by D. R. Rosier
So much for his semi-retirement, after taking out all the trash on the west coast. Needed or not, he’d help when the time came. He’d also keep a very close eye on John himself. The man hadn’t been that young, if not nearly as old as his forty-five years. John was at least twenty-seven, so the anger the man had displayed wasn’t just excitable callow youth, and that suggested a personality flaw.
He also needed to practice that linking thing on an animal, so he could do the same with his mates. Maybe that made him a little overprotective, but him being able to sense or talk to Cassie and Mara like he did with his zombies sounded like a wonderful thing to him.
There were a lot of other things as well he’d have to experiment with. He’d have plenty of time to figure out a few things, with weeks on the road. It was also a good thing to know what he was.
Cassie said, “You look stressed, master.”
He smiled. He really was, if John touched Kim or Lin he’d regret it, for an extremely long time before he died. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen. He also knew what his wicked blonde had in mind, when she started to call him master like Lin and Kim. He also wasn’t surprised she’d noticed how much her words had affected him earlier.
Mara chuckled, and pushed him toward the door with a wink.
“I’ll call you if they get here before you get back out.”
Cassie had a hungry look in her eyes, as she pulled him inside the door, slammed it shut, and dropped to her knees…
Chapter Eight – Interlude
The old government complex was lit by some lanterns as well as some chemical lights. Some of the former were dim, while others seemed as bright as the sun. The shadows pooled around Lori’s feet to her light prayer mantra, and the screams that reached her ears were delicious as she strode into the complex like she owned it. Both Betty and Nancy walked by her sides. They’d become her confidants in blood thirst and revenge, also her lovers, and possibly her only honest council. It was a shame they had no potential for her power, or she’d have made them her trusted acolytes and then sub-priestesses.
The two women had been thoroughly broken. She knew they were insane, and sometimes she wondered if she wasn’t as well. Perhaps insane, but also loyal, calling her mistress or priestess at all times. But at the moment she felt powerful and strong. She was the right hand of her goddess to spread the shadow over the land.
She passed by several men that were already sworn to her service, from the army she’d been gathering the last six weeks. She was always cautious around them, ready to take them down or dominate them when they were near. They had no geas on them, that only worked on those with magic, but they feared her more.
More than one had tried to kill her, but that was weeks ago. They all knew better now, after observing the horrible fates of those that dared raise a hand against her.
They cowered back away from her and the shadows swirling and playing around her legs like puppies. The look of barely concealed terror in their eyes made her pussy wet and nipples tighten. A part of her understood the monster she’d become, but it was better than being a victim, or begging for help from the weak that had refused to venture out and save those like her.
The men also feared her two leaders. Brent, and they’d picked up that second sorcerer when they raided his commune, Carlos. Those two were bound under geas, and she’d done a much better job with Carlos. Carlos was hers, body, mind, and soul, and he was twisted enough to enjoy his new role in life. Fear was what kept the rest in line. A few had tried to desert in the beginning, and were slowly tortured to death in front of the others. There was also the matter of the worthless whores. They were men of evil, and the women who had betrayed their own for the sake of approval from those evil men, continued to serve and slake their lust.
They’d taken down nine communes in Georgia, and this was the tenth and last. Unless anyone there knew of another, they’d exhausted the supply of rapist and raider communes in Georgia and South Carolina. She had over two hundred men following her now, and according to some of the other leaders this place had almost fifty more. It’d been the biggest raider compound in the state, which is why she’d saved it for last. Her army would be two hundred and fifty strong, and they’d be ready to spread the word of her goddess and take control of the large communities next.
Between her power, two sorcerers, and two hundred and fifty men they would fall before her or suffer, and then fall on their knees in supplication. Perhaps she would forgive them, if they begged hard enough. Then her ranks would truly swell. She also had close to twenty-five women that had needed to be punished for their unfaithfulness, each one had been assigned ten men to seduce and keep well fucked.
She’d also found close to three hundred women that were faithful to their sisters and fellow women in captivity. That had never betrayed their sisters in search of approval from monstrous men. Those she had taken care of well, and those that had wanted to leave were granted immediate freedom, supplies, and a map to where they wanted to go. Most had left. She did not hold that against them, being surrounded by two hundred animals, even scared and well behave ones, could be startling at times.
Of course, she’d taken the precaution of removing any knowledge of her plans or future goals from their minds before they left. She trusted them, but she feared other men elsewhere may pressure and question them for details about where they’d come from. Six others had stayed and acted as attendants, cooks, and servants for her, Betty, and Nancy.
She pulled her mind back to the present, daydreaming about the future was a good way to get herself killed. The commune had been pacified, and she strolled through like she knew exactly where she was going. Of course, she actually did have a pretty good idea, she could sense Carlos and Brent ahead in the large room, as well as several others.
The large room she strolled into had over a hundred men, and forty or so women. Forty-six of them were disarmed and on their knees, the rest were already hers and circled the men on their knees with machetes, swords, and staves. The forty or so women were cowering in the back of the room, obviously terrified and confused.
“Carlos!”
Carlos knelt, “Forgive me, priestess. I tried to explain, but they did not believe me.”
She sighed, that actually made sense. She turned to the women.
“You are safe. You will shortly be given choices, once we’ve determined the truth of your souls. For those of you that have betrayed your sisters in captivity, you may continue to be afraid.”
She shook her head, “Do any of you know of another compound.”
One of the men on his knees said, “Fuck off, cunt. Get over here, and I’ll show you what a woman’s mouth is for.”
She smiled pleasantly, as her chant increased in her mind. The shadows on her feet acted like killer dogs let off the leash, and they slithered across the floor and onto that man in a split second. The man screamed in excruciating agony, as the shadows circled and dove through his body. It went on for quite a while, and the whole time she got breathier and breathier as a tingling warmth spread from between her legs and into her body.
She ached to touch herself, but she knew she’d have Betty’s and Nancy’s hands, lips, and tongues on her soon enough. She took in a deep shuddering breath, and then let out a little breathy sigh of desire as she bit her lip. Unbeknownst to her, it was her obvious arousal at the torture that scared her captives witless, far more than their screaming leader.
The shadows pulled back, “Brent,” she waved her hand at him.
Nothing seemed to happen for a minute, then the man went up like a roman candle as the men nearest to him dove away lest they be burned. The smoke seemed to clear as fast as it was being made, and the man fell down dead, burned to death.
Lori smiled widely, “Let’s try that again, shall we? Does anyone know of any…” she trailed off at a sensation, and held up her hand, “hold that thought for a minute.”
She stepped around the edge of the room to the back, and she stared deeply i
nto light brown eyes. The girl looked terrified, but her wide smile just made the girl whimper.
“What’s your name, I won’t hurt you. I’m Lori. I came here to free you. To free all women from oppression and the need to spread their legs merely to eat.”
The young girl, she couldn’t have been older than sixteen, said, “Emily.”
She nodded, “Tell me, Emily. Have you ever betrayed your sisters, told the men if they broke the rules, or to get them hurt in your place?”
Emily’s eyes widened, and she subconsciously glanced at a redhead ten feet away.
Lori filed that away in her mind. She bet that redheaded woman was a destined warm hole to get off in for her army. She despised the traitors even more than the abusers.
Emily whispered, “No.”
She smiled, “Truth,” thank the goddess, she wouldn’t have to waste such potential, “You’re a very special girl, Emily. We’re going to take very good care of you. We’ll speak more later in private. I want you to go over by Betty and Nancy, they will guard you with their lives.”
She frowned over the crowd, “Carlos, Brent, all of your lives before this one sees harm, do you understand me?”
They both nodded, and it was the best she could do. They’d defend Emily as fiercely as they’d defend herself and her handmaidens, which would have to be good enough. She waited for Emily to make her way around, and then followed as well.
“Now, where were we. Any other communes such as this one?”
One of the men volunteered four locations, which they’d already taken, so this was the last place apparently. Then she gave them the option of death, or service in her army. When she explained her plans, and that they’d both get to enjoy their violence and get their rocks off, as long as they were good boys, forty-four of them said yes. The forty fifth joined the foulmouthed fool that had died in the beginning.
Of the forty women, only two of them deserved their fate, and joined the other twenty in the fuck room. The rest of the women argued they should go, because clearly Lori was a beer short of a six pack and her quest was insane. She let them go, after she erased the plans from their minds, that she’d shared with the men to recruit them. She gave them a map to the nearest community, and then sent them on their way.
She said, “You have a week to prepare these men and make sure they can more than just swing for the fences like a common thug. After that, we head for Savannah and start our real work. This complex is big enough for all of us so there’s no point in moving.”
They nodded in agreement, and said in stereo, “Yes, Priestess.”
She nodded, and swept out of the room, taking her shadows with her. It was a bit exhausting maintaining her shadows like that all the time. Her goddess’s will and power were infinite, but her will and focus to channel that infinite power was finite.
One of the men in the halls led her quickly to the largest and best quarters, no doubt the man she’d burned had been the one to previously occupy them. It was a dump, but at least it had a big enough bed for three.
Emily asked, “Will I be required to serve?”
She grimaced, “Never again, child. Your body is yours, and you will only pleasure whom you wish from now on. Now, hold still a moment, you won’t even feel this.”
She reached out, and touched the child’s forehead, and prayed.
Myzasis said, “You were clever to notice her, but she is not for me.”
Lori felt frustrated at that, and said, “I don’t understand.”
Myzasis replied, “You were compatible with me child, or any of my dark sisters. This one will serve the light. Perhaps Vadea, or Charites. This one is unsuited to violence.”
She frowned, “She is the enemy?”
Emily trembled on the tip of her fingers.
Myzasis laughed, in that cold seductive tone that still cut through her. It made her want to both cower and fuck at the same time.
“There is a balance, in the end me and all my sisters and brothers of both light and dark serve Gaia. She is your enemy if she makes herself your enemy, and she will be your ally if you both choose it to be. The balance includes all. The shadow, the rising sun, the fields and animals, protection and healing, war, death, the moon, love and procreation, and so many more. Our concern is the shadows, that is my mantel, and your service. That does not mean you can’t persuade her to help, even if she yields the power of warmth and sun.”
That wasn’t direct advice, but it was closer than Myzasis had ever come to that yet, and she thought she understood what the goddess was getting at. She might not be getting an acolyte priestess yet, but she may indeed have found a powerful ally. Their common suffering, and hatred of evil men and the abuse of their fellow sisters, could bind them in common cause. She also understood the rest, there could be no shadow, without the light. They might fight for mortal reasons, but in the realms of power they were interconnected, and both even necessary to the world.
She removed her hand, and she took the young woman’s hand and led her to the couch.
“Do not fear my question, even were you my enemy I’d have just sent you away unharmed. But you are not my enemy, unless you one day choose to be. Do you understand?”
Emily replied shakily, “Yes, priestess. I think so.”
She nodded, “You are as I am. You have within you the power to serve a god or goddess, and also wield that god’s power as your own through prayer. To gather a following, and to recognize other priests and priestesses whether they are active like me, or latent like you are.”
Emily looked scared.
She patted her hand, “Do not fear. My goddess told me you would not wish to serve the shadows. I believe in hindsight from that conversation, we as priestesses choose our gods as much as they choose us. We worship and serve the one that would match our own desires and needs. Our own morals. Plus, we always have free will to walk away, as the god or goddess has the ability to turn away from you if you change and no longer serve.”
Emily frowned, and looked like she was having a hard time working through that, but there was a glimmer in her eyes that showed at least partial understanding.
She said, “The important thing is you can do a lot of good, change the world for the better, with the power of a god or goddess behind you. So, tell me this, what do you wish you could do more than anything else with your life?”
Emily asked, “Anything?”
She nodded, “No limits. What would you want to do to leave your mark, or leave the world a better place behind you.”
Emily said, “Take away suffering. It hurts me inside at night, when the others sob in pain. It… but that’s impossible.”
She smiled, “Perhaps, partially. You could relieve their suffering with healing and protection, but they could still suffer and hurt from the past in their minds, until they get past it. That’s part of what I’m doing, just from the other side of things. I punish those that cause the suffering and end their ability to cause it. I’d like it very much if my friend could also ease their hurts, those that I can’t heal with swift justice.”
Emily accused, “But you really enjoy causing suffering.”
She bit her lip to fight a smile, the kid wasn’t wrong.
“Yes, but that is their rightful punishment. We must heal the innocent, the victims, like you and me that suffered under the hands of evil men. But we must also punish the guilty and the wicked. I can take care of that second part, for that is my calling and I do admit I enjoy it, but I need help with the first. If not, you may go anytime you wish.”
Emily frowned, “I could try. How?”
She wasn’t sure, but she knew she could pray to Myzasis from anywhere. She’d only needed to find the temple of Myzasis for the goddess to talk to her first. Once she’d walked in, she suspected she’d ceded her free will to the god or goddess of the temple, simply by freely entering her domain. She suspected the child could just pray to any god or goddess, and as one with the potential to be a priestess, they would answer
.
She said, “Close your eyes, and try to imagine protection and healing. What it might feel like, and humbly ask Vadea if she would speak with you and accept you as a priestess.”
Emily bit her lip, then nodded.
When the child closed her eyes, she looked over to the bed and rolled her eyes. Betty and Nancy were making out, and their hands were a little too wandering at that moment. Apparently, they’d lost interest in her conversation with the child. Still, it was kind of hot, and started her pussy tingling. She hoped she was done with this soon, so she could send Emily to her own room and join her sisters. She’d also assign three of her six attendants to take care of the girl, and make sure she got a good meal and a bath. Yes, Emily was sixteen, but a lot of victims didn’t take care of themselves the way they should, she’d noticed.
Still, horny or not, a healer and protector would be a huge boon, and was too important to rush.
She wondered what was taking the kid so long, shouldn’t it have worked or not worked? Maybe Vadea was a gossip or something. The longer it took the more she wondered if she might’ve just made a huge mistake.
Emily smiled suddenly, and with so much serenity in it that it tore her heart with envy.
She felt angry at that, she didn’t need serenity, she needed justice and vengeance.
Emily opened her eyes, “I will help you, and heal the wounded and protect you with my magic and life. But you must allow me to heal and care for our fallen and disgraced sisters.”
She frowned, “They betrayed us.”
Emily nodded, “And you are punishing them. Will that punishment last forever, will justice ever be reached for their transgressions? They’re also all outnumbered almost seven to one out there. They will be sore and worse sating so many men daily, and they’ll fall into sickness and death if they find no relief and they’ll escape your justice in that way.”