Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira

by Laura Jo Phillips

  She reached down with her other hand and fondled the heavy testicles hanging between his legs. He shuddered, locking his knees to prevent himself from falling to the floor. She stroked him a few more times, exploring his long, thick shaft with her eyes and her fingers, causing his skin to pebble over and over in hot rushes. The only reason he was able to prevent himself from coming was the open expression of curiosity, love and desire on her face. He would not ruin this moment for her.

  As he watched, a drop of fluid seeped from the head of his cock and caught her attention. She leaned forward so that her warm breath caressed him, then she opened her mouth, and caught the pearl of fluid on the tip of her delicate little tongue.

  Zakiel threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut, every muscle in his body trembling with the effort to hold back and remain still for her. He had never dreamed she would do such a thing for him, could hardly believe that she had done it. He was uncertain whether it was the utter innocence of her actions, or the sight of her tongue on his cock that had him fighting so hard to hang on to his last vestiges of control. But when the warm, soft sensation of her lips wrapped around the head of his cock, and her hot tongue swirled slowly around the sensitive flesh, he lost his battle. Without thinking he arched his hips toward her, pushing himself deeper into her hot, deliciously soft, wet mouth. His hands went to her head, his fingers sinking into her glossy hair as he held her still for him. Suddenly aware of what he was doing he pulled back, but her hands gripped his buttocks and refused to allow him to withdraw. Unable to resist her obvious desire, he thrust forward again, carefully this time, trying to control himself to some extent.

  He came a little, fighting to hold back, but knowing that some of his essence had spilled into her mouth in spite of his efforts. He expected her to pull back in distaste and braced himself for the loss. Her deep moan of pleasure at the taste of him was totally unexpected, and sent him flying over the edge he’d fought so hard to hang onto.

  He thrust forward, completely out of control as his orgasm ripped through him with such force he nearly fell on top of her. But Karma was stronger than she looked, and she held his hips tightly, taking as much of his thick, pulsing flesh into her mouth as she could manage as she helped to support him.

  When the first hot spurt of his seed shot into her mouth she squeezed her legs together and shuddered, her pussy clenching tightly. Then another spurt, and another, each one stoking her own arousal higher and higher. Then Zakiel, losing his battle for silence, shouted his pleasure, sending her into an orgasm of her own. She pressed her mouth tighter to him, feeling his hot, wide cock push against the back of her throat which intensified her orgasm until she was squeezing his hips with her arms, holding him tightly as her body quivered and shook with her own climax.

  The first thing Zakiel realized as his body began to come back down after the intensity of his orgasm was that he had two fistfuls of Karma’s hair. He relaxed his fingers, releasing her hair and smoothing it down. Karma relaxed her grip on his hips, and slowly leaned back, allowing his softening flesh to slip from her mouth. She bent forward to give him one last kiss, then leaned all the way back, lying down against the cushions again as she tried to catch her breath.

  Zakiel laid down beside her and pulled her into his arms, his heart still beating faster than normal. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he couldn’t. He reached over to the table behind him and picked up his wine, taking a long drink of it. Karma’s head raised up off of his chest and he offered the cup to her.

  “I cannot believe you did that,” he said, placing the empty cup back on the table. He felt her body stiffen in his arms, and realized she’d misunderstood him.

  “Valia, that was the single most erotic thing I have ever seen or felt in my life,” he said, gazing into her eyes. “I never expected you to do that, and I would never ask it of you. But I will never forget it.”

  “Why is it so different from what you did last night?” she asked curiously.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “It just is.”

  “Well, I don’t know if this will shock you further, but I enjoyed it a great deal,” she said meaningfully. “In fact, I got the same type of pleasure from it that you got.”

  Zakiel frowned as he tried to understand her meaning. His eyes widened in surprise. “Do you mean to say you climaxed from that?”

  “Yes, I did,” she said, watching him carefully. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “No, my love,” he said, smiling. “There is nothing wrong with anything we do together, so long as we are both happy, and receive pleasure. Unfortunately, I am now more anxious for us to be married than ever.”

  Karma laid her head back on his chest, comforted by the sound and feel of his heart beating beneath her cheek. “I know, I feel the same,” she said. “We are just going to have to wait until we return to Ka-Teru though. Unless one of the Hunters or servants is capable of performing a marriage ceremony for us.”

  “I think it’s safe to assume that is not the case,” he replied. “However, I think Rosia could probably do it.”

  Karma raised her head again and studied his face as she considered that. She sighed. “I don’t think we have time. We must leave first thing in the morning.”

  “Yes, you are right, I know,” Zakiel replied.

  “Perhaps on our return we can ask her?” Karma suggested.

  Zakiel smiled. “Yes, I like that idea. I know that my father will want a formal ceremony when we return home, so you will not miss out on that. But I would like us to be married as soon as we can.”

  “So would I,” Karma agreed.

  “In the meantime, we should begin to work on our vows,” Zakiel said.

  “Our vows?” Karma asked. “Isn’t there a set ceremony?”

  “Yes, there is,” Zakiel said as he sat up and reached for his pants. “But the promises we make to each other must be our own.”

  Karma thought about that as she watched Zakiel pull his pants on and tie the laces, then sit down to put his boots back on. She decided that she liked the idea of deciding what they would and would not promise to each other.

  “Come on, valia,” Zakiel said, offering her his hand. “I know that you need to get your rest tonight.”

  Karma nodded as she accepted his hand and stood up. She wished she didn’t have to leave yet, but he was right. She needed to get as much sleep as possible. Tomorrow was going to be a very dangerous day.

  Chapter 22

  “Are you ready?” Zakiel asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” Karma replied as she stood gazing out over the sea. She’d gotten little sleep the night before, which made her nervous when she thought about how much energy it could take for her to accomplish the day’s task. She hoped she had enough.

  “Rosia has offered us the use of her smallest boat, several strong rowers, and a guide. The other boats will await our signal that it is safe before making way.”

  “Did Rosia offer any ideas on how to attract Sobek to us?”

  “Yes, she did,” Zakiel replied. “She said that sound draws him, and gave us a dozen noise makers.”

  “Where is Kapia?” Karma asked.

  “She is aboard the first boat,” he said. “Sir Bredon is with her and charged with her safety.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, relieved.

  “You need not thank me,” Zakiel said. “I love her, too.”

  “I know you do,” Karma said. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I just worry a lot about those I care for.”

  “Yet another thing that I love about you,” he said softly. The sound of his voice made her shiver, which caused him to frown in concern. “Are you warm enough?”

  “Thanks to Rosia, yes, I am,” she replied. “This wool is heavy, but after the heat of the desert, I’m sure that it’s going to be especially cold for us out on the water. I’m so glad Rosia thought of it as I did not.”

  “I wonder if Kapia will be cold,” Zaki
el worried as he looked toward the ship he knew his sister would be on.

  “Don’t worry,” Karma said. “Rosia loaned her some warm clothing as well. I think we will both be fine.”

  “I should have known better than to think you would forget Kapia,” Zakiel said.

  Karma smiled up at him as they turned onto the short dock. Zakiel offered her his arm as she climbed into the boat and even though she didn’t really need it, she took it anyway.

  How warm his hands are, she thought. He is so strong!

  “Oh, puh-leeeze,” Nikura said.

  “Be quiet naughty kitty, and stop listening to thoughts that aren’t addressed to you,” Karma said.

  “What is a kitty?” Nikura asked suspiciously.

  “A baby cat,” Karma replied. “You know, one who doesn’t have enough manners to at least pretend he’s not listening when he shouldn’t be. I’ve heard that some people put sticks in the mouths of the really naughty ones and use them as dust mops.”

  Nikura looked up at her with narrowed eyes, then stalked off to the other side of the deck and sat down with his back to her, his tail sweeping back and forth across the deck behind him. Karma rolled her eyes and walked to the front of the boat.

  She saw a wooden crate piled with dark, reddish brown balls the size of her fist, each with a bit of cord sticking out of it. She frowned at them, wondering what they were, until the obvious answer came to her.

  “These are the noise makers?” she asked, reaching for one. It was fairly light, made of hardened clay, and when she shook it gently she felt the contents shift.

  “Yes,” Zakiel said. “Once the wick is lighted, the object is thrown as far as possible from the boat, and it explodes. The idea is that Sobek will be attracted by the explosions and rise from beneath them, which will be at least some distance from the boat.”

  Karma contemplated the box of crude hand grenades and the brazier of coals a safe distance away, then looked around to be sure none of Rosia’s people were within hearing range. She inched a bit closer to Zakiel and spoke in a very soft voice.

  “I’m troubled that they have such a specific method of calling this creature,” she said. “It speaks of experience rather than novelty.”

  “Yes,” Zakiel replied, his voice equally soft. “I asked if there was a particular place that would be best for us to make our attempt, and she said that our guide would take us to it.”

  “So they engage in regular sacrifices to this thing,” Karma said with a grimace of disgust. “I wonder if that explains why there are so few females among the Chya. That makes me want to kill it, if for no reason other than to spare future sacrifices.”

  “You made a promise, valia,” Zakiel said. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to break it.”

  “Neither do I,” Karma replied. “I won’t kill it, not deliberately anyway.”

  “Perhaps, once we are finished with our journey, we will find it necessary to dispose of the creature on our return.”

  Karma shrugged one shoulder, but did not reply.

  “You don’t agree,” Zakiel noted.

  “As you pointed out, I made a promise,” Karma said. “Planning to break it when it is most convenient for me may not bode well for the future. It is not good karma. We still have two more orbs to find after this one, and I expect we’ll need whatever help we can get.”

  “You are correct, of course,” Zakiel said with a sigh. “We must leave these people to their own beliefs and practices.”

  While they’d been talking, the men had been rowing the boat out toward the deeps known as the Wide with more speed than Karma had expected. The boat they were on was small and light, which allowed it to nearly skim the surface with ten rowers at the oars.

  “We are almost to the calling point,” their guide warned them.

  “Who will handle the noise makers?” Karma asked.

  “I will, Lady Techu,” the man said.

  “Let me get out of your way then,” Karma said. She nodded at the man, then walked over to where Nikura sat.

  “I apologize for calling you a naughty kitty, Nikura” she said. “It was unkind of me, no matter how provoked.”

  “Dust mops. Humph,” Nikura said, though he stopped swishing his tail and wrapped it around his feet.

  Karma turned away from Nikura and found a spot near the railing that gave her a good view of the sea in front of the boat. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. She felt the boat slow, then stop at the guide’s order before she opened her eyes.

  She watched as the guide reached for the first grenade and removed the top from the brazier. He used a thin, green stick to light the wick, then drew his arm back and threw it in one fast, smooth motion. The ball exploded a good fifty yards from the boat, just before it hit the water. As soon as it exploded, she sent a trickle of energy into the Ti-Ank, glad that she had enough control now to prepare this far in advance. Once the creature appeared, she would need only to increase the energy. She watched as their Chya guide threw several more grenades before she began moving slowly toward the front of the boat again, her eyes on the water.

  “It’s coming now,” Nikura said, surprising her.

  “How long?” she asked, glancing down to see the Sphin in his usual spot beside her.

  “A few moments only,” he said. “Tell the guide to move after he throws this next one so that you can take his place.”

  Karma did as Nikura said and the guide nodded before lighting the last grenade and throwing it. As soon as it left his hand he bent down to replace the cover on the brazier, then moved out of the bow of the boat.

  Karma took his place, her eyes on the water, barely noticing that Zakiel was beside her, both swords drawn.

  “Increase the energy,” Nikura said. Karma immediately responded, increasing the flow of energy into the staff until it was glowing brightly.

  Suddenly, not thirty yards from the boat, the sea erupted in a geyser of water with the enormous, gray-green crocodilian head of Sobek at its center. The monster roared as it continued to shoot skyward out of the water.

  Karma refused to allow her shock at the size of the thing to rattle her. Instead, she poured all of her gathered energy into the ankh, then directed it all at Sobek. The golden beam engulfed the creature as it continued to rise, and Karma reached deeper, pulled harder, straining with all she had to push the beast into the deepest sleep possible.

  Karma was beginning to suspect that every time she used the Ti-Ank in this manner, when she stretched herself to the limits of her ability, her overall strength and power increased. She knew she was much better at drawing the energy from within herself so that it could be magnified by the ankh, because she’d practiced and worked at it. But with experience came strength, and her strength was well on its way to becoming formidable.

  Because of that, Sobek was sound asleep before his mighty leap out of the water was complete. Almost at once gravity took over and pulled his gigantic body back into the water with a splash that, without the expertise of the captain, would have swamped their small boat. Karma continued to push as hard as she could at the creature until it sank out of sight. Only then did she release the energy and allow the glow to fade.

  “Did you kill it?” the guide asked, fear in his voice.

  Karma looked down at Nikura, who closed his eyes for a moment before answering.

  “It is sleeping,” he said. “Hopefully it will remain that way for several hours, but I doubt it will last much longer than that. I would suggest moving as quickly as possible.”

  “It’s asleep,” Karma told the guide. “We have half a day, maybe less. No time must be wasted.”

  The guide nodded in relief, then reached for his horn to signal the other boats. Karma looked for a place to sit down and not finding one, she chose to simply sit where she stood. While her power and strength had increased, using the Ti-Ank was still draining. The more energy she had to use, the longer it took for her to recover.

 
; “Karma?” Zakiel asked her, kneeling down beside her with a worried look on his face.

  “I didn’t pass out this time, so that’s something,” Karma said with a wan smile. “I need to rest is all.”

  “As soon as we move to the other ship you can lay down and sleep,” he said.

  “No,” Karma objected. “I think I need to keep an eye open for Sobek. If he awakens early, I will need to put him back to sleep.”

  “Do you think it’s likely?” Zakiel asked.

  “It’s possible,” Karma said. “I know I’ll feel better watching for it than not.”

  “Then we shall watch for it,” Zakiel said.

  They didn’t have to wait too long for the boats carrying their people and diplos to catch up to them. Zakiel, Karma, and Nikura boarded the final boat, much to the surprise of the rest of the Hunters. Zakiel had to order them to remain where they were, since they all wanted to move to their boat so they could guard him and Lady Techu.

  “We have a fair wind,” Zakiel said. “Rowing might take us across faster than the wind though.”

  “I think it would be better to use the wind as much as possible since it’s quieter,” Karma said. “We should ask everyone on all of the boats to be as quiet as possible. Sobek is attracted to sound, so let’s not wake him up if we can help it.”

  Zakiel nodded, then left to pass the word. Within minutes all six boats were under full sail, each boat staying as close as possible to the others without interfering with each other.

  “Nikura, will you know ahead of time if Sobek awakens and comes after us?” Karma asked.

  “I hope so,” Nikura replied. “I heard it before as it approached. It is reasonable to conclude that I would hear it again, particularly if it is angry.”

  “Thank you, Nikura,” she said softly, reaching down with one hand to stroke the Sphin’s ears. “I am grateful for your help, regardless of my teasing.”