The Ravens of Death (Tsun-Tsun TzimTzum Book 4)

by Mike Truk

  She turned at last to stare at me, grief stark in her face. “Don’t you see? No matter how much I want to deny it, I’m tainted. Is it any wonder I fell so easily in Ghogiel and became a black paladin? I’m weak. And you expect me to love myself?” She gave a cracked, near-hysterical laugh. “How could I, Noah? I butchered so many and did so in Lilith’s name!”

  It took me a second to gather myself, to draw back from that vision of madness, but I made my voice as decisive as I could.

  “Nonsense. You were used. You never chose to kill those people. You were used by the parasite. I’ve felt the powers of Lilith’s corruption myself. You’re not responsible. You were a puppet. It wasn’t your fault.”

  She took a step forward. “You’re saying that because you pity me.”

  “No, I’m saying it because it’s true. You are a brave, selfless, magnificent woman, Valeria. I know you’re haunted by this past, but it wasn’t your fault. And carrying this cross is breaking you. You must let it go. You must accept it’s not your fault. What else could you have done?”

  “But don’t you see?” Tears stood in her eyes again. “When Shalarra picked the card for my future? She picked Lilith, the Lady of Pain! I’ve done my best to ignore it, to pretend that never happened, to not think of my past. But when the manifold took me back to Japhar, when I saw how I was falling behind, I felt it, Noah! Felt the jaws of inevitability closing around me. I’m doomed to repeat my failures, and you need to get rid of me, get rid of me before I can betray you all -”

  I stepped in, seized her by the back of her head, and kissed her, hard. She froze, locked up in my grip, shocked. I kissed her, then broke away to press my brow against hers.

  “Never, you hear me? I’ll never release you. You’re mine just as I’m yours. I love you. I love you, and you need to release this pain, this guilt. It’s not yours to carry. You can be as strong as you want to be the moment you step into the light. It’s you that’s holding you back, Valeria. Nothing else.”

  Tears were running down her cheeks as her lower lip quivered; she fought desperately to control herself. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I thought I was strong. But I’m not. I’m not. I was so proud of how I’d put it all behind me back in Bastion. Made myself forget it. But it never went away. Was just waiting for me all this time.”

  I kissed her again, tenderly, pulling her into my arms. She wept as she kissed me back, and somewhere along the line, her kisses became fiercer; a need arose within her, and I kissed her back with equal fervor. My anger, my compassion, my love for her all arose; the horror, the intensity of the moment, took a half-turn and became feverish chemistry, a raw desire. We stumbled back toward the wall, our hands at each other’s drawstrings, undoing the knots so we could yank our pants down.

  We staggered, nearly tripping, then righted ourselves, and my cock was in her calloused hand. She was breathing hard, her cheeks still gleaming with tears. I hooked her thigh up over the crook of my arm as she guided me inside her. Sliding in deep, all the way in, then she cried out, the sound half-desperate, half-surprised.

  “Listen to me,” I said, voice rough with need and emotion. “I love you.”

  She held my gaze, eyes wide, startled, and I willed her to believe me, to accept my words. “You hear me? I love you.”

  She tried to respond, but failed.

  I began to slide in and out. Slowly, methodically. She moaned, tilting her head back, and I leaned in to kiss her neck. Dropping my other hand to her ass, I clutched her perfect rear, using the leverage to guide myself deeper inside her.

  “You feel that?” I whispered in her ear. “You feel my need for you?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “I need you because I love you,” I said. “Say it.”

  “You…”

  “Say it!”

  “You love me,” she said, then gasped again as I rammed into her.

  “You know why?”

  She didn’t answer, simply rising and falling with my thrusts.

  “Because you are worthy of love, Valeria. You are an amazing… fuck, an amazing woman, a friend. A warrior. A… “ It was getting hard to speak, to control my pace. “You’re my companion, Valeria. A child of the Source.”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I began to move faster, sliding in and out with less and less control. “Tell me you love me,” I said.

  “I… I love you.”

  “Now tell me I love you.”

  “You…” She couldn’t quite do it, looking down and away.

  “Say it!” I roared, thundering deep into her pussy as I did; she cried out in dismay, in pleasure, overcome, overwhelmed.

  “You love me.”

  I pulled her away from the wall, turned her around, and bent her over so she rested her forearms on the back of a chair. Sliding forcefully into her pussy from behind, her asscheeks firm and smooth against me, I pulled her upright so she was pressed against my chest. I wrapped an arm around her and held her tightly against me.

  “Feel me,” I whispered into her ear as she trembled. “You feel that?”

  “Yes,” she said, voice hoarse.

  “Now close your eyes. Focus on that sensation.” And when she did so, I tapped into Svadhisthana, the great sunflower sanskara within my core. I felt its golden petals open, felt it begin to throb with power and vitality.

  Valeria let out a low moan.

  Svadhisthana rotated in my core; I felt its powers aligning with what I was feeling, drawing from the pleasure, and fueling my reservoir even further, pouring magic into my already full spirit.

  My love for Valeria surged, melded with my pleasure, and caused it to swell, to flow out from my reservoir and wash over us both. I didn’t dare move, didn’t dare shift my cock within her for fear of erupting into a mind-shattered orgasm.

  “Oh, Noah,” whispered Valeria, rubbing herself against me like a cat in heat. “I love you. I love you.”

  I squeezed one of her large breasts and drew a deeper moan from her as I lightly pinched a nipple. I felt waves of power emanating from within me, waves of confidence and virility, a sense that I could plow Valeria from now till the end of time. That I could break her upon the wheel of my need, could shatter the bonds of the flesh, and transcend into a realm of pure spiritual fucking.

  “Noah,” gasped Valeria. “Fuck me. Please, please, fuck me now, oh god.”

  I did so slowly, hands dropping to her hips; she cried out as the head of my cock withdrew to her lips then flowed back within her. I did so again, a third time, then stopped.

  I leaned down over her.

  “You feel that?” I asked. “You feel my love?”

  “Yes,” she croaked, body shaking.

  “I want you to take that love, what we’re both feeling, and channel that into your core. Draw on it, Valeria. Pull it in, and then feed it to Anahata.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t even think, can’t even…”

  “Do it,” I growled. “Or I’ll pull out and leave you to satisfy yourself.”

  “Bastard,” she hissed, and pressed back against me.

  “Bond with Anahata,” I said. “Visualize it. Pour the love you feel from me into it. Now.”

  I felt her tense, saw her close her eyes as she grimaced. I eased myself out, then back, feeling how her whole body was clenched around me, feeling Svadhisthana revolving, generating power, drinking in our lovemaking, taking everything to an entirely new level.

  I kissed Valeria’s neck. “I love you.”

  She shuddered, gasped, and began to move against me. “Fuck me,” she said, voice urgent. “I need you to fuck me now. Hard. I’m almost there.”

  “You need to bond -” I began, but she cut me off.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” she said. “Fuck me, Noah!”

  So I did.

  Tapping Manipura for even greater strength and speed, I began to lay into Valeria with everything I had, pounding away at her so hard that the chair buc
ked in her grip.

  Her cries rose, and rose, and at the very last, just as Svadhisthana was about to devour us both in a hurricane of desire and love, I heard her scream. A blazing sphere of pure yellow burst into being around us, growing brighter and brighter as I felt her come, felt her climax around my cock just as I exploded deep inside of her with a convulsive thrust.

  There was nothing but Svadhisthana, as massive as a planet, its yellow petals revolving around the dark seeds in its core. It turned and turned, radiating out love and lust in equal measure: the pleasures of the body and the magic that sexual union could produce.

  And then, by slow degrees, I returned to myself, and saw Valeria bowed before me, heaving for breath, tendrils of golden hair plastered to her sweaty brow.

  “You did it,” I gasped, pulling her up into an embrace. “You did it.”

  Her shoulders were still rising and falling, her breath deep and rapid, but she smiled back at me, eyes wide, her joy palpable. “I did. Look.”

  Her ward gleamed all around us, painting the world beyond it in shades of buttery yellow. The air hummed as she projected her power, her joy, and I felt her squeeze her pussy around my cock like a fist.

  I kissed the side of her neck, hugged her hard, and held her tight. She wrapped her arms over mine, pressing her cheek to my face, closing her eyes.

  In that moment I felt utter contentment and complete happiness. As her ward hummed about us, with her skin against my own, I felt bonded and intimate and perfectly unified.

  “I never want to forget this,” she whispered. “Never want to forget this feeling. I love you, Noah. I’ll never stop loving you. I swear it.”

  Chapter 6

  The next morning, we convened at Emelias’s invitation at an outside arena. The sky was a bleak, lusterless pall of featureless clouds; the raised platform on which we gathered was composed of a checkerboard of bone-white flagstones, rimmed at the far edges with slate. Five rows of stadium seating encircled the great square, and beyond them, I could make out a few lone buildings of black stone.

  Were we even still in Ur-Gharab? Turning in a slow circle, I sought some sign to indicate if we’d left the city but found none.

  My companions filed out through the doorway behind me, which closed behind Little Meow to cut off the sight of our pool room.

  A cold wind blew across the arena, sending curlicues of dust before it.

  Emelias was already present, along with a dozen others, all gathered in the center of the arena. He turned as we arrived and spread his arms in apparent joy.

  “Ah! The Savior and his unparalleled companions. Welcome, welcome, and what a glorious day this is. The arena hasn’t seen action in what feels like decades, and though we’ll be but practicing, it’ll bring joy to my old heart to hear the cries and shouts of contestants here once more.”

  “Emelias,” I said by way of greeting, tone guarded as I studied his companions.

  They were clearly the ones who would be testing us. To my surprise, Isossa was amongst their number, having doffed her voluminous robe in favor of a form-fitting cuirass of bronze, molded to her torso and leaving little to the imagination. She wore a white tunic beneath that hung to mid-thigh, a belt cinching it tight, and bronze greaves that reached her knees. A horse-hair Spartan helm was beneath her arm, and her hair was braided and coiled upon the crown of her head.

  She looked damned fetching, truth be told, and the cool manner in which she assessed us in turn gave me pause.

  Her companions were similarly armored, all of them Morathi with molded bronze cuirasses that boasted sculpted abdominals and broad pectorals. White tunics hung to mid-thigh, with the same bronze greaves and sandals. Most held their helms, and all surveyed us with a mixture of disdain and amusement.

  “So! As promised, I’ve gathered some friends to test your abilities and point out weaknesses. Nobody is to be permanently harmed, and while I know you have healers amongst your ranks, I’ve made sure to bring some as well. Isossa, as you know, is a dab hand with Anahata.”

  Isossa bowed her head with a mocking smile.

  “What’s to be the nature of this contest?” I asked.

  Emelias turned to the other Morathi as if he’d not considered this answer. “I don’t know. What do you all think, Agax? A light skirmish to get our blood up? Seven against seven?”

  “Why not?” replied Agax, his voice a powerful baritone, his shoulders broad. He was handsome in that cool, bloodless Morathi way, with a square jaw and harsh cheekbones. A kink in his otherwise aquiline nose spoke of a history of violence. “We begin at different edges of the board. Being thrust outside its confines results in disqualification. Each contestant is removed from play when they are unable to fight on or plead for mercy.”

  Valeria rubbed her thumb across her chin. “And how are we to avoid accidental death?”

  “As best we can,” said Agax, raising his horse-hair helm to settle it over his head. “Surely you can calibrate the intensity of your attacks?”

  Valeria smiled, but gave no other response.

  “Very well!” Emelias clapped his hands together. “I believe we are all agreed. Now, pay attention to how this skirmish unfolds, as we will analyze it after for data so that you may realize your weak points. All agreed?”

  I drew Shard and willed it to blaze forth with golden light. Every Morathi present could not help but flinch.

  “Good luck,” I said.

  Isossa’s smile finally reached her eyes. “I believe you shall need it more than we will, Savior.”

  “One way to find out.” I turned, marching toward the far side of the arena - or board, as the Morathi had called it. Each flagstone was about a yard long at a side, and the sense of being a chess piece was hard to resist.

  “Our plan?” asked Emma, Victor’s blade in her hand.

  “Simple,” said Valeria. “We remain within three yards of each other so our wards overlap. Noah, you fly just above us, but not so high as to get cut off. We’re going to turtle and allow them to come to us, moving forward just enough to not get trapped against the edge of the board. We’re looking to learn how effective our wards are, and once we absorb their first barrage of attacks, we’re going to target our attacks on only one of them to increase the odds of overwhelming their ward in turn. I suggest we take out Isossa. That larger man might be more dangerous, but she’s their leader in some way I can’t quite pin. Once we take her out, we direct our attacks at Agax.”

  “Smart,” said Brielle, drawing her blade as we reached the edge of the board and turned as one.

  “Emma, your ward seems to be strongest,” continued Valeria. “You’ll hold the center line. Neveah… you do your thing. Take them out from the sides or behind. Little Meow, you’re to be at the rear, ready to heal or step into the line if someone falls. Everyone else: if your ward fails, drop back and allow Little Meow to take your place. Clear?”

  “Clear,” I said.

  The others murmured their agreement.

  The enemy was a good fifty or sixty yards away. Half their number had stepped off the board, along with Emelias, to move to the stadium seating. The remaining six Morathi had formed a loose line directly across from us, their helms making them anonymous. Each held a short stabbing blade in one fist, and had produced circular shields with center bosses of rounded iron.

  They looked alien, formidable in that Spartan way; their molded bronze armor enhanced their physiques, even if the women’s version was terribly impractical. Theirs reminded me of Queen Ghelasha’s armor back in Peruthros, a piece cast for intimidation or seductive purposes, not for defense. Did they not expect to close and exchange blows?

  “Steady,” I said, my voice low. “Keep calm, keep your distance from each other. Begin your Vam Mantras. When Emelias gives the word, get your wards up.”

  I could sense them arrayed alongside me, my companions. I felt the energy between us simmering, heating up, as if on some level we were still entangled. Their presence filled me with vigor a
nd hardened my resolve; there was nothing I couldn’t do with these women by my side.

  I took a deep breath and thought: All creation in a drop of water. All creation before me.

  My pulse immediately began to slow. I felt my body relax, tension bleeding away. My breathing deepened. My stance, which I had thought solid, felt uncertain; I adjusted my posture in subtle ways till it felt right. Shard was light in my hands. Peripheral distractions faded away.

  The world seemed to still, to hold its breath.

  Emelias, at the sidelines, raised his hand. Not a sound disturbed the board, with every player at the ready, weapons gleaming in the wintry sunlight.

  “Begin!”

  I visualized my ward and saw the sphere of platinum gold pushing out from me in every direction. Willing it to be so, I projected the love I felt for and received from my companions into the world – made it tangible.

  I fueled it with my fierce desire to protect them, to be protected in turn. Tapping Anahata, I felt its emerald petals begin to gyre within me, felt its magic come rushing from my core and bursting out into the world.

  My ward flared into existence, perfectly spherical and expanding outward so it radiated a yard or so from me in every direction. It intersected with Emma’s green ward to my right, with Brielle’s crimson and cadmium-yellow ward out to my left, overlapping, flaring brighter where they touched.

  There was a pulse from Manipura and the black sun roared, sending me aloft, rising to hover a couple of yards above Emma as she stepped out to fill the center of the line; Imogen to her right, ward the palest blue, Brielle, and then Valeria at the very end.

  The ward stopped the wind. The cutting cold disappeared, and I hung, a sphere of perfect stillness, as I gazed across the board where the enemy had summoned their own wards, now moving forward in lockstep. Shields were raised, swords held at the ready, each trapped like a fly in amber within their spheres of purple, jaundiced yellow and sickly green.