In reality, neither wanted the place by the Emperor’s side, but if they didn’t do as he commanded, they knew they’d soon be joining the unfortunate General. Between them, one forced the General to kneel and the other quickly decapitated the out-of-favor warlord, with one slash of his own sword.
“Excellent,” Vaclav clapped his hands, applauding the performance.“You,” he pointed to the one still clutching the bloodied sword, I’ll have you for now,” he instructed.“Mind that you don’t lie to me,” he added as an afterthought.
These people were so tediously annoying. All of them feared him, he could sense it. And, on top of putting up with them, he had a sister to murder.
“Who, of my warlords, is leading the armies that are attacking the Island of Citheera? What is the ship that he sails upon?”
He looked on at his assembled warlords. Each one of them looked back with fear.
“Fools, I ought to kill you all, you deserve no less, any of you!” he yelled.“See how merciful I am,” he spoke in a quieter voice.“I protect you all and look how you treat me!”
“Yes, my lord,” they all said in unison as if they puppets on a single string.
“The Jolly Jack, my Emperor,” a soldier shouted.“It confronts the island where the Princess Tamara is said to be gathering an army.”
Just the mention of her name sent the Emperor into a furious temper.
“She is no Princess, do you hear me?” he screamed at the messenger.“The next man who calls her that, will suffer my wrath as I remove his tongue.”
None of the men dared to speak. Each one kept their heads bowed and their eyes to the floor.
“I’m going, now, I can’t be wasting time on a journey. Gather the troops, all of them, and march on the rebel territories. They will pay for this day with theirlives, all of them!” He shouted, waving his hands high in the air.“I will personally deal with my beloved sister myself.”
With that he was gone. He was not a Traveler, so needed no archaic words. He knew the layout of the Jolly Jack, he had personally named the ship and had travelled on it himself. All he needed to do was envision where he wanted to go, and he would be transported there in moments.
Chapter 9 Little People
“Would it be imprudent of me to nip back to my world, have pizza and chocolate, and then nip back again?” Tammy asked of Niyol as he lay naked, beside her, in their now temporary camp as they moved towards the coastline.
“I love you Princess Tamara,” he said, looking into her eyes.“But, I’m not flitting about worlds so you can have pizza. Ionia food is good enough for any Princess.”
“Pah,” she almost jokingly spat.“When I find out what my magic is, I’m not going to share it with you,” she said, sulkily.“All I ask is for pizza, is that so hard?”
“Magic is not to be used lightly,” he said, sullenly.“It is to be used cautiously, and not for the sake of a Princess’s dinner.”
“I know,” she admitted.“I just miss my junk food. You have no idea how addictive that stuff is. This is like going cold turkey,” she moaned.
“We have turkey, if you wish,” he said, happy to supply her with a substitute for her pizza.“I can get you cold turkey, though it is tastier warm and freshly cooked.”
“You are a great oaf,” she laughed.“I have no desire for turkey, hot or cold. Tomorrow we will arrive at the coastline and I fear for all of our lives. I know you’re indestructible, but if my brother’s armies have taken over five out of seven islands, then he must be a force to be reckoned with.”
“The Emperor has many mages,” Niyol took on a serious tone.“He uses magic to keep his stronghold and places fear in the hearts of people. You have rallied these people to fight again. They have freedom in sight, and you have given them that by eliminating the fear he placed there. This is our last hope, you must have faith in yourself.”
“How can I, Niyol?” she questioned.“I can’t even find my own magic skills, let alone lead an army.”
“Patience, Princess, you will find your true magic when the time is right, but for now be content with ridding the people of your brother’s curse,” he kissed her as they lay on the floor, stealing a few moments of passion together before the mayhem of battle.“Your own skill will show itself soon enough. Our people follow you because they see in you all that is good about your family. Your parents were good people.”
“So what went wrong with Vaclav then?” she asked, knowing that was a question that no one could answer
Niyol shrugged.
“Bad blood can turn up in the best of families, even Royalty. All we know is he must be stopped. His magic spells eat into people’s minds, makes them weak, believing all hope is lost. Not only that, but he can transport himself in an instant to any part of this land that he has visited before. This is how he wins his battles. We have been unable to stop him.”
“What do you think Niyol? Do you believe he is my blood brother?”
“I can only say that he represents everything evil, and you are the complete opposite. I truly believe that good will be victorious over evil, and when you beat him I will take you back for pizza. We can stay in your world for as long as you like, so long as you promise this will always be your home.”
“My home is wherever you are, Niyol,” she said, resting her head on his broad muscular chest. Listening to his heart beat, her head moved up and down as his chest rose, and fell, with his breathing.“Though I suppose when we have children, I’ll have to settle down,” she added.
“I can think of no better woman to be the mother of my child,” he told her, smiling at the thought of making babies, and having the tiny feet of little people running around. Yes, that would be perfect, to combine his love with hers, and create life, to continue their legacy.
He reached forward and pressed his lips to hers, the kiss long was deep and passionate. Tammy could feel her juices starting to flow and knew that she needed this man inside of her, tonight, tomorrow they may all be dead.
She pushed him over onto his back, her hands going straight for his erection, hot and throbbing in her fingers. Now she had it in her hands, she realized how big he was and was surprised he hadn't hurt her when they had made love. She straddled him, guiding his member, laying the tip against her opening and just for a moment reveling in the feeling of the touch of his glans against her labia. Then, she pressed her hips back and completely engulfed him inside of her. Both of them cried out their desire as they rode together in perfect unison, his hands on her breasts, teasing her nipples with his fingers and increasing her arousal levels even further. Their love making was slower this time, they both wanted to fully enjoy the sensations of their coupling. Their thrusting less frantic, more loving than lustful, as they rode together on a tide of love and passion.
Her orgasm, this time, was slower to build. Neither of them were in any rush, but when it came, it was still as powerful, thundering through her and sending jolts of pleasure coursing through her body. Again, in unison, they reached release at the same time, but this time more subdued in their outpouring of passion, perhaps weighing heavily on their mind the following days date with destiny.
Afterwards they lay together, Tammy still straddling Niyol as he gently stroked her hair.
Chapter 10 Traitor is Your Name
The people rejoiced, even though they were surrounded by the Emperor’s ships. The Princess was arriving this day and she would save them from her tyrant brother. She was bringing a new army with her to prevent the cruel Emperor from taking over their lands. Princess Tamara was their savior.
As she rode next to her bodyguard, the cheering crowds made her nervous. It was true that she had managed to rally the people’s hopes, but that was only because of their faith in her parents. As she drew nearer to the battle, she had an ominous feeling that she would not be able to save them. What did the elders think she was going to do? Even Niyol believed that she had some trick up her sleeve.
Fearing that this day would only bring
with it the massacre of these people on this island, she rode on with a heavy heart.
The road to the harbor was thronged with people surrounding them as they rode down to see the attacking fleet, where her brother awaited her. It had been arranged for them to parley on neutral ground on a small fishing boat not far off shore. As she approached the docks she could see the boat out near the harbor entrance.
She boarded the simple vessel that would take her to him, Niyol by her side was all she needed. They left the loud cheering behind as they set off to the meeting with the Emperor, her brother. She wondered if she should trust this meeting, was it a trap? She had Niyol by her side but was she just leading him into danger too? If her brother was as powerful as these people believed, then they both may perish here today.
The smell of the sea air and the wind on her face felt good, calming her nerves and somehow pushing aside her doubts. She liked the weather, all elements of it, sun, rain, wind and snow. She had always loved the feeling of whatever kind of day it was, in her modern world, weather felt so good on her skin.
As they neared the rendezvous she could see a single figure stood on the deck of a boat. At last, there he was, and she was not impressed. He was not an old man, but nor was he a youth. Yet he carried his body like a young man. As they stood opposite each other, she could see the hatred in his eyes.
“Sister,” he said, greeting her with the one word.“You are as beautiful as I have heard, I only hope you are also wise,” he threatened.
“I cannot call you brother, as you don’t feel like a beloved brother,” she dared say to him.
He laughed at her.
“Nor can I call you Emperor,” she interrupted his laughter,“you are not my Emperor as I don’t have one,” she said, honestly.“I will simply call you traitor, and murderer,” she finished, not wanting this meeting to linger on.
A deathly silence surrounded her, as those who could hear awaited the response of the Emperor. He looked at her and laughed again.
“Such a shame that our first meeting should end in your death, and with it all the hopes of these foolish people gathered here. I shall kill you this day, sister,” he informed her.“Then you will not need to call me anything, as you will be no more.”
With that he turned to go, but before he left he mumbled something under his breath and a dark ominous mood fell over her.
“I leave you a gift, sister, I wish for you to see the people cower before me, before I kill you. I have cast the same spell that I cast on all of the islands, and I have you to thank for that. I have never been able to get so close to Citheera to enable me to enchant them fully, but now thanks to you, they will soon fall under my thumb. Observe, as your people all cower under my rule. Watch them,” he said, waving his hand at the island.“When you return I think you will find that you are, once again, alone.”
Chapter 11 Discovery of Magic
True to his word, the people had lost all hope as she returned to the island. His spell was spreading like a disease as she watched even the soldiers backing away. The people were leaving, they did not wish to battle any more.
She turned to view the ships as they neared the harbor. This was it, this was how he simply took ahold of the people and its lands. It must use much of his energy to keep this evil deed going. Anger began to boil within her as she saw the self-same people, who only an hour ago were joyous and hopeful, become fearful and were now running. The elders remained unscathed by his spell, but what use would the old be in battle. Even Niyol remained untouched, yet he could not fight a battle single handedly, but she could.
Yes, she knew now what she had to do. It was clear in her mind, so much so, that she wondered why she had ever been uncertain. The image of her parents came to mind, smiling over a new born baby girl, her. The kindness of her father’s face, the love in her mother’s eyes. For the first time in her life, she knew who she was, and what she was capable of.
Now, it was time for revenge. She would rid this world of the evil Emperor, and no one would mourn.
Niyol watched as his lover stood and raised her arms with an ethereal glow around her body, she emanated a power that had never been witnessed before. As she did so, the very air changed, the atmosphere felt heavy and clammy on his skin. The skies yellowed and black clouds suddenly covered the previously clear blue skies. The angry clouds surrounded the ships as lightening shot out of her raised fingers and into the darkened skies. He knew then what she was, and he knew that she would win this day. She was a Weather Mage, she could control the very seas, the skies, and the air within the world. It had been said that such mages were only myth, yet here he witnessed one, first hand.
She stood on the harbor and controlled the skies. The waves began to rise, but not a single drop of water touched her body. The people witnessed their Princess as she crashed the waves into the Emperor’s ships, and he was powerless to stop her. His magic to control the minds of the weak would be of no use, with the forces of the elements crashing against his fleet. Niyol stood in the rain and rejoiced as he was drenched by the winds that howled around the harbor. Yet still, she stood in pure sunlight as she sank each and every ship, saving her brother’s until last. The people stood on the cliffs and watched in awe as the Emperor’s ship was risen in to the air by a huge maelstrom, and then it was spun around and around, until it smashed into millions of small pieces that fell across the sea. The Emperor was gone. Princess Tamara was truly their savior, how could they ever have doubted her?
She collapsed onto the ground as the winds died down and the rains ended. The dark clouds dispersed instantly and the sun reached everywhere, hot rays cast a warm glow over the assembled people. Niyol rushed to her, bending down as he scooped her into his arms, before chanting his well versed words.
The people witnessed her body guard lifting their leader from the ground, they gasped as they suddenly saw them disappear into thin air.
***
Tammy awoke to the aroma of pizza. As she breathed in the wonderful smell of pepperoni and cheese, she could hear the television playing an animated film, one of her favorites. Lifting her head, she saw that Niyol was in the kitchen, singing along to the movie.
She stood, her legs a little shaky, as she made her way to the kitchen and stood by his side. As soon as he saw her, he grabbed her in his strong arms, and swung her around and around.
“You did it, by the gods you did it. The Emperor is no more, and the people are free.”
“What about your world, Niyol, shouldn’t we be there celebrating?”
“Our world, Princess Tamara, or should I say Queen Tamara? No, we are on holiday, leave it to the politicians to sort out the mess. We will be home soon enough. For now we have all the pizza we can eat, and you should see the supply of chocolate I have for you.”
She leaned her head on his strong shoulder, she loved pizza and chocolate, but most of all, she loved Niyol.
THE END
Taken by the Alpha Alien
Leela Ash
Copyright ©2016 by Leela Ash. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 1
Kylie Parker woke up with a start. The batteries to her alarm clock had died some time during the night, and she had worked a double shift the night before and slept very deeply. That meant that she was late to work. She groaned in frustration and dressed as quickly as she possibly could, imagining the unfriendly face of her boss, who seemed to be looking for any excuse to chew her out. The woman was awful, and Kylie groaned as she grabbed her
car keys. It would take a miracle to avoid being reprimanded and she was worried that she was all out of luck.
She finally made it to work and ran to her cubicle. She had a well-paying job, and didn't know what she would do if she were to lose it. Unfortunately, as soon as she arrived, she was summoned into her boss's office. When she sat down in front of Nancy's desk, Nancy scowled at her. She had a feeling that she knew what was coming, but she held her breath and waited to hear for sure.
“This is a crucial time for the company, we are experiencing an opportunity for growth. And as I'm sure you know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. I can't have anybody screwing that up for us right now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go. Your performance has been lackluster, and punctuality is extremely critical. I'm sure you understand. Have your desk cleared out by noon today.”
Kylie opened her mouth to protest, but the words seemed stuck behind a barrier. There was nothing more she could say to this woman, and anything else out of her mouth would just seem vile. It was better to leave with dignity than to throw a fit, so Kylie stood and walked away. Nancy would have a hard time finding anybody else to work double shifts when she needed it, and that wasn't something that Kylie needed to deal with anymore.
Losing her job had many consequences. She thought them all over as she packed her desk up. Her mortgage was coming up, and due quickly, and if she wasn't careful her payments would quickly pile up. She could lose everything. She figured with her savings she should be set for the first couple of months, but after that there was nothing that she could do except sell the summer home that she had inherited to make ends meet. If nothing else, she could live there and give up the mortgage on her house. It would give her a small safety net until she was able to find something better for herself. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing that she worked for anybody else, and angry that Nancy would overlook all of her hard work over some obscure personal grudge against her.
A Baby For the Outlaw Collection: Biker Romance Box Set Bundle (BBW Pregnancy Bad Boy MC Club Romance) (Contemporary Motorcycle Mega Pack Anthology Short Stories) Page 82