by John Evans
As their climaxes subsided, Pawl and Karlto both fell off to one side. Helga whispered to Vail and he quickly moved away from her to kneel behind Karina. With one fast lunge, he impaled his cock into her drenched pussy.
Karina cried out as she orgasmed again. Her body trembled uncontrollably as all of her lust flared brightly inside her. Her orgasm seemed to last forever and then drained ever so slowly out of her body as her overpowering desire burned off. Karina, gasping for breath, laid her head down on her arms as Vail fucked her from behind.
Pawl and Karlto both lay on the floor recovering from their individual climaxes. Melinar moved over to sit down beside Helga to watch Vail pound his hard prick in and out of Karina. Helga immediately noticed a coolness coming from Melinar.
"He loves you, you know," said Helga.
"Oh, yeah, I can see that," replied Melinar snidely.
"He does," said Helga wistfully. "I couldn't get him hard. You know how I did it? I had to get him to close his eyes and talk about all sorts of erotic things concerning you and him. I bet if you look now, Vail will have his eyes closed."
Melinar sat still for a couple of seconds and than leaned over to one side. She stifled a gasp when she saw that Vail indeed had his eyes closed. They were not closed in passion, but as if he was remembering something.
"I think Karina is back," said Helga. "Why don't you take Vail to another room and show him how much you love him?"
"No," said Melinar, smiling at Helga. "I can show him that later when he's rested. For now, I think I'll just help him along."
Melinar moved up behind Vail. He lost his rhythm when she started to rub her huge tits against his back, but picked it up again as she whispered in his ear.
"Oh, yeah! Ram it into me! It's so hard and so hot. You have me stuffed to the gills. Oh! Oh, yeah! Ram it in! Harder! Harder! Maybe you're not fucking me. Maybe you have that manmeat stuffed between my big, soft tits. Think of your cock sliding between my tits, the head poking out with each thrust. I lick the tip every time it comes out and squeeze my tits tighter around your shaft. I'm just waiting for you to spray cum all over my face."
Vail's smile vanished as the visions Melinar made in his mind made him pop. Visions of Melinar's face dripping in cum excited him so much he knew he would have to see it for real. Karina sighed as she felt Vail's cock pulsate and fill her already full womb with his thick, hot cream. She lay still and then felt Vail slowly slide his cock out of her.
"Karina, are you okay?" she heard Helga ask.
Tears welled up in Karina's eyes and she shook as her body was wracked by her sobs. Helga and Melinar both rushed over to hold her tight in their arms. Karlto tapped Pawl and Vail on the shoulder and made a motion that they should leave. The three men stood up and quietly left the room.
Karina continued to cry as Helga and Melinar rocked her back and forth. After a minute or two, her sobs subsided and Karina sat back from the other two women. She still held on to their hands, though.
"Thank you," said Karina. "I was so out of control. I..."
"Karina, it wasn't your fault," said Helga.
"No, it wasn't," added Melinar. "It's Triarii's fault. Do you remember what happened?"
"That's why I was crying," sighed Karina. "I can remember everything. I just have no control when my lust takes over."
Taking a deep breath, she related to Melinar and Helga what had happened. "I think someone was hurt," concluded Karina. "I remember a cry and a thud as I, uh, tried to get out."
"Vail found blood on the carpet and on the cabinet outside the door," said Melinar. "Someone was killed or injured there. Come, we need to get dressed before Lady Triarii gets tired of waiting and sends in her guards."
"Um, my clothing now consists of only my amulet," pointed out Karina.
"I guessed that would be the case," said Helga. "I brought your other clothing, although, you do look perfect to me just the way you are."
Karina smiled and leaned over to kiss Helga on the cheek.
"Hey, guys, it's safe to come back in," yelled Melinar. "And bring in our clothes."
Karlto, Pawl, and Vail came back into the room carrying the sacks. They were dressed back into their armor or clothing and keep their eyes cast to the floor as they set everything down.
"Karina, I want to say how sorry we are," said Karlto.
"Hush," shushed Karina as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "You helped me the only way I could be helped. If you tell anyone, though, I'll put your cock on a chopping block and split it lengthwise from the tip to your balls."
All three men's faces turned white as they said in unison, "Yes, ma'am. We won't tell a soul."
Karina turned to Helga. "What do you have for me to wear?"
"How about your armor and weapons?" asked Helga with a vicious smile.
The women quickly dressed. True to her word, Helga had brought all of Karina's weapons and armor. "I wish you had brought me only one or the other," said Karina, pulling out her mace and axe. "I can only carry one while holding a shield."
"Give me the one you don't want to carry," said Melinar.
Karina handed Skeletonbane to Melinar and looped the wristcord of Remarg around her own wrist. Karina gasped in surprise when the axe shrunk down to the size of a charm bracelet.
"How did you do that?" asked Vail in astonishment as they all gathered around to look at the miniaturized axe.
"I didn't do a thing," stated Karina, looking shocked at the tiny weapon.
"Maybe it shrank because you needed a free hand," suggested Pawl, looking on with interest. "What else does it do?"
"I don't know," replied Karina. "Tenan sent it to me. He wrote that it is called Remarg and its origins were lost. He did say that it was exceptionally sharp and would cut through anything."
"And the mace?" asked Pawl.
"I say, as interesting as this is, can we continue this discussion once we are out of here, old chap?" asked Karlto.
"Oh, yes, of course," said Pawl. "Sorry, occupational hazard, old chap. Now what do we do?"
"I think it is past time for us to leave," said Vail. "As I see it, Lady Triarii hasn't gotten her answers yet and she will want them. Based on everything that has happened in the Kingdom recently, I would also see your activities as suspicious, Karina."
"Let's get out of here," said Karina, taking the mace back from Melinar. "If I have to meet her later, it'll be at a place of my choosing."
The group headed down the central hallway, checking rooms as they went by them. The villa was completely silent and empty. Karina could sense everyone's nervousness, including her own. They reached the double doors leading out to the courtyard and hurried outside.
"Anything?" asked Pawl to Vail.
"I don't see anyone around," he replied.
They were halfway across the courtyard when Kruger appeared at the domed stairway. He had been behind one of the columns holding up the stairway roof. He had changed since they had last seen him. He was now wearing platemail and was carrying a long sword with a kite shield.
"Stop, please," said Kruger, holding up one hand. "I have men on the terraces above you with crossbows. Even if you kill me, they will get a couple, if not all of you. Lady Karina, Lady Triarii wants to see just you. She is alone in the garden to your left."
"And I'm suppose to trust you?" asked Karina sarcastically.
"I give you my word," said Kruger. "I've lied before and will do so again, but never when I have given my word."
Karina could almost feel the bolt pointed at the area between her shoulder blades. She looked at Kruger, who was standing calmly in front of them. "When my friends are out of the villa, I'll go and see her."
"I'm afraid not," said Kruger. "Lady Triarii said they could go free, but it is my job to protect her, even from herself. You may go and see her unarmed now. If you try to leave before that or do her harm, your friends will die."
"Disobeying a noblewoman is dangerous," said Helga angrily.
&n
bsp; Kruger shrugged. "Hasn't been the first time and it won't be the last."
Karina turned without a word and handed her mace to Melinar. She unbuckled the Green Dragon dagger and gave it to Helga. Nodding to Kruger, she turned left and walked out of the courtyard.
At the edge of the courtyard, Karina went down a short set of steps to a large terraced garden. At the bottom of the steps, Karina stopped to calm down. Her silver mask reflected the fury that was on her face. It took her several minutes to settle down enough to look impassive. With a tight rein on her emotions, Karina headed down the path.
Karina had not walked more than fifty yards before she saw Lady Triarii sitting on a bench beside the path. An oak tree about two feet in diameter had grown up behind the bench shading it from the sun. Lady Triarii stood up as Karina approached her.
"Lady Karina, what I did, I did for the kingdom," she said. "It is not an excuse, just an explanation. The kingdom's heading towards civil war. The greedy and ambitious are trying to tear it apart for their own gain. With your son involved in the queen's abduction, we needed answers immediately."
"What happened to the person outside the door?" asked Karina and Lady Triarii gasped in fright as the mask animated. "I know the cabinet fell on someone."
"It was one of my guardsmen, the cabinet toppled over when you tried to get out. He died."
"And what explanation will you give his family?" asked Karina, coldly.
"That he died doing what was required of him. His family will be taken care of. He died because of my mistake," said Lady Triarii, who then took on a look of intense hurt before shaking it off. "I'll file this regret with all of the others, only to be brought out and mourned over when I am alone."
"Do you know how to mourn?"
"More than you'll ever know. I still need answers to my questions."
"You have about as much feeling as a stone!" retorted Karina angrily. She raised her hand in the air and, suddenly, Remarg expanded to its original size. Lady Triarii gasped in fright as she shrank back from the fearsome weapon poised over her.
"Hold!" came a stunning command from behind Karina. She spun around ready to attack and then froze. Striding towards her was the Overlord.
Chapter 18: A New Quest
"Put down the weapon, Lady Karina."
"Why?"
The Overlord did not flinch when he saw the mask's lips move. He stood still studying Karina, the tenseness in her body and the facial expression on her mask. "I'm not ordering you to put it down," he finally said. "I'm respectfully asking you to."
Karina's mask showed the emotions of astonishment, understanding, defiance, and anger all in a second. With a loud yell, she spun around and swung. With a silver flash, she cut right through the trunk of the oak tree.
The overlord and Lady Triarii moved back as the entire tree shuddered. Then with a loud snap, the tree broke from its trunk and crashed to the ground. Shouts of alarm sounded from outside the garden.
Karina stayed still for a while and then straightened up. Remarg shrank back to its diminutive size and she reached up to take off her helmet. The Overlord, hearing the tramp of boots coming towards them, motioned Lady Triarii to go down one path to stop whoever was coming towards them. He took off in the other direction as Karina sat down heavily on the bench. When the Overlord and Lady Triarii returned, they found Karina with her face in her hands.
"I could have killed you so easily," said Karina to Lady Triarii. "Even Kruger's death threat against my friends would not have stopped me. I didn't because he asked me not to. Not as my ruler, but as a man asking me to spare the life of his woman. Does that have any meaning for you? Can you understand that at all?" Karina paused and shook her head. "No matter, you want to know what Baron Tenan and I have been up to. Let me tell you..."
Karina proceeded to tell them about the ritual. She left out some details, but, for the most part, told them exactly what the ritual entailed and what would happen if Per did not do it. She told them who they had found and who they were still looking for. Karina described her fear for Tenan being in the Petra Swamp and her uncertainty of how or where he was.
"Now, I've come back to find out that we are considered traitors, even though Per is risking his life to try to save the Queen and the damned bitch tried to kill him. I know you did not know and considering your actions, I can't blame anyone for not coming forward. So I was forced to act like a slut and whore when all you had to do was ask. How you found out about my weakness I'll never know."
"Information comes my way all the time," said Lady Triarii softly. "It's my job. This time it was only half-reliable. Is there any way I can make amends?"
"You can prostitute yourself to a leper colony for a year or so," said Karina and saw Lady Triarii close her eyes in hurt. "Yes, there is a way. There's a girl named Genese at the inn where I am staying. Her mother is with some lush who drinks up all their money, but stays with him for protection. Genese and her sister, Tabitha, are starving. Take them and their mother, if she'll come, under your protection. Raise the girls as if they were your own."
"What about yourself?" asked Lady Triarii. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing," replied Karina with a sneer.
Karina stood up and started to walk down the path towards the courtyard. The Overlord turned and fell into step beside her. They had barely gone a hundred feet before Karina heard a cry of anguish behind her. She almost turned around, except that the Overlord grabbed her by the arm to keep her walking straight ahead.
"Was that Triarii?" asked Karina.
"Yes," replied the Overlord sadly. "She does have feelings and they run deep. She keeps them bottled up and out of sight until she is alone. That is when she lets them out. This is the first time I've ever heard her lose control. I would also like to add my sincere apologies for what happened to you today. I've had two riots, one attempt to overthrow the government, and several assassination attempts. If things do not improve soon, I am going to have to impose martial law. I need you and your husband back until this crisis is over."
"Your Majesty, our people are good people. They are more than capable of running our lands."
"In normal times, yes, but this is far from that, Lady Karina. I don’t need you here to run your lands, I need you here for support. I am going to ask a favor of you. Don't hold a grudge or blame Lady Triarii. If you must hold someone accountable, let it be me."
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Karina as they started up the stairs to the courtyard. "I'll never trust her, though."
"You will," said the Overlord. "Even if everything tells you not to, trust in her. I did and it saved my life."
"Karina!" yelled Helga, running towards her. "I was so worried! We heard the crash, but no one would tell us what happened, other than no one was hurt."
"Ah, Helga, may I introduce His Majesty, the Overlord? Your Majesty, this is Helga, my dearest friend and companion."
"The Overlord?" gasped Helga in mortification.
"I am honored to meet you, Helga, and the rest of you," said the Overlord, looking at Karina's friends. "Come, let me accompany you to the gate."
"What? We can go?" asked Helga, startled.
"Of course, you were never in any danger," replied the Overlord as he led the way down the domed stairway.
Helga's eyes narrowed in suspicion and anger. "What of Lady Triarii?" she asked. "What will you do to her?"
"I will do nothing."
"Nothing!" exclaimed Helga. "After what she did?"
"Helga, hush," said Karina, afraid she might insult the Overlord.
"It's alright, Lady Karina," said the Overlord, who stopped and turned to face Helga. "Lady Triarii made a very serious mistake. It killed one of her guardsmen, sent her servants flying out of the villa in fear, and caused shame, insult, and injury to a fellow noblewoman and to you. She will punish herself worse than anything I could do. Even when Lady Karina was standing over her with a raised axe, I could not command her to spare Lady Triarii. Al
l I could do was to ask her to spare her life. That crash you heard was a large oak tree that Lady Karina took her anger out on."
The Overlord turned and led the way down to the gate without another comment. Lady Triarii's carriage was waiting there. The Overlord nodded his assurance that it would take them to the inn. He stopped Karina just before she stepped up into it.
"Lady Karina, think about what I said. You and your husband are needed here. I know your son means more to you than anything, but his home is part of this kingdom. It was Queen Shara's fault that he was forced to run and that should have never happened. I want you to think about your duty and obligation to the people in your care."
"Your Majesty, the ogre god will not understand duty or obligation. He demands that the ritual be completed or he will destroy my son," said Karina, who then sighed. "Let me go to the Temple of Shades tonight. After I find out what I need to, I'll make a decision."
"Come to the palace tomorrow at mid-morning," ordered the Overlord. "Like you, I have to make decisions."
Karina climbed into the carriage and it drove out of the gates. As it headed down the street, Karina told the driver to drop her off at the Temple of Shades.
"Don't you want to wait for everyone else?" asked Pawl.
"Thank you, but right now I'd like to be alone," said Karina. "The temple is only three blocks from the inn. Please, I'll be fine. Let the others know what has happened and where I am. I'll be back as soon as possible."
"Are you sure, Karina?" asked Helga, who looked at Karina with pleading eyes to be taken along.
"I'm sure," said Karina with a smile and a touch to Helga's cheek.
Karina got out of the carriage in front of the foreboding Temple of Shades. Although the afternoon sun shone brightly, the temple had a palatable gloom surrounding it. Karina walked up the steps and shivered as she felt a dank, cold, misty air surround her. She barely heard the carriage rattle away. A thin priest in black robes followed by two black-hooded acolytes walked towards her.