Lightfoot

by Joe Kuster

  He chuckled. “I think I’d deserve it if I did that. Nah, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve already got the bed partners sorted out. I’m engaged to marry a noble, and I’ve got a concubine that shares my bed. If you can put up with our stupid antics and keep us safe, I don’t think you’d have to do much.

  “However, I’ll be upfront with you. There’s probably no leaving our service unless you can convince my patron. Granted, I’m not sure that’s much different from the guild if ten gold is what they ask. Although, I will swear to treat you a lot better than they are. If I don’t follow that, you’d be cut free to work out the writ in my county however you can, and you’d get to keep everything except the divine talents. However, shy of that happening, you wouldn’t be able to go off and do whatever without my permission. The way I understand it, that isn’t too far off how this realm’s apprenticeships work.”

  TJ started to go on, but the boy returned with a massive platter of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.

  The moment the boy’s back was turned, Kallista ripped open her collar and began shoveling food into her mouth as fast as she could. The eggs barely touched her fork before they were in her mouth.

  As she chewed, he was able to confirm she had two long fangs set in her top jaw. They’d been retracted, looking almost like human teeth, but while she ate, the three-inch-long canines were unmistakable for anything else. Extending them while she chewed seemed to be an involuntary reflex.

  Seeing that she was ignoring the bread, he reached over and helped himself to a piece. He ate slowly as he thought. From the rate she was going, he’d already decided that he’d order another platter. He still wasn’t sure what she was, but she wasn’t human, and it would be easier to fix her body if she weren’t actively starving.

  Her flesh was fundamentally different than anything he’d touched before. It was as if bits of it were somehow directly enchanted. Internal organs were flipped around, and she had tidbits that he didn’t know what they did. His mind flitted through the long list of oddities, and he wondered if there was anything worth duplicating for him and the others. The different muscle tissue was an attractive place to start as she had been running far faster than any human could have ever managed.

  She startled him out of his musing. “The guild was paid to rob you by some priest type of guy. Reav thinks they are planning some sort of big move against the Duchess. They’ve also got us bribing people left and right to smuggle weapons and people into the city. If I had to guess, the guild has been paid to help with whatever they are doing, but Reav hasn’t told anyone yet.”

  “Reav the guild master?” TJ asked.

  She nodded, then looked sadly at the last piece of bacon that remained on the plate.

  “All yours,” he said, to answer the unasked question.

  He then fished out another stack of silver and dropped it on the corner of the table. This time only putting out half as many coins. It was just barely beginning to get light, so the other guests would be trickling down soon. He assumed Kallista wouldn’t want to eat in public once that happened.

  Her black eyes were distinct, but the fangs would probably cause issues. Although now that he looked at her carefully, her hair had shifted to a deep purple. He could only catch a glimpse of her horns under her hood, but they too had changed and had white marbling. It was almost like she had some sort of shape-changing or camouflage powers that she couldn’t control.

  TJ tapped his finger on the table. “I was hoping this was just more of the same from Timarat, but it sounds like there’s more in play. I’ll get a message to the Duchess this morning. I don’t want to step into the local fight unless I need to. If she can’t solve this with her own resources, then she’s got bigger problems.”

  “I can’t believe I’m actually fucking considering this. You wouldn’t stop me from stealing shit or anything, would you?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “You do you. Just don’t steal from me or anyone else we’re grouped with. I may have allies we shouldn’t piss off, but I’ll let you know if that happens.”

  “So… let me get this straight. Just a paid thief and bodyguard? I get my cut, days off, gear paid, and stuff like if I were still in the guild? And if I do the life thing, I get my body fixed and divine talents?” she asked.

  He replied, “That’s the idea. You might have to convince my patron that you’re worth a covenant for power, though. That costs her something. As for employment, sure, it’s long term, but we can adjust things as we go. I’m not really a set-in-stone type of guy. If you deserve a promotion or whatever, I’ll try to make it happen. If it’s not working out, I’ll try to find something that’ll work for both of us. If it’s in service to Serina, you could probably do any number of things with your life and keep the afterlife commitment, possibly the powers too.”

  “Fifty percent. For anything I swipe, I keep at least half the value,” she said quickly.

  He replied, “Sure. Not sure how much good it’ll do you beyond a certain point. I won’t get in your way, but if it starts trouble, that’s on you. If you’re not worth it, I expect that Serina would step in and cut you loose.”

  She frowned at the empty plate and used a piece of toast to mop up the bacon grease. She then began sucking it free from the bread.

  Snapping his fingers, he asked, “Oh, before I get my hopes up, you don’t have any dealings with higher powers, do you? I’d rather not piss off Serina again. I’ve had bad luck with picking people that have divine baggage.”

  Kallista shook her head dejectedly. “No. I’ve prayed at every temple in the city, but no one answers. Never heard of Lady Serina, though.”

  “So… no crazy catches? If you are traveling with us, I’m not going to get hunted or anything?” he asked.

  She gave a small shrug then shook her head.

  “Well… technically there’s…” she mumbled something he couldn’t make out.

  He leaned in. “Wait… What was that?”

  “Uh… I, uh, might be a… look, I was a child when I was taken in by the guild,” she said. “I don’t remember much before that. I’ve got little snippets of living in a huge palace in a desert, but I think most of it was just an overactive imagination. I do remember a woman I didn’t like force-feeding me potions that made me sleepy. I was in bandages for a long time after that. Then I remember traveling for what seemed like forever, and before that’s mostly a blur. Of course, I might have made up that story to explain, well, whatever the fuck happened to me. I kinda remember a blurry memory of my father on a throne, but everyone tells me that’s bullshit that every orphaned gutter rat imagines.”

  TJ dropped his forehead to the table with a thunk then repeated it a few times.

  “Don’t be a fucking drama queen, asshole. Even if it were true, I was removed from the chain of succession before I could hold a sword. I’m damaged goods if you haven’t noticed,” she complained.

  An idea clicked into his head. He’d been reading some of Rachel’s books on nobility and history of the area. They had done some pretty fucked up things to seize power. Or prevent others from rightfully claiming the throne.

  He’d read about eunuchs. The knife wounds to her reproductive bits could absolutely be some other race’s equivalent to sterilize females and make sure there were enough pain and disfigurement involved that she wouldn’t try to fool around on the off chance it didn’t work.

  “You’re a deposed princess or something, aren’t you? They made sure you couldn’t have children. Whoever did it probably had to stand before a truthseer and swear they hadn’t killed you. Then they exiled you after making sure you weren’t a threat to them taking power and wouldn’t have any offspring that could lay claim to the throne,” he said numbly.

  When she didn’t reply, he thumped his head into the table twice more.

  Fire.

  He was going to learn fire spells.

  Just to torch the fucked-up people who would do something like that to a child. He didn’t care
if he had to spend a month on a horse and scale a mountainside without his wings. When he crossed paths with them, he was going to set those fuckers ablaze.

  “And what do you think is going to happen when I fix what they did to you?” He groaned without raising his head from the table.

  Kallista froze. There wasn’t a hint of breath or movement to her. Then, her index finger began a slow grind against the tabletop with enough force that it caused the legs to creak. As he watched, her fingertip shimmered and became more claw-like. Effortlessly, she carved a curly ribbon of wood from the surface.

  She sucked in a deep breath then cleared her throat, forcing herself into an artificial calm. “I hadn’t thought about that. After I was dropped off, I’ve never met anyone like me. I’ve got snippets, a few names, and places that sound right, but they don’t make sense with what I’ve heard. I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it. Those memories are so hazy, I doubt any of this matters.”

  Her previously stoic expression vanished. Since she’d closed her collar the moment she’d finished her meal, he could only see her forehead to her upper lip, but what he saw was now full of conflict.

  Speaking more to herself than TJ, she mused aloud, “If I’m life bonded to this asshole, it’s not like I could… But would it matter? If I had divine talents, then… All I’d really have to do is have you…” She paused and took another sip of water. She gave a long hum that changed in pitch. The sound put TJ’s nerves on end as she shifted from thoughtful toward an intense and malicious eagerness.

  She leaned back and appeared to be lost in thought. “If even half of the shit I remember is true, then this whole damned thing is sounding a whole lot more interesting all of a sudden.”

  “Serina’s gonna fucking kill me. I’m a dead man. Nope, never mind. Fuck this and the centaur it rode in on. I don’t know what this is, but it’s a terrible idea. I’m all for getting revenge on the fuckers that carved you up, but she’ll probably set me on fire for eternity if I get her caught up in whatever war you’re trying to start,” he muttered.

  Kallista traced the gouge in the tabletop with her newly-shaped talon, then her eyes widened as though she’d just realized something important. “How did you catch me?”

  “Swear to keep my secrets?” he asked.

  She scratched at her chin with her middle finger, making sure it was pointed his way. “Fine. I swear to keep your secrets.”

  Quickly working it into her existing binding, he replied, “We saw you sneaking out, so Faith and I followed you.”

  She gave him an incredulous look. “You followed me? How? No one can follow me. You didn’t make a sound, and no human is that fast. You just tackled me out of thin air. No one has ever caught me in the act. The guard has only picked me up when I was sent out to sell stolen goods, or they raided the guild house.”

  He replied, “I can fly, but you were still hard to keep up with.”

  “Ah, for fuck’s sake. How am I supposed to deal with magical flying assholes? You might as well have been invisible too. That shit’s not fair,” she growled.

  He shrugged. “I’ve got wings. Can’t blame me for using them.”

  She blinked, confused. He supposed she’d assumed he’d cast a spell instead.

  “So… wait… you didn’t use your feet.” Her eyes went wide, and she froze. “You caught me…” Her voice took on a distant air. “More wealth than a prince’s ransom. A wing in the night, faster than the fleetest foot. Cornered by a beast of nightmares and shadows. The once uncatchable is caught and… honor to be restored. It’s just like that old gypsy moth said in my dream.”

  She rubbed at her temples and groaned. “Motherfucking prophesies… always with the riddles. Whatever. Fine, the dream makes sense now. The next line… the leap of faith… I guess I have to, don’t I?” She cursed and stared at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but… I swear my life and soul to you. You’d better make a decent husband.”

  “Wait! No! I said, no!” TJ started.

  A burst of pressure slammed into his core. Since it sped across the existing bindings, he didn’t have time to ward it off so he could ask what the hell she meant by a husband.

  The room exploded in a brilliant flash as TJ lost consciousness.

  Chapter 28

  TJ opened his eyes to find himself floating in golden light.

  Feeling sweat bead upon his forehead, he started, “Uh… sorry?”

  No answer came.

  “Serina? I swear this one was out of my control. I’m really sorry. I even asked if she had any weird stuff going on. I had no idea about the prophecy when I made the offer. I even tried to take it back.”

  He paced nervously, hoping he wasn’t going to get a lightning bolt up his backside.

  All at once, he was nearly knocked down by a loud burst of tinkling laughter.

  Got you.

  Stunned, it took him a moment to recover. “You’re not mad?”

  Not in the least.

  “No?”

  I took the binding on your behalf because I was afraid you’d back out and cut her loose. We just made friends with her people’s originator. Kallista was too young to remember his name when she was taken. That meant she couldn’t call on him, but the old bastard has been watching over her looking for a way to make things right. When you looped her into an oath, he reached out.

  He’s this old guru type of guy that talks in riddles that only make sense afterward. He’s all pentagrams and goat heads, but his horns are wicked cool. He’s agreed to help me because of this, and that got a lot of other deities off my back once I didn’t look weak.

  “So, what’s his name?” TJ asked. “She’d probably want to thank him.”

  Ah, I can’t tell you. It’s divine bullshit that mortals aren’t supposed to know. If you hear the name in the mortal realm, I can confirm. Otherwise, it’s this whole problem of ‘things you aren’t supposed to know.’ I won’t risk your afterlife over something that doesn’t matter. He’ll know, and she’ll know that he exists, she just won’t have a name. That’s the best I can do.

  “Uh… ok. So, I’m gonna be selfish here… What does this mean for me?”

  Kallista is the rightful heir when her father kicks the bucket. Eventually, you’ll need to head that way so she can take the throne, but don’t worry about it. From the look of it, that’s probably a while down the road. That and her people are so far to the east it might as well be the other side of the planet. No one is going to come looking for her. Her stepmother hid every bit of evidence of what she did. Her prime divine is going to skull fuck that bitch for eternity over what she had done to that poor girl.

  Also, her people have kick-ass magic that I’m just now learning about. Old curly horns told me all sorts of useful stuff that is way beyond my polymorph spells. It incorporates passive magical forms into the flesh permanently. It’ll take some tinkering to share it with you and the ladies, but I bet I can do it.

  “So, I didn’t screw things up for once?” TJ asked, just to be sure.

  TJ, all I’ve got is living vicariously by watching over you. Through that bond, I now have someone else on my level to talk to that isn’t my family. Sure, he’s old and a bit crusty, but I’m learning again. I now have magic the other Devas don’t. Things that they don’t know how to counter.

  She gave a devious laugh.

  For that, I’m giving you the best double-team blowjob of your life.

  “Oh?”

  TJ woke to the most amazing dream.

  As he lay in bed, he was infused with the warm sense of home and that everything was right in the world. Refusing to let the feeling drift away, he kept his eyes closed in hopes that he could hold onto it just a little longer.

  He could still feel the sun on his skin, the wind in his face and…

  <❤️>

  Two lustful moans caused his mind to stir as lips slid down his shaft in unison. Unintelligible words tumbled out of his mouth as his eyelids fluttered op
en.

  He was back in their room at the inn, with his legs off the bed and his robes removed. A very nude Abby and Rachel were glowing with divine light between his knees, as they made out around the head of his cock. Behind his eyes, he could feel a strange presence, as though someone else was riding along inside his skin. His hands moved of their own accord and rested on their heads, gently directing their motions.

  Abby hummed happily as she dipped low on his shaft. Taking it slowly into her mouth while her fingers dropped below her waist and over her sex. She gave a satisfied grumble and made slow ovals with her hand. Rachel pulled the other woman’s hair back and began to nibble on her neck while TJ watched. Abby moved in tantalizingly slow movements as she licked him from below his jewels to the tip of his hard cock.

  Rachel kept her eyes closed as she pivoted, then settled him into her mouth. He’d expected something delicate and timid, but instead, she pushed him deep, past the back of her mouth, and kept going. He could see her throat expand with each slow thrust.

  Gone entirely was the woman’s shyness about sex. Instead, it had been replaced with Serina’s indulgent motions and utter lack of a gag reflex. Rachel struggled for a moment, then her skin began to glow golden as a divine blessing settled into place. The noblewoman pushed further as she took the entirety of his erection into her throat. Their magic intertwined, burning white-hot in his chest, and it caused his soul to shudder in ecstasy.

  She rocked back and forth, building up speed until she was pounding him deep in a mind-bending sensation while Abby lapped his shaft and jewels, not leaving a single bit of skin untouched with her tongue. He melted into the experience as Serina pressed her divine presence against his mind. He could feel her nakedness against his body and her lips on his as she devoured him.

  He’d have loved to have said he lasted for hours, but he was far too gone from the start. An intense pressure began building, and in perfect timing, Rachel pulled him free, gasping for air. His partners’ hands intertwined on his shaft while their tongues met on the underside of his cock.