“Well, wherever the fucking stone is,” Beatrix stated, “it’s probably heavily guarded.”
“No, shit,” Akira scoffed, “but would you rather wait out here in the dark? We have no choice but to go inside and find the stone… or would you rather be stuck in this shithole for Satan knows how long? Because I’ll leave you here if I have to.”
“No,” the light-haired brunette answered softly. “I’m just… concerned, and I think I have a right to be.”
“We’re all concerned,” Faye replied in a faint voice as her gold-green eyes darted around the building, “but waiting out here is pointless… not to mention that it’s going to look suspicious if we keep lingering about.”
“Faye’s right,” I urged, “come on, let’s go inside.”
Each witch nodded deeply and then took a deep breath before we marched past the drunk, staggering men and entered the brothel.
We weren’t even past the threshold, though, when our mouths dropped to the floor in shock.
This wasn’t a human brothel as we expected, but instead, the place was filled with monster-like women and exotic creatures. There were towering, golden cages in every corner of the multi-story building, and women of all breeds were dancing naked inside of them. Wild music was playing from a band of elvish women who had their ankles chained against the wall, and they were wearing silver and gold bras and underwear as they played a quick, pulsating beat. In the back of the first room, there was a gigantic water tank filled with two-tailed mermaids swimming around in graceful swirls and churns. They were naked, but their faces were painted with heavy makeup, even underwater, and they wore forced smiles as they performed for a group of men huddled by their tank and cheering for more. There were also women with horns and different shades of skin serving pitchers of drinks at different tables, and they all wore chain-like collars on their elongated necks. Their outfits were all sheer, and they might as well have worn nothing at all.
“Dear Satan down below,” Vesta breathed as her sparkling, silver eyes widened. She placed a dainty hand over her breasts, and her soft pink lips parted slightly open as she stared at the chaos before her. “This is not what I expected… it’s absolutely horrifying.”
“I thought this city hated magical creatures,” Ivy whispered with pale lips.
“Turns out they can make exceptions if it includes fucking and abusing them,” Akira growled under her breath. “These fuckers… clearly, the women are here against their will.”
“Why can’t they just use their powers to escape?” Iris questioned as she brushed a pink streak of hair out of her eyes. “I mean, that’s what I’d do.”
I narrowed my eyes and focused on the chains and collars on each woman, and that’s when it hit me. Their shackles and cages must have been placed under some kind of enchantment. Was it elder magic? This city clearly hated magical beings, but I supposed they made some arrangements to ensure these women could never leave.
“They can’t use magic,” I whispered, “not when they’re bound by those chains and collars.”
The witches all gasped in realization, and as sick and twisted as it was to see these women under human men’s control, I knew we had to push onward.
There was no time to waste.
“Come on,” I muttered. “We have to stay focused. Follow me.”
We carefully threaded through the cluttered rooms, and then I tried to focus on the stone’s possible whereabouts. I pictured the last Defero in my mind and then tried to home in on its hidden location, but it began to feel useless. It could have been anywhere, and there was too much going on for me to focus on only one potential room.
We had to explore further.
“Anything yet, Cole?” Faye asked, but I could barely hear her faint voice over the exotic music.
“No,” I grunted. “At least, not yet. Let’s explore all the rooms on the first floor first.”
“Shit,” Penelope muttered. “That could take ages--”
“Can I offer you a drink?” a sweet voice asked from behind us.
When we all whipped around, there was a young woman with light green skin, purple horns, and orange eyes smiling at us, and she held up a golden platter with empty crystal glasses and a small plate of strange, leaf-wrapped food. Her outfit made it difficult to maintain eye contact because she was wearing a transparent, shimmering silver skirt and matching top. There wasn’t much underneath, except for a pair of white high/hip thong panties, and she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her emerald, pierced nipples were protruding through her top, and she was breathing heavily as if she were excited.
“Err, no, thank you.” I shook my head. “We’re actually here to discuss a potential bargain.”
“Oh?” she replied with wide eyes. “With the king?”
The king? Did she mean the king of the entire fucking kingdom was in one of these rooms? If he were, there was no doubt he had the stone kept safely somewhere at his side.
“As a matter of fact.” I grinned as I neared her. “Yes.”
She blushed a deep color of green and then looked at the other women.
“You don’t look like our usual customers,” she whispered as she leaned in. “You’re all far better looking… even if you’re worse for wear… no offense.”
“None taken,” I replied as I inched even closer.
I needed to just touch her for a moment before I asked my next question.
“Y-You’re welcome,” she gushed before she demurely dropped her orange eyes to the plate she held. “Are you sure I can’t offer you a drink before you head off to do your business? It might ease your nerves… the king is a very ill-tempered man. Oh, but please don’t tell him I said that… he’d skin me for sure.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said as I lightly placed a hand over hers, “but, actually, I need to know where all business transactions take place. Does the king have a secret room we need to get to?”
“I can’t tell--” she started, but then I grasped her hand a little tighter.
“Secretum mentis,” I muttered.
Her orange eyes gleamed brighter as she stared into mine, and then her red lips parted slightly before she numbly nodded.
“Yeah,” she mumbled. “His room is upstairs, on the second floor… it’s behind the door with two golden sphinx statues placed on each side. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” I said as I gently pulled away. “You’ve been extremely helpful. Perhaps we’ll take that drink when we return.”
“Err… sure thing,” she replied in a confused tone.
Before she could pick up on anything else, I quickly turned away from her and led the others deeper into the brothel. I couldn’t find any stairs, but I could see the balconies to the upper level. The rooms were absolutely cluttered and packed with patrons, so it was difficult to navigate and pinpoint where we had to go, but when I found a relatively secluded corner, I looked at the witches and leaned in closer to whisper.
“We need to find a stairwell,” I said, “I’m sure it’s around here somewhere.”
“Right.” Akira gave a firm nod. “Let’s keep moving, then. I’m sure we’ll find it.”
We kept close together as we passed by more dancing women in cages and men drooling over them, and the rooms were so cluttered with slave women and drunk patrons that it was beginning to feel as if we were walking in damn circles around the first floor. I was about to lose my patience until I spotted a golden door with a short, bulky man standing by. He had a firm, tight line across his spotty face, and when he met my eyes, his frown deepened.
“There,” I whispered to the others. “That must be it. Come on.”
I swerved past more women carrying large trays and dancing slaves, and when I approached the bulky little man, I forced myself to smile down at him.
“Greetings,” I said. “We’d like to expand our horizons, and I’m sure there is much more to be seen on the second floor. May we pass?”
“Aye,” he grunted. “For ten gold coi
ns, you may.”
Shit.
I flashed him another confident smile before I quickly glanced around the room, and then I spotted a table with two men. They were a fair distance away, but I could still see them gawking at a pink-skinned woman who was dancing with fire hoops in front of them. The men had empty mugs of beer cluttering their table, but there was also a small leather pouch in between them, and I knew it had to be money.
“I’m sure I can pay that amount,” I drawled, “but let me just check with my companions before I accept your offer.”
“You need permission?” he scoffed. “From a group of dirty, peasant women? Seems a bit odd… but what the hell do I care? Just pay or don’t, it’s no skin off my ass either way.”
I forced myself to smile at the bastard and then turned to face the others.
“Follow my lead,” I whispered.
We walked toward the two, oblivious men, and I focused on the leather pouch on their table. Then I turned my head to look at the women, and an idea sprang to mind.
“Alright, listen closely,” I muttered. “See those men over there? I’ll need one of you to distract them.”
“But how?” Beatrix hissed.
Before I could answer, Penelope smiled coyly at me and then pushed past the others.
“Watch and fucking learn,” she said.
I quickly followed her as she waltzed over to the two men and then flashed them a sweet smile. One of them was blond with a scruffy beard, and the other was a short, fat man with a long black beard and small red-rimmed eyes. They were clearly in a drunken stupor because they could barely focus on Penelope as she hovered over them.
“Hello, gentleman,” she purred. “Would you care for another drink?”
I was directly behind her, but they seemed too drunk to even take notice.
“Y-You don’t look like you w-work here,” the blond one slurred. “I’ve never seen you before.”
“Well, they’re now starting to accept human women as servers,” Penelope confidently replied. “We all need to make a living, eh?”
“Whatever,” the black-bearded one coughed. “Just bring us two more ales, and be quick about it.”
Penelope nodded, and as the black-bearded one reached for the leather pouch, she placed a hand on his and then smiled.
“No need to pay,” she cooed. “It’s on the house.”
“Well, hell,” he chuckled. “Then bring us four!”
“Sure thing,” Penelope answered. “Let me just get these other glasses out of the way for you… oops!”
As she bent down to grab the glasses, she elbowed a few and let them fall to the side, and then glass went shattering all over the floor. The men looked irritated as their drooping eyes darted down to the broken glass, and the woman who had been dancing for them jumped back in surprise.
I took the small window of opportunity and focused on their leather pouch.
Motus.
The money bag flew from their table, and before they could even glance up, it landed in my hand, and I shoved it deep into my cloak pocket.
“You clumsy bitch,” the blond one growled. “Look at the mess you’ve made.”
“I am so, very sincerely sorry,” Penelope said in a sweet, apologetic tone. “How about I bring you six free ales as compensation?”
The two men exchanged drunken, pleased looks with one another before they nodded at her.
“Sounds like a fair deal,” the black-bearded one snarled. “Just hurry the hell up.”
“Oh, but, of course,” she answered with the same serene smile.
The bright-haired witch bowed and then turned to look at me. As we calmly returned to the others, she faced me again and then stared into my eyes, but when she looked down, her face fell.
“Wait… please tell me you took the money?” she gasped with furious dark eyes. “Don’t tell me I did that for nothing.”
I smirked at her terrified face and then patted my pocket.
“No worries.” I grinned. “We’re good… now let’s hurry before they sober up and wonder where their drinks are.”
The group collectively nodded, and then we hurried back toward the guarded door. The bulky man had his arms crossed, but he smirked at me as soon as I pulled out the pouch.
“I suppose they agreed, then?” he growled.
“They did.” I nodded. “Here’s fifteen gold coins for being so patient.”
The guard’s shifty eyes immediately filled with greed and gratitude as I retrieved the money and placed it into his chubby hand.
“Now, that’s more like it.” He grinned as he stepped aside. “Have a fan-fucking-tastic time.”
We collectively nodded before I gently pushed the door open, and there before us was a grand flight of golden stairs, covered with a large, red and yellow patterned rug with intricate patterns and woven designs.
“Let’s go,” I urged.
We quickly climbed up the stairs, and as soon as we were on the second floor, I took a look around.
“See if you can spot the golden statues,” I whispered. “As the woman said, they shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”
As we searched the second floor, we drifted past more naked dancers and open bedrooms, and it was growing increasingly difficult not to peek inside some of the chambers to see what was going on inside. Each different bedroom seemed to be designed for some special kink, and as we ventured onward, I spotted an expansive pink and red room filled with serpentine women dancing with actual snakes that curled around their waists and arms. Human men were tied to the bedposts, and they watched with large, eager eyes as the women danced with their animals to the beat of a quick drum.
When we passed that room, we came across another green and gold chamber filled with centaur women and naked men. The women were wearing gold chains around their necks, and their breasts were the largest I’d ever seen. I shuddered at the sight, and I didn’t even want to question how the sexual gratification worked out for either partner.
“This place is a total mind-fuck,” Akira growled. “I hate every inch of it. They’re keeping magical women here against their will.”
“Well, hopefully, we won’t have to be here for much longer,” I whispered back. “Come on, the statues have to be here somewhere.”
As we looked around, the rooms began to smell more like sex, spices, and perfume. The air was growing thicker, and it was becoming almost painful to breathe. Music was pounding in my ears, and the sounds of men moaning and cheering made it difficult to concentrate on finding the statues. It took all my willpower to try and drone out the chaos, and just when I thought my head was going to explode from the effort, I spotted the glinting, golden statues in front of a large, wooden door, and we all stopped in our tracks.
“Well, there it is,” I said as I gestured toward the door.
I turned around to look at the others and then took in a deep breath. Each witch looked terrified and hesitant, and I couldn’t blame them. Even without reciting the incantation, I could feel great danger lurking behind the door.
“Cole, you don’t sound too pleased about finding the room,” Faye noted as she bit down on her lip. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to scare you, but something or someone is guarding the room from the inside,” I said slowly. “It’s the king’s personal, private quarters… so there has to be some high-level security inside.”
“Can you see specifically what we’re up against?” Penelope asked.
“Let’s find out,” I muttered before I raised my hand into the air and then focused on the door.
Periculum.
In my mind, I could see past the door, and right behind it was a tall, troll sized man standing guard with his large, muscular arms crossed over his chest. I used the spell to see past the guard, and then my mind hovered into the adjoined hallway. As I scoped further down the corridor, my mind could see another room. Inside, there was a small, plump man wearing a velvet button-down shirt and dark slacks, and his sausage
-like fingers were adorned with rings. He was bald and had a salt and peppered cropped beard, and his eyes were dark, but also greedy and menacing. He was sitting on the edge of a bed, and there were two, horned women dancing in front of him as he plucked grapes from a nearby bowl.
My head felt like it was splitting in half as I tried to focus on the rest of the bedroom. This room was undoubtedly the king’s private pleasure chamber. It was filled with all kinds of different artifacts and trophies, and they were all placed on extended, dark shelves next to his bed. As I scanned through the clutter, I thought I spotted the stone, and my heart began to beat faster. It was vibrant red, and it was glowing like a priceless ruby.
There was another set of guards standing in the corners of the room, though, and they were clearly doing their best not to gawk at the women who were dancing solely for the king’s pleasure.
The moment I saw the Defero and the guards, my mind was pulled away from the suite, and as I returned, it felt as if I’d been slammed back into my own body with a painful shove. I stumbled backward from the sudden jolt and then fought the urge to rub at my throbbing temples once I’d settled inside my own head again.
“Cole!” Vesta breathed with large, silver eyes, and her long eyelashes batted like a pair of dark fans as she lightly touched my arm. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” I grunted. “I saw the king.”
“And?” Penelope pressed.
“And I saw the stone,” I continued. “It was right there in his room and on a shelf… but the bad news is the room is heavily guarded.”
“Well, fuck,” the bright-haired witch pouted. “How the hell are we going to get in?”
“First things, first,” I replied. “We need to get past the first guard… he’s almost the size of a fucking troll. I need to find a way to convince him the king wants an audience with me.”
I wracked my brain for an idea, and then I stared at the witches. Surely, the guard would know about the king’s business and his desires. Did his fat majesty have a certain kind of woman he preferred? What if I offered all of the women as a gift? It would be risky, and I knew they weren’t going to like it, but it might be our only shot.
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