Sacrifice

by Underwood, Patrick

  It was my turn to nod. Useful information to have. We really needed a better plan than following the feeling I had.

  We got to the top of the outcropping after an hour of hiking. “Alright, keep your head down and stay here. I am going to crawl over to the ledge and peek down the mountainside. I will be in sight of you the whole time.”

  “Okay,” she said, and I noticed she was picking up some of my words.

  I pushed myself up onto the rock, and slowly crawled my way to the ledge, creeping forward. When I finally got to the edge my view was spectacular, able to see for several miles down the valley.

  “Crap,” I said as I saw the valley below.

  I stayed there for several minutes, letting my eyes pick up on movement throughout the valley that branched off in several directions through many passes in the mountains.

  Eventually, I pushed myself back to where Tyla sat against the rocks.

  “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

  “I… I don't know, one sounds horrible without the other and I am not sure what would make me feel better first.”

  “Uh, it's kind of a rhetorical question, anyway. I will go with the bad first. There are at least three search parties out there. I saw a couple of campfires which look like base camps too.”

  “Oh, gods!” She blurted out but covered her mouth instantly.

  “There is some good news though, there are so many passes going through this jagged mountain that they will still have a tough time finding us, I saw several parties going into the wrong passes. So, it doesn't look like they picked up our trail.”

  She seemed to relax at this.

  “But that means we need to pick up our speed, they will eventually see one of our camping spots and figure out which way we went. So, we are going to jog hard every day with lots of walking breaks and see if we can't break off somewhere on the other side of these mountains or something.”

  “What do I need to do?”

  “Just keep up, if you need a break, we will slow down, but we are going to keep up a hell of a pace while also doing what we can to break up a trail.”

  “I'm… I'm scared Derrick.”

  I reached over to her, putting my arm around her. It was really feeling right to hold her like this… almost like Jessica felt. A pang of sadness rocked my chest for a minute before I put that back in its bottle. “I know, I won't let them get to you, promise.”

  She sniffled and nodded. “I believe you.”

  I smiled, hoping I hadn’t just lied to her.

  Then we started running.

  10

  The Den of Sex and Evil

  “State your business,” the guard said to the man that approached.

  “Seir summoned me, Edmund Stern reporting.”

  The guard nodded and opened the door. “You are expected.”

  Stern noticed the strange glyph on the guard's forehead that looked like an upside-down triangle with one point dead center inside a circle. The guard used to be one of the Matriarch's personal guards; the mark was new.

  As he walked in, he was almost shocked at what happened to the former receiving room of the Matriarch of Blackrun. The smell of the room was nothing but sex and depravity, if he was to give words to it.

  The once august hall was now a den of people having sex or watching it. A man sat on the throne with two women servicing him in front of the entire court, of whom lined the walls. Every single man and woman not engaged in the pleasures had one of those glyphs on their foreheads and stood against the walls, waiting to be summoned while watching the… entertainments that were available.

  Other women were present as well, several he did not know or could not see their faces, but the rest were ones he identified as Chosen. None of these women appeared to have the mark on their head. The few he recognized either had a power dampening collar on their necks while chained to one of the myriads of sexual looking torture stations or, the ones without collars, were busy giving pleasure to another of their ilk from a mound of pillows built on the side of the room.

  The contrast was clear, if you joined the new regime, you were treated well. If you did not, well, things were not in your control.

  He then noticed a regal woman who sat in the smaller throne next to the man being pleasured. She was someone he had only heard of in his service to the Matriarch… or at least the former Matriarch of Blackrun.

  Speaking of the former matriarch, Stern sighted the woman tied up on two crossed wooden boards in the shape of an 'X'. She was directly in front and facing the two new sovereigns, her hands tied above her head and her feet tied to the bottom so that they spread apart and displayed her intimate parts to all the world. Her head hung low, and she had a gag in her mouth and collar on her neck. She was obviously the prominent display in the room.

  Stern became guarded, but she approached the man on the throne, took a knee and bowed.

  “I am Stern, my liege, reporting as ordered.”

  “Ah, the tracker, I have heard good things about your skills,” Seir said. His smile never left his face as one of the beautiful women shoved her mouth down on his cock repeatedly from his side. Her red ponytail bobbing back and forth from the motion, sharing the duty with the other, younger woman who focused her tongue on the base of his shaft and his balls. “My darling wife says you were one of the best in the territory.”

  Seir turned his head over to the woman in the other chair, lifting his arm to show he was speaking of her.

  “The Matriarch of Nitre is most kind,” Stern said and bowed his head to her, trying to avoid looking directly at the two topless women servicing his new lord.

  The matriarch smiled at him, her solid black shoulder length hair encasing her face. The smile was more suited to that of a predator than a woman. “You have served my former lover and friend well over the years and she has spoken well of you until we had our… falling out last year. Haven't you my dear?” Josephina asked.

  A moan came from the woman on the crossed boards. She lifted her head and eyed Stern as if begging for help and his heart felt sadness when he saw her, but he would survive and do what he must.

  “I was a… slave to the former matriarch, nothing more,” he said. Any hope left in her fled at his words, her expression became one of hopelessness and tears began misting at her face.

  He felt shame… but did not want to end up dead either.

  “You see!” Josephina said. “Oh, my dear Patricia, you have no love from those you led, no one left to save you. What remains of your army will soon succumb to our forces when we catch up to them. Your precious daughter will not escape us for long. Just give in to Seir's demands and all the suffering can end, we can even be lovers again.”

  Josephina got up from her chair and walked over to her former friend, standing right in front of her. “The pleasures are surely worth more than the suffering you are enduring now. Look how happy Miranda is!” She pointed over to the older yet still extremely attractive red-headed woman with Seir's cock down deep in her throat. Her large breasts rocked back and forth as she licked and sucked on him. “Tell her.”

  The former Matriarch of Riven Hold stopped her work and removed her mouth from Seir’s phallus; the sound of an audible pop, as her lips released his head, was heard throughout the chamber. The girl sucking the bottom of Seir's shaft took over at the top without missing a beat, exposing him to open air for only a second.

  “I… was wrong to fight it,” Miranda said, wiping drool and pre-cum from her mouth. “I have never been as complete as I am right now. Give in Patricia, accept Lord Seir as your master and you can join me.”

  “What do you say, Patricia?” Josephina asked, reaching up and removing the gag from Patricia's mouth.

  Patricia's eyes teared, and she shook her head. “I… Can't… won't let—”

  Her words cut off when Josephina placed the gag ball in her mouth. “Not yet, my dear Patricia… but soon.”

  She walked back to her throne smiling and sat down,
spreading her legs wide she said, “Come here Miranda!”

  Miranda jumped up to her feet and hurried over to Josephina, kneeling in front of the woman. The Matriarch of Nitre then hiked up her dress and exposed herself to all those present, “Begin,” Josephina said.

  Miranda bent forward and started lapping at the soaking folds in front of her. Josephina closed her eyes and soon started a light moan. “Mmm, you do that so wonderfully, my dear. If you are a good girl, I may even let you pleasure yourself later.”

  “Mmm hmmm” Miranda mumbled and nodded, going faster and more aggressively, putting her face as far into the woman's crotch as she could go. Josephina put the top of her dress over the woman's head, covering it, and glanced over at Seir. “Thank you for this gift, husband. She is a wonderful treat.”

  “I give generously to those who serve me well and you were the first to join me of your own free will. You will always have a place at my side.” He reached over to grasp her hand, so both of the rulers were being serviced by a woman's mouth as they held hands.

  Seir's focus then turned back to Stern. “You… Stern, was it?”

  Stern nodded, still on his knee, completely at a loss to the situation that was going on about him. He did not want to be there but could not leave either.

  “You are familiar with the former matriarch of Blackrun's daughter, yes?”

  “Yes lord. I have been a… servant to the family for years.”

  “If I asked you to hunt her down, would you take the job?”

  “Yes lord, I… have no love for this family, they treated the men like servants even at the best of times and I was no different.” He hoped they believed the lie.

  “Good. For me to hire you for this most important task, I would need an oath of loyalty from you. Are you prepared to take it?”

  Stern thought for only a moment, he never had a problem with Tyla. She was always nice to him, and he had a history with her mother that was kept hidden from most. He would do what he had to do though, so he nodded. “Yes, My lord.”

  “Come forward.”

  Stern got up and approached the throne, the woman servicing Seir did not move even as he was almost standing over her, she went about her task of swallowing the man deep. She was a blond girl he felt was familiar based on the part of her face he could see, her negligee bottoms revealing a curvy ass and her perky breasts were exposed.

  She never stopped bobbing up and down.

  Seir reached his hand out and placed it on Stern's forehead. “Do you swear to serve me in all tasks for as long as I have need of you?”

  Stern hesitated, not sure what was going on. “I… I do.”

  A pain erupted through his forehead, it felt like someone seared a cattle brand onto it. “Ahhhhhhhhhhh,” Stern yelled and collapsed to the ground.

  He moaned for several minutes before the pain finally receded. No one came to aid him or check on him. As it finally receded, he felt a leaden weight settle over his soul as he reached up and felt his forehead. A scab had formed where the burning sensation came from, he rushed over to the nearby water basin and looked down at his face.

  A symbol, just like the other servants in the room, had been burned into his forehead. Stern now understood what it meant, as the knowledge flooded directly into him.

  “Yes, Stern,” Seir said, not looking at him anymore, but down at the woman still sucking his cock. “You are mine too, but not like Susan here.”

  He shoved her mouth all the way down and held it until she gagged before releasing her. She coughed once then went back to going up and down on him.

  “Mmm, well done, Susan. I am glad I chose you as well,” he said to the woman before glancing up at Stern, who was panicking. “Fear not, I dislike the men of your species in that way. Instead, you will do my bidding in other ways. While those like Susan will service my… baser needs. I love having flesh and blood again. It had been so long that I had forgotten what the pleasures of the flesh felt like, and now I find myself rather enjoying them.”

  He pushed her head back down all the way, a grunt escaping his lips as he climaxed into the back of her throat. When he finally released her, she collapsed at his side, swallowing his gift and gasping for breath.

  “Thank you, my lord.” Susan got out after a couple of breaths.

  Seir returned his focus back to Stern, not even bothering to pull up his trousers. “You will track down Patricia's daughter and bring her to me unharmed. I have promised her to one of my lieutenants for services he provided. Do not fail me.”

  Stern no longer had a choice. He knew without a doubt that any attempt at rebellion would equal pain he did not want to experience. “Yes lord. But she is a witch. How will I deal with her powers?”

  Seir snapped his fingers and pointed at Susan, who was still wiping the contents that had escaped off her lips and licking it off her fingers. “You knew Tyla, did you not?”

  She finished licking and looked up at Seir. “Yes, my lord, I was her roommate and best friend before I agreed to serve and service you,” she said proudly.

  “Excellent, go with them. Your power over fire should be enough to counter her.”

  “Yes, my lord, I was much stronger than she was, and she was more comfortable as a healer than in combat.” She got on her knees in front of Seir. “Would you like me to clean you off before I leave?” Stern noticed she did not put her shirt back on and her large breasts bounced from her giddiness as she spoke.

  “No,” Seir said and looked over at Patricia. “I think I will have a volunteer for that after you leave. Now, go with Stern and give him a counter to anything she might do. Stern, take command of some of the mercenary rabble I hired to find her. I need most of my army to finish the last of Patricia's before I can move south and consolidate. That is all the support you will get.”

  “I will see it done, my lord.” Stern said and stood, waiting for Susan to put on her clothing and join him.

  I could hear a sob from the woman on the wooden cross.

  “Do you fear for your daughter, Patricia?” Seir said.

  Patricia did not make a noise but tears now flowed from her face freely.

  “I can make things easier for her… transition if you agree to join my bed. It could even convince me to find another for my lieutenant and have her join us. Would you like that?”

  Stern could tell that Patricia's will was about to break. She shook her head, but he did not see any real fight left in her actions. Susan stood next to him, now fully dressed in a silk shirt that amplified her large breasts, and skin-tight pants that hugged her ass.

  “Let's go,” he said and walked for the door, hating himself for the decision he just made, but knowing he had no choice but to carry it out now.

  11

  Discoveries

  We slowly skulked through the woods, following the grunting sounds. It had been two days since we had left the rock outcropping overlooking the valley and we were out of jerky and hungry. Our speed made stopping for food before now next to impossible.

  Then we spotted its trail.

  I lifted my hand in a stop motion. Tyla froze. We now knew how to communicate silently after much practice over the past… four and half days?

  I glanced back at her, pointing to where the animal would head if I missed. She nodded and moved in the direction shown, her spear held so she could stab into the target should it come her way.

  I inched towards the small clearing, looking over the wall of leaves downwind of my target. There it stood, pushing its snout into the ground, looking for whatever it was that it ate.

  I picked up my spear, using that term loosely since it was still just a stick with a knife corded on to it, and pulled back to throw for all I was worth.

  Just as I started forward, it surprised me when my perception of time slowed. I wasn’t sure how it engaged only when it mattered. I had no control over whatever was making the time slow, or my brain speed up. My body also reacted so much faster than normal as well, so it might just be
my brain doing it.

  I used that extra time to adjust my aim as my arm moved forward, going for the wild pig with bull horns on top of its head. Tyla told me it was a wild bull pig, one of the most unimaginatively named creatures I had encountered, if you ask me. In her defense, it was a translated name for what the elves told them. So, it could have been a super-fly wombat for all I knew.

  The spear flew true this time as it left my hand, my daily practice sessions paying off now that I understood its drift better, hitting the pig right through the neck. It dropped instantly, not even squealing.

  “Got it!” I said over to Tyla.

  “Yes!” she said and jumped up and down before running over. She dropped her spear and jumped into my arms, giving me a tight hug and putting her legs around me. “I am starving.”

  She pulled back just enough to smile into my face and kissed me on the lips. It was sudden, and unexpected, and I never had the chance to consider the ramifications of what it might mean.

  So, I did not fight it. I just kissed her back. We locked lips and our tongues tentatively invaded each other's mouths. I just gave into the hormones and the moment.

  It was one of the best kisses I could remember, and I savored it.

  We broke after only a few moments, our breathing heavy, and peered into each other's eyes. Rather than saying something stupid like I normally would, I just nodded at her and kissed her again quickly on the lips, much more chastely this time at least. “Let's go get our food before something bigger than we can handle comes by.”

  She nodded as a smile formed on her face, reaching her eyes. She picked up her spear then grabbed my hand after she got back to the ground.

  We approached the pig, and I saw that the knife at the end of the stick almost went clean through its neck. The stick itself had broken in half.

  “How is that possible?” Tyla asked, pointing to the stick. “I know you are not weak, but that seems like it should take more strength than any man possesses. To break a solid piece of wood like that? I know earth wielders that can do it, but outside of them, even the rest of the Chosen are not so strong.”