No words could describe the feelings that erupted inside her at his admission. Turning to face him, she grinned, “Now I know I didn’t make it through the portal. This is too perfect to be real.”
—
Karre laughed as she pulled a piece of torn parchment out of her shoe. For the first time in weeks, she felt great. The bruises and cuts had healed. Even the burn on her arm no longer ached, though it had formed into a scar around her wrist. Oddly enough, the mark only seemed to draw the esteem and compliments of the Starian knights. Rolling the parchment in her fingers, she said, “I know where the Divinity portal is hidden.”
Behind her place on the floor, Vidar stopped moving. An easiness had developed between them, an understanding that didn’t always need words. But it was more than that. There was trust. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing him near the bed. Slowly, he pulled his tunic over his head. “Oh?”
Karre closed her eyes and pretended to concentrate. “It’s true. I saw it. It is to the north.” She peeked at him, trying not to laugh at his confused expression. “Yes, north. Battlewar Castle. Dungeon.” She again peeked at him. Confusion turned to worry. “No, hold on a moment, it’s the old dungeons.” Worry faded into concern. “And,” Karre paused, lifting the piece of paper to read, “Last door, down stairs…” She started laughing, unable to continue as realization replaced his small frown. Shaking the small note, she said, “Lilith left me directions to Divinity’s headquarters so I could escape you.”
Vidar strode to her and reached to help her to her feet. “Escape, my lady? Never.”
“Never,” she agreed, standing next to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Meeting his lips, she kissed him briefly. “We should go. The device is ready.”
“Are you sure this is what you want to do? I still do not like taking you over the border.” He placed his hands along her hips, sliding them back to rest on the small of her back. “I’d rather keep you here.”
“We’ve discussed this,” Karre said, “at length.”
Vidar nodded. She knew he didn’t like it, but at least he wasn’t forbidding her to go with him. “Gather what you need. I will ready the horses.”
Chapter Twelve
Because right now, in this moment, Karre no longer had a role to play.
The stagnant air as they traveled through the marshes made it hard to breathe. Moss-covered trees surrounded them, creating a curtain along the narrow trail of dry land. Karre let the horse make its own way as it walked behind Vidar’s mount and before Oskar’s. Both men had assured her that the Caniba would not rise up from the water. Even with their reassurances, she found herself constantly tense and straining to see peeks of landscape beyond the mossy veil.
“Are we close?” Karre asked, wishing she’d shared a horse with Vidar. She could use the comfort of his body. He’d refused, saying he’d be better able to protect her if his limbs were free to fight.
“One minute closer from when you asked a minute ago,” Vidar said, looking back. Concern shone through his handsome eyes and she knew with one word she could make him forget this course of action.
A nervous tension rolled through her. Never had the stakes been so high. Everything she loved depended on her abilities and the idea of failing Vidar terrified her more than being trapped on a dead plane, more than capture by Divinity, more than death itself. Because right now, in this moment, Karre no longer had a role to play. This wasn’t an act. She wasn’t in character. This was her life. Everything she could ever want. If she failed…
It will not fail, she told herself, refusing to think of it again.
—
The horses splashed through the shallow marsh waters, past small patches of earth sticking up in random patterns. Vidar’s horse led hers to higher ground, to the town of rectangular tents bathed in moonlight and firelight. The smell of burning wood from the bonfires dominated the evening. Tiny, orange sparks from the flames danced in the evening sky before dying out.
Karre reached behind her, patting the satchel that hung against her horse. It bounced with each movement, but she’d padded the contents inside to keep them safe. As the ground leveled and they entered the camp, Vidar reined his mount next to hers.
The tents, varying in sizes, spread out over the high clearing on an orderly grid to create pathways. The larger tents were in the middle with progressively smaller ones fanning round them. Banners hung from the tent flaps, pinned to the opened entryways. Their brilliant colors stuck out against the light caramel of the canvas.
“The Caniba prisoner is here?” she asked.
“He is,” Vidar acknowledged.
“Then let’s get started. I don’t want to wait.” Karre let go of the satchel.
Vidar dismounted and moved to help her down. “This way, my lady.”
—
Vidar did not like his wife’s presence in the encampment, but he was proud of her for coming. He knew how important it was for her to belong in her new world—to help, to prove herself worthy. She was worthy—he tried to tell as much but she needed to feel it.
Oskar stayed behind with the horses as Vidar grabbed the satchel and walked her toward a nearby tent. Two men guarded the front flap, with more around the sides.
“Careful, Sir Vidar, the madness is deepening in him,” one of the guards said. “He cries for his queen.”
Vidar nodded. Karre appeared brave, but he knew the truth. He saw her hands tremble ever so slightly, saw the hesitance in her eyes as he opened the front flap to the holding tent. Dirt floors stretched along the entire length, worn smooth by the constant brush of feet over the earth. In the center, their Caniba prisoner was tied to a thick wooden chair, which had been weighted by lead shoes bolted to each leg. The light was dim, kept purposefully so. Bright lights seemed to aggravate their prisoner. Not that the harsh, rapid breath resounding over the space could be considered relaxed. It sounded more like a rabid dog caught in a trap. Perhaps that was exactly what their prisoner was.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw Karre make a move to step past him. He held out his arm, stopping her. “Tell me what needs to be done and I will do it.”
“Hand me my bag,” she said. He did and she knelt on the floor to rummage through it. She kept glancing toward the center chair.
The Caniba stared back at her with ravenous eyes. His jaw moved in slow bites, working open and closed. A deep scar ran along the man’s cheek, down across his chin and back up the other side. His hair bunched around his head in tight knots and frayed strands. He didn’t smell as bad as the others because one of the Starian knights had doused him with soapy water.
Vidar stepped in front of his wife, blocking her from view as she busied herself putting together her device. She’d been working on it since she’d gotten back, spending endless hours adjusting and readjusting. Vidar had built catapults, forged weapons and strategized battles, but he’d never seen anything as confusing as the inner workings of her contraptions.
“Ready.” Karre stood and handed him an alien device. It looked like a metal helmet with strange carvings and protrusions all over it. “Put it on his head. I’ll do the rest.”
As Karre tried to put a matching device on her own head, he ordered, “No. I thought we agreed that I would take on the prisoner’s memories. I do not wish for you to see such things.”
“I never said that specifically,” Karre denied. “Put it on him. I know how to navigate to find the memories we need. I can do it faster.”
“But you said they happen as visions. I know this land. I know where the visions will lead,” Vidar argued.
The Caniba growled at Karre, “I will feed you to my queen.”
“Charming.” She dismissed the prisoner, still not getting too close. To Vidar, she said, “I’ll describe it in full detail. Put it on him.”
Instead of instantly obeying, he leaned into her and kissed the corner of her mouth. “If it becomes too much…”
“I know. I’ll stop. I promise.”
Karre slipped the helmet on her head, adjusting it.
—
Karre couldn’t stop, no matter how depraved she felt on the inside. She felt the Caniba’s hunger. It built up inside of him like a disease, festering, oozing, consuming the soul like a demonic poison. When he was away from his queen, a physical pain came over him.
“He doesn’t have a name. None of them have names. Not anymore, not that they can remember, not that they care to. Magda drugs them,” Karre said, keeping her eyes closed and her thoughts focused on traveling through the enemy’s brain. She saw the Caniba queen in a large stone cavern. Torchlight surrounded her throne, shining off her white gown like a million tiny stars. Oddly clean amongst the dirty obsession of her followers, Magda carried herself like royalty.
“Karre?” Vidar’s voice penetrated the heavy fog.
“She puts the drug into her cup and offers it to her warriors as a reward. One taste and they are addicted. It keeps them loyal,” Karre continued. She smacked her lips, as her mouth filled with a salty-metal memory of the sacred Caniba wine coated her tongue. “She serves it in blood.” A rush of pleasure filled Karre, streaming over her entire body. “It feels wonderfully euphoric. It’s in my blood. It feels like I’m flying and spinning and dancing. The pull is too strong. There is no cure for it. We must obey my queen.”
Karre felt the press of the other followers against her arms. She would give her life for the bloodthirsty sorceress, commit any deed.
“Try to find where she’s hidden,” Vidar instructed.
The prisoner growled from his place on the chair and tried to fight Karre’s mental probing. She pulled her thoughts from the ceremony, not having realized she how far she’d slipped into the sorceress’ spell.
“I’m coming from the mouth of a cave. She’s ordered me to the borderlands. Already the fear and hunger grow in my stomach. I must please her so she will reward me.” Karre clenched her fists tight. Her head began to throb. She’d modified the memory implanter to let her access his mind. The device wasn’t supposed to work like this—keeping people connected for so long. It was supposed to upload memories and then quickly implant them.
“I hear water. It’s the queen’s bathing pool. We’re not allowed to use it, but we can watch.” A sharp pain shot through her head and she cried out.
“End it,” Vidar demanded.
“I almost have it,” Karre gasped. “It’s a waterfall. Big. There’s a crooked tree several miles away.”
Karre screamed and clawed at her head, fumbling for the button to turn the device off. Vidar’s hands were on the helmet, lifting it off as soon as it deactivated. Chanting filled her, echoing from the prisoner’s mind. Her vision swam, causing her world to teeter out of control.
“Karre? Karre?” Vidar sounded so worried. His arms were around her—safe, secure, forever.
The pain was too much. It radiated all over her. She answered the only thing she could. “I will feed you to my queen.”
—
Vidar gathered Karre into his arms and carried her from the tent. A trail of blood streaked down her cheek from her nose. She didn’t move, but he’d heard her last words clearly.
I will feed you to my queen.
The words chilled him. He’d seen the blank look in her eyes, heard the desperate pain in her voice. Why had he let her convince him to do this? What if the Caniba’s thoughts didn’t leave her? What if she went crazy? He should have asked more questions about the device. She’d made it seem so harmless, as if she’d done it a thousand times.
“Grab the lady’s bag,” Vidar ordered the guard. “Send Lance to my tent.”
As Vidar carried his wife toward his usual tent, he saw a couple of men coming out of it. He nodded, knowing they hadn’t been given much warning about their leader’s arrival. Rushing her inside, he laid her down on the narrow bed.
The redheaded Lance appeared holding a device much like the ones Karre had. “Step back, Sir Vidar. I will scan her.”
Vidar hesitated, but finally stepped back to let the medic work. “What is that thing?”
“Lady Lilith retrieved this handheld scanner for us from a medical plane and gave it to me at the Fire Ceremony. It was used on Lord Sorin’s battle injuries and even his scars were removed. Lady Lilith trained me how to use it. If my report to the king is favorable, we’ll be able to trade for more. Already it has saved lives, mended bones, broken fevers.” Lance lifted the unit over his unmoving wife. “What happened?”
“She was injured by alien technology.” Vidar’s gut tightened. “Let us hope she can be saved by it.”
—
My queen!
Karre gasped, pressing her temple. The echoing demands of the Caniba prisoner’s memories screamed in her head, filling her with a desperate ache, and she’d only glimpsed into the man’s brain. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to actually be drugged into submitting to Sorceress Magda’s will.
“Karre?” Vidar whispered, concerned.
She blinked, trying to push the feelings aside. Her eyes focused on his handsome face. “I’m all right.” Karre reached for him, holding onto his shoulders. “Come here. I need to feel something warm.” After the coldness of the Caniba, it was true. “I need you.”
She barely registered their surroundings, not caring that the voices of knights sounded outside their tent. Vidar captured and held her attention. Cream instantly pooled along her folds, wetting her sex.
Karre took a deep breath, realizing her corset had been loosened while she was passed out. She moved on the bed, liking the way the stiff material brushed her nipples, caressing them with each hurried breath.
“You had me worried,” he said, his hand on her hip inching up her skirt. His eyes drifted over her length to briefly pause on her chest before again meeting her gaze. “Promise me you are done and that you will leave the fighting to me from now on.”
“I promise no such thing,” she whispered. Karre smiled at him, moving gently along his body as he settled against her. She reached for her skirt, pulling it up faster so that she could freely move her legs. Desire and passion built, coursing through her until she thought she might explode with the intensity of it. Then she set to work on his breeches, tugging the laces at his waist. Her hand slid next to his arousal. “Mm, you’re so warm. I ache for you. Come here.”
“Are you sure you’re well?” Vidar glanced at the tent flap, as if he expected someone to walk in.
“No. I know I am not.” Karre squirmed, parting her legs. Her body tingled, each nerve alive. “I need you inside me, warrior. Now.” She licked her lips, keeping them parted.
“Whatever my lady wishes.” His body shifted and he lifted over her, settling between her thighs. She shoved his breeches down his hips, freeing him enough to allow their bodies access. He slid his hand down her side. “I am powerless against you.”
The thick tip of his cock probed her pussy, gliding along her slit before finding aim. He thrust into her. Her heartbeat quickened, pounding in her chest. She inhaled deeply.
He took her slow and sweet, letting her feel every agonizing moment. When she was with him, everything else faded away. She breathed in his scent, felt the press of his body, the warmth of his nearness, the taste of his kiss.
Karre angled her hips, silently urging him to go faster. He gave her what she wanted, driving forward, sliding, pounding, harder and faster. She gasped, desperate to find her release.
She bit her lip, moaning loudly as she reached her climax. The muscles of her pussy quivered, gripping his cock as he buried himself deep. Vidar shuddered, letting loose a loud groan as he came. Karre giggled, not caring who heard them.
“I love you, my lady,” Vidar whispered, lying next to her on the small bed.
Karre smiled and closed her eyes. A sudden shot of pain went through her and she gasped, grabbing her head. Flashes came to her, dark and twisted. Vidar’s voice was far away, but she heard his panic. She felt the brush of stone against her hand, damp and c
old. Blinking hard, she said, “I know where the queen lives.”
—
Vidar didn’t like taking his wife with him past the borderlands into Caniba land, but they needed her implanted visions to find their way through the twisted maze of stone and forest. And navigate she did, leading them through the countryside as if she were native to the land. He worried about her, saw the faded light in her eyes right before she told them where to go.
“This is it,” Karre whispered, pointing toward the sound of running water. She lay on the ground next to him and the small contingency of knights with them. Thick shrubs hid them from the Caniba. Aside from the plant life, the forest seemed dead, devoid of even the smallest of animals. The only sound beyond the wind was the low hum of insects. “She lives behind the waterfall. I don’t know what’s past there, but she’ll be there.”
Vidar nodded. “You have done well, my lady. Now it is time for you to go.”
“What?” Her rounded eyes looked into his. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I won’t fight about this now. You’ve done well and brought great honor to our name. You showed us the way. Now I need you back in the safety of the encampment.” Vidar knew before she even opened her mouth that she would argue with him. He nodded to Oskar. The man, having his orders, took Lance’s handheld medic unit and pressed it against Karre’s arm. Her mouth opened but only a soft wheeze sounded as she passed out.
“My lady will not be happy when she wakes up,” Oskar said.
“But she’ll be safe,” Vidar answered. “I’m entrusting you to take her to the marsh encampment.”
Oskar nodded, gathering Karre into his arms. Vidar waited several minutes, giving them time to get away before turning his attention back to the waterfall. He’d miss Oskar’s sword and knew the man gave up much in turning away from the battle to protect a lady. But Oskar, like all Starians, knew the importance of such a task. To the three remaining knights he said, “At the ready, men. In there lies a great victory to this war.”
Taking Karre Page 17