by Jayme Knight
“How are you feeling today?” Jenny asked knowing the answer already as she saw how tired Callistra looked. “Is it any better?”
“No, it is not better,” Callistra said pausing to gather her composure not wanting to cry or snap at Jenny. “It is getting worse every day Jenny. I know why women with this go mad because I am starting to go a little mad myself.”
“I am so sorry Calli,” Jenny said feeling helpless as she looked at the anguish in her friends face.
It was at that moment that a knock came at the door to their room startling them both. Callistra watched Jenny move quickly toward the door and opened it, she could see it was one of the head servants a matronly old woman named Lizzy. Before this all happened she would look forward to seeing Lizzy, she had the kindest eyes and gentlest demeanor of anyone she had ever met. Since she started seeing the visions she could not bring herself to see Lizzy. The woman's demeanor had not changed but the gruesome visage that has replaced her kind eyes had made Callistra unable to look at the woman. Callistra looked away and just listened.
“Pardon me Miss Prideholme,” Lizzy said in that same kind voice she has always had. “I know you said not to disturb you and Miss Chancellor, but there is a disturbance in tutor Calin's lecture room and I fear it is not in our place to deal with this.”
“What do you mean a disturbance?” Jenny asked with concern in her voice.
“It seems Miss Rhinson has returned early from her vacation,” Lizzy said pausing for a moment. “Oh, I never did like that one.”
“Yes, Lizzy I get you do not like her,” Jenny interrupted the woman. “Please, continue telling me what disturbance.”
“It seems that tutor Calin has barricaded himself and Miss Rhinson in the lecture hall and is threatening to commit all manner of debauchery with her,” Lizzy whispered.
This caught Callistra's attention, and her mind cleared. She stood and walked to the door behind Jenny and peered out at the woman. She was surprised to see only her kind face and beautifully kind eyes looking back.
“You are a beautiful sight Lizzy,” Callistra said from just behind Jenny as she stepped into view. She could see Lizzy blushing at her words.
“You seem better Miss Chancellor,” Lizzy said excitedly.
“I feel better, thank you,” Callistra said as her mind seemed to be clearing and she could say for the first time in days that she truly did feel better. She walked forward and handed Miranda to Lizzy. “Can you please take Miranda to the nursery and watch over her while Jenny and I attend to the issue.”
“Calli, I am not sure if you should be doing anything right now,” Jenny said in all sincerity. “Are you sure you are Ok to do this Calli?”
“I feel better than I have felt in weeks Jenny,” Callistra said, but then the realization set in that this is the event she was seeing portent to, it was here. “I think today is what I was seeing glimpses of.”
Callistra headed out into the hall walking at first and then breaking into a run. She could hear Jenny easily keeping pace with her. When they reached the stairs they only marginally broke pace to make it down the stairs safely. The corridors went by in a blur as they ran speeding past halls and rooms until they came up to the lecture halls. Callistra tried the door handle and it was locked. They both began banging on the door several times with the palms of their hands.
“Megan,” Callistra called out. “Megan are you in there?”
Callistra could hear a muffled voice coming from behind the door, she leaned her head against the door and listened carefully and the voice sounded female but she could not make out what was being said.
“The cloak room,” Jenny said suddenly with excitement edging into her voice. “He may not have locked it, we can get in through the cloak room door.”
They raced back down the hall to the adjoining lecture hall usually used by tutor Markus and found the door open and the room empty. Callistra raced to the door at the back of the room that led into the cloak room and it too opened freely. Her hopes were dashed as she reached the door leading into the second lecture hall and it was locked firmly. Callistra banged on the door with her hands and was brought around only by the sound of Jenny's voice.
“Calli, you have to see this,” Jenny said from her right as she looked into the room through the same cross shaped arrow slits they used to spy on the last time they were in here.
Callistra moved to look into the room and she gasped at what she saw, it both sickened her and somewhere deep inside aroused her. She could see tutor Calin was naked except for a mask that made his face look twisted and demonic like the people in her visions. He was standing on the end of a table looking down and stroking his thick cock to a hardened state. Megan was naked, gagged and on her knees, her hands tied back and behind the backs of her legs forcing her head to be down on the table. She was positioned on the table in the center of several large runic symbols painted on the table in a thick red liquid. Megan was open to him, her ass and pussy ready for the taking whenever he wanted them. She watched him as he stepped up behind Megan and knelt down resting his cock on her shapely, alabaster ass cheek.
“You cannot stop me,” Calin said with joy in his voice. “The Demon Prince has promised me and all of his servants eternal life. All we have to do is deliver you and your bastard offspring to him.”
“This mansion is warded against such intrusions,” Callistra yelled into the room through the arrow slit. “Your attempt will fail, and the Professor will deal with you most harshly.”
“Miss Rhinson is not a willing participant in this but she will be a servant all the same, as she is the key to breaking the protections. Once I bring forth her virgin blood in these runes, the warding will fail,” Calin said laughing hysterically at his victory. He stopped suddenly and looked directly at them his eyes cold as steel. “His servants will take over all whose souls have been marked by me. I marked almost every soul in the mansion except the Professor, you and Miss Prideholme. Miss Rhinson’s soul I marked that night after you left the cloak room. We are going to summon the Demon Prince back here so he can have you again. He misses your sweet human flesh.”
Callistra felt her heart skip a beat knowing that they were in extreme danger. She needed to make sure their children would be safe.
“Jenny go and get the children if it is not too late already,” Callistra whispered to Jenny with grave look on her face. “Take them far away from here and only return when Professor Modain has returned.”
“Calli, we both should go,” Jenny cried as tears started to stream down her face.
“Jenny go and do as I say before it is too late,” Callistra ordered. “I will distract them.”
“Them who?” Jenny asked in confusion.
“The Demon Prince's Servants,” Callistra answered feeling a burning inside that she knew was tied to her visions. “They are coming and I fear we can do nothing to stop them.”
Callistra started pulling Jenny from the cloak room and ushered her through the lecture hall.
“Calli, I do not want to leave you,” Jenny said with tears flowing freely down her face.
“Jenny if I mean anything to you, then you will get our daughters to safety,” Callistra said with a fire in her eyes. “GO! NOW!”
She watched Jenny turn and run at a break neck speed out of the lecture hall. She did not know what she was going to do, she did not possess the strength to open the door. No, she did not, but she her strength was not in her body, it was in her mind. She stood tall and still and began to sing out a single melodic note, letting her mind focus on the note. Her mind's eye looked past the note, looked past the doors and walls of the mansion, looked past the city, looked past the province, looked past the kingdom, looked far to the north, to the wild lands and there she found a familiar presence. She grabbed onto that presence and pulled with her mind back, back and ever more back until she felt it very close to her. She opened her eye just in time to see a thin white line split the air in front of her, and that line widene
d into a door way and through the door way stepped Chorrus.
She could see in his face he knew this was no accidental summoning, he was summoned here for her, and she was in need.
“I have no time to explain,” Callistra said wildly as she rushed into the cloak room. She could feel him right behind her. “Smash that door in, it is of the utmost importance.”
Callistra looked back through the arrow slit just as Calin grabbed Megan's hips and he cackled aloud as he rammed his meaty cock deep into her virgin pussy. Callistra’s mouth just dropped, she was too late. She watched with a defeated look as Calin rammed his cock deep into Megan over and over again. She cringed as he began crying out in victory. Megan was straining against her bonds and crying out into her gag as a single drop of her virgin blood dripped down onto the rune covered table. Callistra heard the thunderous crash of the door smashing in as Chorrus stumbled head long into the lecture hall. She was right behind him rushing in to the fray but she could see it was too late, Megan's face had already began to contort and twist into the gruesome visage she had seen in her visions. She thought maybe she was just seeing things again until Chorrus stopped and looked in disbelief and confusion.
“What manner of sorcery is this?” Chorrus growled as he unlatched his scythe from its place in a leather holder on his back and brought it to the ready for attack.
Callistra was startled as Megan broke her bindings and slowly pushed up onto her hands and knees. Her fingernails grew into long sharp claws as she brought her face up level with them and opened her eyes revealing unfeeling blood red orbs where her beautiful Indigo Blue eyes once were. She was lost to them, she was a servant to the Demon Prince now.
She felt tears dripping down her cheeks as she heard the words come from her mouth and still did not believe she said them. “Kill them, kill them both, my daughter’s life depends on it.”
Chorrus leaped forward bringing his scythe in a great overhead swing that just barely missed both of them and cleaved the table in twain. The creatures sprang out of the way with unearthly speed. The two things that were once her friend and tutor recovered quickly and circled Chorrus with deadly intent in their cold red eyes. Callistra could see Chorrus did not seem to fear them.
“Go Callistra,” Chorrus said as he watched either of them for any sign of attack or weakness. “I will manage these two, just go and save your daughter.”
Callistra turned and started to run from the room, but if her vision and the tutor’s words were right everyone here was now one of these creatures. She stopped in the adjoining lecture hall and focused, once again she sang a note to center herself and reached out with her mind feeling for anything that was strong and could protect her through this. She found something in fact she found many things gathered in a small area, all powerful, and all ready for her taking. She had never summoned this many creatures before and did not know if it would even work, but she had to try. She focused on all of the creatures, grabbed onto them all with her mind and began to pull back. The strain was terrible it was making her head throb, but still she pulled. She felt a hot sensation in her temples followed by something popping in the right side of her head, and still she pulled. She could feel something dripping down her top lip and could taste something strong and metallic in her mouth, but still she pulled until she felt the door open on this side. She opened her eyes to see roughly twenty Dire Dwarves standing before her. Dire Dwarves were bigger and heartier then their cave crawling cousins, war is their passion and in groups they are unrivaled by most creatures on this plane. Callistra felt a bit feint in her head, and then felt something dripping down her face form her ears and nose. She wiped her face and found blood coming from her nose eyes and ears, the summoning damaged her more than she could have known it would. She may be dying, but It did not matter she needed to rescue her child and rid the mansion of these beasts.
“What is your command,” said one of the Dwarves that had stepped forward.
He was particularly fierce in his steel armor, adorned with large blood stained spikes, and heavily battle scared. He had a clean shaved head, a long braided grey beard, eyes that were black as coal, and several scars crisscrossing his gnarled face. He was brandishing an unusually heavy headed bearded axe, and looked as though he could use it well. His kin were similarly garbed, and reeked of battle prowess, but he was definitely their leader.
“Two of you go in the room behind me and help the Gautur, tell him Callistra sent you. Once his foes are dead search the mansion killing anything that looks like what he is fighting.” Callistra ordered decisively. “The rest of you split into groups of six, two groups will search and kill creatures in the mansion that look like demons with red eyes, and the third group will come with me and protect me.”
Callistra started moving and she could see they were well organized in their orders six of them including the one that spoke to her peeled off from the larger group and began following her. She Walked fast out of the lecture hall and began to head down the long corridor that lead to the foyer and the main stairwell that led upstairs. Her body was fighting against her, her will was strong but something was wrong she was having trouble focusing. She leaned against the bannister a moment to rest and focus and a scream rang out from upstairs. She dug deep for the last reserves of her strength and climbed the stairs quickly keeping her eye on her goal and pushing through the throbbing that started in her head, pushing through the dizziness that now plagued her. As she reached the top the main corridor was littered with red eyed demon faced beings that were once the servants of the mansion.
Callistra grabbed the arm of the dwarf that spoke to her. “You guard me, the rest of you KILL THEM!”
Callistra stumbled forward heading toward the nursery on the second floor right beside her room. The door was locked and before she could speak the Dwarf took a run at it and bashed it in with little effort. There was a commotion in the room that Callistra could hear, she fought the pain that wracked her body and stumbled in through the doorway. She found the Dwarf hard pressed against a foe that held a baby in one hand and clawed feverishly at him with the other. It tore and rent any exposed flesh on the Dwarf, it dug deep scars into the metal of his armor. This thing used to be Lizzy, but her kind features were gone, and all that was left was a possessed husk of what she used to be.
The Dwarf was trying desperately to find his kill shot, but could not with the baby in its arms. The creature suddenly turned and bolted toward a broken window at the far end of the room. Callistra did not have the strength or speed to pursue it, but neither did the Dwarf. Desperation made her cry out.
“It cannot leave!” Callistra yelled through her pain.
She saw the Dwarf quick as lightning pull a throwing ax from the side of his belt and hurl it with all of his might at the foe as it neared the window. She followed the ax as it spun end over end several times and buried itself to the haft in the back of the creatures head. The creature took one final step, dropped the baby and slumped to the ground motionless.
Callistra fell to her knees unable to stand anymore. “Bring me the baby.”
She watched the Dwarf walk to the felled creature and pick up the baby that laid beside it. Callistra heard it cry out and she smiled as he lifted it from the floor and gently carried it to her. She took it in her arms and saw it was indeed Miranda. She was overjoyed knowing her child was safe.
“Protect me and my baby,” Callistra said from where she rested on the floor. “Have your men search the mansion and its grounds for another baby and a blond human girl named Jenny.”
She looked deep into Miranda's red and brown eyes and smiled as darkness bled into her vision. Her last thought before she passed out was that she could not rest not now.
***
Callistra awoke in her bed, she was not sure how much time had passed but she could hear the giggles of her newborn. She strained to sit up and look around the room, and she saw Jenny holding Miranda sitting in one of the chairs by the hearth. As she looked further
she also saw Professor Modain in one of the other chairs. Jenny had a look of sadness in her eyes like Callistra had never saw before on her, it made Callistra fear the worst.
“What happened after I passed out?” Callistra said in a parched voice.
“We brought you here to be healed and to rest,” the Professor said plainly. “You were close to death for most of the night, and required much attention.”
“Jenny, where is Selene?” Callistra asked with a hint of panic in her voice.
“They took her. I tried to stop them but they were too strong,” Jenny said with tears in her eyes and pain in her voice. “They were trying to take me too when the Dwarves fell on them and rent them asunder in front of me. You saved me Calli, but they got Selene.”
“Which reminds me Miss Chancellor,” Professor Modain said with concern, “They are quite unruly, so would you please dismiss them all back to whence you took them.”
Callistra focused her thoughts and released the dwarfs and Chorrus to go back to their homes. “What are we going to do now?”
“Once you are well we are going to get the child back,” the Professor said as he walked to the door and opened it. “I am impressed with you my dear, you showed great prowess in your art.”
Callistra watched him close the door and thought that that is probably the nicest thing he has ever said to her. She felt Jenny climb into the bed beside her and pull up close to her. She wrapped her arms around Jenny and Miranda and pulled them closer.
“Don't worry Jen we will get her back, even if it’s the last thing we do,” Callistra said with meaning in every word.
“I know we will,” Jenny said softly. “I know we will.”
THE END
If you liked this story by Jayme Knight take a look at these other awesome titles also by Jayme Knight. If you want to see upcoming projects by Jayme Knight see her Amazon author page.