by Crymsyn Hart
The sword disappeared when she thought about it and she was able to sit once again. That’s better. Is it still there? A jolt told her the sword was only invisible.
“This is just great. First, I’m a witch. Then I’m a witch trying to save the world. Now I’m a witch and the next queen of the realm or something. Great. Just freaking great!”
“Actually, I think Excalibur has made you into a Death Maiden.”
“And that would be?”
“You’re a witch and you don’t know what a—”
“Can it, and just tell me. I’m not in the mood.”
“A Death Maiden is—well they’re similar to banshees. They bring death to those they choose. They’re a cross between a valkyrie and a banshee. You’ll bring death to anyone you want with the sword. The crescent tattoo binds you to Avalon, and the sword. You’re still human of course, but you can go anywhere you want now. No way will be bared to you until your task is done.”
“And when that happens? All of this goes away?” Kalliope asked.
Morgaine bit her lip. “Honestly, I don’t know. The sword chose you because it knew you were a worthy champion. You will vanquish evil in the land and it may cost you your heart and soul, but it will right the world and, if I’m right, save All Hail from being assassinated.”
“Great. What happens if I lose Excalibur?” A strong jolt of energy zapped her. The invisible sword didn’t enjoy the thought of that. “I said if.”
“If you lose it, then you have the power to call it back. But losing it would not be a good idea. Try it.” The sorceress grabbed the invisible sword and threw it on the couch. Kalliope was surprised that she knew where it was.
“You forget Excalibur has been with me for centuries. I know a few of its quirks. Trust me.”
The sword was only a few feet away. It wasn’t moving. She put out her hand and nothing happened. She waved it a couple of times. “Abra ka dabra. Poof.” She waited a few more minutes and then cast her eyes to the woman next to her. Humphrey was just watching from the sidelines without comment. Kalliope hadn’t noticed when he had popped in, but she should get used to it considering he was doing it off and on. Now he seemed to be dozing from of the heat of the fire.
Morgaine threw up her hands. “Do I have to show you everything? Wait. Don’t answer that. I can’t believe you’re a witch.” She held out her hand and motioned at a candle on the hearth. It floated through the air and was in her hand.
“That was way cool.”
“It will be cooler when you do it. You have the power, you know. I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out by now. The basics of magick are think about it and it will appear. Well, think about Excalibur being in your hand. Feel the energy move down your hand and grasp onto the sword.”
Kalliope didn’t say anything. She sighed and drew in a breath to collect her thoughts. So much had happened in just a short time. She was still very frazzled. Her life had moved at a normal pace before she became a true witch. Then things got crazy. It had settled down for a few months while she was getting the candle shop in order. Now it was crazy again. How could she kill the man she loved, even if he was under a spell? She just couldn’t. But if she had to save the world, wasn’t it better to sacrifice the one she loved than to let three crazy, snaked haired goddesses take over. She sighed and focused on what Morgaine had told her. The energy gathered over her heart, moving through her. She concentrated. It moved down her arm. She could see and feel it wrapping around the hilt of the sword and bringing it to her. That was what she wanted. If the sorceress could do it, then so could she.
She took another breath and focused. The sword lifted off the couch and then dropped. Kalliope looked at Morgaine who was trying hard not to laugh. She gritted her teeth and focused all her will into it. Excalibur lifted off the couch again, floated through the air, and into her hand. She turned and stuck her tongue out at her friend. Finally, she put the sword back into its sheath and plopped down on the couch. The leather and the heat of the fire was making her sweat.
I wonder if Lugh would like me in this? She caught another glimpse of herself in the mirror. The thought was fleeting because her mind focused on the task at hand. She could not cry all the time because Lugh had told her he didn’t love her anymore. She had to hold onto the trace of hope that he was under a spell. The glimmer was all she had left. If not, the impossible was the only thing left for her.
“It’ll all work out, Kalliope. Just don’t let Lugh get the sword.”
She smiled and lifted up her familiar who was fast asleep. “I think we should get back to Avalon. I want to check on Theresa.”
“She’s ready to pop any day now?”
Kalliope nodded. She thought about Avalon. Holding the picture in her mind, she stepped through the glass.
Chapter Twelve
Kalliope emerged from the mirror to a scene she never imagined possible. Expecting to find Theresa gabbing to the other priestess, instead she found her coven sister sitting on top of a hogtied and gagged Nas. The goddess didn’t look worse for wear. She looked up at Kaliope and started mumbling through the gag. Her friend wore a triumphant smile.
“See what I caught snooping around. She had these chains so I thought she was coming after us. I snuck up behind her, whacked her on the head, and then tied her up. Now that you’re back, I gotta pee. Help me up!”
The witch helped her up, and Theresa walked out of the room. Morgaine caught Kalliope’s eye while she worked on freeing the goddess. When she tried to will the chains away, they wouldn’t budge. Nas tried to stay still, but she kept mumbling something. Kalliope finally took off the gag.
“Magick won’t work on these. These are the chains I got from Hephaestus. They key is between my breasts.”
Kalliope sighed. “Great!”
Nas smiled wickedly. “It was the only place I could think of so I would remember it. Besides, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I was in a compromised position. The girls won’t bite. I promise.” Her wicked smile got bigger. She batted her eyelashes at Kalliope.
She glared at the sorceress.
Morgaine threw up her hands and backed away. “Oh no! Don’t even think about it. That is your baby.”
“Fine!” She closed her eyes and delved in between the goddess’s ample boobs. Great. Just what I needed to top my day. I get to feel up another chick! She better not be getting off on this. Kalliope stole a glance at Nas, who stared at her devilishly. Oh yeah. She’s totally getting off on this. She searched between Nas’s cleavage, but was not finding anything except mounds of rounded flesh.
“Hey Kal, what’s with the new look. When did you go all war—” Theresa walked in. Her face paled.
“It’s not what it looks like! The key for the ahh…for the shackles. She put it between her breasts.” Kaliope felt herself getting redder and redder while her fingers fumbled for the key which she thought she had. Theresa kept staring at the two of them.
“Why are you letting her go?”
“Theresa, Nas is not coming after you or Kalliope. Much to my surprise she is actually here to help us out,” Morgaine explained.
“Are you almost done yet?” Nas asked. “I’d love for us to take this somewhere more private, but you have to save the world, remember. Besides, you’re getting me all hot and bothered.”
Kalliope found the small, metal key and pulled her hand from between the goddess’s breasts. “Sorry, but I’m a god kinda girl. No offense. And I thought you just wanted to be friends?” She took the key and undid the chains holding together her arms and legs so the goddess could stretch out. Then she undid the ones at her wrists and ankles. The chains fell away. Kalliope put the key in a small pocket she noticed sewn inside the corset next to her chest. When she looked up, Nas was smiling.
“See, I told you putting it there comes in handy. And the whole friends thing, I was hoping we could do friends with benefits.” The goddess snapped her fingers. The room disappeared and they were somewhere that was just
white.
“Where are we? What did you do?”
Nas didn’t say anything, but leaned in and cupped her face between her hands. Kalliope was overwhelmed with warmth that made her legs rubbery and her heart flutter a few beats. She forgot all about her question and why the other goddess had spirited her away from her friends. The only thing that mattered was the woman in front of her. The goddess’s breath was sweet and her hair smelled of peppermint. The world fell away and she and the goddess where the only thing in the room. She didn’t care anything about anyone else. The effect was what Dagda first had over her. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. Just like she wanted to fall into the goddess.
“You know you want me!” Nas whispered close to her ear. The goddess’s fingers trailed along the flesh of her shoulder, along the curve of her breast over the corset.
Kalliope’s thoughts swam. This wasn’t right, but the pure desire building in her was beyond anything she had experienced, even with Lugh. It seemed Nas knew different buttons to push inside of her. She tried to gather her thoughts. Nas came closer and pressed her lips to hers. They were soft. Kalliope wanted to shed her clothes.
Give in to me. You’ll enjoy it. I promise. There was something more sinister underneath her thoughts she was trying to get at. Kalliope couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The goddess was loosening the stays on the corset. She tried to stir her thoughts away from being seduced by this beautiful goddess.
Nas’s tongue traced her lips and met hers exploring her mouth with such tender sweetness that she wanted to cry out in pleasure. The energy that flared through her body was intense that soon she was moaning and clutching the other woman’s shoulders for support. Cool air caressed her. .The corset top fell away, leaving her exposed to the world. She opened her eyes to half slits and didn’t see Morgaine or Theresa anywhere. Nas must have spirited her away somewhere else, so she could have her way with her.
The goddess’s hands found Kalliope’s breasts. Her mouth trailed down in slow kisses along her neck and skin. Each kiss seemed like the woman was sampling a little bit of her. She was getting carried away. How could Nas have so much power over her? The fingers on her breasts were experienced while they rubbed over her nipples getting them harder and harder. All she could do was stay under the spell of the goddess. She had done something to her, and Kalliope enjoyed the sensations. Nas’s tongue spiraled small circles along the expanse of her exposed chest until it came to rest on her hardened nipple. Once the wetness of Nas’s lips enclosed Kalliope’s flesh, she cried out. Her hands grabbed a handful of Nas’s round derriere. Her thighs clenched together so tight she thought her knees would buckle. She definitely needed a new pair of panties. Part of her wanted to give in to the attention from the goddess, most of her did, but something else kept her semi alert.
Let me have all of you. The goddess whispered again in her thoughts. Her teeth bit down lightly and made her quiver internally. Her stomach flip-flopped from the pleasure zinging through her. Her breath came in short pants now. She was ready to come. Underneath the whisper she heard something else. She had to concentrate.
Give yourself to me. You know you want too.
Kalliope heard that, but she also heard another whisper. The thought was repeated in her head, but this time she got the undercurrent to it. Give the sword to me. You know you want to.
Nas’s hands were around her waist searching for the buckle of her skirt. Her mouth worked on the other nipple, paying that equal attention. But Kalliope focused on the other thought. No one could have the sword. She knew that. It had chosen her to be its champion. Nas’s hands tried to unbuckle her skirt. The pleasure moving through her was almost enough that she was going to be brainwashed into doing exactly that. That could not happen. All of it had been a ruse. Wanting to help her and getting the chains. It was all for nothing. Deep down Nas still probably wanted to turn her into a prickly bush. With that thought in mind, Kalliope was able to get up the strength to step away from the goddess.
When she did, Nas looked quite surprised. A cruel smile spread on her lips. “Don’t you want what I’m offering?”
Kalliope shook her head. She grabbed her top and strapped it back on. Panting slightly, she stared at the goddess. “How could you? I thought you wanted to help me put the Haleys back in the Underworld? Do you still want to turn me into a bush too?”
Nas stepped forward. A jolt of panic moved through her. On instinct, her hand sought the sword. Instead of being invisible, her hand closed on the hilt. A wave of energy moved through her, clearing away whatever spell Nas had put on her. The sword came out and the tip was millimeters from the goddess’s flesh. Nas’s appearance melted away and another woman stood before her.
The woman had long, flowing, white blond, curly hair past her waist. There were streaks of pink shot through it. Her skin was opalescent white. Her eyes of Caribbean Sea blue. Her dress faded from white to light pink. She was slender, yet curvy in all the right places and had breasts so perky they could get up and cheer. Her cheekbones were cut at a sharp angle with pouting full lips and a button nose.
“Who are you?”
“My, my. I’m rightly surprised you didn’t fall for me. Everyone loves me! Don’t you want me?” she whispered in a low husky voice.
Her head got a little fuzzy. She thought she saw mini bluebirds and small cherubs dancing behind her eyes. But before she got a little woozy, a calmness descended over her that had not been there before. The sword was glowing white again. Excalibur was protecting her from the enchantment this goddess was trying to put her under.
“I said, who are you? No more games. They won’t work on me.”
“Very well. You almost fell under my spell, and no mortal has ever been able to resist me. How can they refuse the goddess of love?”
“Aphrodite?”
“Wow, the mortal is intelligent and hot. Come on. Why don’t you give me the sword and we’ll have a go at it. I know you want to romp in the hay with me.” The goddess twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. A lollipop appeared in her other hand. She put the sucker in her mouth and made a show of how well she could use her tongue. Kalliope could only imagine what the woman could do if she was speaking to Aphrodite. If she was the love goddess, then where was Nas?
“What did you do with Nas?”
The goddess took a long lick of her candy and closed her eyes, savoring the sweetness of it. “Do you really think I was going to let that little whore sleep with my husband? Please. I might be blond, but I’m not dumb.”
“Where is she?”
“Why, she’s spending eternity in the Underworld. But that is what you get for messing with me and what’s mine. Now give me the sword like a good little mortal and I’ll let you live. You’d be my pretty little toy, but I’d let you live.” The goddess made a swipe for the sword, but Kalliope stepped back out of her reach. She was not afraid of the goddess. Obviously, the goddess knew about whoever desired to take over the world because she wanted the sword.
Aphrodite turned. There was a sword in her hand. She lunged at Kalliope, but the witch blocked the move and metal clanged on metal. Sparks flew when the two swords touched. Excalibur glowed purple. The other woman’s glowed gold, also showing its otherworldly heritage, probably made by her husband.
The goddess spun around and came at her from the side, but she blocked that blow too. Hands were being guided because she had no idea what she was doing. Without thinking, she attacked the goddess. Aphrodite moved out of the way quickly enough, but not before the sword caught the fabric of her dress. The goddess stopped and poked her fingers through the hole. “You bitch! This is my favorite dress.”
Kalliope smiled. “It’s not my fault you decided to wear such a tacky thing. Where ever you got it I would return it because you paid way too much.” She parried the goddess’s strike and marveled at how the swords rang out each time they hit one another. The love goddess’s sword nicked her cheek and the wound stung worse than a paper cut
. Her fingers moved over the cut and came away with blood. She gritted her teeth. Catching Aphrodite off guard, Excalibur went through the goddess’s shoulder. The goddess stopped short. A look of shock came over her face. Her eyes went to the sword. Kalliope pulled it out from the wound. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out.
The wound flowered crimson, and then healed over slightly so the goddess wasn’t bleeding anymore. Kalliope had not meant to kill her. She was just so mad at everything that happened that making her feel pain was in the back of her mind. She shook her head and understood that this was probably the first time that Aphrodite had felt true pain. Gods didn’t feel any pain from what she could tell. She understood why the sword was such a powerful weapon if it fell into the wrong hands especially if a god wanted to kill another god with it. Quickly, she sheathed it and it disappeared from sight again. Looking down on the passed out goddess, she had an idea.
Thinking about Avalon she saw a doorway appear out of thin air. She slid her arms underneath the love goddess and then pulled her through it. When she reappeared, the other women were looking at her.
“Where did you go?” Theresa asked.
“No idea. Hand me those chains will you?” Kalliope asked. Morgaine raised her eyebrow at her and got a set of the manacles. She dropped the goddess. The doorway disappeared. She took the shackles and clamped them on Aphrodite’s wrists behind her.
“Where’s Nas? I thought you said that she was helping you out. So why are you tying her back up?” Theresa asked.
Kalliope sat down on the floor and tried to catch her breath from hauling the goddess through the doorway. Aphrodite might have looked thin, but she must have been hiding something. Kalliope figured she was the type to eat a couple of chocolate cakes and then down a Big Mack kinda girl because there was no way that the love goddess was as thin as she looked. Then again illusions were what many of the gods were about so who knows.