The Return

by Campbell, Sean M.

  “Rhys. Why are you so upset about this? I have seen you fight, is this guy that good?” Beth asked in a quiet voice.

  I could not answer her for a few moments, and then when I finally managed to move my suddenly dry tongue in my mouth, I spoke in a croak. “His full name is Avery Dane Cain, he is my youngest brother.”

  “You can’t fight him to the death. We have to flee the city tonight.”

  “I will face him tomorrow; I have accepted the challenge of honor.”

  As I readied myself for bed that night I could not help but think about what tomorrow could bring. If I win I would be even more of an outcast within my own family, and society here as well. They attach some pretty bad names to people that kill their own family. Then there is the possibility that my own brother may face that same outcast status. Why would he do this? I had given up on finding any peace, when there was a light knock at my door. “Come in.”

  I turned in time to see Beth open the door and quietly slip into the room. She slipped over to me in the darkness walking with a grace that had my heart pounding in my chest. “I wasn’t going to come tonight thinking you may need some time. Likka told me that you needed to find peace tonight. She said you had killed, and that you would find no peace, except in the solace of loving tenderness.”

  “She has known me a long time. She, more than anyone, understands the things that drive me. As well as the things that can give me some peace. She is too good to me. I don’t deserve her loyalty.”

  “You are more deserving than you know, Rhys. The others have told me stories of how you were six thousand years ago, and I have seen you now. I could easily come to love a man like you.”

  I smiled gently at her. “There are things about me you must know, before I will accept the gift you offer.”

  “That you are married, and stubbornly headed off to try and rescue your wife? That if your wife, even as she is now, were to tell you to leave all other women alone, you would abstain for the rest of eternity for her? That what you and I will have tonight may well become love, but that you can never fully give your heart to me? I know these things, Rhys, and I still came seeking your touch.”

  I stepped forward and took her face in my hands. “Then, M’Lady, you are in serious trouble tonight. It may take all night for me to find peace.”

  She placed her arms around my neck and pulled me into her. “I hope so.”

  Our lips met for the first time. She was warm and soft in my embrace. She melted into our kiss. As our passion built, I slid my hands down her back, and brought them to rest lightly under the cheeks of her tight bottom. I lifted her up, and her legs instinctively wrapped around my waist. She brought her hands in between her chest and mine and I heard and felt the fabric of my shirt give way as she ripped the front of it open. When we broke from our kiss, she lowered her head and began to kiss the bare skin at the top of my chest. I carried her to the bed and dropped to my knees as I lowered her to the bed. Her legs never unlocked from my waist.

  I pulled back from her and removed the remains of my shirt, as she slid her robe down past her shoulders, to bunch at her waist. I move forward again and pushed her back onto the bed. She crawled backward and out of her robe. I tossed it to the floor as soon as she cleared it completely. She reached between us and loosened my belt and pants to allow me to crawl out of them. We were soon naked in the middle of the bed, holding and kissing each other in as many ways as we could. When I started to kiss her nipples, I admired the large round shape of her breasts. She let out a light hiss and then a pleasant moaning sound, as I felt her body tense and relax at the same time below me. I continued to kiss and caress her breasts as she slowly began to vibrate and quiver in time to my touches. Her moaning began to increase in volume and tempo, as she started to near her climax. Right at the moment I felt her body peak, I nipped and pinched her nipples. She let out a scream that sounded like a wild beast was loose in our room.

  “Oh my god Rhys, no man has ever made me orgasm just from my breasts before.”

  I just smiled at her and tried to slide down her body, but she caught my shoulder and shook a finger at me in a “no no” gesture. When I slid back up with a question in my eyes, she slithered down my body trailing her tongue along my chest and belly as she turned around in the bed. She began to lick and kiss my manhood wetting it with her saliva.

  Once she had me well lubricated she put her lips around the head of my sword, and slowly pushed down, until I felt it hit the back of her throat. I moaned loudly as she slowly relaxed her throat and slid me deeper into her. As she pulled me back outward she began to hum, The vibrations were driving me over the edge rapidly.

  I couldn’t take much more of that stimulation, unless I diverted my mind. So I pulled her waist to my face and slid my tongue between her legs. Her hums turned into moans, as I explored her sweet womanhood. I felt her begin to quiver at each thrust of my tongue. I curled my tongue to hit that soft spongy flesh inside of her, as she stiffened and began to shake.

  She pulled her mouth off of me and moaned loudly, as I felt her orgasm take over her actions. I sucked her pearl between my teeth and nipped at it lightly. “Oh My God, Rhys, please don’t stop!” She screamed as her orgasm peaked and she flooded my face with her nectar.

  I waited until she was just about back to the base of the mountain then I moved my face further towards her back, and flicked my tongue across her rosebud. When she squealed, I sucked on her rosebud and she once again erupted. “Oh My God, Rhys, what are you doing to me, I have never let anyone touch me back there; that was amazing.”

  I once again pushed my tongue into her sweet flower and she immediately started to vibrate again. Her moans were closer to screams, as she shook. I wet my finger in her sweet nectar and slid my finger back to play with her rosebud. As she climbed back up to her heights I felt her stiffen. I pushed my finger into her rear entrance. “Oh fuck me.”, she moaned as she once again soared over the top.

  Her body quivered and spasmed with each flick of my tongue. When my tongue touched her pearl again she seemed to almost explode. I felt her nectar flow across my neck and chest as she quaked. Then she slid her hand in between my face and her womanhood. “No more please, I can’t take it. I am light headed and so sensitive.”

  I let her relax a bit as she turned around and brought her face to mine. She began to lick my face and neck as she cooed and moaned lightly. I pushed her over onto her back and slid over on top of her. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded her head, as I guided my manhood to her opening, and began to slowly push into her. As I entered her she began to quiver and shake again. Her lips locked onto mine and she huffed into my mouth as she started to scream again. With each thrust she seemed to have an orgasm, as she continuously shook and quivered beneath me. “So full, so big, so full,” She chanted in between moans.

  As I built towards my release I started to thrust harder and faster. Each thrust, I pushed into her womb, as she jerked and thrashed, and with a final effort I released inside her. As I jerked out my spasms, she screamed like a crazed animal and went limp under me. She had passed out.

  I slowly pulled out of her and moved beside her, as I lay down her eyes fluttered open and she looked at me and smiled “Mission accomplished, Rhys.”

  I smiled. “Who said the mission was over?”

  She looked down my body to see my staff still standing tall and proud. “Oh My God, Rhys, doesn’t it know how to play dead?”

  “No.” I said as I began to kiss down her body again.

  “If you touch me down there with that tongue again tonight, I may not wake back up.”

  “Then maybe I need to find a less sensitive entrance for my next round on this mission.”

  “I’ve never done that, Rhys; I have never even considered it. But I actually am now.”

  I rolled her onto her stomach and used my finger to spread our flow into her crack. She moaned and cooed at the light touch of my fingers on her rosebud. When I pushed my finger i
nto her, she gave a small squeal and tensed up some. I just gently moved my finger in and out until she relaxed and started moaning.

  I pushed a second finger into her and she again tensed up. I slowly worked on her, until I had three fingers plunging hard in and out of her and she was moaning loud enough to wake the whole inn up. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded, I moved in behind her, and lifted her hips to place the pillow under her. Once she was positioned I moved my staff to her entrance. I pushed and felt the head of my staff slide into her. She only tensed a little bit, so I began to thrust little by little into her. Soon she was rocking back against me, trying to get more and more of me into her. Within a minute I was thrusting completely into her and pulling out, until I felt her sphincter grasp the head of my rod.

  The harder I pushed into her, the harder she pushed back; and then it happened. I saw her eyes open wide as her mouth made a silent “OH”, and suddenly she squealed and thrust back onto me hard. She was having convulsions, as I thrust into her; she had no control over her body. It had taken over, and was forcing her to ride out orgasm after orgasm.

  With a final thrust I buried myself into her. She moaned and jerked as my seed erupted into her, then let out one, long, loud, moaning cry and went silent.

  I moved off of her and rolled her onto her side. I lay down behind her and snuggled into her.

  An hour passed before her eyes fluttered and opened. “How long?”

  “About an hour.”

  “Oh, my god.” She said quietly and then as she tried to turn over found my manhood between her legs. “Oh My God, you’re still hard as a rock.” She looked back at me. “I am sorry, Rhys, I surrender, you are the undisputed master. I can’t go anymore. If I have another orgasm it will probably kill me.”

  “Then sleep, Beth, never feel you must do anything for me.”

  “But, Rhys, you are still hard and ready.”

  “I am always ready, I never tire from sex it actually gives me more energy. Why do you think I seldom stay in the tent when I am done?”

  “I didn’t understand. I thought you just felt guilty, or something. You are a married man. Though now I understand your wife encouraging you to seek it elsewhere. No one woman could keep you satisfied; you would kill her.”

  “I traveled with twenty-two women at one time; Taina was the only one to never come to me.”

  “How many of them have you made love to in a single day?”

  “Twenty, the night after a major battle that I had used large amounts of magic in.”

  “Oh My God, Rhys, you are a machine.”

  “The magic can make me more of an animal, if I let myself go completely. Go to sleep now, Beth, I will hold you and help you rest.”

  “I will be sore in the morning.” She smiled. “No don’t fix it. I want a reminder, to bring someone else with me next time.”

  I chuckled, as she snuggled down, and within minutes she was asleep. I listened to her breathe as I thought through my plan, so very much of it depended on Beth, and now I had to worry about my brother causing problems.

  I climbed out of the bed at the first sign of light. I had several things to get done before my challenge with Avery. I wrote a note to Beth, telling her to get the other ladies to take her out and get her some traveling clothes. They also needed to buy horses for herself, Mieko and Tia. I left a pile of gold coins on the table, more than would be needed; a lot more. There was a distinct possibility I would not come back from today’s fight.

  I headed out of the inn, without eating. I did not have time. I stopped by the Tentmaker to give him some drawings and find out how long it would take him to make the item. He assured me it would be ready the day before I left. I paid half the price in advanced and moved on. I stopped at the Bowyer’s shop to pick up bows for everyone in the group and have them delivered. After this it was time to face my brother. I headed for the guard barracks.

  As I walked towards the center of town Likka came out of a side street,

 

 

 

 

 

  We walked in silence for a time, and soon I saw the rest of my ladies ahead. I could see the anger in their eyes. As I walked up I spoke softly. “Save it for after the fight, if I survive you will all have your chance.”

  They all nodded and fell in step with me. A few minutes later we arrived at the appointed place. I looked up to see Avery striding towards me. He stepped up to us and bowed to the ladies. Then he turned to me. “Rhys, it has to be this way, you will understand soon.”

  “Avery, withdraw I will give you your honor; don’t make me do this.”

  “Rhys, if you have ever trusted me, trust me now. This has to be done.”

  I hung my head. “What is the prize of challenge?” I asked.

  “Total unconditional surrender.”

  “Terms.”

  “To yield.”

  I looked up with hope in my eyes, “Weapons?”

  “Bare hands.”

  “Then, Armsmaster Avery Dane, lets dance.”

  I removed my weapons and handed them to the girls. “No Matter what you see stay out of this, he is up to something, and I don’t know what, yet.”

  I turned to face Avery, and dropped into a defensive stance. As I stood waiting for Avery, I wondered to myself why he would choose unarmed combat. He was an Armsmaster, not a Kieso Master. Then again, it had been six thousand years since I had seen him last, he may have learned some new things.

  I could not afford to underestimate him, nor could I afford to overestimate him. If I struck too hard or fast, and he wasn’t capable, I could badly injure or kill him. There was also something I had not shown much of here. During my time on Beth’s Earth I had mastered and top belted in six forms of martial arts; Tae Kwon Do, Ninjitsu, Karate, Kung Fu, Ba Gua Zhang and Capoeira. It had been years since I had used any of them to fight. A one hundred year old man doesn’t get to spar very often.

  Avery came away from his men. His stance was clumsy and a little off balance. I did not fall for it. I made a couple of test strikes, if I had targeted him both would have hit badly. He was trying hard not to let me see his true skill. I went for a death strike knowing it had to draw him out. At the last instant, I turned it aside. His defenses had missed it completely. I barely managed to not make an impact with his throat. That hit would have crushed his larynx, and broke his neck, but he just let it through. I stepped back out of his range and stood straight. “You have no skills unarmed; have one of your men bring you a sword.”

  “I chose unarmed, I will not violate my honor.”

  “There is no loss of honor; I called for you to be armed.”

  He nodded, and had one of the men bring him his knife. When he had it in his hand, he stood in a classic knife fighter’s stance, his balance was much better, and his eyes shone as he smiled. I moved forward, and he struck out with a skill I knew well. I caught the knife thrust and went into a throw position, but as I turned he flipped the knife towards his free hand and struck. I barely managed to deflect the blow. His skill had grown greatly in my years away. I slipped into the dance.

  Strike, block, lunge, parry, we fought like demons. Within minutes we were both bloody from several wounds. His men began to stare and mutter, as they noticed my wounds healing almost as fast as they were made.

  The end came quickly as he lunged with the knife and it passed in between my left arm and my body. To those around us it looked like it had slammed into my chest. I slammed my arm down catching the knife and struck a snapping blow to his head. As he rolled back, my foot came upward, striking him in the chin. He lost his grip on the knife as he fell back. He lay on the ground near unconscious.

  I pulled the knife out from under my arm, to gasps from most o
f the crowd. I walked over, and knelt down next to Avery. I checked to make sure he was not badly hurt, as his eyes started to focus on me. I offered him his knife, and he held up his hand in a surrender gesture.

  “It was obvious to all; Warmage. You could have taken my life while I was helpless on the ground. I yield to your greater skill.”

  “I accept your unconditional surrender; you are to tell your men who is in command of them now, and come with me we have talking to do.”

  He laughed at me as I looked on confused, had he planned on not honoring his challenge? “You didn’t pay attention Warmage. I said unconditional surrender; I am Grand Marshall of the Imperial Guard now. So, Rhys, I formally surrender to you, the forces are yours to dispose of.” I fell on my ass in shock. “After all of these years, dear brother, I finally managed to knock you on your ass.” He laughed out.

  I stood and extended my arm down to him. “We need to talk.”

  “That we do my brother.” He said as he took my hand and climbed to his feet a little unsteady. “That kick was like being kicked by a horse.”

  “Your lucky, had you been anyone else, I would not have made it a love tap.”

  “Ouch.”

  I turned to leave and Avery fell in step behind me. I noticed, as I walked, several of the soldiers riding out the different gates. “Where are they going?”

  “Riding out to spread the word to all of the other barracks that we have surrendered, and you are now in command of the Imperial Guard.”

  “If they do that, the mages will move against you.”

  “The mages won’t know until we are ready for them to know.”

  I nodded to myself. “Why did you do this Avery? Why in such a deceptive way, that is not like you?”

  “The Imperial Guard takes an oath…”

  “To protect the Emperor, and his nobility.”

  “No. We take an oath to protect the Empire, and the current greatest threat to the Empire at this time, is the Mage Kings. We are making our move to get rid of them, and install an Emperor that the people can live with, an Emperor that will bring back the golden age.”