by D. R. Rosier
“I expect you will explain things to my father, but give him this for me will you? It has my own thoughts on it all, and will tell him what he needs to know, about things that you won’t be able to answer.”
He nodded and said, “I will. Good luck Anton, we will be back to visit before you know it.”
They all said goodbye to Anton, and gave Nicole a few minutes in privacy with her brother before leaving. It felt good to run again at such a high speed and he enjoyed the adrenaline rush. He would have to figure out a way to find an excuse to do so more often. Although he was sure he would be tired of it after a few days. It had to be exhausting for Nora and Sally as well, but he kept them restored more or less constantly. Just their small group didn’t take too much out of him.
He still wasn’t sure what they would do about the altar and Ares. He had strong feelings what he had done last time wouldn’t work, and it didn’t feel like a pessimistic worry, it felt more like the morning he had awoken with that bad feeling. Eventually though, he stopped focusing on it, the answer not coming to him, so he let it settle in the back of his mind.
What he felt wasn’t exactly a new feeling either, he had known for a while it wouldn’t work. At first he had just ignored the feeling, choosing instead to focus on the immediate problem of Riese and his army. With that behind him, and only five days until they confronted it, maybe six if they spent a day with Nicole’s father, it became his focus.
He wondered if maybe the books currently sealed up with the stone altar would reveal a way, perhaps he could get in the room and back out and look for another way. He continued to let his mind work on the problem though, he wouldn’t depend on that being the answer.
The one thing he hated about this form of travel was it made it impossible to hold any meaningful conversation, though he did have a really nice view of Katrina’s and Sara’s sexy asses. Shallow perhaps, but something to distract his mind. For him, most of the time, new ideas happened when he wasn’t focused on the problem and just let it simmer in the back of his mind.
Something did occur to him, but it wasn’t very helpful for dealing with Ares. It was all the other things that had been bothering him. Things that he hadn’t had time to really think through. The fact there were humans on this world. The half truths Celia the high priestess had told in her story. The books of forbidden knowledge written in Latin…
Perhaps the goddess did come to this world a couple of thousand years ago, if that were true, maybe she didn’t come alone. Could she have come with her devout followers? Maybe those devout followers had texts and books about the other gods, and demons. But why hide that?
He sighed, he would probably never know the full truth, but he was pretty sure the ancestors of the people on this world were from Earth. Nothing else really made sense to him, although he had to admit he had huge gaps in his knowledge. Maybe there was another way to explain it, but it felt right to him. As for why they came here he would never know.
The animals were further proof. Deer, rabbits, tigers, birds, and many other animals that could be found on earth were here as well. Even if as unlikely as it was, there was some kind of convergent evolution that created humans here, the idea of adding other animals to that was absurd.
It was an odd concept, the Greek gods were real, perhaps they all left earth at the same time for different worlds? He never did pay much attention during English class when they went over Greek mythology and was regretting that now. He was burning with curiosity about it. Still, if he had to die before he could get answers to the reason why, he was more than happy to delay the learning of it.
They stopped for lunch at one of the villages, none of them were very into the idea of eating trail rations or even having to cook. After the long hard run they just wanted to relax a bit before continuing for the rest of the day. They stopped at a tavern and ate in the common room.
He said after trying the meat, “This isn’t all that bad, good really.”
Nora asked, “Where you expecting it to be bad?”
He shrugged, “They don’t have much, between taxes and then Riese stripping the villages as he passed…”
Katrina pointed out, “True, but they can still hunt for more meat, it will be the winter they’ll have trouble with, unless they can get another harvest in before then.”
Nicole said softly, “My brother won’t let them starve; if he can’t supply aid from the kingdom’s food stores he’ll contact my father for help.”
They talked about Egeria, and how long the country would take to recover from recent events for the rest of the meal before heading out. The people there seemed wary, but friendly enough, and they didn’t have any problems…
*
Katrina happily hunted for dinner as the others set up the tent. They had planned to stop at a village again, but when it started to get dark they realized they wouldn’t quite make it, so stopped instead. By the end of tomorrow they would be back in Abelaweth and a good ways towards the capitol.
She didn’t mind, a hunt is just what she needed to settle her nerves. She was still happy, not having to worry about warriors taking her magic any longer. This is how she was meant to be. She was concerned about what was coming, but an altar was a nebulous threat, something she couldn’t sink her claws, or teeth into. She also had faith that her mate would figure things out.
She caught a few rabbits, skinned them, and headed back for their camp. Nicole had already gathered wood and had a good fire going, she skewered the meat and hung them over the waiting fire. They were all hungry from the energy expended in their run and looked forward to a good meal.
*
Nora felt herself relaxing as well. Her stress over the last two weeks and more was slowly releasing. She realized they still had a god to deal with, but strangely that didn’t stress her out as much as the idea of assassins or enemy soldiers attacking. Those were her concerns, there was nothing she could do about their remaining problem, except trust that Justin would take care of it as he had last time.
She still trained with Trina that night though, it wouldn’t hurt to develop her other skills despite having her magic to depend on again…
Chapter 14
Justin got a little worried over the next two days of travel. When he had faced the dark god, the answer had come at the last minute, just seconds from death. If at all possible he wanted a plan before going in this time. Last time he hadn’t really known what to expect at all, this time, he knew it would be a fight for his life.
He just couldn’t figure out an answer. If giving his free will away to have a goddess work directly through him wouldn’t be enough, than what would be? The power he had felt that day was beyond his comprehension, how could he possibly make a difference to that?
He should be worried about normal things, like how to be a good father, and how to keep his mates happy. But he wouldn’t shy from his responsibility. He was a little scared that he would let his goddess down, there had to be a way, he just didn’t know what it was.
At the end of their third day of travel, they were close to the city but decided to spend the night at their home instead, and go visit the king in the morning. The building seemed undisturbed but he checked all the rooms anyway, made sure no squatters had moved in during their absence.
Katrina and Sara got to work in the kitchen on their evening meal while Sally used the cleaning spells to remove all the dust and stale air, refreshing their sheets and bedding. Nora cut up some wood and Nicole helped carry it in and light it, getting one of the stoves ready for their cooks.
He smiled, it felt like coming home. Sally came in and sat on his lap, snuggling her nose into his neck and shoulder. This place, and Sally in his lap reminded him why he was doing what he was doing. He had to find a way to destroy the altar, keep his family free and their world free from that influence. He was also doing it for his goddess, he owed her his life, and so much more, he truly would do anything she asked of him.
Sally kissed him, then got up an
d started to set the table in the kitchen. In a short time they all enjoyed a meal together, for tonight, in their own little world, alone with their family…
*
Nicole stepped into her father’s suite wondering how he took what Justin told him. They had been closeted for a couple of hours. Her first impression of his mood was resigned, it really was a good idea to get a hold of Egeria, but she knew it would cause complications for her father. Still, she thought the new problems were a good tradeoff to stop the raiding and even the suffering of the people in Egeria under a brutal rule.
She gave him a familial hug and sat down at his gesture.
He said without preamble, “I never wanted another woman after your mother. I don’t know if you remember, but I even tried when you were younger. I couldn’t help but compare, and it was also hard to discern if a woman actually cared for me, or if she simply wanted to be queen.
“With your brother out of the picture now, ruling in Egeria… I feel I don’t have a choice, and will pursue it again, perhaps enough time has passed. In the interim however, I have officially named your child my heir, male or not, until I do my duty and produce another son. Cytherea willing, there will be a woman out there fool enough to want your old man.”
She smiled, “I’m sure there is father, and if you want to weed out the social climbers, feel free to throw a large ball and invite us. I’m sure Sara would be happy to help you out that way.”
He grinned conspiratorially, “That is an ingeniously sneaky idea daughter, and will put my mind at ease. I’m glad you were paying attention growing up. I’ll set something up for a few weeks from now. Hopefully everything will settle down by then.”
They talked for a while longer until duty pulled her father away, she returned to the guest suites in high spirits. It looked like her and her father wouldn’t take too long to redefine their relationship after all.
She and the others could tell Justin was concerned and bothered, so they sat him down, and with wheedling and threats got the whole story from him. He had never shared with them before, what it had taken, the way he sacrificed his free will and put his life on the line for the goddess. Apparently if he did that again it wouldn’t be enough, and it didn’t take her long to figure out the answer, and realize why he hadn’t yet.
When she explained her idea, he hadn’t liked it very much. In fact he argued about it vociferously. She got why of course, and although she was a little angry at his stance, her and the other ladies decided to let him think about it for a while. There was no point in arguing about it, at least, not yet. She would give him the time he needed, within reason.
Dinner came and they dropped the subject completely as they ate…
*
Sally stretched, displaying herself decadently, her body was pleasantly sore from last hour spent with her mate. She laughed when Justin took the opportunity to both tickle her, and suckle one of her nipples. She moaned as her nipple tightened, delighted her bait had worked so well.
She loved how he worshipped her body with his eyes, mouth, tongue and fingertips. It was only fair after all, she couldn’t get enough of his either. He didn’t disappoint, she sighed in pleasure as she felt his mushroom head enter her eager velvety center, filling her completely as he drove deep within her limber and supple body.
She moved her legs around and up, so she was pinned beneath him. She smiled up at him while reaching under her own ass, which was hovering over the bed as she was held up by her legs on his shoulders. She started to tease his balls, gently rolling them in her fingers.
“Goddess Justin! You’re so deep.” Demandingly she said, “I want more of your cum in me, fuck me hard, fill my needy pussy with your baby batter.”
She gasped and pinched her own nipple with her other hand as she rose quickly to orgasm. His long thick pole stretching her as he pounded deeply into her needy body over and over again. She was delirious with the pleasure of her mate using her body so roughly. He had a lot of stamina after already cumming twice and drilled into her without mercy as she was brought to bliss over and over.
She loved Justin but this was primal, a hard and fast coupling out of lust and barely controlled passion. She encouraged him to fill her again when she felt him start to expand within her, and his balls tightened and slightly raised off her fingertips.
She loved having the power to make him lose control, and it got her off so well every time he did. They cuddled and kissed, her body felt used and sore, and she was sated and quite content, for now…
*
Justin was trying to figure out another way as they moved through Uleni, but was pinned by the logic of Nicole’s argument yesterday. He also knew he was on thin ice, but it was one thing to risk his life for his family and goddess, it was another to risk his and his mates’ lives. It should work, but if it doesn’t they would all die.
He just couldn’t wrap his head around that risk.
There was another more practical issue with the plan, while they were taking care of the altar both he and his mates would be fully occupied. He was glad they had a truce and a starting peace with Uleni, but he wasn’t sure he trusted them with his unprotected back. If they could get rid of him their dreams of world conquest, that he had basically forced them to abandon, would be that much more reachable.
He had no doubt Trina would defend them, but against a couple of mages she really wouldn’t be able to in his opinion. Maybe one, if she was fast enough… Either way he didn’t like it, not at all. On the other hand, he was close to getting sent to the doghouse, all of his mates were strong and did not want to be coddled.
He would probably have to give in, if only to respect their right to choose the risk, but he would hate every moment of it. He also realized it was a bit hypocritical, since they had been risking their lives to protect him and each other from mundane threats all along. Of course, they had never been faced with an all or nothing threat before, he knew he needed to calm down or he would start losing it, if he hadn’t already.
They stopped at a village for lunch, their group received a few suspicious stares as they went into the tavern for lunch. The tavern owner seemed reluctant to have them there, but was too afraid to refuse them service. There may have been a treaty in the works and a tentative peace, but that didn’t mean everyone in the kingdom knew about it.
He decided the course of wisdom was to compromise, and said if they couldn’t figure out another way to get things done, they would go with Nicole’s plan. They were about halfway through eating when an older man walked in and stared at the group, then stepped back out. He was worried what that meant and suggested they get out of there.
He wasn’t too worried about anything happening to them, but if they were forced to defend themselves it wouldn’t look good. They were getting up when the older man came back in, this time with ten soldiers.
One of the soldiers said, “Halt! You are under arrest, all of you.”
He furrowed his brow, “The capitol is expecting our return, for what reason do you accost us?”
The soldier glared, “This mage has told us you harbor a witch, you will all be tried and dealt with accordingly.”
He asked carefully, “Did the mage also tell you who I am? Surely if he checked our magic he would know?”
He guessed the mage only bothered to check the ladies, because the blood drained from the mage’s face as he met the old man’s eyes with his.
He smiled coldly, “You might want to talk to him, he clearly knows who I am now. Better late than never.”
What he said made him feel like a pretentious jackass, but it was better than explaining a fight, and perhaps a chase across the kingdom. He worried it may come to that anyway.
The guard looked uneasily at the mage, who seemed incapable of speech right at the moment.
The mage finally bowed low and said, “My apologies Flame of Cytherea,” turning to the soldiers he said, “We must allow the foul witch passage, they are on a mission essential to our survi
val.”
He relaxed slightly as the guards nodded and left the tavern. They watched as the old man glared at Sally again in disgust, as if not quite believing what he was doing, and left.
He sighed. “That was fun, we might as well finish our lunch. We’ll need the energy this afternoon.”
They sat back down and ate quickly, all of them eager to get out of this village. They decided it was probably better not to push their luck and avoid stopping in any more villages. They wouldn’t reach the capitol until tomorrow night, it would be better if they could avoid any incidents.
They got back on the road and moved quickly, putting the town far behind them. It seemed clear to him there was no love lost here in Uleni. Perhaps one day Egeria would be safe but clearly they would need to keep an eye north. Uleni was too set in their ways at the highest levels. When they stopped for the night, set up the tent, and started cooking dinner he brought up his concerns.
“I’m a little worried what will happen once we destroy the altar and the books. I don’t want to borrow trouble, but I have a feeling if it wasn’t for needing me to get rid of the altar, Uleni wouldn’t be quite so tolerant. I wouldn’t be surprised if we broke the altar and found a dagger in our backs.”
Sara said, “I think you are right, they are worried about you. Not all of them, some like Ross and the other mages that were with us simply want to help make things better. But King Luis? I wouldn’t trust him.”
He frowned, if Sara was concerned he knew there was a good reason to worry.
Nicole said, “If we need to, we can fight our way out,” she shrugged, “I don’t think they have the troop strength to take us. Especially when we are in their castle with limited directions to come at us, we could hold them off easily. I think we will be mostly at risk while leaving, in the city.”
He pondered that for a moment, “Okay, how about if Sara thinks they are going to betray us, we will take the secret way out Trina knows, avoiding the city altogether, then run for it. Some of them could keep up, but not enough to truly threaten us I don’t think. The trick will be leaving without setting off a war they can’t win and we don’t want to fight.”