to share a glance and a grimace, though all three of them were tense-muzzled, the civilians followed the designated troops toward the edge of camp.\n\n\tThe rest of her little family followed Berria’s example throughout the meal and a couple more hours before it was time to sleep, remaining cooperative and silent save for monosyllabic acknowledgments to instructions. Only when the three of them were in ‘bed,’ crammed together in the officially-two-man little tent in a nest of their own blankets atop a single narrow pad, did Cin finally whisper, “Ber, El... what do we do now?” By the worry and near-panic audible in her quiet voice, her imagination had obviously been suggesting dire fates to her all evening.\n\n\tBerria squirmed an arm through the tangle to give her a comforting squeeze before murmuring back, “We wait, and do exactly what they tell us to. We answer any questions they have with as much of the truth as won’t jeopardize us or the kingdom further. Wolran is still out there, or whoever it was I sensed that first morning out... and the network of informants I mentioned, they should notice the sudden state of alert from when we declared an emergency, and they’ll help town guards or army regulars find any other groups like this one or the one we’ll be joining up with tomorrow. They know me as an Agent... and while Drachath may not share Dengar’s official policy of never leaving an Inquisitor unavenged, any common trooper or junior officer has to be worried about consequences. The only person I, personally, am worried about is this ‘general’ of theirs. Since he’s already effectively doomed unless they succeed in whatever their final goal is, he alone might decide there’s nothing that could be made worse by further offending the king.”\n\n\tFabric rustled as two heads nodded in the darkness, and Elaric mused in a faintly whimsical tone, “So we’ve got a good chance of surviving this if we don’t give them any fresh reason to personally dislike us... I’ve also been thinking about what we brought along, and what might occur to them once they search it thoroughly. My conclusion was that we don’t have much to worry about there, either; I didn’t bring any of my robes so they won’t know I’m a healer, the black satin of a priestess isn’t that far out of character for an Agent they know has to be Kathallic, and the bare quarter of our gold we brought along is reasonably consistent with an army commander’s official contingency fund.”\n\n\tThe Agent was glad that the darkness hid her wince, and forced a lighter note into her voice as she replied, “Even if we have far more left back at the castle, after our shopping there’s nearly sixty nobles left, more than the total of every coin I’d owned in my life before we reached Fariach. Oh well, maybe that sort of windfall will improve the captain’s mood a bit. Now... let’s keep our clothes on under one blanket and at least try to get some sleep. They’re unlikely to waste the courtesy of a decent warning when they decide it’s time to get up.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tAs Berria had half-predicted, care of the prisoners the following day was given over to that reasonably friendly lieutenant, the captain rarely so much as glancing in their direction. He was far too busy, as they rode, counting gold coins over and over, occasionally polishing one ‘til it gleamed if he spotted a smudge. It was nearing late afternoon when they reached the edge of the large forest, almost a jungle, that reached nearly to the sea on the duchy border between Fariach and Gatuque, the troops slowing as they neared and the captain putting his money away to ride out in front. Amidst the trees, someone whistled, and the tiger nodded as he said over his shoulder, “I’m recognized, we can go in.”\n\n\tThe disguised unicorn tried even harder to radiate compliant disinterest as her guards formed up around her family and they passed between the first few trees, but the deeper into the woods they went, the more difficult her act got. This was not some temporary camp they were approaching... Even keeping her gaze discreet, and along the single line of their approach, she could see sentry after sentry. They seemed to be behind almost every single tree, most with short bows, some with heavy crossbows, and all with swords, their bodies and gear concealed from the front by woven mats of thin branches and vines. The sidelong views of her casual glances could only barely spot them, as she dared not twist around in her saddle for a better look; that sort of cover had, obviously, taken a great deal of work for each individual watchman, and there were dozens of them in just her little slice of the forest’s outer quarter-mile or so. Extrapolating from those observations, she came to the unpalatable conclusion that the entire battalion she’d been given would just about match what the enemy’s main force was using for simple base security.\n\n\tGiven that sort of a perimeter, it came as a rather profound shock when they reached the camp proper, because of how few soldiers were there. An area had been cleared, large enough for a decent town but with a regular pattern of trees left standing so it wouldn’t be too obvious to a flying scout, and the resulting wood had been put to good use to make several buildings amidst the wide, clear spaces where tents could be set up, though there weren’t any. Two of the structures were obviously warehouses, the company quartermaster of the arriving troop breaking off to lead his string of pack mules toward them, and four more were crude, blocky barracks’ for common troops, which left just a single pair of smaller, house-like buildings for the senior staff. Judging by the weathering of the wood and the condition of the ground where stumps had been carved flush, this ‘camp’ had taken months to make, and had endured the entirety of the last winter at a minimum.\n\n\tDirecting his attention at the lieutenant and his prisoners for the first time that day as he dismounted, the tiger instructed, “Have the men set their tents up but not get too comfortable. After our losses, we’ll probably be dispatched as someone else’s reinforcements. I need to report to the general, so keep these civies contained and readily available.” As he’d spoken, he’d grabbed the small bag dangling from his saddle’s horn that held the Agent’s badge, along with one or two other things from her saddlebags (but not the gold he obviously intended to keep for himself); until she got a chance to actually check their contents, she could only guess at what had been taken.\n\n\t“Yes, sir,” the wolf replied, though his superior never saw his salute, already turning to enter one of the houses. Turning to the nearest sergeant, his muzzle quirked wryly as he directed, “You heard the man. Get the troops settled and find the healer to tend to our wounded.”\n\n\tThe noncom’s salute was actually returned, and the next several minutes held the organized chaos common to military operations as orders were given and followed, the remnants of the company going about setting up their temporary quarters around the fringes of the more permanent settlement. Four of the lightly-armored menials kept watch on the civilians at first, then were relieved by another quartet as the first few tents went up, freeing them to erect their own. Less than fifteen minutes after their arrival, though, a canid junior officer rushed out of the general’s house, clearly agitated. “You!” he barked, pointing at Berria where she still sat on her horse. Visibly calming himself, he continued, “You will need to come inside with me... but, first, you need to take off your earrings. The regiment wizard noticed something about them, and the general is pissed that the captain missed it.”\n\n\tEven as she complied, reaching up to unhook her left earring while wrapping a finger around the right, since she had no idea what effect they’d have if removed while active, she asked, “And what of my spouses? I’m sure that these soldiers here could be doing something more useful than standing around watching them.”\n\n\tThe lieutenant blinked, then thought for a long moment, brow furrowed, before looking to the troopers in question, “Take them to the basement of the other house. There’s a storeroom there where we’ve reinforced the door and added a stout lock. Since I’m sure their possessions have been searched several times by now, put those in there too so they can at least change clothes; it looks like they slept in what they’re wearing now.”\n\n\tA glance to their immediate guards was answered with nods, and the three prisoners climbed down, Cin commenting, “Actually, we did,” with a faint smile to the dog as she followed the guards at Elaric’s side.\n\n\tShaking her head in mild amusement, Berria followed the officer into the evident home of her enemy. Once again, she observed as carefully as she could while doing her best not to look like she was examining things. The room immediately inside the front door, after all, was occupied by two large desks covered in documents, one of them probably belonging to her escort as only the other had another soldier behind it. Rather than show a potentially dangerous interest in those desks’ contents, she averted her gaze to instead add the details of the building’s construction to those already gathered, the beams and planks obviously well-constructed and sturdy, but unfinished. Both the surmised speed with which the base had been constructed and the guess that it wasn’t meant for true permanence were confirmed by what she could see, and filed away in her mind to report if she lived long enough to help investigate the core causes of this conflict and how they’d come to be.\n\n\tPast the outer office was a hallway and two doors, both closed, though scents suggested a privy and a good-sized kitchen respectively, before the hall ended with a turn and two sets of stairs. The officer led her up, the steps opening directly into one large room that took up the entire second floor. Unlike the spartan, unfinished details of the rest of the house and camp, this room was lushly carpeted, its walls’ panels polished and varnished, with the occasional painting of what looked like planted fields decorating them here and there. Several chairs and large cushions dotted the floor, three of them occupied, and two large windows flanked what was just shy of an outright throne. The heavily-armored rabbit, there, was frowning mightily at something in a mage-robed rat’s paws, before looking up to scowl at his arriving ‘guest.’ “Where do I start?” he asked, probably rhetorically, in a voice closer to a growl than Berria had ever heard from a man of his species. “You, or someone like you, have rendered my original orders impossible, just from the report that one of my groups managed to be seen... I’m probably facing divine, as well as military, retaliation if my wizard isn’t as good at necromancy as he claims. I can only hope that your badge’s enchantment isn’t traceable... and you’re a unicorn. Unless I can salvage something, I’m about to lose another high position to your kind.”\n\n\tSaid unicorn’s eyes widened, a corner of her muzzle twitching up before she could control herself, as she put two clues together with another story she’d heard, “Ah! Earl Hallan’s Stand, I presume. The rest of your complaints, though... I’m at least partially ignorant of. I still haven’t figured out why you or your army are here, relating to those orders; I don’t know anything specific that would make a deity angry enough to actively punish you; and I’m drawing a complete blank on your mention of necromancy.”\n\n\tSomething of a surprise, given how angry he’d looked when she’d first climbed the stairs, the earl actually seemed pleased by her reply, straightening and nodding, “Yes, I did hold that title... but I guess I let my pessimism get away from me. Perhaps this situation isn’t as far beyond salvage as I thought...” He turned back to the wizard, “You can have five menials, and... the downstairs privy. In addition to the shroud, make some arrangement to magically lock the door and window, as we may need it for a person as well as that pendant.”\n\n\tShe couldn’t make out any fine detail at this distance, but at the mention of a pendant the priestess couldn’t help but notice a silvery chain dangling from the rat’s hand, that might have been hers, and she frowned, “If that’s mine... or was mine, anyway, it had a simple enchantment to keep my illusionary disguise charged, one that evidently worked at a distance since my earrings kept hiding my horn after it was confiscated. If you really think it’s more than that, I’d have to question your wizard’s competence.”\n\n\tThe general blinked, looking flabbergasted for a moment, then barked a laugh, “Well! If your claim is that far from reality, yet delivered so smoothly and innocently, I guess I now know how much trust to put in anything else you might say.” He glanced to the captain who’d brought her in, “Take her back down and secure her ‘til Skallen here finishes his work, then she and her ‘innocent enchantment’ can share a room. Full precautions.”\n\n\tThe tiger’s eyes widened briefly as he stood, but he nodded promptly enough, “Yes, sir!” before drawing his sword. Half-bowing to his ‘guest,’ he gestured politely toward the stairs, “If you’ll precede me?”\n\n\tMore confused than anything else, now, Berria nodded and turned around, padding back down the steps. She was still trying to figure out what could possibly have been such a jarring discrepancy regarding her simple Kathallic amulet as they passed through the office. As she reached for the front door’s latch, though, the pommel of that sword came down hard on her skull, and she speculated no more.\n\nChapter 15\n\n\tA knock and a pause before the lock rattled and the door opened were, in a way, a comforting change from that tiger’s casual callousness, and despite the situation Cin was much more relaxed this evening than on the last. “Thank you,” she murmured, her husband echoing the sentiment as they accepted plates of supper from the fox in a menial’s uniform, who simply nodded brusquely and stepped back to secure the door once more.\n\n\t“Not to start you worrying all over again, dear,” Elaric mused as he settled back onto the ‘chair’ of one of his own saddlebags, “but it looks like we’re not out of the woods yet...” He pointed at his plate before reaching for the wooden spoon sticking out of the rations, “Beans and hardtack, but no meat. That suggests that they’re still deciding what to do with us, and won’t waste the good rations on prisoners they might not keep for long.”\n\n\tThe vixen frowned faintly as she spooned beans over the twice-baked hard biscuit to soften it a bit, then shook her head, “I know I’ve been worrying a lot, lately, but on some level I have to consider this an improvement. Maybe I’ve simply run out of worry to have... but this is a fairly spacious room, even if the door’s locked, not a tent too small for the two of us, much less three, and no one’s pointing weapons at us anymore. Sure, they took Berria, but you’ve seen some of the situations she’s gotten into, only to walk right back out again with a smile on her face.”\n\n\tAfter a moment spent gnawing at his own biscuit, before giving up and following his wife’s example to soften it first, he shrugged, “I can only hope she does as well this time. In any case, I’m glad to be out of yesterday’s clothes and into something clean. When that fellow comes back for the dishes, we’ll need to ask about the possibility of a bath, or at least a bucket of water and a few rags. My own worries... were made a little worse by circumstantial reminders of my old life before Ber found me, and how helpless I felt then.”\n\n\tCin smiled sympathetically as she chewed a bite of plain beans, then swallowed, “I understand, as this situation does remind me in some ways of my life as a slave... Luckily, there was something I wanted to ask you that should distract both of us from dwelling over-much on things we can’t change.” At his blink and attentive ear-perk, she went on, “I need to know how your gift works, but in a rather specific way. I know that there’s a difference between strength you get from others, and your own strength... I want to explore that difference; what parts of healing draw more on one than the other, what kinds of wounds exhaust you fastest and which are easier if you have external power available...”\n\n\tBlinking again, the wolf nodded, eating a bite of his own beans as he pondered... “I’ve never actually thought about it in those terms in any detail... so forgive me if I meander a bit, as I’m going to have to find words for a lot of things I did more by feel than knowledge. Let’s see... I guess it’s things a mage could do that take the least of my own endurance to channel and control. Moving things to join a wound’s edges, focused heat to destroy an impending infection, those are easy for me, if fairly hard on whoever’s feeding my strength. It’s the fine work, getting those wound edges to actually knit, stimulating the formation of new blood from the marrow, reconnecting cut nerves... those drain me a lot more.”\n\n\tFor some reason, his wife was actually smiling as she leaned against the wall and started using her spoon to separate her soggy biscuit into bite-sized chunks, “That’s actually pretty damned close to what I’d been hoping to hear! Please, carry on; if it won’t put you off your supper, think back over the various wounds you’ve healed, how they differed, and how they affected you afterwards, both by themselves and compared to each other.”\n\n\tStill somewhat confused by her entire line of inquiry, Elaric nodded and divided his attention between his meal and his narrative, “Alright... I guess one good comparison would be between that sailor’s arrow-wound and the gashes in my own belly our lovely wife’s fingers left. About the same amount of flesh was damaged in both cases, but treating them was quite different...”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe general looked up from his meal, setting his wineglass down to gesture at one of the other chairs around the folding table in his ‘throne room,’ “Have a seat and tell me how it went, Skallen. If you did as well as you have so far in my service, I think my decision to open the ‘58 and celebrate a bit was a good one.”\n\n\tNodding, the rat grinned toothily as he sat and helped himself to a large glass of the mentioned wine, “I doubt you’ll have any complaints this time either... You were right about that fellow in charge of the south watch; just a touch or two to his mind and now he’s certain he saw those menials trying to sneak out, and he’s already spreading rumors about just what they’re up to. The covered, scent-tight well I insisted on in the basement is about half full now with their bodies added, so I doubt we’ll need to calm any panic among the lower ranks. The Brotherhood’s charter, actually, doesn’t prohibit what we just did, given that those five were already lacking in merit, and it actually improved their standing that their lives and souls could be put to such important use.”\n\n\tThis fetched a nod from the rabbit as he grinned, “Just one of the benefits of being part of the revolution from the beginning. I’m sure that, with time, the charter will be expanded into a more comprehensive set of laws, but for now it’s simply a vague collection of principles, with plenty of room for the sort of interpretation that lets us get the actual job done.”\n\n\tThe wizard nodded back, and the two settled into an amiable silence as they ate. One of the nearby guards was just lifting the lid from the dessert tray to serve them from, though, when a head poked up from the stairwell. “Sirs?” that vulpine asked, then climbed the last few steps as his commander beckoned. “I’ve finished my interview with the two failed novices our roster mentioned, one of the menials here and a lieutenant in the group that came back for more supplies today. Neither of them, in their studies, had ever heard of a priest’s pendant with a chain of platinum, or of any alternative to the obsidian that’s standard among... well, among Her decorations.”\n\n\tThe former earl couldn’t help but quirk a faint smile, quickly controlled, at the man’s evident fear of saying a Goddess’ name, but he nodded promptly enough, “Good man, let’s not call any extra attention to ourselves. The Gods and their priests will find out their new place in the order of things soon enough without giving them advance notice. I’m still pretty damned certain that carving was made of black diamond... but I can’t for the life of me figure out how someone managed to carve something that hard in the first place without shattering it.” He glanced to Skallen, “Your surmise is the only one that makes any sense; it must have been made with magic, fairly powerful and very finely controlled.”\n\n\tThe wizard snorted, downed the last sip of wine in his cup, and reached for the bottle to pour again as he agreed, “Agents are supposed to be mages... but all this one seems to be good at is lying with a straight face. Just the sort I’d expect to take her very Agency as an excuse to promote herself to some sort of extra-high priestess. I look forward to the day when the Principles of Merit are the basis of law in every kingdom, and priests do what they should: keep the Gods happy enough with worship to keep from meddling in the affairs of mortal-kind. Their only ‘merit,’ after all, is that they’re the particular favorites of one God or another, and that’s not enough to justify the influence they currently enjoy in secular matters.”\n\n\tHis employer nodded firmly, dismissing the lieutenant with a gesture even as he lifted his latest glass of wine to clink against the mage’s, “Hear hear to that, brother.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe plate that had been shoved through the crude slit chopped into the bottom of the privy door had held only two chunks of hardtack, and they lay almost untouched. Between the bitter ache in her skull and the smell of her improvised prison, Berria had been able to summon very little appetite or effort, managing only to gnaw off and choke down a few crumbs. There was a water pump right next to the basin, but the soldiers taking turns guarding the door hadn’t been able to find a cup that would fit through the hole yet. She’d heard them discussing it, so at least she knew they’d tried, and weren’t as inherently cruel or ruthless as the captain or general evidently were. Sighing softly again, she shifted on the thin blanket they’d given her, trying again to get some rest other than the ‘nap’ of being knocked out, her new pendant’s chain whispering with the motion.\n\n\tThat reminder brought her back to her earlier ruminations... The pendant was, for some inexplicable reason, why she was now locked in the privy, a necromantic shield in place to keep her from the comfort of being able to pray, but it wasn’t the silver and obsidian she remembered. The chain looked like platinum, and it was heavy enough for it, but a careful tug had proven that it was quite a bit stronger than that metal was supposed to be, and the only thing she knew about the carved bat head was that it wasn’t obsidian. She would have very, very much liked to ask Kathalla about it, but... She didn’t even need to rely only on her Goddess’ silence to realize her situation, as her own soul-projection trick had hit a smooth, hard barrier all around, even within the floor and ceiling.\n\n\tHer disappointment and discomfort with the situation hadn’t yet built up to outright despair, but did color her mind’s eye as she finally eased into sleep. Her wordless lament continued, simply an increasingly-nebulous cloud of emotion, until something caught her dreaming gaze. The oddest part was that she couldn’t actually see it; if she’d had hands in that dream, she could point right at it, but however distinct it was to her perceptions, ‘it’ was clearly just a force, not a physical thing.\n\n\tWhatever sense she was actually using, or dreaming of using, its focus gradually widened, more of these forces coming into being, some identical to the first, others different in some indescribable way. Her ‘view’ sank gradually back, the grouping of strange energies settling into the shape of a ball, just one such among many, those balls coming in two types. A third type, far smaller, came into ‘sight,’ orbiting the cluster at unimaginable speeds and a significant relative distance, but she was just now coming to realize that the entire scenario she ‘saw’ was small; incredibly, unimaginably, indescribably small.\n\n\tThose tiny, orbiting energies, or particles, or whatever they were, broke their simple circuits, suddenly looping wide to swing around other clusters of balls, binding them together. Her perspective took another ‘step’ back, and these tiny, misshapen clusters of... something grew in number, forming a long, complex chain... no, two chains, circling one another in a seemingly endless spiral. Occasionally the spiral would break in half at a certain, specific point, and other objects would float in from the edges of her dream’s void, sliding along the pattern until they found a match with their own shapes, leaving once more only when they’d joined other newcomers, organized and grouped by the patterns in that original spiral. She could no longer discern the individual clumps of ‘balls’ as the scene continued to both shrink in size and grow in complexity, those undefinable energies she’d first perceived still at the core of each piece, but now the pieces were recognizably physical, odd structures performing distinct tasks through a viscous liquid in an irregularly-shaped membrane. More membranes and pools of structures were beyond that first one’s wall, near-identical at first, but soon diversifying; long fibers, tapered and flexing, were interlaced with tubes through which lumps suspended in fluid traveled, all near a more rigid array of something definitely not ‘membranes.’\n\n\tThe oddest part, as her dream’s eye retreated far enough to recognize a tiny piece of her own body, muscles and veins adjacent to bone, was that she could remember the many, ever-smaller layers of detail. She had no words for what she’d seen, but the message was clear, about the nature of matter, the nature of life, and how the latter was simply a very specific, complex arrangement of the former.\n\n\t*To answer your question,* a voice she’d never thought to hear this night whispered to her soul, *I’m the one who... improved your pendant. Your captors know not what it means, only that it’s unusual. That’s enough, in their minds, to justify the steps they’ve taken... but no mortal necromancer can fully mute the bond between Me and My Archpriestess. To put it in the simplest terms, you are My favorite mortal in the entire cosmos, and as such your mind may see into Mine to whatever extent you wish and can endure, this little lesson about the nature of reality being but the beginning, to help you understand the rest. Now for the next lesson...*\n\n\tBerria’s sleeping mind was infused with awe, gratitude, joy, and a burning love for her Goddess as her ‘view’ shrank even more rapidly than before, showing the forest, the landscape of the kingdom, a mottled sphere she somehow knew to be the world, and onward toward the stars.\n\n* * *\n\n\tNo one bothered to knock before the door opened this time, but the rattle of the lock had been warning enough, and it was only Cin coming back from her ‘interview,’ the guards remaining outside and locking the door again behind her. Spotting the tears at the corners of her eyes, the moment the door swung closed again Elaric rose to his feet, taking her into his embrace at the earliest possible moment that wouldn’t be seen as an attack by their captors. “Shh...” he murmured as he felt the shiver running through her entire body, “you’re back, you’re safe... Were the questions really that bad?”\n\n\tThe vixen wiped at her eyes with one forearm, then gave a wan smile, “No... it wasn’t the questions themselves; my own emotions are why I’m feeling so shaken up. They’ve been whipped back and forth so hard today...” She had to take a deep, calming breath to gather her thoughts, then relaxed into his embrace as he guided her down to their bedding, “First... Berria’s alive. There’s a guard posted at what used to be the other house’s ground-floor privy, and a slot cut into the bottom of the door for food to be slipped through, but the chains on the rest of it... I’m not sure whether they intend to ever open that door again, and I didn’t dare try to talk to her through it on my way upstairs.”\n\n\tHer husband nodded, “That’s both good news and good sense on your part.”\n\n\tCin nodded back and kissed his cheek, then frowned, “The questions, though... they’re not happy that I couldn’t tell them anything new about our troop movements. I saw our maps on a corner of the table, and they’ve obviously been studying them, but I couldn’t tell them which route the major would be taking, or exactly where what’s left of our southern forces would gather, because I just don’t know. That wizard of theirs,” and she shuddered, “has a cruel streak... He took his sweet time, letting me stew and worry, before confirming my honesty, but it wasn’t from any lack of competence or intelligence; in remarkably few words, as I was being led away, he suggested what else I might be good for since I was losing value as an information source.” She pulled back a bit so she could look him in the eyes without losing his comforting embrace, “It’s worse than my former slavery. There, I knew I had value. I was expensive, an asset my owner had invested heavily in and protected as such. To that rodent, and the others seemed to agree with him once he’d suggested it, I’m just a warm cunt, nothing more. That’s... that’s not a pleasant prospect, even compared to being a disposable plaything in the embassy playroom, as even there someone would have paid good gold for the admission fee before getting to use me. I would rather die than be reduced to that level of thing-hood.”\n\n\tThe wolf tightened his grip as another shiver danced up her spine, and he nodded, “If it comes to that... I think I love you enough to break your neck for you, but they might not give me the chance, and that scares me almost as much as it does you.”\n\n\tThe smile this fetched was grim, but real, “Unless they wanted to tie me down and simply use me ‘til I expired, they’d have to give me at least some time with my hands free, and I’d claw my own throat. But I’ve only covered one high and one low... It’s a different high that had me restraining tears on our way back.” Her smile softened even as her voice dropped to a whisper, “I recognized the uniform of that fox that sometimes served our meals, and I recognized the fox who was restocking this house’s pantry with a load from the stockpile... and they didn’t match. He was careful not to catch my eye, but it was Wolran! He’s infiltrated the camp, and they probably don’t even know it. This ‘Brotherhood of Merit’ the general was ranting about may seek to overthrow the nobility in favor of ‘earned’ authority, but one form of stratification is much like another. They have just as much trouble as any duke when it comes to really noticing mere servants and menials. I only had time for a word or two with my guards once I recovered enough from my shock... and all I could think to do was complain that I could never see the sun, indoors or under the tree between the houses, and I really wanted to know what time it was. Wolran couldn’t give me any sort of signal, but he’s an Agent; it’s almost certain he got the message that I need to know when whatever he’s planning needs to happen, and from there it’s an obvious next step to infer that I have an idea to help.”\n\n\tElaric blinked, thinking hard, but confusion was clear in his tone as he whispered back, “How, though? I don’t see a damned thing either of us can do from here, since he’s the one who probably has weapons, might have reinforcements, and is on the right side of the locked door.”\n\n\t“Dear,” she murred, a hint of sadness in her voice as she cupped his cheek in one palm, “the answer is obvious when you consider the whole situation... You know that there’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do if it might help save my Mistress, our wife. You also know that these soldiers took our weapons, our money, and all of our useful gear, but left us everything else we’d brought along since it was obviously harmless. Third and finally, I haven’t been asking you about your gift from mere curiosity, and your answers were the last piece of an idea that is, itself, a weapon if we use it right. I... don’t want to talk about it, though, or even think about it too hard, since it won’t be very pleasant... so for now, just hold me. Just make love to me. But be ready... If our friend manages to get us any sort of signal, I will act, and you will have a part to play as well.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBerria washed the last bite of her biscuit down with a swallow of water, savoring both. The glass she drank from had been her first experiment, and she’d learned much in the process. There had been a small mirror over the wash basin that was otherwise useless to her without a bucket to fill with pumped water, and that water had been her greatest concern since thirst had already started to reduce her clarity of thought. With her access to Kathalla’s mind, though, all she’d needed was the basic idea; she knew her own mind could never hold a fraction of the pure knowledge her Goddess had accumulated over the millennia, but She could direct her to the specific facts necessary to translate an idea into reality. Much like her first, guided dream, the transmutation of the mirror into a cup had started at the tiniest, most abstract levels of matter, the steps involved building upon each other in a pattern that had to be repeated uncountable times on each microscopic particle, akin to a wizard’s spellbook’s list of steps and energy types raised to an inconceivable magnitude of complexity. The final conversion, channeling individually-minuscule amounts of Kathalla’s power through the ‘filter’ of that pattern, though, had been an experience she’d been completely unprepared for, as startling and pleasurable as her first true orgasm at Elaria’s hands those years ago, since the Goddess’ love accompanied each nudge of a fragment of matter into its new configuration.\n\n\tHer second ‘spell’ was actually easier, as it only involved energy, but it was just as educational, the privy hole now blocked by an invisible, intangible force that allowed only normal air and her own wastes to pass. The smell of that hole, which she knew to be larger particles simply suspended in that air, was no longer escaping to foul her every breath. Her third and final exercise of borrowed, divine power before this meal had been simultaneously more complex and more subtle than either of the first two, but the results had transformed the inedible hardtack into soft, buttery-tasting fresh biscuits. Finally free of the distractions of pending dehydration or starvation, she settled back against the wall, joining her mind anew with her deity’s. Portions of that mind were still a mystery to her, and she accepted that without question since other parts made it clear why; even for an Archpriestess, a Goddess could only go so far without crossing the line of excessive interference in mortal affairs. Much like her encounter with those pirates, though, Kathalla felt confident telling her not to worry. Berria might not be allowed to know the specifics, but she could, and did, know that there were more forces at play than either she or her captors realized. Her immediate needs were met, neither she nor her loves were in any pressing danger, and she’d had a certain whimsical, self-indulgent fantasy in the back of her mind ever since first meeting Karen.\n\n\tDiving deep into the portions of Kathalla’s consciousness that dealt with Her mortal incarnations, she started exploring. A touch of her own thoughts was all it took to note a piece of the patterns she’d need and set it ‘aside,’ a new, purely mental shape gradually forming in those incredible vaults of other knowledge. Not a complete shape, as she had no desire to recreate her very being, but there were certain changes she wouldn’t mind in the least. ‘Simple things first,’ she thought to herself, then had to grin into the dimming light as evening fell, at Kathalla’s amusement that she could call such things simple. She sent a loving mental caress in return, then dived into the collection of particle-patterns representing fur of various hues. The differences, even now, amazed her in how small they were. Strictly chemically, there was almost difference between, say, a black fur and a white one. There obviously were differences, but they were subtle indeed, and she studied those two extremes, assembling the sequence of changes that would turn one into the other, adding it to the growing spell her own mind could never hold in its own right. That was the easy part, but every plan had to start somewhere; she ‘tagged’ the new pattern stored in ‘her’ portion of her Goddess’ mind so she could find it again, then went hunting for fresh knowledge. Digestive tracts were, she knew, bound to be more complicated than fur coloring, but just as important to her plans...\n\nChapter 16\n\n\tWolran waited for his chance... then took it. The last sentry along his route was none too alert to begin with, this late at night and at the clearing’s innermost perimeter, and the Agent indulged in a purely mental snort as he reached out the moment the soldier started his yawn, motion-magic gripping both the branch he stood on and the one that was his goal, then leapt, his snug black clothing barely fluttering as he landed without even a creak of the firmly-held limb. The depth of these rings of sentries was a sound enough principle... on the surface, but after months without a single enemy coming anywhere near the forest, those soldiers were only going through the motions of true security. There were so many of them that, obviously, one of the outer posts would raise an alarm long before anyone could get this deep. The only real purpose so many troops ‘on watch’ could serve was to keep a decent, final reserve force occupied in some manner. Fewer, thinner rings of sentries would actually have been better from a security standpoint, as they’d know they were fewer, and make more of an effort to be observant in turn. Fewer troops, period, would also have reduced the frequency of wagon-loads of food and supplies that that ‘anonymous informant’ had reported, but his Goddess had been uncommonly blunt when She assured him that the tip was good.\n\n\tDropping silently to the grass, he crawled his way to the first of the trees kept for overhead cover, then around its trunk; from this point, at least until dawn drew near, the only guards he needed to worry about were at the front doors of the two houses, and his approach was from their rear. He settled into a crouch next to the heap of firewood behind the residence of the lesser officers, where he’d still be in shadow in case the clouds moved away from the slender slice of the waning moon, then closed his eyes, directing his mind inwards, then out and down. The pair of bodies in that basement cell were sleeping, but fitfully, and the wizard in the next house was probably still passed out, given his over-fondness for good wine, but no Agent ever got far by taking unnecessary chances... The remote point of magic he opened, therefor, projected absolutely nothing, instead pulling on the light of the small lamp the prisoners had been allowed, a slow, inverse flash as he plunged their room into darkness then focused its full brightness on the sleepers, once, twice... The third dimming wasn’t quite yet complete when the energy-shape of Elaric’s eyes fluttered open. Wol let the light flicker a bit to tell the wolf he hadn’t simply dreamed it, and smiled in the darkness as the sleeping vixen was elbowed awake. Checking his internal estimate of the time he’d taken to penetrate the camp, then, he concentrated, focusing the light against the walls in the shape of a simple message, “35 min.” Both prisoners’ eyes widened, then they nodded, scrambling carefully out of their jumbled blankets to keep from alerting the napping guard at their door, and the fox took one last moment to shape a crude, smiling face on the wall before releasing his magic and looking around to make sure he hadn’t been seen.\n\n\tMemories flitted through Wolran’s mind as he crept carefully back toward the woods proper, mainly his sense of wonder those years ago when, just about to turn thirteen, he’d been led out of Owned Elegance, the only home he’d ever known, but not to the life he’d expected... He’d been bred, born, and trained to be nothing more than a living sex toy for some rich lady, or possibly lord, but the constant lectures about ‘his place,’ delivered in tones that suggested no alternative could ever be contemplated, much less made a reality, had turned out to be a lot less absolute than his trainers had implied. He still remembered the look of growing disappointment on the aging archmage’s face as he’d gone through the cubs, youths, and occasional adults, and the way it had finally brightened into a smile when the cat’s gaze met his. His training as an Agent started the very next day, but times like this tended to make him remember his previous life more than others. He enjoyed his role as an investigator, a coordinator, a subtle force for justice... but, as he reached into his dark shirt for the coiled, wire garrote he carried, his earlier conditioning against ever harming a citizen couldn’t help but tug at his consciousness. His later training, though, was the predominant force in his thoughts, and he steeled his will as he snuck toward the first of several sentries who would never see the sunrise. He’d sworn an oath to his king and to his Goddess, and he would fulfill it, whatever the cost.\n\n* * *\n\n\t“It’s almost time,” Cin whispered.\n\n\tElaric’s nod was a bit jerky, given the rising tension of the last half-hour or so, “It is... You still haven’t told me what you’re planning, though.”\n\n\tThe vixen glanced over from where she was pulling clothes out of a knapsack to scatter untidily about, “I couldn’t, or you’d spend your time worrying too much. It’s... never mind. Just start reaching out with your senses. We need to know just how many of the enemy you can access for energy. Ah! There they are,” and the almost-empty bag clanked.\n\n\tHer husband frowned, finally making a good guess at what she’d been hinting at for the last day or two, and she was right; it was cause for worry... but he obediently closed his eyes anyway, reaching out through the house’s structure and the earth surrounding the basement. “Everyone in this house... and the next,” he rumbled, brow furrowing as his concentration deepened. “I think I just touched the quartermaster at the closest of those warehouses... a couple sleeping men in barracks bunks... and that’s it. I can’t reach the edge of the forest or the sentries we saw there.”\n\n\tCin nodded, “Good,” as she stuffed a few stray clothes into a corner then planted her back against them. “Keep your grip on them... we’re going to need their energy soon.” She swallowed hard, just once, then looked down at the iron half-circle in her hand. The shine of its Goddess-cut edges had faded a bit since that tumultuous day aboard the ship, but it remained the sharpest single object their captors had left them with, and she took one more moment to close her eyes and think of Berria. A cramped privy... made her own, crude cell seem downright luxurious in comparison, particularly since she had a loving man to share it with. Her imagination painted vivid pictures of her beloved unicorn, nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell she couldn’t escape, or her soul in her eyes as she thought of the loves she couldn’t be with... and it was enough. It was the only thing the vixen could think of that might lead to her seeing that face smile again, and without another moment’s hesitation, she gripped the half-collar in both hands and plunged it down. Its cut edge struck her lower belly and penetrated, and a whine escaped as she worked it deeper.\n\n\tElaric almost lost his concentration as the healer’s senses he’d extended so far reported the sudden injury, so much closer at hand, and he reflexively turned toward his wife, muzzle open to protest... then shut it with a snap as her hints and his own tentative conclusions fully crystallized in his mind. He wrenched that mind away from his concern and back to its link to those other lives, if only barely, knowing that it was now his job to draw on their strength, a job made only harder as the vixen’s strong arms yanked upwards, lengthening the deep gouge in her abdominal muscles. He heard her take another, ragged breath, which came out as a half-scream as she thrust again, carving the wound even deeper, and the first hints of sudden, unexplained weakness washed over the guards and commanders, most of them still asleep, as he slowed the flow of blood into her white belly-fur.\n\n\tThat iron half-circle plunged a third time, but the pain was growing even faster than she’d expected. Cin froze for a long moment, breathing raggedly as tears seeped out of her tight-shut eyes... but she wasn’t done yet, she told the part of her mind that was balking at the next step. Berria was not back, safe and sound in her arms, so she couldn’t be finished. Eyes opening to slits, she steeled herself one last time, staring at the ragged, raw meat of her own belly, and forced herself to smile as she pulled anew, slower this time, watching the final layer of muscle part and her own, living intestines come into view. By the time she reached the top of the cut and finally let the blood-slick metal fall, internal pressure had started forcing those glistening loops into the air, but the crimson flow was far slower than it should have been, and she knew her man was hard at work. Carefully unfolding her legs, she eased her way down to the floor; even moving slowly the change in position urged more of her insides out through the gap, but the agony itself was finally fading, or at least no longer dominating her mind. Fully prone, she spread the wound just a bit, feeling just a hint of fascination at the sight of her own entrails. Mindful of her claws, as piercing those fleshy loops would cross the line into the sort of injury that was not efficient to repair with borrowed strength, she started at the bottom of the cut, urging her guts gradually back into herself. Another faint smile touched the corners of her pain-wracked muzzle as the bottom edges of tattered muscle moved together, seemingly of their own accord, and stuck. A blend of dizziness and nausea were rising, amidst the pain, and she recognized the symptoms of shock that had been described to her, but she made herself keep moving. As long as she could cling to consciousness, she needed to do everything she could to help the gross physical details of healing, sparing her husband whatever effort she could, and her fingers rose half an inch to urge the next half-loop back inside.\n\n\tHis face taut with effort as he joined a few more muscle fibers, Elaric grunted, “Cin... you have to be... the craziest bitch I’ve ever met... but it worked.” He sucked in another, tense breath. “The inner guards... the general... will be in no... no condition to put up a fight... when they meet... Wolran or whoever...” His muzzle clamped shut as she nudged another fold a bit too hard, and he spared a fragment of power to straighten it before knitting the abdominal membrane over it then working on the muscles above.\n\n\t“That... that was the plan,” his wife, her voice barely recognizable under its rasp, agreed.\n\n* * *\n\n\tSomething was wrong. The general had always been an early riser, but even as he’d been stretching in bed, a wave of inexplicable weakness had washed over him, and it had only gotten worse as he’d struggled to pull himself into some sort of order. Now, dressed in only his upper arming doublet and unlaced boots, he dragged his bared sword behind him as he climbed out of the basement officers’ quarters, each step its own, not-so-minor triumph. The night guard at the improvised prison was sprawled across the hallway when he reached the top, even his snores sounding strangely weak, and the rabbit shook his head to clear it as the implications seeped through the stubborn fog around his mind. This was, clearly, some sort of attack, and he needed to find out just how widespread it was, and gather any troops still capable of putting up a fight.\n\n\tHis unsteady progress toward the front door was interrupted by a crash, and he whirled, bouncing off of the wall as his balance threatened to fail him. The fist sticking through the splintered hole in the privy door couldn’t be there; his prisoner had to be weakened by hunger with how few hard biscuits his men had fed her, and that arm wasn’t the white of a unicorn’s fur; it was a solid, glossy black. Sharp claws dug into the wood near the latch, and one irresistible yank tore it completely free. That hand closed around the chains that were all that held the door closed, and bright red rust trickled in a powdery stream between those fingers even as the rabbit gripped his light sword in both hands and raised it to a ragged semblance of a guard position.\n\n\t“Ah... my good earl...” the apparition in that doorway mused almost gently. It was the unicorn, but her pitiless smile showed sharp, white teeth between those black equine lips.\n\n\tHis ears flopped as he shook his head to clear it, “I don’t know what you think you are... but if this isn’t just a bad dream, you’re dead. We’re in the middle of a frigging battalion of troops. Any way you go, they’re ten layers deep on all sides.”\n\n\tThat black-horned creature simply smiled all the wider, even as a click and a creak from the other direction pulled his attention toward the front door, where the hall lamp’s light fell on a fox in black clothes... and a large, muscular male unicorn in full armor behind him.\n\n\t“Well... this is certainly interesting,” Wolran mused as he took in the scene. “I led the embassy honor guard here early to make sure you wouldn’t be used as a hostage, while the army regulars cleaned up the rest behind us... but I guess you’re not as needful of a rescue as I thought.”\n\n\tBerria chuckled softly, “Oh, I don’t know... I can certainly deal with this man, and his pet wizard too if he wakes up, but even an Archpriestess is limited in what sort of power she can use against common soldiers. Obliterating a few hundred Godless mortals would be a bit, hmm... arbitrary, and that sort of thing is frowned upon.”\n\n\tAs the s",
"writing_bbcode_parsed": "Fantasie Eviscerotique
Episode 6
by Adrian VanWormer (Kathalla at FA and IB)
Prologue
\t*Awaken, Priestess.*
\tBerria’s eyes opened instantly, wondering if that had been a dreamed memory or her Goddess’ actual voice. Her underground bedroom was lit only by the long night-candle, and the only sounds were the breathing of the slaves sharing her bed. Business at the temple had been slow of late, so her last two purchases had been a man and woman who’d been disciplined by their former owners for being just a bit more aggressively affectionate than was strictly proper. This, of course, kept them from being bored in the long periods between visiting worshipers, simply sharing those affections with each other, but the priestess had been getting a bit lonely, too, and last night hadn’t been the first time she’d ordered the pair to join her in bed and share her instead.
\t*You weren’t dreaming,* Kathalla’s voice continued. *You will have a visitor today, and I wished to remind you of one thing before they arrive. This may seem incredibly simple, even obvious, but I cannot tell you why it’s more important than it first seems... Any deity hears, whenever Their name is spoken. Every time. Normally, They’re simply coming up in conversation, so They ignore it.*
\tThe unicorn blinked in the near-darkness, murmuring, “That’s... as obvious as You suggested, my Goddess. Can you tell me anything else?”
\t*Nothing more on that subject, no. I’ve given you the only hint I can, with what I’ve already said. I can, though, clarify that your visitor will be arriving in Silkmane in time for lunch, and will enjoy such at the inn before seeking you out. Schedule your day appropriately.*
\tBerria nodded to herself, grimacing faintly into the darkness, as the sensation of contact faded. Deities said exactly what they meant to, no more and no less, so it would be pointless, not to mention impious, to make any sort of demand for clarification of the perplexing non-information. Instead, since she clearly had time before needing to get the temple ready, and even that job could skip the usual kitchen prep as a worshiper who ate first wouldn’t be cooking any slaves, she relaxed back into the featherbed’s support, working her hands between herself and the warm forms on either side, gripping the half-erect vulpine shaft on one side and brushing fingertips against the faintly-moist labia between the squirrel’s thighs on the other, her touches gradually firming into a pair of intimate caresses, and a smile touched her muzzle with the entertaining mental bet of just which lover, both clearly enjoying arousing dreams, would wake first.
* * *
\tSir Ferrl, Earl Gatuque and the Drachathian ambassador to Unicorn Vale, winced at a momentary pang as his horse looked up and whickered a greeting as he passed the stable. The stallion’s mannerisms, loyal and affectionate, reminded him all too much of the horse’s great-grandsire, Cherrah. The first horse he’d ever owned, and the only true warhorse among them, had died peacefully in his sleep of old age, more years ago than the aging wolf really cared to think about. Shaking off the weight of memories, he led his leashed companion around the giant toes of the statue of Roxanarra, ignoring several townsfolk who were outright staring at her nudity as he headed for the discreet rear door of the other temple beneath that magnificent structure.
\tTo his mild surprise, the chapel at the bottom of the stairs was already well-lit, a clean black swath of satin draped over the pulpit, and the priestess was stepping out of the curtained hallway even as he looked around, having already been on her way. “Um... am I interrupting someone else’s worship?” he asked.
\tBerria shook her head with a smile, “No, I had advance warning and got things ready for you and...” The filly blinked at the naked unicorn so much older than herself, “Is that Ria?!?”
\tFerrl nodded, “I’d forgotten that you’d already met her... Yes, she is, and she just turned forty. As she’s starting to feel her age, and is already quite a bit older than the average most slaves survive to, she asked... no, begged me to let her offer one final service before her regular duties start to suffer. She is here... to be sacrificed. After her years of loyalty, to the point of being a form of love, to myself and my family, I...” He looked down, “I can’t trust myself to do it right, as my sacrifices have always been rather casual. As a priestess, do you think you could manage it, despite her species?”
\tBerria hid a shiver that combined dread and anticipation. This mare was as unique as she was, she the world’s only Kathallic unicorn, and this the first and last unicorn slave in over a thousand years. In one sense, it would be... fitting for her to be the one to wield the sacrificial blade, but she couldn’t help but fear the reactions of the rest of her race if word ever got out that she’d killed one of their own. They already looked askance at her in town for following the ‘wrong’ Goddess, unable to understand the dark and forbidden desires that had led her to ‘forsake’ Malia, at least in their eyes, at such a young age. Consciously gathering her faith in, and love for, Kathalla to strengthen her will, she stepped over and addressed the mare directly, “Ria... do your Master’s words truly match your inner heart’s desire?”
\tThe slave nodded instantly, her gaze respectfully low, “Yes, ma’am. Every morning, I’m feeling my age more and more. I wish to give my Master my ultimate service while I still can. Younger, fitter slaves can take my place in seeing to his comfort in his own... maturity.”
\tWolf and priestess shared a raised-brow glance and a pair of snorts; Ria had been very tactful in pointing out that he was no spring chicken himself. He still stood the better part of seven feet tall, but the enormous muscle of his youth had faded quite a bit, and it had been difficult to pull himself away from his desk job for enough exercise to keep it from turning into fat. He was still a fine specimen of wolfhood, despite the dusting of silver on his muzzle, but his best years were far behind him, and it showed.
\tFinally returning that nod, Berria mused, “By implication from his own admission, I don’t think your Master wishes to see you suffer greatly, as a full, ritual sacrifice would entail. The depth of your obvious devotion suggests that you would cooperate with outright torture, but I can think of at least two Goddesses who might object that such is unnecessary.” Stepping to the side, she gestured to the granite slab between the pulpit and the carved obsidian face on the wall, “Let’s keep this simple, and as pleasurable as possible. Lay down on the altar, spread your legs, and please your Master one last time in the usual way. It will be the last; just as you enjoy the satisfaction of having served well, your life will end.”
\tRia glanced to her owner, who nodded as he reached over to unfasten the collar from her neck, somewhat stiff with age as it hadn’t been removed since her own mid-teens, then reached for the belt of his own breeches. The moment she was freed from restraint, the unicorn padded directly over to the altar, sat down on its edge, and lay back.
\tThe priestess, Ferrl knew, had been guessing at things she could not know in that speech. Making love to the middle-aged unicorn was not, actually, ‘usual’ at all. She’d been one of his sons’ first lovers, of course, just one more piece of their educations as nobles who couldn’t risk going to the altar of their own weddings inexperienced, but she’d only served her Master in that way when his wife was in season and they didn’t wish to have one or more additional children at that time. There’d never been any foreplay, the order itself sufficient to cause Ria’s body to make itself ready, evidenced in the here and now by the puffy slickness of the folds her spread legs bared. Since this was, though, to be the last time, he decided to surprise her just a bit, and knelt down at the side of the altar then leaned close, nuzzling his way up one fit, white thigh.
\tThe mare’s eyes fluttered open at the unexpected touch, distracting her from how cold and just wrong her neck felt without its collar, and she couldn’t restrain the nicker of surprise when her Master’s tongue parted her folds, licking deep with an extra little flick at the ridge along her upper passage. She’d occasionally done exactly this for his daughters or even wife, but had demurred any offer they made to ‘return the favor’ as it wasn’t her place as a slave to be given such. Merely serving was a true pleasure; she could be aroused by simply dishing up a meal or mopping a floor, and having her tongue made use of was usually good enough for at least one sympathetic peak for each her efforts elicited from a Mistress or ma’am. Some part of her resisted the pleasure building in her loins as the wolf lapped steadily, but it was overridden by the thought that this was her Master’s way of saying thanks for her decades of service, and that it was his to give no matter her ‘place’ or the proprieties thereof. It was her pure and simple duty to accept, and enjoy, that expression of gratitude however he wanted to give it.
\tNo one, Ferrl knew, except Ria herself, could truly understand how her mind worked, but as her owner he had a better idea than most. Under intensive training, unicorns as a species had the quirk of establishing ‘locked’ mindsets that could define some or all of their world in a way that they couldn’t even think something contrary to what they’d been taught. With benevolent teachers, this could and often did result in fantastic skill at art or craftsmanship, making unicorn-made goods some of the most sought-after in the world. Ria, however, had been kidnapped in her mid-teens, locked in a cell, and ‘taught’ by heartless criminals, their words frequently punctuated by blows of a whip, that she was a thing, not a person; that she did what she was told, never what she felt, as property didn’t think for itself. Those trainers had eventually been caught and stopped, sentenced for life to hard labor, but the damage had been done, resulting in the most perfectly-behaved slave in the world, never hesitating, never complaining, and never misbehaving, because she literally could not even think along those lines. Like all unicorns, she’d been born and raised Maliite, but her very soul had been affected by the slavers’ constant insistence that the ‘Holy One’ of her youth had abandoned her. Face to face with her Goddess’ very mortal incarnation, she’d told that face that it didn’t exist, because she couldn’t believe otherwise.
\tThus, he had a good idea of just why those hips rose, thrusting the mound between them against his muzzle; why those dusky pink lips were inflamed and her slick juices dripped down the cleft of her rump to fall from the quivering bulge of her anus. No other woman, slave or free, had ever reacted so intensely to his tongue, the fact that her Master wanted her to have pleasure making her experience just that, and it was far more than just mental. In the first two minutes of licking, her passage clenched in climax three times in quick succession, and as the third peak passed he straightened up, still kneeling, to push his thick shaft deep into her rather than risk her going dry too soon. A fourth peak hit almost instantly as she half-screamed, “Yes! Yes, Master!”
\tHe didn’t hold back in the slightest, each thrust pushing in until her labia were stretched almost painfully by his still-growing knot, then pulling back to tug at her outer depths with the slight flare of his head before diving in anew. Her body was meant to accommodate stallions just as long as he was, and her mentally conditioned acceptance translated to a physical relaxation of her sex, as even a slight, perfectly natural tension there would resist the bulge at the base of his shaft, and resisting anything her Master wished was anathema. Every three or four thrusts another peak rolled its way through her body, the nigh-constant, spasming massage of her passage fueling well his own pleasure, and even as his eyes sank closed he saw the observant priestess nodding to herself and stepping closer.
\tBerria drew the short, curved dagger almost all Kathallic clergy carried as she moved to stand behind the altar next to the mare’s head. The other unicorn was looking up at her, at least a scrap of awareness in those dark brown eyes despite the flood of pure sensation pervading the bulk of her consciousness. The middle-aged knight’s breath was coming with a hint of raspiness now, and his climax couldn’t be far behind, so the younger mare knelt down and reached out, setting the edge of her dagger against her senior’s throat where she could feel her racing pulse right through the blade.
\tRia’s pleasured moans broke off with a ragged, “Goodbye, Master! Thank you, Master!” just before his head rolled back to howl and his hips rammed forward, knot locking into place as the first gush of seed struck her cervix. Her body seemed to be one solid, continuous orgasm as she exulted in her Master’s pleasure, and it only grew more impossibly intense as the priestess dug her blade in and pulled it smoothly across her throat. She could feel the pressure of the cut, the sudden warmth splashing over her throat and breasts as her blood sprayed, but there was no pain, there couldn’t be any pain while she served, only satisfaction that she had this gift to give her beloved owner and that he’d accepted it.
\tThe message she’d been woken up with had been running in circles in Berria’s mind all morning, and even as she made that fatal cut, its meaning finally crystallized in her mind. When she’d ‘come out’ as a Kathallic, seven years previously, Sir Ferrl had helped her own education, and even loaned her some of his earlier memoirs of his adventures in a nation more tolerant of their religion, including the full story leading up to the opening of the Vale. Thus, she was one of the very few people in the world who knew what had been forgotten, Ria’s born name from before she was enslaved. Bowing her head over the dying mare, she waited until those pulsing spurts of crimson visibly started to slow, the large puddle of blood streaming off of the edges of the altar, then murmured a prayer of dedication like none other she’d ever spoken, “Malia... sacrifice is not your norm, but to You I dedicate this, returning to You the soul of Your child, Xavaria, lost for so long.”
\tA voice like thunder shook her soul, *Who dares?!? Wait...* and it suddenly quieted to a harmoniously feminine whisper, *did you say Xavaria?!?* The slave’s final breath had slipped out as a happy sigh even as the Goddess had yelled, and there was a nigh-infinite joy in Her next words, *It’s her! She’s here, in My heaven from which I thought those bastards had barred her forever! Oh, thank you, priestess of My sister! And thank you, Ferrl, for being as good a Master as I knew you’d be.*
\tFerrl had obviously heard the whole conversation, and was chuckling as he pulled his shaft free of the body on the altar, “Kathalla has to have been involved in what you just did... and I think She just set a record for the biggest surprise ever pulled on a fellow deity, with your help. Good job.”
\tStill shivering with reaction after the initial sensation of having seriously angered a Goddess, Berria shook her head, “I’m sure I’ll think of it as such, eventually... but right now I need to go change clothes. Coming that close to divine retribution made me wet the shift under my robe.”
Chapter 1
\t“Look... I don’t like you, and you don’t like me. I get that. You can’t pretend we’re not both clergy, though, and sometimes that means we’ll need to work together.”
\tThe older unicorn’s mouth worked as if forcing out a bad taste, but he finally nodded, “Very well, ‘Priestess.’ What is it that you need?”
\tThe senior Maliite priest had not, of course, offered her the courtesy or comfort of meeting him in his office, and Berria was acutely conscious of how out of place her black robe was in the corner of the chapel. “My request is simple, but the events leading up to it are complicated... This afternoon I officiated over a sacrifice, but not to Kathalla. I commended that soul to Malia, and whether you believe me or not, She accepted it. Yes, the rumors that we normally eat the sacrifices are true, but I flatly wouldn’t dare, this time. What I’m asking is for a funeral, a proper, respectful grave, for Xavaria, long ago the first filly stolen by those who dug under Malia’s Wall, and for the rest of her life one of only two Godless unicorns I’ve ever heard of. She asked to die, as she was getting rather old for a slave, and to her great disbelief is now in Malia’s heaven. There is, however, still the matter of the body in my temple’s meat cooler.”
\tAfter a slow nod and a moment’s thought, the priest subtly brightened, “The funeral is a given; she was a casualty of our nation’s darkest hour, but which led to our great renaissance, and deserves to be remembered with respect. Said nation, however, has never formally recognized the institution of slavery within its borders, and ‘Ria’ was still a unicorn, whom you’ve just admitted to murdering. By my authority as a senior priest of Malia, I place you under—”
\tA quiet but firm voice from one of the other gray-cowled clergy going about their duties, preparing for tomorrow’s restday, interrupted as the figure paused nearby, “You don’t want to finish that sentence...” Slim black hands reached up to draw that cowl away from a feline face, also black save for an uneven diamond of white on her forehead, “Not, at least, if you want to remain a priest of mine.”
\tEyes wide, the stallion shook his head, “But, Holy One... she’s killed one of our own! She even stood there and brazenly admitted it! Her religion itself was legalized by the Act of Toleration we passed into law on your suggestion, but nowhere does it override our existing laws about murder, cannibalism, and the like! As we finally have evidence of the crimes previously hidden, why shouldn’t we prosecute?”
\tMalia’s semblance snorted, “That would be persecute. I know Kathallics, and most of those I’ve met, I liked. I have, in a body just as you see before you now, made love with more than one of them. If you think my tolerance of my sister’s temple in my nation is even slightly grudging, you’re sadly mistaken. I will not let you punish a priestess whose faith, clearly, is greater even than your own, for the ‘crime’ of returning to me a priceless treasure that I’d thought forever out of reach. Give my lost, and finally found, child a fitting funeral... and if you take even the tiniest action of retaliation against Berria here, I shall repay my sister, a soul for a soul, by allowing you to be the second unicorn ever sacrificed in Her local temple.”
\tHer priest swallowed hard; this was the first time he’d ever heard of, that a deity of light had resorted to explicit death threats to one of Their own clergy, but that didn’t mean he didn’t believe she was serious. Summoning up memories of the faith that had drawn him to the priesthood in the first place, and pushing his earlier, momentary ‘triumph’ from his mind, he bowed, “By your will, Holy One.”
\tWith one more nod, Malia turned toward the front door, beckoning with one hand, “Walk with me, Berria.”
\tGrateful for her assistance but somewhat apprehensive at her mere presence, Berria followed the mortal Goddess out into the chilly winter evening.
\t“First off,” the cat mused as she sat on one of the marble benches between the carved columns of the temple’s porch and patted its free half in invitation, “I want to apologize for scaring you so badly this afternoon... When a mortal speaks a God’s name, it’s not the sound that gets our attention, it’s your own mind’s knowledge that that name is divine that opens your mind to that God. The first thing I saw when your mind got my attention, then, was a unicorn, bleeding to death, and your foremost and thus most visible thought was the dedication of her soul. Though a mind like mine transcends yours in ways you cannot even comprehend, even such as I have limits, and we cannot simply absorb every detail of a situation in an instant, which explains, but doesn’t excuse, my initial reaction.”
\tThe unicorn nodded, a faint smile finally gracing her muzzle, “In that instant, I honestly expected to die in the next. Since then, I believe I’ve figured out why the hint Kathalla gave me was so incredibly vague... I wasn’t meant to figure it out until just that moment, lest my very thoughts attract your attention and ruin Her surprise. I’d suffer more than a momentary fright for my Goddess, though, as She clearly desired events to unfold as they did.”
\tMalia had to chuckle, “She got me good, I’ll give Her that much, but in the end it was exactly as I told you and that priest, the most amazing, valuable gift I could be given. I cannot even begin to repay what Xavaria’s soul was worth to me.”
\tOne brow high, the priestess smiled, “I wouldn’t ask you to. I was doing what I must, the only thing I could do by my understanding of Kathalla’s will, and that you spared my life when I had the sheer, big, brass balls to murder a unicorn in your name was payment enough.”
\tThe Goddess actually laughed, clapping her companion on the shoulder, “That’s certainly one way to phrase it! In any case, now that my apology is out of the way, I’ve been asked to speak to you about your position in the Sisters.” She quirked one brow at the blink this fetched, “Yes, I know that you’re a member... but you’re wasted in that role, here in the Vale. Other than the embassies and newer temples, this entire country is still effectively a church, and I keep an eye out for the sort of abuses your kind looks for. Quite simply, you won’t find much to do here that fulfills the oath you took. Thus, it’s time for you to roam a bit. Liquidate your temple’s current holdings, close up shop, and travel. Another Kathallic, one with less breadth of duty, will be by to take over your job here before you can be missed, and I can promise that you won’t be alone on the trip.”
\tGlancing down the temple steps at the street, where a few patches of snow that had been missed by the sweepers still lingered, Berria grimaced, “The dead of winter is hardly the best time to start a journey... but I’m pretty certain just Whose suggestions you’re passing along. I’m not about to quibble with Her, so I’ll do just as you recommend.”
\tMalia smiled, and leaned in to kiss the unicorn on the cheek, “Good... and, again, my thanks.” Even as her body wavered and vanished, the warmth of that kiss remained for the whole walk back to the other temple.
* * *
\tGern and Joi looked up as their Mistress stepped into the room, but she immediately waved a hand, “Carry on, you two.” Neither one needed to be told twice, the fox pressing in again ‘til his knot splayed the other slave’s labia wide, while the squirrel, her knees nearly touching her shoulders, just laid her head back and moaned.
\tThe extreme lack of detail in the orders she’d been given didn’t bother Berria. She was used to it, as the standard way deities guided the mortal realm. There were only two conclusions she could presently draw; first, that just where she’d be going would be revealed by whoever she’d be ‘not alone’ with and, second, the only ‘assets’ of the temple she needed to deal with were the pair still fucking on her bed. She didn’t bother to take off her formal robe as she padded closer, stopping at a small chest of drawers and kneeling down to rummage through the bottom one. Even as he moaned in pleasure, his knot finally making it into his tight friend, Gern glanced over, ears perked, knowing that she kept some very interesting... ‘toys’ in that particular drawer.
\tThe priestess fought to keep from smirking at his interest, as her hand closed around something too sharp to call a toy, yet utterly impractical as a conventional weapon. The odd little knife had the grip of a push-dagger, the rod between her middle and ring fingers leading to a pair of three-inch blades facing opposite directions, parallel to the oblong grip nestled against her palm.
\t“Shit,” the male slave muttered. “Joi... I think we’re about to retire.”
\tBerria chuckled, even as the squirrel’s eyes fluttered open with a squeak. “Yes,” the unicorn confirmed, “so there wouldn’t be much point to punishing you for speaking out of turn. You two just stay knotted together; this will only take a few moments.”
\t“But... but M-mistress...” Joi stammered.
\tThe priestess shook her head, “Neither of you has done anything wrong; I simply have to go on a trip, and I don’t know when my replacement will be here. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty more playmates in Kathalla’s heaven soon enough.” Not wasting any more time on rather pointless words, she tucked her bladed fist between the two slaves, just above where they were joined at the crotch, and shoved Gern down with a hand between his shoulder blades. Both slaves squealed in pain as their lower bellies were penetrated, graduating to ragged screams as she gave one hard yank toward their chests, the odd knife slitting both bellies until it hit the slightly more petite squirrel’s sternum. Being face-down on top, gravity alone was enough to spill the fox’s guts, but just to be completely fair Berria reached through the tangle of his slick intestines and into Joi’s wound, fingers slipping deep between her entrails to get a good grip then pull them free. “I know I’m going too fast for Your tastes, Kathalla, but these lives and souls are Yours nonetheless,” she murmured even as she extracted her empty, bloody hand and gripped the back of Gern’s neck, positioning her knife again then shoving down, a second yank doing to the pair’s throats what she’d first done to their torsos.
\tStill joined by the fox’s swollen knot trapped in the squirrel’s sex, the slaves writhed and squirmed amidst their own blended intestines, blood pumping out over their chests and the bedsheets. *Oh, don’t worry too much,* her Goddess whispered in reply to her prayer. *They were screwing the whole time you were out, and provided themselves with the pleasure you didn’t, while you do have a trip to pack for. I’ll get rid of poor Gern for you, but you do, at least, have time enough to cook some decent travel food out of fresh squirrel.*
\tBerria nodded with a smile as her dual sacrifices slowed and finally stilled, the dead fox and his spilled insides wavering and vanishing a moment later, then licked her lips as she looked over the other corpse, her sex splayed and mingled juices trickling out from between her labia. It had taken years to accustom her herbivorous digestive tract to accepting meat, and she still had to grind things up into a mix that was at least two-thirds grain and vegetables, but that ratio meant that she’d be able to fill at least two large saddlebags with rations for the price of one slave.
* * *
\tThe priestess sighed as she finished the climb to the surface and latched the door for what could be her final time. That underground complex was actually one of the largest and best-equipped Kathallic temples in the world, built by the same craftsmen and artisans who’d worked on the more acceptable Roxanite church of the building above, and she’d been honored to call it her own, however rarely it actually saw use. Two horses’ reins were looped around a small hitching post, normally used by secular visitors making deliveries, and she took a moment to add another length of leather strap as a lead for the well-loaded packhorse, tying it to the back of the other one’s saddle. Horses, she’d been told, had seemed like an incredible innovation when the Vale first started accepting visitors... but that had been several years before she’d been born, and she’d grown up quite comfortable with the big, useful, and occasionally playful beasts. Some priests and teachers, too, still made occasional reference to ‘the Great Mystery’ and its final solution... The town of Hoofstomp, off to the west a bit, dated back to the Vale’s very founding, but for most of that millennium the residents had no knowledge whatsoever of domesticated horses, while hominid unicorns had feet, not hooves. Thus, the long tradition of giving settlements equine-themed names had proven quite confusing to later generations until their recent, renewed exposure to the outside world.
\tThe town of Silkmane, though with recent increases in trade it was rapidly becoming a small city, was close to the southern border with Drachath, close enough to reach by laboriously-dug tunnels when followers of Karnaal had been kidnapping unicorns, but it was the border with Atheria to the east that occupied most residents’ attention, two days’ ride distant on a good horse but usually taking three or more for heavily-laden carts and wagons. For lack of any instructions to the contrary, having only been told to travel with no other details offered, Berria untied her saddled horse and started leading the pair down the road to the east. Between Ferrl’s memoirs, more conventional books, and tales from travelers, she felt she knew Drachath almost as well as a native, but all she knew of Atheria was its general, recent history and some highly entertaining stories about a few prominent individuals there. The kingdom as a whole was still enough of a mystery to make it attractive as a destination.
\tIn stark contrast to her usual robe, and simply for her own amusement at the irony, she wore a pure white linen sundress. The neckline was high enough to hide her priestess’ pendant, and the skirt reached perhaps an inch past mid-thigh, pretty much perfect for comfortable riding along with the patches of lambskin softening the sides of her saddle over the stirrup-straps. The dress was, perhaps, more fitting for a girl in her mid-teens, rather than the mare’s very early twenties, but she’d never been a particularly large woman and, while her religious activities had given her decent muscle tone, her limbs were still slim enough to pull off the look.
\tA gust of winter wind made her briefly regretful of her choice, or at least suggested that she stop at a seamstress’ shop for some underdrawers, but the satin shift under her dress helped a great deal, and she had a good wool cloak rolled up right behind her saddle if the weather took a turn for the worse. At just the edge of town where a customs station had been set up, she returned the friendly nods of some of the guards (and ignored the stares of those who actually knew who and what she was) and climbed onto her horse. She’d barely nudged the slim gelding into a walk, though, when a lightly-musical voice to one side of the farthest guard post asked, “Spare a ride for a total stranger, Miss?”
\tBerria blinked at the waif who’d spoken; the bat couldn’t be more than twelve years old, but her eyes were strangely old and wise for just that first moment. The impression passed quickly, leaving just an average-seeming young girl, except for one ‘coincidence’ the filly just couldn’t ignore: she was wearing exactly the same dress as she was, except for the necessity of its much lower-cut back for her wings. Scooting a bit back in her saddle, where there’d be just enough room for their two bodies, she leaned down and offered a hand, “Of course... Kathy.”
\tThe bat grinned as she climbed up, murmuring, “You remembered that part of Ferrl’s stories... Anyway, it’s Karen, this time... and this should be interesting. You see, this isn’t just an incarnation I’ll tire of and demanifest. Unless something goes very wrong, I’ll get to experience dying of old age, probably with children and grandchildren.”
\t“A novel experience indeed,” Berria chuckled. “It’s a bit unusual, though... I must, however, assume that you have a good reason.”
\tKaren nodded, “Oh, it’s good enough, though nothing earth-shaking. There’s simply a boy out there, whom we’ll ‘coincidentally’ meet in passing, who rose from the lowest of the low to exceptionally high associations and wealth. In his area, there are exactly three girls the right age and species to consider themselves matches for him, but none will see past his money and influence, while his background leaves him ill-suited for seeing past their own deceptions. All of them will seem nice enough, but they’d be after him for what it could gain them, not for himself. I don’t give a solitary shit about money, as I hardly need it, and I’ve got more power than I can safely use already. This body’s perfectly average, as will be any children it bears, and he need never be the wiser.”
\tThe priestess nodded her ready acceptance; after all, it wasn’t her place to judge just what a Goddess should or shouldn’t do.
\tHer unexpected traveling companion giggled, “I caught that thought... and the devotion it shows has more meaning than you might believe. You’ve never actively wondered why you were offered the position of a Sister of Order; you simply took it on faith, though I’m sure you knew as well as Malia that a Sister would be wasted in the Vale. Tangentially related to that very faith, which is almost, but thankfully not quite, ‘blind,’ you’re a natural killer. Yes, you do it for fun, but others who can say the same get too caught up in how forbidden what they’re about to do is. Those who don’t enjoy it also attach a lot of mental baggage to the act. You, though, when the time for killing comes, do it so easily and naturally as to be a form of advantage. You’re no great warrior, or mage, or assassin, but you’ll walk right up to someone and slit their throat if they need killing, while everyone else, your target included, is too stunned with disbelief that you’ll so casually commit murder. Sure, your underdrawers might get a little moist in the process—if you were wearing any, at least—but the act itself is far easier for you than even a ‘hardened’ soldier. That’s one reason I had no objection to how Gern and Joi died; you knew you had to ‘liquidate’ your temple’s ‘assets,’ so you walked right up and did it. An average person would have dithered endlessly about it before working themselves up to the act, and even a rarer sadist would have added needless complications just to satisfy their own perverted pleasure, and in the sort of situations a Sister is meant to address, both of those paths would be counterproductive. Thus, between your nature and your faith, you stand out as being one of the best possible people to solve whatever problems might arise.”
\tChuckling softly as she accepted the explanation, Berria nodded, “Alright... though I suppose it goes without saying that your intended permanence of your current incarnation is cause for disappointment on my part. After all, I do enjoy killing, and this journey would be more entertaining if I got to kill you a time or three.”
\tThe child smirked, “Oh, I’ll make up for that along the way, I assure you... At the very least, though my own body must remain virginal as part of my ruse, I plan to show you a few things you’ve never quite imagined, as you’ve never had a bat so you have no idea just how long our tongues are. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it.”
\tLaughing merrily, the unicorn freed an arm to wrap around Karen’s barely-there breasts in a quick hug, “I’m sure I will!”
* * *
\tBerria had always been an independent-minded sort since her foalhood. She’d driven her poor parents to distraction, always asking questions about things they’d been raised to take for granted, and frequently stating opinions contrary to the traditional consensus in a firm, piping voice while her eyes practically dared them to contradict her. It was probably something of a relief for them when, as was traditional for unicorns who hadn’t chosen a career or found a personal vocation, she started wandering the towns and villages at age twelve, staying at various temples with other children her age on their own journeys of discovery. One farming town near Hoofstomp had started raising imported sheep and cattle to feed the new, frequently non-herbivorous visitors to and residents of the Vale, and the timing of the visit worked out better for her than for the three boys and one other girl a priest had escorted between villages. They’d arrived just before a slaughter. She’d watched, fascinated, as an enormous bull was restrained with ropes and chains, and her breath had started to come faster as a foreign cat in a bloodstained apron started stropping a long knife with an honing steel. A most unfamiliar tingling had started in her girl-parts when he stepped up to the bull, and the sensation increased seemingly tenfold as he sawed through its throat to the sounds of the steer’s bellow and her companions scampering away, retching. She’d never before thought about just how much blood there was in an animal that size, and she’d watched raptly as it gushed and gushed and gushed out over the ground. Not even the smells as the bull died and its bladder and bowels let go could ruin what she’d just seen, and when the carcass was hauled over to the next processing area and disemboweled, she thought she’d piss herself from the strange feelings between her thighs.
\tThe next stop on the ‘tour’ had been Hoofstomp itself, with an educational, overnight visit to the Drachathian embassy. That’s where she’d seen her first slaves, including Ria, though at least that time she hadn’t been alone among the youngsters in trying not to get caught staring at the naked men and women in collars. When they’d first arrived, the young unicorns had been given a list of places that were off-limits and the explanation that they were technically in another country while inside that large building, and had to follow their hosts’ rules. That list had included the walled-in ‘back yard,’ the corridor containing the ambassador’s personal quarters and those of his family and senior staff, and the basement. Berria had probably been the only one of the children who’d noticed the very lack of emphasis, or even detectable expression in the priest’s face or tone, on that last one, suggesting a deliberate effort to keep a temptation away from them by not letting them know there was anything interesting about it. Naturally, in the case of one very observant filly, the effort failed, and she was hiding behind a wine rack when the earl and his visiting daughter (that’s how she’d been introduced, anyway; the unicorn couldn’t figure out how a wolf could have a vixen for offspring, and the way she’d call him ‘Master’ when she thought no one else could hear was just plain confusing) came down the stairs, leading one of the slaves she’d previously seen. The room they led the buck deer to had a thick, heavy door, and Berria heard the scrape of a key as it was locked behind them, but the keyhole itself sufficed to see and faintly hear what followed. The sex was certainly a fun show for its forbidden aspects, the vixen riding her very father while the buck penetrated her from behind in a way the child hadn’t realized was possible. When the earl reached around his daughter with a knife in his hand, Berria’s insides clenched like when she’d watched the bull, and when he cut the deer’s belly open and his entrails came spilling out, so much like that bull’s but a person’s this time, she did wet herself. Faintly, she could hear the two citizens praying to Kathalla, and without a thought she prayed along, thanking Her for the amazing show. What was left in her bladder was lost the next moment from shock when the Goddess answered her, and more than just her; the wolf was calling her name as he squirmed out from under his playmates to unlock the door, inviting her in for a night she’d never forget.
\tThe priest in charge of her ‘tour’ stared hard at her over breakfast the next day, but so long as she pretended that nothing had changed, and wasn’t trying to ‘corrupt’ any of her yearmates, he evidently saw fit to not mention her changed soul either. As soon as she got home, she declared that she’d found a farm she could find contentment working at, and she’d been halfway packed before her surprised parents got around to giving her permission. They’d hardly expected that sort of enthusiasm over farm work... but, then, they were probably stuck thinking of a ‘farm’ as a place for grains, vegetables, and fruit. She enjoyed herself immensely, both caring for animals as they lived and watching and feeling them as they died, and every restday after her monthly wages she’d hike to the embassy where that friendly wolf would have someone for her to... play with. She’d lost her virginity to a hornless brown stallion even as he’d bled all over her. Only when she’d turned fourteen, though, the day her parents and teachers no longer had any legitimate claim on her, did she put on a Kathallic acolyte’s pendant for the first time, in full view of the embassy’s dining hall.
\tThat same independent spirit had sustained her while living mostly-alone in the newly-built temple, but she was finding it a novel, and pleasant, experience to have a partner to travel with. Karen may have been young, but bats in general were stronger than they looked, and she was quite helpful in setting up either short-term camps for a mid-day meal or overnight ones in the well-established spots used by merchants traveling along this same road. There were two roadside inns between Silkmane and the border, too, but the donations to the temple she’d brought along had been few and far between, though of course Sir Ferrl had left a generous sum in the entryway’s donation box. With a good tent and a warm sleeproll, made even more cozy by a naked, affectionate bat, those inns were an expense she could very happily live without.
\tA free-standing stone wall with two wide arches in it straddled the spiritual border between the Vale and the world at large, one entrance watched over by a unicorn priest with faith enough to tell more than just one’s religious affiliation by sight or touch, while the other arch was the domain of a platoon of Atherian soldiers. “What are your names and your purpose for entering our kingdom?” their officer asked once he’d cleared the merchant wagon the ladies had been following all morning.
\tBerria shrugged, laying a hand on the bat’s shoulder, “This is Karen and I’m Berria, the adult companion of my friend here. Bats, I’m sure you know, aren’t particularly common in any nation, and she’s looking for a chance to snare a husband she’s not related to.”
\tThe lieutenant nodded, accepting that easily enough, but the private who’d been going through the packhorse’s saddlebags looked up, “Got somethin’ odd here, sir. They’ve got just your average travel supplies, but the rations are all meat and grain cakes. I have to wonder what the ‘corn has been eating.”
\tAt a blink and a questioning look from the officer, the priestess chuckled, “There’s plenty of winter-browned grass along the way... but I’d be lying if I said I was living on it. I made the cakes, and both of us enjoy them. I’ve been adding gradually larger proportions of meat to my diet since I was thirteen, as I rather like it. Don’t you?”
\tAt least half the troop consisted of canids of various sorts, and half the rest were feline, so there were a number of muffled chuckles of agreement as their lupine leader considered his options under the law, which had always been a bit ambiguous in cases where there was only ‘suspicious activity,’ not a clear-cut crime or other violation. Finally, he shrugged, “I’ll write up your clearance, which you’ll have to show to the gate guards in other towns as an obvious foreigner. I’m afraid I’ll have to note the general fact that you’ve demonstrated unusual habits, so they might keep a closer eye on you than most visitors. The Atherian army tries not to step on too many toes where privacy is concerned, but I can’t promise that you’ll be as free as other foreigners or our own citizens.”
\tBerria frowned faintly, but nodded, “I suppose I’m used to that, if in a slightly different way. Thank you for what consideration you’ve been able to show within the constraints of your duties.” Her dark sense of humor, naturally, suggested other responses, ‘Just don’t ask who the meat came from,’ for example, but she’d reined in that side of her personality quite firmly. As amusing as their reactions could be, getting arrested, or even just denied entry to the country, would have been no fun at all.
\tNodding back even as he finished filling out the form, with its necessary annotations in the section he normally got to leave blank, the wolf passed it up, “And thank you for understanding that I’ve little choice in the matter, so it’s nothing personal. Have a good journey, ma’am.”
Chapter 2
\t“What was that guard talking about, that they’d seen more unicorns coming this way lately?” Berria asked as she led the horses through the early evening foot traffic of a small city whose name she didn’t know.
\tKaren gave a little shrug that made her wing membranes flutter, “Almost every unicorn is good at what they do, but they also tend to be honest when acknowledging that someone else is better. Atheria’s new archmage managed an ‘impossibility,’ converting energy into matter, and some of the better unicorn wizards have been visiting to see if it’s something she can teach them. It’s not impossible; I do it all the time. That’s how I made this body, though of course my way involves almost infinitely more fine control then the unspecified lump she made, the size of a grain of sand. The unicorns ended up disappointed, as she showed them the arcane twist involved easily enough, but if any of them try to channel that level of force it’ll kill them. It almost killed her.”
\tThe priestess nodded, mentally shivering at the concept of that sort of power. Every Goddess she’d met, recently, had seemed unusually forthcoming with information she’d never dreamed of knowing, so while the one riding her horse was being so frank, she decided to ask, “Is there anything I should look into in this town, or are we just passing through? One of my failings that you neglected to mention while explaining my Sisterhood, of course, is that I’m not an experienced investigator either.”
\tThe bat shrugged again, “Not a great deal, but enough to entertain you if you want to go after someone. We’ve got one habitual cheat who predates the opening in the Vale, a drug smuggler who hasn’t quite figured out how to get his wares past that border yet, and a recently-acquitted rapist who managed to cast just enough ambiguity on the girl’s willingness that the magistrate was obliged by his oath to rule in his favor on grounds of ‘reasonable doubt.’ I know he did it, though.”
\tBerria’s smile held no warmth as she nodded, “It’s time to spend some of our temple’s donations on lodgings, then. If you’ll simply tell me who and where, and any minor details that will keep me from getting caught, the rapist won’t see another sunrise. Whether or not you get their soul, of course, is also up to you.”
\tKaren grimaced, “I’ll pass on that. This fellow had no subtlety, no style. He’d simply bore those already in my heaven, so his soul is free to wander until it’s reborn. Maybe he’ll do better next time.”
* * *
\tBerria finished stowing her traveling gear in the room, made sure her pack of clothes was on top for easy access, and stepped out to join her ward in the common room. “Any trouble from the locals?” she murmured across the small table the bat had chosen.
\tThere was a faint hint of a smirk on her muzzle as Karen shook her head, “Nothing worse than a few odd looks since I seemed more comfortable and confident than they expected. The bar man and wenches didn’t see us come in, so there was nothing strange about ordering pork stew for two, and I doubt anyone’s paying enough attention to connect that order with your species. They’re staring at your horn, not your bowl.”
\tThe mare’s lips twitched in a brief smile, “Staring, I can handle. They’re just curious, which is a damned sight better than my countrymen’s disapproval.” She snagged a slice of bread from the plate between them and dunked it into her stew, stirring slightly, then took a bite of it. “This is nice,” she mused after swallowing. “Not over-salted, so the meat’s fresh, and enough potatoes and carrots that carnivores might complain, but it’s a good balance for me.”
\tKaren waved her spoon vaguely toward the kitchen as she nodded, still speaking quietly, “Naturally I know what’s best in their current offerings... but I’ll be trying to cut down on that sort of thing as we travel. I have to get so used to acting normal that it’s no longer an act, for that other bat’s sake.”
\tBerria simply chuckled, then dug into her meal in earnest. Her childhood journeys had been for children, despite their unchildlike conclusion, so had been in much shorter increments than she’d been traveling. Her recent meals had been eaten on the move or awkwardly around campfires, and hadn’t quite added up to the energy she’d been expending; a proper, filling meal in with decent furniture and dishes was a welcome break from the routine.
\tShe was just mopping up the last of her stew with the remnants of the bread when she heard footsteps drawing near, and a voice half-rumbled, “So... is what they say about unicorns true?”
\tBerria blinked as she chewed, glancing up at the slightly pot-bellied coyote in garb just a shade or two finer than a common worker’s, then over to her companion as she swallowed, “You said you were going to cut down on that...” The bat smirked, and the rapist she’d described simply blinked. “That,” the unicorn mused as she turned back to him, “is an impossible question to answer, since there are so many myths about my folk, most of them patently false. All I can say is ‘probably not,’ unless you’re more specific.”
\tThe canid nodded, a faint smile on his muzzle, “I guess I deserved that... The one about your kind running away from anyone but a virgin is obviously wrong, and the cook here would take umbrage if I implied anything about poison, I suppose.”
\t“Let me simplify things a bit,” Berria suggested. “We’re mortal. We have no special powers, we breed the same way any other race does, and we tend to be uncommonly good at our jobs. Anything ‘they’ say beyond that, you can dismiss as baseless rumor.”
\tThe man wasn’t the only one in the room looking interested in her reply, but the hint of annoyance in her tone had the desired effect, and he half-bowed as he took a step back, “Thank you for... clearing that up. I’ll just go finish my ale.”
\tNodding mostly to herself as he stepped away, the unicorn murmured to her companion, just barely loud enough to be overheard, “On our way here I noticed what looked like lanterns in a fairly nice park... We’ve got some time before bed, so how does an evening stroll sound?”
\tThe peeking hints of canines around Karen’s lips suggested more than simple anticipation at a pleasant walk as she smiled, “That... would be enjoyable.”
* * *
\tTo any casual observer, Berria seemed to be cleaning or trimming her fingernails as she passed under a wrought-iron arch into the city park. Where a bit of grime had built up under a couple of her blunt nails, she did actually clean them, but her main goal was the placement of extremely thin crescents of metal, mindful of their outer edges. They were something of an experiment on the part of an apprentice smith, that she’d adapted to her own unique use. He’d been learning to make folded steel, but out of simple curiosity had worked with an alchemist to unfold it again; along with the usual iron ores, one layer of the finished product had been another metal entirely, one that a particular acid could dissolve without harm to the steel, letting him separate the layers into surprisingly strong sheets thinner than parchment. He hadn’t been able to figure out how to make a useful tool or weapon out of the results... but she had. The crescents she’d asked him to cut for her were fragile, and wouldn’t hold an edge for long, but for this moment they served as short extensions for the nails of one hand, effectively tipping them with finger-wide, razor-sharp blades.
\tShe could hear the grass-muffled flurries of steps behind her as someone darted from tree to tree, but quite deliberately didn’t look to spot them, simply meandering in the general direction of a corner of the park where the lamps’ light only barely reached. Sure enough, as she and Karen feigned an interest in the winter-dormant bushes there, those steps changed to a purposeful stride as the coyote came up behind them and growled, “If either of you scream, I will stab you in the fucking cunt and be over the wall before the guards even notice.”
\tSharing an amused glance with the bat, Berria turned around calmly enough, “Was that supposed to be intimidating? If you were as scary as you thought, that girl would never have gone to the constables in the first place. You really should learn to do better than that; acquittal on a rape charge is still a distant second to never being charged at all.”
\tThe man blinked, but recovered from surprise quickly enough, lifting a broad dagger to turn and catch the distant lamp-light with its gleam, “I guess you know what I’m here for, then... This should be a great deal of fun. Your casual mention of breeding left me... curious, as to how it’d feel to take a not-quite-willing unicorn, and your young friend there is just nubile enough for my tastes. She should be nice and tight...”
\tKaren rolled her eyes with an amused giggle, “Oh, I am that. I need to stay a virgin for a while yet, but even my ‘guardian’ would have had a hard time getting even half her tongue into me if she’d bothered licking more than my outer folds. My maidenhead, however, is already spoken for; I’m afraid we’ll have to disappoint you tonight.”
\tThe rapist blinked again, then shrugged, “A sound enough principle... but did you think I was going to give you an actual choice?” as he started working his belt buckle loose with his free hand.
\tHis more mature prey chuckled, “Of course not... or at least not intentionally. Now, which of us would you like to try to rape first? In all fairness, I must mention that you won’t succeed in either case, but I’ll relish the attempt.”
\tShaking his head, the coyote stepped closer, his knife in one hand and his firming cock in the other, “This is a new trick, one that none of the other girls I’ve taken have tried, but it won’t work. You’re trying to confuse me, to break my confidence, but it’s just words. Actions speak far louder... and on that subject, if either of you tries to run or call for help once I’m ‘occupied,’ it will be a throat I cut instead of a twat. Just to throw you off your game like you’re trying to do to me, you get to be first.”
\tGlancing around, Berria couldn’t see anything convenient to lay on, so she just shrugged and backed up against the five-foot stone wall before reaching down to gather up her skirt, “You’ve been warned as honor demands, so let’s get on with this so we can get to bed at a decent hour.”
\tThe ‘yote blinked as she bared her sex and he caught a whiff of arousal even if it was too dark to see her petals’ gleam, “Gods... you want this! Well, that takes some of the fun out of it, but I still get to fuck a unicorn, and that’s worth doing on any day.”
\tHis ‘victim’ only chuckled again as he drew nearer her spread legs, “Oh, I’m horny enough, pardon the pun... but not for the reasons you’re probably guessing.” One hand still holding her dress out of the way, her other drew a silk scarf from a skirt pocket, already tied into a slipknot and effectively invisible in the darkness, and as he bent down to position himself for the first thrust, she eased the gauzy strip around his open muzzle then pulled it tight. Even as his eyes widened in confusion and he brought his dagger up, her other hand closed around his balls, fingers grouped and slightly curved as if dipping up a sip of water. A pained squeal made it through his nostrils as she tugged up, the blades at her fingertips cutting cleanly through his sac where it rested in her palm, and she continued the motion right through his sheath and the base of his erection.
\tThe scent of blood filled the night air as the rapist fell backwards, writhing in agony. He dropped his knife, one hand flying to his groin where thick spurts of his life pumped out, the other pawing at the scarf around his muzzle, but the bat was there, kneeling and brushing aside his hand to grip his muzzle herself, pulling it up and holding it steady.
\t“Thank you, dear,” Berria murmured as she knelt down as well, head dipped, positioning the tip of her horn at the juncture of his throat and jaw. Straddling his kicking legs to brace herself, she pushed, slowly but firmly, eyes closed as she mentally tracked the layers. The contact let her sense his agony and dismay, as well as the realization that he’d been set up and this was punishment for his treatment of other women, which only further fueled the unicorn’s enjoyment as she penetrated his upper throat, then the back of his mouth, and finally, with a harder thrust, the bone of his skull, her horn pushing up into his brain. She felt his consciousness falter and fail, though his body kept twitching for a long moment, and she paused only to untie her scarf and stuff his severed cock and balls into his muzzle before rising.
\tKaren held up a washcloth from one of her own pockets, and smiled as she followed her friend back down the path, “I could feel how much you enjoyed that... We’ve still got an hour or so before we should actually sleep, so I’m looking forward to licking up the mess between your thighs before bed.”
\tGrinning as she wiped her hands clean, the crescents under her nails discarded as each one was knocked loose, Berria murmured huskily, “Thank you... You braced his head perfectly, and you’re right about my enjoyment, just then and when we get into bed.” She finished with her hands and started scrubbing her horn with the cloth, “‘Cutting down’ on divine hints or not, if there are any more like him you’d like me to see to in passing, just let me know.”
* * *
\tTheir only stop on the way out of town was, at Karen’s ‘suggestion,’ an unremarkable house in the lower middle class residential district, where a very confused teenaged feline was told to get an alibi ready. Her eyes got unbelievably wide as these two total strangers mentioned, ever so casually, that the watch would be asking her about a coyote found dead with his own dick in his mouth, and both travelers were grinning as they left the girl on her knees, weeping with joy and praying in thanksgiving.
\tThey were still a few days shy of the capitol when the wispy midwinter clouds started thickening ominously. The morning had started cold and calm, but well before noon a freezing wind started plucking at their clothes and the horses’ manes. “I think we’re going to have to find somewhere to stop, and not just for the weather,” Berria remarked. “The cold has helped keep our Joi-cakes fresh this long, but we’re almost out and what’s left is starting to taste just a bit off. We need shelter and more travel food,” and her cloak fluttered as an errant gust reminded her that she still needed to shop for underdrawers, and she shivered as she emphasized, “in that order!”
\tKaren nodded, “We could head back to Openheim in about four hours, wasting the daylight we tried to save yesterday; there’s a country inn, more of a hostel really, about two hours’ ride north cross-country, or three by the roads; and, just a bit south of due east, this road passes close by a smallish town called Greenswald, which we’d reach just after noon at our horses’ usual pace.”
\tThe mare couldn’t detect any particular emphasis on any of their options; this choice was clearly up to her. “Alright,” she nodded, “let’s pick up the pace a bit and hit Greenswald. Inns’ prices for traveling food are ridiculous, and fighting through the brush in weather like it looks is coming isn’t my idea of fun anyway. Speaking of which, you might want to fly on ahead. I think I see snow falling, ten or fifteen miles east and heading this way, and flying will keep you a lot warmer where it counts than riding, as well as getting you to shelter much faster.”
\tHer friend grimaced, “You’ve got several good points... I hadn’t really considered the weather, since I’m still not used to that being an issue, but for mortals it certainly is.” She squirmed free of the saddle and reins, slipping to the ground. “I’ll meet you at whatever passes for a temple in Greenswald.”
\tBerria nodded, nudging the horse to the other side of the road to clear the bat’s wingspan, and the next moment she was alone, watching the rapidly-shrinking figure fly away. “Alright, boys... let’s have a bit of speed,” she muttered as she flicked the reins, urging her saddle horse into a canter and hearing the packhorse follow suit as the lead strap tightened. “She’s not the only one some exercise will help keep warm.”
\tBefore half an hour had passed, she had to stop the horses and fetch a blanket from the pack animal’s load, wrapping it around her cloak and hands as she urged them to a trot for as long as they could keep it up. The wind was getting steadily worse, and was soon joined by flurries of snow, billowing through the air or swirling dryly on the road. The air was a good bit below freezing, which wasn’t particularly pleasant to travel in, but at least it kept the snow from melting in the mare’s blanket or cloak. Dropping back to a canter as needed to let her chilled beasts rest helped, but each burst at a trot was shorter than the one before, and all three assorted equines whickered in relief when the faint outline of town walls came into view about eighty minutes after Karen had left.
\tThe lone guard huddled in his tiny shelter waved her urgently on without a word; questions or inspections could wait until a traveler wasn’t at risk of freezing to death, obviously. Now that they’d slowed down, the horses in particular were in danger of their sweat freezing in their coats, so Berria’s first priority was shelter for them, her usual frugality discarded as she led them to the first inn’s stable that presented itself and tipped the attendants to get them unsaddled, unloaded, and rubbed dry quickly.
\tHer blanket still wrapped around her cloak, the next priority was locating her friend, and she frowned faintly as she passed the open-air marble columns of the town’s shrine, busts of deities presiding over snow-covered altars and incense bowls. The bat wasn’t there, of course; it would take far greater foolishness than mere inexperience with mortality for a girl in a woolen dress to stand around where she’d promptly freeze. Just a bit farther up the town’s main road, though, a minor sort of commotion drew her attention; it was the town’s guard station, and there seemed to be more people coming and going than usual, or just standing around in its porch’s shelter rather than watching the walls like they should.
\tAs the unicorn drew near the open door to the station, a familiar voice called from within, “There she is! I told you she’d be here soon, and she’s got the road pass. I’m sorry I landed too close and spooked that private, but just look at the weather out there! Would you trudge through an extra hundred yards of that just for some silly regulation about landing approaches?”
\tThe milling guards parted to let Berria through as she stepped inside, shaking snow out of her blanket. Karen was flanked by a captain and a lieutenant while a rat in a damp white robe held wads of bandages against either side of her wing membrane, right next to her ribcage on one side. The senior of the officers turned, his expression mixed, to rumble, “I’m afraid your ward’s been hurt... but, if you do indeed have the pass she mentioned, and considering her age and that she’s a newcomer to Atheria, I think we can skip the fines this time. An arrow through her wing is probably deterrent enough to keep her mindful of kingdom law in the future.”
\tNodding as she fished around in her cloak for the document in question, Berria shot her companion a look of tolerant exasperation, “She’s still learning, aye, sir. Thank you for your prompt care of the wound, and it’s a good one for the lesson in question. She’ll recover, but she’ll also remember just how close it came to killing her, I think.”
\tThe healer spoke up, “I haven’t done anything but stop the bleeding, yet. Care of anyone hurt during the commission of a crime, however minor, is limited. If you want me to do anything more, it will cost you.”
\tHer friend looking rather indignant at that, the mare chuckled, “Alright... How much to simply close the edges of the wound? It can heal the rest of the way naturally, and the discomfort while it does will serve for the lesson I spoke of.”
\tThe doctor nodded, “That’ll be just a silver penny, then... and you, young lady,” he addressed the bat, “no flying for at least a week! If you stretch the membrane before it’s healed, it will tear an even bigger hole than the arrow left.”
\tKaren looked somewhat rebellious; she was, obviously, used to doing as she pleased, mortal consequences rather meaningless to a Goddess incarnate, but on another level she did indeed realize that the decisions of the ‘elders’ she was thousands of years older than were logical enough for the situation as normal people saw it. She made sure to remember to wince and yelp at the burning sensation as the edges of her wound were forced to grow back together, the flesh knitted but still red and raw-looking through her wing’s short fur.
\tFishing around in her purse as the healer worked, Berria frowned slightly, then shrugged, “I should have stopped by a money-changer. I’m out of Atherian silver, so I’ll have to give you a Vale half-crown, which is based on the Drachathian coin by weight, so it’s just a bit bigger than the penny you asked for.”
\tNodding as he finished his work, the rat reached out to accept the coin, “That’ll do, though we see so few unicorns around here that I might just keep it for the stamped face, not spend it. It’s a reminder that, sometimes, legends do walk among us.”
\tThe priestess rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, “Every town or inn I stop at, I have to spend time telling folks that I am no legend... but I understand the novelty value at the very least. Thank you for your efforts, and I’ll get my ward to a nice warm inn now.” She glanced to the guard captain as well before, at his nod, taking Karen by the hand and leading her back into the storm.
* * *
\tIt was, evidently, the lunch break of more than one of the guards she’d seen milling about the station, and three of them were sharing the common room as Berria sat down for lunch. She’d attracted more than enough attention for one day, though, so simply did her best to keep from grumbling as she ate her way through the perfectly decent vegetarian meal she’d been served with an external semblance of enjoyment. Karen, for her part, noticed her disappointment and was at least a little amused by it, but played the part of a reasonably contrite child throughout her own bowl of chicken stew.
\tAs the unicorn shook snow out of her cloak in a guest room, from a quick dash outside to fetch a pack of clothes that also held a few books, her ward murmured, “I suppose I should apologize for today... and you were right in ways the guard knew not, that this was a lesson. I know that ground-bound authorities are leery of fliers for the potential security risks we represent, but I was too used to having at least mortal magic handy to obscure my comings and goings. I honestly hadn’t planned or predicted that I’d get shot, though since I have been it might get a bit of sympathy out of Crellan when we meet, even if it’ll keep us from flying together at first, which is the best way to start a courtship between bats.”
\tBerria nodded, “Your seeming age happens to be when mortal children start taking on adult responsibilities, which is why things worked out as well as they did. If you were even a little older-looking, I’d be broke after paying a fine, cooling my heels for days while you were in jail, or both. Just as the arrow barely missed your chest, we only barely missed a serious road-block in our travel plans, so I’ll expect you to be more mindful of the situation in the future. This... Crellan you want to meet, he grew up as a bat, an experience you missed out on, so the rules are ingrained into him and he’ll take it amiss if you seem too ignorant of them.”
\tGrimacing, Karen nodded back, “If I’d known about him and his possible futures earlier, I’d have started younger, perhaps even manifesting as an embryo and learning from birth itself... Maybe I’ll do that to be one of my own granddaughters, as it would be worth it for the experience, but for now I did the best I could.”
\tThe priestess had to laugh, “Indeed... You were the first member of the pantheon to figure out how to be any sort of mortal, so I guess it’d be fitting if you have the whole experience sometime, from birth to death.”
\t“Sheesh... leave my family out of this, please! Roxy’d think I’m crazy just for this incarnation’s plans to go through the discomfort and pain of pregnancy and childbirth. If Malia heard I’d be spending a couple years in diapers, myself, I’d never hear the end of it, and for me ‘never’ means a lot more than it does to you!”
\tStill chuckling as she sat down on the bed, Berria ignored her book for the moment to instead pull her deity into a warm hug, nuzzling her ear as she murmured, “As much as I enjoy the vices endorsed by your official persona... I must also respect the effort you’re making, that no other God or Goddess ever has, to truly understand the lives of your worshipers. I won’t attract attention by naming names, or even thinking too hard about them, but there are members of your ‘family’ who think of Themselves as tolerant and benevolent, but They’d never ‘stoop’ to the level of trying mortality for Themselves. That you would is just one more reason to love and serve you.”
\tThose dark eyes were very old and wise again as Karen smiled and kissed a white cheek, “And your love and service are worth that effort. The other Gods don’t appreciate what they’ve got, in the simple devotion of so many mortals. Your lives may be short, your bodies fragile, and your trials often enormous compared to your limits, but you are what’s important. Never forget that it’s the Gods who need your kind, not the other way around. Without you we’d be nothing.”
\tSmiling through tears, the unicorn gave her friend one more squeeze and let go, “That sounds like one of the things I must accept on faith, as no mortal could fully understand its deeper meanings... but, for now, I must endure the ‘mortal condition’ of boredom. If we have any daylight left when this snow finishes falling, we’ll get some shopping done, or do it tomorrow if the weather’s being stubborn, and I’ll just read a few tales of adventure while we wait.”
Chapter 3
\tBerria fished around in her purse for a few Atherian coppers... She’d have to have a word with someone about the exchange rate that merchant in Greenswald had quoted; even that deep into the kingdom, there should have been enough commerce with the Vale to keep fees at a minimum, but they hadn’t been. “I’ll only be using the room to change clothes, and there will probably be a page or two coming by soon to move my gear and horses to the palace,” she noted as she paid the innkeeper. “That’s just for your information, mind you; I don’t begrudge your one-night minimum on any rental.”
\tThe rabbit nodded as he pocketed the coins, “I’m glad you understand, ma’am. Even having an hourly rate would put my fine establishment in another category entirely, and I have a reputation to consider.”
\tGiving him a nod in return, the mare shared a look of amusement with her ward as she picked up one of her smaller bags and headed up the stairs. Ten minutes and a cursory grooming later, the pair were back in the street, a light, cold drizzle falling on the unicorn’s black satin robe and the traveling cloak the bat wore over her good white dress. The wind was a mere breeze, but chilly enough to make Berria appreciate the woolen bloomers she’d finally gotten around to buying to wear with her shift.
\tSmall awnings had been added to the guard posts at the palace gates, given the weather this time of year, just to minimize the need to polish rust from the soldiers’ plate armor. Those troops frowned at the black robe and openly-worn Kathallic pendant of their newest visitor, but her horn confused the situation enough to let her pass unchallenged. One reputation unicorns did not have was for pestering nobles or administrators frivolously, and there were certainly enough additional guards in the palace proper to deal with a lone, dark priestess should she cause trouble.
\tLate afternoon was dimming to early evening as the ladies padded up the hall’s carpet toward the herald at his lectern. The doors to the throne room were open, but relatively few members of the court were visible beyond them; this time of day, traditionally, was when actual work got done, often the results of the more socially active morning court’s conversations, so the king and most of his nobles were absent until court supper called them back together.
\tAddressing the herald, Berria’s voice was cool and firm, “Please inform the queen that a sister is here to see her. Not her sister, a sister. Using that exact phrasing is important.”
\tThe middle-aged bear nodded, glancing between her pendant and the dagger in her belt, “I’ll send the message. You and your... companion will have to wait on a bench out here; until and unless you’re recognized, I cannot allow you to go farther with that knife, though I fully realize it’s a required part of your ‘uniform’ as a priestess. Your companion can hang her cloak on one of those pegs to dry while you wait.”
\tUnicorn and bat both nodded, settling onto the comfortably-padded bench on the other side of the foyer from the waiting pages, one of whom darted down a hall with the herald’s note in hand. Less than three minutes had passed when guests and soldiers both looked up at the sound of running feet, and a wolf in her early twenties burst into the entry hall with a grin on her muzzle, “It is you! Serra told me about meeting you, Berria.” She glanced over to the lieutenant of the guard detachment, “This woman and any guests she designates are to be allowed unrestricted access to the palace, including the persons of our king and queen, without delay or question. She is permitted whatever arms she wishes at any time. For the record and by your rules, consider her an Agent. That’s my official word, so spread it.”
\tThe burlier wolf’s eyes were wide at those orders, but he nodded quickly enough, “Yes, Agent Pria.”
\tGrinning again as she turned back to the guests, the bitch reached out to pull them both up by the hands, “Come on, you two. Serra’s feeding little Kees, but it’s almost his nap time; I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about.”
\tIt was a fairly long walk through the palace halls to reach the royal wing, through several doors flanked by alert guards who snapped to attention as a recognized Agent passed them. The large, comfortably-furnished sitting room they finally reached was occupied only by a cougar, lounging in one large chair with his royal purple cape tossed casually over another, and a tigon with a gown bunched around her belly and a tawny-furred infant with just a hint of light brown stripes held to one of her bare breasts.
\t“It is you!” the king unintentionally echoed his Agent as he stood up, grinning. “I had no idea I’d end up with such a wonderful wife, two of them in a sense really, or a son who stole my heart the first time he grabbed my finger, those years ago in your temple... All I knew at the time was that I was having a great deal of fun.”
\tBerria smiled back as she dipped a respectful curtsy, noticing the bat doing the same behind her, “It’s nice to see you again too, your Majesty. I’m afraid that temple of mine has a different keeper, these days, as it was pointed out to me,” and she glanced heavenwards, “that I was an adequate priestess, but useless in the Vale as a Sister. Thus, I’ve been wandering to see what I could help with, along the way taking care of a rapist who thought he’d gotten away with it, and picking up this wayward orphan, Karen,” and she took a step back to lay a hand on the waif’s shoulder.
\tSerra arched a brow, “I have to suspect additional ‘guidance’ in your meeting her, too... as she’s just about the same age as another friend of ours who’s just starting to notice girls. I haven’t heard of any orphaned bats among the nobility, so I have to guess that she’s fairly common... but that’s all to the good, as little Crellan still isn’t all that comfortable with highborns.”
\tThe priestess nodded, “I share your... suspicions, which we should say no more about, but you know as well as I that these ‘arrangements’ usually work out well.” Glancing around, she picked a couch and led her ward over to it. Karen, for her part, was doing a very credible imitation of a base-born youth in unexpected company, obviously trying not to look at a queen’s tits while seeming too overwhelmed, or even a bit frightened, to speak.
\t“Ah, yes, Rickar and Gabri. You probably heard of that ‘arrangement’ from Ferrl, and I’ve got a niece and a nephew both older than I am from the pairing,” the tigon chuckled. The head at her bosom lolled back as her son finished his meal, already half-asleep, and she gently set him in a cushioned basket on the floor by her seat before working on pulling her gown back up.
\tThe king watched her breasts shifting as she wriggled into the snug garment, and looked over his guests and other wife with a wry sigh, “As much as I look forward to her usefulness once she can resume her own duties as a Sister, I have to admit that I’ll miss the buxom softness she’s slid into ever since she was too large to keep up her exercise.”
\tHis queen smirked, “Yeah, yeah, and Pria likes the new tits too, but I’m already tired of the backaches. As soon as little Kees is walking, I’ll be getting back into shape, and you can join me. I’m not the only one getting softer; you’ve been spending entirely too much time in meetings the last few months.”
\tKeesanrel shrugged, a flicker of annoyance crossing his muzzle, “As useful as it’s proven to be to have the new gate network, we haven’t had it long enough to build up decent power reserves for each one, and I can’t believe how many times I’ve needed to explain that to presumably-intelligent dukes and their representatives. If I told you some of the amazingly-petty things I’ve had to explicitly prohibit opening a gate for, you’d probably go on a ducal tour and geld the whole lot of ‘em to make sure they don’t breed. Unfortunately, just about all of them already have.”
\t“Ah!” Serra exclaimed with a smile. “I’m usually too focused on helping you relax after one of those annoying meetings to bother asking you about its subject, which would only make you tense up again of course. It’s good to know why you’re so often in such a state when you come to bed, though. Please, dear, I can only help you with problems I actually know about, so do try to keep me in the loop a bit better. Our son doesn’t take so much of my time that I can’t corner an idiot to deliver a few rather grizzly threats, or if I can’t Pria can.”
\t“As much as I’d rather watch our adorable kitten while you do the work,” the wolf quipped around a grin. “He knows his ‘Auntie Pria,’ and we have fun together.”
\tBerria glanced over to the king with her brows high, “It sounds like you’ve settled into a pleasant enough life since last we met, but it’s also a bit more complicated than I’d expected.”
\tThe cougar chuckled knowingly, “Indeed... but I wouldn’t trade this life, or either of my girls, for the world. You may find it amusing to know that, just after my wedding, I made sure there’d be no grounds for a scandal with how things worked out. I cornered the Magistrate General and got a signed legal opinion from him. An Agent of Atheria has the same authority as the king, and the ruling I sought was that there are no exceptions to this authority unless directly overridden by said king. That includes conjugal rights with the person of the queen. Now, Pria’s not my only Agent, but the rest of them know better than to try taking advantage of their supposed equality the way our bitch does. They know exactly what Serra did to my father, one dark night, and that she still has that knife.”
\tHer companion blinking wide-eyed beside her, the unicorn simply nodded with another smile, “I remember that knife too. I have something distantly similar, that I used on that rapist I’d mentioned, and Agents aren’t known for being stupid. I don’t wonder that they’ve accepted the situation as you’ve described.”
\tSerra grinned for a moment, then sobered a bit, “It’s just about time for supper... so why don’t we head for the court dining room? Your young friend can meet our archmage’s ward, as well as what passes for ‘normal folks’ in the palace, so just maybe she can find her voice again when it’s not hiding from royalty.”
\tSitting up a bit straighter on the couch, there was still a bit of stiffness in her voice as Karen spoke up for herself, “I’m not entirely as timid as I seem, your Majesties... but we skipped lunch to make sure we’d get to your fine city before dark. Supper sounds like an excellent suggestion.”
\tThree sets of ears perked up at her dusky, musical tone, and Pria mused, “Sounds like our singing trio will have a fourth member soon... Whoever arranged for her to follow you here, Berria, obviously knew what They were doing. Let’s head to the hall so I can make the seating arrangements official before it gets crowded, while our feline friends climb back into their capes and crowns.”
\tRolling his eyes slightly, the king nodded to the rising ladies, “Her implications about our public costumes aside, my Agent has the right idea... and, afterwards, as it’s only fitting for an itinerant priestess of your stripe, you can join us for a visit to the Drachathian embassy and a bit of fun while the bats are getting acquainted without our imposing presence as a damper on things.”
\tBerria’s expression brightened, as even she’d heard about that embassy and its basement playrooms, and licked her lips for more reasons than the prospect of a good supper.
* * *
\tKaren’s practice, and occasional mishaps, on the journey from the Vale had proven adequate. She and Crellan were friends by the end of supper, hints of lingering shyness on both sides suggesting the potential for more once they were a year or two older, and neither the young bat nor his mismatched feline parents seemed to suspect anything about the girl’s act. Berria was able to leave them together with a clear conscience as she followed the royals out of the dining hall, to her initial surprise heading straight back to their suite and even bedchamber, where Serra stayed behind to take care of her son with the comment that it was Pria’s turn for fun as she’d had the last one. The route got a lot less confusing when the king opened a trapdoor in a corner of the room and started climbing down, his Agent and guest following close behind. The long tunnel was paved with cobblestones, its walls and ceiling tiled with marble, and it was lit by bright but infrequent magical crystals, with a quartet of palace soldiers at the far end to guard a door unlocked by a key on a chain around the king’s neck.
\tThat door opened onto a large, busy kitchen, two bipedal corpses still being cleaned and skinned while several other meals were in other stages of preparation, and Keesanrel addressed a collared filly who’d rushed over to greet him, “Good evening, Hela. Is there anything noteworthy going on tonight?”
\tThe slave shook her head, “No, your Majesty. We presently have six guests in the main room and about twenty in the others, the standard dip while courtiers had supper with you, though the usual number attended that just to be seen, and we’re working on their actual dinners that they ordered in advance. The tables will fill up quickly in the next hour, so you should get a good seat while you can.”
\tNodding, the cougar led his little group through the bustle toward the playroom, commenting as he went, “In case you’re wondering why the guards stayed on the other side of the door, Berria, it’s because of an accident very shortly after the tunnel we came through was finished. One of my courtiers was using a slave for target practice with throwing knives, testing their skill by trying to hit as many non-vital points as they could, but they only had so many knives. One he reused was still slick with blood, and it slipped out of his fingers in my direction. The knife missed me by several inches, but by the time it hit the floor one of my guards had already shot the supposed ‘assassin’ with his crossbow. Rather than risk another accident like that, I harped on my good relationship with the Drachathian ambassador, and pulled the concept of insulting him with a visible lack of trust out of my ass, to get my troops to leave me be when I’m here. A lot of them are Maliites or Warkin, too, so I think they’d be more comfortable thinking of my religion simply as an abstract, rather than seeing what I do to practice it.”
\t“I know what you mean,” the priestess nodded as she took a seat at the table he’d led her to, “and probably to a greater degree than you do. As far as I know, I’m still the only Kathallic unicorn, and I can count the number of my countrymen who aren’t either Maliite or Roxanite on my own fingers. Disapproval of the sort you fear was simply part of my daily life, any time I stepped out of my own temple. I’m actually glad to be out of my homeland and out from under that constant cloud.”
\tA pair of nods and glances were exchanged among the royals, Pria speaking up, “I’d guess it was more than your religion they disapproved of, unless you were unusually discreet... You see, I’ve practiced a great deal at noticing ‘little things,’ as part of my job, and two of them came to my attention over the course of supper. First there was the detail that you didn’t eat much for someone who supposedly skipped lunch, suggesting that you were saving room for more here at the least-vegetarian ‘restaurant’ I know of, and then there was the slice of beef roast you slipped onto your plate then hid beneath your potatoes.”
\tThe king’s eyes wide in mild shock as he stared at her, Berria gave him a toothy smile, “Actually... I was able to hide that from the unicorns. My ‘official’ form of protest against how I was viewed, or so I led them to believe, was that I boycotted the stores staffed by my own race. Those run by relative newcomers to the Vale... also happened to be the only ones that sold meat for the other immigrants. What I bought for my own use, at least when I didn’t have a fresh slave to cook, was always an unremarkable wrapped package by the time I left those shops.”
\t“Damn,” Keesanrel half-chuckled, “I guess there’s no questioning your vocation, if it led you to overcome your own, born physiology!”
\tThe mare’s eyes glinted mischievously, “While dispelling legends and rumors every time I stopped for the night at an inn rather than make camp, I frequently reminded folks that the only thing special about unicorns is how well we do our jobs, but none of them followed up with the obvious question of what I’m good at... They say you’re best at what you love to do, and I love killing things, preferably people. Even before my priesthood, I worked at a farm raising chickens, sheep, pigs, and cattle, and I was very good at getting them to trust me, even to love me in their simple way, right up until I slit their throats and disemboweled their corpses. I suppose, at its core, my motivation is that it’s forbidden; I get a thrill knowing that I’ve done something so naughty, so depraved, as to casually take a living creature’s priceless life... I’ve been having an unusually large amount of fun along those lines lately, starting with the day your father,” and she looked straight at Pria, “brought Ria along, at her request, to die on my altar.”
\tThe wolf’s smile was bittersweet as she nodded, “That slave was my second female lover, after my sister introduced me to the concept, and she’ll always have a special place in my heart... I’ll miss her, but I know she’s in a better place now.”
\t“Better than you might think,” Berria chuckled, “as I actually sacrificed her to Malia, not Kathalla. That very nearly got me killed, but it was the right thing to do. It will, however, be the last time I take that particular risk; let’s see who and what is available to dedicate to my Goddess, tonight,” and she turned her gaze on the rows of waiting slaves.
\tThe king nodded, a glint of anticipation in his own eye, “As her parting gift when she was relieved as ambassador, Dame Elaria left a standing order that her old ‘guards’ were to be kept on the staff roster of the embassy, meaning that whenever I’m here with either Pria or Serra, our play is on the house. They hadn’t even met me, yet, so at the time it was just a whim in case they came back, either to visit or as Junior Agents. Still, choose anyone you want; the price is already taken care of.”
\tThis fetched a grateful nod, “That’s good to hear, as my ‘mission funds’ as an itinerant Sister are strictly limited,” before she padded to the foot of the stage, casting long glances both ways as she evaluated the prospects. There were the usual menials of prey species’, a couple felines, and one husky wolf who’d probably served as heavy labor, but the hourglass figure of a buxom, obviously pure-blooded vixen caught her eye, and she stepped up to approach her at the far end of the left line. “You,” she noted, “look expensive. I know I’ve never been able to afford your like for my old temple. How did you wind up here, of all places?”
\tThe slave actually met her eyes, which was even more surprising than her flat, blunt tone, “I did my damned job too well. Two weeks ago, my then-owner couldn’t find his flogger when a greasy serving plate slipped out of my hands and broke, so he decided to try an old-fashioned spanking instead, at which point he found out how much I like getting those. He also found that he enjoyed giving them, very much. We had ten nights in a row of a great deal of fun, before his wife got tired of being ignored and demanded he get rid of me. He was willing to sell me back to the slavers, or even to just give me back, or give me to one of his friends, but that bitch took a hard line, vetoing one option after the other. She wanted me dead, but didn’t have the guts to do it herself. Useless fucking cunt...”
\tBerria’s eyes were very wide by this point; any properly-trained slave should still be referring to her old Mistress as ‘Mistress’ or, if they wanted to convey ongoing disagreement, ‘ma’am’ was an acceptable, subtly-insulting substitute. “I take it,” she finally guessed blindly, “that you lost your temper at some point and told her what you really think, despite your training.”
\tOne hand idly tracing the curve of her ring-collar, the vixen nodded, “Yeah... I couldn’t exactly make it worse, so I decided, well, fuck it. I did every inch of my duty within reason; I’d even licked her when the Master was away on business, and she has something against washing down there. Not the most pleasant experience, I’ll tell you! If being more fun in bed than she was is a capital offense, and there certainly didn’t seem to be much chance of budging her on that point, I figured I might as well spend my last day or two telling folks what I actually think, not what my trainers tell me to say.”
\tNodding once, the mare reached out and wrapped a finger around that iron collar, then turned and promptly strode back toward her table, the fox yelping as she scrambled to follow along. “Your Majesty,” she began, “you might wish to check with the staff, because I don’t know their policy on this... but I’ll find someone else to kill tonight. I want to keep this one.”
\tThe king licked his lips as he looked the beautiful vixen up and down, obviously understanding one reason to take her along, but it was Pria who volunteered, “Since this place gets its... ‘disposable staff’ so cheaply, they’ve occasionally smuggled out a surplus of such to other temples at no charge. My being de facto staff doesn’t matter; the fact that you’re a priestess, though, does. I’m very nearly certain that she’s yours for the asking, and I must admit to a bit of envy that you’ll be leaving with curves like those for companionship.”
\tBerria grinned as she turned to take a fresh look at the curves in question, “Oh, yum, I agree there... I’ll be double-checking as soon as I can get that filly’s attention, but for now, slave, consider yourself mine... and keep the attitude. I rather like it.”
\tBlinking at the combined shocks of meeting a king, the wolf’s position as embassy staff and thus the effective co-owner of all the slaves, a member of Kathalla’s official clergy taking an interest, and of course the minor detail that she might actually live a little longer, the vixen could only shake her head, “But, ma’am... Mistress, I’d never have copped this ‘attitude’ if I expected to live to see tomorrow! I... I’ve already broken the rules beyond any chance of forgiveness. I’m a good slave, really, despite appearances!”
\tLetting go of that collar to put her hands on her hips, Berria gazed up at the slightly-taller woman, “A good slave... wouldn’t even be able to think the private opinions you’ve given voice to. If you’ve had those sorts of thoughts running through the back of your mind, then your trainers failed in their goal to break your spirit, and it’s that spirit that I want for my own. I may, indeed, kill you someday, but I’m not exactly your average priestess. You haven’t been here long enough to realize, but I’m probably the first unicorn ever to step into this club, or at least this end of it. There’s a chance one of the visiting unicorn wizards stopped by the other room just to get laid, after all. If I’m willing to step so far outside the normal rules of my very species, what makes you think I give a damn about the rules for mere slaves? Here,” and she took four quick steps back to the nearer line of those waiting to serve, “this is what I think about ‘good’ slaves!” One of the hands at her hips jerked to the side, suddenly holding her dagger, and in one more smooth motion she’d rammed it through the neck of the stallion at the near end of the line, then tore it out through the front of his throat. He couldn’t even nicker in surprise as his windpipe split, and blood sprayed for several feet in a broad arc in front of him as he slumped to his knees, then keeled forward to twitch on the floor for less than a quarter-minute then grow still.
\tKeesanrel blinked once and laughed, “Guess we’re having horse-meat tonight.”
\t“Tasty...” Pria agreed with a grinning nod.
\tThough standing orders had seen her using a privy bucket just before being sent out to serve, the vixen had been on duty for a couple hours, and promptly lost what had built up in her bladder as she watched a fellow slave not just die, but be casually, irreverently slaughtered like some mere animal. Her eyes were huge, her expression a hairsbreadth from outright panic, as she sank to a kneel, knees wide around the puddle she’d made, and whimpered, “M-mistress...”
\tWiping her blade off on her robe, Berria sheathed it as she returned with slow steps, her voice husky, “No... I’m not going to do that to you, not tonight. You’ve had a shock, dear, and it’s only natural that it will take time for you to grow accustomed to your new status, having been so certain of your fate before. We actually have something in common, as I’ve wet myself more than once from particularly intense surprises... and I’m afraid I’m going to have to make your shock of the night even worse. I think I’ll head generally east or south in my travels, now, to cross the border into Drachath by land or sea as fate determines. Once beyond Atheria’s borders, within which no born slave can be free... if you make it that far with me, I will free you. Getting used to an owner who doesn’t mind a bit of honest back-talk will pale in comparison to that, I’m sure. Now... there’s just one thing I need from you before we settle back for a meal of fresh stallion steaks, which I will be eating too... What is your name?”
\tThe slave stared at the floor, her voice barely audible, “C... Cin, spelled with a C. I can’t actually read or spell, but that’s how I was told to introduce myself. Evidently my ‘line’ is traditionally given as naughty of names as they can fit into a syllable or two.”
\tHer new owner leaned over, her pendant lightly bumping her black nosepad, and kissed her on the forehead, “Given how delicious you look, your name as it sounds is quite... fitting. Oh, and speaking of that... yes, I wash myself, and unicorn fillies are always... sweet. When I take you back tonight, I’d like a chance to prove that in bed, and it’s also a fair guess that my tongue’s thick enough that you won’t be missing having a male owner that much.”
\tCin shivered where she knelt, then looked up into her Mistress’ dark brown eyes, “I... I think I’ll enjoy that. ‘Returning the favor’ after use for another’s pleasure was no part of my owned life, but I certainly enjoyed myself while ‘being made use of’ by my old Master’s cock. Thickness... is a good thing.”
\tBerria leaned in to kiss her new possession again, this time on the lips, and grinned, “I wholeheartedly agree... but that filly I mentioned just came in with the group that’s dragging our dinner into the kitchen. Give me a moment to make sure I can take you home, though I’ll beggar myself to pay your fair wholesale price if I have to, then get up so the domestics can mop up your piss as you take a seat for supper. Forget your training, forget your past life... you’re mine now, which is an experience rather unlike the tedium most slaves suffer. You have a good mind, and a strong spirit, and at my side you’ll learn to get used to using both of them, my lovely Cin.”
Chapter 4
\tBerria looked up, way up, as the liger in an officer’s uniform set down a bowl of barley with spiced beef strips mixed in, “Thank you, sir. This sort of breakfast is perfect for traveling on.”
\tBaron Jerek nodded, “It’s only the least I can do, for bringing such a good friend for my son. He needs someone to fly with, and my wife’s experiment to let me do so managed only to prove that I’m not as fearless as I look. I don’t deal with heights well.”
\tSaid wife chuckled as she kept gathering odd bits and pieces from around the workroom she’d invited the unicorn to. “On our way back from Southwall,” Beckah mused as she started to work, a pair of gemstones and a length of silver wire floating up from the bench in front of her, “Serra described the Sisters of Order she’s a member of, and it’s a concept I can wholeheartedly support. I’d do so even if I hadn’t been such a direct beneficiary of one of their missions. Now,” and she focused just a bit more, melting a nearby gold half-monarch and settling it around the silver wires binding a pair of amethysts before concentrating on shaping the fine detail as it cooled again, “these earrings will be, amidst the frills and ruffles in the gold, marked with a repeating pattern of the letters L and R respectively so you can tell them apart, though they’ll look identical enough from any distance. You activate or deactivate either one by wrapping a finger entirely around it for several seconds. The one for your right ear will make your horn invisible, the one on the left will turn your fur black if you need to be sneaky, and either one will react to verification stones as if they were the seal on an official document, in both Atheria and Drachath. They’re not the same as an Agent’s badge, and stones fancy enough to tell the difference will say so, but they can still come in handy in proving you have some sort of official sanction. They won’t trigger standard, ‘pocket’ type magic detectors, even while active, but I’ve been told not to make things completely undetectable, even though I could. They’ll still set off the sort of comprehensive detectors you’ll find in palaces and embassies, though once more they’ll ‘read’ as document signatures,” and the floating components stilled as she cupped her hands around them in the air, concentrating on the spells that would do what she’d just described.
\tBerria had heard, of course, about the blind girl to whom magic came so easily, but even sitting five feet away while she worked she could hardly believe it. Either one of the illusion-stones she’d been describing would have taken her friend Ferrl the better part of a day to make, and the extra little features would have been flatly impossible. “What will the endurance on these stones be like?” she asked after a couple minutes of eating, once the feline relaxed from her effort. “The fur-darkener sounds like something I’d like to use casually, since I’ve always looked good in black...”
\tThe white cat frowned faintly, then brightened, “Pass me your pendant, unless you think your Goddess would object to Her symbol having an enchantment in it. By themselves, the earrings would last about six hours each, but I can arrange to let your necklace ‘feed’ them from your own internal energy, even if you aren’t mage enough to use it yourself. Everyone has power, but most people simply can’t access it. If you keep both illusions running constantly, you’ll need to eat five or six extra bites of food per day, but that’ll be the only price.”
\tNodding as she passed over her necklace, Berria pointed out, “Any God, manifesting in our world, makes a great deal of impact, even the slightly-devout able to sense Their presence from miles away. The Goddesses, though, know a trick to be a bit more... discreet, one that Kathalla invented. Since Her mortal semblance practically always has magic, just to cut down on performing miracles instead, I doubt She’d mind a little spell.” That emphasis on Kathy’s magic, since Karen had none, could be a useful seed to plant, she figured. If anyone did grow suspicious, the bat’s lack of magic just might convince them they were wrong after all.
\tBeckah planted one fingertip on the pendant as her gifts worked within the obsidian, and she noted, “There’s a potential drawback to this method... I’m hemming it in with as many restrictions as I can, but if someone gets too close to you with an uncharged enchantment of their own, one that manipulates light-energy as an illusion does, your pendant just might try to recharge it too. It shouldn’t actually hurt you if it does, but it might leave you feeling unexpectedly tired and hungry.”
\tAccepting the pendant as it was handed back, Berria nodded, “I’ll keep that in mind... and thank you very much. Karen was a pleasant enough traveling companion that I was happy to have her along; your assistance in my ‘mission,’ if you can call random wandering that, is a completely unexpected bonus, and I appreciate it.”
\tJerek spoke up again from his oversized chair in a corner of the workroom, “You’re a friend of the family, so we’re happy to help... though I think I heard the king muttering something about ‘mission funds’ too, so it might be more than a few enchanted trinkets that you’re leaving with.”
\tDropping the earrings into a pocket of her robe, the unicorn finished her quick breakfast and stood, “That couldn’t hurt, as I was down to less than a florin in leftover donations after that merchant overcharged me to convert coinage. Thank you both again, and I’ll stop by, at least to check on Karen and Crellan, if I pass this way again.” Both felines waved as she stepped out of the workroom and down the hall of the suite. It wasn’t far to the single guest room in the royal wing she’d been given, and she nodded to the guard private outside her door as she opened it.
\tCin looked up from where she was folding freshly-cleaned clothes into a canvas haversack, “A clerk stopped by with a few small bags. They weigh about a pound each, they clink a lot, and they’re closed with metal rings, two copper, two silver, and one gold.”
\tBerria nodded, “That’s a bit more than I was expecting, but so were the enchantments I was just given too. We have just two little problems to deal with before we go... first, as much as I enjoy looking at you naked, it’s still winter. You were a house-slave, so you probably didn’t need to think about the weather much, but I’d rather not have your more flavorful parts freeze off. I’m afraid you’re going to have to wear something, dear.”
\tThe vixen gave a throaty chuckle, “Oh, those parts are always warm... but I can’t say the same about my nipples. I think I saw some sort of cloaks in the closet here; I’ll see what’s warm and fits. Now,” and she stood to open the closet and start looking, “what was the other thing we need to take care of?”
\t“The local archmage, for all her power and subtlety where magic is concerned, missed a detail.” She fished the amethysts out of her pocket as she sat on the bed near the packing, “She made me a lovely pair of enchanted earrings... but I’m not pierced. Your teeth are in good shape, and much sharper than mine... would you do the honors?”
\tCin paused in feeling the weave of various cloaks to blink over her shoulder... Her ‘attitude’ the night before had been a product of depression and bitterness, and once those had passed her training had tried to come back to the fore, and it was taking an active effort to behave like a casual, slightly snarky non-slave. It was almost purely an act, given how far those aspects of her born personality had been beaten down over her years of training, and that training protested, vehemently, the concept of drawing her owner’s blood. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to keep moving, pulling out a pair of cloaks, each a bit thin for the coldest weather but adequate as a pair while giving her the option to wear something lighter when it wasn’t freezing. “M... Berria,” she made herself say as she turned and padded to the bed, “I think I can, but I’ve got a lot of conditioning to overcome. I don’t know if you realize it, but when we’re about three years old, slaves go through a regimen where we’re ordered to bite or claw an overseer, then whipped within an inch of our life for the act itself if we obey, and just as badly for disobedience if we don’t. As long ago as that was, any time I think about my teeth and your flesh some part of me anticipates agony.”
\tBerria frowned, “Hrmph... well, I can’t do anything about that ancient an abuse, but you didn’t seem to have trouble using your teeth, gently, on other parts of me last night! Just think about it like that... The pain is slight, and stimulating, so the only difference is the flavor of ‘juice’ you’re rewarded with.”
\tThe vixen moved a clothes bag aside to sit on the bed beside her, musing softly, “I’ll just keep telling myself, you ordered this... I think I can do it, that way. Where on your ear do you want it?”
\t“Along the outer edge about halfway up,” her owner replied, “so it will dangle nicely unless my ears are pointing straight up.” The mare half-turned to slip her arms around her slave’s soft fur, those glorious breasts pressing into her own, more modest pair through her robe, and she was very glad she hadn’t gotten around to putting on her underwear for the upcoming trip yet. A single layer of smooth satin separated their nipples, which wasn’t enough to keep all four points from firming up at the contact. Her slight shiver from the faint pleasure grew as that vulpine muzzle neared her ear, its breath warm and seeming impossibly loud this close, and she couldn’t quite restrain a whimper as Cin’s tongue slipped out to brush her ear’s sensitive rim. “Do it,” she whispered as the first touch of teeth made itself known, “please...”
\tThe bite was far from painless, but cuddled up like this, anticipating it, wanting it, her soft squeal was marginally more aroused than protesting. She was panting as she shifted the hug to lean over her pet’s other shoulder, and she could smell herself through her robe when those teeth closed a second time. Letting go of the vixen, then, she slipped off the bed to pull her robe up and off, the slave’s eyes widening at the sight and scent of her obvious pleasure. “I know we planned to leave momentarily and have lunch on the road,” she panted, “but after that I’ve changed my mind. Just let me get the earrings into the new holes so we don’t waste your work... while you clear the bed so we can use it one last time. We’ll leave in the early afternoon.”
\tCin moved immediately to obey, lifting aside the bundles crowding the bedspread, her voice husky as she murmured, “Yes... Mistress.”
\tBerria had to smile at that deliberate ‘slip.’ The vixen had been bred and trained for just this sort of thing, and deeply enjoyed her service when it touched upon her specialty. She decided, then and there, to make no issue of forms of address where pleasure was involved, and simply lay back on the bed, earrings clinking faintly, to spread her legs.
* * *
\tCin was still getting used to riding. She’d occasionally been shuttled between auction sites and slave barracks by cart, and had otherwise used her own two feet the few times she needed to step beyond an owner’s front door, but a long lead-strap, coiled where it could extend at need on her newest, strangest owner’s saddle, helped a great deal as she got used to moving with the gait of the huge animal beneath her. Of course, fitting Berria’s former packhorse with a saddle did rather restrict what they could carry along, things like tents and sleeprolls left behind, but the money the king had given them, and the queen’s recollection of her long-ago trip and the inns along the way, presented a welcome alternative to camping. In the first small town they’d stopped in on that route, she’d been wide-eyed and aghast at the way everyone kept staring at her Mistress. Other than her horn, wasn’t she just another equine? Well, sure, she did eat meat, but the strangers being so rude couldn’t know that. As they settled into a small, comfortable room to start stripping off their rain-damp traveling cloaks, she (daringly, by her old standards) asked, “What is these people’s problem? It’s not like you’re bright purple or have six-inch fangs, but folks kept looking at you like you did.”
\tBerria laughed as she draped her outerwear over a chair to dry out, “Such vivid images your phrasing brings to mind, my dear...” then sobered just a bit, “I suppose you couldn’t know. I hadn’t realized it myself, but a slave would be one of the very few types who’d see me without prejudicial baggage from their childhood. Here, let me drape that,” and she took the vixen’s cloak to keep working, “and let me explain those idiots on the street. A bit more than a thousand years ago, there was no such place as Unicorn Vale. My kind were spread all over the world, a little too spread. Our skills at whatever vocation calls us made us very much in demand for all sorts of things, and our employers were very reluctant to let us wander away from any particular job, so it was getting hard for our colts and fillies to find mates they weren’t related to. Those who could find mates had large families, but there were few enough such pairs that our population dwindled, and inbreeding was becoming a problem, here and there... while loneliness was a worse one. Finally, a young stallion with no hope to find a mare to call his own prayed a lament to Malia, and She sent Her clergy to try convincing the rich and powerful to permit their horned workers more freedom of movement. They refused. When they could prove infringement of citizen’s rights, those clergy turned to the courts, and the courts levied fines... which the rich simply paid then carried on with nothing changed. Finally, Malia got fed up and, in the space of a single hour, every single unicorn in the world vanished, and the unclaimed wilderness that’s now the Vale was surrounded by a shimmering light that no one could cross. That’s how it was for centuries to come, the Wall inviolate, the Vale a haven for my kind... but we were starting to stagnate like that. Too much protection can be an extremely bad thing, and it was at the figurative last minute that our culture was saved by opening it to the rest of the world once more, though with a bit more caution this time, like having an army of unicorn soldiers ready to enforce fair employment standards.”
\tCin nodded as she shimmied into a translucent lounging robe, something like a Roxanite’s save for her wearing a slave collar instead of a religious necklace, and she had to smile at the way her owner watched the interesting jiggles from her contortion. “That explains the history, but not the stares,” she noted, just to get a distracted filly back onto the narrative.
\tBerria blinked once, then nodded back, “That’s because I’ve covered our side of the story, but just think about it from the perspective of the rest of the races. The unicorns were gone, and children started growing up hearing stories about the wonderful workers that used to be there, but now weren’t. As those who’d actually seen or met unicorns died out, the stories kept getting passed along, but bore less and less resemblance to the rather unexciting truth. Stories... became legends, and the occasional bard looking for good fantasy-fodder only made it worse. Simply because we all have white fur, we started being associated in those tales with innocence or virginity. The concept of purity changed into a baseless story that our horns could purify poisons, while those horns’ vaguely phallic shape spawned the notion that ground unicorn horn could restore an old man’s virility. If you actually think about these ideas, they’re flatly ridiculous, but the legends had so long to become accepted fact that they tend to be in the forefront of other people’s minds the first time they meet one of us for real. Now, no matter what we tell the general public, our horns do have a power... but it’s slight, and subtle. If you touch my horn, I can sense your mind. Not enough to ‘read’ your thoughts, but I can tell whether you’re lying as well as get a general sense of any intentions you may have toward me.” She smirked broadly, “The few times you’ve brushed my horn while we played, all I picked up was your pure, honest lust and enjoyment, but you’re a vixen; I don’t need a horn to tell me that!”
\tThe fox had to laugh, merrily, as she nodded, “I suppose that’s obvious enough... In bed, I’m the simplest creature in the world, wanting only to play until we’re both too tired to go on, then to sleep in your embrace, sated for the moment.”
\tBerria nodded absently back as she shimmied out of her shift and bloomers, glancing at her reflection in the room’s small steel mirror. “Hmm... there was one thing Beckah didn’t say about these earrings she gave me, since she apparently assumed I’d use either both at once or just the right one.” Fishing her white dress out of a bag, she pulled it on, smoothed out a few wrinkles, and padded closer to the mirror, one finger wrapped around her left earring. That ear and her hand darkened first, fur fading through the shades of gray toward black, and the effect spread quickly down her body without so much as dimming her dress, but it wasn’t a simple muting of light. The archmage was much too subtle for that basic an effect... Her fur was still smoothly glossy, highlights from the setting sun streaming through the window showing yellowish in her coat, and her brows rose as she noted the point she’d been curious about, “It does make my horn black, too! Well, black and shiny...” She grinned over at her slave, “C’mon, let’s go down for supper. If they stared at a white unicorn, let’s see how they react to a black one, along with a ‘properly dressed’ pleasure slave.” Pausing only to double-check her pendant and tie on a white sash to hold her dagger and purse, she led the snickering vixen out of the room.
\tThe rumble of a dozen or more conversations filled the common room as they stepped into it, but like a spreading wave they trailed off as the various diners and drinkers stopped to stare instead. Pouting as she stepped toward a pair of free stools at the bar, Berria asked whimsically, “What, hasn’t anyone seen a black unicorn before?”
\tThe silence was broken only by her vixen’s faint titter, at least until one canid alone at a table for two, the sword belt and helmet on the other seat suggesting a night guard having breakfast before going on duty, pointed out, “No, ma’am. As far as I know, no one’s ever seen a black unicorn, and I’m pretty sure you were white when you came in.”
\tThe mare chuckled, “Point... definitely a point. Anyway, the fur’s just an illusion, since I’m not really on any official sort of duty so didn’t wear my priestess’ robe, but I always thought I looked good in black anyway.” Turning to the bartender who was finally recovering enough to resume cleaning the mug in his hands, she asked, “Could we get two bowls of that squirrel stew I smell, a few rolls, and two ales?”
\tBlinking a bit, the aproned cat put down the mug and padded toward the small hearth that kept the stew pot warm, musing, “Your... companion is also a bit odd, since not many folks in town can afford slaves and they wouldn’t come here for supper anyway. I may not have much to compare her to, but I doubt she was cheap, and no man here will complain about the view.”
\tCin glanced to her owner with a question in her eyes, and got an encouraging nod before addressing the citizen directly, “I didn’t cost her a farthing. I’d been thrown away and sure I was about to die, so I started mouthing off to my betters. As it turned out, she finds that amusing enough to keep me breathing. For now.”
\tThe off-duty guard stepped closer, still fastening his sword belt as he commented, “She may find it amusing... but I have to find the both of you rather suspicious. Followers of the dark, generally, aren’t encouraged to advertise their leanings, small towns like this aren’t used to women running around effectively naked even when justified, and, last I heard, unicorns were vegetarians, but that stew isn’t. Can either of you give me a good reason not to take you in for questioning on general principle?”
\tBerria rolled her eyes, which just earned a sterner scowl from the dog, but answered promptly enough, “I can’t be particularly specific, but one ‘good reason’ is that it’d piss off a number of folks who you’d rather not irritate. King Keesanrel was there when I... ‘obtained’ Cin here. Yesterday, I had lunch with him and the queen. The earrings I’m wearing were made while I had breakfast with Archmage Beckah and Baron Jerek. Finally, I’d be a bit irritated if I had to use one of the royal pardons I’m carrying this soon after leaving Atheria City. My odd diet is already noted on the road pass I got at the Vale border, and I expected to get at least as far as Crown Port before being arrested. The closest thing to a ‘crime’ I’m currently committing... is shaking up the thinking of everyone I meet, you included. I’m simply tired of trying to pretend to be normal, and who knows what might come of people realizing that their world-view doesn’t cover everything? They might manage something amazing, just because they no longer think of anything as being impossible.” Dinner had been delivered while she spoke, so she grabbed her bowl and took a bite, then frowned as she swallowed, “Bartender... tell your cook that cloves don’t go with squirrel. Save them for the ham; he should have used garlic this time.”
\tThe cat, to her surprise, smiled broadly, “Finally, someone noticed! Most of our regulars don’t care what’s in the stew as long as it’s filling and cheap, but the chef thinks I learned to brew ale just because I’d burn water if I tried real cooking. He may be right about me, but my sense of taste works fine, damn it! I’ll pass along the suggestion of a ‘prominent customer,’ and gladly.”
\tBoth ladies giggled at that, but the guard was shaking his head, “Your... interpretation of people’s reactions may or may not have merit. All I see is someone running around advertising that they’re contrary, whimsical, and more than a bit evil, and that they’ve evidently been rewarded for it. I’m glad to hear that you’re just passing through; if you weren’t, pardon or no, I’d have to insist you do so. They don’t pay me enough to deal with the obviously insane, so I expect you to be on your way and out of this town before noon tomorrow.”
\tBerria shared another glance with Cin, and they both rolled their eyes before digging into their meals without another glance at the trooper who was collecting his helmet on the way out.
* * *
\tAs they rode out of the town’s east gate, Berria had a chance to think about last night’s near-confrontation. The moment they’d finished dinner and returned to their room, Cin had doffed her quasi-robe and distracted her past all possibility of thought, and things hadn’t been much better before breakfast, though at least then they’d tried to be quieter about it for the comfort of any late-rising patrons in the other rooms. Only now, well-fed and with nothing but the road and horses for distractions, was the unicorn coming to realize just how close she’d come to being arrested, or at least held for questioning. In addition to the delay to her own travels, it would have been a disservice to her friends, as they were still close enough to the capitol that the captain of the town guard would probably simplify matters by sending for Pria to confirm things as Agent, an inconvenience the wolf didn’t need with two spouses and a child to occupy her.
\tHer flighty, frivolous, whimsical act that night had been a needed catharsis after her years of struggling to stay discreet but suffering mass disapproval anyway, back in the Vale, but there was also the detail that these strangers weren’t the source of her troubles, and didn’t deserve the stress of dealing with her in flaunt-it mode. By the time she and her pet passed through another small town at a lazy walk to browse its marketplace, then, she’d reversed her enchantments, appearing as a plain white equine, with her pendant tucked under the neckline of a modest enough dress. She did get a few glances from both guards and citizens, showing more envy than suspicion, simply for owning an obvious high-end pleasure slave, but that sort of attention was no problem at all, and it gave the both of them something to snicker over once they were back on the road.
\t“I think I’m finally getting the hang of this riding thing,” Cin remarked as the walls of Crown Port came into view. It was still chilly, a bit of a bite in the humid, salty breeze flowing in from the sea, but the day had dawned cloudless and sunny for a change.
\tBerria chuckled, “At least with that horse, yes... but we’ll be selling this pair, probably at that stock yard I see on this side of the wall. Horses take a lot more room on a ship than people do, and it’s usually only animal traders with breeding stock or the wealthy who can’t be bothered with petty details who take them along. I can certainly afford to, but simply trying would attract more attention than we really need today. Once we’re back on dry land, you’ll get a better idea of your current horse’s quirks in retrospect while you get used to a new one.”
\tThe vixen nodded, a faint frown on her muzzle, “I’m still... a bit ambiguous about leaving the country. My ‘act’ has been getting easier, just from practice, but there’s still a difference between pretending to be a belligerent slave and actually being a free woman who can behave as she pleases within the usual limits. Then there’s still your occasionally-dropped hint that you might kill me at some point... The fun we’ve been having, both in bed and at the public’s expense, has certainly been a lot more entertaining than what I expected when I went on duty in that club. I feel... repaid, for the unfairness of my old ma’am’s decree, so I don’t think I’d mind being sacrificed now. Balance has been attained, and I’m at peace. Your proposed change in my status, though, would throw me into fresh chaos.”
\tHer owner nodded, her expression serious, “Think on that for a while yet, then. What do you want? Weigh your feelings in the few hours we have until the evening tide. If, by that time, you honestly believe you’d rather face the Fanged One’s heaven than mortal freedom, I’ll stay one extra night, find the local hidden temple, and kill you. Either option represents something of a wrenching change, and I’m leaving it in your hands which change you suffer. If you choose to live, I’ll never mention sacrificing you again; you’ll die of mishap or old age like any other woman, but you’ll have to live as a citizen for a long time yet.”
\t“That will take some getting used to,” she nodded back, “particularly since I’d probably have to change my name. In those deep, private thoughts I shouldn’t have had, I rather liked thinking of myself as Cin the Sinner, Mistress of Naughtiness. Hmmm... don’t whores tend to assume a false, public name? In that sort of job, I could go by ‘Sin’ with the proper spelling... at least, once I learn how to read and spell.”
\tBerria had to smile to herself; whether she realized it or not, on some deep level the slave had decided to live. “We’ll have a couple hours between lunch and checking for boats with the harbormaster,” she noted, keeping her conclusion to herself. “There’s usually at least one good second-hand shop in walking distance of the docks, since sailors often sell the damnedest things for drinking money. I’ll find you a children’s primer and start teaching you to read as we sail.” Reining in, then, she pointed to the pens of horses and cattle, two men already eyeing their mounts as they guessed her purpose there, “Let’s spend a few minutes on our gear, for now. I’ve got an idea for sort of half-rolling up our saddlebags with the long lead tether, into one big pack either of us can carry, while the other can manage the rest of our bags. Don’t take off the saddles themselves, though; they’re worth a few extra silver with the horses, and I doubt either of us would enjoy hauling them through the streets.”
\tCin chuckled as she dismounted, much more gracefully than the first evening out of Atheria City when she’d landed on her well-padded rump in the dust, “I have to agree there. I hadn’t appreciated, until this moment, the convenience of having an animal to carry all our gear. I thought you were being overzealous in trimming down our load at the palace, but no, that was just foresight and greater experience showing, now that we have to carry it ourselves.”
\tThe mare nodded as she started working a saddlebag free, “Just one more lesson, at least as important as the reading, for you to learn. Despite your duties, you were sheltered from more than weather in your old role. There are a great many details to a ‘normal’ life that you’ll need to learn.”
Chapter 5
\tHer plain brown traveling cloak, donned while rearranging the luggage, served to keep Berria fairly average-looking... but the finely-wrought gold of her earrings, and her obviously-expensive slave, were enough of a discrepancy in the eyes of the gate’s senior lieutenant that she had to spend a few minutes in his office while he examined her road pass and the repeatedly-amended ownership document she’d gotten for Cin from the playclub’s records. Given her intent to leave the country, that pass was filed to be sent to the local earl’s archives and, in its place, she was issued a three-day visa as a traveling foreigner, which thankfully included her slave in the basic list of her possessions so she’d only have to deal with the single chit if questioned.
\tDespite draconian rules about litter with some fairly major punishments associated, the closer they got to the harbor itself the worse the air smelled, a blend of dead fish, rotten trash whose dumpers hadn’t realized would just come back with the next tide, and the occasional waft of foulness where a sewer canal had frozen in place to back up the flow. It was a mild surprise, if logical on reflection, that the better restaurants along the waterfront invested heavily in incense, which added an odd aftertaste to the lunch the pair stopped for, but it certainly beat the alternative.
\tAt the direction of a serving wench, their next destination was no formal office, but rather a stand of sorts, a large shack with an awning over a counter along an opening for the full length of the building’s landward side. Welcome warmth radiated from within, a large brazier burning at each end of the interior, and a sea mink with off-white, salt-frazzled fur climbed off of his stool to serve them as they approached.
\t“We need basic passage for two to just about anywhere in Drachath,” Berria told him. “Speed is no great priority, but I’d like the trip to take less than a week, so long layovers are discouraged. If no one’s heading that way tonight, I’ve got two days to spare on my visa before things get complicated.”
\tThe mink nodded, clearly pleased to have a customer who knew exactly what they wanted while leaving him room to juggle the details if needed, “Aye, ma’am, just lemme check a thing ‘r two.” His search through a large book and a sheaf of parchment sailing plans was interrupted by a commotion several piers south of the centralized office, and he leaned over the counter to peer with a frown, “Keelhaul me... not another one!”
\tA motley assortment of sailors and guards were clustered on that pier, two longshoremen hauling up a net. Even at this distance, amidst the trash and fish they could see a hint of bright russet fur tangled with dirty white. “What... what is that?” the mare asked.
\tThe seaman shook his head sadly, “It’s been happenin’ nigh two weeks now, lass... but that’s th’fourth or fifth kid they’ve fished out of th’harbor. Some of ‘em ain’t no more than babies, an’ the oldest they’ve found was ‘bout two years old. Every last one of ‘em was a meat eater, but that’s th’only clue anyone’s got, an’ even that could be a coincidence as there haven’t been many of ‘em yet. Nobody knows why they’re bein’ thrown in ‘r who’s doin’ it.”
\tThere was really only one response any Sister could make... “I’ll be back another day,” she told the man. “I can’t leave quite yet, it seems.” At his confused blink and nod, she turned on her heel and started marching back inland with a visible determination that ignored her burden of bags.
\tCin was clearly confused as she followed along, “Berria... Mistress, what does this have to do with us? You’re a priestess, not a constable!”
\tThe mare shook her head, “I can’t discuss it here... but I’m slightly more than even you know. I took an oath to help with things like this. Now, all of the lodgings right here are simple bunkhouses for sailors; the real inns are another street or two back, so let’s find one.”
\tThe inn she chose was only a marginal step up from those bunks, but it had the advantages of low prices and proximity to the sort of neighborhood no constable ever entered alone. If anyone had seen whoever had been killing children, they were probably on the dodgy side of the law themselves, and certainly wouldn’t be volunteering any information to the authorities. As they packed the clothes they were likely to immediately use into the room’s crude furnishings, and mindful of the thin walls in a building like this, Berria quietly filled her slave in on the Sisters of Order, what they stood for, and what some of the other members had done in the recent past. “I killed a man on my way to the city I found you in,” she concluded, “in my capacity as a Sister. He’d gotten acquitted for a crime he’d actually committed, so the law couldn’t touch him, but I could. That’s where the pardons I mentioned to that guard a couple nights back came from; the king’s wives are also members, and he’s prepared to forgive anything we do within the context of our oaths of service.”
\tCin’s voice was awed as she nodded her acknowledgment, “I had no idea such an organization existed... but there’s a word for people like you. You probably won’t agree with it, but it’s the only title that fits... Hero.”
\tThe priestess blinked hard, then shook her head, “You’re right, I don’t agree with that, and not only for the word’s gender-specificity. Another Sister, the one living most distant from us here, had a different phrasing for it... ‘All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’ Now, my murderous hobbies aside, I like to think I’m a fairly decent person, so what else could I do?”
\tHer vixen smiled gently, “You could do what almost every other person in the world does... throw up your hands and say there’s nothing you can do. I mean, just look at it objectively... you’re in a strange town, with no contacts and no clues; the only thing you know is that the crimes are occurring, and that’s obviously even less than the guards who are trying to solve them. No normal person would insist on helping out in such circumstances, and that, Mistress, is what makes you a heroine.”
\tBerria shrugged, “I’d argue the point, but I suppose it’s a title that can’t be self-bestowed, and if you see me as a heroine there’s nothing I can say to logically disprove it. Besides, it would waste time better spent on other things. I’ll be making a quick tour of the neighborhood just to familiarize myself with it and look for the best spots to hide from patrols or spy on others’ comings and goings from. You should probably stay behind for that, as the obvious conclusion people seeing us would come to is that you’re for rent and I’m your madame. I’ll also be putting on my black fur and robe to sneak around tonight with what I learn this afternoon, and I’m afraid you’re just a bit too soft to keep up... If you can think of some sort of exercise to do, perhaps eventually you can join me for this sort of outing.”
\tCin didn’t look happy at her exclusion, but her grudging nod showed she understood the reasoning behind it, “My legs are good for more than looks... but you’re right about the rest of me. I’ll try some quiet push-ups and sit-ups while you’re out.”
\tWaggling her brows in mock-lasciviousness, the mare cupped and hefted the slave’s heavy bosom through her robe, “Just be careful on the sit-ups, or you could bruise these on your knees. I don’t want them sore when I nuzzle them tonight before my outing.”
\tCin rolled her eyes with an indulgent smile, “Those are the only reason my exercise may pay off more quickly than most. I’ve got built-in weights! You can play with them later; don’t you have an investigation to start?”
\tLaughing softly, her owner let go with a nod and straightened her cloak on the way out, “Take care of yourself!”
* * *
\tA two-hour stroll hadn’t been nearly enough to fully explore the warren of the worst district inside the city walls, but it had certainly been educational. Berria had spotted no fewer than five of the subtle signs indicating one of Karnaal’s fences, and one crude brick wall had been even more subtly constructed so the faintly-lighter blocks, if one squinted just right, formed the inverted question mark indicating that a temple to the God of Lies was hidden nearby. It had been something of a relief to spot the fangs of her own Goddess scratched discreetly into a shadow-darkened rafter just half a block out of that particular district.
\tObserving anyone in those dark and twisted alleyways wouldn’t be easy... so, fishing her pendant out of her dress, she stepped into one of the shops marked by a black rag. The fence there was a bit leery of her necklace, but a servant of his God’s ‘sister’ was certainly more welcome than the general public, and he finally agreed to sell her a small supply of a drug she’d heard of from another Sister that would heighten her senses as well as keep her awake at night. She couldn’t use it for more than two nights without risking addiction, but the man had charged her roughly twice its value anyway so she didn’t feel like wasting money on more of it. It was almost the right time for an early supper as she stepped out, so she tucked her illegal purchase into her bloomers and headed back to the inn.
\tCin was flushed and slightly sweaty when Berria found her, resting on the bed, and despite it being the poorest cooking they’d yet encountered she devoured two large bowls of the common room’s stew. The priestess had to chuckle as she chased the dregs of the second bowl around with a slice of brown bread, “You’re serious about this exercise thing, if it left you with that sort of appetite...”
\t“Mistress,” she quietly emphasized, “I don’t like your going out alone. I know I can’t help you, that I’d only be a hindrance and a liability, but the thought of what might happen to you out there with no one to watch your back is all the motivation I need to get stronger, strong enough to help. Yes, exercising that hard hurts, but when it’s for you, pain means nothing.”
\tBerria swallowed a nibble of her own bread, her voice very serious as she murmured back, “Cin... there’s a big difference between a slave’s trained loyalty and the sort of attachment you’ve just admitted. I can’t buy devotion like that. I still plan to free you... but I swear to Kathalla that I won’t abandon you. Other than private or specialized business, for as long as you wish you may stay at my side.”
\tThe vixen fought visibly to keep from bursting into tears, her heart in her voice as she whispered, “Thank you... Mistress.”
* * *
\tBerria crept slowly across the rooftop, mindful of loose tiles and recognizing her own inexperience. Any thief worth the name would be moving two or three times as fast, but she’d never done anything quite like this before. The sound of voices grew as she neared another alley, and she paused, straining to hear past the faint ringing that vial of cloudy brandy had left in her ears. Only the occasional word or phrase drifted up; ‘roof man,’ ‘swag,’ ‘lookout.’ Frowning in the darkness, she eased herself around and crawled away. That was the second batch of thieves she’d found, in addition to three drug deals and what sounded like planning for a murder, but no one had mentioned children yet.
\tDropping carefully into a more silent alley, she considered her options... It was getting late even for the night life, and it felt like her dose was starting to wear off, too. Turning east along the cramped passage, littered with broken and rotting shipping crates, she started easing her way toward the harbor; she could watch that for perhaps thirty or forty minutes, but unless she actually saw someone carrying a child-sized bundle, the night would prove a bust.
\tThat drug helped her vision far more than her hearing; there was almost no time between her finally noticing the sound of breathing and the rise of a dimly-lit form to one side. “I don’t want to hurt you,” a quiet voice said, “but I can sense that you’re female and none too strong, and your outline suggests that you’re unarmed. All I want is a little money, not your life; please hand over your purse for both our sakes.”
\tWhat moonlight managed to seep into the alleyway suggested a hint of white fur as Berria lunged, toward the strange voice, and she only barely kept from stumbling over his bedding as she pressed him against the wall, her left hand’s fingertips suddenly warm amidst his fur and several trickles of blood. “You picked the wrong woman to say that to,” she hissed. “What you’re feeling is a set of blades under my fingernails, and if I press even a little bit harder, I can reach right into your belly and pull out your guts.”
\tThe pain of those small cuts was evident in the stranger’s voice as he stammered, “P-please... I only w-want to get out of this c-country before they find me! Please don’t k-kill me; you’re right that I made a mistake, and I won’t th-threaten you ever again!”
\t“I’m here,” the unicorn half-whispered, “merely to investigate the dead children that have recently been dredged from the harbor. I have no interest in any other of the crimes this district is rampant with. In a moment you’ll feel something against your throat that you should consider to be a Truthstone, and all I want to know from you is whether you’re involved in those deaths. If you lie about it, you will die.”
\tEven as her invisible horn settled against him where she could feel his pulse, racing with panic as it was, he gave his head a careful shake, “I haven’t ever killed anyone, children included... but there’s someone I suspect. Around here she’s called Nutswolf, or simply Batshit, because she’s crazy!”
\tHe couldn’t see Berria’s surprised blink as she sensed pain, panic, and complete honesty from him, but she kept the pressure of her horn and blades constant as she replied, “Here’s what’s going to happen... I’m going to go back through this alley and proceed to the inn I’m staying at, and you are going to follow me. You won’t cry out, you won’t try to run, and you’ll make no move to harm me. Any failure to meet these conditions will see you bleeding out in one of your home’s fragrant gutters. Do you understand me?” and she curled her fingertips slightly for emphasis.
\tThe man yelped as more of his flesh tore, and he nodded desperately, “Yes! I’ll follow you! Please don’t hurt me anymore!”
\t“Good,” she muttered, then pulled away in a quick twirl to go back the way she’d come. With only the slightest hesitation and a glance toward the harbor as he weighed his chances, the stranger followed along, though he lagged behind enough to stay out of her reach while still making his cooperation and compliance clear. It took less than ten minutes, by a more direct route than her earlier wanderings, to reach the inn, and she stopped at the shuttered window where a single candle’s light seeped through. Rapping one bladeless fingernail against the wood, she murmured at just above a whisper, “It’s me, and a... guest,” before turning to the man in question, “You climb in first.”
\tIn the slightly better light of this neighborhood, she could finally make out that he was some sort of canid in shape, dressed in many layers of ragged, torn clothes against the cold, and he swallowed visibly before nodding, “Yes, ma’am.”
\tCin rubbed her eyes with one hand while lighting more candles with the other, clearly having been dozing by the window before waking to open it, and she peered curiously at the stranger as she completed her circuit of the room... He wasn’t just any canid; he was a wolf, and his dirty fur was pale enough to suggest it would be white if he were clean. “Mistress? Is this... is this the one who...”
\tBerria shook her head as she closed the shutters again, “No, but he might know who did. Let’s see what we can do about the gashes in his belly, then ask a few questions.”
\tThe man shook his head as he sank onto a crude chair, “No need, ma’am. Just... just give me a moment.” Both ladies looking on in confusion, he leaned back, laid both his hands over the bloody cloth at his midsection, and closed his eyes, brow furrowed in concentration, then an expression of even greater pain wrinkling his muzzle. Just short of two minutes later, he relaxed, opened his eyes, and managed a wry grin as he panted slightly, “Whatever you had on your fingers was very sharp. It cut cleanly, making it easy to fix the wounds; the biggest danger I was in was from infection from my own filth.”
\tShaking her head in mild wonder, Berria sat on the edge of the bed to start turning off her enchantments, “You’re a healer... What’s someone with a gift like yours doing, living as you were? You should be in a fine house where people pay you good silver and gold for your aid, not living rough and waylaying shadowy figures for copper.”
\tIt took the wolf a long moment to recover enough to reply, at first simply staring with bulging eyes at her suddenly-white fur and the spiral of her horn where it poked out of the slit she’d cut in her black robe’s cowl. Giving himself a shake, then, he looked down and murmured, “My name is Elaric... and mystic talents crop up fairly frequently in my family. You’ve probably heard of my uncle, the wizard who tried to single-handedly conquer Southwall, and nearly succeeded. That family and I, though, we... have a difference of opinion. I was never a willing part of their spying or other crimes, though I’m sure some of the documents I was given no choice but to courier were highly illegal. I didn’t like them, I didn’t want to help them, but even with something like your Truthstone, I couldn’t say I didn’t participate in their treason. The magistrates would insist that I should have delivered those packets to them, not their addressee, proving complicity enough on my part, but they don’t know... how much pain a wizard can make someone feel while keeping them alive and externally healthy. When someone finally managed to stop my uncle, I was thrilled, but cautious; I knew they’d be looking for his relatives even more intently than when my grand-uncle the duke fell from grace. I couldn’t even stick around to watch that torturing bastard hang; I threw whatever was handy into a bag, got on my horse, and fled. I couldn’t use my gift to make a living, as it would make me too prominent, too visible... but I didn’t really know how to do anything else, and my life’s been getting steadily worse for nearly a year now. I’ve sold everything of value I had, and begging on the wharfs doesn’t pay well enough to even eat reliably. I only accosted you, ma’am, because my healer’s senses suggested you weren’t much of a threat, and I was getting desperate...”
\tThe unicorn didn’t need her horn to see the honesty in his eyes, to hear the hope in his voice that someone might finally listen to and believe him... “I understand,” she finally murmured, “why you want out of Atheria... and I was planning to take a ship to Drachath, myself. Help me find this child-killer, and I’ll take you with me. I still don’t agree with the methods you were driven to, as robbing someone you thought was helpless sounds a lot like your uncle’s way of doing things, but if you can aid my mission I’ll do what I can to help you start your life over.”
\tHer guest shook his head, “If you’d been as helpless as I thought, and carrying a heavy purse, I’d have left you unharmed and with your gold, taking only two or three coppers. I’m not evil, just... hungry.” Glancing up, he quirked a brow, “And besides, I always thought unicorns were fairly gentle, peaceful creatures. You really would have ripped my guts out with your bare hand, though, wouldn’t you have?”
\tHer vixen giggling softly, Berria simply smirked and made sure he could see the little blades she was plucking out from beneath her nails, “I’m probably the most evil good person you’ll ever meet. Yes, I occasionally solve or avenge crimes against the innocent, but I do it my way, and I would have enjoyed the feel of your entrails in my grasp.” There were still a few hours before winter’s late dawn, so she started getting ready for bed, taking off her earrings and setting them aside, but she made sure to face Elaric as she took off her necklace. “I’m a priestess of Kathalla,” she told the wide-eyed wolf, “and every rumor you’ve heard about my kind is probably at least partially true. I kill people, I enjoy it, and I frequently eat at least part of them afterwards.”
\tThe wolf nodded slowly, then paused, blinking as he looked to Cin, “I know you mostly do that to slaves... but surely you wouldn’t kill this beautiful vixen!”
\tFingering her collar with a grin, Cin shook her head, “No... she swore to her Goddess to keep me as a lover. I would follow her anywhere, do anything she asked, even if she asked me to die, because she’s the best Mistress, and the best person, I’ve ever known. When we get to Drachath I’ll be a free woman, but, collar or no, I’ll always be hers.”
\tNodding with a chuckle of her own, Berria slipped out of her robe and sat on the bed to work her boots off in just her skimpy shift, “For tonight, since you’ve had just a bit more rest than me, I ask that you keep my dagger nearby, and if you hear Elaric trying to leave and I’m still asleep, stab him a few times for me, would you dear?”
\tPicking up the sheathed blade that she’d once been certain would take her own life, the vixen nodded, “Yes, Mistress,” then glanced over to the wolf. “Let’s get a bedroll spread out for you... We’ll see about getting you cleaned up in the morning; as you are now, you stink too much to let anywhere near our bed.”
\tNodding wryly, Elaric agreed, “In my hypothetical robbery, I’d have stolen two coppers for food... and one for a bath. I’m not enjoying my... aroma any more than you are.”
* * *
\t“There she is,” Elaric murmured. The trio was peering out of the very alley he’d previously called home, watching a perfectly average-looking wolf in her late teens stringing up damp laundry to dry. “Don’t let her semblance fool you... as it has so many passers-by. I pity her, really... She suffered two very different pressures, both extreme, and the combination broke her mind. The few times I was close enough to, I could sense something wrong in her brain. Her father, before he drank himself to death, frequently ranted to her about how wolves are the best of all species’, how they’re at the top of the food chain, and stronger, and smarter, and just about any other form of superiority you could name. The second trauma... was when she was fourteen, got pregnant, and miscarried. I wasn’t here at the time, but it’s agreed that it was a perfectly natural accident, that time. Now, she’s obsessed with the concept of breeding up more ‘superior’ wolves. She’s been using herbs to go into heat three or four times a year, and she can usually find some lupine who doesn’t know her who’s happy to take a willing bitch, knowing that he’ll be gone on the next tide so any pups are her problem, not his. She’s tried her tricks on me a couple times... but I’d been warned. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, getting away from her when her scent made me want to stay. Once she finds someone and gets pregnant, though, she has no patience, and keeps trying different drugs or herbs or diets, anything she thinks might make her child grow faster, with the fairly predictable result that she keeps losing them.”
\tBerria nodded beside him and whispered, “Sounds like a mess, alright... What makes you think she’s also a murderer, though?”
\tThe white wolf, much whiter now that he’d bathed, and wearing one of Cin’s clean, spare robes since he was only two inches taller than her, grimaced, “Illnesses of the mind are rarely static... They evolve, the sufferer’s traumas playing upon each other, forming new, bad connections... Many customers of her laundry service have mentioned her muttering about ‘competition,’ about folks ‘unworthy to call themselves predators.’ In what passes for logic in her mind, it’s a fairly short leap from improving wolves’ lot by breeding more of them, to simply reducing the number of non-wolves around, and she still has her obsession with babies clouding the mix. The little ones would be an obvious target, to her.”
\tNodding again, the mare straightened, “I’m mostly convinced, though I’ll check before taking action. You two stay here. If... if we’re separated, just go back to the inn, and I’ll be back to join you soon enough. I promise.” Vixen and wolf both looked a bit confused at her phrasing, but she focused instead on the laundry girl, stepping out of the alley and walking right up to her. “Have you been... culling your inferiors lately?” she asked in a direct appeal to the neuroses she’d been told of.
\tThe bitch looked up with a blink, then smiled brightly, “Why, yes! I’m sure you can appreciate that, as prey, wishing to fall to only the best... Are you here to offer me your throat? I must admit to curiosity, as I’ve never had a unicorn, but horses are certainly good meat.”
\tShrugging with apparent nonchalance as the innocent-looking girl failed a very important test, Berria mused, “Might as well. I mean, we’ve all gotta go sometime, right? Why wait until I’m too old and stringy to enjoy?”
\tDropping a bundle of wet shirts back into the laundry tub, the wolf’s smile was warm as she leaned close, “Thank you, and this will be quick.”
\t“That it will,” the mare agreed in a much harder voice, one hand darting up to grab the wolf’s own throat, holding her half hunched over as her other hand brought up the gleaming curve of her dagger. A peasant dress and a couple layers of linen shifts were no barrier to that edge, stabbing up through her lower belly then ripping up ‘til it hit her ribcage. Blood fell like rain around a torrent of entrails, steaming in the cool morning air, and even with the grip at her throat the girl screamed. Reversing her dagger and dropping it into her brown cloak’s sleeve, Berria reached through the gaping wound and slightly to one side, finding the slick, oblong shape of a kidney and getting a good grip before tearing it free. Any of the ‘filter’ organs, she knew, had enough blood flowing through them to guarantee that the loss would be fatal, but it wouldn’t be nearly as quick as that stallion in Atheria City had bled out. Dropping the organ and letting go of her throat, the unicorn spun away, letting her victim fall into a whining, writhing heap atop her own intestines. With the ‘insurance’ of that lost kidney, there was no way a healer could save her in time; she’d be dead in another minute or two, and in agony the whole time.
\tGuards had started running in from the both directions along the narrow street at the sound of the first scream, and they arrived, swords drawn, to find a unicorn of all things, a smile on her face and her cloak splattered with blood, one of her hands completely red as she calmly sheathed her dagger.
\t“Do any of you,” the suspect asked, “have a signature verifier on you, for official documents? This woman... is the one who’s been throwing children into the bay, and was also in the process of trying to kill me when I... returned the favor. I’ll need to speak directly to either your earl or the highest military commander of the city, and the fact that my earrings are signed like an official warrant would be is the first step in getting that meeting.”
\tTwo lieutenants exchanged a glance, then one of them replied with a hint of hesitancy, “I have something like that in my office... We’ll see how much of your story checks out there, but for now,” and he straightened up, “you’re under arrest for assault... no, murder. I think that girl just stopped breathing. Please surrender your knife and any other weapons you might have, and come with me; you seem cooperative enough for the moment, so we’ll skip the manacles, unless you try to run or touch a weapon after you’re disarmed.”
\tChuckling, she held her dagger out hilt-first, “This is all I have on me... but it was enough this time.”
Chapter 6
\tElaric was walking as if half numb as he followed Cin back toward the inn, muttering, “I can’t believe it... either part! She just walked up and gutted Batshit like a fish, then stood around to let the guards arrest her!”
\tThe vixen’s voice was like no slave’s he’d ever heard; it was firm, husky with the echoes of barely-restrained passion as she insisted, “My Mistress... is an amazing person in so many ways. Did she look worried about the constables? Though she’ll deny it to anyone who asks, she’s a heroine, greater than any of the heroes in the tales I overheard my old Master reading to his children. She’s no great warrior, or thief or mage or anything else of the sort, but she knows herself as few people do. Her spirit is indomitable; she’ll never turn a blind eye to true evil, and never hesitate in dealing with it as it deserves. That’s her job; she’s a Sister of Order, sworn to the good of the common man wherever she may roam. She promised she’d return, and her very confidence is why she will. A hero always comes home...”
\tThe wolf nodded slowly as he walked, managing to relax enough to show a hint of lupine grace once more, “I... I think I envy you, that she’s let you see that spirit of hers to that degree. I look forward to getting to know her better, even if it’s only for a few days on a ship, and I think my life will be the poorer for having known her and parted ways, however much better it may be in other ways once I’m truly free.”
* * *
\tBerria did her best to maintain her pleasant, cooperative demeanor as she was led to yet another office. The lieutenant had sent her to his watch captain, who’d shuffled her to a naval commodore, but if she was reading the lettering on the office door right, she was about to meet the high admiral of the Atherian navy. It didn’t help her patience that the captain had ordered her shackled for the ‘safety’ of the other officers.
\tThe silver-muzzled, elderly wolf who was gazing through the window at the sea glanced up at the clink of chains, frowning faintly as he took in the two militia sergeants flanking the door as their obviously-harmless prisoner took a seat on her own volition. Swiveling his larger chair around, he folded his hands on his desk, “So, Berria, as a rather odd report names you... they tell me you have something to say to me, that will somehow magically absolve you of murder, or convince us that a harmless laundry girl was in fact a multiple murderer herself. I’ve seen and heard a lot of things in my time, but this should impress even me if you can manage all that.”
\tHis prisoner simply smirked, “Oh, no magic... just documentation. At your rank and in your position, I know that you hold a copy of the Red Files. Contingency plans, emergency procedures, things that not even you know the contents of until the time is right. Well, it’s time for you to open the file labeled S. O. One. I believe you’ll find quite the interesting document in there about me, and it’s in the context of my role as described there that I investigated the seamy underside of the city, found an informant who knew who was most suspect, then questioned her. She effectively confessed before I exacted punishment on the spot.”
\tFrowning slightly, the admiral pried himself out of his chair and stepped over to lift down a large painting from the wall, behind which was an iron door. As he fished a key out of his pocket to open it, he rumbled, “Very few people know that the Red Files even exist... and even fewer would know one by name. The first test of your hinted authority will be whether there even is one labeled... oh.” One quadrant of the safe’s contents consisted of parchment envelopes dyed bright red, and he’d just, indeed, found one with ‘SO1’ on it in royal purple ink. Extracting that one and putting the rest back, he left the door open for a moment to return to his chair and start leafing through its contents, “Elaria, Stalya, wait, Queen Serra?!? Great Gods... ah, here we are, Berria.” He read in silence for a long moment, then flipped back to the cover page describing the Sisters in general and his official, standing orders should one reveal herself to him, then looked up to address the guards, “Unchain this young lady at once. She is free to go, and you can tell the watch colonel that the case of the drowned babies is closed. If a Sister of Order says she knows who did it, and that person is dead, continuing the investigation would be a religious and diplomatic insult of the first order.” Turning back to the mare, he smiled faintly, “I apologize for the discomfort and inconvenience we’ve inflicted upon you this day, but I’m sure you realize that it was necessary, given the secrecy of your rank. If any lesser authority could easily find out who and what you are, it wouldn’t stay a secret for long.”
\tHolding her hands to one side so the sergeant could unlock her shackles, Berria nodded with a smile of her own, “I do understand... My only worry, this day, was that a ‘lesser authority’ might refuse to escalate my case as high as I needed, in which case my fallback plan was to tell them where I’m staying so they could take my possessions into custody, where they’d find a royal pardon with my name on it.”
\tThe old wolf’s smile broadened, “Exactly the sort of sound strategy I’d expect, from the sort of woman this file describes.” He started repacking the envelope to return to the safe, “In any case, thank you very much for your service to this great city. Parents of young cubs were living in agonizing terror as they kept vanishing, and my officers had been beset by frantic mothers just because someone was a few minutes late getting home. I’m glad we can put that all behind us, now. You are free to go, while I must have a word or two with these soldiers about what might befall them if they breathe a single word of what they’ve seen and heard here, today...”
* * *
\tBerria had barely opened the door to her room when she was almost bowled over by an ecstatic Cin, the vixen planting kisses all over her face and neck. She angled her muzzle to catch her pet’s after the ninth or tenth peck, locking lips with her for a long, deep, proper kiss, then slipped an arm around her waist to pull her fully into the room, musing with a smile, “I told you I’d be back... I’ll need to catch a late lunch downstairs, as I missed mine while arguing with officers, then we can get around to that book shopping I didn’t get to yesterday. We can catch a ship tomorrow, the last day my visa’s good for. ”
\tBoth of her companions nodded, Elaric commenting, “Cin was certain you’d return... but she certainly seems happy to be proven right. Confidence or no, this wasn’t the easiest wait for either of us.”
\tThe priestess gave her vixen another squeeze, “I know... My only regret about the whole situation was making my lover wait, wondering if I was alright.”
\tCin didn’t seem to want to let go, now that her Mistress was back, her voice on the verge of tears, laughter, or both as she returned the hug, “I won’t worry nearly so much, next time... but you have to admit, this time was a bit more serious than you simply stepping out to explore! Obviously, you found one of the high officials you insisted that first guard take you to. I’m... I’m glad,” and she leaned in to kiss her again.
\tTheir lupine guest chuckled, “So am I... and not just for your return. I’m happy to have played some part in ending a horror in this town; it makes me feel less like a beggar or refugee, and more like a man. A life without accomplishment is no life at all, really...”
\tChuckling as well, Berria shook her head, “I’d argue that it’s a life without satisfaction that’s empty. You can do things that others value but still bore yourself to tears, and that’s what I want to avoid. Now, I’ll grab a quick bowl of stew here, but we should also plan to shop for meat pies and travel rolls tomorrow, and some clothes and something to carry them in for Elaric, since he can’t go borrowing a woman’s robe forever. The food is because we can’t tell just what kind of ship we’ll be on; its galley could end up being even worse than this inn’s kitchen, which is a risk I’d rather not take. There’s no real rush on any of these plans except my own, immediate hunger, but we shouldn’t dawdle either. We should have plenty of time to get everything done before tomorrow’s evening tide, but we dare not miss it, and I’ll be going white but hornless just to avoid confusing the sailors.”
\t“Wise as ever, Mistress,” Cin agreed with a grin as she let go and opened the door again..
* * *
\tBerria frowned at the passenger cabin as the deck hand who’d led them to it returned to duty. It was, she knew, fairly generous for a merchantman where the bulk of the internal volume was dedicated to cargo, but she’d been at least expecting bunks. The room was only about six feet deep, but it was twice that long, a sturdy-looking cot set up at each end and hooks set into the walls to support hammocks that they didn’t have. A half-remember story surfaced, and she glanced at the legs of the cots, then turned to her roommates, “Looks like those are a rarity for naval furniture, as they’re not bolted to the floor. Neither is large enough to sleep two, so I was thinking we could fold them up and just lay out sleeprolls. If we tuck spare robes or cloaks between the blankets, we can turn one end of the cabin into a single large bed that won’t be too uncomfortable.”
\tElaric nodded with a frown of his own, “I’d been about to suggest that I take a bedroll on the floor and you two use the cots. I’m sort of extra baggage on this trip, after all.”
\tThe unicorn shook her head, “Neither of us would like sleeping apart, but we couldn’t put the cots together either. Their rods would make a most uncomfortable lump in the middle, and there’s too much chance of sliding them apart in the night and one of us falling through. We could fold one cot, I suppose, and share the floor while you use the other one...” She glanced over to Cin, “Or should we stick with the big bed plan for all three of us? He cleaned up well enough that I wouldn’t mind. What about you?”
\tThe wolf blinked in mild shock as the vixen looked him up and down, her tongue peeking out as it slid across her lips. He’d already been surprised at just how many, and how good of, clothes the pair who owed him nothing had bought on his behalf. The snug breeches and loose blouse he was wearing was one of the most comfortable outfits he’d ever had, and in his large knapsack were more, along with two white robes for when he started practicing as a healer again. He knew he cut a fairly fine figure, dressed as he was... but it had never been his looks that noble girls had been after him for. These two, though, were judging by simple lust, with no thought of the political connections he’d been pursued for before his family’s fall.
\tThe slave nodded to her Mistress, “I wouldn’t mind either. Your fingers are skilled, and your tongue is frankly huge by vulpine standards, but knots are fun too. I heard the captain’s warning that we should stay either in the cabin or well out of the way on the foredeck... As long as we keep the portholes open during the warmer hours of the day to keep the room aired, there are certainly better ways to pass the time than just sit around watching the coast slip by.”
\tBerria nodded back, “Well, we should spend some time doing that anyway... since fresh water is limited to drinking on the ship. We won’t be able to bathe until we make port. If we spend the entire trip having sex, fresh air or no, we’ll be fairly rank and probably itching in uncomfortable places by that time. Besides, we still have reading lessons to see to as well.” Moving farther into the cabin, she set down her burden of bags and packs and started extracting blankets, “Fold up those cots and lean them against the hull, would you, Elaric?”
\tThe healer was briefly amused, as he worked, by the minor detail that neither lady had asked his opinion of the proposed sleeping arrangements... but their assumptions, however high-handed they might be, were accurate enough. Both women were older than him, the slave only marginally, but each was certainly attractive in her own way, and it had been long enough since he’d had even an insincere lover that he’d have accepted an offer from far worse than these two.
\tIt didn’t take long for the ladies to set out one large blanket, a layer of spare clothes, their three narrow sleeping pads side by side, and two more blankets, one to smooth out the rest of the nest and another to sleep under. Even as she latched the cabin door then reached for the ties of her cloak, Berria commented, “Remember the horn, both of you. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there, and I don’t want anyone skewering themselves while changing positions, even if we do have a healer handy,” and she grinned at the wolf before hauling her travel-wear up and off.
\t“Actually,” Elaric rumbled, reaching for his own blouse ties, “I have a confession to make on that subject, one that I never told my family or they’d have tried to get me to use the one unique aspect of my gift for evil...” Both ladies looked curious as they continued taking off their layers of winter clothes, and Cin’s bosom was particularly distracting as it moved with her contortions, but he made himself continue, “Any healer can be fed by a mage, vastly increasing their abilities. Everyone has that sort of power in them, but it’s like a muscle, getting stronger with exercise, so healers or wizards have effectively more than ordinary people. There’s something about my gift, though, that may or may not be unique, but my tutors never once mentioned it even as a possibility, so at the very least it’s incredibly rare... I can take power not just from the magically inclined, but from anyone, with or without their consent. I know it will leave them tired; I think it might leave them comatose, or even dead, if I kept taking and taking... but, for as long as we travel together, I felt you should know about the possibility in case one of us is injured. Even a mortal wound, if I start stabilizing it with my own internal energy while you gather a large crowd of regular folks for me to draw on; I’d have a good chance of saving someone who no other healer would dare try to help.”
\tBerria’s eyes were a bit wide as she nodded, “Thank you for trusting us with that secret... and, while I know a great deal about powers of all sorts, you’re right in how rare you are, as I’ve never heard of the possibility either. Healing has always been a very specific, specialized gift, but what you have could also be used as a weapon.” She paused to ease down her bloomers, catching sight of the vixen behind her staring and licking her lips, and grinned at her from between her own legs before looking up again, “For now, though, powers are unimportant. We’ve got better things to focus on, so drop the breeches, puppy!”
\tThe wolf blinked, then smirked as he sat down to peel off his pants. “You’ll need a different endearment,” he mused wryly, gesturing at the erection that had just been waiting for release from its confinement to fully firm up, “as this is not the tool of a cub!”
\tBoth ladies’ eyes widened at the swelling shaft. He wasn’t quite as big as the only other wolf Berria had seen ‘in action,’ the legendary Sir Ferrl, but he was still distinctly above-average even by lupine standards at ten inches counting his knot, and the shaft proper was not thin. Cin licked her lips more blatantly, one hand dipping almost unconsciously to stroke her own groin, and she practically purred, “Mistress... can we keep him? That looks delicious, in more ways than one...”
\tNodding absently, the unicorn couldn’t stop staring, “If... if he’ll let us. My kind may be built to take stallions, but I’m going to need a bit of practice to fit all of that in comfortably.” Wrenching her gaze upwards, she grinned to him directly, “And your point is well taken. You’re no puppy, alright! You are a pure and virile wolf!” She patted the blanket next to her, “Come, join us, and let’s see what that beast of yours can do...”
\tThere was no sign of the frightened beggar-turned-robber Berria had met in that dark alley, now. A young man faced with two naked, ready females knew exactly what to do, and he eased down between them, leaning to one side to nuzzle his way between Cin’s breasts while a hand reached the other way, cupping one of the mare’s smaller teats in passing before stroking down her soft-furred belly, a happy sigh escaping her muzzle as she spread her thighs a bit. Neither of the ladies were inexperienced themselves, though, and their hands bumped as they both reached for his cock, eliciting two giggles and a barked laugh.
\t“I get it first,” Berria said huskily, arching her hips to stroke her moist folds against his exploring fingers.
\tHer pet pouted, but nodded, “Then I get his muzzle.” Four hands eased Elaric onto his side, the mare curling up against his belly with her rumpcheeks around his shaft, while the vixen felt around to be sure of where her invisible horn was, then eased one leg under the wolf’s neck, working her inflamed petals closer to the tongue that was already licking his lips in anticipation. Berria hissed in satisfaction as that blunt head nudged up against her mound, squirming a bit until the angle was just right, then bit her own lip as she eased back and felt herself being stretched open.
\tElaric’s own sigh of pleasure lasted only a second before being muffled by Cin’s sex, but he wasn’t about to complain; instead he licked firmly, parting her folds to savor her fragrant nectar from its very source, and her thrumming murr seemed to warm the cabin’s air a bit more by itself. Their positions made thrusting a challenge, but it was one he was up to, pressing in until his hips met Berria’s rump then withdrawing, and the mare only added to her slave’s sounds of pleasure as she bent forward far enough to capture a nipple between her lips, gently suckling as a happy shiver ran through her own body.
\tAs pleasant an experience as their interlocked, writhing bundle of bodies were, all three were privately thinking of better positions for future times, at least when thought was possible; the wolf’s broad tongue and thick shaft, as well as the unicorn’s snug, moist, and faintly fluttering passage, that last detail just getting ‘worse’ as her pleasure rose, all did as they were intended, and it wasn’t long before three muffled cries of pleasure got buried in the blankets, Elaric’s restrained howl last of all, and he finally pulled his muzzle out from between Cin’s thighs to blink, “That was good... but it felt like the whole ship lurched. Is vertigo a common side-effect of sleeping with unicorns?”
\tChuckling from the vicinity of her pet’s cleavage, Berria shook her head, “No... that was just a coincidence. We just slipped the moorings and are underway.”
\t“Ah!” he nodded, extracting himself from russet thighs to sit up, “and a lovely way it was to start a voyage, too... if a bit awkward. I think, for future play, we should declare one or the other of you a sandwich, and simply keep you occupied at both ends in a straight line, rather than this tangle.”
\tCin nodded with a bright smile, “I was thinking the same thing! ‘specially since it’d be my turn to be the one in the middle for a proper stuffing while I lick your seed out of Mistress’ depths... just as soon as you recover.”
\tElaric smirked, reaching down to cup a hand around his half-softened sex and his eyes sinking closed to slits for just a few seconds before his dusky flesh twitched and started firming up again. “There are benefits,” he rumbled in something between amusement and lust, “to being a healer, already used to effectively accelerating a body’s recovery process for normal wounds. If it weren’t for the issues we already raised about hygiene and smell, I could go, quite literally, all day long.”
\t“If we get somewhere where you can, I’ll have to ask you to prove that someday,” Berria nodded even as she disentangled herself from him to take her new position at the head of the nest-like ‘bed,’ “but for now...”
\tWolf and vixen grinned almost identically as they got into line, and once again words became superfluous.
* * *
\tHer companions already settling down to sleep, Berria climbed the narrow steps to the deck for a breath of brisk sea air before her own rest. The night lamps of the ship were bright, needing to be seen even through fog to avoid collisions with other vessels, so she had no trouble maneuvering around the masts and rigging to the foredeck she’d been told to use, settling onto the weathered planks next to one of the night watchmen of the crew.
\t“Evenin’, ma’am,” the otter greeted her cordially enough.
\tThe mare nodded, “A good evening to you, too, sailor,” then turned to the right, no, starboard she mentally corrected herself, rail to watch the distant lights of a coastal town move slowly to the aft. She sighed softly, “I’ll have to come up here during the day, tomorrow... I never realized how lovely a sea voyage could be, even at night, and I’m sure it would be even better under the sun.”
\tThe deck hand nodded, a faint smile on his whiskered muzzle, “Aye... Ye’ve got that right, an’ ye probably don’ know th’half of it. Th’sea, she c’n be treacherous if ye turn yer back on ‘er. Reefs, crosstides, pirates, e’en an unexpected gust sendin’ ye over th’side, only constant vigilance’ll keep ye hale an’ sound... but a calm eve like this, th’salt in yer nostrils an’ the waves gently lappin’ at th’hull, this makes it worth all th’rest.”
\t“It’s certainly peaceful,” she agreed, then tilted her head, “Wait... I hear splashing, more solidly than those ‘gentle waves,’ and... squeaks? Clicks?”
\tChuckling, the sailor stood, legs wide as he easily compensated for the roll of the ship, and beckoned her to follow as he moved toward the very front railing, “Ye’ve never heard dolphins at play? They like t’swim alongside ships, as a lot of what we call trash they call a good snack, an’ ‘tis considered a good omen to have ‘em with ye on a voyage.”
\tFollowing him a bit more carefully, as she still hadn’t quite found her sea legs, Berria got a good grip on the railing then leaned over to look down. Her eyes widened at the lamp-lit sight; sleek, slick gray forms, slightly lighter on their undersides, were surging from the foamy wake where the keel cut the water, bigger than any fish she’d ever seen and frequently crossing each other with an extra thrust from their strong tailfins. They were playing, she realized, and the odd sounds they made, once she’d heard them for a while, seemed an awful lot like laughter. “Fish... that play games. If you’d described them to me before tonight, my good man, I’d have called you a liar to your face. This is... amazing, and thank you for showing it to me.”
\tSmiling, the otter shook his head, “They ain’t fish, not exactly; they breathe air, through those holes in th’top of their domes, an’ I’m told they ain’t built like a fish inside, but I’ve never seen fer m’self. ‘tis mortal bad luck t’hurt one of ‘em, an’ ye’d not want t’scare off th’rest anyway. Y’see, if a sailor goes over an’ there’s dolphins about, they’ll save ‘im, pushin’ ‘im up to keep ‘is head above water, an’ lettin’ ‘im hold their fins as they drag ‘im back to th’ship, ‘r toward shore if he’s wrecked in open water.” Reaching for a bucket on the deck she hadn’t noticed, he pulled out a small fish and tossed it toward the playful group, one graceful form leaping in a perfect arc to catch it in their beak four feet before it touched the water. His passenger simply staring, the sailor grinned, “We always try t’keep a treat or two for ‘em, as there’s many a good seaman who owes his life t’phins just like those.”
\tBerria smiled and nodded once more, “Again, my thanks. I go now to my rest, with my sense of wonder refreshed. There is always more to this world than we presently believe, something new and amazing to touch our hearts and souls and remind us how lucky we are to be alive.”
* * *
\tAs they were waking up and getting dressed, an activity frequently delayed by a grope or quick lick at any tempting piece of anatomy their cramped-quarter contortions offered, neither of her companions believed a word of her description of the playful dolphins. That, of course, led to her insisting that they dress warmly enough for a winter picnic, and they dragged one of their bags of provisions up to the foredeck to dine. The wind was a bit fitful, with frequent, small adjustments needed to the triangular sails amidships, and the wheel deck to the aft was also busy, but the combination only proved the logic behind the captain’s orders. The three landlubbers, out of the way at the prow, were able to avoid interfering with the seamen as they sat and ate, all eyes rapt on the energetic creatures escorting the ship.
\tThe pod of dolphins thinned a bit as the trio ‘cleaned up’ by tossing their scraps over the side. Some of that food, of course, the larger creatures ate, but mere crumbs were snatched up by smaller fish... who, naturally, were eaten in turn by the dolphins themselves. By the light of the clear winter day the travelers could see a fair depth into the water, and they all had a laugh at the multi-stage meal taking place beneath the waves.
\tBetween the wildlife and the distant shoreline, fishing villages looking like a child’s toys at this range, the mismatched group stayed entertained until it was time to eat again, small meat pies and rolls baked with winter berries dug out again along with a skin of cider. The somewhat worn stomach of a cow, sealed at one end and corked at the other, lent an odd tang to the lightly-fermented juice, but that fermentation itself was vital for any beverage that had to stay potable for days or weeks. Unless a source of fresh water was available that could be absolutely trusted, those of large cities employing their local mages to keep it clean, the drinks of even children were mildly alcoholic for simple safety, and things like that cider were mild enough that none of the threesome were even slightly inebriated as they climbed back down the stairs to enjoy themselves in play and lessons for the rest of the afternoon. Though the season remained late winter, Elaric in particular, having been born the farthest north of all of them, could feel it getting gradually warmer as they sailed south. Even with the porthole windows open to keep the air fresh, they were more than warm enough as they made love atop the blankets in their cabin, before closing them to cracks and cuddling up beneath a single blanket to share the warmth of their bodies throughout the night.
Chapter 7
\tElaric gave each of his new ‘friends’ a kiss as he tied the sash of his robe, but didn’t linger in the cabin. Both the vixen and the disguised unicorn often woke up feeling playful, which had certainly been pleasant to take advantage of on other mornings, but he’d made himself a promise last night while they clung to each other as the ship rolled and bucked. He spotted the first mate on deck as he climbed into the open air, and had to smile as the man paused and blinked. “Yes,” he confirmed, “I’m a healer... and I wanted to see if my services might be required. I won’t ask for a farthing, instead considering it fair repayment for how you and the rest of the crew got us safely through the storm last night. There are bound to be a few bruises and scrapes I can help with, or at least make sure they don’t end up infected.”
\tThe muscular rabbit nodded thoughtfully, “Aye, we’ve a cut or two from last night’s excitement... but mayhap it’d be better if you held off.” He gestured in a wide arc, “These be the most dangerous waters of yer trip, and there might be something a mite more serious for you to deal with before we’re through.”
\tBlinking curiously, the wolf peered around. Instead of the open ocean with land to starboard they’d enjoyed watching for the first three days, now there seemed to be a small or medium island almost everywhere he looked.
\t“If ye know geography, then ye know there be a mountain on the shore o’ Northlook, wi’ a smaller one t’the sou’west,” the sailor went on. “‘tis but the tip of a whole range o’ mountains, but the land don’t stop just because the water starts. These islands be the peaks of those mountains, with good, deep water between, so ‘tis easy enough to navigate, but also easy fer those of fell intent to hide. A wider gap between those peaks, off to the east, has a name even lubbers be recognizin’... Black Gulf. The kings an’ their navies, they do their best to clean the pirates out now and then, but it’s been a few years.”
\tElaric nodded, his expression grim, “That explains the hut by the wheel deck... Before that storm drove us below last night, I noticed when a gust blew aside the tarp. Swords and strung bows, kept handy but protected from the sea spray. In any case, your point is well taken; I’ll save my energy in case there’s a worse need for it later.”
\tEven as the mate nodded back, a voice called down from the crow’s nest, “Sail, ho! Port and fore!”
\t“Barnacles!” the rabbit swore. “’twould be port... This leg o’ our course, only trouble comes from that direction. Get ye to the ladies, lad, and keep ‘em safe!”
\tThe wolf couldn’t remember actually touching the stairs in his rush to the passenger cabin. “We’ve got trouble,” he said even as he stuck his head through the door. “The lookout just spotted a ship, and according to the first mate it’s probably pirates. Now, I’m no expert at navigation, but it’s a bit ahead of us, which I think means there’s no way to get this lumbering tub turned around to run, not with the wind coming from due north. They’ll be slowed down, tacking at an angle, but they’ll almost certainly catch up, and even if we pile on the canvas to outrun them, once they’re in line with the wind any pirate would be presumably faster than us.”
\tBerria pulled her head out from between Cin’s legs, blinking as she licked her lips clean, “Sounds like you’ve been paying more attention to the sailors than I have... Your description of the situation and our options sounds logical enough, anyway.” Rolling over, she reached for one of her bags, “Cin? Let’s at least get dressed so we aren’t obvious rape-bait for any unfriendly boarders, and I’ll put on my last set of nail-blades just in case.”
\tThe vixen nodded, outwardly calm but with very wide eyes and a hint of raggedness to her breath. She reached first for the pair of underdrawers she’d gotten while shopping in Crown Port but had never actually worn, noting, “In those tales I overheard from my old Master, even I could tell that the pirate adventures had been toned down for children’s entertainment... What can we really expect?”
\tBerria simply blinked and shrugged, as she’d been born in a landlocked country she’d never previously left.
\tNoticing, Elaric volunteered, “It depends on the pirates... From what I heard around the docks, the relatively ‘nice’ ones take hostages. The crew will be held for the bond the captain posted in the ship’s home port, if he posted one. Passengers will be questioned to see who, if anyone, will pay well for their safe return, and anyone without a patron will be enslaved, usually sold or traded among other pirates though it’s not unknown to be forced to sign a ‘voluntary’ enslavement contract under Drachath’s rules.”
\tNodding, Cin swallowed hard then asked, “And... and the not-nice ones?”
\t“They’ll enslave enough of the crew to get the ship to where it and its cargo can be sold, kill the rest, kill any male passengers, and keep the women around as ‘entertainment’ until they get bored and kill them too.” The wolf smiled humorlessly, “Needless to say, the crew is getting ready to fight, since none of those options are pretty but they have no way of knowing how ugly it’ll really be until it’s too late.”
\tBoth of his lovers groaned, still pulling on their clothes, and Berria suggested, “Find somewhere to hide my knife, Cin. I’ve got my blades and a horn that might surprise them if I keep it invisible.” She glanced up toward Elaric as she fastened the ties of her black robe, “There’s a slight chance that they may balk at harming a priestess, and if so it’ll be worth possibly alienating the crew... If someone is hurt, though... well, you seemed a bit confused when I called your gift a weapon. It is. The worse the injury you try to treat, the better it will be from our perspective, if you drain the pirates for energy.”
\t“Holy...” the healer breathed, eyes wide, then straightened up with a nod, “I understand. I should go up, to start getting a feel for the crew from my healing senses’ standpoint, just so I don’t hurt them, and in case I’m needed. You two will have to weigh the odds, and decide whether you’d be enough help to join in or if your chances are better hiding rather than fighting. I can’t really offer an opinion in either direction.” At their nods in return, the grim unknowables of the situation visible on their faces, he turned and headed back up to the deck.
\tA hissing sound resonated with his childhood memories of the few fencing and assassin-avoidance lessons he’d been able to squeeze in between his medical studies, reflexes he hadn’t remembered he had making him duck just as an arrow thunked into the deck a couple yards to starboard. Peeking more cautiously out, the pirate ship was barely a hundred yards off the port beam and closing fast, both ships’ crews exchanging arrows. The aggressors had been prepared for this, several tower shields bolted to their foredeck to give their archers cover, while the merchant sailors had to take what they could get, and the senses Elaric had been preparing to extend immediately told them that two of his party’s hosts had already been hit, though not badly.
\tOne of those wounds was a mere graze, so he ignored it; half-crawling on the deck to make himself a more difficult target, he scurried over to where the ship’s second officer was crouched behind the middle mast, a shaft sticking out of his lower thigh even as he returned fire. The wolf stole a glance around the other side of the mast before taking cover, that part of his mind that saw things without his eyes locking onto a target. He could feel the pirate’s body; the strength of his muscles, the imbalances of an unvaried diet, even the beginnings of a fungal infection at the man’s groin since pirates were unwelcome at most ports and rarely had the freedom, or inclination, to bathe. Come to think of it, even at this range he could smell that ship, and he guessed that no dolphin worth their flippers accompanied its voyages. “I’m going to try something,” he told the sailor even as the bear loosed another arrow to uselessly strike one of those damnable shields. “You will feel a moment’s intense pain, worse than what the arrow’s causing now, but after it you will be clear and lucid, but the fellow poking his head out around the left-most shield won’t be able to say the same. He should be quite distracted for at least a moment, so take your time and make the shot count.”
\tThe officer grunted, his muzzle already taut from the pain of his wound, “A fair trade... Do it.”
\tGripping the shaft of the protruding arrow, Elaric closed his eyes, feeling the strength of the pirate’s life-energy... then pulled, physically and mentally. Even as he ripped the barbed arrowhead free of the sailor’s muscle, his gift went to work repairing it, and the bear’s barely-restrained roar was echoed an instant later by a cry of surprise from the starboard side of the pirate ship. The healer drew mercilessly on his unwitting donor’s strength, but an ordinary person had only so much; there was only enough power for the crudest of bindings, rejoining the muscle fibers in proper alignment but at less than optimal strength, even as he sealed the torn veins and skin.
\t“Distracted?” the seaman mused, wonder in his voice even as his own discomfort faded and he nocked another arrow, “That fellow looks asleep, if not dead!” His bowstring thrummed as he released, and there was a rumble of satisfaction in his next words, “Quite dead, now... I don’t know what you did, but it worked. Thankye.”
\tElaric nodded as he opened his eyes again, “Take it easy with that leg, as it’ll be a bit weak and sore... but I just heard another scream on our side. Gotta go try that trick again!”
\tHe didn’t make it to the injured deck hand sheltering behind the wheel. Even as he’d tried his ‘trick’ and moved on, the ships kept getting closer, and whooping warcries from several pirate throats made him look up in time to see a dozen men swinging across the remaining gap on ropes tied to an extension of their fore mast for just this purpose. Merchanters were already scrambling to drop their bows and ready their swords, the pirates releasing the ropes to draw in midair as they fell the last few feet, landing easily. It was the sort of maneuver no honest sailor had much practice in, and it gave them the initial advantage in speed and surprise. Echoes of agony impinged on the healer’s senses as the first cutlass thrusts drove home, and his legs gave out on him before he’d quite reached the steps to the wheel deck, a whimper escaping as he fought to push other men’s pain from his mind.
\tIt was hard to damp down his mystic senses, because the inner urge to help, that every good healer had, meant his instincts were actively fighting his intellect. Each new wound was answered by a cry from his own soul, urging him to run to the injured man and ease their pain, even as that pain’s echo made it feel very much like he’d been the target of every cut or thrust. Those same senses told him that two of the early wounds would be fatal in short order, but he was too far from those men to help fast enough, and a surge of pure dread gave him the strength to finally shut down his gift entirely. Twice in his life he’d been sensing someone as they died, and they numbered among the worst experiences he’d ever had.
\tThe helmsman of the pirate ship spun his wheel, the two hulls finally drawing alongside one another. Even as one crew fought to clear an area and another fought to stop them, a gangplank was dropped, steel spikes digging into the merchants’ deck, and a gaudily dressed white fox stepped across in his polished maroon boots. Brushing back the feather in his tricorn hat, he paused to parry a swipe from a sailor’s sword, a quick riposte puncturing a lung. Elaric had a clear view of the whole maneuver; the skill and reflexes would have impressed him, if it weren’t for the expression on the buccaneer’s face, showing only mild annoyance as if the man’s life meant far less than the inconvenience of dispatching him. “Whoever let that one through just lost a week’s rum-ration,” he noted absently to the badger following him.
\t“Aye, sir,” the mate acknowledged in a voice like gravel.
\tDrawing a silver whistle on a chain around his neck from his satin blouse, the fox blew one shrill tweet, at which point the frantic melee calmed somewhat. The pirates each took a step back, focusing entirely on defense, and only a few more clangs of steel on steel rang out before the merchanters got the idea. Other than the groaning wounded and the creak of timbers, it was ominously silent before he called out loudly, “You are honored to be the latest prey of the real Black Gulf Pirates. Previous pretenders to that name grew soft, retiring to easy living or taking jobs as traders. I find the phonetic similarity with ‘traitors,’ there, particularly ironic... but I digress. Unlike them we take few conscripts, fewer slaves, and no prisoners, and it shan't be long before my name, Whitefang, is known from the green isles of Dachiland to the frozen reefs of Vivenge!”
\t“Ha!” Sailors from both ships flinched in surprise at that scornful, feminine voice. Berria climbed the rest of the stairs to the deck, her vixen following behind, and sneered at the pale vulpine, “Your goals are mutually exclusive. For all your finely-polished words, you obviously aren’t very bright. How can anyone learn your name, self-bestowed as I’m sure it is, if no one escapes to tell of it? Fucking moron!”
\tThe captain scowled at her tone, looking her up and down, “Interesting... If it weren’t for that insult, you might have been one of our few conscripts. A Kathallic priestess might enjoy the same sorts of... entertainments a pirate crew does, and it never hurts morale to keep a nubile wench around. It seems, though, that you’d rather meet your Goddess in person than keep a civil tongue in your head.” He gave his bloodied cutlass a flick, “Clear a path, men; I should see to that ‘meeting’ before she prays and gets us all in trouble.”
\tHands on her hips, the priestess simply smirked as he drew near, “Too late on both counts, my fine idiot. I’ve already met Her, in more than one incarnation, and I was too busy praying to join the early fight. I have commended my soul to my Goddess, and I’m ready for you.”
\tUnder his dandyish clothing, the fox was obviously strong; he wielded his heavy cutlass like a rapier, one arm raised for balance as he turned his final stride into a textbook-perfect thrust. Several of the merchant seamen groaned as they watched; the mare didn’t even try to dodge, instead lunging forward to meet that blade. It penetrated high on her belly, just a bit off-center, and Cin screamed as bloody steel emerged from her lover’s back, but Berria herself remained silent. She forced her legs to work, shock already weakening her, and took just one more step, the sword’s guard rumpling her satin robe. The pirate’s arm was still extended as he gawked in disbelief, but now he was in her arm’s reach, and thin steel crescents glinted as her hand lashed out, driving her grouped fingertips into his throat.
\tElaric scrambled to his feet as she finally slumped down to a kneel; this time, nothing could deny his instinctive urge to help... but before he could cross the deck another commotion arose. Shrieking like a soul in agony, Cin leapt for the first pirate to move to his captain’s aid, slashing at his face with her Mistress’ short dagger. She managed to land one cut on his cheek, but she’d never had any training in combat; it was flatly amazing that she’d overcome her early conditioning to attack anyone in the first place. Just after her third clumsy swipe the other pirates came to her target’s assistance, clubbing her down with the pommels of their swords.
\tWith that distraction, Elaric made it to the priestess’ side, surprised to find her still conscious, though his senses indicated she had a torn kidney and her digestive tract was a mess, both bleeding heavily into her black robe. “No,” she rasped as he reached for her, “help Cin... I’ve been free my whole life, but hers is just starting. Please, save her potential.”
\tHis protest died on his lips as he winced, sensing new agony as a pirate drove their blade into the vixen’s back, and for once he barely noticed as the throat-cut captain shuddered and died. Twisting around to reach for the slave, he also reached out. In other times, he’d have been disgusted with himself at how easy it was to mentally differentiate between pirates and merchants, and to take the former’s very life-force as he worked frantically to repair Cin’s pierced and torn lung. Her cut ribs hovered on the edges of his awareness, bone-knitting magics waiting eagerly, but keeping her breathing was the clear priority. Rough hands gripped his shoulders, but he didn’t even notice; his instincts simply pulled on those pirates’ strength all the harder, and distant sounds of surprise and confusion went unnoticed in his trance as those two men simply collapsed.
\tBerria breathed shallowly, eyes closed as she felt her blood soaking its way further through her fur and robe, knowing that events were unfolding as Kathalla had hinted while she’d prayed. The cutlass still impaling her hurt like nothing she’d ever imagined, but she felt no fear, and that very lack let her accept the pain as just another feeling. It might have been going too far to say that she enjoyed it, but mere agony was unimportant under the glow of faith filling her mind. Her healer friend was busy, saving one whose life had come to mean more than her own, so she simply listened, a pained smile oozing into her expression as she heard the first shouts of surprise from pirate and merchant alike. A glow very much like her own faith was growing from the starboard, landward side of the ship, and she moved carefully, trying not to tear her wound any wider, to look in that direction and finally open her eyes.
\tThe flying figure dipped down before arcing up, inches shy of the rail, to land lightly on the deck. Her horn glowed visibly as well as spiritually, illuminating her eight-foot, naked body. Folding her feathered wings behind herself, the impossible unicorn stepped forward, her voice sounding more like an entire choir as she said simply, “This violence will stop!” The angel stood tall and proud for a long moment... then glanced around. About half the chorus had faded from her tone as she noted, “It already has stopped, hasn’t it? Sorry, I’m rather new at this...”
\tElaric glanced up, “And I’m almost exhausted... This one will live, and most of the pirates will recover, but I can’t channel much more power, certainly not enough to save Berria...”
\tThe winged unicorn blinked, pushing through the awestruck merchanters and near-comatose pirates to the black-robed form surrounded by blood. Kneeling down, she laid a hand on a too-still shoulder, then sighed with relief as its owner twitched weakly, “Good... I did make it in time.” She reached for the sword still stuck through the smaller equine, the healer yelping in protest as she started to pull it out, but he was too stunned and tired to stop her. She glanced over at him, “No, she won’t bleed out... and she will recover. My word, and that of my Goddess, on it.”
\tBerria’s eyes fluttered open again, and a faint smile grew on her muzzle as she looked up, “Hello, Xavaria... Yours is certainly a face I never thought to see again. Grown a bit, have you?”
\tThe angel grinned broadly, “After you killed me, I remembered all sorts of things those slavers made me wall off in my mind! One of them was the legend of angels... and I knew it was just a legend, but those stories had always been my favorites as a filly. Once I’d gotten my bearings on the other side, I was actually kinda bored. I’d spent my life doing things for people, so I asked Malia if there was any way I still could, and She did something with my soul, searching it or such, then mentioned this as a possibility. It’s not quite the same as what I did for Ferrl, but now I get to go all over the place and help people! Only those in dire need, and in cases where a divine hand would be borderline interference, but I guess that’s why your Goddess told you not to worry even if She wasn’t doing anything about these pirates Herself. And if I’ve grown, you seem to be missing something...”
\tEven as she reached up to touch an earring, her horn reappearing to renewed gasps from the sailors, Berria nodded, “I’d kept it hidden just to keep stupid assumptions about legends to a minimum... Anyway, Kathalla didn’t say She was doing nothing... but She did tell me it wasn’t my time, so I had no real worries.” She glanced over at the dead captain, “And I got to stop a major asshole from ever hurting the innocent again. All in all, a good day, and more than worth the discomfort of being run through.”
\tXavaria glanced down at the bloodstained cutlass she was still holding and grimaced, “That can’t have felt good... Anyway, I’d better heal the rest of the survivors, then fly off again. These wings are neat!” Leaning down, she touched her horn to the other unicorn’s and whispered, “Be well, sister,” before dropping the sword, straightening up, and moving toward the nearest groaning body.
\tStanding as well, the priestess indulged in a long stretch, slightly marred by the day’s chill and her wet and torn robe, then padded the two steps over to her companions, “Hrmph... Sleeping on the job. I’m going to have a word with that vixen when she wakes up.”
\tElaric blinked twice, then looked to his patient, “At least she will wake up... Even before that bastard stabbed her, the others had cracked her skull. That was probably the nastiest concussion I’ve ever fixed.” He glanced up again, “I’ll expect an explanation, eventually... That... that’s an angel over there, and I thought there was no such thing! All she’s missing to match the legends is a halo, unless you count her glowing horn. On top of that, your conversation implied that she’s the returned spirit of someone you killed?” He shook his head ruefully, “This is all... extremely weird, the kind of things I’d never believe if I hadn’t seen them for myself.”
\tThe merchant captain who’d gotten off with nothing worse than a few bruises and one medium-small cut was also nearby, practically radiating curiosity, so Berria summarized just to keep from being thrown off the ship, “She’s an angel, they didn’t really exist until now, and she was a slave in life who was getting too old to serve so I sacrificed her to Malia. That in itself is a fairly complicated story, so you’ll just have to take my word for it for now. Related to that, though, she does have a halo, but it’s purely spiritual, so you wouldn’t ever see it unless you became a priest. I can see just the sort of glow the legends speak of, myself, around her neck where her collar was in life.”
\tThe wolf nodded, finally managing a faint smile, “I guess that makes sense, as much as anything can at the moment... You look healthy enough through that sword-cut in your robe, so why don’t you carry Cin downstairs? She needs rest,” and he glanced to the captain, “and I need to help tie up these pirates. We can either tow their ship to port or see if we’ve got enough live crew to man her, but there will probably be some sort of reward involved for bringing the ship and her criminal crew in.”
\tThis fetched a blink and a spastic nod from the captain even as the unicorn struggled to lift the slave who weighed more than she did, “Oh, aye! Prize money for th’ship, head money for th’crew, an’ if they’ve still got booty from other victims we’ll get a cut o’ that too. Ye’re th’strangest passengers I ever did carry, but th’most profitable too, even after the men we lost.”
\tXavaria called over from where she’d been healing the fourth wounded sailor she’d gotten to, “Don’t mourn them too much... The sea itself is a Goddess of a sort, not really aware, but the way sailors almost worship Her has had an effect over the centuries, enough that there’s a watery sort of heaven for those who died today. They’ll be enjoying good weather and strong breezes for eternity.”
\tA few of the nearby seamen looked close to tears at this revelation, and the captain gave the angel a bittersweet smile, “Thank ye for that, lass... ‘tis a comfort indeed, to know somethin’ like that awaits the likes of us.”
\tOne or two of the pirates started to groan and twitch, suggesting that they were about to wake up from their draining, which spurred the sailors and healer to stop savoring the moment and get back to work.
* * *
\tAfter dropping her pet off on the tangled bed of blankets, Berria stopped by the galley to beg some fresh water from the cook... once she’d convinced him the fighting was actually over and no one was going to steal his salt pork at cutlass-point. Back in her cabin with half a bucket of the precious fluid, she stripped off her ruined robe and shift and set to work with a washcloth, cleaning the blood out of her fur. Unlike mortal healings, that granted by Xavaria’s merest touch had involved none of the usual, burning pain, nor even the common side-effect of a missing patch of fur that needed to regrow naturally. The only remnant of that thrust was in the bloodstains and her own memory; there was literally no physical sign of the wound on her body.
\tHer clothes, she quickly decided, were a complete write-off, so she focused on cleaning just her own fur, and had almost finished when the unconscious vixen finally started to stir. She twitched, then groaned, and finally sobbed, her eyes still closed as she moaned, “Oh, Mistress... You were...”
\tSince her lover couldn’t seem to find the next word, Berria leaned down to murmur in her ear, “Just fine.”
\tCin’s eyes flew open with a startled squeak, and she blinked at the face hovering near hers, then slumped in despair, no mean feat while already laying prone. “So they killed me, too... Oh well, so long as we ended up in the same heaven I suppose things worked out for the best.”
\tThe mare chuckled, “No, we’re both still quite alive... I told you I’d been told not to worry, right after I prayed. The world’s first genuine angel showed up. We’d already effectively won the fight, thanks to Elaric draining the pirates to save you. I wasn’t the only one to get a sword in me, you know, and you’d be dead if he hadn’t been there. A few people did die, on both sides, but Xavaria healed the wounded, including me. It was the second-closest time I’d ever come to dying... but the important thing is that I didn’t.”
\tHer vixen blinked again, then lunged up to hug her tight, “Gods... if being run the fuck through was only second place, I’m not sure I want to hear what took first prize! I... I can hardly believe it, after I saw that bastard impale you, but if I had anything to donate or sacrifice, I’d do it in a heartbeat, just for having you back.”
\tChuckling softly as she returned the embrace, Berria nuzzled her ear then mused, “You may or may not remember, because you took a nasty blow to the head before you were stabbed too... but I got ‘that bastard,’ nail-blades through the throat, and he’s one of the casualties who won’t be coming back. Also, you were beaten down and finished off because you attacked them. When I was hurt you went nuts, managing to score on a hardened killer despite your lack of training. I take that as a sign of true love, that a slave, with years of conditioning against violence, could do that for little old me.”
\tSaid slave’s embrace became crushingly tight for a moment, “I... I do remember, but it’s foggy. There’s this red haze in my mind’s eye... but you’re right. I’d die for you, or kill for you, whatever it takes to stay by your side. That conditioning is... almost emotionless. It discourages any sort of attachment, but I failed on that point a week ago.”
\tBerria pulled back a bit to grin at her, “I know. That’s why I didn’t sacrifice you for a bit of fun along the way. I don’t see any failure; I see you transcending your previous life and all its trappings. You’re well on your way to being a confident, vibrant, free woman. In fact...” She let go of the vixen to instead grip the iron ring around her neck, “Kathalla... I have some notion, these days, of just how much power You gain when You ‘helpfully’ make something or someone disappear, but could You simply take a couple wafers of this? I’m thinking that its broken halves will make a good souvenir, a symbol of Cin’s personal journey and triumph.”
\tA spiritual chuckle reached both mortals, *So you’ve caught on to My little secret; how, despite My few worshipers I have at least as much power as the more popular Gods... My vision of your most likely future path, in any case, suggests that the first blacksmith you reach would bungle the job and severely injure your lover while trying to remove that collar, and that alone makes it worth My attention.* Toward the end of Her commentary, darkness flashed to Berria’s perceptions, and the ring came away in her hands in two precisely-equal half-circles, their flats polished to a perfect mirror surface.
\tThe unicorn couldn’t help but laugh, acknowledging, “It was just a logical extension of Your tale about Beckah and the near-lethal power, on a mortal scale, needed to make a grain of sand. Naturally the process can work in reverse, and only a deity would be able to deal with the results.” She shifted both halves of the collar to one hand and offered them to Cin, “Here... We’re in Drachathian waters so it’s perfectly legal, not that I’d let that stop me since the time is right. Take these as a reminder of your old life, one you’ll never live again, though mind the edges; they may be flat but they’d probably make a decent knife in a pinch. You are free.”
\tBlinking away tears, Cin nodded as she accepted the pieces, “Free... to follow you forever, in this life and the next. As you don’t have legal authority to demand such anymore, I freely give you my oath on that instead, in Kathalla’s name.”
\tAs the two ladies hugged again, a faint whisper sounded in their souls, *Heard and witnessed.*
\tThey were still locked together when the door opened and Elaric walked in, commenting, “Ah, good, you’re both awake and alright... That angel unicorn just flew off again and we’re underway, with the pirate ship in tow, most of its crew tied up, and a few others, disarmed, helping to sail both ships. We’ll be stopping one port earlier than planned, since the city of Wolf’s Bay is home port to a naval squadron, meaning it’ll have an official with the authority to deal with our prisoners and pay any rewards that’re due.” He patted a pocket of his robe, not nearly as clean or fine as it’d been that morning, and smiled wryly as it clinked, “The captain had his purser refund what we’d paid for passage, though I think we got the short end of the bargain. He’s looking at a profit of hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of monarchs, when we’re probably the only reason he’s even alive to collect it. Giving back just the few silver we paid for passage seems like a bad joke to me.”
\tBerria thought for a long moment, then shook her head, “I think I’d remember as bad a pun as ‘Wolf’s Bay’ if I’d run across it in that list of towns that had files on the Sisters of Order that I read a couple years back. There’s a fair chance I could intimidate a fair share out of the captain, but it’d be impolite as his guest to do so, and I’d rather not compound one rudeness with another. We still haven’t touched the gold in the bag Keesanrel gave me, so we’re not hurting for funds, and I didn’t sign on as a Sister to get rich. Since one port’s as good as any other, I was thinking of debarking anyway, then looking up the local Maliites for some basic combat training for Cin and myself. We can also see about setting up your practice as a healer if the town doesn’t have too many already, or you can keep tagging along, though I’m not sure just where we’ll be going next.”
\tThe vixen’s ears perked up, and she nodded vigorously, “Yes, please! To the training, I mean... With any other lover, I’d never dream of seeking that kind of thing, but your job means you look for trouble, and I’d very much like to watch your back, effectively for a change, the next time you find it.”
\tElaric chuckled with a nod of his own, “Just because of which family I was born to, I’ve had a bit of teaching along those lines, and I wouldn’t mind brushing up on it... As for a practice of my own... well, let’s just see how things stand in the Bay. I’ll only stay if they have a distinct shortage of healers. If there are enough for the population, even if one more wouldn’t hurt, I’d rather remain in your company if I may. Not only would I prefer to end up somewhere there’s a distinct need for my services, as that’s more satisfying than being one more healer among many, but my life’s been just plain interesting since I met you. Getting laid more often, and far better, than I ever had before doesn’t hurt, but I’d follow you just for the excitement out of bed too.”
\t“Good,” the priestess nodded, “and I agree that the last few days and nights have been fun...” She glanced to Cin, “Dear? Your oath, just before he came in, could be interpreted as a marriage proposal... You at least show more emphatic devotion than most wives, anyway. If you’re going to be with me anyway, no matter what, we should probably get officially married just for the legal fringe benefits, but I had an additional thought...” She looked back at the wolf, “We’ve both been enjoying your company, too. Very much so, even. I know, from what my horn has sensed when you’ve touched it, that you consider us very close friends, but part of you is holding back. I’m guessing it’s the part of your mind that still considers our companionship temporary by necessity. Unless there’s a firm, profound need for you in Wolf’s Bay, and if my vixen consents, would you consider letting a Roxanite priest marry us as a threesome? Once you get used to thinking of us as ‘your’ girls, what’s behind that inner reluctance just might blossom into something closer to love than to friendship.”
\tElaric blinked hard at the offer, and the vulpine took his stunned moment as a chance to reply with a giggle, “That is a good idea... He’s certainly a satisfying lover, but I’d feel better about having him in the long term than some random stranger whenever we just need a man in the mix. I’m... not very brave, despite today’s appearances, and he did save my life, which naturally makes me love him just a bit.”
\tThe wolf finally snapped out of his shock and chuckled, “If I accept, I’m sure that won’t be the last time I save either of you... Beyond the friendship and ‘known quantity’ issues, as real as they are, having a healer for a husband would probably be a very good thing in your business. This... is nothing to say ‘maybe’ to, or put any conditions upon.” He straightened, “If your distant speculation that there’s a lack of healers here proves true... we shall simply tell the next town we visit that has one to spare, and they can fill the gap. Ladies... I accept your proposal enthusiastically.”
\tFinally extracting herself from the protracted hug, Berria caught Cin’s eyes and tilted her head suggestively before reaching a hand toward Elaric. Blinking a bit, he accepted it, then the black-furred paw as well when Cin got the idea and reached out as well. Finally, vixen and unicorn joined their free hands and the priestess spoke, “I lied about finding a Roxanite. By my own authority as an itinerant priestess of Kathalla, I declare us man, wife, and wife. We’ll shop for rings and register a marriage certificate tomorrow when we get to town.”
\tBoth of her new spouses blinked a time each then smiled, the moment finally broken by her husband’s belly rumbling. Giggling again, Cin broke the three-way handclasp and reached for the luggage, “It is a bit late for lunch, with all the excitement this morning... Let’s see what our travel rations can do for a traditional wedding feast.”
\tElaric nodded with a throaty chuckle of his own, “You do that, while I head up top and make sure there’s nothing else I or either of you are officially needed for. Once that’s settled and we’ve eaten, we can take advantage of this precious bucket of water, clean up a bit, then have a long, equally-traditional wedding night.”
\tTwo muzzles grinned, showing sharp and blunt teeth respectively, at that very welcome prospect.
Chapter 8
\tTrallen had always disliked gate duty. Some of his fellow acolytes actually looked forward to it, and he could even understand why. They enjoyed having hours of quiet time to sit and think, to imagine, to envision something to create in one of the workrooms at a later time, but he just wasn’t that artistic. It had been a struggle to learn to play paired kettle drums, learning beats by rote and repetitive practice, which led to his being thrown completely off the beat about one performance in four as some clever soloist decided to start improvising. He often thought he’d have been better off joining Tarragh’s temple instead of Malia’s, as he was certainly a decent enough fighter, but he was on the small side even for a rabbit. Just looking at the huge canids and felines at the other temple made him acutely conscious of the differences between him and them, and he privately doubted he’d have ever worked up the nerve to apply.
\tHis long ears perked as the gate’s bell rang; there weren’t any scheduled deliveries today, but it was still a public entrance for those with some business other than the front hall’s sermons and lessons, which was (as the priests had explained to him more than once) why a live acolyte or novice needed to be posted here rather than doing something else with their time. Managing to smile at the break in the monotony, he got up from the crude, weather-beaten chair and opened the smaller door set into the gate, then blinked... He’d never been very good at sensing souls without a physical touch, but the figure at the head of the small group practically radiated darkness. His eyes locked on her pendant, which explained just which darkness the stranger was so devout to, and it took him a long moment to actually see what the visitors were. A unicorn?!? Those were Malia’s ‘favorites,’ he’d been told, gentle and peaceful unless provoked. And that vixen looked like she should be in a Roxanite robe, while the fellow dressed like a healer was just plain confusing. “Can... can I help you?” he finally managed to force out.
\tThat far-too-strange unicorn nodded, “Yes, you can. My name is Berria, and I’ll need an introduction to whoever handles basic combat lessons. My husband needs a refresher course, and my wife and I need to start from the very beginning. We’ll pay whatever the standard donation is for this instruction, unless someone prays to... well, your Goddess. If anyone asks Her about me, or if I so much as say Her name, I’m sure She’ll immediately decree that we get whatever we want for free, as She feels that She owes me something, but I wouldn’t feel right taking advantage of that.”
\tTrallen shook his head, “This just keeps getting weirder and weirder... I suppose you can come in, and I’ll lead you to Sir Shallar, who assigns students to instructors and vice versa. He’ll probably want to evaluate you personally, first, just part of making sure everyone gets the best teaching they can.” He turned to clear the doorway, only to stop, blinking, as he nearly ran into a lightly-armored black feline who he had not heard come up behind him. Come to think of it, her face was almost...
\tThe newcomer’s voice confirmed his faint suspicion. “Oh, Berria...” Malia chuckled. “You made a good attempt, but you can’t sneak anything past me when a soul like yours enters one of my churches, and the gate’s set far enough into the wall that just outside of it qualifies.” She glanced to her acolyte, “Do as you just suggested, Trallen, but tell my knight that he’s not to see a single farthing from these people. They are very welcome, wherever I have influence.”
\tThe rabbit managed to stutter, “Y-yes, m—” before she simply vanished. And this day had started so normally, he thought to himself as he wrenched his mind back under control yet again. Glancing over his shoulder, he murmured, “If you’ll follow me, sir, ma’ams...”
* * *
\tElaric tossed himself onto the bed with a groan, “Gods... I hadn’t realized I was that out of practice. The routine that skunk was drilling me on is simple as those things go, but it’s more about balance than strikes or blocks. If you don’t get it just right—and I didn’t—it wrenches your wrists and ankles something fierce, and takes about three times as much energy as you keep compensating for weight that’s where it’s not supposed to be.”
\tBerria nodded in sympathy, reaching up to rub one of her own shoulders... only to pause with a faint nicker of surprise, followed by a moan of appreciation, as Cin stepped up behind her to take over, kneading firmly into her abused muscles. “I’ll be returning that favor when you’re done, dear,” she mused, then noted to the wolf with a half-smile, “I think we both know how you feel... They had us on weight training, a logical place to start, but it’s certainly not a pleasant one. I always thought I was in decent shape, and I suppose I was for what I was actually doing, but if I’m going to learn to swing something bigger than my knife, hard enough to cut through chain armor, I’ll need to work on getting a lot stronger.”
\tHer wife chuckled as she massaged, “Me too, and probably more than you... I’d been mildly pleased as I noticed myself toughening up a bit, just from riding those horses from Atheria City to Crown Port, but compared to this... that was a drop in the fucking bucket.”
\tElaric glanced at the shuttered window, judging the angle of the light... Since they knew they might be here for a while, they’d chosen a large but rather run-down inn, one whose owner was very happy to see business on more than an overnight basis. They had one of the better rooms, set on a rear corner of the second floor, with several vacancies between them and the shorter-term rentals that valued access to the taproom over living space. “It’s almost evening,” the wolf mused, “but we’ll be back there again tomorrow... I’m rather grateful that the day after will be a restday and we can have some time off; until our bodies are used to this work, the first week or so will be rather agonizing, according to my past experience. Back to the point, though, does anyone have any ideas for the rest of the day?”
\t“First,” Berria answered, her voice a bit on the low and breathy side, “I’m going to do unto Cin’s shoulders as she’s just done to mine... I’m feeling much better now, love. After that, well... hanging around with Malia’s bunch all day reminded me how long it’s been since I’ve done anything religious. I... sensed something about one of the taverns we passed between here and the temple, and I’m pretty sure it’s where I can find my fellow Kathallics. I’m not sure whether either of you would be comfortable, there... Cin’s seen one of those clubs, from the ‘wrong’ end of things, so she’s got a good idea what goes on there, but you, El, you’re a healer. I’m guessing it might be difficult for you to be somewhere where people are deliberately hurting other people, and your help to heal those wounds would be unwelcome.”
\tThe wolf snorted faintly, but he was smiling as he replied, “You’re certainly phrasing things delicately, aren’t you? Torture and molestation combined, followed by death, almost exclusively with slaves. I’m not entirely unfamiliar with your religion... nor would it be quite the problem you suspect. It’s sensing these things, not seeing them, that I have trouble with. If I never let my healer’s senses loose, or restrict them to a single, narrow focus before invoking them and shutting them down again the moment they’re unneeded, I’m no more sensitive to that sort of ‘play’ than any other carnivore would be. I’m not one of those idiots I’d occasionally met in politics who tries not to even admit where the meat in their dinner comes from... The only real issue that I’d have is that you’re doing this sort of thing to a person, not an unthinking beast. Sex and blood aren’t nearly the problem that torture is.”
\tCin spoke up with a chuckle as she stepped around to give her ex-Mistress access to her shoulders, “It’s not all that bad, at these clubs... I only saw perhaps half a dozen such deaths before Berria pulled me out of the line and claimed me as her own, but the longest one took perhaps five minutes from the first cut, and for one other they’d played more gently first for nearly an hour. I was expecting pain, yes, and a great deal of it, but not for long. My only real concern was whether I’d find myself reborn or in the Fanged Goddess’ heaven, since not everyone at that particular club was Kathallic. I liked my life as a pleasure slave, and having millions of souls to choose from as lovers had been something I’d looked forward to.”
\tBerria nodded from where she kneaded her wife’s abused muscles, “I was chatting with the queen of Atheria, before she actually attained that rank, when she and her prospective husband stopped by my temple to play... She passed on the words of another slave she’d killed, who looked forward to that same sort of afterlife. She said, ‘What does my soul care, that my body will be bloody meat?’ Because, my husband, one detail you might not have known is that the slaves tend to double as the meals at those clubs. It’s a purely artificial distinction of society, if you think about it. It’s the soul that matters, and if it’s in a better place... does it really matter whether someone’s roast beef dinner once walked on two legs or four? I really should visit this city’s club, tonight or sometime soon, and in my company either of you would be welcome there, but I won’t force either of you to attend, now that I’m certain both of you know the details.”
\tElaric shook his head somewhat ruefully, “I can only wish more people shared your philosophy where bodies are concerned... A couple of times, in my previous life, I failed to save a patient, and their family members sobbing over the corpses as if they could beg them to move again are among my less pleasant memories. In both cases, any God’s heaven, or even simple rebirth, had to be a vast improvement over their final moments, and I’d have been much happier if those relatives had thought to celebrate their life and their release from pain instead.”
\tThe unicorn rolled her head in one complete circle to help release just a bit more of the tension Cin’s talented fingers had almost eliminated, then replied, “That’s how I want to be remembered... I have faith that the heaven that awaits me will be a great deal of fun, and if I grow tired of that I need but ask and Kathalla will release me to be reborn. I’d be quite put out with either of you if you act like those families you just described; miss my companionship if you will, but carry on with your own life. Now... about tonight? Your own question of what we should do still depends on whether you want to come with me to... dinner, or whether I should put it off ‘til another evening if you’d rather I stay. I can’t let my religious obligations slide forever, now that I’m in a town for more than one night, but I don’t own either of you, so you have a say too.”
\tCin nuzzled her ear, “I’ll go with you... and this time I probably won’t wet myself when you rip out someone’s throat. I was... under a bit of stress, that night we met.”
\tElaric fingered his rings, one white gold and the other red gold, as he chuckled at the mental image. The vixen wore two of white gold, while his other wife had the same combination as he did, if worn in the other order, each representing the fur of their spouses. “I’ll have to get that story from you two sometime,” he mused, “along with a few others I can think of. More detail on the Sisters, what you’ve done for them before meeting Nutswolf, Cin’s growing rebellion... but, for now, I’d rather not spend the evening alone. I’m... curious enough, I suppose, to investigate the ‘forbidden’ vices of the Kathallics and see whether I love them, hate them, or am indifferent.”
\tBerria chuckled as she pulled off the rough blouse she’d sweat into and fished around in a dresser drawer for a white dress, “That last bit is... unlikely. You’ll either run for your life with a case of dry-heaves, or come to enjoy our ultimate expression of personal freedom and power, as we do what we wish despite it being forbidden, in fact enjoying it all the more just because it’s taboo.” She glanced over to Cin, “If this club’s anything like others of its kind, we’ll get a complimentary bath after the festivities, so we should all bring a change of clothes. We’ll need to find a laundry service for the stuff we stank up today, and I’ll be asking the local clergy where I can get a new black robe.”
\tBoth of her lovers nodded at her sensible suggestions as they reached for fresh clothing too, and only a few visits to the privy further delayed them before stepping out into the light of the setting sun to walk down the street. The priestess took the lead as they neared the Black Mare Tavern, fishing her pendant out of her dress on the way to the curtained passage right next to the kitchen entrance. “Guests of mine,” she noted to the usual guard just within before she could raise a fuss over their souls.
\tThe tigress nodded respectfully, “Aye, Priestess.”
\tThe room past the buffer-chamber at the bottom of the stairs wasn’t quite as fancy as any of her own old temple’s three playrooms, nor nearly as large at the embassy’s in Atheria City, but this was a large and busy port city, and compared to smaller towns’ part-time clubs this one showed it in its fine marble and comfortable furnishings. Berria blinked in momentary confusion as her eyes locked on the darkest soul in the room, as the tigress wearing nothing but a pendant identical to her own could have been the stair-guard’s twin sister. Come to think of it, that’s probably what she was; siblings that close often shared interests, but not always to the same degree, so both twins being Kathallic but one more spiritual and the other more physical was plausible enough.
\tThe other priestess swallowed her bite and dropped the remaining half of the heart she held back onto the torn-open corpse of a mouse, stepping around the table with a bloody smile of welcome, “Well, hello! This is a pleasant surprise... I’m Lorina, first among the local faithful, and I bid you warm greeting in our Goddess’ name.”
\tSmiling back, the unicorn gestured to either side behind her, “I’m Berria, late of the Silkmane temple in Unicorn Vale, and these are my spouses, Elaric and Cin. We’re in town for what’ll probably end up being a few weeks, so I decided to introduce them to just what I do for fun other than have lots of sex on a ship.”
\tLorina nodded with a rumbling chuckle, “Not that that wasn’t plenty of fun, itself, from the looks of those two... A vixen and a nice lupine knot? I can see why you married them... and, oh, my... is that a healer’s gift I’m sensing in your husband?”
\tNodding as she led her group toward the unoccupied of the four tables, Berria grinned, “Yes, though I won’t be asking him to extend anyone’s suffering. He’s a good man, but you know how rare it is for a healer to be enthusiastic about our sort of fun.”
\tElaric rolled his eyes with a faint smile, “We don’t know whether I’m in that category yet... but that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To find out?”
\t“That we are,” Cin agreed, glancing around as she took a seat, “so let’s see just who and what we have to experiment with tonight...”
\tNodding as she started looking around too, Berria took in the other patrons, one skunkette sitting alone and a pair of male wolves she could sense the bond of love between, along with a teenaged lion at the priestess’ table, probably her date for the night. There were only three slaves left along the back of the small stage, two rabbits and a... she paused, blinking. Her eyes had tried to slide past that third figure, and something faintly wrong about the gathered souls tugged at her consciousness. “Lorina,” she mused, “close your eyes... Ignore the dark souls, concentrate only on the Godless... Doesn’t one feel just a little strange to you?”
\tThe bigger woman blinked, eyes closing as she felt around... then they opened again as she frowned faintly, “Now that you point it out, yes. They’re all ‘gray,’ but most of them are simply a lack. Just one is a projection of light and dark, blended with a purity I’d say was impossible for even a third-tier necromancer.” Both priestesses turned toward that third slave, forcing themselves to see them despite the seemingly sourceless urging to notice nothing odd.
\tThat compulsion faded, as did the projection, and the white-souled vixen on the stage sighed, “I guess my cover’s blown... I still hadn’t quite made up my mind whether to go through with my idea, but I guess it’s time to ‘put up or shut up,’ as the mortals say. You’re really amazingly perceptive, even for clergy, Berria.”
\tThe tigress’ confusion was probably only worsened by the distraction of the largest breasts she’d seen in a long and varied life, so it was up to her guest to reply with a faint smirk, “I wouldn’t know about perceptiveness, but I do have the advantage of having known three or four of your previous lovers... Roxy.”
\tMost of the other patrons, their priestess included, were wide-eyed and staring at the implications of that name, while the mortal Goddess simply smirked back, “That you do... and while I could probably name them, there’s another name, that you probably heard from them, that’s more important tonight. Pola. That’s what the ‘idea’ I mentioned is about, as I made this body... like hers.”
\tThe unicorn brightened, half-nickering, “Ah! Yes, Elaria told me about her... so I’m guessing you’re here to experience that ‘ultimate pleasure’ for yourself?” She glanced to her spouses, “We should probably see what leftovers from these other fine folks’ dinners we can eat... because temporary mortal incarnations don’t stick around long enough to have nutritional value, and fox meat isn’t the best anyway. As for play, though, your worries about torture are of no import tonight, El, as Roxy here literally cannot feel pain with the way she’s rearranged her brain, and will very much enjoy the most ‘agonizing’ things we can think of. The fact that she’s not actually mortal might also make a difference to you, but I’d rather it didn’t. People tend to die around me a bit more often than is strictly normal, and that’s just something you’ll both need to get used to if you’re going to have me for a wife.”
\tElaric wrenched his gaze from nigh-mountainous cleavage to remark, “True, but folks also often live around you, who wouldn’t have otherwise. The rest of the young children in Crown Port, the sailors ‘Whitefang’ would have slaughtered out of hand, and the like.” He glanced back at the club’s least-expected guest, “You also seem to attract a lot more divine attention than most... The angel on the ship, Malia at the temple, and now... ‘Roxy’ as you call her. I’d hardly believe it if it weren’t for the obvious mystic forces at work; it would take a miracle to keep me from immediately noticing a rack like that the moment I came in!”
\tHis wives and a few of the patrons snickering their agreement, Roxy crossed her arms under her breasts and took a deep breath, those huge orbs seeming even bigger as they rose, then murred with a smile, “These have given away my identity more often than I care to admit... but people love them so, and I’m almost never turned down when I jiggle them in a prospective lover’s face.” She stepped down from the stage, moving toward the threesome’s table, but it was the wolf couple she next addressed, “I’m afraid what’s to follow won’t be exactly to either of your tastes, but if you’d like I could, another night, manifest as a male. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done so... How about tomorrow evening, in your bedroom?”
\tThe men shared a glance, then one of them nodded, “That... that sounds quite lovely, actually. If your more manly aspect is as... physically gifted as you are now, if in different ways of course, I think we’d enjoy that immensely.” Reaching for his discarded clothes, he grinned to his lover, “Come on, Rolf; let’s go borrow the tub and leave these folks to their woman-loving fun.”
\tThe vixen chuckled as the pair gathered their things, “You won’t be disappointed. I always scout my prospects before going male, and I will be exactly as well-hung as either of you can take enjoyably, and the perfect tightness for your enjoyment too.” Even as she climbed up onto the table, those wolves were half-erect from sheer anticipation as they filed through the kitchen door.
\tAs the vixen who made her own ample bosom seem underdeveloped laid herself out, Cin was licking her lips, and she reached over to pluck her wife’s dagger from its sheath. “I’ll second my husband’s vote that this situation is unbelievable,” she mused, “but I’m not going to let shock keep me from taking advantage of the opportunities involved either. Time to test that bit about non-pain.” Since the other vulpine’s head was at her end of the table, she stood and leaned over to kiss her upside-down lips, even as she pressed the knife’s point to a spot where her own ears were most sensitive to affectionate claws, gradually increasing the pressure...
\tRoxy returned the kiss, of course, but a muffled squeal rose in volume through it as her skin and then cartilage were penetrated, her breath coming faster through flared nostrils and her bosom heaving, even as the scent of her arousal suddenly and strongly flavored the air and the watchers at her other end could see fresh moisture dribbling onto the table between her thighs. She was still panting when the former slave broke the kiss and pulled the dagger out of her new piercing, “That... was as good as I’d hoped! And it’s only a relatively mild beginning! Oh, me this is going to be fun...”
\tAll six of the patrons, and even one of the lapine slaves, chuckled at that, and Lorina pulled a chair away from her table to wave her boyfriend toward, “Come on... We had what we thought was our fun for the night already, but I want to ride your lap while those four or five play. You two,” and she addressed the rabbits, “haul your former roommate into the kitchen so they can start working on the meal, then return to your room. I doubt anyone will be feeling a need to kill you with her available.”
\tHer voice a bit ragged, Roxy nodded toward the priestess, “Thank you... If someone did hurt them while I’m here, it’d detract from my own fun. I should have thought of that before... but when I do this again, and I’m sure I will, I’ll make sure I’m the last or only ‘slave’ around at the time.”
\tBerria nodded, “That’s a good plan,” then glanced to her husband. “Your turn! Cin, give him the knife for now; I’m going to go see what other ‘toys’ are on that rack over there...”
\tBlinking a bit as he was handed the dagger, as he’d only planned to watch rather than participate that night, Elaric thought for a moment, absently licking at the bit of blood on the blade’s tip. Nodding to himself, then, he leaned in to lap at the thick nipple capping one of those magnificent breasts, then gently blew on it, smiling as it stiffened visibly. Planting the dagger’s point at the nubbin’s exact center, then, he started pressing gradually harder, much like Cin had, and his lips drew back from his sharp teeth at the first hint of fresh blood. Unlike that thin ear, there was far more thickness of flesh than length of steel this time, and his other hand came up to steady the heavy orb as Roxy started moaning again, hard enough to risk shaking her teat off of the knife before the first inch had sunk in. His wife’s hands joined his, keeping that breast as still as possible as the nipple split completely, and he kept up his slow, steady thrust, taking nearly a minute to bury the blade completely in soft flesh, russet fur and white both stained dark by the trickling streams of crimson.
\tThe unicorn smiled fondly from where she divided her attention between the toy rack and the healer’s satisfying willingness to inflict injury, only to be interrupted by a quiet voice from the other side, “May... may I help?”
\tIt was the skunk from the other table. Up close, she turned out to be in her mid-teens, lithe and nubile, but the moisture matting her thighs and the flecks of blood on her arms and chest suggested she’d already proven her right to be here tonight. Berria nodded, “I wouldn’t mind, and I’m sure our playmate’s philosophy is ‘the more the merrier.’ Here,” and she held out a short, thick iron bar and a very slender dirk from the rack, “you can start by providing a couple extra hands. I’ll take these, myself, but any of us can use any of them!” Her own hands selected a thin-bladed skinning knife and a stubby dagger with a gut-hook.
\tNodding back as they both padded toward the occupied table, her voice was still just a bit shy as she murred, “My name’s Crissi. I’m still sort of new to the club myself, as it tends to take me weeks to save up my admission fee, but I’m finally getting used to it. My first few times I somehow felt that my mother was watching, and oh what she’d say if she saw me with both hands inside another girl, only one of them by a natural orifice! I thank... and, to be honest, suspect Kathalla, that everyone still thinks I’m out with my university study partner these evenings.”
\tThe priestess chuckled knowingly, “Just keep it in mind that if you do your job right, your playthings won’t live to tell anyone about it, and your siblings in faith can be trusted to keep your secret too. I can’t say I ever had your exact problem, but I guess that’s why I was a full priestess by your age, and I certainly understand how this can be hard at first.” Setting her borrowed blades on the table between Roxy’s ankles, even as her husband slowly twisted her own knife where it was buried in fat, she gestured at the growing puddle of vixen-juice with a grin, “If you really like feeling your hand inside a woman, though, she’s certainly wet enough to let you in with little effort. In fact, I heartily suggest that you do so. What I was told of Pola suggested that giving her normal pleasure actually multiplies what she’s feeling from converted pain.”
\tCrissi snickered softly, setting down her burden before claiming a free spot on the far side of Roxy’s hips. Grouping her fingers together, thumb in tight, she nudged them between those swollen lips... It wasn’t quite as effortless as the mare had suggested, of course; that snug passage was spasming continuously, and a gasping moan from the vixen’s other end punctuated it only getting worse, but the skunk persisted, pressing as hard as it took to bury her hand in warm flesh before balling it into a fist to start pumping.
\tRoxy squeaked what might have been a strangled ‘Yes!’ if she were in any condition to speak, but Elaric chose that moment to pull the knife out of her breast and lay an empty hand on it instead, sealing the tiny veins running through the huge orb while making sure as many nerves as possible lived to feel the remaining damage. “This is certainly... an experience,” he admitted with a tight grin, and both his spouses could discern his scent among the more blatant musk of a vixen, seeping out from the gap where his breeches bulged.
\tGlancing over at the tigress and lion, both struggling to keep their eyes focused as they rutted vigorously in their shared seat, Berria mused, “Quite a show, too... and it’s about to get better.” Pointing at the iron rod, she started handing out suggestions, “El? You’re the strongest of us, so why don’t you break her knees? Cin, that dirk is a bit on the blunt side... which makes it perfect for piercing sensitive places, like the pads of her feet. I think I’ll use the two remaining knives, the flaying blade to cut off those magnificent tits then the other dagger to pull out her guts, but I’ll be sure to miss your hand, Crissi, so don’t worry.”
\tThe skunk snickered, “Once there’s a new hole, I’ll help with the gutting. Turning insides into outsides is always fun.”
\tThe unicorn’s wasn’t the only chuckle of agreement as she and her spouses reached for tools to make the writhing Goddess’ night even better.
* * *
\t“I’m almost certain she cheated,” Berria chuckled as she sank into the enormous tub, almost big enough to swim in if she were alone, though it was just shy of crowded with six bodies around its carved bench. “Even with El’s help to minimize the bleeding, there’s no way an ordinary, mortal body would have lasted the better part of an hour like she did.”
\tElaric nodded from across the tub, an odd smile on his own muzzle after the night’s interesting new experiences, “She did cheat. She was dribbling and squirting right to the very end, when at that rate a normal woman would have gone dry in the first ten minutes. There were several oddities about her reproductive anatomy that explained that, though I’ll spare you the technical details. Also, as normal as those organs looked once Crissi had punched them out through the hole in her belly,” and he nodded to the skunk, “they were missing some vital components for actually bearing a child. Then there’s her blood, which was subtly odd... More efficient, really; she could have lost a lot more of it before impacting her consciousness or mobility.”
\tLorina’s eyes were a bit wide by the end of that speech, and she shook her head in residual wonder, “She certainly knew what she wanted and how to go about getting it, it seems.” Slipping an arm around the lion beside her, she grinned, “In any case, that was probably the best ‘show’ I’ve gotten laid to in my entire life. As much fun as I’d had before you three showed up, the second act of the evening turned out even better. I hope the wolves have as much fun as we did, tomorrow night.”
\tNodding, the other priestess smiled, “I’m sure they will... but, before I forget, there was another reason I wanted to come here tonight, if far less interesting than how things worked out earlier. My black robe was ruined on both sides by a cutlass a few days ago; would you know where I can get another?”
\tThe tigress blinked once, then nodded, “Yes... There’s a tailor’s shop on Incursion Street, named so because it was the site of a fairly major battle the last time an Atherian invasion got this far south. It’s parallel to this street, four or five blocks north, and its proprietor is one of Karnaal’s bunch and makes their skulking garb. More than one religion wears black, though, so he’s happy for the extra business. Oh, and speaking of business, don’t worry about your cover charge for tonight. The ‘slave’ was free, and your sharing that rat meant less to throw away. The price of bread and cider, compared to the fun I had, was meaningless.”
\tBerria nodded back, “Thank you for that, and the information too. I’ll be sure to wear my pendant when I visit that tailor so he knows what to make or sell,” even as she turned on the bench to reach for one of the scrubbing brushes littering the tub’s rim.
\tCin’s hand beat her to it, and the vixen smiled, “Please... allow me, my wife and Mistress. After a night like this, it’s the very least I can do in thanks.”
\tThe unicorn nodded, chuckling affectionately as she offered her bloodstained arms.
* * *
\tSir Shallar spun on one foot, lashing out with a wooden sword, only to find it blocked by crossed, shorter pieces of hardwood, then stumbled forward with a grunt as a fourth practice weapon crunched into the chainmail over his spine. Dropping his second sword, he held up his hand for a pause, “Very good, ladies...” He glanced over his shoulder at the vixen, “I didn’t have to pretend not to know that was coming. I honestly thought you were too far out of position from my last attack, but I was obviously wrong.” Looking back to the unicorn, he smiled, “You two have come a long way, in less than three weeks. I’d have to judge your training in ‘the basics’ complete. There’s still a lot I can teach you, if you’re interested, but if you’d rather continue the journey we’ve occasionally spoken of, you can do so with the knowledge that you’re no longer defenseless.”
\tBerria glanced at the wooden substitutes for large daggers she was holding, still a bit breathless from the fight as she smiled, “Well, once we buy the steel versions of these... You’ve been an excellent teacher, sir knight, and we all thank you for your time and attention.”
\tThe muscular stag shook his head with a grin of his own, “I can’t take all the credit... You and both of your spouses,” and he glanced over again, “particularly your former slave, have shown a level of effort and dedication that surpasses most army trainees. You’ve worked for these lessons, and learned them all the better for it.”
\tCin’s smile was grim, “I’m... motivated. Seeing my love run through by a sword once was one time too many. That blow you didn’t expect wouldn’t have landed if it weren’t her you’d been attacking at the time; in her defense, I move faster and strike harder than I ever could otherwise.”
\tThe knight nodded, respect in his eyes, “So I’ve heard... The last two restday sermons came as something of a surprise, as we were told of Malia’s first angel, and I have to envy your wife for being the first in the world to experience her healing touch.”
\tThe unicorn chuckled at the irony and mused, “I also have the ‘honor’ of being the reason Xavaria is an angel, rather than a still-living mortal, but that’s a tale you’d probably rather not hear,” and she touched her Kathallic pendant in suggested explanation. “In any case, thank you again for your lessons, and for your advice. I’ll finally be breaking the seal on that bag of gold King Keesanrel gave me, and we’ll shop well at the Count’s Arms before resuming our wanderings.” She set her ‘daggers’ back on the rack of practice weapons and shot a gentler smile to her wife, “Come on, El’s probably having lunch with the fencing tutors. Let’s join him, then see about spending one last night at the inn. We’ve got some packing to do, between lovemakings.”
Chapter 9
\tThe trio’s journey was generally southward, though the mountains of Northlook necessitated a few detours even with the sturdy horses they’d picked up on their way out of town. The increments of their travel were almost leisurely, allowing time each morning to keep practicing what they’d learned in Wolf’s Bay, save for the several days it took to cross the mountain pass; spring was just around the corner, but it was still a brutal time of year to cross those elevations, and they had little choice but to push on as hard as it took to reach the shelter of evenly-spaced inns and hostels each day. They rarely had to pay for their lodgings, along the pass, as there was almost always someone in the innkeepers’ families with a cold or worse who Elaric could heal in trade. Once back in the gently-rolling foothills, they noticed an immediate improvement in the weather, warm winds from the south having been blocked or chilled by the snow-covered mountains. It rained fairly frequently, but it only rarely had a slushy sort of snow mixed in.
\tWhenever a decent-sized city was convenient to stop in for the night, they did so, and sought out the local playclub as well. There was no repeat of Roxy’s entertaining appearance, but Elaric had learned a trick from her, however imperfectly, that let him channel some of a slave’s pain into their pleasure centers, letting all three of them take their sweet time with normally-agonizing torments with a clear conscience.
\tNot far from the duchy border between Northlook and Fariach, the wide highway’s top inch or two reduced to sticky mud by a recent rain, a fellow traveler coming the other way caught their attention. The donkey was very roughly dressed, in several layers of worn homespun, and his head hung low until the approach of hoof-beats required him to glance up just to make sure he didn’t run into anyone. Both ladies had to restrain a giggle at the way he looked up, then down, then back up again in a classic double-take, and he stopped dead in the road for a long moment, staring at the white wolf’s matching robe.
\t“Gods be praised!” he half-brayed. “I thought I’d have to walk all the way to Greenhill ‘fore I found a healer... Please, m’lord, can ya spare the time t’visit my poor village? There’s one as is in sore need o’ yer help, an’ we’ve all scraped t’gether t’cover yer fee.”
\tElaric blinked, “But of course! None of us have any urgent business, and we have enough money to get where we’re going. Don’t you worry about any fees; I’d be happy to help if I’m needed as badly as you suggest.”
\tThe previously despondent equine showed renewed energy as he turned around and started walking again, explaining as he went, “I’m Palarin, an’ it’s me uncle as fell ill... Six generations, my family’s worked this land, and three o’ those generations were in th’field yesterday, clearin’ rocks an’ breakin’ up th’sod fer the spring plantin’. Ol’ Uncle Hellach was movin’ a bit stiff-like, but we thought nothin’ of it since he’s gettin’ on in years, but just afore lunch he fell down an’ wouldn’ get back up. We’d say he was sleepin’ normal-like, but he’s all tense; we set a few of th’littles to sittin’ on his arms an’ legs jus’ to keep ‘em straight in th’bed we hauled ‘im to.”
\tThe healer nodded, “Then you were right in seeking out someone like me... If nothing else, I can make his muscles relax before they do him permanent harm. As to figuring out what’s actually wrong with him, that will have to wait until I’ve had a chance to see him, I’m afraid.”
\t“Oh, aye,” the farmer agreed, “we knows how that works. Me youngest sister, well, ma had trouble birthin’ her, an’ had to be fixed up by a feller from Greenhill. He was mortal ‘spensive, an’ a bit too aware o’ his lofty station if ya get me drift, but we paid good attention while he was talkin’ down to us lowly folk. He probably didn’t realize it, but there were plenty’a nuggets o’ wisdom in his prattle that we’ve used t’keep ourselves healthy since then fer free.”
\tAll three travelers chuckled, Berria musing, “I’ve worked a farm myself, in my youth... and I learned to never underestimate the power of peasant practicality. Your ‘folk’ have a way of looking at the world that often sees far more, and better, than highborn eyes.”
\tSince she’d been keeping her horn-hiding illusion active to keep interruptions to a minimum while traveling, and her pendant was packed up with her new main and spare robes, the other equine simply nodded up at her with a grin of his own, “They calls us ig’nant... but we knows when t’keep our eyes an’ ears open an’ our mouths shut, which is more’n that healer knew.” He gestured onward, “Now, ‘t’ain’t more than a five, six miles or so t’our cozy village o’ Hayshire, an’ we should be gettin’ in just in time fer supper.”
* * *
\tBy the travelers’ best estimates, every person in the little village set amidst several farms came out to see the arriving strangers. They just stood in doorways or on porches, staring... As modest as the trio’s garb was compared to what two of them had seen in Keesanrel’s court, it was far above the norm for peasantry this far from a real city, and these people had long memories. Well-dressed strangers’ arrival had often boded ill for them, in past generations, but more than one hard gaze softened at the sight of Elaric’s robe.
\t“It may be supper time,” that wolf mused as he climbed down from his saddle, “but I’d prefer to inspect your uncle without delay. Could you lead me to him?”
\tPalarin nodded jerkily, his long ears flopping, “O’ course! Jus’ another sign yer better’n the last healer t’come this way,” and stepped down the path between the general store and a small tavern toward the crude residences just off of the central street.
\tPausing only to tie all three horses to the hitching post in front of the store, his wives followed along at a more leisurely pace, then stepped through a small home’s open door, though the bedroom with the stricken peasant was too crowded by family for them to comfortably enter.
\tElaric shook his head as his hands moved slowly through the air a few inches over his patient. Once the children had climbed off of him, the donkey’s body was slowly curling toward a fetal position from unconscious tension, his muscles stark under his gray fur and a layer of sweat. “This man,” the healer rumbled in a voice stiff with iron control, “has been beaten within an inch of his life, but very carefully so as not to leave obvious marks. His bones are bruised, his muscle fibers are laced with scar tissue, and just about every part of him shows signs of long-term stress. If, as you said, he showed no obvious signs but a bit of stiffness just before he collapsed... then it was because he worked damned hard not to. Forcing his body to move normally after what it’s endured... depleted his reserves, and his tension is a result of extreme exhaustion, despite his having eaten normally.” He glanced up, “Do you have a wise woman, a horse leech, anyone in this town who knows plants well? My powers aren’t enough to completely restore him; we must bolster his empty reserves, and I can tell which plants will help... but not which are poisonous. I’ll do what I can to ease his cramping, and keep him unconscious through the night, but once we’ve got a day of light available I’ll need to wander the nearby hills and forests, finding the ingredients for a tonic. Without such, he won’t last a week.”
\tPalarin scratched absently behind one ear as he thought, then shrugged, “Hellach his’self was th’one as knew those sorts’a things best... but little Tabina was interested, an’ he’d been showin’ ‘er a thing or two these last months. ‘nless ya wants’ta send fer someone in town, she’s yer best bet.”
\tThe wolf smiled grimly as he straightened up, absently wiping his hands on his robe as if to clean off the unpleasant details he’d sensed, “Even in the same climate, the plant life can differ greatly from one place to the next. I’d rather have local help, however inexperienced.” Leaning over once more, he laid a palm on his patient’s head, the man’s next breath coming as an unconscious sigh of relief as his muscles relaxed into a more average sleeping posture, “There... He’s feeling no pain, not even dreaming, and will stay that way for at least twelve hours unless I either wake him myself or give him another dose to stay down. I’ll take care of the bone-bruising once we have the rest of what he needs.”
\tThe visible demonstration of his power brought wide-eyed stares from the children and solemn, determined nods from the watching adults, those with lingering, suspicious expressions promptly losing them. The plump matron of the clan elbowed her way to the front of the crowd and dipped an abbreviated curtsy, “M’lord, if that’s all ye c’n do now that th’sun’s down, perhaps ye and yer ladies could join us fer supper?”
\tElaric smiled gently at her, “We’d be honored to share your table... so long as you forget that ‘m’lord’ nonsense. I’m just a man, doing what I can with the gifts I was blessed with, as are we all.”
\tThe equine nodded, a hint of color at her cheeks after a smile from a younger and handsomer man than she’d received in years, and turned to lead the way toward the large table in the middle of the house.
* * *
\tTypically for such a small, isolated village, Hayshire’s population had very little variety of species. Equines predominated, both horses and donkeys, with several families of rabbits rounding things out. Counting the central town and the nearby farmhouses, there were several hundred people there, enough to avoid rampant inbreeding, though the family news in the conversation around the breakfast table was enough to suggest to the visitors that these people had a slightly more liberal definition of ‘closely related’ than most city-folk would have strictly approved of. Even as the meal’s dishes were cleared, Palarin returned from the errand he’d eaten earlier for, a lapine girl on the very cusp between childhood and womanhood following him into the large dining room.
\t“This is Tabina,” he told the trio as they rose from their bench, then turned to the child, “an’ the wolf there be yer teacher’s best hope, with yer help. He’ll be askin’ ya ‘bout certain plants, an’ all you need t’worry ‘bout is whether they’s safe t’eat.”
\tGlancing toward the room she knew her mentor was unconscious in, the girl’s expression of shyness faded visibly toward determination as she nodded, “Yes, sir. I know most’a th’plants ‘round here, an’ Hellach taught me to nibble ‘n spit fer the rest. I c’n tell the diff’rence between bad-tastin’ an’ toxic.”
\tElaric nodded, only a hint of a smile at Tabina’s earnestness marring his serious expression, “Good. Let’s not waste any more time; lead me to the nearest concentration of wilderness so I can start trying to sense the minerals Hellach needs.”
\tAs their husband followed the child through the front door, Berria and Cin exchanged a glance, the former musing, “Let’s help with the dishes. I doubt there’s much else we’d be good for, around here, and it beats sitting and waiting.”
\tThe vixen nodded, an unhappy but resigned grimace on her muzzle, but the matron of the donkeys’ family interrupted, “Yer not the only ones with li’l to do, here in town... I’ll not say nay to yer help, but we’ve plenty of biddies with nothin’ to do but gossip all day. That’s gotta be better’n just sittin’ and waitin’ fer yer man to get back.”
\tThe visiting ladies exchanged another glance, both fighting to keep how little that suggestion appealed to them from discourteously showing on their faces. Under the pretext of moving toward the kitchen, Cin stepped around her wife, close enough to breathe an almost inaudible chuckle and murmur to her alone, “Take entertainment where you can... Mistress.”
* * *
\tOnce resigned to facing it, the day turned out to be quite a bit less onerous than the priestess had feared. Simple circumstances were a source of amusement, as she and Cin chatted with the wives of shopkeepers and carters in a small floral garden between the village proper and one of the nearby fields. Those simple village ladies, after all, assumed that Elaric was the dominant focus of their somewhat unusual marriage, a talented and successful man who could easily support having two wives, even if only one of them had any chance of bearing his children. There was an obvious difference between peasants and the sorts of ladies found in temples or noble courts; after only a slight hesitation for fear of offending the upper-class newcomers, a dappled bunny who was probably Tabina’s mother, or at least aunt, broached the subject of what it was like to bed a healer... and Cin’s grin was truly vixenish as she confirmed his multiplicity to a blend of titters and braying guffaws from the village women.
\tOnce onto subjects no ‘proper’ lady would discuss in public, they spent some time speculating on just what a white wolf’s offspring would look like on the off chance he managed to impregnate the vixen. Fox-wolf hybrids were rare, but hardly unknown; Berria’s fellow Sister Elaria had married one, after all. That speculation, in turn, led to a minor surprise, that a town this small possessed a Roxanite ‘church,’ in the form of an adobe hut on the outskirts that housed a brother and sister, both hybrids themselves. As mules, and being infertile, they were considered ‘safer’ to casually dally with than most, even if they were both mere novices by rank, and even these fairly conservative peasants had gotten over most of their disapproval at the twin siblings being each other’s most frequent lovers.
\tJuicy gossip and ribald speculation occupied the group until almost noon, but since more than half of them needed to prepare lunch for their families the gathering broke up at that point. To the visitors’ surprise, as they turned onto the street of the house they were staying at, Elaric and Tabina were walking toward them from the other end, the wolf carrying a basket of assorted greens and the rabbit’s young face looking downright triumphant. “I think this will work,” the healer grinned as he followed his wives inside. “The timing couldn’t be better, even... While lunch is being prepared, I’ll just commandeer a spare pot of water and a spot at the hearth to boil it, along with a little wine or vinegar to better extract what I need. We’ll have Hellach back on his feet by evening.” Setting his burden down on the edge of the kitchen counter, most of it already occupied as three donkeys prepared lunch, he reached over to give his ‘guide’ an affectionate head-ruffling, “And I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks.”
\tA blush showing through the whiter portions of her dappled fur, Tabina nodded, eyes downcast as she visibly struggled to control her expression, “Um... ‘twasn’t nuthin’, sir.”
\tThe rabbit retreating the moment he turned his attention back to the leaves and fronds in his basket, Berria had to chuckle to her husband and murmur, “I think someone’s got a bit of a crush... I’ve met rabbits half her age who were sexually active, within certain obvious limits... and while I wouldn’t mind, and Cin seems amused too, you should be careful if she starts making offers. She’s only eleven or so, and I’m not certain how her parents would take things if you were caught.”
\tThe wolf smirked faintly as he pulled a cutting board out of the counter to start sorting through the selection of greenery, whispering back, “I’d already guessed about the crush... I was sitting down to disentangle a vine from a bush when she ran up to show me another find, and ‘tripped.’ I may not have anything like your horn’s senses, but what I do have did not note any pain in her foot. The fall, and the hand on my crotch where she caught herself, had to be deliberate.” The clatters and bangs of an industrious kitchen covered both his murmur and his wives’ giggles, but he spoke up before anyone could notice anyway, “Ma’ams? I’ll need a medium-sized soup pot, a gallon or so of water, and maybe half a pint of wine or vinegar. This’ll take at least a couple hours to boil down, so I may as well get it started now.”
* * *
\tElaric held his hands to the sides of his patient’s neck, eyes closed in concentration, as he ‘manually’ worked the man’s throat muscles and lungs, making him swallow the tonic his wife was feeding him one careful spoonful at a time without inhaling any of it. One hand moved lower, over Hellach’s belly as he probed to make sure his digestive system hadn’t been completely shut down by the stress that had caused his collapse, then opened his eyes with a faint grunt of effort. “It’s working. We’ll need an hour or so for the trace elements and minerals to spread throughout his system, then I can safely wake him up. At the moment, his induced coma is the only reason he’s not screaming in pain, even in his sleep. I’ll spend that time finishing the healing of his bones, and you should expect the entire family to be unusually tired and hungry tonight, since I’m borrowing some of your strength to help him.”
\tPalarin blinked, “Dayuhm... That ain’t nothin’ like what that other healer-fella did. Sounds like yer half mage ‘r somethin’.”
\tThe wolf smiled slightly even as he moved his hands to the prone man’s shoulders and gathered his concentration, “That’s... actually a fairly good way to describe it. Normally someone’s a healer or a mage, but never both... but I’m not like most healers. I’m the only one I’ve ever heard of who can do things quite this way. Now let me work. As distasteful as they might find it, I’ll need you to ask the ladies to include some of the dried meat from my saddlebags in the meal they’re preparing, as I’ll really need it by then, and to make a large portion of your usual fare for Hellach too, as he’ll need it even more. He hasn’t eaten in over a day, and any questions you might have can and will wait ‘til he’s fed.”
\tNodding, the donkey cast one more glance, respect shining in his eyes, at the healer before turning and stepping out to relay his orders.
\tThe equine family was a bit somber as they gathered for supper a while later, but only until that bedroom door creaked open. More than one face had tears in wide eyes, over cheek-cramping smiles, as Elaric and Hellach emerged, the old donkey’s arm draped across the wolf’s shoulders for support as he half-staggered down the short hall to the dining room. His wife scrambled up from the bench as quickly as her old bones would let her, and rushed over to take hold of him from the other side, her supporting arm hugging almost tightly enough to do fresh injury, but he hardly seemed to notice, simply hugging her back as well as he could.
\t“Praise the Gods,” Karfoll, the wrinkled, silver-muzzled patriarch of the family rumbled. “Praise Them all... and thank you, healer.”
\tElaric gave him a wan smile as he helped the older couple get settled, then took his own seat next to his wives. That smile widened as he spotted the strips of rehydrated meat mixed in with steamed barley and carrots, “You’re welcome... and thank you,” and he turned his smile on the women who’d cooked the meal. “I know you can’t have been comfortable handling meat, but I can’t help being a wolf. I just can’t go for more than a few days without it, especially if I’m exerting myself as much as it took to get Hellach back on his feet.”
\tOne of the nodding cooks gave a pained chuckle, “It coulda been worse, sir. At least ya had th’meat, so we didn’t have’ta go slaughterin’ one’a our wool-sheep ‘r nuthin’.”
\tSeveral of the gathered equines chuckled, a bit uneasily of course, at that notion, but replying took a distant second in priority to digging into his meal, as the healer hadn’t understated his need in the slightest.
\tGlancing between the carnivore and his uncle, who was also shoveling food into his muzzle as fast as he could, Palarin smiled and suggested, “Let’s follow their example an’ eat. Questions c’n wait ‘til later.” He’d warned the family about the effects of Elaric’s particular gifts, so it was no surprise that several bellies rumbled in response, his included, and they all dug in.
\tThey gathered in the same bedroom the healing had taken place in, the three visitors sitting on the bed, Hellach and his wife on a bench from the dining room, and Palarin and his grandfather Karfoll on the room’s two chairs. Hellach had insisted on this, in response to the elder’s initial suggestion of gathering the whole family around the home’s central fireplace. Now, his wife still holding him possessively with one arm, he finally told them why.
\t“It was just over a week ago... You know I harvest herbs from several different places, giving them time to grow back, and sometimes that takes me miles from Hayshire. It was at just about as far as I ever go when I met them... and I thank the Gods that I didn’t have Tabina with me that day. They’re gone by now, so I can finally break my promise of silence, but I ran into a whole bunch of strangers in a big clearing. Strangers with armor and swords and bows, at least two dozen that I saw, though there were probably at least a few more. I’d heard what sounded like fighting, and tried to get closer to find out what was going on, but before I could make it through the thicket someone shouted for me to stop and I had three arrows pointing at my face, much too close for them to miss. What else could I do? I followed along as I was told, to where those soldier-folk were practicing, and they took me to a fellow in really fancy armor with a gold circle, damn near a crown, ‘round his helmet. Even way out there on the backside of nowhere, he had a fancier chair than I’d ever seen... That armor hid every bit of ‘im in front, and I certainly couldn’t see any tail with him sitting like that, but from his voice I think he was some kind of cat. He didn’t bother to ask me anything; he just told me his sentries had seen me and Tabina, though he just called her ‘that little rabbit wench,’ in the woods just a bit closer to home, and that if he saw me again in the few days before he left, he’d do to her what he was about to do to me. Now, I had no idea what he meant by that, right then... but I learned quick enough! His men dragged me out to where they’d been practicin’ with their swords, tied me to a tree, and a couple of them with fancier armor set into me with heavy, polished sticks.” His wife’s grip tightened as she whimpered, and he slipped an arm around her shoulders to hold her close, his voice as low as his gaze as he stared at the floor, “I was sure I was going to die... I didn’t know a man could hurt that much and still be alive, but these folks were real careful, and real good at what they did. They never touched my head or belly, and I still can’t understand how they kept from breaking any bones, but they pounded and pounded and pounded...” He took a deep breath and looked up, “It felt like forever, but by the sun it was less than two hours before they untied me and threw me back into the woods. The pain was ringing in my ears so much... I’m sure they repeated their lord’s warning, but I was in no shape to be understandin’. All I could do was crawl toward home as fast as possible, which meant marginally quicker than a snail. After the first couple miles I was steady enough to get back on my feet, and I was thinking more clearly too. The way I saw it, my only choice was to pretend nothing had happened, and to take Tabina somewhere else, anywhere else, to keep teaching her. Couldn’t even stop that, even if it was for her own good, as she’d have asked me why, and the last thing I could do was tell her... at least until now. They’re long gone if that lord of theirs was telling the truth.”
\tEvery face in the room was frowning as the listeners nodded, sharing glances amongst each other, and Berria’s voice was cold as she asked, “Who were they, though? They were obviously strangers, yes... but did you overhear any names? See any livery or crests you can describe?”
\tHellach started to shake his head, then paused... “I don’t know armor,” he mused, “so ‘fancy’ is about as specific as I can get, but most of the men had these things like aprons over the metal...”
\t“Surcoats,” Elaric helpfully supplied.
\tThe donkey nodded, then continued, “They only come to mind now since they were embroidered, and the guy with the crown-helmet had the same thing on his heavy steel shirt as an inlay of copper. I don’t remember it well enough to draw, but it seemed to mainly be some kind of fruit tree and a bird.” He shook his head sadly, “If they hadn’t beaten me senseless just after, I could probably tell you what kind of bird... but even without hitting him in the head, enough pain can daze a man just the same.”
\tMost of the nods this fetched were sympathetic, but Berria’s was more resolute. “I think,” she mused with a glance at each of her spouses, “we’ll need to pause in the next major city, to check with someone familiar with heraldry. Worst case, we’d have to go as far as Wrenshollow, some five or six days away, as the count’s castle there would have what I need.” She looked back to the donkeys, “You’ve probably been under the impression that Cin and I are Elaric’s mismatched wives and he’s the senior member of the family... but that’s not quite the case. If anyone’s in charge of our little group, I am, as I’m something much like, but not exactly, an Agent. I’ve dined with royalty, earned favors from an archmage, and solved crimes an entire city’s guards couldn’t. Your story, Hellach, suggests that something serious is going on, but we can’t possibly know what, which is why I’m going to poke my nose into things. I’ll find out just what that symbol you saw means, then try to find out why someone wearing it would torture an innocent man while he’s just out collecting herbs. If I can’t find out who or why, myself, I’ll go straight to King Lachier and get his investigators or even Agents involved.”
\tAll four of the other equines were wide-eyed at her claims, though they also looked skeptical, so she decided to give them just a bit of hard evidence, reaching up to touch her right earring for a moment. Eight eyes blinked hard as her horn seemingly materialized, and she had to smile at her spouses’ quiet laughs.
\tKarfoll recovered from surprise first, straightening in his seat, “We’d heard that th’last king had started tradin’ with unicorns... but never in our lives thought t’see one in our li’l backwater.” He glanced around at his junior family members and shrugged, “I s’pose the only thing we can do is wish ya luck an’ good huntin’, an’ maybe ask that y’send some’un t’tell us th’whole tale sometime once ya figger out just what sorta trouble Hellach ran into.”
\tThe unicorn nodded, her muzzle grim, “At a minimum, yes. You and yours deserve at least that much, particularly Palarin for ‘daring’ to interrupt our travels.” She smiled at the newly-startled donkey, “If you hadn’t, not only would your uncle probably be dead, given what El said about how much longer he had, but his story would have died with him, and there’d be no way to let the authorities know anything needed to be looked into. If we do find out what’s going on, and it turns out to be a serious problem, I’m going to suggest that the king give your whole town a year off of taxes in thanks.”
\tThe patriarch’s eyes narrowed shrewdly at that, his mind obviously considering the long-term implications. Farming wasn’t exactly a high-margin business, so their taxes were a fairly low actual figure, but their remaining profit had seen them just barely getting by in recent years. Keeping even a small additional percentage would allow for all sorts of minor upgrades in equipment and draft animals, and could have a noticeable impact on the community as a whole.
\tHellach chuckled as he let go of his wife to stretch, “I’ll be glad if my... unfortunate experience ends up doing some good, aye. I’m still more than a little bushed from it, though, so I think we should all go to bed, and you fine people can be on your way to start this investigation bright and early in the morning.”
\tElaric nodded as he stood, his wives following suit, “Sounds good to me. You’ll want to drink about half a pint of that tonic I made, every morning for one more week, and don’t get back into the fields or forests for at least two weeks, but that’s all the recovery you’ll really need. I’ve done everything I can for you, personally, and all you need now is time and a few minerals.”
\tThe equine’s gaze softened as he nodded, “And you’ve my thanks for that, healer. Sleep well.”
* * *
\tThe group’s horses seemed particularly eager to continue the journey as they were saddled and loaded the next morning. The rest had done them good, but good feed and a lack of exercise had left them with entirely too much energy. Karfoll and Palarin were there to see them off but, just as they were about to mount, Hellach put in an appearance as well, trailed by Tabina and one of the gossip-prone bunnies from the day before.
\t“Farine and I realize we have no claim on you,” the donkey began, “and we certainly don’t want to hinder your investigation, but there’s one last favor we’d like to beg, regardless... As much of a pleasure as she’s been to teach, Tabina’s learned almost everything I can teach, and she’s got a real knack for herbs and plants in general. Then there’s the minor detail that I’ll be resting up for a couple weeks and couldn’t continue the lessons anyway...” He looked up at Elaric, “The favor we ask is that you take her along, and see if you can find someone to apprentice her to. As a healer yourself, I figure you can find another to take her out of professional courtesy, and we’ll be sending her with the fee you declined to cover her meals and any other support she’ll require.”
\tThe wolf’s brows were high as he nodded slowly, considering his request... “That sounds like a good idea, actually,” he finally replied. “The money probably isn’t necessary, if I can find her a good teacher... Practicing healers and even herbalists tend not to be poor, and if she’s as much a joy to teach as you suggest a good one will take her on at no charge.” He glanced to Palarin with a wry smile, “As your own experience demonstrated, though, not all healers are... nice. I’ll do my best to find someone better than the money-gouging babbler you told us about, but there’s a chance I’ll find someone who’s greatly experienced but has a few attitude problems. The money might smooth things, in such a case, but that sort would still be my last choice. They’d have to be a very good teacher to inflict the rest of them on her.”
\tFarine’s ears had dipped as he outlined that worst-case scenario, but they perked up again as she nodded, “It’s th’ teachin’ that’s ‘mportant. I trust you’ll find ‘er some’un nice if you can, but don’t strain yerself worryin’ ‘bout it if ya can’t.”
\tHer daughter had been looking on nervously at the hint that things might be called off, but smiled broadly at the final agreement, “Yay! Thank you!” She looked between her mother and former teacher, standing a bit straighter despite the heavy bag of food and clothes on her back, “I promise I’ll be good, an’ learn as much as I can!”
\tHellach chuckled and ruffled her head affectionately, “I know you will... I’ll miss you, scamp. Make sure you find time to practice your reading and writing, as there’s a lot of useful knowledge in books, too, and we’ll be expecting the occasional letter from you. I’ll read ‘em to your parents when they get here.” Glancing up, he pulled a folded stack of rough paper out of his belt and offered it to the healer along with a small pouch of coins, “I’ve written up a summary of what she already knows, for you to pass along to whoever you find, but we’ve delayed you enough on your journey. Carry on, and know that you take the thanks of all of Hayshire with you.”
\tElaric nodded solemnly as he took the packet, then climbed up onto his horse.
\t“Here, Tabina,” Berria offered, “you should ride with me since I’m the smallest and we’ll fit together in the saddle.”
\tWithin another minute, the girl’s pack had been tied onto a horse and all four of them were mounted, sharing one last wave with the villagers before starting down the road.
\tOut of idle curiosity, the wolf slowed his mount a bit to take the rear of the column, trusting the horse to follow along with minimal guidance as he unfolded the homemade papers. To his mild surprise, the first sheet was a letter to him, though the other two were clearly a simple, summarized list of studied subjects.
\t“Honored Healer,” the letter began. “I certainly couldn’t mention this in front of the town leaders, much less a child’s mother, but you deserve fair warning. She’s everything I said she is, as a student, attentive and intelligent, but she’s also very much a bunny. I still love my wife for her heart and her soul, but honesty compels me to admit that my interest in her body has waned as we both got older. The little minx I’ve been escorting through the woods, miles from any observer (except those damned sentries), has rekindled some of the physical flames of my youth. She’s very good with her tongue, and her rump is far more stimulating than what’s in my aging bride’s underdrawers. Even though I couldn’t tell you to without raising suspicion, I earnestly hope you read this before a day or two passes and the novelty of the journey wears off enough for her libido to reassert itself, or you and your wives could be in for a big surprise. If you or they object to a child’s attentions in that manner, and I’m almost certain you will, I ask that you be firm, but not unkind, in your rejection. Explain to her that it just isn’t proper, and she’ll accept it. Not happily, I guess, but it won’t hurt her to rely on her own fingers for that sort of thing. She certainly enjoyed them while I was halfway down her throat.”
\tThe letter wasn’t signed, of course; just like its avoidance of Elaric’s or Tabina’s names, at least token precautions against the possibility of someone else reading it had been taken. Crumpling the sheet and stuffing it into a pocket of his robe, the healer tucked the other pages into his saddlebag, resolving to use the letter for kindling the next time he built a campfire... and to find some opportunity to discreetly warn his wives.
Chapter 10
\t“Seriously,” Berria murmured, barely audible over the crackling flames where they camped a few days after leaving Hayshire, “it’s not a problem. When I first set out on this journey, I had a lover almost as young as her, even if she was actually... um, like Roxy.” The odds of Elaric ever returning to Atheria were slim, and those of him interacting with their royalty even slimmer, but the priestess had decided long ago to take no chances with Karen’s identity. “Mortal or not, though, I’ve had younger lovers or even slaves back at my old temple, and with rabbits or foxes age matters very little. Cin was certainly a lot younger than Tab when she started... practicing, after all.”
\tThe vixen giggled softly as she turned the sticks some well-seasoned jerky was warming on, then stirred the pot of vegetable stew.
\tHer husband nodded a bit reluctantly, but his reply was interrupted by the sound of rustling brush, and he shut his muzzle as the rabbit in question stepped back into the circle of firelight after doing her business amidst the trees. He caught just the faintest hint of a peek, more a suggestion that his mind filled in the details of than an actual view of private flesh, as she’d still been pulling up her breeches as she neared. He had to fight to keep from smiling, at that; she was a little minx, but not nearly as subtle as she thought. She’d been far enough away for privacy while he’d whispered with his other girls, and logically should have pulled her pants back up before taking the first step back toward the camp. Her ‘forgetfulness’ on that score simply had to be deliberate.
\t“We’ll be getting to Wrenshollow tomorrow, by lunchtime I’m guessing,” the priestess mused more conversationally, “but I actually have a suspicion of what we’ll find... More than one holding in this part of the kingdom is named after birds, but as we were riding I remembered an old story I’d read.” She glanced toward Tabina with a smile, “When I was just a little older than you, I met someone who taught me about my interests, just as we’re trying to find for you and yours. He let me read his memoirs, and one of his first... well, jobs, was in a barony not far from here, one with a bird name and a reputation for growing fruit. I’ll still want to check the count’s library... but I’ve got a nagging suspicion that the heraldry for Lark’s Reach will match Hellach’s description.”
\tHer wife nodded as she turned the sticks once more, then started dishing up bowls of stew, two large and two small, “That certainly sounds like a good lead... but what then?”
\tBerria paused to snicker as Tabina snatched at her bowl, one of the larger ones, barely avoiding spillage as she sat back on a log and scooped up a spoonful to blow on. Her expression much more serious, then, the unicorn shook her head even as she accepted the other big bowl, “I’m really, really hoping I’m wrong, actually. The baron in question is Queen Serra’s half-brother. Yeah, they’re a whole kingdom apart, but the story of how she and Keesanrel met is a complicated one. Hell, they were actually both in western Vivenge at the time... Regardless, I consider the royal family as personal friends, and I’d be unhappy to have to inform Serra that her brother’s beating people up in an earldom far from his home, in the company of soldiers who have no business being there in the first place. Or, at least, that’s what the situation looks like... I’ll have to see if any rumors in Count Wrenshollow’s court have to do with their neighbors. Thank you, dear,” and she accepted one of the sticks of jerky from Cin, its very edges a bit singed, but that’d been the point of warming them near the fire in the first place. Just a bit of mild burn could add a pleasant accent to the flavor of almost any meat.
\tTabina blinked, pausing her near-inhalation of her own supper, then outright stared as blunt white teeth nipped off a small bite of the preserved beef.
\tBerria followed that bite with one of stew, then chuckled to the disbelieving youngster, “No, unicorns don’t eat meat... except me. Don’t worry yourself about it, you’re still perfectly safe with us... but I’m a bit unusual in several ways. As I once described it, I’m the most evil good person you’ll ever meet. My job is to help people, and my husband’s a healer... but I’m also a full priestess of Kathalla. I’d never hurt any of my friends, but I’ve killed people who hurt others, and I have to admit to enjoying it.” She neglected to mention, for the moment, slaves, as the wide-eyed bunny probably wasn’t thinking clearly enough for complex explanations.
\tElaric chimed in, “I watched her do that, once. An insane woman had been killing children even younger than you... but she stopped her. That bitch will never hurt anyone ever again.”
\tThe word of a healer, not to mention a man she very much wanted to get closer to, did much to calm the young rabbit, and she nodded once before taking another bite of her meal. She thought for one more moment as she chewed the veggies, then swallowed, “Sorry for kinda freakin’ out for a bit, there. I knew I was gonna have to get used to meat-eaters when I left Hayshire. Heck, I knew I’d be travelin’ with two! But... I kinda thought I’d have one vegetarian in the bunch, someone on ‘my side.’”
\tCin settled onto the other side of the log from Tabina, murring before starting her own meal, “Dear, we’re all on your side. Judge people by their actions and attitudes, not their teeth,” and her sharp canines flashed in the firelight at her friendly smile.
\tThe bunny blinked, then giggled around a smile of her own, “Hellach said pretty much the same thing... and I’m trying! It’s just... not as easy as I thought it’d be, being out in the world for the first time.”
\tElaric had noticed the way his comment had calmed her, earlier, and suppressed a chuckle of sympathy for his wives. The vixen, he knew, was being deliberately charming, but the subtle clues were firming up, suggesting that, even at her tender age, Tab preferred men and knew it. His suspicion only grew when her gaze darted instantly back to him, her big brown eyes softening, the moment he opened his mouth to say, “That, as much as my status, could be why he sent you with us and not someone else. We’re a small group, a safe group, that you can start getting used to before we reach a real city... which, as Berria said, will be tomorrow. Eat your stew, dear; we’ll all need our sleep.”
\tCin grumbled as she gnawed a chunk of jerky off of one of her sticks, swallowing before clarifying, “Just sleep, I’m pretty sure you mean. I don’t like the look of those clouds the moon’s not quite peeking through, so we’d better use the little tents. I still wish we could have found one big one with enough pieces to split between the horses...”
\tBerria grinned mischievously, deliberately catching Tabina’s gaze before rolling her own eyes and muttering, “Vixens...”
\tSheltered as her upbringing may have been in that farming community, the rabbit got the inference, and her merry giggle was ever so faintly naughty.
* * *
\t“I don’t know how long this’ll take,” Berria admitted, “but at least that means we’ll get our money’s worth from the inn. We can leave tomorrow morning, which will give all of us as much of this afternoon as we need.”
\tThe four travelers shared a few nods, their smallest member’s attempt at looking as serious as the adults actually rather amusing, where they stood under the shelter of the inn’s porch.
\tCin mused, “As much as I appreciate the opportunity... I’ve got a nagging suspicion that the books we’ll find will be a lot harder than that last primer I got through. I’ll try my best, but I can’t be certain just how much good I’ll do, even for mere practice.”
\tHer wife chuckled, shaking her head, “Don’t worry... even nobles aren’t born literate. I’ll point you to the educational section before I go looking for books of heraldry.”
\tSmiling at the vixen’s sudden relaxation, Elaric patted his companion on the shoulder, “I’ll have our charge properly taken care of by the time supper rolls around, in any case. Did you want to take that at the inn, or should I join you and the count’s court?”
\tBerria grimaced faintly, “Until we’ve got some idea just who and what is involved, I’d rather keep a low profile. We’ll spend the night at the inn, including supper and breakfast. If my earlier suspicion turns out to be correct, we’ll rent some space on one of the larger barges heading downriver. That’ll take us right through... the mentioned holding, where we can at least glance around for anything obviously suspicious, but our destination will be Fariach itself. A lot still depends on what I find, so I’ll give you more detail after dinner, with more information and more privacy than an open street.”
\tThe wolf nodded, mentally kicking himself for failing to consider those points in the first place, and simply leaned close to hug both his wives, planting a kiss on each cheek, “I’ll see you soon enough, then, loves. Good luck!”
\tAs the two pairs turned and started walking in opposite directions, Tabina glanced up to ask, “What did you mean, getting me ‘taken care of?’ Are you gonna find me a teacher right here?”
\tChuckling, the healer shook his head, “Not here, no. Now, I mean no insult when I say this... but the sort of town you grew up in, well, it shows.” He gestured at the moderate foot-traffic that shared the street with them despite the light drizzle falling from the clouds, “Just look around. There’s not much homespun wool being worn around here, and even the workers are a bit cleaner than you are after running around in the woods three or four days a week. My intention is to take you to the healer’s college in Fariach, and ask them where an herbalist who wants an apprentice can be found, but first we’ll need to get you some better clothes so you don’t stand out as a back-country yokel, and it couldn’t hurt to stop at a bathhouse while we’re out.”
\tThe girl’s young face was torn between emotions, mostly resentment at the points he’d made, tempered with the unpalatable knowledge that he was probably right, and managing as well to combine nervousness and naughty hope at his mention of baths.
\tGlancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him over the muting rumble of the other citizens, he picked his words carefully and kept his voice soft, “Please be careful with your expression, as I don’t want anyone who sees you to get the wrong impression... but I know what you’ve been doing. That ‘accident’ in the woods the day we met... wasn’t, and I know that you chose to flash me last night, as well as having a good idea of what you and Hellach were up to when no one else was around.”
\tWith his warning, her muzzle was calm enough, if rather tense, but the bunny’s eyes were wide as she stared fixedly ahead and her eartips were very red.
\t“I’ve actually discussed it with my wives,” he went on, “and they assure me that your... ‘goals,’ I suppose, are perfectly natural for a healthy young rabbit, and they don’t actually mind if you succeed in them with me. The more I think about it, too, the less I mind the notion... though don’t you go falling in love. Two wives is plenty, in my book, and you still need a real teacher. As a gifted healer, my study of herbs was... pretty minimal, to be honest. I just wanted to get this whole issue out in the open between us, preferably before we wound up naked in a bathtub.”
\tHer blush had mostly faded, only to return at his last words as her mind started suggesting possibilities, but her expression was far less stiff as she nodded, this time fighting to keep a grin off her muzzle, “Um... thank you, I guess. You’re treating me almost like a grown-up, talking to me about it, and, yeah, I suppose that’s better than my way, either drivin’ you away with my teasing or making you snap and just pounce me.” She smiled up at him with a bit of residual shyness, “You’re very handsome... but you’re also a wolf, and I’d probably panic if that happened.” She looked around as they passed another inn’s stable and the street grew more commercial, various shops on both sides only rarely interrupted by a tavern or warehouse. “Let’s... get that shopping done, and I won’t insist that you help me ‘try things on’ like one earlier thought suggested. That might have gotten you in trouble with the shopkeepers, after all.”
\tElaric had to chuckle, “Hellach said you were a little minx... Looks like he was right. You’ll get your chance to play, I assure you, so you can quit your scheming for now.”
* * *
\tThe county seat of Wrenshollow was, for its size, one of the more prosperous cities Elaric had been in, given its position at the northernmost navigable stretch of a wide river that ran all the way to the sea and connected at two points to highways leading to the capitol. There were plenty of shops featuring clothing, either tailor-owned or run by merchants who bought their stock elsewhere, and the competition and low transport costs kept prices reasonable. It was hard for the wolf himself to resist some of the items he found; he had to keep reminding himself that he already had a more varied wardrobe than he’d owned in years, and that storage space was severely limited while traveling. It was enough fun just looking, though, that he arbitrarily set a limit of one purchased garment per shop, explaining to his companion that they’d get to see a lot more that way.
\tThat limit, of course, got broken when Tabina found a style of underdrawers that were just a bit more frilly, and a tad more skimpy of cut, than her parents would have strictly approved of, but she needed something to go under the dresses she’d chosen elsewhere, and underwear wasn’t something a girl wanted only one change of. Thankfully, one of their very first purchases had been a large leather purse, and clothes her size folded down small enough that it was only marginally over-stuffed by the time her enthusiasm and energy started to run out.
\tElaric had mentally noted several bathhouses as they’d explored the city, but some inner urging he couldn’t quite define made him look farther down their current street rather than backtracking to a remembered establishment. There was, just a few buildings down from the seller of intimate apparel, another miniature wooden tub hanging from a post... but the storefront it stuck out from wasn’t quite like any of the others. Around the wide wooden doors, the wall was molded plaster, indented stripes suggesting marble columns, and between those there was a repeating theme along the edge of the roof, of paired round shapes, not quite circles or even flattened spheres. He was sure he’d seen those shapes before, fairly recently even, and he thought back through his journey... and then it hit him. The pattern was far smaller than the reality, and flatter too, but other than the lack of central points those shapes were a surprisingly exact replica of Roxy’s bosom.
\tHe touched Tabina’s shoulder and pointed, “There. That’s where we’ll bathe, and you can change into your new stuff afterwards, and... I’ve got the feeling we will not get in trouble there, no matter what.”
\t“No, you won’t,” a feminine, vulpine murr sounded just behind his ear, and he jumped in place before turning around. A familiar grin greeted him, though at least this time she was dressed, but even a medium-high-necked winter gown could do little to disguise her enormous breasts.
\tThe young rabbit had turned nearly as quickly, and blinked up at the stranger in clear confusion.
\tNoticing, her companion half-hissed, “I’ll tell you about it when we’re inside. She’s... a friend.”
\tRoxy simply nodded, giving a low chuckle, and took both mortals’ hands as she led them toward the bathhouse. Another vixen, if far less physically emphatic, was waiting behind the counter as they stepped inside, wearing an opaque white robe and a necklace with the stylized silver pendants of a low-profile priestess, and her eyes got huge as she recognized just who’d shown up. “These two need a private chamber,” the incarnation directed in her sultry rumble, “probably for no more than an hour. I won’t be joining them... though if you have someone who can watch the door for you, I might as well get to know you while I’m here.”
\tIn the time the priestess took to blink twice, her nipples had visibly stiffened under her robe, and she nodded half-spastically as she squeaked, “Yes, ma’am! Um, to both, ma’am! Travin?” When the feline she’d called stuck his head through the beaded curtain leading to the staff areas, she half-blurted, “Two for room twelve... then get back here quick! I’ll pay you double myself, but I need you to take the rest of my shift.”
\tThe cat in an acolyte’s necklace blinked hard at the vulpine newcomer, then nodded as he stepped out, “And you told me you thought this day would never come, just because this isn’t ‘really’ a temple! Looks like your cousin Ela was right...” Putting his ‘professional’ expression firmly back into place, marred only by a faint, residual smirk, he bowed to the wolf and rabbit, “If you two will follow me?”
\tOnce the acolyte had shown them to the designated chamber and closed the door behind them, Elaric grinned down at his companion and explained, “That vixen... was actually Roxanarra, called Roxy when she’s a mere mortal. I’ve met her once before... and she evidently enjoyed my company. Showing up here and now, and making sure we get a good room, is probably her way of saying thanks.”
\tTabina’s eyes widened, “And... she almost certainly knows what I wanna do with you in here! You were right ‘bout this place!” Wasting no more time, she gripped the hem of her woolen shirt and started peeling it up and off.
\tEven as he set down his purse of purchases and reached for the sash of his robe, Elaric glanced around the room. The centerpiece, of course, was the beaten-copper tub set into the marble floor, big enough for three large adults or four more compact people, its rim studded with several faintly-glowing crystals that probably accounted for the thin haze of steam already rising from the water. One corner of the chamber was indented by about a square yard, one side of the intrusion sporting a narrow door marked with the crescent moon commonly seen on outhouses, and on the other side, against the wall, a large padded bench or somewhat shallow couch was draped with a clean white sheet. It could almost certainly serve as a bed if someone was careful. A tray of scrub-brushes and soap was next to the tub, and several large, fluffy towels hung from racks to either side of the door.
\tDropping his robe to one side, the wolf worked at the tie of his breeches with one hand as he turned to secure the sliding bar on that door, not that he mistrusted anyone’s discretion if the entire staff here was, as it seemed, Roxanite, but it never hurt to have one less thing for either him or his companion to worry about. Glancing over at the thought of her, he caught her gaze just as she looked up after toeing off her shoes, the young bunny’s eartips a bit flushed again as she faced him, stark naked.
\t“Pretty,” he mused with a comforting smile, looking her up and down. Her chest was almost flat, only the faintest swells starting to grow there, but her nipples were a vivid pink where they peeked out of her mottled, tan and light brown fur. Her hips were almost boyishly slim, having developed just a bit more than her breasts had, but it was enough to suggest that she’d have a figure to draw eyes in just another few years. “Yes,” he reiterated, “very pretty.” Taking two steps away, he sat down on the edge of the couch to start working his boots off.
\tTabina’s blush faded as she watched him, admiring the flow of his chest- and arm-muscles as he worked, and her tongue snuck out half-unconsciously to roam her lips as he dropped his second boot and reached for the top of the white linen pantaloons he usually wore under his robe. He glanced up with a faint smile, then lifted himself just enough to slide the pants down to his ankles then work his feet free.
\tAlmost as if in a dream, the girl padded closer, one hand extended and her eyes locked on the bulge of his sheath. He made no move to stop her, curious about her intentions, then hissed softly as she reached unerringly for his groin. Her other hand joined the first, both gripping and gently kneading at his sheath, and her muzzle followed suit, her own lips forgotten as she stuck her tongue straight into that furless slit.
\tShe didn’t have long to savor the musky salt that tended to build up just inside; between her hands and tongue, he started firming up immediately, the tip of his dusky member emerging to poke her in the nose then steadily lengthening. Her eyes didn’t even flicker from their focus as he brought a hand up to start gently stroking the fur of her head and neck, but they did sink closed as she wrapped her lips around the blunt head of his shaft and suckled, her tongue swirling slowly around it with the occasional swipe over the hole at its tip. Her hands moved upwards as more flesh emerged, the pads of her fingers brushing lightly along his length, and when those touches finally confirmed that he was as long and hard as he was likely to get, she pulled back and opened her eyes, a smile on her muzzle.
\tThe wolf had to chuckle as he kept petting her, “Like what you see, hmmm?”
\tTabina’s smile broadened into a grin as she glanced up, nodding emphatically, “Yeah! Donkeys ain’t horses, but they ain’t small either... but you’re a bit bigger than Hellach was, ‘specially at the bottom.”
\tElaric quirked half a grin, “That’s my knot... which, I suppose, you’d never have seen the like of in a village of herbivores. All wolves, foxes, and canids have them.”
\t“Guess I’ll learn more ‘bout it later,” she mused, then straightened, “but at least th’tip’s not flared like a horse’s!” Obviously considering the time for words over, she reached up to grip his shoulders, only possible because he was seated, then climbed up, her strong legs slipping around his sides and her eyes closing to slits as she positioned herself, then gradually relaxed lower... The girl hissed, and her lover grunted, at the first touch of her sex to his shaft. Even in the steam-warmed air the moisture on her lips and the saliva on his shaft were a bit on the cool side, but that lasted only until she eased herself still lower, her petals spreading and much warmer flesh gradually engulfing his.
\tTabina’s breath was a steady, rising moan as she sank lower, punctuated by a gasp as he bottomed out, nearly six inches of his thick meat buried within her. “Oh, Gods...” she groaned as she shifted her grip, hugging around his neck and nuzzling his cheek as her hips rocked up to start pulling off of him again, “that’s... that’s...”
\t“... a surprise,” the healer’s own ragged voice supplied. “In the... the letter he gave me to warn me about you...” He had to pause for a couple of breaths before he could continue, “Hellach implied you could only take it up your butt, at your size.” He knew any number of more cultured euphemisms... but she was still young enough for him to judge a certain coarse bluntness necessary.
\tThose brown eyes fluttered open for a moment, then sank closed even as her hips reversed to take him in anew, her voice quavering from the sensations that were sending shivers up and down her body as she gave her head a small shake, “He thought that... he’d hurt me the other way. I told him I’d been practicin’. Four fingers! I... I like it back there too, an’ can take more, but this... this feels a lot better than fingers ever did!” She planted a blind kiss on the side of his muzzle, “Thank you...”
\tChuckling softly, he simply wrapped his arms around her slim form with gentle strength and rocked his hips up to meet her. Young or not, she was quite moist, her scent suffusing the warm air and reminding him strongly of his equine wife with its sweet freshness. His second deliberate thrust applied a bit more, careful pressure, probing for her limits, but he hadn’t found them yet, her own hips pushing harder. By the third stroke, despite her slickness, the friction was getting a bit too intense, so he eased off just a bit for the fourth. That brief brush with roughness certainly didn’t seem to faze her; his fifth thrust was halted midway as her passage clamped down on him, her sudden squeal muffled as she pressed her muzzle into his neck-fur, and he withdrew a bit to press more gently against her walls’ rhythmic clenching. She gradually relaxed again, a profoundly satisfied sigh warming him with her breath, but she was moaning again within two more thrusts. Closing his own eyes, Elaric simply held her as they made love. There were no more worries about her willingness or vulnerability, letting him simply enjoy her young body as she shared it with him, and her second peak, mere minutes later, was joined by his own, the marble tiling of the walls proving far less resonant to his howl than he’d half-feared in a bathing chamber.
\tTabina’s eyes were sultry slits when he opened his own again, and the smile on her muzzle was... satisfied as she savored the pressure of his hot seed within her. Leaning close once more, she kissed his lips and whispered, “Thank you. I... I know that very few men would even consider doing what we did with someone my age, and half of those would have been too rough. You were... gentle and big and perfect.”
\tHer lover chuckled affectionately, pulling her close for another hug, then loosened it enough to kiss her back before replying with a smile of his own, “And you were quite enjoyable too. We still need to bathe... but we haven’t used up too much of the hour Roxy gave us. If you’ll use that privy in the corner first... I would very much like, as we clean ourselves, to give your hindside a try too before we leave.”
\tThe bunny’s eyes widened briefly, then simply gleamed as she grinned, “My butt... is yours for the taking, good sir! And feel free to lick or finger anything that catches your eye while we’re in the tub!”
\tSmirking, Elaric eased her back enough to plant a teasing, sharp-toothed nip on one of her nipples, enjoying the half-squealed giggle that elicited, even as he eased her off of his softening shaft. “That, my dear, sounds like no chore at all,” he rumbled, then let her slide down to stand on her own feet before rising.
\tThose feet were a bit unsteady after two doses of pure pleasure, but she found her balance soon enough, and he enjoyed the view of her well-toned rump and flicking puff of a tail as she pranced toward the privy door.
* * *
\tThere was still a bit of bounce in the girl’s step by the time they’d hiked back to the inn, and it only got worse as they spotted the two ladies in the common room, Tabina bounding over to give each one of them a tight hug and a, “Thank you!” only barely restrained from a gleeful shout.
\tBerria smirked at her husband while the child manhandled her wife, “I take it that was for more than the new dress she’s wearing. I’m glad you two had fun.”
\tCin hugged the bunny back and kissed her cheek, then chuckled as she let go, “I can understand how... attention from him can cheer any girl up. Letting her borrow him was only right.”
\tA half-rueful grin was on the wolf’s face, at the thought of how most wives would react to their husband spending the day with another female, as he took his seat and glanced over the selection they’d ordered for supper. “Let’s eat,” he suggested, “then we can talk about what you two found or decided today. I haven’t forgotten your comment about privacy, Ber, but I really am curious as to what our next step should be.”
\tBoth of his wives nodded at his suggestions, but the rabbit was already filling her plate with potatoes, cornbread, and baked beans in a thick sauce. She was a growing girl, on top of more than one sort of exertion that day, and she was hungry. In fact, she was so busy eating that she barely remembered to fondle the wolf under the table with her feet throughout the meal.
\tOnce back in their room, Tabina was immediately disappointed by the sight of the cot, more than big enough for her, that had been added and topped with a bedroll while she’d been out. Berria noticed, and shook her head with a chuckle, “You had him all afternoon... and now it’s our turn. You can watch, but remember, he’s my husband, and Cin’s. We’ll let you borrow him often enough to keep from getting too bored, but we were here first.”
\tThe rabbit nodded, a bit glum. She’d been thrilled since the shopping trip at the notion of having a new lover, and part of her had assumed she’d have him often, but the unicorn had a point. He really couldn’t be anything more than an infrequent loan, for her. An odd thought occurred, then, and she glanced to the wolf, “El? Do... do you think you’re on good ‘nuf terms with that vixen we ran into to let her pick my teacher? She’d know which one’d play as much as teach...”
\tHis ladies both visibly curious, Elaric filled them in, “The bathhouse we went to was run by Roxanites, so it was subtly geared to encourage just the sorts of things we did... and it was also free, since Roxy herself showed up to introduce us then seduce the desk-girl.” He glanced back to the child, “I don’t think any of us could ask her directly... but once we’re in Fariach, which is still the best place to start, we can find a priest and ask them to ask her.”
\tBerria smirked slightly and added, “Failing that, we could see about enrolling you as a novice of Roxanarra. Those serving Her are... at a bit more risk of certain diseases, and a skilled herbalist is always welcome at their temples. Also, having a pendant of Hers would make people a lot more understanding regarding your... appetites, at your age.”
\tTabina’s eyes got very wide, and she nodded vigorously, “That’s a great idea! I’d love to serve Her, in both those ways... once I’ve learned what I need, anyway.”
\tThe vixen of the bunch couldn’t help but chuckle, “She told you she’s a priestess... Is it any wonder her solution to your dilemma was somewhat spiritual? That’s just how she thinks, no matter which deity’s involved.” Sitting down on the bed next to her wife, she gave her a quick hug, “Her parents might not approve... but that sounds like an excellent course for this girl’s life.”
\t*I agree,* a sultry voice whispered into all four souls.
\tAll of them blinked at that comment, the rabbit hardest of all as she stared down at her own chest... where, dangling from a copper necklace, a bronze casting of a vulpine erection gleamed, neither it nor the chain having been there a moment before.
\t*I pay special attention to all temples, enclaves, and other places, such as that bathhouse, where Elaria’s kin serve, as they’re almost always entertaining for Me to watch... but so were you two, today. Very... tender and gentle, but with a certain fire, too. Young you may be, Tabina, but your potential is great, and with no training at all you are quite worthy to be My novice. Journey onward, for now, and when you reach Fariach I shall guide you to those who shall complete your educations, herbal and carnal alike.*
\tThe bunny’s expression couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether she was about to laugh or to cry, but her heart was in her voice as she nodded vigorously, “Thank You, my Goddess!”
\tThe three smiling adults gave her a few more moments to recover, before Berria cleared her throat, “Back to business, then... that half-remembered crest was Lark’s Reach’s. Several other such symbols involved birds, but paired with geographical features, not trees, so there wasn’t much room for doubt. I heard nothing in the way of rumors about the barony, though, and I specifically asked the count’s son for any significant news. All he could tell me was that a baron’s male cousin was caught in bed with another man, Earl Glenrose is getting a new palace built, and Count Stonecliff has retired in favor of his eldest son. Nothing involving troops at all.”
\tHer spouses both nodded, Elaric scratching thoughtfully at his chin before looking up to venture, “Hellach did say that the troops appeared to be training for something, so perhaps he stumbled upon the very early stages of whatever’s happening. If that’s the case, we probably won’t spot anything untoward while passing through the barony, but now would be a good time to warn the king, so he can quietly warn his constables, magistrates, and soldiers in turn to prepare for trouble and watch for overtly suspicious actions.”
\tHis wives both nodded at that, a hint of relief in their expressions, Cin musing, “That seems to fit the situation nicely... Let’s keep going like we have been and do as you suggest.”
\tA rustle of clothing drew all three gazes to the cot, where Tabina had just pulled her dress over her head, and she was grinning as she reached for her skimpy underdrawers. “Now that that’s settled,” she practically chirped as she pulled them down, “you can do the other things Berria suggested... including my getting to watch!” Sitting down on the edge of her bedroll, she took a moment to carefully untangle her new necklace, spread her trim thighs, and reached between them with two fingers extended.
\tThe unicorn shook her head as she started untying her own blouse, “I guess we’ve got our orders, loves... Let’s give our friend a good show.”
Chapter 11
\tElaric took a long moment to savor the last sip in his mug, then set it down with a happy sigh. “You were right, dear... that was good. It smells like a skunk, but somehow that’s the tastiest ale I’ve ever tried.”
\tBerria nodded, taking her own last sip, then smiled, “It’s just part of one of the stories I’d read. I’d decided nearly a month ago, that if I got as far as Fariach I would dine at the Crowned Hops. The weather’s finally warm enough to enjoy an outdoor table... and I was also pretty sure it would save a lot of fuss and bother, too.”
\tAll of her companions blinked, Cin asking, “How? On the barge ride here, you did mention that this was the one kingdom where you’d never met anyone currently in a position of authority... but I thought that meant it would be like the time in Crown Port, where you get one of those authorities to check the files.”
\tThe mare smirked faintly, “Ah, but that’s what I have done!” She gestured to her rear, “The palace is right there... and I wore my pendant and robe but no illusions today. Do you really think that we could sit out here for nearly an hour, enjoying our meal, without some guard or spy reporting the extreme oddity of a Kathallic unicorn? I’d be surprised if it takes them another...” and she looked up at a discreet cough. “Ah, so I did time it right.”
\tJust finishing their nondescript amble down the street from that very palace, two male foxes stood a few yards away. One was dressed as a common, moderately-prosperous merchant, while the other wore an almost transparent robe, a pair of soft shoes, a necklace suggesting that he didn’t mind boys but loved girls, and nothing else. Even if she hadn’t gotten to try much of the King of Ales, Tabina looked like she didn’t mind anymore, grinning and even drooling a bit as she eyed the priest through his gauze.
\tNoting her gaze, the more conservatively-dressed todd chuckled, “I see my cousin needs no introduction... Obviously, he’s here for the young novice, to guide her to her new home and life. Myself, I am Wolran, Agent of Drachath, and it’s my privilege to invite the rest of you to the palace on behalf of his Majesty, King Lachier II.”
\tElaric’s ears perked up, “Ah! That little tale my wife told us on the trip, explaining the vixen in the bathhouse, is making more sense now... You’re more of Elaria’s brood, aren’t you? I was led to understand that most of you had gone west, but a few didn’t feel like traveling that far...”
\tThe Agent nodded, a faint smile on his muzzle, “You’re mostly right, as we’re her relatives who remained, but not really her ‘brood’ as her oldest son isn’t yet into his teens, and her twin daughters are younger still. Of all the slaves she freed, those years ago, I was the only one who tested positive for an aptitude for magic, so the king practically begged me to stay and serve him more directly, which it is now my honor to.”
\tThe priest spoke up with a smile, “Wol here is one of only two of us who were old enough, who didn’t go into the priesthood... but most of us are quite content, serving the Goddess of Love, and it’s starting to look like the majority of the cubs our mutual aunt purchased will be following in our footsteps.” He turned toward the rabbit and gave an odd sort of bow, legs parted just enough to set his sheath and sac to swaying, then grinned, “You, my dear, look just as well inclined toward our Lady... If you’d care to gather your belongings, I shall introduce you to the herbalist She suggested. She’s getting too old to indulge in much frivolity herself... but she’s an excellent teacher, and the young stallion also apprenticed to her is looking forward to... meeting you,” and he winked.
\tTabina nodded enthusiastically, “My stuff’s all in a bag with the horses, we can grab it on the way... but, please! Let’s at least hide in the stable loft long enough for me to ‘meet’ you too! Just lookin’ at you’s got me a bit wet down there...”
\tThe Agent and the healer both mock-rolled their eyes and ‘grumbled’ in unison, “Roxanites!”
\tTurning toward the blushing bunny, Elaric said more seriously, “I’ve enjoyed your company, even out of bed, and consider you a friend. Learn, lay, and live well, dear.”
\tThe rabbit nodded, even as she scampered off her seat to give him a quick hug, then repeated it for both of the ladies, “I’ll miss you all... Thanks for the fun trip!”
\tA few more goodbyes chorused, before the girl took the priest’s hand and walked away.
\tSnagging one more biscuit baked around a slice of chicken, Berria stood too and smiled to Wolran, “Now that our duties to Tab’s family are fulfilled, let’s go meet your king.”
\tThe fox nodded crisply, then turned with a smile of his own, “Follow me, ma’ams, sir.”
* * *
\tOf the three spouses, Elaric was a bit wide-eyed as they were escorted through the palace. Berria and Cin had already seen Keesanrel’s home, which was very similar, but the residence of a king was far better than even the wolf’s grand-uncle’s ducal palace. In the outer halls they had to weave their way through numerous courtiers who’d been arbitrarily dismissed when Berria’s presence had been reported, but further in they passed only guards and the occasional member of the cleaning staff.
\tFinally stepping into a ‘sitting room’ slightly larger than the ballroom of a mere embassy or count’s castle, the trio paused to bow to the pair of seated raccoons even as their escort withdrew and closed the doors. The only other people present were a quartet of kneeling, waiting slaves presided over by a mature skunk, standing nearby wearing only a collar, a belt, and a coiled whip.
\tThe well-dressed ‘coon in his early forties shook his head, “My Agents almost never bow... and I don’t see why you should either, Berria, nor anyone you travel with. You’re the only Sister of Order I’d not yet met, having seen Stalya and Laria during a state visit of Dengar’s king to Gatuque, but you wouldn’t be a Sister if you weren’t worthy of even a king’s respect.” He gestured toward a cluster of nearby chairs, “Please, have a seat and tell me why you’ve come so far.”
\tChuckling as she led the way toward those seats, the unicorn mused, “Well, first and foremost I suppose I should correct one misconception, though it’s something your spies really couldn’t have known...” She held up her ringed left hand, “These two are my spouses, a former pleasure slave and a healer of unusual gifts. I’ve met Elaria, myself, the first time I saw a slave die when I was twelve... so I can’t say my ‘former pleasure slave’ is quite so impressive. She’s certainly far from useless, though, and I do love her.”
\tLachier nodded, chuckling, “Understood...”
\t“As for why we’re here,” she continued, “I have two issues to raise, in chronological order and ascending urgency. First, and just for the record rather than any action to be taken on your part, you’ve probably gotten news via your navy regarding the capture of a remnant of the Black Gulf Pirates.”
\tThe king frowned, even as he nodded again, “I have... I’m almost certain that that ship and her captain are responsible for the death of one of my older Agents, and I was pleased to hear of their fate.”
\tBerria nodded back, “Well, that fate of theirs deserves a bit of clarification. It was the merchanter captain who claimed all of the resulting rewards, but his vessel would have been taken if not for the unique gifts of my husband and the courage of my wife, the pirate captain was slain by my hand, and only the fact that Malia owed me a favor explains why the wounded, myself included, survived.”
\tLachier blinked, then shook his head, “That’s a far cry from the report I got, though I had trouble at the time, believing that a merchant crew could fight off an entire shipload of pirates with only four friendly casualties, all of them fatal, until their sheer prowess drove the rest to surrender.”
\tBeside him, the queen snorted, “I didn’t buy it either, and this goes a bit beyond the usual padding of reports to enhance profit. Perhaps a five hundred noble docking fee is in order, the next time they make port?”
\tHer husband nodded, his muzzle grim, “That’s about what I was thinking too, dear. It’s only a third of what he got for the ship and crew, but he should probably still have that much. It’d be hard for even a sailor to spend a thousand nobles on rum and wenches in just a few weeks.” He glanced over to his guests, “I’ll split that fee with you, in advance. You deserve the thousand-plus nobles, and it’s an admirable testament to your principles, mainly the principle of your secret rank, that you didn’t raise a fuss earlier. Still, just under sixteen pounds of gold is the best I can do for you at this late a date. I also consider that sum a fair bounty for the pirate captain you killed, finally avenging Diral’s murder.”
\tBoth of her spouses rather wide-eyed at that figure, the priestess simply chuckled, “I won’t decline your offer, but it wasn’t for any reward that we did what we did. I had my faith in Kathalla, Elaric his duty as a healer, and Cin her loyalty and love to me to motivate us at the time.” She glanced briefly at her husband while the monarchs simply nodded, then ventured, “Speaking of my husband... I feel I should tell at least one king what I meant when I called his gifts unique. I didn’t even meet him ‘til half a week after I’d left Keesanrel behind, so this is really the first time I’ve had to choose whether to reveal it... In any case, he’s the only healer I’ve ever heard of who can draw power for his gift from anyone, willing or not. Normal people don’t have as much of that power as a mage would, of course, but all of the pirates were weakened, many of them knocked unconscious, and two driven into outright comas, as he used their strength to heal Cin’s cracked skull, concussion, pierced lung, and cut ribs. Their attack on her, when she went berserk after I was impaled and started slashing around with my knife, was actually the trigger-point for their suddenly losing the battle as a whole. His is the only healer’s gift I’ve ever encountered that could be used as an offensive weapon, above and beyond the usual ability to send someone into unconsciousness with a touch, though it does require an actual wound as its focus.”
\tThe nearby skunk snorted, earning an indulgent smile from her owners, and Jessela nodded, “Pai may object on principle to any slave attacking anyone regardless of the provocation, but that just shows, to my mind, how remarkable... Cin, did you call her? Well, how unusual she must be for you to have freed and married her.”
\tHer husband and wife both nodding and chuckling, the vixen dipped her head and murmured, “Thank you, your Majesty, but it’s my wife’s heroism that led me to that. I realized, within days of her obtaining me, that I was owned by the most amazing, courageous, strongest person I could ever hope to meet, at least in terms of spiritual or mental strength. What could I do, but love her?”
\tFlushing faintly at her eartips, Berria shook her head, “I’m not as amazing as all that... I’m just a unicorn. Like all my kind, I know myself and my principles, which could be summarized as a sense of justice and absolute faith in my Goddess. Everything I’ve ever done since that trip when I was twelve and met Sir Ferrl can be traced back to those two, simple things.”
\tNeither of her spouses looked like they really believed that, but Lachier’s ears perked up straight, “Ferrl! Oh, I miss him... We still stay in touch by letter, but for as briefly as he served he was probably the best Agent Drachath ever had. Everything and everyone he’s ever involved himself with has turned out to our benefit, and just knowing that you know him lifts my opinion of you above ninety-nine percent of those I’ve ever dealt with.”
\tThe unicorn blushed again, then pushed on, “I guess now’s as good a time as any to get to my second point, then, as it’s unlikely you’ll simply dismiss it... A week and a half ago, my family was stopped on the road by a peasant farmer in search of a healer for one of his kin, toward the south end of the earldom of Lowland Green, specifically near the small farming town of Hayshire. Though he didn’t realize it at the time, it turned out that his uncle had been tortured by a group of soldiers, led by an unidentifiable figure in plate armor, simply to emphasize their demand that he remain silent about their presence. Threats to inflict the same torment upon his young girl of an apprentice kept the man silent at first... but he’d also been told the group would move on within a few days, so he told us his tale once he was conscious again after his collapse from his injuries. He was a peasant herbalist, with no military background to base a detailed report upon, but he did describe a crest etched into the leader’s armor and embroidered into the soldiers’ surcoats. Upon proceeding to the library of Count Wrenshollow, I identified that crest as belonging to the barony of Lark’s Reach.”
\tThe king blinked hard, “Baron Rikar is one of my most loyal vassals! More than that, while his father followed Tarragh, the son is pretty much Godless, though if he had to choose he’d probably join his wife in her devotion to Roxanarra. I’m almost certain that Rikar has never even had a full suit of armor made for himself... and he’s only got one arm in the first place, so he’d stand out pretty obviously. If this herbalist you met didn’t mention that, it was almost certainly an impostor.”
\tBerria winced, “The arm! I should have remembered that from Sir Ferrl’s memoirs myself! No, Hellach didn’t say a thing about the ‘lord’s’ limbs.”
\t Jessela chuckled softly, “And that, I suppose, proves you’re merely mortal. Still, I understand why you felt this matter should be brought to our attention.”
\tHer husband nodded firmly, “Indeed. Someone, three holdings away from their target however you measure it, is impersonating one of my barons, with soldiers or mercenaries operating in unknown strength to support their ruse. Baron Rikar must be informed of this immediately, and I’d be obliged if you could tell him yourself. It’s less than a day’s ride to his keep, though things aren’t so urgent, yet, that you need to leave immediately. I’d like to invite you and your family to supper with Jessela and myself, the court perfectly able to take theirs without me for once, and you’ll be given a guest suite here for the night. Journeying north in the morning will be haste enough for the circumstances, and I can have a word with my treasurer in the meantime to see that you’re fairly compensated for your help with those pirates.”
\tHis guests nodded, the wolf suggesting, “If your Agent hasn’t already backtracked our arrival and taken care of it, I should tell a page or such which inn our horses and possessions are at so they can join us here.”
\tLachier chuckled, “Wolran’s good at extrapolation, sizing up a situation and finding details that need attention in the present or future, so there’s a good chance he’s already taking care of it, though I’ll have someone check just in case. For now, we’ve got a few hours before dinner, and you may spend them as you please while we check in on our children. The princess is barely old enough for lessons, and her brother is still in the care of nannies, but we should at least arrange for them to have their own supper together so they aren’t a distraction from serious business.”
\tNodding again, the trio exchanged a few glances, Cin deciding first, “Weapons practice. We haven’t done that much on the road, and not at all in Hayshire where it would have spooked the peasants, and I still need as much of it as I can get, especially if we’re investigating what looks like an armed conflict in the making.”
\tHer husband nodded, “Good point. I’ll join you for it.”
\tBoth of them, naturally, looked to Berria curiously, but she shook her head, “I’ll pass on that for the moment. Instead, I’d like to visit the temple here, as it’s one of the largest and oldest of its kind. I should at least pay my respects while I’m in town... and, now that I think about it, you need a chance to practice without me around, Cin.” She chuckled softly, “The ‘bonus’ you get when defending me... isn’t something you should depend on. Time to learn to work without it.”
\tHer vixen nodded her reluctant agreement, so Berria looked back over to Lachier, who was grinning. “You did mention your firm faith,” he chuckled, “but I couldn’t help but remember a couple decades back, when the Vale embassy was first being set up here. There were lots of tours on the principle of ‘cultural exchange,’ and naturally my father offered to escort the embassy chaplain to our temple as well, but he wouldn’t go anywhere near the place. You’ll be the first unicorn to set foot there in history.”
\tThe priestess joined his chuckle as she nodded, “Indeed! Though, as one of their nationals, I might as well visit the embassy myself at some point.” Slipping out from between her spouses, she stood and stretched, “Well then... I’m sure any guard in the place can direct you two to the practice grounds, and I can feel the temple from here. Why don’t we all meet back here in a few hours?”
\tVixen and wolf both nodding, the queen chimed in, “That sounds like a plan. We’ll see you three for dinner.”
* * *
\tThe unicorn had to smile as she stepped under the polished steel fangs and into the dimly-lit passage of dark, rough stone. Taken strictly visually, this was perhaps the bleakest, most depressing place she’d ever seen, but her heart was light, almost joyous, at the aura of welcome that filled her being. The curtain leading to the main chamber was just ahead, she knew, but there were a pair of side-passages just before it, and in each one stood a black-robed form, torchlight flickering in their eyes as they silently watched her approach. “Praise Her,” she managed to murmur as she passed them, though she wanted to shout it out.
\t“Praise Her,” her fellow priests echoed, even as she tugged the curtain aside and stepped into the chapel.
\tAnother, much smaller black-robed figure was there, waiting for her, sitting on the altar beneath the obsidian gaze of Kathalla’s statue, and as she stepped between the pews that figure moved, its head lifting slightly, then its hands coming up to pull back its cowl. The high priestess had to be nearly sixty years old, her muzzle solid silver and the dark brown fur of her cheekruffs having long ago lost its luster, but her eyes were still bright and clear as her wrinkled lips stretched in a smile. “Now there,” she mused, just a bit of a rasp in her voice, “is a sight I’d never thought to see... a unicorn, walking into my dark temple! Welcome and well met, sister.”
\tBerria managed to smile naturally enough to hide her flash of anger. This was not, after all, the priestess’ temple; it was Kathalla’s! The elderly vixen might have been its chief caretaker, presiding over worship and sacrifice, but in the end she was her Goddess’ servant. Setting those thoughts aside, she stepped a bit closer and bowed, “I am... honored to be here. The one who introduced me to our Goddess’ power and pleasures, Sir Ferrl, told me of this place, and I’ve long wished to see it for myself.”
\tA flicker of annoyance crossed the vulpine’s face, and she sighed wistfully, “I suppose he did turn out better than I’d expected, for a man... I haven’t needed a ‘reminder’ in over a decade, about how little basis my bias has in reality, but it remains a fundamental part of who and what I am. As fairly as I treat my male priests these days, I’d still have been far more satisfied with Ferrl’s triumphs if he’d been born a bitch.”
\tHer junior chuckled, “I can understand that... I swing both ways, myself, and used my own rank to marry a man and a woman at the same time, but I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed that the young bunny we recently traveled with was only interested in my husband. Roxanarra Herself manifested a novice’s necklace for that girl, and there wasn’t even a tiny vulva on it.”
\tThe high priestess rolled her eyes with a knowing smile, “I understand, having known quite a few bunnies during my tenure, and they’re generally worth pursuing if there’s any hope at all.” Straightening, she continued more seriously, “Anyway, now that you’re here... I think I’ve finally found a worthy successor. Your faith glows black like none I’ve ever seen before, and I’d despaired of finding someone I could leave my temple to before age carried me off to Her heaven. I truly believe that She’s finally sent the right person to me.”
\tBerria blinked at the offer, then shook her head with a faint frown, “I’m flattered, of course... but I’m simply passing through. I’m already bound by an oath to both our Goddess and Malia, to serve the cause of justice for the common folk of the world as a whole, and I’ve been fulfilling it fairly well of late as I wandered through three nations. I could hardly be as effective in just one place, no matter how grand it may be. That’s why both Goddesses urged me to leave the temple I served in the Vale in the first place, saying that I was wasted there.”
\tFrowning as well, the old vixen tilted her head as she considered, then gave one reluctant nod, “You, and They, make a good point. There are indeed things that an itinerant priestess can do that an established temple-keeper can’t, as not all problems come to us on their own accord.” She sighed again, “I understand your refusal, but if your circumstances change within the few years I have left, I ask you to reconsider my offer. The next successor I have in mind, compared to your soul, would be a distant second choice.”
\tThe unicorn nodded solemnly, “Should I ever be able, with a clear conscience, I would be proud to accept.”
\tSlipping off of the granite slab, the high priestess stood up, “I guess that’s the best I can hope for. For now, let me show you around the temple. We’ve got some interesting rooms here, designed for one specialized need or another over the centuries, and a visit to the pens and cells of slaves might be rewarding too. There’s almost never a shortage of potential sacrifices, as all of the local slave houses donate their overstock to us, so if anyone catches your eye you can spend some enjoyable time eviscerating them.”
\tFinally smiling again, the mare nodded, “That’s always a pleasant way to spend an afternoon... except for the slave, of course.”
\tOld she may have been, but the other priestess’ sharp-toothed grin was still very vixenish.
* * *
\tCin and Elaric stepped past the guards and closed the dining room door behind them, both brightening as they caught sight of their wife already seated. “Good,” the wolf remarked as he padded toward a chair, “you weren’t in the suite but I was hoping you wouldn’t be late.”
\tBerria nodded, “I almost was, which is why I didn’t stop to get directions to our rooms. I wanted to make sure I got here early enough to admit another of my oddities, just to keep from being served like an herbivore tonight. That also gave me a chance to chat with my friends here about what I should tell the baron, and what steps he and we should take afterwards.”
\tNodding back as she sat, Cin had to grin as she noticed, “You’ve bathed... That explains why you took so long at the temple, I guess. I’d be jealous, except that El and I were rather sweaty after practice, and our suite has an excellent bathtub. We needed it for more than the sweat by the time we were done,” and she winked.
\tThe priestess snickered, “Good for you; that’s a good cure for muscle aches, too. I’m just glad the temple had another robe in my size; the one I started the day with was a mess.”
\t“I did what I could, too, for the aches, and also helped optimize the benefit to our strength and muscle tone,” Elaric noted, then paused. “The details can wait. Our meal’s about to arrive, and one of those dishes is spicy if I can smell it from here through a closed door.”
\tSpouses and monarchs all chuckled and nodded as that door opened, and Lachier gave his little band of slaves a few moments to set dishes on the table before pointing at one small platter of sliced beef on mixed rice and barley, “That’s the hot one. It’s a bit more than I can stand, but Jessela likes it. Try just a nibble of the meat around a full bite of the grains first, if you’re feeling adventurous.”
\tThe lady ‘coon grinned, “That meat, odd as it may seem, is why we’re only served by slaves, never an ordinary servant. You can only arrest a serving citizen... These fine folk,” and she gestured toward the corner where the quartet had sunk to kneels, “know that I’ll flat-out kill them if they breathe a word about my enjoying some forms of pain. It’s just not proper for a queen to be known as a masochist, after all, but I enjoy inflicting worse than a flogging well enough that they also know the threat’s far from idle.”
\tHer husband was still grinning, “She’s kept the secret well... Even when we were playing around before getting married, all I knew is that she cut a fine figure naked, was responsive and orgasmic in bed, and was ‘noble’ enough to keep my advisers happy. The perfect wife for a new king, right? Well, within a few months I learned that even ‘perfect’ can be improved upon.”
\tThough younger than her husband, Jessela was still in her late thirties, so the sight of her blushing like a teenaged girl fetched several chuckles, at least until a rumble from the wolf’s belly reminded them all what they were there for. Straightening up, he reached for the lid of a large silver bowl, then smiled broadly, “I thought that’s what I smelled from that one... I believe I will try the spiced beef, as I can always heal any damage it does, but it also occurred to me that this chicken chowder could also cool things between bites.”
\tMurmurs of agreement arose as his other dining companions reached for more lids and dishes.
* * *
\t“So there she was, already missing most of her digestive tract and in enough pain that she barely noticed the hole I was drilling in the back of her skull,” Berria mused as her family and the royals lounged around with snifters of brandy after the meal. “The high priestess was between the bitch’s thighs, doing what she could to offset agony with pleasure, when I murmured a tiny little prayer to Kathalla for guidance.” She glanced at her husband with a grin, “You wouldn’t have needed that guidance, but despite knowing more anatomy than most laymen I certainly did. With some divine help directing my hand, I slipped that needle through the hole, then triggered the crystal of mild lightning magic, right at the pleasure center of that wolf-slave’s brain. She gushed at least as much as Roxy ever did back in Wolf’s Bay; the priestess got a very wet face, if not for very long, as the stress of that intense a peak worsened the bleeding enough that our playmate passed on a few moments later, but there was a gratifying expression of pleased surprise on her face when she died.”
\tThe queen set her snifter aside to clap slowly, her grin showing fine, sharp teeth, “Bravo! An afternoon well spent, I’d have to say.”
\tLachier nodded, “I won’t disagree... Whatever your investigation with the baron turns up, however things work out, I beg the three of you to come back here before journeying elsewhere. The security arrangements whenever I leave the palace are normally such a pain in the ass that I can find some other way of doing things, but not this time. I will accompany you to our city’s fine playclub; seeing you in action with my own eyes will be worth any imaginable inconvenience.”
\tEven as his wives nodded around lingering smiles, Elaric pointed out, “I’m not entirely unfamiliar with that sort of inconvenience, as one grand-uncle of mine was a duke and another a count. One thing I realized, back then, was that time was the biggest factor, the hassle increasing exponentially as the guards’ advance notice decreased. I therefor suggest that we pick a date and time, say a bit before dinner two or three weeks from tomorrow, and you let your soldiers start getting things set up immediately. With that much warning, it should be almost as simple and easy, from your perspective, as an evening stroll.”
\tThe king blinked, then nodded, “That is an excellent suggestion. I’ll do exactly that for three weeks from now, so if anything comes up to delay you while you’re in Lark’s Reach, let me know by courier or the mage relays and we’ll pick a different, firm date.” He paused to sniff his brandy, then took a sip. “Also, your introductory comment let me make a connection that had so far eluded me... You and your entire family are wanted for extradition and return to Atheria for prosecution,” and, even as the wolf cringed, the raccoon smiled, “but I’ll be sending a note to Keesanrel about that. You, clearly, are no criminal, and you don’t deserve to be treated as one. Just for being a good friend of Berria, much less her spouse, my fellow king and I would decree an exemption for you in the existing warrants, as she wouldn’t be associating with you unless you were an exception to your family’s traitorous history. I’ll be contacting the Atherian throne about it by roughly midday tomorrow.”
\tSince her husband was too stunned by that offer to speak, Berria shifted her glass to her other hand so she could hug him close, “Thank you, your Majesty. We’d thought that just getting him out of Atheria would be enough, but we were obviously wrong. Now... he’s finally, truly free.”
\tLachier nodded solemnly, then sipped his drink again and smiled, “I’m glad I could help. Speaking of help, even as we enjoy a quiet evening a number of my clerks, servants, and generals are scrambling madly around their own offices. By the time you finish breakfast tomorrow your clothes will be cleaned and repacked in your saddlebags, your provisions restocked, your weapons sharpened, your new fortune tucked discreetly away, and you’ll have a number of new documents. These will include authorizations for unlimited free use of the mage relays and royal couriers for as long as it takes you to resolve things, and command authority over one battalion of the Drachathian army, mostly medium infantry but with a company each of archers and mounted skirmishers. They’ll still be mustering and getting their logistics sorted out for a while yet, but they should be mobilized and encamped near the city of Lark’s Reach within no more than four days. The documentation should suffice, but you will find an Agent’s badge pinned to your spare black robe in case someone needs convincing. I’ll expect you to return the badge and documents when you no longer need them.”
\tThe unicorn nodded, “Of course, your Majesty, and I’ll be spending the morning, as we ride north, considering just how best to use the help you’ve provided. You’ve vastly multiplied my options and resources... but that can be worse than useless if I don’t figure out how to use them right. For tonight, I’ve had a bit too much of your fine brandy to strategize effectively, but I’ll give things the thought they deserve when I can.”
\t“Sensible,” Jessela approved with a nod, “but perhaps we should all call it an evening now. You’ll want to be well rested in the morning, so even if it’s not particularly late, we shouldn’t keep you any longer, lest you get very little actual sleep, considering the look I’ve been noticing in that vixen’s eyes ever since you told the tale of your time at the temple.” She smiled wickedly, glancing sidelong at her husband, “I must admit to sympathizing with her... with similar hopes for the night.” The other ‘coon blinked, then grinned.
\tChuckling, their guests nodded, Elaric commenting, “I’m still working on giving my predator’s instincts a freer rein, as my healer’s training had almost completely suppressed them. Thus, I didn’t have quite the reaction to that story that the ladies did, but I’ve never turned them down for a night of fun in bed, no matter the reason or excuse. I believe, your Majesties, that the queen’s suggestion is acceptable to all of us.”
\tLachier nodded back, then stood, “I agree. Rest well, afterwards, but for now we must part, as I’ve got a queen to fuck as hard as I can manage.”
Chapter 12
\tNeither the pages and stable-hands who’d helped them on their way, nor the Agent who’d escorted them out of the palace after breakfast, had said a word about the additional horse that had joined their trio, but the king had somewhat understated the material assistance his minions would be providing, and an extra pack-beast turned out to be the bare minimum to handle the additional supplies and equipment. Back in ordinary garb and with her horn hidden, Berria took the lead as they passed under an arch in the palace wall, having studied maps of the area quite intently back in Wrenshollow.
\tThey’d barely made it a mile past the north gate of the city when the priestess’ sudden, barked laugh drew inquiring looks from both her spouses, and even her horse glanced back, curious. “I couldn’t help it,” she told them. “It’s just that we’re not the only ones working on this mystery... Even if we haven’t exactly hired a crier to tell the world, we’re still fairly open and obvious in how we’re going about things, but Wolran, or perhaps another Agent, is also moving toward Lark’s Reach, even though no one can see or hear him or his horse.” She gestured toward the east, “A blur passed by at a gallop, about half a mile away, but its stealthy magic couldn’t hide a nice, black soul, and I could tell it was male and my kin, not a fleeing, devout thief.”
\tCin simply chuckling, Elaric nodded, even as he eyed the sky, “He must be in a hurry, then, since within an hour he wouldn’t need magic to be invisible at that distance. By the look of those clouds, this will not be one of spring’s better days.”
\tThe first, misty drops of the promised rain fell even as he spoke, the group simply nodding and pulling up their hoods as they settled into the companionable silence of the ride, much like their longer journey from Northlook. That was perfectly fine for Berria, as there’d been an idea nagging at the back of her mind for the last several days. The involvement of Lark’s Reach was still purely speculative, but it had been enough to get her thinking about Ferrl’s old tales... and just who’d been behind the troubles, last time. No one, not even a follower of Sliisthar, could lie to a unicorn when their horn could help... but that would be even trickier to arrange than the simple touch a priest of any species would need to merely probe their soul. Not even the Gods were completely perfect, though; there had to be some way to penetrate the defenses granted to the God of Lies’ devout, and Berria was a priestess, and a unicorn, with far more frequent and diverse exposure to various powers, arcane and spiritual alike, than even some archmages could claim.
\tShe focused, of course, on her horn as the obvious place to start, concentrating on listening through it as she would with a touch, straining for the faintest hint of the familiar presences riding in line with her, or even the simplistic emotions of her mount. Fifteen minutes of steadily-increasing effort, though, managed only to give her a faint headache and a half-imagined ringing in her ears. Nodding to herself, not having expected to manage the impossible on her first try, she methodically tried exactly the opposite. Glancing ahead to make sure this stretch of road was straight and clear of obstruction, she closed her eyes, gathering her concentration anew then pushing out. This time there was indeed an immediate effect, but the corner of her mind observing the rest took several moments to quantify the sensation. Through her horn, she seemed to be trickling, her awareness or even her very being seeming to seep out of herself. The flow seemed to increase even as the effort to push whatever it was eased, but she had to pull back as she found herself half-slumping in the saddle, and her eyes blinked open in startled realization. Shivering at the implications, she could only conclude that she’d almost forced her soul out of her body... and everything she’d ever heard on the subject suggested that was a very, very bad idea. Just before she’d retreated back into herself, though, there’d been a fleeting sensation... the steady rhythm of four hoofed feet, a feeling of bored contentment, and a vague desire for a nosebag of oats.
\tStraightening, she tugged her cloak a bit tighter as the cold wind and rain picked up, then tried again. She kept a tight rein on whatever it was she slipped through the portal of her horn this time; it may or may not have been her soul, but she wanted to take no chances if it was... When she’d judged that no more than a quarter of whatever it was hovered in the air around her head rather than within her, she took a firmer mental grip and, without letting any more of it actually emerge, urged what was already there behind her and slightly to one side, toward the riding vixen.
\tShe could feel her projection thinning, stretching... then had to smile as, once again, the sensations of a body not her own impinged on her consciousness. The rolling gait of Cin’s horse, coupled with a subtle, discreet arrangement of the folds of the dress under her cloak, were rendering the ride more than merely pleasant despite the rain.
\tBerria’s sense of satisfaction at having turned her idle thought into a new discovery lasted only until she’d pulled back into herself once more, a silent voice commenting with a hint of an exasperated sigh, *I should have known it would be you... It took Me almost two hundred years to purge the world of this knowledge after I made the Vale, and six times since I’ve had to intervene when other unicorns rediscovered it by chance. Seven now, I suppose.*
\tBlinking a bit, the priestess framed her thought to Malia, ‘So it’s not quite the discovery I thought... Is this... technique as dangerous as my instincts briefly feared?’
\t*It can be,* the Goddess replied, *but only if overused. Had you achieved full separation before realizing it, you’d still have had several minutes to rejoin your body before any serious risk. The real reason I wished the world to forget this of My children’s abilities is... political, in a way. You seek to determine truth, among those who practice deception religiously, but this ability, even more in a way than unicorns’ great individual skills, was the motive behind your race’s ‘popularity’ that caused so many problems a millennium ago. My earlier efforts to save My children... involved collusion with Sliisthar, and as much as for My own reasons, the suppression of this knowledge was promised to Him in trade for His help. Our efforts, at that time, failed, but I gave My word and I shall keep it. You are too firmly My sister’s, though, for Me to simply lift the knowledge from your mind as I have in the past...*
\tVague speculations about ancient, glib lies regarding where a relocated unicorn worker had gone, or even the assassination of select, particularly-corrupt merchants and officials drifted through Berria’s mind, but they were unimportant at the moment. ‘You can at least see my mind,’ she thought instead, ‘and my plans... My intended use of this ability will only be counter to His interests if His are counter to Drachath’s. How serious of an issue will this really be?’
\tThere was just enough of a delay for a hint of nervous foreboding to creep into her mind before Malia replied, *I’ve conveyed... the generalities to Sliisthar, without compromising your own secrets, and His agreement, however reluctant, exists. Neither He nor I can command you, but We do strongly urge... discretion. Let no one, not even your spouses, know just what you’ve learned to do. Your mind is nimble, and We’re certain you can... temporize if need be, to explain away knowledge you should not have. Use that mind, please, as no unicorn would enjoy a second exodus.*
\tBarely managing to keep from sighing in relief, which would draw its own inquiries from her companions, Berria nodded faintly, ‘As You com... suggest, Goddess.’
* * *
\tIt was mid-afternoon, the group very nearly to the keep at the center of Lark’s Reach, when Berria very suddenly stopped in place, the horse she’d been leading nickering in surprise as it almost ran into her. Her spouses halting with a bit less haste, she answered their confused looks with a smile, her eyes half-lidded, “This... this is the exact spot Kathalla manifested. Even decades after the fact, I can feel it. I’d guess a great many common citizens pass this spot and wonder why they’re suddenly shivering, but... the sensation is very welcoming, to me.”
\tCin smiled broadly, nodding, “I can only imagine... I feel the same way about your embrace. There’s nothing else quite like it.”
\tElaric chuckled softly at his ladies, then suggested, “That aside, those guards are already looking a bit suspicious of our sudden halt. I suggest we proceed to the keep.” At two more nods, the mare’s a bit reluctant, the trio walked the few remaining yards before he could offer the small stack of parchment he’d presented at the city gates, informing the guards, “We are here as representatives of the king, and must speak to the baron at his earliest convenience.”
\tBoth guards nodded, the nearer accepting the document. He quickly skimmed the king’s introductory letter, though he paid a great deal of attention to the seal at the bottom, then spent several moments glancing between the more formally-worded authorization for an investigation and the faces of the people it described. Straightening to attention, the burly horse offered the stack back with his left hand while his right saluted, “I shall escort you inside immediately. The baron would be occupied at this time of day—afternoon court, we’d call it, except that he was never that formal and tends to meet small, specific groups rather than gather courtiers—but I’ll see to it that the seneschal assigns a guest room and that you’ll be escorted to Rickar himself as soon as he’s otherwise unoccupied.”
\tAll three visitors nodded, the wolf tucking the parchment back into his cloak, “Thank you. Our business is fairly urgent, but that’s haste enough for now.”
\tThe guard nodded again, then noted to his feline counterpart, “The watch is yours for a few minutes,” and stepped through the gate, glancing around for a footman to take the guests’ horses.
* * *
\tSir Ferrl’s memoirs were prominent on Berria’s mind as the page led her party through the halls, one detail after another striking a chord with the wolf’s written descriptions. The doors at the end of the residential wing’s hall, the spiral staircase where he’d hidden briefly from a guard... and, finally, the elegantly-decorated sitting room a floor down where the Agent had relaxed after his triumph, though the one-armed lion in an ornate chair was no teenager this time, and the blue-gowned lioness beside him far less shy.
\tEven as his guests settled into seats around the room and the page closed the door, Rikar held up a folded piece of parchment, “This arrived during my last meeting, delivered by the mage on Birdsong Lane who keeps contact with the capitol... Since my holding is so close to Fariach, couriers are usually fast enough for any given missive, which is why we’re not formally part of the relay network. The message covers several subjects, but each with a frustrating lack of detail... To summarize an already terse communication, someone is impersonating me with fell intent, a goodly chunk of the army will be camping in my orchards shortly, and you,” and he waved the parchment in Berria’s direction, “are something of an Agent, but with even more secrecy than one would normally assume for the type. These vague hints made it very, very hard to concentrate on the merchants who were here, petitioning for a few small changes in my tax code. Please, so I can at least get to sleep tonight instead of constantly wondering about just what’s going on, give me something, anything more to work with.”
\tBerria nodded, “Taking your points in order... a group of soldiers with your holding’s crest on their surcoats, and inlaid into the breastplate of their evident leader, tortured a peasant and threatened the torture of a child in an effort to keep their presence a secret, a good hundred miles northwest of here. Neither the king nor I believe they wore that crest legitimately, though. The army battalion that will soon be encamped nearby will be under my orders, and I intend to use them to help find these counterfeit soldiers and deal with them. Harshly. Finally, I am an ad hoc Agent of Drachath, temporarily, but that’s just because it’s easier to get people to accept than my real position, which is the same as your half-sister Serra’s, and I’m not talking about her title as queen.”
\tThe lion’s eyes widened slightly, “I... she mentioned some speculations in a letter, several years ago, about setting up some sort of secret, international society, sworn to solve problems... and her next letter hinted that negotiations were going well and it might soon be a reality, but then all mention of the notion stopped. Her missives simply focused on other subjects, and the one time my reply asked her about it, it was as if I’d never written the question. No answer, no denial; as far as her ongoing letters were concerned, the subject simply didn’t exist. I’d almost forgotten the entire matter, by this time, but with the hints you’ve dropped, I must now conclude that this invisible organization does, indeed, exist, and that you and she are both members.”
\tThe mare nodded, a faint smile playing around the corners of her lips, “I am... among other things. My current intention, once those soldiers arrive, is to break them up by company, then by platoon, covering every major road on a west-to-north arc and every bit of country isolated enough, or simply forested enough, to hide the strangers we’re looking for. Each group will have at least one or two members of the company of mounted scouts along... and as soon as one of those scouts reports contact, or a platoon fails to make contact, the rest of the troops can gather, surround them, and get us both some damned answers.”
\tBaron and baroness had been nodding along with her logical plan, until her final declaration, and two golden muzzles smiled grimly. “That’s the most important thing,” Gabri agreed in her soft voice.
\t“Exactly,” Rikar agreed, “and, future questions aside, today we already know infinitely more than we did yesterday. If I may, there’s one slight change to your proposed course I’d like to suggest...” At Berria’s curious nod, he continued, “The actual goal of these impostors is still the biggest mystery we face. Not knowing their objective, we can’t be sure where they’ll finally strike... so, on the off chance that their goal is some sort of infiltration of my holding, rather than simply implicating it elsewhere, I’d like a company or so of your troops to stay behind, to reinforce the garrisons of the three real cities in the barony. Two or three dozen troops in each might not seem like much... but if they’re held as a hidden reserve, they can come as a nasty surprise to an opponent who thought they knew precisely what they were up against and planned accordingly. This is one more guess, one more gamble, but if we assume that our foe’s resources are limited, and they need that kind of no-margin planning, even a small change can ruin those plans in our favor.”
\tSeveral heads around the room nodded, the unicorn agreeing, “I’d planned to hold back some reserve, as only a fool sends their army off while leaving themselves uncovered, and your idea is a better use for that reserve than mine. In the morning, I’ll borrow a few maps and start roughing out the deployment orders so they’ll be available once the commanders arrive to receive them, but tonight I must... investigate. Remember, if you will, the attempted seizure of this land that cost your father his life, and the religious affiliations of those behind it. One thing I must know, as it would color all other aspects of my mission, is whether current events enjoy the same support.” She glanced to her spouses, “Just as in Crown Port, my dears, I’m afraid this is one of those tasks I must undertake alone.”
\tLooking a bit unhappy, both figures nodded, Cin commenting in a quiet murr, “We understand... Just know that you go with our love, and do your best to return to us when you can.”
\tRikar nodded as well, “That’s a point I hadn’t considered, myself, probably because I don’t like thinking about those bastards that murdered Hellar. Please report to me on your findings, whatever they turn out to be.”
\tBeside him, Gabri glanced at the window to one side before speaking, “It’s getting dark, though the night is still young... Will you be starting this investigation immediately, or do you and your loves have time to share dinner with me and mine?”
\tAll three guests managed to smile again, the wolf accepting on their behalf, “I’m sure that there’s time for supper before any more serious business, and we’d be honored to join you at your table.”
* * *
\tThe guard gave Berria one more nod before closing the back gate of the keep, the thud of the heavy wood followed momentarily by the grating clack of the locking bar. The single torch in the shallow alcove cast only enough light to see who might be knocking at the door; the guard had been told not to ask questions, but he couldn’t help but watch curiously through the barred window as three quiet steps saw the black-robed, black-furred equine vanish into darkness.
\tAvoiding the occasional pools of light from windows, mostly homes with roaring fireplaces that needed the cool night air for a comfortable balance, the unicorn’s route deliberately swung wide of the main street’s many taverns and their lively crowds. She was following the next best thing to a hunch, something she’d sensed on her way to the keep earlier that day, but so subtle she wasn’t sure whether it had been real or imagined. That faint sensation, little more than a vague sense of something in a direction that shifted slightly as she’d moved, had been like an echo of Roxy’s urge not to notice anything in that playclub all those weeks ago. Glancing both ways as she lurked in a dark alley, she waited for one visible member of the night watch to look the other way then drifted silently across the street, another alley opening into the laborers’ district of Lark’s Reach. The barony and its capitol were both prosperous under Rickar’s casual, but wise, rule, so even a ‘poor’ neighborhood was several notches above that warren in Crown Port had been, rendering the journey easier and better-smelling than her last late-night excursion.
\tAmidst the modest dwellings, most holding two or three whole families, she closed in on her estimate of where that odd sensation had come from... The fact that it was back, and growing like a faint itch in the back of her mind, was an encouraging hint that she hadn’t just been imagining it, her relief translating into a relaxation that let her move even more smoothly and silently. With one more pause to let a small group of friends or family pass by, returning after a pleasant evening and quite a bit of ale as best her nose could tell, she crossed the narrow lane and circled around to the back of a single-story, somewhat shabby building, its star-lit details suggesting a store for cheap foodstuffs.
\tThe rising moon lit the east-facing door more than enough to make out the slit at eye-level, covered from the inside, that no legitimate shop would need. Magic-blackened lips curling briefly in a grim smile, Berria stepped up to the building and knocked gently. A long moment passed before any hint of a reply, then the faint sounds of someone climbing a wooden staircase reached the filly’s straining ears, and she spent the moment she still had to herself concentrating, urging just a bit of herself out through her invisible horn, just enough to penetrate the door’s wood. The block over the slit slid aside, though she could make out very little of the face peering through, the hidden temple’s door man having set aside his little lamp and leaving his eyes in shadow to better see out into the night. “You’re not—we’re closed,” he corrected himself. “Come back in the morning if you want to buy something.”
\tCarefully judging the darkness she could sense in his soul through her own’s projection, Berria hissed just before he could close the peep-hole again, “Acolyte. I need to speak to your priest, and he’ll need to speak to your God.”
\tHer first word having frozen him in place, reflected moonlight flickered as the man blinked at the rest of her request, and another moment passed before he nodded reluctantly, whispering, “You’re still not one of ours... but I’m starting to sense that not all of the darkness I see is the night or your fur. Come in and I’ll take you to my priestess.”
\tThe man, once he’d unlatched the door to let her in, turned out to be a fox in a pair of canvas pants, the sort an assistant shopkeeper would wear during the daylight hours of his ruse save for the addition of a short, plain sword, but he’d evidently been relaxing for the evening as his upper body was bare. Berria took a moment to enjoy the view, as he was a subtly muscular sort, while he picked up his small bowl-lamp and led her down the stairs to the ‘shop’s’ basement.
\tThough several doors suggested there was more to the underground temple, the large main room was well-furnished and -lit, a brazier set into a brick alcove with a small chimney hole providing more than adequate warmth. The mare’s attention, of course, immediately fixed upon a dining table in the middle of the room where a pure white feline sat in a simple, comfortable night gown, sipping absently at a pewter goblet of wine, even as her escort took up his position against the wall beside the stairs. One brow rose as the lady looked over her unexpected guest, and her muzzle quirked wryly, “Well... this is certainly a surprise. What does a priestess of the Fanged One need with my sort on a night like this?”
\tBerria thinned her invisible projection, extending one tendril to touch the feline’s mind, eyes alert for any hint that a high-ranking devotee of the God of Lies might be able to detect such, while another, more diffuse projection, on general principle, spread out behind her. Even as she took a seat on the sturdy bench across from her counterpart, she replied, “I’m only peripherally here as a priestess; more accurately, and please don’t panic at this admission, I’m here as a de facto Agent of Drachath.” She smiled faintly at the sudden narrowing of the cat’s blue eyes, “Yes, I know your type doesn’t have a good history with Agents, particularly in Lark’s Reach... but unless my worst suspicions prove true, you needn’t fear history repeating itself. I need you to either answer from your own knowledge, or ask Sliisthar, whether your church is officially involved in a... well, conspiracy, I suppose, though we don’t know enough about it to call it even that much, yet. To determine how we go about investigating and reacting to whatever is going on, though, I must know for certain whether there’s a religious factor to the troops impersonating the baron’s guard that were recently encountered by a peasant several holdings away. Please note, however, that not even your God can help you lie to me about it. I’ll know.”
\tThe other priestess had set her wine aside throughout that speech, fingers steepled in thought. She nodded once, grimacing faintly, at her guest’s final warning, then spent another several seconds considering... Finally, she murmured, “If the church were involved in something like what you described, and it specifically involved Lark’s Reach as you say, I think I’d be party to it. I can pray for confirmation if you insist, but, no, to my personal knowledge we’re not involved with whatever is going on. Other than a merchant overheard grumbling that his usually-smooth meeting with the baron today was interrupted by a message, then cut a bit short, nothing even slightly out of the ordinary has come to my attention in months.”
\tBerria dipped a polite nod, then offered with a slight smile, “That, as you see it, is indeed the truth. Ah... and now you’re confused. I take it you’ve got some sort of magic detector, and you’re wondering why it’s not showing anything... Well, yours isn’t the only faith with its secrets. For now... since I agree that you’d be involved if any of your God’s flock were, I have a second proposal. Do pray to Sliisthar, but simply to propose an alliance of cooperation with the authorities in this case. Someone, you see, is perpetrating a deception on a grand scale, just how grand we don’t know yet, but that should be His domain. Just as Karnaal’s bunch don’t tolerate successful, independent thieves, I’d think He might be a bit upset if this lot manages to pull off their scheme without His blessing. Depending on which of my vague suspicions may prove correct, most or all of the light side of the pantheon could also end up involved, and as my own Goddess has shown, cooperation with Them pays off in tolerance and opportunity.”
\tThe cat blinked once and nodded, “You make an excellent point, priestess,” before closing her eyes and dipping her head, lips moving silently as she prayed. The darkness of her soul, as perceived through the tendril of Berria’s essence touching it, seemed to throb as her lips stilled, darkening in a rhythm much like speech, and the unicorn had to hide a shudder at the sensation and its implications. Determining a mortal’s honesty or intentions was one thing, but direct, if peripheral, contact with the mind of a God not her own was quite... disconcerting. Looking back up, the priestess smiled, “Your proposal... is acceptable, within certain limits. The potential, future consideration of which you speak is not present yet, so we must still be... discreet. My God is, as we speak, spreading the word, and if anything pertaining to this conspiracy of counterfeit soldiers becomes known to His flock, and if that information can be relayed without undue risk to our anonymity, it will be passed on to you or some other official capable of acting upon it. Sliisthar also promises fidelity, having chosen His side. Should your enemy belatedly seek His sanction, it will be denied.”
\tBerria frowned faintly at the discordant sensation those last two sentences provoked, and shook her head, “That final promise... was a lie. And more...” Her brow furrowed for a second, even as her hostess’ eyes went artfully wide in denial, then she brightened, “Ah! You were subtly curious, under the deception; you wanted to test my claim, and now you’re just confused again as to how I saw through it. Well, don’t worry yourself on either point. Fidelity has never been your God’s strong point, and I knew before I ever came here that I’d have to treat any agreement as tentative at best. We will, indeed, appreciate any information your kin can contribute, but at no point will my plans absolutely depend on it. Simply know, as Sliisthar does, that the price of betrayal is all those potential benefits of faithful cooperation. If He deems it worth that price, so be it.” Straightening up on the bench, she gave the confused feline another, broader smile, “In any case, thank you for your time. My night was not wasted, but I should head back now, to get at least some rest while I can.”
\tAs the other priestess nodded, opening her mouth to reply, both tendrils of Berria’s soul pulsed in warning; in front was an attempt to hold her attention and avoid showing any warning signs, and behind a brief throb of divine contact awoke a blend of hostility and determination. The unicorn’s hands, already in her lap, crossed and pushed aside the satin of her robe, freeing the pommel-stones of the two large daggers she’d bought in Wolf’s Bay. The next instant they were in her hands, and she was lunging backwards from her seated position, one boot bracing against the underside of the table as her blades flashed up to meet the fox’s descending sword.
\tThe acolyte jumped back as his first attack was blocked, eyes intent as he looked for an opening, but they widened in surprise the next instant as his target kicked off with her lower leg, tumbling backwards off the bench into a roll. Rather than let her entangle his legs, he jumped again, to the side even as he swung his short sword at the jumble of robes and limbs, but again a dagger was there to block. The fox frowned as he circled around, waiting for a clear opening... This shouldn’t have even been a real fight; with the advantage of his priestess to hold the target’s attention, he should have had her with a single slash, and his own God had given the order to kill, surely aware of the situation and the stranger’s abilities. It had taken three assassinations, none particularly difficult but all successful with no evidence left behind, to reach his current rank... but an adage in Sliisthar’s bible was coming to mind, now, that the only thing more dangerous than a successful ambush was an ambush where the attackers thought they had the element of surprise, but didn’t.
\tBerria planted one foot on the floor, both hands up to guard herself, and watched for any other attacks as she carefully worked her way back toward being able to stand. She could feel the fox’s own observation, the intensity of his thoughts as he calculated the odds... and knew when he’d decided to attack again, just as she started to rise from the stones of the floor. She shied back, suggesting another roll, and it was his face as much as his soul that marked his own change of tactics, from an overhead slash to a forward rush, and she flung a hand and blade hard behind her to keep her balance as her knees thrust, sending her forward to collide with him, chest to chest, her other dagger leading and his expression blossoming to shock as steel pierced his heart.
\tBowled over for real this time by the impact, the unicorn was still disentangling herself when the sound of slow applause from the other side of the table drew her attention. “Very nicely done,” the priestess mused. “Please understand that this in no way changes the alliance we agreed to... It was an unrelated matter, I’m not sure exactly what, that Sliisthar’s sense of honor, such as it is, demanded a response to. This one attack, by someone we could afford to lose, satisfied Him on that score, and you’re free to leave as you had planned. Poor Yarrel there, you see, was just a bit lacking in deviousness... and he actually believed me, these last months, when I said that I loved him and that his promotion was right around the corner. He was a good lay, I’ll give him that, but I can find another easily enough, and the only way he’d have ever made priest would be to see through my lies and have the balls and brains to eliminate me. Obviously, he had neither.”
\tWiping her bloodied blade on the acolyte’s breeches, even as her other hand straightened her robe, Berria nodded, “I think I understand... For the record, I’d told no one of my exact plans for tonight, just that I needed to make ‘a contact.’ Unless you object, then, I’ll leave your description with the keep’s guards, and I swear by Kathalla that all I’ll tell them is that you’re a personal informant of mine. That, I think, should help us both, if you find out anything I should know.”
\tThe cat’s smile widened, and she reached for her wine to sip anew, “Ah, good! No hard feelings, obviously... With your oath, yes, that’s an eminently acceptable course of action. Go in peace and have a pleasant evening, cousin.”
* * *
\tHaving deactivated her illusions in between the back gate and the side entrance to the castle, which would probably cause a great deal of confusion when the captain of the guard tried to reconcile the night’s reports, Berria made her way directly to the guest room her group had been assigned. She wasn’t particularly surprised, of course, to find the lamps dimmed for sleep, but only Elaric laying down in the bed, a large, moving lump under the light sheet and a warmer blanket bunched up just past his feet. Chuckling to herself, she shrugged out of her robe, unfastened her knife belt beneath, and tossed it and her shift negligently onto a chair. Circling the bed to climb on from Cin’s side, she tugged up the sheet enough to release the vixen’s happily-wagging tail, then just a bit higher to bare her rump, nuzzling in to plant a kiss on each hole and elicit a lusty giggle from her wife’s own, full muzzle.
\t“Since I’m the only one who won’t be talking with my mouth full,” Elaric mused, a bit of a burr in his voice as Cin’s talented tongue chose that moment to swirl around the head of his shaft, “I guess I’ll be... be the one to ask, how did your night go?”
\tPlanting one more kiss on the pucker between vixenish rumpcheeks just to watch it clench, the filly looked up to smile, “Quite well. I secured an entire network of informants that might come in handy, and all it cost was one attempt on my life. Since we’re looking for anything suspicious, the unexplained body will probably be reported to us, but don’t worry. I took neither scratch nor bruise, and I did our teacher proud.”
\tA muffled pop sounded from under the sheets as Cin’s head came up, and her outline shifted as both hands wrapped around El’s wolfhood to keep him occupied as she asked, “Are you sure we couldn’t have come along? Things worked out, and you came back safe, but it sounds like tonight you needed someone to watch your back.”
\tHer wife shook her head, “Honestly, this time it had to be me... I hate keeping secrets from you, but in this case I’d promised two Gods, neither of Them Kathalla. I really can’t talk about it... so why don’t we just go to bed?” She stroked a fingertip up Cin’s moist petals, then pressed its gathered slickness against the bud of her anus as she mused, a hint of huskiness creeping into her voice, “After, of course... definitely after.”
\tThe disappointed sigh from under the covers graduated quickly into a happy squeal as that finger pressed in, and Elaric nodded his agreement with the sentiment, “I guess we can both live with that. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but... yes, after.”
Chapter 13
\tSince very little could be done without more information, and gathering such depended in turn on the manpower of the promised battalion, the next morning was fairly lazy despite the anticipatory tension. After breakfast with the lord, lady, and two of their mostly-grown children who hadn’t yet settled on careers, Elaric left to consult with the local healers on the off chance they needed help with a tricky case, while Cin decided to go shopping, mainly for good but sober clothing for all three of them, intended to reflect their status as ad hoc government officials. Berria, for her part, paid a quick courtesy call on the local Kathallic junior priest, members of their faith being fairly sparse in the barony with Fariach’s greater facilities so close at hand, but spent most of her morning loitering around the keep on the off chance some news arrived.
\tFor an ex-slave who’d rarely worn more than her collar, Cin turned out to have a surprising flair for fashion. The tunic and breeches she’d obtained for her husband, and the belted robes for herself and her wife, wouldn’t have looked out of place on any official of moderate authority in the administrative wings of either king’s palace they’d been to. Thus dressed, the trio walked down the hall toward the dining room with a bit of time to spare before lunch... only to see two new figures in the uniforms of senior army officers, coming from the other end of the castle but with the same destination evidently in mind. The guard private outside of the double doors, still so new he seemed on the verge of squeaking for more reasons than his being a rat, glanced both ways in a near-panic even as he stiffened to attention, unsure of which authority figure he should salute first.
\tMore than one voice was chuckling under its breath as the two groups converged, the wolf with a major’s triple bars on each shoulder giving a relaxed salute while the mephit captain beside him simply bowed. “Major Syllan, reporting for duty, ma’am. I tried to get here early, while most of my battalion is still gearing up or marching... but Captain Aurin here commands the company tasked for crash deployment this month. That duty rotates among units stationed at any duchy capitol, at least when there isn’t an actual war going on, but Aurin prides himself on his troops’ readiness. They’re already settling in between the orchards and the river, on ground just a bit too rocky to farm, but there are enough flat spots to pitch plenty of tents.”
\tBrows high, Berria returned the skunk’s second, shallow bow with a nod, “I’m impressed, Captain. The king intimated that it would be several more days before I saw the first of the soldiers I’d been promised, yet here you are...” Glancing back to the wolf, she smiled, “In any case, I’ll be glad to get down to some serious planning. Between the company clerk and the local seneschal, I should be able to get the maps I want... Those would include the entirety of the Duchy of Fariach, and the bordering holdings in Crisom, Gatuque, and Northlook. Once the rest of the companies arrive, I’m planning a reconnaissance the likes of which I doubt the kingdom’s ever seen... but, more immediately, Aurin’s timely arrival means we can get an early start on certain defensive deployments the baron has in mind.” She gestured at the doors, “The maps, of course, can wait ‘til after lunch, and the local lord awaits us all. Shall we?”
\tNodding, the two officers agreed in unison, “Yes, ma’am,” as the flustered rodent finally pulled the nearer door open for them, delicious smells wafting out. Detailed plans could, indeed, wait.
* * *
\tMid-morning of two days later, the priestess’ group rode out of Lark’s Reach amidst a small crowd of officers and aides. Their saddlebags carried only a few changes of clothes and a great deal of food, while their packhorse’s burden had been reduced to a few sleeprolls and a command tent issued by the city guards’ quartermaster. Elaric had a new, leather satchel looped across his chest, one pocket carrying the authorizations the king had issued but its main pouch stuffed with crisp new maps, colorfully inked with a dizzying array of routes and waypoints. Those two days had been spent in a frenzy of planning; each platoon’s journey, by itself, was relatively simple, but coordinating them as a whole to each travel a certain distance each day, and arrange couriers from the mounted skirmisher company to keep them in touch with each other and report on their progress to their centralized commanders, also moving each day, rather resembled a dropped bowl of noodles when laid out on any map large enough to encompass the area being scouted. They’d also, if reluctantly, realized while laying out that mess that the whole operation was almost certain to take more than two and a half weeks, so they’d sent their regrets back to the capitol. Their planned fun with the king and a playclub... would have to wait.
\tHer temporary Agent’s badge glittering prominently on her black robe’s lapel, sporting the amethyst of the highest available rank short of the chief Agent’s diamond, Berria suffered her way through an inspection of the encampment and its troops to pass the time before lunch. She understood very little of what she saw among the neatly-arrayed tents and stockpiles of arms and armor, but it certainly seemed professional and impressive from a civilian’s perspective, and she could see in the troopers’ eyes how they appreciated her approval.
\tAfter a simple lunch of beans and biscuits, with steamed jerky added for the carnivores’ rations (Berria decided not to press the issue and accepted a plate ‘befitting’ her species), the entire officer corps of the battalion, and the senior noncoms of the skirmishers, gathered in the large patch of grass behind where the civilians’ tent had been pitched. After another minute to let the soldiers sort themselves out by unit and rank, the unicorn addressed them, “Thank you for coming, and I’ll try to be brief. A few weeks ago, a peasant stumbled across a band of armed men wearing a reasonable semblance of Baron Rickar’s crest, but Rickar himself knew nothing of them and all of the soldiers in his service have been accounted for. These... people tied that man to a tree, and beat him so badly he collapsed a few days later, and would have died if not for the attentions of my husband here. No true soldier of Drachath would ever do such a thing, I know... which is why you and your troops are here, to find the cowards that did. Each of you will be issued maps; we’re deploying you by individual platoons, and each lieutenant will have a clear route to follow. The skirmishers, due to their horses and greater mobility, will have a somewhat trickier job, as they’ll be assigned by the half-squad to each platoon of infantry, and single soldiers will be dispatched back and forth, keeping the larger groups in contact with each other and the four captains who will be spreading out just behind the front lines. Each captain will have a full squad of cavalry to keep in touch with me, and the major here of course. Your primary goal is to find these people, not to engage or destroy them yourselves. When, not if, they are found, both companies of infantry and their attached cavalry will be recalled from their portions of the search, and we will take the enemy with overwhelming force. You probably noticed the company of archers leaving yesterday... and their assignment is to reinforce the garrisons of the barony proper, in case the enemy’s goal is to draw our attention to an external threat while leaving our heartland, mere leagues from Fariach itself, undefended. Now, don’t be too envious of those troops who’ll be sitting on their arses in a comfortable city... for I’m certain that, whoever these people are, we’ll find them, and you are the soldiers who’ll be rewarded for your miles of marching and riding by a chance to see the blood of evildoers on your blades.”
\tAll of the assembled captains were grinning viciously at that promise, their lieutenants glancing at them before following suit, and a few of the cavalry sergeants’ discipline cracked enough to cheer. Stepping up from behind the unicorn, Major Syllan raised his hands for silence, then spoke up, “Taken as a whole, this will be one of the most complex military maneuvers in Drachath’s history, but we’ve broken it down very well, in my opinion. This Agent’s plans were made with the help of myself, my aides and clerk, and the senior staff of the baron’s guard, so I won’t hear any grumbling about civies poking their noses in where they shouldn’t. Remember that your primary mission is to survive. Keep a mounted rearguard in case you run into an ambush, and dispatch a rider with news of anything even remotely suspicious. Your second priority, and it’s damned close to the first, is to be on time. Even if you think you can make just a few more miles before sleeping... don’t, since the stopping points of every adjacent patrol are also on your maps, and your comrades will need to know where to find you to keep in touch. Tell your men to be careful... and good hunting. Now, company A, first platoon!” One ursine lieutenant shambled out of the crowd, and the wolf picked up the top bundle of parchment from the small folding table by the tent, along with a small cloth pouch, “Here’s your route and some funds to reprovision at any towns you come across even if they don’t have an army post. Go over the maps with your men and prep your gear; we all march just after breakfast tomorrow.” At the bear’s nod, he handed over the packet and raised his voice again, “Company A, second platoon!”
\tThe priestess and her spouses simply looked on with smiles as they stepped out of the way of the milling officers. Each was still in a mild state of shock at their circumstances, surrounded by a small army and in command of it, all because a farmer had asked their help as they traveled... but it was real, and their nebulous promises to ‘do something about it’ were finally being kept.
* * *
\tBerria stretched out on the tripled sleeproll in her tent, closing her eyes with a sigh as Cin’s fingers dug into her upper thighs. Though she’d made few actual decisions since leaving Lark’s Reach four mornings ago, simply knowing that she was in command, and ultimately responsible for the success or failure of her mission, had given rise to an unconscious tension that greatly magnified the strain of nearly a hundred miles of fairly sedate riding. She could smell woodsmoke through the closed flap of the tent, and knew supper would be served up shortly by the major’s personal cook, but right this moment she needed the massage far more than food.
\tThe vixen was just moving up from her wife’s thighs to her rump when someone scratched on the canvas for attention. Stifling a curse, the unicorn called, “I’m feeling much too good to get up and ruin my wife’s efforts... If you can stand seeing your commander naked, come in. If not, your news or question can wait.”
\tThe unknown figure outside hesitated for a moment, before a black paw reached in to pull aside the flap and Captain Aurin slipped in before too much of the camp brazier’s heat could escape. Glancing briefly around, his eyes didn’t linger on the Agent’s bare rump, instead focusing on a point midway up the far canvas wall as he reported, “We just had a rider report in. He was one of those who were trading places between three platoons each evening, part of the overlapping zig-zag pattern your husband suggested, but the skirmisher he should have met, coming the other way, hadn’t arrived at the middle platoon by moonrise. Their group was about halfway between us and the seacoast, almost to the edge of Gatuque, so it took him nearly a day, with a few naps for him and his horse, to reach us with the report of missed contact.”
\tBerria grimaced where she lay, “Damn... After the first evening we hadn’t had any more problems like that. It could be a repeat of those early mistakes... but we have to assume it isn’t. There’s still time, tonight, for the round-about messages to go through the mages, so tell your clerk to report back to Fariach, and in turn to company B’s captain. It’s time to pull in our resources around there, and you’ll be in charge of the northern sweep from now on. The major and I will head south in the morning.”
\tThe skunk’s nod was shallow as he acknowledged her point without getting a good look at the ‘massage,’ since the edges of his vision were suggesting that the vixen’s fingers were growing increasingly unprofessional in their touch, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll inform Syllan and his staff next.” Not waiting for a reply, he slipped back out, only to stumble due to his high gaze while his tail was still half in the tent, a grumbled curse heard before it was whipped out of the way.
\tChuckling softly, Cin half-purred, “Good, you didn’t let the news tense you back up again...” One finger dipped between her wife’s thighs, its tip stroking upwards in a feather-light tease, “You’re also not rushing off without dinner... half of which is already right here, for me. I’ll toss a blanket over your rump as the food’s delivered, but I’m not about to leave you with mere kneading to be sure you’re relaxed.”
\tThe unicorn grinned into her cushion, “I never expected that sort of restraint when you first made the offer, dear...” and she glanced up and to the side where her husband sat on a stool, “Food first, aye, but I think we all might be curious to see if you can relax me enough to finally take El up my ass. I wasn’t prepared for the difference between him and a lone finger, last time.”
\tWolf and vixen both chuckled, eyes alight with anticipation, until another scratch sounded at the flap, and Cin quickly covered the ass in question as the scent of cunningly-seasoned rations seeped through the gap.
* * *
\t“Alright,” Berria decided as she traded some of the bacon-accented porridge in both her spouses’ bowls with the plainer meal she’d been served, “last night’s experiment was... not as successful as I’d hoped. Sure, I came three times, but this morning I’m regretting it, and I’ll have to find something to wad up and sit on to keep riding from being a form of torture.” She glanced to Cin with a rueful smile as she stirred the vixen’s bowl and handed it back, “I’m sure that enjoying anal sex was literally bred into your line centuries ago, but my kind had no such plans. I guess our adoring husband will have to be content with a mere five orifices.”
\tHer wife chuckled as she accepted her breakfast, “You tried it, though. It’s not your fault it didn’t work, or El’s that he can give some stallions a run for their money where it counts.”
\tThe wolf shook his head with a quiet laugh, “I’ve never complained about the things either of you enjoy, and I’m not going to start now. You are, both of you, more satisfying lovers than any I had as a noble youth, and I’ve never held any special preference among sex, ass, and muzzle. Give me a moment once we’ve eaten, and you can skip the padding; I’m sure I can heal your lingering soreness with a bit of effort, and it’s good principle to do that before you use the latrine trench anyway so renewed stretching doesn’t tear anything.”
\tHis wives both winced at that notion, and Berria nodded, “I hadn’t thought of that, probably because no one would want to, but I’ll accept your off—”
\tHer comment was interrupted by a patter of feet and from outside and a call, “Sir? Ma’ams? Cap’n sent me, urgent message!”
\tSharing a glance with her loves, the unicorn set her untouched bowl aside and stood to slip out of the tent. “Report, soldier,” she directed. Officially, the skunk in his early teens was Aurin’s ‘assistant clerk,’ though a few hints in conversation and the occasional faint, lingering scent suggested that he accompanied the captain for decidedly non-military reasons.
\tThe youngster, wearing only his arming doublet and boots, snapped off a salute that lacked the real soldiers’ practiced smoothness, “Two more skirmishers came in... One came from a couple platoons south of the group last night’s rider was from, reporting the same loss of contact but he’d had farther to ride. The other... he’s from a northern platoon! Says he was holding the rear while they checked a forest, heard yells and a clash, and he took off. Waited three hours, he said, at their last camp like his lieutenant had told him to, but no one showed up an’ he came right here. His group went almost due north from the barony, and was almost to Northlook when it happened.”
\t“Crap...” Berria muttered. “I need to think... and I can’t do that on an empty stomach. Find the major, and tell him to come straight into my tent as soon as he’s eaten. It looks like all our assumptions that we were searching for just one group just fell into the jakes.”
\tBobbing his head in a jerky nod, the captain’s bedmate sketched another salute and took off at a jog.
\tBack inside, Elaric handed her her bowl with a rumble, “We heard, and ‘crap’ is a lot milder than what ran through my head at the news. Sit, eat, and I’ll heal you right now just so we have one less thing distracting you.”
\tThe unicorn was just finishing her breakfast, finally sitting comfortably against the rear canvas between her spouses, when the major, his aide, the captain, and his official clerk filed in, settling onto the floor in two staggered rows as befit their relative ranks. “Despite his youth,” the gray wolf began, “Aurin’s... friend is good at one other thing, and that’s repeating messages verbatim when it suits him. I’m glad you insisted on that point, then, regarding our breakfasts, as the situation has indeed changed for the worse... I’ve got some thoughts on the subject, but you’re the one who talked to the king, so I’d like to hear your ideas first.”
\tHis ad hoc commander nodded, swallowing her last bite and handing the bowl to her wife, “Two groups aren’t much worse than one... but it probably isn’t just one that split into two. Hellach, the peasant who stumbled across the first official sighting of the enemy, wasn’t clear on the numbers, but even taking a pessimistic view of his description would give that band about two platoons worth. One platoon of mixed infantry and archers would not, in my opinion, be enough to overwhelm a full platoon of our soldiers, warned for caution as they’d been, plus their mounted half-squad, with no survivors or escapees in two separate incidents. That means a minimum of two groups the size of the first, and we cannot assume that those two are all of them. We’re looking at at least one full company, already deeply infiltrated into the kingdom and in areas without significant standing troops available. My thought, therefor, takes three parts. First, just as we’d been planning for the ‘lost’ platoon last night, we’ll concentrate our forces, but in both directions. I’ll go south, you go north, so we’ll have a senior commander for both thrusts once the mages tell the couriers to tell the captains to summon their lieutenants. Second, given the presumably increased scope of enemy operations, we need to inform the king that our situation is now officially an emergency. We’ll need all major cities to put their guard forces on alert, and to dispatch what scouts they can, both to reinforce us and to locate any more enemy units they can. The third thought is also related to the first; gathered to their company commanders, our troops will have communication crystals that they can use to prove that they’re legitimate, to other units that might stumble over them while scouting.”
\tHis subordinates simply nodding, since her ideas made perfect sense to them, the major’s eyes gradually widened as she spoke, and he finally replied, “You’ve covered three basic topics... but each to a better degree than I’d worked out myself, yet. Sending magical word to the captains, as convoluted as it may be, beats my thought of dispersing almost all of our own mounted troops as messengers. I’d been planning to report back to higher authority, while not yet calling things an emergency, but you make a good point about how little we’ve actually seen, and if it’s any worse, it is an emergency. As for the general concept of dispersed real troops needing to make sure others they meet aren’t fakes, I hadn’t even considered that, and we’d need some way to do just that if we’re going to avoid accidental attacks between friendly forces.” He glanced down at the blanket-strewn canvas, “I overheard a couple corporals last night, doing the math then griping that there was no way you could be a real Agent, as it’s been barely a decade since the population boom in the Vale had some families start moving to other lands, such as ours. Thus, there’s no way you could have been born in this kingdom, at your age, and they’d never heard of a foreigner being made Agent.” He looked up, meeting the eyes of the three civilians in turn, “I’ll be finding those noncoms, and telling them flatly that you’ve got a better grip on the situation than I do, and say the same to any other grumblers I run into. The king gave you this command, and your competence proves you deserve it.”
\tOne brow high, the filly chuckled, “Not to make you feel even more ignorant... but born citizenship has never been an absolute requirement of Agency. Sir Ferrl, one of the better Agents we’ve ever had, was born in Dachiland, and his daughter, born in Unicorn Vale, is presently an Agent of Atheria. Feel free to cite both examples to those corporals if they give you any more lip about my horn.”
\tNodding, the wolf returned to the subject, “Your proposed split makes sense, coupled with the alerts to other holdings. We’ll be leaving the middle ground, where we’re most likely to find the same group that that peasant of yours did, unchecked, but in the dispatch I’ll be writing, then dictating to the crystal linked to the high command in Fariach, I’ll request that the nearest cities focus their initial scouting in this direction. I’ll take four of the skirmishers we’ve got here to scout ambush spots or serve as couriers, while the other eight can go with you, since you three have your own horses. You’ll only have the communication crystal that the baron gave you, but before we left I got confirmation that he’d officially hired that freelance mage for the duration of your mission, so you should be able to contact the king at need with only a slight delay.”
\tHis wives both nodding, Elaric spoke up, “That sounds like a fair division of our resources. I figured you and Berria would succeed in handling the general plan, so I kept my own thoughts on the route. I propose that we follow the map of stopping points for the nearest two or three platoons as we go south, and pick them up as additional escorts as we go, since we’d reach them faster than couriers from their captain as we gather to find out what happened to the missing patrol.”
\tSyllan nodded once, then stood, the other soldiers following suit as he agreed, “That will slow you down a bit, but with everyone mounted you’d just be stuck waiting for the foot troops anyway once you’d reached their captain. Since there’s no way to really speed that part up, we might as well take advantage of the delay to keep you as safe as possible on the way. For now, it’s time to pack up and break camp; I’ll borrow your suggestion, if you don’t mind, and collect a few platoons on the way myself.”
\tNot having had anything to contribute to the discussion, Cin had been as silent as the captain and aides as plans were revised, but as the soldiers filed out she reached for a blanket and started folding it, noting, “I can handle our gear, but I’ll need help with the tent. You two check the map for the nearest platoon’s camping spot, and the landmarks we’ll need to find it, while I pack the little stuff.”
\t“Good idea,” Berria agreed, reaching for the document case atop a folding stool.
* * *
\tThe two messengers that morning hadn’t delayed the rest of the command troop much, but the soldier tasked with keeping in touch with the nearest searching platoon would have been on his way just before the rest of them ate breakfast if that interruption hadn’t occurred. This, in turn, meant that the route that would have taken until just before sunset, as the larger party followed it, instead had them spotting the campfire in a small grove of apple trees with only a hint of dark blue still visible in the sky, just a few of the brightest stars peeking through between the darker blots of clouds. They could hear the clatter of tin pots through among the trees, stilling as one voice hissed for silence as a horse stepped on a twig, then called out, “Bread pudding!”
\tHaving checked the column of dates and passwords in the map’s margin while there was still sunlight, Berria called back, “Fish stew!”
\tEasing his sword back into its sheath, the feline lieutenant’s voice held a smile as he replied, “Those two do not go well together... and I’m afraid we’re out of both. Still, we can throw a few extra beans into the pot. Come on in.”
\tThe unicorn chuckled as she drew near, “It’ll take more than a few beans to feed this motley lot I’ve got with me, but don’t worry; we passed a village at about noon and bought enough meat pies for everyone, your troop included. There’s been a slight change of plans, since two platoons down south reported losing contact with a third one between them. You men will accompany us in the morning, and we’ll have to push fairly hard to rendezvous with your nearest neighbors at their next camp, but at least part of the search has hit pay dirt, and I think we all know that that’s a good thing.”
\tThe young officer nodded as he sat down on a log, gesturing to the trees, “There are enough low branches to tie up your horses, though I didn’t expect to need that many once the usual fellow got here from our ‘neighbors,’” and he nodded toward a corporal in a skirmisher’s uniform and riding boots. Blinking then, as more of the newcomers came into the ring of firelight and dismounted, he asked, “Where’s the major and captain? If we’re gathering in force, shouldn’t they be leading the way?”
\tThe skirmisher lieutenant who officially commanded the escort, a ram with curly black fur, shook his head as he led his horse to the improvised picket line, “South, we’ve only got a failure to report... but, north, we’ve got a confirmed attack, only their rearguard escaping. That means more bad guys than anyone realized we might be facing, and there’ll be a lot more folks looking than just our three companies, come morning.”
\tThe infantry man winced, then shook his head, “I’ll be praying that whoever we face has some interest in prisoners and ransom... but that speech the boss gave,” and he half-bowed toward Berria from his seat, “suggests that whoever we’re after is just plain mean. I’ll pray, but I won’t count on it.” He glanced around at his troops, “Weapon inspection at dawn, boys. If there’s a dull blade or worn bowstring in the bunch, take care of it tonight, as we’re gonna need them soon.”
\tDespite the clouds, it didn’t look like it would rain that night, so while Cin started clearing twigs and leaves for space to put down sleeprolls, and Elaric joined the supper preparations with their bag of meat pies in hand, Berria wandered away from the fire, finding a nice, dark spot in a tree trunk’s shadow. That cat’s mention of praying reminded her that she’d gone several days without.
\t*When My children are legitimately busy,* Kathalla preempted her just as she knelt, *I feel no neglect. Your faith remains unshaken whether you have leisure to dwell upon it or not.*
\tChuckling softly, the unicorn dipped her head in acknowledgment as she murmured back, “Then allow me to simply add one more deity to Whomever the lieutenant’s praying to, for the safety of my troops who encountered our foe, or a worthy reward for their souls if they died well.”
\t*One of those souls, in the southern of the groups who found the enemy for whom you search, was Malia’s. She’s been paying enough attention to your journey to notice, and that arrival in Her heaven urged Her to look further; one more in that group was Tarragh’s, and the commander of the other, northern platoon was His acolyte. Other than the one who escaped to bring you word, none, Godless or devout, survived.*
\tWincing, the priestess nodded nonetheless, “I’d hoped otherwise... but based my plans on the assumption of exactly what You confirmed. I know not whether it will change anything, once I report Your words to Lachier, but You have my thanks for those words in any case. Now, I shall not waste time on false hopes.”
\tKathalla’s bleak ‘tone’ softened, *You know that this conflict is, for now, strictly a mortal concern, but know too that I’m always here for you, if you need confirmation or comfort. Your morning, though, involved discomfort... and I shared something quite similar, just last night. Guess who’s not a virgin anymore?*
\tBerria had to grin in the darkness, “Karen. Good for You... and for Crellan. Having met his parents, I think I can safely guess that he was a virgin, too, so I can only hope that You didn’t shock him too badly during the mutual deflowering.”
\t*I was... tempted, I’ll admit, to show him all that Karen’s tongue can do... but I kept the kisses shallow, and his little rump inviolate. There are years, yet, to introduce him to more exotic pleasures. On that note, I have but one additional detail for you. Malia investigated your foe as well as your fallen, and passed word. You were wise, to establish early on that they were not Sliisthar’s, but She brings additional word that not one among them is anything but Godless. When the time for vengeance draws nigh, worry not that any devout might fall to your blade, in person or by the proxy of those you command.*
\tThis fetched another nod, “Good. That had been a minor worry of mine, but now it’s one less complication to deal with. Thank You, and praise You, my Goddess.”
\tA brief surge of raw affection thrummed in her soul, then faded, and she pried herself out of her kneel and brushed off her robe. She could see, as she stepped back toward the trees and the light, the camp’s designated cook scooping beans onto individual tin plates, and her belly rumbled faintly in reminder of how long she’d been riding since lunch. Reporting back to the capitol could, at least for a few minutes, wait.
* * *
\tBetween two platoons of infantry, their attached skirmishers, and the escorts she’d left the command troop with, Berria was leading over seventy soldiers as evening fell and they neared the rocky hill that would be the last camp before joining the rest of the company. Peering through the fading light and a gentle, cold rain, she raised her hand to signal a halt. The platoon that had been scheduled to occupy this hill on this night must have already been gathered in by one of the captain’s messengers, as she couldn’t see a fire and hadn’t been challenged... but, according to the contingency plans in the battalion's orders, any change to the original scheduled routes should have seen one or two troops left behind to proceed as usual and meet the incoming reinforcements. “Private Beldon!” she called, and waited for the mounted scout in question to join her at the front of the column. She pointed at the hill, “You’ve got one of the lighter, nimbler mounts... Get up there and see if anyone’s waiting for us. Today’s challenge-pair is ‘flaming lion’ and ‘Surianel.’”
\tNodding, the buck tapped his horse’s ribs with his heels and headed into the gray murk of the evening. The steady patter of rain drowned out his hoofbeats before he was halfway up the slope, and it was getting hard to see even his dark bay mount when he neared the top. Squinting, the unicorn could just make out the rise of one hand to his brow as he peered around, and she could faintly hear him calling out the first half of the challenge. She relaxed a bit in her saddle, at that; there was someone up there, probably just guides to help her find the rest of their recalled unit, and their little camp had been too far from the hill’s edge to see any smoke from their fire.
\tAn equine squeal snapped her attention back onto the distant figure, just in time to see the horse rear, throwing the young soldier down the steep, boulder-strewn slope. Even before the first impact of body against rock, he’d gone oddly limp, and as he slithered to a muddy halt about halfway down she could just make out the long shafts of arrows, two in his leather-armored chest and one protruding from just under the rim of his helm. “Ambush!” she and her husband yelled as one. “They’ve got archers! El, Cin, on me!” she added even as she wheeled her own steed around. Her training in self-defense had sufficed for a lone assassin, but she had no place in a clash between real soldiers, and she knew it.
\tShe led her little family around the edge of the column, the mounted troops already coming up to secure the flanks as the foot soldiers spread out and neatened their lines, unslinging the shields strapped to their packs as they went. Those shields helped as a hissing sound not even the rain could completely muffle filled the air from atop the hill, dozens of arrows arcing down, but the enemy still had surprise on their side, and curses and cries of pain spread throughout the ranks.
Chapter 14
\tArchers were the perfect troops for defending a prepared position. Even Berria knew that... which was why all of her archers were manning various city walls back in Lark’s Reach. While they’d be very effective, defending those cities from a guessed-at possible invasion, they certainly weren’t doing her any good now. Her skirmishers, all nineteen of them, had short horse-bows in rain-proof scabbards on their saddles, but the arrows arcing out of the fading light had cut down three of them in the time it took the rest to ready their weapons and loosen the flaps on their quivers. Even then, their return volley was practically blind fire; it was almost impossible to see the top of the hill, and the enemy was using its large rocks and small boulders for cover. Whenever a distinct shape made the mistake of outlining itself against the sky, or when a lucky shot made someone cry out, the skirmishers saturated the area with their short, barbed shafts, but for those first, vital minutes of the ambush the loss ratio was heavily in the ambushers’ favor.
\t“Hold ranks, watch the mud... charge!” one of the lieutenants finally bellowed, and the surviving foot soldiers, shields held high, rushed the hill, half-desperate to close with the invisible enemy before they were cut down where they stood.
\tThe three civilians on their horses were left in that charge’s wake, unconsciously pulling close to one another. “What... what should we do?” Cin asked, her heart obviously still racing.
\tBerria shook her head, “I’m not sure... We’ve got pretty much two options, as I see it. We can assume that our troops are going to die, that all they can do is buy us time, and start riding away as fast as our horses can take us, into strange territory that will shortly be pitch black with no escort. Alternatively, we can assume that we win the battle over there. Even discounting the bodies I can see, we’ve got maybe half again as many troops as the group Hellach found did... and if we flee, but they win, some of those left might die without our help.”
\tElaric was already wincing in sympathetic pain, through the tiny sliver of his healing senses he allowed to follow the battle, and he shook his head, “If our side wins, I certainly can’t abandon them. Both sides are fighting damned hard, and I’m sensing a lot of death, which means any wounds left on the survivors will be far from superficial. They’ll need me, badly.”
\tCin spoke up again, “If... if our side loses, and enough of the enemies remain, they’ll chase us. Our horses have been working hard all day, and even if they were fresh it’d take at least four hours to get back to that town we had lunch at. Tired as our mounts are, it’d be closer to eight hours if they made it at all, and even well-conditioned foot could run us down in that time.”
\tHer wife nodded grimly, “The condition of our horses settles it... We can’t run, not effectively, so it’s not worth the risk of damaging our troops’ morale, even if they win, to find us fled.” She slipped her feet from the stirrups and climbed down, “We’re probably out of bowshot... I’m going to get a lamp off of the packhorse and light it, just so we can see who and what comes back from that hill.”
\tWhile she was there, once she had the glass- and iron-encased candle burning merrily, she also tugged three rolled-up blankets out of the bundle that held their tent. What little warmth the spring day had held before the rain started was fading even faster as the last hints of dusk were replaced by full night, and both spouses murmured their thanks as they bundled up, the mare following suit once she’d secured the lamp to a saddle-strap and climbed back up.
\tThe sounds of battle gradually faded, letting the groans of the wounded emerge, freely and hauntingly, from the darkness. Finally, the last ring of sword on sword cut off with an agonized scream, which in turn ended with unnatural suddenness. The three civilians waited for what seemed like a short eternity, though it was actually less than a minute before a new yelp was heard in the distance. A few seconds later, another sharp exclamation cut off with a gurgle audible even over nearer groans, then a voice managed a sobbed, “No!” before trailing off in a whine.
\tEven as Berria reached the same, horrifying conclusion, Elaric hissed, “They’re killing the wounded! Well, some of them; I can feel others whose discomfort is increasing even as their bleeding slows.” He looked between one wife and the other, his voice very quiet, “We... lost. The other side is bandaging their own wounded, and slaughtering ours.”
\tHer wife simply whimpering, the unicorn asked, “How many healthy bodies can you sense?” Since the sounds and, presumably, the soldiers causing them were getting closer, she reached up to brush back her hood and wrap a finger around her horn-hiding earring while she still could.
\t“Too many,” he answered grimly. “They’ve got at least thirty soldiers left with no more than minor flesh wounds. There’s no way we could fight off that many...”
\tA rough voice came out of the darkness, “He’s right... I can see the shapes of weapons under your blankets. Lose them and dismount, in that order. Once we determine just who and what you are, there’s a chance you might be kept alive... If my captain decides otherwise, cooperation now will earn a quick, relatively painless death later. You don’t want to know what non-cooperation will earn.”
\tBerria couldn’t see much of the man who was speaking, but her pitiful lamp’s light was enough to gleam along the curve of a drawn bow. Silently praying that her spouses had also noticed, she simply nodded and spread her blanket, keeping both hands visible as she drew her daggers by their pommels and dropped them to one side of her horse, before easing down the other side. A thud marked the fall of Cin’s short sword, and their husband’s rapier clattered as it hit a rock on the way down.
\tThe unknown archer had stepped closer as the weapons fell, vulpine features resolving as he eyed the steel, “Huh... None of those are army-issue, and you’re not in any uniform I recognize, military or civil. I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist that you identify yourselves and explain why you were with these troops.”
\tEasing her blanket far enough down her shoulders for her badge to glint in the lamplight, Berria replied in a firm voice, “I am an Agent of Drachath, commanding the entire battalion that you just met a short company of, and my spouses here naturally came along to keep me company. We’re here to look for you, or someone like you, unknown soldiers illegally wearing the crest of,” and she squinted to make out his surcoat in the dark, “Quail Ridge? That’s a new one to add to the list...”
\tThough he wore no obvious rank insignia, the fox’s fine chainmail armor marked him as being something other than a common trooper on his side, and he frowned as he worked things out, “List? If another group, with a different crest, has attracted the interest of an Agent, then there’s been a failure in our ‘no witnesses’ policy at some point.” Nodding to himself, he decided, “If it’s been broken once, there’s no extreme need to keep following it now, and I’m sure the captain will be very interested in knowing how much you know and how you learned it.” He let go of the arrow nocked into his bowstring, a finger curled where it touched the bow itself to keep it in place, and gestured to summon the troops who’d been lurking behind him after cutting every throat that wore an army-regular uniform, “Bind their arms, check those horses for more weapons, then tie them to the saddles. That looks like a folded tent on the packhorse, so it won’t be any problem to add them to the camp once we get there.”
* * *
\tThe enemy camp was just a few miles west of the hill, less than an hour’s steady march with the foot soldiers in precise formation around the three civilians and their four horses. Several fires blazed with welcome warmth as they neared, the hoots and tweets of bad imitations of owls and birds served as passwords for the loose ring of sentries, tucked behind boulders or hiding up trees. If the quality of armor was how these people advertised rank, then their very lowest had been left behind for the ambush, men in light, flexible leather moving around the fires as they prepared a late supper. Lit by those same blazes, there seemed to be enough four-man tents strewn haphazardly about to accommodate an entire company of infantry.
\tA tiger in chainmail and a steel breastplate, also inlaid with Quail Ridge’s cliff and bird crest, intercepted the fox as his men dispersed to their tents or meals. “Well, Lieutenant? I was certain, when you left, that you understood the no-prisoners policy the general had ordered... but, here you are, with barely a third of your troops and several of the very prisoners you weren’t supposed to take. The women, I suppose, will be entertaining for a night or two, but we can’t leave them alive, and I doubt anyone here has tastes that run toward that man.”
\tThe salute his subordinate tossed off, along with the grin accompanying it, was more flippant and cheerful than anyone who’d just been censured should be. “I’m sure even the general would want these prisoners, Captain!” the man assured him. “The white-furred lady... is the Agent in charge of several companies of regulars, and they’re hunting us. Some different group already got their sorry asses spotted, and that’s why we’ve been running into so many troops. As for my men,” and he frowned, “we only outnumbered them perhaps four to three, and they fought like demons. Even with an initial arrow barrage, I was lucky to bring home thirty from the company you sent me out with. The soldiers, we followed orders with; they’re all dead now. These three, though... they’re civilians. What the general does with them is his own business, but I didn’t want to scare off any of my own troopers, the ones who might be wondering about our mission, by up and offing these in front of them, and until the general makes the call I don’t think we should... ‘use’ the ladies, either.”
\tThroughout this informal debriefing, Berria kept a thin tendril of her soul projected toward each of the officers. Their actual capture had come as enough of a surprise that she hadn’t thought of it then, and shivered inside whenever she thought of what might have happened if the lieutenant hadn’t actually wanted to capture them. The soul hers touched now, though, wasn’t nearly cruel enough to disarm someone then murder them; she could feel a certain disquiet with his standing orders to slaughter enemy soldiers, overridden by his professionalism. The captain, though... what she could sense of his emotions suggested he wouldn’t care one way or the other about their lives, save for the value they represented to his superiors.
\tThe tiger finally glanced up to look his captives over, noting, “You three seem reasonably well-behaved... I’d certainly expect that from an Agent, and your friends are wise enough to follow your lead. Just to be completely frank, though, you’re something between a convenience and a burden. The general will certainly want to hear what you can tell him about all these troops we’ve been running into, but there are other ways to get that information. Those same troops mean we can afford a few extra mouths to feed, as they’ve cut down our numbers a bit, but you’re not worth any more effort than a few plates of grub to keep alive. I’ll be taking your nice-looking tent for myself, and you can have my old one, here in the middle of camp. If any of you set a single foot beyond the inner ring of tents, my men will cut you down without a second chance,” and he glanced significantly to the troopers who were lingering nearby, awaiting their meal. Several of those men nodded, their expressions grim, and one ranking high enough to sport a boiled leather breastplate and bracers slipped away from the fires, his murmurs heard a moment later as he passed the captain’s word to those who’d be keeping watch. “Now,” he continued, pointing at his feet, “dismount and join us for supper. Questioning you can wait ‘til tomorrow evening, since we need to join up with the rest of the army anyway after today’s losses.”
\tEven as she swung a leg over and slid down from the horse, a bit awkward with her hands bound in front of her, the unicorn nodded. “I’m interested in meeting this general of yours, too, so none of us will try to escape, though I hope the rules you’ve laid down are at least flexible enough to let us visit the latrine trench, under guard of course. My spouses and I,” she clarified, “were interrupted and captured just before what should have been our own evening camp, so we probably all need to go. My name, just so you can be more specific than ‘hey you,’ is Berria, my wife is Cin, and my husband is called Elaric. Other than my Agency, none of us have any rank to speak of.” Her probing spirit caught a flash of realization from both companions as they stood beside their horses, and she was proud that neither exclaimed or even let their faces give them away. A healer’s gifts, or for that matter a pleasure slave’s training, could change how they were treated by their captors, but it was impossible to guess whether it would improve or worsen their overall lot, and after a moment’s thought all three of them had realized it.
\t“You can simply call me ‘captain,’” the officer replied, then pointed to a nearby line where his men were being served, “You five, take another couple minutes before your grub’s dished up and lead these folks to the trench and untie them. Better to deal with the smell before the meal than in the middle of it... and, like I said, if even one of them steps out of line, kill them all.” He turned to a fellow who was just settling down with a plate of steaming beans, “You, set that aside for a moment. Find out which of their saddlebags has their clothes, check them for weapons, then put the bags in my tent and tie the horses up with mine. Setting up my new one can wait ‘til we’ve eaten.”
\tNot even daring to share a glance and a grimace, though all three of them were tense-muzzled, the civilians followed the designated troops toward the edge of camp.
\tThe rest of her little family followed Berria’s example throughout the meal and a couple more hours before it was time to sleep, remaining cooperative and silent save for monosyllabic acknowledgments to instructions. Only when the three of them were in ‘bed,’ crammed together in the officially-two-man little tent in a nest of their own blankets atop a single narrow pad, did Cin finally whisper, “Ber, El... what do we do now?” By the worry and near-panic audible in her quiet voice, her imagination had obviously been suggesting dire fates to her all evening.
\tBerria squirmed an arm through the tangle to give her a comforting squeeze before murmuring back, “We wait, and do exactly what they tell us to. We answer any questions they have with as much of the truth as won’t jeopardize us or the kingdom further. Wolran is still out there, or whoever it was I sensed that first morning out... and the network of informants I mentioned, they should notice the sudden state of alert from when we declared an emergency, and they’ll help town guards or army regulars find any other groups like this one or the one we’ll be joining up with tomorrow. They know me as an Agent... and while Drachath may not share Dengar’s official policy of never leaving an Inquisitor unavenged, any common trooper or junior officer has to be worried about consequences. The only person I, personally, am worried about is this ‘general’ of theirs. Since he’s already effectively doomed unless they succeed in whatever their final goal is, he alone might decide there’s nothing that could be made worse by further offending the king.”
\tFabric rustled as two heads nodded in the darkness, and Elaric mused in a faintly whimsical tone, “So we’ve got a good chance of surviving this if we don’t give them any fresh reason to personally dislike us... I’ve also been thinking about what we brought along, and what might occur to them once they search it thoroughly. My conclusion was that we don’t have much to worry about there, either; I didn’t bring any of my robes so they won’t know I’m a healer, the black satin of a priestess isn’t that far out of character for an Agent they know has to be Kathallic, and the bare quarter of our gold we brought along is reasonably consistent with an army commander’s official contingency fund.”
\tThe Agent was glad that the darkness hid her wince, and forced a lighter note into her voice as she replied, “Even if we have far more left back at the castle, after our shopping there’s nearly sixty nobles left, more than the total of every coin I’d owned in my life before we reached Fariach. Oh well, maybe that sort of windfall will improve the captain’s mood a bit. Now... let’s keep our clothes on under one blanket and at least try to get some sleep. They’re unlikely to waste the courtesy of a decent warning when they decide it’s time to get up.”
* * *
\tAs Berria had half-predicted, care of the prisoners the following day was given over to that reasonably friendly lieutenant, the captain rarely so much as glancing in their direction. He was far too busy, as they rode, counting gold coins over and over, occasionally polishing one ‘til it gleamed if he spotted a smudge. It was nearing late afternoon when they reached the edge of the large forest, almost a jungle, that reached nearly to the sea on the duchy border between Fariach and Gatuque, the troops slowing as they neared and the captain putting his money away to ride out in front. Amidst the trees, someone whistled, and the tiger nodded as he said over his shoulder, “I’m recognized, we can go in.”
\tThe disguised unicorn tried even harder to radiate compliant disinterest as her guards formed up around her family and they passed between the first few trees, but the deeper into the woods they went, the more difficult her act got. This was not some temporary camp they were approaching... Even keeping her gaze discreet, and along the single line of their approach, she could see sentry after sentry. They seemed to be behind almost every single tree, most with short bows, some with heavy crossbows, and all with swords, their bodies and gear concealed from the front by woven mats of thin branches and vines. The sidelong views of her casual glances could only barely spot them, as she dared not twist around in her saddle for a better look; that sort of cover had, obviously, taken a great deal of work for each individual watchman, and there were dozens of them in just her little slice of the forest’s outer quarter-mile or so. Extrapolating from those observations, she came to the unpalatable conclusion that the entire battalion she’d been given would just about match what the enemy’s main force was using for simple base security.
\tGiven that sort of a perimeter, it came as a rather profound shock when they reached the camp proper, because of how few soldiers were there. An area had been cleared, large enough for a decent town but with a regular pattern of trees left standing so it wouldn’t be too obvious to a flying scout, and the resulting wood had been put to good use to make several buildings amidst the wide, clear spaces where tents could be set up, though there weren’t any. Two of the structures were obviously warehouses, the company quartermaster of the arriving troop breaking off to lead his string of pack mules toward them, and four more were crude, blocky barracks’ for common troops, which left just a single pair of smaller, house-like buildings for the senior staff. Judging by the weathering of the wood and the condition of the ground where stumps had been carved flush, this ‘camp’ had taken months to make, and had endured the entirety of the last winter at a minimum.
\tDirecting his attention at the lieutenant and his prisoners for the first time that day as he dismounted, the tiger instructed, “Have the men set their tents up but not get too comfortable. After our losses, we’ll probably be dispatched as someone else’s reinforcements. I need to report to the general, so keep these civies contained and readily available.” As he’d spoken, he’d grabbed the small bag dangling from his saddle’s horn that held the Agent’s badge, along with one or two other things from her saddlebags (but not the gold he obviously intended to keep for himself); until she got a chance to actually check their contents, she could only guess at what had been taken.
\t“Yes, sir,” the wolf replied, though his superior never saw his salute, already turning to enter one of the houses. Turning to the nearest sergeant, his muzzle quirked wryly as he directed, “You heard the man. Get the troops settled and find the healer to tend to our wounded.”
\tThe noncom’s salute was actually returned, and the next several minutes held the organized chaos common to military operations as orders were given and followed, the remnants of the company going about setting up their temporary quarters around the fringes of the more permanent settlement. Four of the lightly-armored menials kept watch on the civilians at first, then were relieved by another quartet as the first few tents went up, freeing them to erect their own. Less than fifteen minutes after their arrival, though, a canid junior officer rushed out of the general’s house, clearly agitated. “You!” he barked, pointing at Berria where she still sat on her horse. Visibly calming himself, he continued, “You will need to come inside with me... but, first, you need to take off your earrings. The regiment wizard noticed something about them, and the general is pissed that the captain missed it.”
\tEven as she complied, reaching up to unhook her left earring while wrapping a finger around the right, since she had no idea what effect they’d have if removed while active, she asked, “And what of my spouses? I’m sure that these soldiers here could be doing something more useful than standing around watching them.”
\tThe lieutenant blinked, then thought for a long moment, brow furrowed, before looking to the troopers in question, “Take them to the basement of the other house. There’s a storeroom there where we’ve reinforced the door and added a stout lock. Since I’m sure their possessions have been searched several times by now, put those in there too so they can at least change clothes; it looks like they slept in what they’re wearing now.”
\tA glance to their immediate guards was answered with nods, and the three prisoners climbed down, Cin commenting, “Actually, we did,” with a faint smile to the dog as she followed the guards at Elaric’s side.
\tShaking her head in mild amusement, Berria followed the officer into the evident home of her enemy. Once again, she observed as carefully as she could while doing her best not to look like she was examining things. The room immediately inside the front door, after all, was occupied by two large desks covered in documents, one of them probably belonging to her escort as only the other had another soldier behind it. Rather than show a potentially dangerous interest in those desks’ contents, she averted her gaze to instead add the details of the building’s construction to those already gathered, the beams and planks obviously well-constructed and sturdy, but unfinished. Both the surmised speed with which the base had been constructed and the guess that it wasn’t meant for true permanence were confirmed by what she could see, and filed away in her mind to report if she lived long enough to help investigate the core causes of this conflict and how they’d come to be.
\tPast the outer office was a hallway and two doors, both closed, though scents suggested a privy and a good-sized kitchen respectively, before the hall ended with a turn and two sets of stairs. The officer led her up, the steps opening directly into one large room that took up the entire second floor. Unlike the spartan, unfinished details of the rest of the house and camp, this room was lushly carpeted, its walls’ panels polished and varnished, with the occasional painting of what looked like planted fields decorating them here and there. Several chairs and large cushions dotted the floor, three of them occupied, and two large windows flanked what was just shy of an outright throne. The heavily-armored rabbit, there, was frowning mightily at something in a mage-robed rat’s paws, before looking up to scowl at his arriving ‘guest.’ “Where do I start?” he asked, probably rhetorically, in a voice closer to a growl than Berria had ever heard from a man of his species. “You, or someone like you, have rendered my original orders impossible, just from the report that one of my groups managed to be seen... I’m probably facing divine, as well as military, retaliation if my wizard isn’t as good at necromancy as he claims. I can only hope that your badge’s enchantment isn’t traceable... and you’re a unicorn. Unless I can salvage something, I’m about to lose another high position to your kind.”
\tSaid unicorn’s eyes widened, a corner of her muzzle twitching up before she could control herself, as she put two clues together with another story she’d heard, “Ah! Earl Hallan’s Stand, I presume. The rest of your complaints, though... I’m at least partially ignorant of. I still haven’t figured out why you or your army are here, relating to those orders; I don’t know anything specific that would make a deity angry enough to actively punish you; and I’m drawing a complete blank on your mention of necromancy.”
\tSomething of a surprise, given how angry he’d looked when she’d first climbed the stairs, the earl actually seemed pleased by her reply, straightening and nodding, “Yes, I did hold that title... but I guess I let my pessimism get away from me. Perhaps this situation isn’t as far beyond salvage as I thought...” He turned back to the wizard, “You can have five menials, and... the downstairs privy. In addition to the shroud, make some arrangement to magically lock the door and window, as we may need it for a person as well as that pendant.”
\tShe couldn’t make out any fine detail at this distance, but at the mention of a pendant the priestess couldn’t help but notice a silvery chain dangling from the rat’s hand, that might have been hers, and she frowned, “If that’s mine... or was mine, anyway, it had a simple enchantment to keep my illusionary disguise charged, one that evidently worked at a distance since my earrings kept hiding my horn after it was confiscated. If you really think it’s more than that, I’d have to question your wizard’s competence.”
\tThe general blinked, looking flabbergasted for a moment, then barked a laugh, “Well! If your claim is that far from reality, yet delivered so smoothly and innocently, I guess I now know how much trust to put in anything else you might say.” He glanced to the captain who’d brought her in, “Take her back down and secure her ‘til Skallen here finishes his work, then she and her ‘innocent enchantment’ can share a room. Full precautions.”
\tThe tiger’s eyes widened briefly as he stood, but he nodded promptly enough, “Yes, sir!” before drawing his sword. Half-bowing to his ‘guest,’ he gestured politely toward the stairs, “If you’ll precede me?”
\tMore confused than anything else, now, Berria nodded and turned around, padding back down the steps. She was still trying to figure out what could possibly have been such a jarring discrepancy regarding her simple Kathallic amulet as they passed through the office. As she reached for the front door’s latch, though, the pommel of that sword came down hard on her skull, and she speculated no more.
Chapter 15
\tA knock and a pause before the lock rattled and the door opened were, in a way, a comforting change from that tiger’s casual callousness, and despite the situation Cin was much more relaxed this evening than on the last. “Thank you,” she murmured, her husband echoing the sentiment as they accepted plates of supper from the fox in a menial’s uniform, who simply nodded brusquely and stepped back to secure the door once more.
\t“Not to start you worrying all over again, dear,” Elaric mused as he settled back onto the ‘chair’ of one of his own saddlebags, “but it looks like we’re not out of the woods yet...” He pointed at his plate before reaching for the wooden spoon sticking out of the rations, “Beans and hardtack, but no meat. That suggests that they’re still deciding what to do with us, and won’t waste the good rations on prisoners they might not keep for long.”
\tThe vixen frowned faintly as she spooned beans over the twice-baked hard biscuit to soften it a bit, then shook her head, “I know I’ve been worrying a lot, lately, but on some level I have to consider this an improvement. Maybe I’ve simply run out of worry to have... but this is a fairly spacious room, even if the door’s locked, not a tent too small for the two of us, much less three, and no one’s pointing weapons at us anymore. Sure, they took Berria, but you’ve seen some of the situations she’s gotten into, only to walk right back out again with a smile on her face.”
\tAfter a moment spent gnawing at his own biscuit, before giving up and following his wife’s example to soften it first, he shrugged, “I can only hope she does as well this time. In any case, I’m glad to be out of yesterday’s clothes and into something clean. When that fellow comes back for the dishes, we’ll need to ask about the possibility of a bath, or at least a bucket of water and a few rags. My own worries... were made a little worse by circumstantial reminders of my old life before Ber found me, and how helpless I felt then.”
\tCin smiled sympathetically as she chewed a bite of plain beans, then swallowed, “I understand, as this situation does remind me in some ways of my life as a slave... Luckily, there was something I wanted to ask you that should distract both of us from dwelling over-much on things we can’t change.” At his blink and attentive ear-perk, she went on, “I need to know how your gift works, but in a rather specific way. I know that there’s a difference between strength you get from others, and your own strength... I want to explore that difference; what parts of healing draw more on one than the other, what kinds of wounds exhaust you fastest and which are easier if you have external power available...”
\tBlinking again, the wolf nodded, eating a bite of his own beans as he pondered... “I’ve never actually thought about it in those terms in any detail... so forgive me if I meander a bit, as I’m going to have to find words for a lot of things I did more by feel than knowledge. Let’s see... I guess it’s things a mage could do that take the least of my own endurance to channel and control. Moving things to join a wound’s edges, focused heat to destroy an impending infection, those are easy for me, if fairly hard on whoever’s feeding my strength. It’s the fine work, getting those wound edges to actually knit, stimulating the formation of new blood from the marrow, reconnecting cut nerves... those drain me a lot more.”
\tFor some reason, his wife was actually smiling as she leaned against the wall and started using her spoon to separate her soggy biscuit into bite-sized chunks, “That’s actually pretty damned close to what I’d been hoping to hear! Please, carry on; if it won’t put you off your supper, think back over the various wounds you’ve healed, how they differed, and how they affected you afterwards, both by themselves and compared to each other.”
\tStill somewhat confused by her entire line of inquiry, Elaric nodded and divided his attention between his meal and his narrative, “Alright... I guess one good comparison would be between that sailor’s arrow-wound and the gashes in my own belly our lovely wife’s fingers left. About the same amount of flesh was damaged in both cases, but treating them was quite different...”
* * *
\tThe general looked up from his meal, setting his wineglass down to gesture at one of the other chairs around the folding table in his ‘throne room,’ “Have a seat and tell me how it went, Skallen. If you did as well as you have so far in my service, I think my decision to open the ‘58 and celebrate a bit was a good one.”
\tNodding, the rat grinned toothily as he sat and helped himself to a large glass of the mentioned wine, “I doubt you’ll have any complaints this time either... You were right about that fellow in charge of the south watch; just a touch or two to his mind and now he’s certain he saw those menials trying to sneak out, and he’s already spreading rumors about just what they’re up to. The covered, scent-tight well I insisted on in the basement is about half full now with their bodies added, so I doubt we’ll need to calm any panic among the lower ranks. The Brotherhood’s charter, actually, doesn’t prohibit what we just did, given that those five were already lacking in merit, and it actually improved their standing that their lives and souls could be put to such important use.”
\tThis fetched a nod from the rabbit as he grinned, “Just one of the benefits of being part of the revolution from the beginning. I’m sure that, with time, the charter will be expanded into a more comprehensive set of laws, but for now it’s simply a vague collection of principles, with plenty of room for the sort of interpretation that lets us get the actual job done.”
\tThe wizard nodded back, and the two settled into an amiable silence as they ate. One of the nearby guards was just lifting the lid from the dessert tray to serve them from, though, when a head poked up from the stairwell. “Sirs?” that vulpine asked, then climbed the last few steps as his commander beckoned. “I’ve finished my interview with the two failed novices our roster mentioned, one of the menials here and a lieutenant in the group that came back for more supplies today. Neither of them, in their studies, had ever heard of a priest’s pendant with a chain of platinum, or of any alternative to the obsidian that’s standard among... well, among Her decorations.”
\tThe former earl couldn’t help but quirk a faint smile, quickly controlled, at the man’s evident fear of saying a Goddess’ name, but he nodded promptly enough, “Good man, let’s not call any extra attention to ourselves. The Gods and their priests will find out their new place in the order of things soon enough without giving them advance notice. I’m still pretty damned certain that carving was made of black diamond... but I can’t for the life of me figure out how someone managed to carve something that hard in the first place without shattering it.” He glanced to Skallen, “Your surmise is the only one that makes any sense; it must have been made with magic, fairly powerful and very finely controlled.”
\tThe wizard snorted, downed the last sip of wine in his cup, and reached for the bottle to pour again as he agreed, “Agents are supposed to be mages... but all this one seems to be good at is lying with a straight face. Just the sort I’d expect to take her very Agency as an excuse to promote herself to some sort of extra-high priestess. I look forward to the day when the Principles of Merit are the basis of law in every kingdom, and priests do what they should: keep the Gods happy enough with worship to keep from meddling in the affairs of mortal-kind. Their only ‘merit,’ after all, is that they’re the particular favorites of one God or another, and that’s not enough to justify the influence they currently enjoy in secular matters.”
\tHis employer nodded firmly, dismissing the lieutenant with a gesture even as he lifted his latest glass of wine to clink against the mage’s, “Hear hear to that, brother.”
* * *
\tThe plate that had been shoved through the crude slit chopped into the bottom of the privy door had held only two chunks of hardtack, and they lay almost untouched. Between the bitter ache in her skull and the smell of her improvised prison, Berria had been able to summon very little appetite or effort, managing only to gnaw off and choke down a few crumbs. There was a water pump right next to the basin, but the soldiers taking turns guarding the door hadn’t been able to find a cup that would fit through the hole yet. She’d heard them discussing it, so at least she knew they’d tried, and weren’t as inherently cruel or ruthless as the captain or general evidently were. Sighing softly again, she shifted on the thin blanket they’d given her, trying again to get some rest other than the ‘nap’ of being knocked out, her new pendant’s chain whispering with the motion.
\tThat reminder brought her back to her earlier ruminations... The pendant was, for some inexplicable reason, why she was now locked in the privy, a necromantic shield in place to keep her from the comfort of being able to pray, but it wasn’t the silver and obsidian she remembered. The chain looked like platinum, and it was heavy enough for it, but a careful tug had proven that it was quite a bit stronger than that metal was supposed to be, and the only thing she knew about the carved bat head was that it wasn’t obsidian. She would have very, very much liked to ask Kathalla about it, but... She didn’t even need to rely only on her Goddess’ silence to realize her situation, as her own soul-projection trick had hit a smooth, hard barrier all around, even within the floor and ceiling.
\tHer disappointment and discomfort with the situation hadn’t yet built up to outright despair, but did color her mind’s eye as she finally eased into sleep. Her wordless lament continued, simply an increasingly-nebulous cloud of emotion, until something caught her dreaming gaze. The oddest part was that she couldn’t actually see it; if she’d had hands in that dream, she could point right at it, but however distinct it was to her perceptions, ‘it’ was clearly just a force, not a physical thing.
\tWhatever sense she was actually using, or dreaming of using, its focus gradually widened, more of these forces coming into being, some identical to the first, others different in some indescribable way. Her ‘view’ sank gradually back, the grouping of strange energies settling into the shape of a ball, just one such among many, those balls coming in two types. A third type, far smaller, came into ‘sight,’ orbiting the cluster at unimaginable speeds and a significant relative distance, but she was just now coming to realize that the entire scenario she ‘saw’ was small; incredibly, unimaginably, indescribably small.
\tThose tiny, orbiting energies, or particles, or whatever they were, broke their simple circuits, suddenly looping wide to swing around other clusters of balls, binding them together. Her perspective took another ‘step’ back, and these tiny, misshapen clusters of... something grew in number, forming a long, complex chain... no, two chains, circling one another in a seemingly endless spiral. Occasionally the spiral would break in half at a certain, specific point, and other objects would float in from the edges of her dream’s void, sliding along the pattern until they found a match with their own shapes, leaving once more only when they’d joined other newcomers, organized and grouped by the patterns in that original spiral. She could no longer discern the individual clumps of ‘balls’ as the scene continued to both shrink in size and grow in complexity, those undefinable energies she’d first perceived still at the core of each piece, but now the pieces were recognizably physical, odd structures performing distinct tasks through a viscous liquid in an irregularly-shaped membrane. More membranes and pools of structures were beyond that first one’s wall, near-identical at first, but soon diversifying; long fibers, tapered and flexing, were interlaced with tubes through which lumps suspended in fluid traveled, all near a more rigid array of something definitely not ‘membranes.’
\tThe oddest part, as her dream’s eye retreated far enough to recognize a tiny piece of her own body, muscles and veins adjacent to bone, was that she could remember the many, ever-smaller layers of detail. She had no words for what she’d seen, but the message was clear, about the nature of matter, the nature of life, and how the latter was simply a very specific, complex arrangement of the former.
\t*To answer your question,* a voice she’d never thought to hear this night whispered to her soul, *I’m the one who... improved your pendant. Your captors know not what it means, only that it’s unusual. That’s enough, in their minds, to justify the steps they’ve taken... but no mortal necromancer can fully mute the bond between Me and My Archpriestess. To put it in the simplest terms, you are My favorite mortal in the entire cosmos, and as such your mind may see into Mine to whatever extent you wish and can endure, this little lesson about the nature of reality being but the beginning, to help you understand the rest. Now for the next lesson...*
\tBerria’s sleeping mind was infused with awe, gratitude, joy, and a burning love for her Goddess as her ‘view’ shrank even more rapidly than before, showing the forest, the landscape of the kingdom, a mottled sphere she somehow knew to be the world, and onward toward the stars.
* * *
\tNo one bothered to knock before the door opened this time, but the rattle of the lock had been warning enough, and it was only Cin coming back from her ‘interview,’ the guards remaining outside and locking the door again behind her. Spotting the tears at the corners of her eyes, the moment the door swung closed again Elaric rose to his feet, taking her into his embrace at the earliest possible moment that wouldn’t be seen as an attack by their captors. “Shh...” he murmured as he felt the shiver running through her entire body, “you’re back, you’re safe... Were the questions really that bad?”
\tThe vixen wiped at her eyes with one forearm, then gave a wan smile, “No... it wasn’t the questions themselves; my own emotions are why I’m feeling so shaken up. They’ve been whipped back and forth so hard today...” She had to take a deep, calming breath to gather her thoughts, then relaxed into his embrace as he guided her down to their bedding, “First... Berria’s alive. There’s a guard posted at what used to be the other house’s ground-floor privy, and a slot cut into the bottom of the door for food to be slipped through, but the chains on the rest of it... I’m not sure whether they intend to ever open that door again, and I didn’t dare try to talk to her through it on my way upstairs.”
\tHer husband nodded, “That’s both good news and good sense on your part.”
\tCin nodded back and kissed his cheek, then frowned, “The questions, though... they’re not happy that I couldn’t tell them anything new about our troop movements. I saw our maps on a corner of the table, and they’ve obviously been studying them, but I couldn’t tell them which route the major would be taking, or exactly where what’s left of our southern forces would gather, because I just don’t know. That wizard of theirs,” and she shuddered, “has a cruel streak... He took his sweet time, letting me stew and worry, before confirming my honesty, but it wasn’t from any lack of competence or intelligence; in remarkably few words, as I was being led away, he suggested what else I might be good for since I was losing value as an information source.” She pulled back a bit so she could look him in the eyes without losing his comforting embrace, “It’s worse than my former slavery. There, I knew I had value. I was expensive, an asset my owner had invested heavily in and protected as such. To that rodent, and the others seemed to agree with him once he’d suggested it, I’m just a warm cunt, nothing more. That’s... that’s not a pleasant prospect, even compared to being a disposable plaything in the embassy playroom, as even there someone would have paid good gold for the admission fee before getting to use me. I would rather die than be reduced to that level of thing-hood.”
\tThe wolf tightened his grip as another shiver danced up her spine, and he nodded, “If it comes to that... I think I love you enough to break your neck for you, but they might not give me the chance, and that scares me almost as much as it does you.”
\tThe smile this fetched was grim, but real, “Unless they wanted to tie me down and simply use me ‘til I expired, they’d have to give me at least some time with my hands free, and I’d claw my own throat. But I’ve only covered one high and one low... It’s a different high that had me restraining tears on our way back.” Her smile softened even as her voice dropped to a whisper, “I recognized the uniform of that fox that sometimes served our meals, and I recognized the fox who was restocking this house’s pantry with a load from the stockpile... and they didn’t match. He was careful not to catch my eye, but it was Wolran! He’s infiltrated the camp, and they probably don’t even know it. This ‘Brotherhood of Merit’ the general was ranting about may seek to overthrow the nobility in favor of ‘earned’ authority, but one form of stratification is much like another. They have just as much trouble as any duke when it comes to really noticing mere servants and menials. I only had time for a word or two with my guards once I recovered enough from my shock... and all I could think to do was complain that I could never see the sun, indoors or under the tree between the houses, and I really wanted to know what time it was. Wolran couldn’t give me any sort of signal, but he’s an Agent; it’s almost certain he got the message that I need to know when whatever he’s planning needs to happen, and from there it’s an obvious next step to infer that I have an idea to help.”
\tElaric blinked, thinking hard, but confusion was clear in his tone as he whispered back, “How, though? I don’t see a damned thing either of us can do from here, since he’s the one who probably has weapons, might have reinforcements, and is on the right side of the locked door.”
\t“Dear,” she murred, a hint of sadness in her voice as she cupped his cheek in one palm, “the answer is obvious when you consider the whole situation... You know that there’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do if it might help save my Mistress, our wife. You also know that these soldiers took our weapons, our money, and all of our useful gear, but left us everything else we’d brought along since it was obviously harmless. Third and finally, I haven’t been asking you about your gift from mere curiosity, and your answers were the last piece of an idea that is, itself, a weapon if we use it right. I... don’t want to talk about it, though, or even think about it too hard, since it won’t be very pleasant... so for now, just hold me. Just make love to me. But be ready... If our friend manages to get us any sort of signal, I will act, and you will have a part to play as well.”
* * *
\tBerria washed the last bite of her biscuit down with a swallow of water, savoring both. The glass she drank from had been her first experiment, and she’d learned much in the process. There had been a small mirror over the wash basin that was otherwise useless to her without a bucket to fill with pumped water, and that water had been her greatest concern since thirst had already started to reduce her clarity of thought. With her access to Kathalla’s mind, though, all she’d needed was the basic idea; she knew her own mind could never hold a fraction of the pure knowledge her Goddess had accumulated over the millennia, but She could direct her to the specific facts necessary to translate an idea into reality. Much like her first, guided dream, the transmutation of the mirror into a cup had started at the tiniest, most abstract levels of matter, the steps involved building upon each other in a pattern that had to be repeated uncountable times on each microscopic particle, akin to a wizard’s spellbook’s list of steps and energy types raised to an inconceivable magnitude of complexity. The final conversion, channeling individually-minuscule amounts of Kathalla’s power through the ‘filter’ of that pattern, though, had been an experience she’d been completely unprepared for, as startling and pleasurable as her first true orgasm at Elaria’s hands those years ago, since the Goddess’ love accompanied each nudge of a fragment of matter into its new configuration.
\tHer second ‘spell’ was actually easier, as it only involved energy, but it was just as educational, the privy hole now blocked by an invisible, intangible force that allowed only normal air and her own wastes to pass. The smell of that hole, which she knew to be larger particles simply suspended in that air, was no longer escaping to foul her every breath. Her third and final exercise of borrowed, divine power before this meal had been simultaneously more complex and more subtle than either of the first two, but the results had transformed the inedible hardtack into soft, buttery-tasting fresh biscuits. Finally free of the distractions of pending dehydration or starvation, she settled back against the wall, joining her mind anew with her deity’s. Portions of that mind were still a mystery to her, and she accepted that without question since other parts made it clear why; even for an Archpriestess, a Goddess could only go so far without crossing the line of excessive interference in mortal affairs. Much like her encounter with those pirates, though, Kathalla felt confident telling her not to worry. Berria might not be allowed to know the specifics, but she could, and did, know that there were more forces at play than either she or her captors realized. Her immediate needs were met, neither she nor her loves were in any pressing danger, and she’d had a certain whimsical, self-indulgent fantasy in the back of her mind ever since first meeting Karen.
\tDiving deep into the portions of Kathalla’s consciousness that dealt with Her mortal incarnations, she started exploring. A touch of her own thoughts was all it took to note a piece of the patterns she’d need and set it ‘aside,’ a new, purely mental shape gradually forming in those incredible vaults of other knowledge. Not a complete shape, as she had no desire to recreate her very being, but there were certain changes she wouldn’t mind in the least. ‘Simple things first,’ she thought to herself, then had to grin into the dimming light as evening fell, at Kathalla’s amusement that she could call such things simple. She sent a loving mental caress in return, then dived into the collection of particle-patterns representing fur of various hues. The differences, even now, amazed her in how small they were. Strictly chemically, there was almost difference between, say, a black fur and a white one. There obviously were differences, but they were subtle indeed, and she studied those two extremes, assembling the sequence of changes that would turn one into the other, adding it to the growing spell her own mind could never hold in its own right. That was the easy part, but every plan had to start somewhere; she ‘tagged’ the new pattern stored in ‘her’ portion of her Goddess’ mind so she could find it again, then went hunting for fresh knowledge. Digestive tracts were, she knew, bound to be more complicated than fur coloring, but just as important to her plans...
Chapter 16
\tWolran waited for his chance... then took it. The last sentry along his route was none too alert to begin with, this late at night and at the clearing’s innermost perimeter, and the Agent indulged in a purely mental snort as he reached out the moment the soldier started his yawn, motion-magic gripping both the branch he stood on and the one that was his goal, then leapt, his snug black clothing barely fluttering as he landed without even a creak of the firmly-held limb. The depth of these rings of sentries was a sound enough principle... on the surface, but after months without a single enemy coming anywhere near the forest, those soldiers were only going through the motions of true security. There were so many of them that, obviously, one of the outer posts would raise an alarm long before anyone could get this deep. The only real purpose so many troops ‘on watch’ could serve was to keep a decent, final reserve force occupied in some manner. Fewer, thinner rings of sentries would actually have been better from a security standpoint, as they’d know they were fewer, and make more of an effort to be observant in turn. Fewer troops, period, would also have reduced the frequency of wagon-loads of food and supplies that that ‘anonymous informant’ had reported, but his Goddess had been uncommonly blunt when She assured him that the tip was good.
\tDropping silently to the grass, he crawled his way to the first of the trees kept for overhead cover, then around its trunk; from this point, at least until dawn drew near, the only guards he needed to worry about were at the front doors of the two houses, and his approach was from their rear. He settled into a crouch next to the heap of firewood behind the residence of the lesser officers, where he’d still be in shadow in case the clouds moved away from the slender slice of the waning moon, then closed his eyes, directing his mind inwards, then out and down. The pair of bodies in that basement cell were sleeping, but fitfully, and the wizard in the next house was probably still passed out, given his over-fondness for good wine, but no Agent ever got far by taking unnecessary chances... The remote point of magic he opened, therefor, projected absolutely nothing, instead pulling on the light of the small lamp the prisoners had been allowed, a slow, inverse flash as he plunged their room into darkness then focused its full brightness on the sleepers, once, twice... The third dimming wasn’t quite yet complete when the energy-shape of Elaric’s eyes fluttered open. Wol let the light flicker a bit to tell the wolf he hadn’t simply dreamed it, and smiled in the darkness as the sleeping vixen was elbowed awake. Checking his internal estimate of the time he’d taken to penetrate the camp, then, he concentrated, focusing the light against the walls in the shape of a simple message, “35 min.” Both prisoners’ eyes widened, then they nodded, scrambling carefully out of their jumbled blankets to keep from alerting the napping guard at their door, and the fox took one last moment to shape a crude, smiling face on the wall before releasing his magic and looking around to make sure he hadn’t been seen.
\tMemories flitted through Wolran’s mind as he crept carefully back toward the woods proper, mainly his sense of wonder those years ago when, just about to turn thirteen, he’d been led out of Owned Elegance, the only home he’d ever known, but not to the life he’d expected... He’d been bred, born, and trained to be nothing more than a living sex toy for some rich lady, or possibly lord, but the constant lectures about ‘his place,’ delivered in tones that suggested no alternative could ever be contemplated, much less made a reality, had turned out to be a lot less absolute than his trainers had implied. He still remembered the look of growing disappointment on the aging archmage’s face as he’d gone through the cubs, youths, and occasional adults, and the way it had finally brightened into a smile when the cat’s gaze met his. His training as an Agent started the very next day, but times like this tended to make him remember his previous life more than others. He enjoyed his role as an investigator, a coordinator, a subtle force for justice... but, as he reached into his dark shirt for the coiled, wire garrote he carried, his earlier conditioning against ever harming a citizen couldn’t help but tug at his consciousness. His later training, though, was the predominant force in his thoughts, and he steeled his will as he snuck toward the first of several sentries who would never see the sunrise. He’d sworn an oath to his king and to his Goddess, and he would fulfill it, whatever the cost.
* * *
\t“It’s almost time,” Cin whispered.
\tElaric’s nod was a bit jerky, given the rising tension of the last half-hour or so, “It is... You still haven’t told me what you’re planning, though.”
\tThe vixen glanced over from where she was pulling clothes out of a knapsack to scatter untidily about, “I couldn’t, or you’d spend your time worrying too much. It’s... never mind. Just start reaching out with your senses. We need to know just how many of the enemy you can access for energy. Ah! There they are,” and the almost-empty bag clanked.
\tHer husband frowned, finally making a good guess at what she’d been hinting at for the last day or two, and she was right; it was cause for worry... but he obediently closed his eyes anyway, reaching out through the house’s structure and the earth surrounding the basement. “Everyone in this house... and the next,” he rumbled, brow furrowing as his concentration deepened. “I think I just touched the quartermaster at the closest of those warehouses... a couple sleeping men in barracks bunks... and that’s it. I can’t reach the edge of the forest or the sentries we saw there.”
\tCin nodded, “Good,” as she stuffed a few stray clothes into a corner then planted her back against them. “Keep your grip on them... we’re going to need their energy soon.” She swallowed hard, just once, then looked down at the iron half-circle in her hand. The shine of its Goddess-cut edges had faded a bit since that tumultuous day aboard the ship, but it remained the sharpest single object their captors had left them with, and she took one more moment to close her eyes and think of Berria. A cramped privy... made her own, crude cell seem downright luxurious in comparison, particularly since she had a loving man to share it with. Her imagination painted vivid pictures of her beloved unicorn, nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell she couldn’t escape, or her soul in her eyes as she thought of the loves she couldn’t be with... and it was enough. It was the only thing the vixen could think of that might lead to her seeing that face smile again, and without another moment’s hesitation, she gripped the half-collar in both hands and plunged it down. Its cut edge struck her lower belly and penetrated, and a whine escaped as she worked it deeper.
\tElaric almost lost his concentration as the healer’s senses he’d extended so far reported the sudden injury, so much closer at hand, and he reflexively turned toward his wife, muzzle open to protest... then shut it with a snap as her hints and his own tentative conclusions fully crystallized in his mind. He wrenched that mind away from his concern and back to its link to those other lives, if only barely, knowing that it was now his job to draw on their strength, a job made only harder as the vixen’s strong arms yanked upwards, lengthening the deep gouge in her abdominal muscles. He heard her take another, ragged breath, which came out as a half-scream as she thrust again, carving the wound even deeper, and the first hints of sudden, unexplained weakness washed over the guards and commanders, most of them still asleep, as he slowed the flow of blood into her white belly-fur.
\tThat iron half-circle plunged a third time, but the pain was growing even faster than she’d expected. Cin froze for a long moment, breathing raggedly as tears seeped out of her tight-shut eyes... but she wasn’t done yet, she told the part of her mind that was balking at the next step. Berria was not back, safe and sound in her arms, so she couldn’t be finished. Eyes opening to slits, she steeled herself one last time, staring at the ragged, raw meat of her own belly, and forced herself to smile as she pulled anew, slower this time, watching the final layer of muscle part and her own, living intestines come into view. By the time she reached the top of the cut and finally let the blood-slick metal fall, internal pressure had started forcing those glistening loops into the air, but the crimson flow was far slower than it should have been, and she knew her man was hard at work. Carefully unfolding her legs, she eased her way down to the floor; even moving slowly the change in position urged more of her insides out through the gap, but the agony itself was finally fading, or at least no longer dominating her mind. Fully prone, she spread the wound just a bit, feeling just a hint of fascination at the sight of her own entrails. Mindful of her claws, as piercing those fleshy loops would cross the line into the sort of injury that was not efficient to repair with borrowed strength, she started at the bottom of the cut, urging her guts gradually back into herself. Another faint smile touched the corners of her pain-wracked muzzle as the bottom edges of tattered muscle moved together, seemingly of their own accord, and stuck. A blend of dizziness and nausea were rising, amidst the pain, and she recognized the symptoms of shock that had been described to her, but she made herself keep moving. As long as she could cling to consciousness, she needed to do everything she could to help the gross physical details of healing, sparing her husband whatever effort she could, and her fingers rose half an inch to urge the next half-loop back inside.
\tHis face taut with effort as he joined a few more muscle fibers, Elaric grunted, “Cin... you have to be... the craziest bitch I’ve ever met... but it worked.” He sucked in another, tense breath. “The inner guards... the general... will be in no... no condition to put up a fight... when they meet... Wolran or whoever...” His muzzle clamped shut as she nudged another fold a bit too hard, and he spared a fragment of power to straighten it before knitting the abdominal membrane over it then working on the muscles above.
\t“That... that was the plan,” his wife, her voice barely recognizable under its rasp, agreed.
* * *
\tSomething was wrong. The general had always been an early riser, but even as he’d been stretching in bed, a wave of inexplicable weakness had washed over him, and it had only gotten worse as he’d struggled to pull himself into some sort of order. Now, dressed in only his upper arming doublet and unlaced boots, he dragged his bared sword behind him as he climbed out of the basement officers’ quarters, each step its own, not-so-minor triumph. The night guard at the improvised prison was sprawled across the hallway when he reached the top, even his snores sounding strangely weak, and the rabbit shook his head to clear it as the implications seeped through the stubborn fog around his mind. This was, clearly, some sort of attack, and he needed to find out just how widespread it was, and gather any troops still capable of putting up a fight.
\tHis unsteady progress toward the front door was interrupted by a crash, and he whirled, bouncing off of the wall as his balance threatened to fail him. The fist sticking through the splintered hole in the privy door couldn’t be there; his prisoner had to be weakened by hunger with how few hard biscuits his men had fed her, and that arm wasn’t the white of a unicorn’s fur; it was a solid, glossy black. Sharp claws dug into the wood near the latch, and one irresistible yank tore it completely free. That hand closed around the chains that were all that held the door closed, and bright red rust trickled in a powdery stream between those fingers even as the rabbit gripped his light sword in both hands and raised it to a ragged semblance of a guard position.
\t“Ah... my good earl...” the apparition in that doorway mused almost gently. It was the unicorn, but her pitiless smile showed sharp, white teeth between those black equine lips.
\tHis ears flopped as he shook his head to clear it, “I don’t know what you think you are... but if this isn’t just a bad dream, you’re dead. We’re in the middle of a frigging battalion of troops. Any way you go, they’re ten layers deep on all sides.”
\tThat black-horned creature simply smiled all the wider, even as a click and a creak from the other direction pulled his attention toward the front door, where the hall lamp’s light fell on a fox in black clothes... and a large, muscular male unicorn in full armor behind him.
\t“Well... this is certainly interesting,” Wolran mused as he took in the scene. “I led the embassy honor guard here early to make sure you wouldn’t be used as a hostage, while the army regulars cleaned up the rest behind us... but I guess you’re not as needful of a rescue as I thought.”
\tBerria chuckled softly, “Oh, I don’t know... I can certainly deal with this man, and his pet wizard too if he wakes up, but even an Archpriestess is limited in what sort of power she can use against common soldiers. Obliterating a few hundred Godless mortals would be a bit, hmm... arbitrary, and that sort of thing is frowned upon.”
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