Rebirth

by H. P. Mallory

  “What is your name, child?” I asked, trying hard to convince her and the video camera that I was Persephone. I was very aware that Alaire would replay this at some future time and I still had a part to play. It wasn’t easy with the real Persephone screaming what I could only assume were ancient obscenities in my head.

  The girl jerked her head in my direction. She seemed shocked that I acknowledged her existence, never mind spoke to her.

  “J-J-Jill Bieler,” she stuttered, barely able to get the words out. “Wha-wh-what’s going to happen to me?”

  I didn’t answer because I couldn’t. I didn’t know how to tell her that she was as good as dead. Being an offering to an ancient warrior spirit cuts down one’s life expectancy to a few seconds.

  Suddenly, I felt heat warming me, starting from my stomach and radiating out through my hands and legs. The heat was followed by something expanding inside my chest, something that started out very small but little by little began to fill up my entire body, forcing me to dissolve further and further inside myself.

  I faced the girl again to get a better look at her. As Alaire remarked, she was attractive. Her breasts were shapely and soft and her nipples were hard, probably pebbled with fear. Her hips were wide and a small strip of dark hair covered her mound, which seemed ready to be penetrated.

  That isn’t my thought, I insisted mentally as a fresh horror kindled inside me. From where I was lying, it seemed like I was standing at the bottom of a very deep well and looking up towards the top. Persephone had remained silent since the heat kicked in so I knew the thoughts were not hers. Nevertheless, I found myself staring at Jill Bieler’s body for much longer periods. If only I could remove the straps binding my limbs, I could go to her and learn for myself what she tasted like.

  No! I thought as I shook my head from side to side, hating the notion that my body might soon be obeying Donnchadh’s orders.

  “Are you okay?” Jill asked.

  I groaned as I pulled at my bindings, my desire building with each passing second. Although I wanted to answer the poor girl, I couldn’t.

  “That mouth of yours should be used for better things than making those squawking noises you call words!” When those particular words flew out of my mouth, they sounded deep and guttural. They weren’t my words at all and didn’t sound anything like Persephone.

  The heat inside my body abruptly changed into a different type of heat altogether: the lusty variety. That’s when I realized why I kept staring at the girl as if she were a rare steak and I were starving.

  Stop it! I screamed in my head. God, no escape plan could be worth this!

  No! You will relent to my desires!

  That wasn’t Persephone. A tingle ran through my stomach before going into my crotch and boomeranging up into my chest and neck. My ears rang as Donnchadh’s influence coursed through me like a raging forest fire. The last thought I had before I was thrust into being a passenger of my own body was, Not again!

  ###

  Donnchadh

  I was being restrained.

  It displeased me.

  Fettered by my arms, I struggled against them. Minor resistance. Not enough, however. The restraints unraveled and snapped with just one tug on each.

  I sat up.

  I felt weary, as though I were rising from a long sleep.

  My muscles popped and stretched. Strength surged throughout my limbs.

  I faced forward and beheld a woman chained to a wall.

  The woman was a gift to me. This I knew. She was an offering. Thus, I intended to have her.

  I removed the ropes that held my legs. One tug each.

  I went to her. She screamed.

  The girl began writhing. The chains held her in place. A delicate, pale body.

  I tasted her fear in the air. Salty.

  “Do not fight me.”

  The words were strange. I did not recognize the voice. It was not deep or masculine. It sounded more like that of a woman.

  “What’s wrong with your eyes?” the girl screeched.

  I stood before her. She was as tall as I was. Also strange.

  I looked down at myself. A woman’s figure? I touched the naked skin and felt the breasts, then the wide hips.

  Rage. Anger. Injustice.

  How could I have entered a female body? I was warrior, not maiden!

  I looked at the girl again as she writhed against her bindings.

  “Why am I in this form?” I thundered. My voice was so high. Wrong. I held my arm up against the woman. “Be you a witch?”

  “No!” she squealed.

  Leave her alone! Another voice yelled inside my head.

  “Why am I in this form?” I raged again.

  “I… I don’t know,” the girl responded. “You were put inside her body!”

  “By whom?” I shrieked.

  “The Master of the Underground City!” the girl cried.

  I felt desire growing strong and sure. I approached the girl and gripped her face before I forced my mouth onto hers.

  Nothing. No stirring from below. No hardening of my length. No length to harden!

  I slammed my fist against her face. She whimpered.

  Stop! That voice again from inside my head. I did not know to whom it belonged.

  “Who are you?” I screamed, angry at the interloper.

  “I’m just a Retriever,” the girl responded. Her eyes were wide. She was obviously very frightened.

  I turned around. Four walls. Furniture. Was I captured?

  Fury. Strong and true. I pushed on a square contraption without knowing its purpose. I pushed it over. The girl screamed. My strength was not what it once was.

  I ripped the linens from the bed, shredding them with my hands. I pushed the nightstands beside the bunk and watched them topple.

  Something shimmered. A blade.

  No! the voice wailed from inside me.

  I reached for the blade.

  Facing the girl, I approached her. Now I understood. This was a different type of offering.

  I dragged the blade against her cheek.

  She sucked in a shallow breath.

  I raised the knife. “It is just the nature of things. It will be brief.”

  NO!

  I brought the knife down in a flat trajectory.

  It sliced the skin between her breasts and slammed through the bone below with a satisfying crunch.

  She jerked forward and opened her mouth, hissing out the death rattle.

  “You have served your purpose honorably.”

  The light in her eyes faded.

  Something pushed on my brain. A mad, screaming beast.

  NO! NO! NO!

  The voice pounded against the inside of my skull.

  Something crawled through my mind.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lily

  I opened my eyes but didn’t recognize my surroundings at first. Then I realized I was still in Persephone’s room, albeit a seriously trashed version of it. I had to blink a few more times to make sure I wasn’t just imagining everything I saw around me. But no, everything was really smashed up. And all my bonds were thankfully broken.

  Donnchadh… He’d been awakened inside me, and must have taken control of me. But where was he now? How could I be back in control of my body?

  I rolled onto my side and screamed at the scene I now beheld.

  The girl, Jill, was still there. Her skin now milky white. The blood around the knife’s handle had coagulated into a gummy paste. Her eyes were still open but she was long dead.

  I desperately wanted to cry and scream. But I remembered what I had to do.

  I have to still play the part, I reminded myself. Alaire set up a camera as a witness, which meant he could play this moment back as often as he pleased if he decided to study my response.

  No, I couldn’t allow Alaire to see Lily’s weakness and compassion. He was only allowed to see Persephone’s cruelty and indifference.

  “For how long
have I not been myself?” I asked the room, not actually expecting an answer, but curious to know if I were alone all the same.

  “Only a few hours,” someone responded.

  I jumped off the bed, my utter shock competing with my need to stay in character. I turned around and found Alaire sitting at my makeup vanity. It was the only piece of furniture in the room that Donnchadh didn’t destroy.

  Alaire’s eyes weren’t on the mirror or even on me. He was holding up the camera to watch the video playback. “I must say, Donnchadh did not disappoint. Though I expected some female-on-female action, I suppose he was too stunned to behold himself inside a woman’s body. So his outrage was the reason for the attack on your furnishings… and finally, the girl.”

  I wanted to hit him with the nearest heavy object my hand could grab. But I regained the face of Persephone as I noted aloud, “Donnchadh is much more violent than I ever imagined.”

  “Isn’t he wonderful?” Alaire asked, rising from his seat and putting the camera down. “He was such a beast in life, but he’s even more bloodthirsty now.”

  I rubbed my temples to counter the headache growing in my skull. I wanted to cry and scream for the poor dead girl beside me but I couldn’t. Instead, I had to pretend to be cold and uncaring. All the while, questions plagued my mind. Figuring Persephone would have had the same questions, I voiced one. “How could I manage to suppress him? By rights, is he not in control of my body at this very moment?”

  Alaire regarded me as a weary sigh passed his lips. “I was growing rather tired of him destroying this room and felt obliged to step in.”

  “Then you restored me to myself?”

  He stretched his fingers and blue light flashed across them. “Did you really think that I would embed an ancient warrior spirit inside you without an alternative contingency in the event you failed to control him?”

  “I never thought about the topic that much,” I said, breathing in deeply. “I merely assumed that my strength would prevail in all encounters.” Beneath the banter, I was still amazed by everything that just happened. Watching Tallis’s struggle with Donnchadh gave me an uncanny insight to him so I expected it would be horrible. But I had no idea how horrible it could be until now.

  Alaire looked around the room before his gaze settled on Jill. “I will have this mess cleaned up. In the meantime, I ask that you prepare yourself for dinner. We have a very interesting evening lying ahead of us.”

  Everything Alaire said gave me uneasy chills.

  I heard the distant sound of laughing, which I attributed to my new spirit in residence, Donnchadh.

  Remembering myself and the part I still had to play, I forced a smile back on my face. “Yes… a very interesting evening, indeed.”

  I would mourn the death of the Retriever later, when I was by myself.

  ###

  I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to find myself once again tied down to a bed. This time, however, it was Alaire’s. It wasn’t like he drugged me and I awoke to find myself like this either. He informed me over dinner of his intentions and any refusal from me was forbidden. Because I was still playing the part of Persephone, I acquiesced. Maybe the only silver lining was my lack of enthusiasm about it. I doubted very much if Persephone would have been too receptive about Alaire wanting me, Lily, for his personal sex toy. After all, that was her sole chosen role in their relationship.

  So here I was, all tied up and doing my best to come up with another plan for how the hell I could get myself out of this latest predicament. I kept drawing blanks but that didn’t stop me from plotting.

  I focused on the camera that still recorded my every move. This time, a tripod in the corner had what I could only presume was a perfect shot of the bed I was bound to. I swallowed hard at its unblinking eye.

  Where did Alaire’s fascination with filming come from?

  I had no clue and didn’t want to know. But the question still hung in the air, along with my fear.

  To make matters worse, I was naked again. Of course. It wouldn’t be a video shoot by Alaire unless I was, apparently.

  “Haven’t we been here before?” Alaire asked jokingly while reviewing his knots on my restraints. They were extra tight and the rope was taut, which only made his pleasant mood that much more unsettling.

  The urge to wrap one of those ropes tightly around Alaire’s neck was nearly all-consuming. I recognized it as the black rage of Donnchadh. He was still pretty pissed that he’d been crammed into my female body as opposed to, say, somebody like Tallis. Soon, I assured myself and him. That simple thought cooled his rage but only a little bit.

  Alaire approached the camera and pushed a button on it. The red light on the side came on as he adjusted a few controls. I assumed it was the zoom feature. Once accomplished, he practically shedded his clothes like a snake skin in his eagerness to remove them as quickly as possible. His member was firmly at full mast, making the anxiety growing inside me increase tenfold.

  It also made Donnchadh’s anger briefly spike. I could just imagine how Donnchadh felt about a man inside of me/ us. Maybe if I’d been in another state of mind, I might have found that thought funny.

  The black rage died away, replaced by a sheer queasiness. Maybe it was Donnchadh’s nausea or my own. Probably both… I doubted he was looking forward to this anymore than I was.

  “My queen, would you kindly look at my face for just a moment?” Alaire said with a smile when he noticed my attention was fastened on his member. That was mostly because of my horror and shock. I couldn’t look away.

  Once my eyes were where he wanted them, Alaire continued, “Now, I’m going to guide you deep into your own psyche. I plan to assist you in drawing upon Donnchadh’s strength lest you lose yourself to Lily when you summon her forth.”

  No! No, you idiot! Persephone howled from deep inside my mind, surprising me. I hadn’t heard from her since Donnchadh’s infiltration into my body so I naturally deduced that he was in and she was out. Apparently, I was wrong...

  This is what she wanted the whole time! she continued to rant.

  I began smiling despite the dire situation. It was just too perfect. The time had finally come to rid me of my most annoying and uninvited passenger.

  Alaire, HEAR ME!!! My mouth dropped open on its own, guided by the strength of Persephone’s will. But I clamped it shut again and held it firm. Persephone’s ghost fingers clawed at my brain in her vain attempt to neutralize my resistance. Beads of sweat broke out across my forehead from our inner struggle.

  “Are you feeling well, my dear?” Alaire asked. There was genuine concern in his question.

  “A-A-Alaire, I…” I struggled to keep the words she wanted to say from coming out. I finally stammered, “I feel Donnchadh!” The air in my lungs rushed out as Persephone finally surrendered to me, at least temporarily. I guessed Donnchadh was already weakening her resistance.

  “I would venture to say he is rather eager as well.” Alaire pounced on top of me and pressed his face on mine. “Do not fret, my love. You may spread your legs soon enough.”

  I felt my stomach turning at the thought of how many times I already had done just that, thanks to Persephone.

  Alaire placed his palm on my slick forehead. I could feel his penis pressing against my belly. His eyes began to light up with an unnaturally greenish hue. Before I knew it, I was gone.

  For a brief moment, I was in absolute darkness before I found myself standing on grass. A light breeze tickled my skin. I wheeled around, trying to recognize exactly where I was.

  Castle Fergus towered behind me, looking impenetrable and strong as ever. It reminded me of Tallis and I smiled. Sunlight glittered on the surface of the still lake. But there was something different too, something that was off. The view was lovely but lonely.

  This place just isn’t the same without Tallis, I thought glumly.

  As if on cue, Tallis instantly appeared before me. He looked even bigger and broader in the shoulders. I stared at
his shoulders because his back was toward me as he gazed across the water, seemingly lost in his thoughts. I ran over to him but slowed to a more hesitant walk the closer I came.

  Again, something felt wrong about him… something was off.

  The more I studied the man I saw before me, the more I realized he wasn’t Tallis at all. As I watched him, strands of blond hair began cascading down the imposter’s back, clashing against his bronzed skin. He held his hands in front of him, grasping something I couldn’t see.

  “Who are you?” I asked, confused at why this man would appear in a vision I only shared with Tallis.

  The stranger said nothing as he turned to face me. I took in his strong features and the scars that lined his face. His eyes were deep blue and narrow with anger. In fact, his entire body seemed to thrum with rage. I could see it as much on his face as on his fisted hands. Large veins bulged from his neck and his forearms.

  He didn’t need to answer my question because I knew who exactly he was.

  “Donnchadh,” I whispered.

  I balled my own hands into fists and struck a ready pose. I couldn’t be too careful about what was surely going to happen. Maybe Donnchadh would attack me?

  Then I felt something, a nearly imperceptible sensation of lightness that started in the pit of my stomach. It felt like butterflies fluttering inside a glass jar. The discomfort continued to grow, overtaking my core and spreading into my appendages.

  I began taking in deep breaths as the feeling persisted, growing ever stronger. Moments later, I felt it pulling forward, toward the front of my body. I watched the ghostly outline of a woman step out from inside me. The tingling feeling left with her departure.

  As I watched the ethereal outline, it began to take a more concrete shape, forming into an image of Persephone, in what I assumed must have been her true form. At least, it wasn’t mine. She turned around and gasped as she finished separating from me. But as soon as she got her breath back, Donnchadh was on her.

  Persephone swung at him, but the ancient warrior was too quick. He gripped her wrist and threw her to the ground, pinning her arm behind her back. She cried out like a whipped dog, vainly struggling to break free. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy seeing her get taken down a few pegs, after what she’d done to me. But those feelings of triumph fled as soon as I considered the danger imposed by Donnchadh. Clearly, he was far more powerful than Persephone. What did that mean for me? Would I be next in line?