Hawk's Nest (Tremble Island)

by Lewis, Lynn Ray

  Flora felt the fire under her skin, she should have known Fern knew of her most damning secrets. The truth was that she was actually excited by the prospect of being filled completely by the two handsome men. That pain from losing her virginity seemed to make her body crave more. The pleasure and sting that she had avoided until this morning was lying in wait deep inside of her middle. Would it hurt to be filled by both men’s pricks? The thought made her shiver. Remembering when Hawk slipped his finger in her rear entrance, she knew exactly where one of them would berth their cock. The other would be kissing the entrance to her womb. Fern’s joyful laughter woke her from the daydream and she flushed even more.

  “Yeah, I believe I know what will happen. How, is the question, but I am certain they will show me. Yet Lord Hawk could still change his mind and find a mate more beautiful than I. Until he speaks of the future, I will go about the business of being me.” She needed to get her mind away from the activities of today. “So tell me please, what is our plan of action? Zurcho will not be easy to defeat if he has animated the skeleton army that is now clacking at our door. They might not be difficult to defeat, but what will he attack with next?”

  They speculated long into the night, until the noise of a largely one sided battle outside the door was quieted. The knock on the wooden post at the doorway into the hovel had been expected. They were needed to dispose of the pile of bones. In the side yard of the Hall, they found the large pile of bones waiting for them and the other four Witches that met them there. Each witch stood in a lose circle around the pile, then as one, they laid their hands on the bones in front of them. No one would be able to tell which one had started the now smoldering bones on fire. To find one, someone would have to gather all six before being assured that the Echo Witch was found. There was no doubt that Zurcho was somehow spying on the happenings in the village. He was an evil bastard with no care of conventional war.

  The Witch’s chanting was an eerie sound in the darkness. Yet none of them stopped chanting until the bones were ash. Fern leaned heavily on Flora’s arm as they made their way back to their cozy nest. At morning light, they would venture to the lake and keep their energy at a peak of preparedness. Burning bones was hard to do. Channeling to make the bones burn took a great deal of energy, bones rarely burned to ash without the crackling energy of a powerful Echo Witch. Flora was drained of energy, but she’d had to make a show of strength in public. She barely lowered Fern onto her resting pallet, before falling onto her own and drifting to sleep. She dreamt of Hawk and the gallant Con. Their wide naked chests were pressing her between them, and their hands were exploring her curves, as she writhed in their embrace. Sleep claimed her, hands cupping her own breasts, as if offering them to her dream lovers.

  *****

  First light came and went with Hawk watching the doors of the Hall for Flora to appear. He spoke with Drago at length, and was not surprised the dragon man offered to raise the babies at Dragon’s Eyre. The problem this presented would be taking the newborn from its mother’s breast and finding another to wet nurse the child. Taking two babies into his Hall would present problems, but the young mother should not be punished for that which was not her fault. There was the matter of the cat natured child to also take into account.

  To Hawk’s astonishment, the small girl child they had found with the others came directly up to Drago and demanded to take the little dragon. That she wished to protect the babe was not the surprise, the way she demanded what she wished for was. She pointed at the babe in Drago’s shirt and said “Winnie,” and then pointed to herself and said, “Animal.” She held her hands out as if to take the child from inside his shirt, but he shook his head at her, and she frowned. He put his arm around the stick thin child and hauled her up and onto his knee, holding her there when she squirmed.

  “You will come to my house and help me watch over Winnie, do you understand?” The child just stared at him with her stubborn little mouth set in a pout. Her hand went to the back of the baby’s head and she stroked it as if trying to soothe the little one or reassure herself that her charge was alive and well.

  “You will not be named Animal, from this day forward your name will be Mia, you will be my child, and no one will ever harm you again. I hope you understand what I am telling you, you are a very brave girl, and you will be welcomed at Dragon’s Eyre.” The child did not try to leave her perch on the giant man’s leg, she kept her hand on the baby and rested her head on the wide shoulder beneath her head. Drago met Hawk’s eyes and rolled his own when he saw the mirth his friend was trying to hide. “Go ahead, be an ass, but you and I know the tormentors of this child will pay, they will pay dearly for what they have done to these small ones. I will take the lot of them with me when I leave tomorrow if you will loan me a wagon and an escort for them to travel with.”

  Hawk chose to smile at Drago rather than frown in case the little girl should become afraid of him. Inside he was seething. The little voice calling herself Animal made his blood boil. The only animals from that homestead currently resided in his dungeon and since it was now time for their trials, he offered Drago a seat to watch the prisoners receive the well deserved justice that had been missing for too long.

  He stood on the top step as the prisoners were brought forward in bindings on their ankles and wrists. Con stood on the next to the last step, waiting to mete out what punishments he would be ordered to carry out. The women were brought forward first. There was the older female Con had told him about. Her arrogance made her ignorant as she sneered and remained unrepentant. Hawk asked her only one question, “Why?” Her answer was to call him a filthy animal.

  “I refuse to be tried by the likes of you. It is creatures like yourself that should be killed, not the few humans in this world.” He nodded to the Amazon holding the spiteful woman’s leash, and she was jerked to stand off to the side while the next woman was brought to kneel before the Lord. He asked the same question. She told him exactly why, she was not shy about it either. She too was dragged to the side. The next female was smaller than the rest and much thinner. She had the vacant look of the mentally deficient ones and Hawk knew he could not rightfully sentence her to death in the state of mind she was in right now. This one would have to wait until she displayed sanity, or was proven to be one of the daywalkers that existed in their own world. He nodded to the other side of the aisle before beckoning the next Amazons forward with their charges.

  The large brutish man was the first of the males to be tried. Con was balancing on the balls of his feet, waiting for Hawk to pronounce the death sentence the man had earned. He was annoyed when Drago joined him in the wait. This prisoner was the creator of his small clan. He and the older female had no children of their own and took children from their homes to create a family of sorts for themselves.

  “I had thought to get these trials over with and move on with our lives; however, after what new evidence I have found, not only did you imprison and torture both physically and mentally four dual natured children. It appears you have kidnapped at least one or more young ones from their homes, and punished them for being dual natured and not the bargain humans that you thought to obtain. There is no excuse for the horror you have visited on others. So, for your crimes, I sentence you to death. My inclination is to turn you into a starving mindless animal, chained to a shed with only the barest cover to hide your shivering bones; however, we are a civilized people and will not waste time with you or creatures of your ilk.” Hawk signaled to the soldiers, and they dragged him to the side where the two women waited for their punishments to begin.

  Fern, with the aid of Flora, came to Lord Hawk’s side. He gave Flora a long searching look, before turning back to the matter at hand.

  Drago felt the breath leave his lungs as he saw the tall young man being led to stand for judgement. He left the spot next to Con and reached for the object of his focus. He grabbed the male’s leash from the Amazon holding it and dragged him forward to stand in front of Hawk. �
��He is one of mine, I beg you to allow me to administer justice for abandoning his offspring and the other crimes attributed to him. I swear he will meet the demons before I am finished.”

  Hawk knew the male would feel his death, every prolonged second of it. Drago was of a mind to make an example of the prisoner, and Hawk nodded his head. He could see the man was terrified when Drago stared at him with the red glowing eyes of his dragon. This man was only a carrier of the Dragon gene, but the young woman inside the Hall had told her tale and no one would speak for the man held in the dragon’s grip.

  The last man was a human. He was the only true human of the males, yet his arrogance was beyond belief. “You have no grounds to hold me, or judge me. You are animals, freaks of nature. Just as those creatures you have declared are children are freaks. I demand you release me and allow my safe passage to another shore away from the beasts that roam this cursed place. Women are helpmates for men, not for playing soldiers.” Hawk began laughing and his humor incensed the man before him. “You can laugh, but I would teach your soldiers.”

  He’d made the mistake of sneering at the Amazon holding his leash. Her temper got the best of her and he was in the dirt at her feet within seconds. The female was visibly attempting to control her inclination to finish the man’s life by pulling his tongue out of his head. The short growl from Quinlan stopped her from completing her plan. She stood and jerked the man’s leash until he regained his feet. Hawk made his decision. He knew that his choice of defenders for the Hall would be questioned at some time. What better time than now to showcase the women’s talents and willingness to fight than today?

  “The prisoners will be taken to the training yard and executed there. The steps of this Hall are not to be remembered as a place of death, rather they will be the place of justice given to those who seek it. Those of you witnessing the trials may plead for the mercy for these prisoners now if any one wishes to have mercy shown upon them.” No one stepped forward. “We will meet in one hour. Should the citizens of Hawk’s Nest wish to witness the proceedings, they are welcome.”

  Fern tugged at his sleeve when he would have gone to speak with Drago and Con. “I want the girl there,” she said, pointing to the one that he had previously thought mentally deficient. “Her mind is hiding from the horrors she has experienced, she is not dangerous, and I will soon have a use for her, considering your plans for my companion.”

  He had never questioned her decisions before and was inclined to allowing her request, because he had no idea what he would do with a pretty but mindless creature walking around the place. She would run into any manner of problems in her current situation. At least he knew Fern would not harm her or allow her to be harmed for any reason. “You may take her with my blessings. I urge you to be careful until you are certain she will be a fit companion. I had thought you would take on a much younger girl to help you when you need someone, but if she is what you wish for, she is yours.”

  Flora was already removing the ropes and leather collar from the girl before he had given the girl over to Fern. For some reason this did not set well within his mind. It was one thing for the Witches to know he would give in, but to begin without his verbal agreement, well that was too much. He liked to think he was the ruler here, not the old woman and her beautiful companion. He stomped over to Flora and pulled her wrist into his hand. “I did not say she could be allowed to roam free, yet you would free her without my say. You are unruly and have been given too much freedom. Fern will take her and you will come with me.”

  He pulled her along through the Hall and out of the back doorway. He kept his stride at a fast pace, deliberately, so she was forced to trot behind him or fall. He hated the waste of time that it would take for the prisoners to be dealt with, but knew he must be there showing his confidence and support of his soldiers and Amazon force. This was the key to gaining the populaces trust. He was certain of it. There would be time to deal with his unruly soon-to-be mate afterwards.

  Chapter Eight

  The women were first to die, their ropes and leashes were removed, but the collars stayed in place. If they had had an animal nature to call upon them, now would have been the time. Since neither transformed, the Amazons merely snapped their necks and tossed them on the side of the arena while they breathed their last breaths and their hearts eventually stopped.

  The human male was loosened from his ropes and the young Amazon that he’d sneered at stood before him, willing to do battle in the center of the ring. He grinned and attacked her, only to end on his ass in the dirt again and again. He finally stared at her and crooked his finger, yelling at her to do his bidding. To those watching, it was his idea of suicide. The female warrior slammed him upside the head with her fist, she then elbowed him in the throat, crushing his windpipe. From then on he only made gurgling gasping sounds as she continued to beat him to death. His lifeless body dropped when she let loose of her hold on his robe. She stood in front of where Hawk stood and bowed her head to the Lord. He nodded and she stood aside to watch the last prisoner, the brute, face his death.

  Con wanted his hands around the man’s throat. Hawk had denied his request, citing the need for confidence of the general population in their defense. “We know there will be others like him, my friend, but this may be the only chance we have to gain the loyalty and trust of the people. Once they see that we refuse to hesitate to kill enemies of the downtrodden, they will be easier around us. You have my word the next time you may have your way.” He gave the wrist that he was holding to Con. “Hold this or take her up to the Nest if you wish. I shouldn’t be long, but I cannot leave yet.”

  The first crack of a whip hitting flesh got his attention and he watched with pride as the two Amazons whipped the flesh from the screaming man’s body. He cursed the women until exhaustion and pain left him silent. They finished him by wrapping their whips around his body. One wrapped at his ankles and the other whip around his chest, while a third Amazon swung her sword at his neck, cleanly severing the brutes head from his body, causing it to bounce on the hard packed dirt as it gazed at the crowd with a silent scream from its open mouth.

  The warrior women came to stand where the last one had and bowed to Hawk, then stood by while he addressed the crowd. “Let it be known that we will harm those that harm us, no one, human or dual natured, will be held above another race.” That said, he turned to Quinlan and praised his teaching skills. While the crowd yelled and beat on the wooden fencing in celebration. He knew he had made the correct choice in allowing the female warriors to mete out justice in this manner, for the entire village to see.

  He was as startled as the crowd to see a fireball with a man’s scream, dangling from a thick rope that was clutched in a huge dragon’s claw, flying over the arena. The screams lasted only a few minutes, but the sight of the rope burnt through and the fireball dropping from the sky, was a tale that would be recounted for years to come.

  Drago had proven his words in a dramatic fashion, and the bloodthirsty crowd cheered as the dark red raptor seemed to cackle when the body hit dirt. The dragon flew off, but not before a tiny brown haired spy saw what he’d done. Her heart lifted in that short moment and she nodded to herself, before slipping back inside the Hall. He had promised her that he would protect them all from more pain. He told her that he would deal with the one who made her and Winnie fear for their lives. The mean people were dead now, she saw them die. They would never hurt anyone again. She told Winnie about it when she curled up next to her on the pallet they shared. Winnie would not understand, but for now, knowing that he kept his promise, it was enough to allow the girl to sleep without worry.

  Fern knew that Flora would not be back to stay with her again at night. The girl was destined to take her rightful place in the Hall where her grandparents had settled. The years weighed heavily on the bent woman’s frame as she took the new girl’s arm and directed her to the hovel they would share for a few days to come. It was a shame the girl was now mostly a vacant
shell, but that would not be the case for long. Soon enough she would be full of life and purpose. Yes, soon…

  Hawk supervised the removal of the deceased. Normally the dead were taken to the skeletal fence between the Wizard’s land and that of his. After the attack of the skeleton show of yestereve, he hesitated to give the troublemaker fresh bodies to violate with his experiments. The dead should remain unmolested by the living. If Fern was correct, and she normally was, the Wizard Zurcho would be testing his borders again soon enough. He had zero experience with the supernatural and he was not looking forward to fighting against something he didn’t understand. Knowing he was mating with an Echo Witch was as close to magic as he wished to be. Remembering the tiny pinpricks biting into his cock as she came, stirred his body’s interest. He hurried to finish his tasks, so he could join Con and Flora in the mating before this night was over. There was no need for an elaborate ceremony, but he ordered a banquet to be scheduled for the next evening. The mating would not go without some celebration to mark the day.

  Con had not hesitated to lead Flora into the Hall and up the steps into the round room at the top of the building. This would be the new room for the three of them to share. There was a large bed covered in soft furs, a place to sit and relax around the stone firebowl, and a table and chairs for the occupants. There were benches for storage and resting. The ceiling featured louvered circular holes to let the smoke from the fire escape the room. He led her to the bed.