by John Evans
Iona sputtered and tried to turn back, but was propelled forward by Per. He looked back over his shoulder and gave the dwarf his coldest stare. "Maybe we'll come back after we've seen Yayenski," he said.
Per was not sure why he said that, but he was not prepared for the dwarf's reaction. All three dwarves gasped aloud and one dropped his axe. All color drained out of the face of the dwarf behind the bar and he started shaking visibly. "Out!" he gasped hoarsely. "Get out! Out! We'll kill you if you come around again!"
They retreated backwards out of the inn. They collected their horses and led them down the street. Iona's head hung down and she had withdrawn into a silent shell.
"Iona, that dwarf..." Per started to say.
"Oh Per, the way they treated you," interrupted Iona.
"I know," sighed Per. "Some prejudices die hard. To that dwarf, I'll always be an ogre, never to be trusted and always to be attacked on sight, but we do know one thing now."
"And that is?"
"The dwarf knows of Yayenski and it scared the daylights out of him."
Iona laughed. "You're right," she said, smiling. "It looked like he pissed all over himself." Then she turned serious. "We'll have to be very careful about spreading that name around."
"How about we find an inn first," said Per, "or do you want to amble around some more?"
"One room or two?" asked Iona slyly.
"Let's see the size of the bed first," laughed Per. "I know how you hog the covers."
They had to settle for two rooms at the next inn. Per barely could fit into the largest bed they had available. Iona took the room next door. After they had settled in, they met down in the taproom and had a midday meal.
"How do you handle the prejudice?" asked Iona as she cut into her potatoes.
"Sometimes very well and sometimes very badly," replied Per, chewing on a bit of beef. "I try to avoid those people, but there are times when either I can't or I don't want to."
"So it gets to you at times?"
"Of course, but never mind that prejudice, what about the stigma of having one's grandfather's skull mounted above the main city gate?"
"Shades!" cursed Iona softly. "I didn't mean to say that prayer out loud. You're right, my grandfather is the one who tried to besiege and capture Delta. When I was a baby, he raised an army and lost his life trying to take these walls. When I was older, the other kids teased me about it; I went up to try to retrieve his head and body. I thought that if it wasn't there, then no one would know about it. I was stopped and taken before the General, who is the current ruler of Delta. He very politely told me that my grandfather's body disappeared after the battle and that his head had to remain above the gate."
"Why above the gate?" asked Per.
"He told me that there is a prophesy, which states that the city will be besieged three times. As long as the skulls of the besieging warlords remain above the main gate, the city will not fall. I'm not sure what will happen after the third skull is put in place. The citizens believe that the city will transform into a paradise. The General has made a place in the city for my mother and me."
"What does the prophesy say exactly?" asked Per.
"That's the problem," replied Iona, crunching on a carrot. "No one knows. The original prophesy was lost some time ago."
"So you've been made welcomed here, but are still an outcast for what your grandfather tried to do."
"Yup, well, enough old history," said Iona, closing the subject. "What do we do now?"
Per's answer was cut off as a young boy in blue livery approached the table. He saw Iona's eyes take on a strange sadness when she spied him. The boy walked up to the table and bowed to Iona.
"Lady Iona, he wishes to see you," said the boy.
"Of course," said Iona, standing up. "Lead the way."
"I'm sorry, Lady Iona," apologized the boy. "He wants to see both of you."
Iona arched an eyebrow and looked at Per. He just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, giving her a quizzical look. "The General wants to see both of us. So much for old history."
"I guess we had better not keep him waiting then," said Per.
They followed the page out of the inn and down the street. Per was amazed by the path that opened up in front of the page through the throngs of people on the street. Everyone nonchalantly moved aside to let them through, some without even breaking their conversation. He was leading them towards a huge central keep.
Per and Iona were led across a drawbridge and the page guided them to a broad set of steps, which led up to a terraced garden. There was a group of people standing in the center of the garden. As the page approached, an older man dismissed the others with a wave of his hand.
"Lady Iona, I am sorry I had to intrude, but a matter has been brought to my attention," said the man in deep rich voice. "I would not have sent for you unless it was necessary."
"I understand, General," said Iona. "You were kind to open the city to my mother and myself after my grandfather's defeat."
"A kindness you could have done without in hindsight," replied the General sadly.
"Water under the bridge," said Iona. "General, may I present Per Devon?"
"I'm honored," said the General, extending his hand.
Per looked at the General as he shook his hand. The General seemed to be in his late fifties with short gray hair and a goatee. His brown eyes reflected his intelligence as he quickly took in all of Per's attributes and equipment. His grasp was firm and hard.
"The reason I asked you here is because a dwarven innkeeper went to the local magistrate with a story about you two being in league with Yayenski. Is this true?"
"No, sir," said Per. "We're not in league with him at all. All I had was a name. I didn't even know if it was a person, place or thing. I just threw it out at the innkeeper when he wouldn't rent us rooms at his inn."
The General studied Per with interest in his eyes. "You're not her bodyguard, are you? Never mind, none of my business. Are you looking for Yayenski and if you are, why?"
"What do you know of Queen Shara?" asked Per.
"She's married to the Overlord, political marriage, of course. She's as adept to politics and intrigue as an otter is to swimming. Reportedly very beautiful."
"She was kidnapped," said Per.
The General looked over at Iona for confirmation, and she nodded. Per told of his initial encounter with the Queen and how he came to be on the trail of the kidnappers. The General listened intently, pacing back and forth until he was finished.
"I've had reports of unrest in the Overlord's lands lately and some wild rumors as to the Queen's indisposition," said the General. "Nothing at all like you have related to me, though. Now, let me tell you what I know of Yayenski.
"He was a wizard who came here over three years ago. He had found some obscure old writings about a kingdom that had vanished in this region. He was utterly convinced that he could restore this kingdom and become its ruler. Yayenski gathered people to him as his search progressed, the gullible, the dreamers, the utopians, and the greedy. He had convinced them that when the kingdom was restored, it would be a paradise with riches for everyone. They all searched diligently. As for the rest of us, we shook our heads at their antics and went on about our business.
"Over a year ago, Yayenski found something. He came to me with a scroll claiming it was the key to the kingdom. He wanted a significant portion of my army to go with him. I refused and sent him on his way. He and his followers marched off towards the dwarven kingdom to the east. We forgot about him until several weeks later when there was a terrific explosion to the east. A rolling wave of dust descended upon us and then the horror came.
"Thousands of creatures invaded my realm - goblins, hobgoblins, duerager. They captured scores of my people before the rest retreated back to the city. They came on screaming, 'Yayenski! Yayenski! Yayenski!' Then assaulted the walls."
"A siege," whispered Iona softly.
"Yes," replied the General, "b
ut not in the normal sense of the word. They did not come to kill and destroy, but to capture. They would lose five of theirs to capture just one of mine. That liability was their undoing as we had no qualms about killing them. After several weeks where we killed thousands of their warriors, we finally broke the siege and scattered the rest of the horde."
"What about Yayenski?" asked Per.
"Never found," said the General. "We did find a crater where the explosion took place. It was over a hundred yards in diameter and maybe a hundred feet deep. The bodies of Yayenski's followers were scattered all around the area. It was like they had been caught in the explosion and thrown up out of the ground."
"You want his skull," said Iona matter-of-factly.
"Yes, my dear," said the General with a grimace. "My people are demanding it. I have troops deployed everywhere trying to find him. Now you know why I was interested in you. What will you two do now?"
"When we lost the trail of Queen Shara, we came here because one of the kidnappers had Deltian coins on him," said Per. "I think we'll look around here to see what we can uncover. At worst, I'll have to go out and see if I can pick up a trail."
"Good luck," said the General. "If you find him, I have a reward for his head." He turned to face Iona. "Lady Iona, is there anything I can do for you?"
"Nothing beyond my original request, which you can not fulfill," replied Iona sadly. "If we hear of Yayenski, we'll let you know of it."
"Thank you. Wait at your inn. I know someone who may be able to help you with your search. I'll have him meet you outside your inn at dusk."
"Thank you," said Iona. "When you see my mother, give her my best."
"You could see her yourself. She doesn't live that far away from the palace."
"Not yet," replied Iona cryptically as she turned to leave.
"What was that all about?" asked Per as they walked back over the keep's drawbridge.
"The General fell in love with my mother at first sight," said Iona. "My grandfather had been defeated and beheaded. My father was crushed during the siege by a catapult stone. The General's army was ready to massacre the remaining besiegers when my mother faced them down. The story goes that she stood alone in front of the General's whole army with me in her arms."
"The General then spared them?" asked Per.
"Of course not, he rode up to mother and had his army go around her. We were the only survivors."
"But..." Per started to say.
"It's old history," said Iona with a smile and a light touch on his arm. "We currently have more immediate concerns."
"Such as?"
"Well, we have to kill a couple of hours before the General's man comes to see us tonight," said Iona, arching an eyebrow quizzically at Per.
"I recognize that sign," laughed Per. "Should I give in to my human appetites or my ogre ones?"
"Oooo, I don't think I've seen your ogre ones," cooed Iona. "How about... Hey!" She yelped as Per grabbed her arm and dragged her off to one side. Without a word, he pulled her into a livery stable.
Except for the horses in the stalls, the place was empty. Per glanced up at the hayloft and arched an eyebrow at Iona. She broke out in a wide smile and then scampered up the ladder to the loft. She dropped her swordbelt to the boards with a clang and was tearing off her clothing as Per climbed up. He stripped down almost as fast as she did.
"You do realize that that was foreplay?" he asked as he pushed Iona back onto a pile of hay and hooked his arms under her knees, spreading her legs wide apart.
"I... ahhh!" she gasped as Per roughly shoved four inches of his cock into her vagina.
Iona's cunt was wet and tight. Her eyes rolled back as he pushed two-thirds of his twelve-inch shaft into her moist, hot slit. Balancing on his hands with her legs locked up in the air by his arms, Per closed his eyes and concentrated on fucking Iona as hard and as fast as possible.
She began panting heavily as Per's cock pumped rapidly in and out of her tight vagina. She had orgasmed the second he had entered her and she felt her juices lubricating his thick hard prick. With her legs pinned back, Iona could not do anything, but lay there and enjoy it. A noise and a gasp to her right made her look over in that direction.
A naked boy and girl, both around eighteen years old, were staring over a mound of hay that had separated the two couples. Iona winked at them and brought her finger up to her mouth to keep them quiet. She turned back to buck her hips upward to match Per's thrusts.
"Oh, yeah, baby," she moaned. "Fuck me. Fuck me hard!"
The girl, a long-haired blonde with a nice shape, watched in fascination as Per's long cock plowed into Iona's pussy. Her face became flushed and her breathing became heavy. She turned to the boy beside her and whispered in his ear. The boy looked at her in astonishment, then smiled and nodded.
The two of them crept around the mound of hay until they were just off to one side behind Per and Iona. The girl got down on her hands and knees with a clear view of the action in front of her. The boy knelt behind her and pushed his dick into her dripping wet snatch. The girl bit her lower lip to keep from moaning aloud as the boy began to fuck her, matching his rhythm with Per's.
Iona was gasping heavily and moaning as her passion soared. She was as turned on by her own treatment as by the knowledge that they were being watched. Per was snorting through his nostrils as he kept up the fiendish pace he had set. He was holding back just enough to keep from ramming his entire cock all the way into her.
"Oh, Gods, Per!" gasped Iona, writhing beneath him. "I gonna... Oh, Gods! I'm gonna..." Her body snapped taunt as her passion crested and her orgasm overtook her.
The boy and the girl were panting aloud as the boy's hips smacked solidly against the girl's ass. The girl humped back against his thrusts and her breasts jiggled with each impact. Just after Iona orgasmed, the boy quivered and shoved his cock deep into the girl's hot pussy. He moaned in pleasure as he shot his seed deep into her womb. The girl moaned and shoved back as she felt his hot sperm coat the insides of her vagina.
Per's own sexual tension had been building steadily. His balls felt like they were being squeezed tight. When Iona's vaginal muscles clamped down on his shaft, he nearly lost it, but regain control for at least a few more seconds before he climaxed. With a loud grunt, Per shoved his cock two-thirds of the way into her before bottoming out. Iona exhaled sharply as the head of his cock hit up against her cervix and then she gasped loudly as his first hard spurt of cum blasted forth.
The girl watched in enthrallment as Per's cock twitched and his balls tightened up against his crotch with every spurt he gushed. She saw the excess liquid come dribbling out after Iona's womb filled to overflowing and slowly rolled down over Iona's ass. The boy, his cock deflating rapidly, sat down heavily on the floor. Per opened his eyes at the noise and looked down at Iona's sweat-shined face.
"We have company," she breathed heavily, nodding over towards the boy and the girl.
His lust beginning to burn in his loins, Per looked over at them. He then looked back at Iona. "So?" he asked roughly.
Iona gasped in surprise as, without changing positions, he began to fuck her again with the same intensity as the first time. She knew Per's lust craze was taking over. She had tried a couple of experiments, but she could not determine why it sometimes left him after his second climax or stayed with him until his third or fourth.
She reached down between their bodies with both hands and managed to wrap a couple of fingers around the base of his cock. Per grunted as her fingers tightened around his thick shaft and began to pump his cock in and out with longer strokes. Iona's fingers quickly became slick with cum as he pulled his cock completely out of her pussy only to ram it back in again. His hard shaft slid easily through her fingers as she guided his thick phallus into her again and again.
The girl had turned around to the boy and was stroking his cock in an effort to revive it. Unfortunately, the games they had played earlier had exhausted the boy's reserves. Waving
the girl off, the boy crawled over to a mound of hay and collapsed. Pouting, the girl shook her head and sighed in exasperation. She turned around and sat down to watch the action with Per and Iona. It only took a couple of seconds of watching the steaming encounter before she spread her legs apart to finger her own clitoris.
Sweat dripped off Per and Iona as he reamed out her dripping cunt. She had orgasmed twice more and her juices were flowing down her ass to pool on the floor. The musky scent of sex filled the air. Iona felt Per increase his speed and tightened her fingers around the base of his cock. With a bellow, he shoved forward and came.
Iona moaned in delight as she felt him spurt his thick rich fluid deep into her womb. She reveled as she felt the slippery substance flow out of her already overfilled vagina and coat her fingers. Iona grinned wickedly as she scooped up the white liquid and rubbed it over her pubic hair and stomach. Despite the thrill she was having, she kept an eye on Per and noticed that his lust had not left him yet.
"C'mon, over on your back," she said, trying to push him over. "Oh, no!"
The last exclamation was forced out of her as Per started to fuck his rock-hard cock in and out of her dripping slit once again. Iona's legs were beginning to cramp from being held up and apart. Her body shook from each hard thrust of Per's long shaft deep into her. Her orgasm overtook her so fast that all she could do was lie there as he continued to fuck her.
"Gods, doesn't he ever stop?" gasped the girl in amazement.
"He's caught up in his lust," panted Iona. "I need to change positions. Help me."
The girl scooted over and pulled on Per's arm. It was like trying to move a tree trunk.
"Per! Per, roll over!" gasped Iona. "Don't you want me to suck you off?"
Her words must have penetrated Per's lust-filled mind. Staring around with red-tinged eyes, he released Iona's legs and rolled over onto his back. His cock slorped wetly out of her well used pussy.
Iona groaned in relief and pain as her legs fell down. She pushed the sensations aside as she rolled over and grasped Per's cock with both hands. She knew this was a dangerous time since he was caught up in his lust. He growled in approval as she pointed his cock straight up and began to stroke it. The girl sat back on her knees and watched intently as Iona's hands glided up and down the thick, knobby shaft.