Sacrifice

by Underwood, Patrick

  “I understand. I just wanted to say that you and Tyla are so great together. I find myself envious of what you have and part of me is open to being part of it.”

  “I get it, but your dad has sheltered you in this place for a while. I think you may confuse curiosity for… other things.”

  Tas grew a little red in the cheeks at this. Before we could continue the topic, Tyla walked in the door, peeking inside before she finished coming in.

  “Why did you hesitate?” I asked.

  “Just wanted to make sure nothing was… happening.” She smiled.

  “Nothing is going to happen. Between her dad and this, I am fairly sure this will not work.”

  “What did my dad say?” Tas asked.

  Fuck me and my big mouth.

  “Nothing, he just… wanted me to look out for you. Look, it’s getting late, and we are leaving in the morning. Let’s all make sure our gear is ready to go so we can pack up and move after breakfast.”

  Tas stayed on the bed like she wanted to ask more questions, but Tyla grabbed her hands and pulled her up, giving her a hug. “It will be fine, Tas. We can talk in the morning.”

  Tas smiled and kissed Tyla on the cheek. “Thank you,” and walked to the door. I got up and moved to it first and opened it for her. She also reached up and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you both for being… so kind to me,” she said then walked out the door.

  “Was she alright?” I asked after the door closed.

  “I think she might be a little sad that you shut her down like that.”

  “It’s just a little crush on us. She can’t possibly want to take that kind of step.”

  “Maybe, Master. We will see,” she said as she undid the tight-fitting dress she was wearing.

  I watched as she undid the clasps and ties, causing the entire thing to pool to the floor at her feet. She took a step towards me and swished her hips as she did so.

  Suddenly, my mind focused on what was before me rather than on my other problems.

  23

  The Sacking of Hill Crest

  In my dreams, I could see a ball of light floating in orbit around me. It has a bluish light that felt familiar to me.

  As I studied it, I noticed a small thread of energy breaking off from it and winding down, attaching itself to my chest, dead center where my heart was found. Where it was attached to me, the bluish glow seemed to defuse inside of me, spreading throughout my body in a way that looked like the pictures of the human nervous system I remember from school as a kid.

  The light inside me was still mostly white, just the slightest hint of the blue that entered.

  I reached out and touched the thread, taking hold of it and pulling the ball of light towards me. Gently placing my hand on the watermelon sized sphere.

  Tyla…

  I am not sure how I knew it was her, but it was. Every fiber of my being believed it so strongly. As I pondered, it felt that I could move power between me and it. Taking or giving it in equal measure, almost no restrictions were binding me in what I could do with it. It was an intoxicating feeling and a dangerous power to give anyone. I could drain her dry and take it all for myself if I wanted.

  I shuttered to think what the Demigods did with it.

  Wondering what would happen, I tried to push some of my power back into the ball.

  Suddenly, the brightness increased, and I had to turn my eyes away from the sensation.

  A moaning sound broke through my dream, and I wondered what was going on. I had to focus, then force myself out of the dream state.

  My eyes opened, and I turned to see Tyla grinding naked body against my leg, moaning in pleasure next to me. Her eyes were closed, and she looked to still be asleep.

  My own needs flared to life, even though I thought we had sated them sufficiently before bed. My cock became rock hard at the sight and feel of her gyrating against me.

  I pushed her over onto her back, breaking myself free of her grip and shifting myself down so that my face was in front of her lower entrance. Without preamble, I licked her folds and buried my tongue as deep as I could.

  Her hands reached down and grabbed my hair, showing me exactly where to go. Looking up, I saw her eyes were now open and glowing a bright blue color, the only light in the otherwise dark room. I sped up my motions, bringing my finger up to help me give her stimulation, pushing it inside her just below where my tongue now caressed her clit.

  I never broke eye contact with the woman I loved.

  Without warning, her back arched and her hands clenched my hair tightly, almost causing me pain as I forced myself to give her pleasure through her orgasm.

  “Oh fuck, oh gods, ohhhhhh fuckkkkkk,” she moaned, letting the last words out slowly as she rode the sensation. After a minute she shifted. “Okay, okay,” she said while tapping the top of my head.

  “What did you do?” she asked when she caught her breath. “I feel so full of… power right now. And oh, gods, that was the best I have ever felt.”

  I smiled as I pulled myself back up to her side. “Had a dream, though it felt like the time I put the oath on Stern more than an actual dream. I saw an orb that I… just knew was you. It was slowly pushing power into me, so I wondered what would happen if I put some back, and then I heard you… um… moaning.”

  “That was… I do not know how to describe it. I have never felt so powerful and… the feeling of pleasure that came through was… just so much.”

  Her color returned as her breathing stabilized.

  “Can we do it again?” she asked, a sly smile on her face as she pushed me on my back this time, mounting me and grabbing my still hard manhood.

  “I think that—”

  Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

  The rapid ringing of the bell interrupted us, coming from somewhere in the distance outside.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “The watch bell, but that means there is an attack…”

  With concern fueling me, I got up, stark naked, went to the window, and pulled the shutters back.

  “Oh, fuck,” I said.

  “What is it?” Tyla asked, getting off the bed to join me.

  “Fire at the edge of town, and I see soldiers coming in through the gate. I think we are out of time.”

  We rushed to dress and equip ourselves with our gear. I quickly put on my leather armor and buckled its front straps. It had an inner vest that was a lighter, more comfortable leather and an outer layer that included thick leather bands that overlapped and supplied an excellent range of motion.

  Arm pauldrons, also leather, came out in the same bands down halfway along my triceps. Then a small space where you could see my shirt before the arm guards and vambraces made of the same type of leather. Each arm had a small metal spike at the elbow about an inch long. That was an atheistic choice since I could not really conceive of a tactical reason that I would use it.

  My pants were also leather, padded, and reinforced, but again, I went for speed and dexterity over protection. I fitted a long knife that we had bought on my right hip, and my great sword I had become so acquainted with lately, hung from a chest harness over my front, crossing over my left side down the leg.

  As I was putting on my pack, someone knocked on the door. Tyla, who was also in a light leather set similar to mine but fit for her womanly figure, grabbed her crossbow and aimed it at the door.

  “It’s Tas!” came the voice from the other side.

  Tyla lowered the bow only a fraction as I opened the door. Tas, by herself, walked in quickly. She had her bag with her and a rapier type sword at her side.

  “I heard the bell. That means we are under attack… and I think we should get my father and flee,” Tas said.

  “Agreed,” I said as I finished putting on the bag. “Did you see him?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I uh… came here first.”

  “Let’s go, then. Tyla, can you bring up the rear? Tas in the center. Keep in a line.”

&
nbsp; They agreed and got into position, Tyla grabbing her bag and hoisting in on her back. She also had Susan’s rapier… her rapier on her side with the crossbow on a sling I had designed for her in front.

  I opened the door and made my way towards the stairs. The few other residents of the inn were opening their doors and watching us move into the hallway.

  “What’s going on?” an older woman asked as we walked down the hallway.

  “I think soldiers from the north are here. We saw them coming in the front gates, and I advise you all to run if you can,” I said.

  “They should leave us alone, right?” an older man, whom I was assuming was the lady’s husband, asked from behind her. He looked like he was using her as a shield.

  “Up to you, but I am not staying,” I said and left them all behind, continuing for the stairs.

  As we approached the bottom of the stairs, a loud crash came from the main room, followed by the sound of stomping footsteps.

  I paused at the door, trying to decide if we should go out the back instead, when I heard a voice yell out.

  “By order of the new King Seir, leader of the former Matriarchies of humanity, this town is hereby annexed and under his law. All women between the ages of nineteen and forty shall be apprehended to be tested for magical power. You have his word that we will release them back to your custody if they are found to not be Chosen.”

  “This is my inn, damn you. What gives you the right to storm into here like you own the place?” Roman yelled from the room.

  “Fuck,” I said to myself.

  I heard steel being drawn and knew we were about to be in trouble.

  “Last warning,” the voice from before said.

  “Go fuck yourself!” Roman yelled, and I heard a clang as sword engaged sword.

  “Father!” Tasnia screamed, and I pushed her back.

  “I go in first. You cover me, make sure I don’t get surrounded. Tyla, you find a spot and shoot the crossbow and your water.” I hit the quick release latch on my pack, letting it fall to the ground, and pushed through the door to join the fray.

  Seven men were in the hall, three of them were engaged with Roman as the rest stood back, ready to intervene. They obviously did not think the older man was too much of a threat that it would take more than that, because the one guy with a crossbow just stood there smiling until he saw us enter.

  The man raised his crossbow towards me just as a cone made of water blew through the room and took the man’s head off. I could hear a loud splat throughout the space and the fighting ceased momentarily as we all looked at who let out such a powerful blast.

  Tyla, a face set in determination, had her hand in front of her, glaring at the man she just killed, then glared at the others as though daring they try something.

  “A fucking witch!” the man who had spoken to Roman said. “A fucking strong one.”

  I was curious where the hell Tyla got that much power from and wondered briefly back to when I pushed all that energy into her. Then remembered where I was and charged the men, pulling my sword as time went into its slow-motion dance for me.

  I saw Roman re-engage the three men, while I drove towards the other three in the room. My sword knocking down the first spear that tried to skewer me with a quick jab.

  I shoved it out of the way and turned into him, punching the sharp spike on my left elbow into his eye. A loud thwack could be heard, and my arm jammed into him.

  Guess I was wrong about the spike.

  “Arghagk,” the man yelled out, his voice deep from the dilation of time. But my elbow stuck into him as I tried to continue my turn, and I stumbled briefly. Leaving me open to an attack from the guy that was right behind him.

  This next man lifted his sword in a downward chop, intent on cutting me in half, not caring that the guy with my elbow was stuck in his way. A crossbow bolt hit him in the arm, accompanied immediately after by a blast of water that knocked him in a spin to the ground.

  I punched the guy’s face who had attached himself to my elbow with my free arm, trying to lodge him free. Immediately after my fist connected, I yanked back again with my arm. A sucking sound was the prelude to the now empty socket where his eye used to be, and I refused to look at what was now on my elbow. Some things were really better left unknown.

  I looked towards Roman briefly to see that Tasnia had come to his aid, taking on one man’s attention to let her father focus on the other two.

  I faced the last man of the three in my way and noticed that he was looking at me in fear and had pissed the front of his pants. Just as I was about to approach him, he turned and ran, but before he made it a single step, a bolt of water struck him in the back of the head, and he hit the ground.

  I strode over to him as he struggled to get up, lifting my great sword and chopping at his neck. Putting an excessive amount of force behind the swing.

  His head simply fell off, like he was a French noble during the revolution of 18th century France, and my sword was a guillotine. With blood gushing out everywhere, I turned to help Roman and Tas.

  Even with all my speed, as I turned, I realized I needn’t have bothered. With only two adversaries instead of three, Roman dispatched one with a strike of his great sword and cut a great gash into the leader of the group. Killing him instantly.

  The second guy fared little better as he tried to capitalize on Roman’s apparent distraction from the strike to his comrade.

  But Roman had expected this move and stepped to the side just as the man stabbed with his sword. The stab missed by a few inches and put him out of position with his arms extended.

  Roman simply cut the man’s right arm off with his sword. Efficient, even if not as clean as the strike I made earlier.

  A second later, a bash to the head with the pommel of his sword ended the threat, and he shifted towards the man who was engaged in a fight with the much more powerful than she looked Tas.

  Tasnia had not over committed to her fight and was instead focused on keeping him busy. Despite the man’s size, she defeated each blow and countered the strikes cleanly with her own.

  Looking like a dancer more than a fighter, she parried and blocked each blow that the much larger man tried. Countering just enough to keep him off balance, deflecting rather than blocking. I considered moving into assist as well. but stopped when I saw what was happening between her and Tyla.

  Tas had skillfully led him away from the rest of us, and Tyla had moved to line up a shot on her reloaded crossbow. As soon as the man was in position, she shot.

  The bolt struck right in his neck, and just like that. Our fight was over.

  We each congregated in the middle of the room after checking to see if anyone was alive enough to deserve a follow up.

  “Well done, Tas, I am very proud of you.” Roman said then shifted his glare to me. “I am extremely interested in how you moved that fast, kid, but we have to run, so I don’t have time. Let’s pick up our stuff and go. I know a back way out of town that should get us out of here. Oh, and Derk, clean off your elbow, that’s disgusting.”

  24

  Sacrifice For Those We Love

  We moved out of the Inn and heard yelling and screaming as we passed through the area that we had used to train the morning before.

  “Derk, would you be so kind as to take up the rear? I will lead us out.”

  I nodded at Roman and let him go out the gate first, followed by Tas, then Tyla, and finally me. I could see shadows flickering caused by the light from the burning buildings in the town, the smell of smoke thick in the air.

  After we crept out the gate in the back, we turned through alleyways at what seemed random to me. Occasionally doubling back if Roman heard the shouting and screaming of soldiers and frightened townspeople on our path.

  I left the route completely up to Roman.

  Somehow, we made it to the edge of town without being seen. A slight break in the old wooden walls was in front of us, only about fifty yards from the main gate
to the town.

  The break was small; it was just a couple of collapsed wooden stakes that were blocked by shrubbery on the other side of the fence. Wide enough for us and our gear, even for Roman’s larger frame, if barely. I found myself thankful for the town’s lack of maintenance of their defenses.

  Roman turned to us after peaking through the gap. “They have a large force at the gate. This will be tricky, but I think we can get you across without notice.”

  I shuffled forward and viewed it for myself. Soldiers in armor stood outside the gate. Mostly they looked bored while a few wounded ones got treatment by a Chosen woman attending to them.

  “Surprised they are not patrolling the perimeter more for runners, I don’t trust it,” I said.

  Soon, a large man with two women at his side walked through the group from inside the town. He felt off to me… it was hard to describe, like he did not seem like just another man. Even if he was larger than the rest and looked like a gym rat from back home. Something about him was making my skin crawl.

  “Roman, do you know that man?” I asked, shifting slightly so that Roman can peer through the gap.

  “The big one? No.”

  “Let me see,” Tyla said, pressing against me and looking out from over my shoulder. “I am not sure, but that may be one of Seir’s lieutenants. He has a few, but the colossal size makes me think of what my mother told me of Albris, though I cannot be sure.”

  “Okay, then we plan for a Demigod then. I only see two women with him and one that looks to be healing the soldiers. She does not have a collar so she may be with him as well,” I said.

  “Rumor was that Seir kept his lieutenants in line by making them earn their… Chosen. Albris is the newest of the Demigods to descend and is trying to earn favor. Though it was rumored, he prefers men and only takes a Chosen for her power.”

  “Interesting tidbit. But it doesn’t help us. Roman, where are you going?”