Clockwork Goddess (The Lesbia Chronicles)
Page 20
Cadentis stared at Kira as if she had been slapped. The blood drained from her face and a particularly cold fury came into her eyes as she visibly reached what must have been the end of her tether.
“Minerva,” she said without taking her eyes from Kira for a second. “Fetch the executioner.”
“How typical,” Kira sighed. “A whelp on the throne making decisions based entirely on momentarily hurt feelings. If only you were capable of opening your eyes to truth, majesty. You may have my head removed now, it makes no difference to me at all. We will all be dead within the month. Already people are beginning to starve. The next time an Iskendari ship makes port at one of our docks they will discover a frozen wasteland.”
Cadentis opened her mouth to make some angered reply, but it was cut short by a sound like a thunderclap and a sudden bolt of light which emanated before the throne. All were momentarily blinded. As their sight returned, two figures appeared. One tall half-elf instantly recognizable as Ayla, the other a short peasant holding a glowing hen.
Soldiers scurried to defend the queen, but it was unnecessary, for neither Ayla nor Vix made any motion. As they stood there, a warmth began to creep through the chamber, and the frost which had clung to every wall and tapestry and cold nose in the place began to recede.
“You are Ayla,” Cadentis declared with ill-veiled excitement. “Have you come to save us? You have driven back the infernal cold, so I know it must be in your power to do so.”
“I have done little,” Ayla said. “Your salvation is the product of Vix's inventive mind,” Ayla replied. “She should be the one to tell of it.”
“Speak of it, speak of it quickly,” Cadentis urged, throwing off her furs.
“I am a humble hengineer,” Vix said, cradling the hen in her hands. “And this is a new type of hengineering. It provides magi... er... energy which can be channeled in all sorts of ways, heat, light, motion. Summon your court hengineers and you will soon discover a myriad of technologies.”
Cadentis stared, stunned. “You have come from the ether to save us all,” she declared. “If I did now know better, I should say that this were some form of witchcraft. What do you call this thing?”
Vix cast a glance across at Ayla before responding to the queen. “I call it the clockwork goddess, your highness.”
“Clockwork goddess,” Cadentis clapped her hands. “Perfect. You will be richly rewarded for this,” she declared. You will live in the largest house and you will never want for anything. I declare you a peer of the realm.”
“Thank you,” Vix replied. “But, if I may, I wish you to grant each of my friends a pardon, and their wishes.”
Cadentis nodded eagerly, far too pleased with the turn of events to quibble over rewards. “I am a queen, not a genie, but I will do as you say. I have already released the lesser prisoners, but if they come to me each shall have their wishes granted. Ayla, I of course pardon you. That leaves just you, Kira. What would you have of me, warrior?”
“I have but one desire,” Kira replied. “And that is to take you over my thighs, Cadentis, and spank your bottom red as many times as I see fit.”
Cadentis blushed and shook her head emphatically. “You could have any of the riches of my hold! You could have a mansion in the countryside. You could have...”
“I want your hide,” Kira said firmly. “I will be merciful and use only my hand, but I will do it as often as I please, until I am satisfied that you have learned your lesson.”
“But... this... I did not destroy Ariadne.”
“You tried to. You tried to destroy all of us. Imagine if you had. Imagine if you had been successful in wiping the last traces of magic from Lesbia.” Kira's expression was grim. “You have caused great suffering, Cadentis, and I will ensure that neither you nor your hide ever forget this lesson.”
Cadentis nodded slowly, with a little gulp. “I did say I would grant you your wish,” she said. “Are you truly certain you would not prefer emeralds or rubies or...”
“The only glowing jewel I want is the two hot orbs of your buttocks,” Kira insisted. “To be conducted in your bedchamber, with Minerva present for your peace of mind in case you should become panicked.”
Cadentis squirmed in a most un-regal fashion. “If I must grant this wish, then I will, as I am a woman of my word.”
She rose from her throne and delivered herself to Kira. Before entirely submitting, she addressed both Ayla and Kira. “Warrior and witch... I apologize for all I and my family have done to you over the generations. I shudder to think of what the consequences would have been had we succeeded in our persecution.”
Ayla bowed from the waist. “You will have your reckoning soon enough, my young queen. Before you find your rear turning molten in the crucible of Kira's judgment, know that I bear you no ill will. You were born into a regime of prejudice from which you have partially extricated yourself. That is more than many will do in their lifetimes.”
“Thank you, witch,” Cadentis replied. “Your mercy is laudable.” She looked at Kira. “Might you also find some measure of forgiveness in your heart?”
“You are already forgiven,” Kira agreed. “But your hide is still mine, your majesty.”
Cadentis let out a little whimper, but allowed herself to be drawn away by the warrior back into the recesses of her bedchamber where she found herself no longer a queen, but a chastened young woman.
And so our tale ends, with a queen over warrior's thighs, a new magic come to the world, old wrongs not quite righted, new wrongs somewhat ameliorated and a world on the edge of chaos once more guided by the hands of the brave and the good.
You might perhaps wonder what became of our many heroines*. I can tell you that Vix lived for many years in Clitera City and found affection in the arms of the witch Ayla who remained her companion throughout her life. The woman who had once toiled in obscurity and slept in bushes found herself at the center of a golden age. Her henventions changed the lives of all those in Lesbia and she was given a great many riches. The source of the clockwork goddess remained a secret known only by she and Ayla, and when Vix passed away as all humans must, the documents containing the knowledge of the clockwork goddess were passed on to an apprentice who studied under Ayla's watchful eye and guiding palm.
As for the others in our tale, Moon and Trebuchet enjoyed many adventures and Liz, well, the less said of Liz the better for Liz involved herself in a great many questionable activities and was called to answer for them many times.
Kira thoroughly expected to die and yet somehow, did not. She watched over Cadentis even as the once young and impetuous queen grew old and gray, and maintained order in the royal household over Cadentis' daughters and their daughters too. Though Ariadne seemed to remain absent from the world, some lingering effect kept Kira strong through time.
Witch and warrior remained friends, two immutable forces guiding Lesbia into a future neither of them fully understood or approved of, but suffered due to their great love for Lesbia and all those who lived their lives in that green and fertile land.
Thus our tale is suspended yet again, not ended, for there are no such things as ends. Where one adventure concludes, another is born. Keep then, an eye and an ear out for future tales of Lesbia, gentle reader, but for now all must bid you good night.
(*As for the fate of our villains, you may be pleased to learn that Erwydden suffered terrible indigestion.)
Thank you for reading!
The Lesbia Chronicles is a project which has been running since 2011. There are two other books available, Over Witch's Knee, a full length lesbian fantasy novel in which Ayla, Kira and a cast of miscreants first appeared, and Virgin City, the first tale set in Clitera City.
Please visit http://sapphosbrats.com for more sapphic adventures and stories from me, Loki Renard. I frequently run free series for readers, so there's always something to entertain yourself with there.
ddess (The Lesbia Chronicles)