By: SinfulWolf<\/p>\n
The incense filling the room was pleasant, swirling across the senses and making everything in the room feel so much more alive. Slaves wearing gold skirts and bared breasts wandered amongst the guests, carrying silver trays full of grapes, strawberries, shrimp, and chalices of wine. Silk curtains hung from the walls, over the openings that led to the various other halls and rooms of the villa, gave the party an even more plush and exotic atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n Just how the nobility of Goldulin enjoyed it.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya though, taking a bite out of a ripe strawberry, a chalice of rich red wine held firmly in her callused hands, kept her eyes on the scene in the centre of the room.<\/span><\/p>\n An indentation in the floor was swirling with cool, clear water. A dais in the centre of the pool held a collection of women. Their gilded gold skin was nude save for the black masks that covered their upper face. Lustful eyes with black painted lids gazed out at the audience, simmering with heat and base intent. Their hair was gelled and styled in a sleek wave down their backs. The women were an undulating mass of flesh, their bodies writhing amongst each other, gasping softly as hands and fingers drifting over painted flesh. Lips and tongues caressed breasts, necks and thighs. Sarya watched them, entranced by their beauty and their skill in the craft of sexuality.<\/span><\/p>\n Four men stood at each corner of the dais, a rounded pillar at their backs. Their faces were hidden behind masks of ivory, neither eyes nor mouths showing, only carvings of such, all the same identical clamped lips and wide orbs lacking detail. Their otherwise naked frames were painted a stark white, almost like marble, and, in their hands, fluttered long sheets of silk that flowed between them, occasionally obscuring the sight of golden women between them, only their silhouettes showing for a brief second of teasing.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya sipped her wine, ignoring the rigid cocks of the four men, standing proud and ready to service at a moment\u2019s need, enthralled by the pure beauty on the dais. She watched as one raven haired beauty slowly slid a palm down a golden haired nymph\u2019s breast. The second woman\u2019s back arched, her golden nipples standing proudly, allowing her paramour to wrap silken lips around the stiff bud<\/span><\/p>\n A silk sheet passed before them, and Sarya could only see their shapes moving, slow and sensual, stirring a heat between her legs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCenturion. It is not often we get one of the common soldiery here amongst us,\u201d a man\u2019s voice said.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya cursed him in her mind as she turned away from the sight to view the man approaching her. A slave trailed behind him, massaging his shoulders even as he walked. The man\u2019s eyes rimmed with dark liner, though not nearly as dark as what curled around his wife\u2019s striking blue eyes. She stood next to him, red lips curled in a smile as she took in Sarya. The warrior had no doubt she made quite the impression, standing in full armour that had been polished to a splendour for this event, but still held the gouges of battle in the chest plate and pauldrons. A red cape tied around her neck, denoting her rank, hung down her back.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt is not often I get such an invitation either,\u201d she said politely, wondering as to the nobleman\u2019s intent.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAh, but you of all of us deserve it. Fighting those foul Kazdruk hordes on the coasts. I hear it was your cohort that won us the battle of Tamarin,\u201d the noblewoman said pleasantly, and with a bit of a seductive purr to her voice. Sarya\u2019s lips curled into a coy smile at the thought of peeling off that vibrant red and violet dress she wore, and tasting what lay beneath. She was a beautiful woman, and she might even sleep with her husband to get her.<\/span><\/p>\n Culture was certainly different here than most places of Goldulin she\u2019d seen. At least, different since worship of Oan had spread.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was my cohort. I have some of the best Legionaries in the empire under my command. The Kazdruk are vile, and a ferocious enemy but they bleed and die just like anyone else,\u201d Sarya said patting the hilt of the spatha sheathed at her hip.<\/span><\/p>\n The two nobles laughed, sincere laughs, and the woman\u2019s fingers grazed Sarya\u2019s forearm pleasantly. The man paid no mind to it, as the slave behind her reached her own hand into his toga, and between his legs. The woman\u2019s eyes were burning with unbridled lust, and Sarya wondered if her husband would be involved tonight at all.<\/span><\/p>\n The thought seemed so heretical, and Sarya loved every second of it. This was true Goldulin culture, not the watered down version that the last few Emperors have shown to the world.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis must be so foreign to you though. The only screams, ones of pleasure… or ecstasy,\u201d the man chuckled gently with a slight lilt to his voice as the slave\u2019s hand worked beneath his garb.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI admit to questioning the wisdom of spending precious funds on such lavish parties when armies are bearing down upon us as we speak. They will be at the gates of Goldalin within the month, and victories are few and far between,\u201d Sarya said bleakly, fingers curling around her sword, even as the woman\u2019s fingers curled around the Centurion\u2019s forearm.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat is precisely why we need events such as this. It gives us hope, and with no hope we are lost. Besides… may as well enjoy some of life\u2019s, pleasures,\u201d the woman said.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya smiled again, letting her fingers relax. \u201cForbidden pleasures it seems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOnly by some.\u201d \u00a0the woman dismissed. \u00a0\u201cThe foolish and the zealous of an overbearing God,\u201d she continued. Sarya laughed, flicking her eyes once again to the women.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSenator Gracus, Lady Amilia… absconding to your chambers with my special guest already? I haven\u2019t even had the chance to speak with her,\u201d a sensual voice slid over Sarya\u2019s mind, and all three turned. The Senator and Amilia both smiled and laughed and said their apologies to the empress before giving their thanks to Sarya and taking their leave.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya, though, snapped her heels together and punched a fist to her chest in salute. Those of the gathered guests who saw it laughed, but most were too pre-occupied. One man was conversing with his wife in the corner, with a slave\u2019s lips around his cock, while another slave ran his tongue between the wife\u2019s slick thighs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEmpress. I live to serve,\u201d Sarya said firmly to the woman before her, Nera, Empress of Goldulin, dressed in an opulent purple dress, trimmed in gold filigree, that clung to her feminine figure, leaving the expanse of her breasts bare. Her hair was carefully coiffed, a long braid running down her back, with a perfect bun resting on the back of her head.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSarya please. You are my guest, and in this house… there is no need for such formality. Look around you,\u201d the Empress said, her hand sliding gently around the villa\u2019s room, a den of carnality and other pleasures of the senses. A woman poured wine over her husband\u2019s chest before bending down to lick it up. At least, Sarya assumed it was her husband. She couldn\u2019t be sure.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFormality interrupts such pleasures, and you are a hero of the Empire, and deserve such pleasures,\u201d Nera purred, and slid a hand between Sarya\u2019s legs, pushing the knee length skirt of the Legion against her thighs as she forced her legs out of the position of military attention. Sarya blinked; she had of course seen the Empress before, only at a distance, but never would she have guessed that she was so… delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n Nera\u2019s hand didn\u2019t move for a moment, but then slipped under the skirt and crept higher.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLet an Empress reward the loyalty of a brave soldier, with what she craves,\u201d Nera purred, her fingers deftly worming their way through the wraps of wool Sarya had around her hips, and plunged into her womanhood. The Centurion couldn\u2019t stop the low moan that spilled from her lips, even as she started walking, following as those fingers led her to the edge of the room, and through a set of curtains.<\/span><\/p>\n She was alone with the Empress now, and the situation began to slowly sink in.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEmpress-,\u201d she started before being cut off. \u201cNera. In the morning you can again let Empress slip from those pretty lips, but until then, I am your lover.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNera,\u201d Sarya said, letting the word slide off her tongue like rich honey. \u201cWhat of the Emperor. I could be executed, this is a sin to Oan,\u201d she said, her heart pounding with lust, fear, and excitement. Nera\u2019s fingers twitched inside her, continuing to guide her along the halls of the rich and powerful until they reached a quiet room, far from the party. The bed was covered in silk and made of fine wood, carved with nymphs along the head board.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is my personal villa Sarya. The Emperor does not visit. He thinks I kneel before Oan here, but as you can see, that is not true. He does not sleep with me except when he wants to attempt to father an heir. I take lovers here… and fuck Oan. I know you also do not worship that oafish God,\u201d Nera purred, slowly removing her fingers from within the Centurion, and slowly sucking the first of two digits clean with a soft moan, and pressing the other to Sarya\u2019s lips.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya confirmed Nera\u2019s statement by taking the woman\u2019s finger into her mouth. The Empress grinned and reached up with her free hand, and unclipped a small brooch behind her neck. Smoothly, the dress slid down off her body, exposing everything to the Centurion, who licked her lips at the sight of pale creamy skin that must not have felt the touch of the hard sun in years.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are being invaded by evil Sarya. And humanity will not stand in the light. Only in the dark can we thrive. So long as I live, Goldulin will live.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Nera grinned, and pulled her finger free, starting to work on disrobing Sarya. Each piece of armour, each indication of rank, joined the Empress\u2019s dress upon the floor, until Nera was pushing Sarya onto the bed, running a tongue slowly up her thigh, teasing her way to the Centurion\u2019s womanhood. Sarya groaned.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know who you whisper to before battle, I know whose name you utter in the dark Sarya. It is why I invited you here tonight, to partake in her bounty. To show you the Goldulin that will live again. Tonight you will not whisper her name… you will scream it,\u201d Nera purred from between Sarya\u2019s thighs.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya looked down between her breasts, across the rippling expanse of her stomach, at the woman to whose husband she had sworn her life. The woman who represented Goldulin. A saint to the eyes of the people, and saw the fangs of a vampire protruding from her lips.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya didn\u2019t have time to react before those fangs bit down into her thigh, piercing her flesh, letting blood flow into her lover\u2019s mouth. Nera\u2019s tongue slid over the skin that had been pierced, and her hand slid down to entwine in the Empress\u2019s hair, and moaned to the ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n ><><<\/span><\/p>\n Looking over the city of Driftafay, Sarya let her eyes open. She had been afraid that Lillium\u2019s visage would taint such a sweet memory, her fingers gently drifting over the twin, pale pink scars upon her thigh. The power of a succubus could be strong.<\/span><\/p>\n She glanced over her shoulder at Isilda laying naked upon her bed, and for a moment wished she was painted gold, and wore a mask. But Nera was gone, Goldulin had fallen. Now there was only the Kazdruk, who had taken everything from her.<\/span><\/p>\n And Lillium. Sarya would see the woman dead, and every last Kazdruk dead upon her blade for what they did to her people.<\/span><\/p>\n Sarya would have her reckoning, even if it burned the world to ashes around her.<\/span><\/p>\n ><><<\/span><\/p>\n Night had long since fallen, and the columns of marching soldiers had set up their tents and cook fires for the night. Soldiers nursed their feet from the long day of marching, while the cavalry units tended to their horses. Sentries stood at their posts, firmly grasping their spears and staring<\/span><\/p>\n with vigilance out into the night as guards patrolled the perimeter.<\/span><\/p>\n Standing in tight Elvish breeches and a tunic that drew the eye, Lelthina was already missing the fine silk of her dresses, the caress of it across her skin. The heat of the sun that hung above their heads during the day, making sweat trickle down her back and itch in a most uncomfortable way, only to grow chilled when sun set to darkness, \u00a0was not how she wanted to spend her time.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet, what lay at the end would be worth all the discomfort. The horrible food and raw thighs from the saddle. Every step would be worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n Her attention was taken from the glow upon white canvas tents by the screech of a hawk fluttering in from the night sky, drowning out the low sound of soldiers\u2019 conversations. Flexing her hand in the thick leather glove she wore, Lelthina held out her arm. The hawk\u2019s talons dug into the leather as it landed upon her forearm.<\/span><\/p>\n Cooing softly, and offered the raptor a strip of hare meat. It snapped up the sliver of flesh in its beak with the viciousness of a hunter as Lelthina carefully slipped a hood over the hawk\u2019s head. Her eyes drifted down to the small scroll held in a brass capsule tied to its foot. With the hood on, the hawk easily let her remove it, as a glove bearing servant came out from her tent to take the beautiful avian from the chancellor.<\/span><\/p>\n Unveiling the parchment strip was quick, the snap of the brass capsule quiet in the fire lit camp. Her eyes slid across the words written there, and nodded once to herself.<\/span><\/p>\n Brushing an errant hair from her brow, she never could get it bound just right out here, she turned from the view of the camp and the glow upon the white canvas tents, and towards the large pavilion that was Telva\u2019s quarters and war council. She moved quickly, purpose driving her, sweeping the flap of the tent aside as she entered. The war council had been dismissed much earlier, and Lelthina came across the Elven Princess, topless upon her bed. A servant was above her, gently massaging her shoulders.<\/span><\/p>\n Telva opened a single eye, but did not command the man above her to cease. It bothered the chancellor, doubtlessly the effect Telva wanted, but it reminded Lelthina too much of the Goldulin, or the Kazdruk even, to be at all appropriate.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cChancellor, I assume you bring news from Phano,\u201d Telva said softly, her tone relaxed, soft, sensual even. If Lelthina had been interested in women, this scene could play out to be a very enjoyable one. As it was, she simply pulled up a chair beside the princess to speak with her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have. He is inside the walls of Driftafay, and has found pockets of loyalists. It seems Sarya\u2019s fear mongering has not been as effective as she thinks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHumans are always so quick to grab at whatever scraps of power they can find. They are rather foolish that way,\u201d Telva said with a smirk, her gaze finding Lelthina. \u201cAnd that\u2019s how we\u2019ll always keep them in check. Tantalize with little, insignificant bits of influence, and they\u2019ll lap from our hands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lelthina said nothing, but nodded her head politely. Telva\u2019s insights were nothing she didn\u2019t already know well. The chancellor held her own smile; the Princess was a child playing at games she couldn\u2019t comprehend and thought herself a master.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut of course,\u201d Lelthina said before leaving from the tent to leave the princess with her pleasures.<\/span><\/p>\n ><><<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThorlgruz,\u201d Aela whispered as she looked upon the cathedral. It had been a marvel of architecture and engineering. A beacon of worship for the faithful of Oan. A beautiful piece for the nobles of the land to be overly proud of.<\/span><\/p>\n When the Kazdruk had taken it, the anger and despair had flowed through the words of priests, pilgrims, and the common folk alike. It had stoked a fire of resistance through much of the lands that many Kazdruk commanders had not anticipated, slowing their advance to a steady crawl.<\/span><\/p>\n The priestess had never seen it, and now that her eyes were upon it, the tales of its marvel and beauty were utterly outdone. Though, she knew the desecration of the Kazdruk had more to do with her elation of its sight than what it had once been.<\/span><\/p>\n Yannifer let out a small sigh, hinting at sensual memories playing across her mind. Of course they would; it was here that the Harbinger had made her a concubine. Gave her empty life meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n The ramshackle village that had sprouted up around the cathedral had helots marching with firm discipline, spears resting on their shoulders. Large Kazdruk masters lashed the whips across the backs of empty eyed and emaciated slaves who toiled without any hope left in their bodies. Aela looked at them with pity, these poor souls who did not embrace the truth, who had refused to accept that their beliefs had made them weak, had led them down this path, and now left them as withered husks of what they had been.<\/span><\/p>\n But it was only pity that Aela felt, not sympathy; they had brought this sentence unto themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n As the two moved through the town upon their mounts, they earned suspicious glances from the helots, hard stares from the Kazdruk, and nothing at all from the slaves, who merely continued their toil, laying stones for road, fixing and upgrading once temporary huts, and carrying the resources from stockpiles upon their backs.<\/span><\/p>\n They reached the great doors of the cathedral, once carved with holy scenes, and now replaced with a darker one, carved with vistas of Kazdruk glory. Lust and bloodshed dug in exquisite detail. A shiver ran down both women\u2019s spines as they gazed upon images of heavy breasted Kazdruk whipping slaves across their backs, some of the Kazdruk sporting thick erections. Aela took note that there were no helots in the carvings, despite the two live ones standing guard on either side of the door.<\/span><\/p>\n Their barbed halberds slid downwards, crossing before the entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat business brings you to Thorlgruz?\u201d they demanded, and Aela looked to her companion. The Elven concubine slid from her mount and bowed slightly to both helots.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am Yannifer, first concubine to Baroness Lillium, who has sent me to gather some of her belongings from her chambers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you have proof of such?\u201d the one on the left asked, to which Yannifer turned, parting the straps wrapped around her form to show a symbol inked into her flesh upon her lower back. The sigil of Lillium. The guard on the right straightened his halberd and stepped forward, his fingers running over the symbol, before firmly grasping the concubine\u2019s rear while the other watched her face.<\/span><\/p>\n Yannifer\u2019s expression did not change, even as the exploring hand dipped beneath more of her straps, running along her flesh and between her legs. Two fingers slipped into her slick cunt, and here her expression changed, a slight moan slipping from her lips.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have not seen the Baroness for some time. Nor Mistress Aeltha. Already the Kazdruk are scheming of ways to take this land for their own. Make your business quick inside, The Giver of the Black is not favored amongst the servants of Yuldasha\u2019s host. Most see her as an arrogant upstart,\u201d the one on the left said, while the other ceased his fun.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe baroness will remember your loyalty,\u201d Aela said with a nod as Yannifer stood and adjusted her perverse garb, ensuring the whip was still tight around her waist, even as juices of her lust slid down her thighs, unhindered by anything beneath the skirt of straps.<\/span><\/p>\n The helots both nodded, even as the horny one licked his fingers messily. Yannifer and Aela walked past them and into the great hall that dominated much of the structure. Aela had never seen the place, but it had changed much from when Yannifer was here last. The rubble and ruined pews had been cleared away, though blood and cum still stained some of the marble tiles upon the floor and stone blocks of the walls. Kazdruk statues now lined the walls, and a massive obsidian carving of Yuldasha, naked slaves at her feet, dominated the far end, where a altar sat dark with blood.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe followers of Morkate and the Kazdruk are not so different,\u201d Aela whispered quietly to herself as she took in the sights, tall candles replaced with the familiar violet torches, bodies hanging by shackled feet along the marble pillars. Some were no longer living, and the pitiful moans of those left certainly did not suggest much longer for those still cringing from death.<\/span><\/p>\n Yannifer licked her lips, the sight of dark decadence stoking her lust, her sadism. Aela set a hand upon her shoulder, squeezing gently.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe must be quick, before our true intentions are discovered. Lead me to Aeltha\u2019s chambers,\u201d Aela said, and the elf nodded in reply. They found a small doorway off to the side, plain, and from the dust beneath it, unmoved in some time. Yannifer set her hand upon the handle, some spots of rust spreading across the metal. She pushed the door open slowly, looking over her shoulder despite the cathedral currently being empty.<\/span><\/p>\n Her hand came away dusty.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA good sign,\u201d Aela said as they slipped through the opening. They found the back hallways and rooms there, cobwebs dangling from the ceiling, dust motes floating through the rubble strewn corridors. There were a few hoof prints in the dust, but they seemed old.<\/span><\/p>\n Yannifer led the way, brushing cobwebs out of the way as they made their way towards Aeltha\u2019s chambers. Yannifer stopped in front of another doorway, pushing it open slowly. The rust on the hinges creaked loudly, before they were able to slip within.<\/span><\/p>\n The chamber of the great Kazdruk sorceress was in much better shape than the rest of the back rooms. While there was some dust upon the furniture, and the bed looked pristine as if it hadn\u2019t been slept in for months. Shelves crammed with books, loose pages with Kazdruk runes scrawled across them cluttered desks, a dusty mirror stood in the corner. Yannifer stood near the door, one hand upon the whip as Aela began to search, fingers dancing across parchment and leather bindings.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSomeone has been in here, many times, since Aeltha\u2019s departure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Yannifer glanced over to the priestess who was flipping through a large tome, eyes pouring across its contents. She idly wondered how the woman was able to understand the harsh Kazdruk runes, but it was not her place to ask. Instead, she kept close to the door, ears attuned to any movements. She did not believe the helot guards would betray them, but this was the Kazdruk; it never suited to believe you would not be betrayed.<\/span><\/p>\n Aela\u2019s sharp gasp caught Yannifer\u2019s attention. The concubine looked to the priestess, who was gingerly lifting a book of black leather, and thick parchment, from a box hidden hastily beneath the sorceress\u2019s desk.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe grimoire of Aeltha the Sorceress,\u201d Aela explained, eyes wide, wonder in her voice as she began to flip through the pages, eyes drinking in the forbidden knowledge scrawled within.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDoes it have what we need?\u201d Yannifer asked, and the priestess grinned.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes. And the path to having another ascend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n ><><<\/span><\/p>\n The fire snapped, and a log shifted, sending a towers of embers swirling around the branches arched over their heads. The knights of Oan rested upon their bedrolls, armour carefully nestled in saddlebags beside them. All three were silent, staring into the flames as their horses nickered quietly on the edge of light.<\/span><\/p>\n It had been a week since they left Driftafay to search for the wolf kin. Each of them had heard stories whispered about such a creature when they were children, the priests pretending not to listen as youth dabbled in fantasy.<\/span><\/p>\n The time of innocence was long since past.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe need to find her soon,\u201d Morris muttered, eyes flicking up to dance between his two companions, neither of whom could find his gaze which soon returned back down.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI know. But she\u2019s good, and we are not trackers of any sort,\u201d Duncan replied, tossing a stick absently into the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n Viviane said nothing, just felt the heat on her skin. It had seemed such a good idea when she was speaking with Sarya, but now out here, out of her element, she felt lost. Alone even with her companions. The thought if they felt the same flittered through her mind as Morris\u2019s attempt at conversation sizzled away into silence.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou are all rather stubborn,\u201d a woman\u2019s voice cut into the small clearing from the darkness of the trees. Immediately the three knights were up, their swords sweeping from their scabbards as they put their backs to the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPut those away, there\u2019s a handful of crossbows aimed at you,\u201d the voice said, a figure emerging slowly from the shadows. A tail flicked behind her, and the firelight caught the points of her canine ears emerging from her mane.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe wolfkin,\u201d Viviane said softly, sliding her sword back home. The other two glanced at her briefly, before following suit.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am. Was arrested for it too. And now here you are, hunting me, when the Kazdruk are hammering at our doors<\/i>!\u201d she said, face contorted in anger with those final shouted words.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are not hunting you. We were looking for you. For help,\u201d Viviane said, holding out her hands; she could only hope Kira would see it as a peaceful gesture.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou stand ready to execute me, now you want my help?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe had nothing to do with your trial,\u201d Morris said, and Kira\u2019s gaze snapped to him, eyes narrowed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTrial. There was no fucking trial,\u201d she spat, before letting out a long slow breath, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you need my help?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo stop Lillium,\u201d Duncan said, his eyes never wavering from the trees, looking for the crossbows pointed towards him.<\/span><\/p>\n Silence reigned again for a few moments as Kira looked between them all. The fire crackled, and somewhere in the woods a twig snapped. Viviane refused to look though Duncan\u2019s head snapped in that direction.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEither you people have finally opened your eyes, or something\u2019s happened in Driftafay to change your attitude so completely. I\u2019m guessing you have a plan,\u201d she said finally, and Viviane could hear the tension slowly releasing from crossbows in the shadows around her. Had those people been helots, the quest would have ended before it began properly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe do, join us by the fire so that we may discuss it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBetter idea, you come with us. Come and see the refugees forgotten. My army,\u201d Kira said turning and starting to move into the woods.<\/span><\/p>\n The three knights looked at each other for a moment, before scrambling to douse the fire and prepare their horses for the journey.<\/span><\/p>\n ><><<\/span><\/p>\n Isilda knelt naked in the basement of her brothel. Sarya was above, in the palace, and Isilda had snuck down here, as she had been bidden. Around her candles burned softly, flickering lights casting shadows across the room, at the other women gathered around her, all nude, marks of crimson upon their bodies.<\/span><\/p>\n The woman from the outside, the refugee from the farms stood before a makeshift altar in the basement, intricate symbols drawn on her flesh from the blood of a sacrifice. The same blood marked the other women circling the room. The woman stepped close to Isilda, holding a bowl gently in one hand.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you Isilda, accept Morkate as your goddess? To guide you through blood, into pleasure?\u201d the woman said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Isilda cried, holding her arms out wide.<\/span><\/p>\n The woman dipped a hand into her bowl, and placed a crimson handprint upon Isilda\u2019s breast. The blood was warm, sticky. It felt, good.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you accept Lillium as the harbinger of Morkate\u2019s will? Aela as the mouth, lips, and tongue of Morkate?\u201d the woman intoned, hand already slipping back into the blood.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Isilda cried once again, tilting her head back, and the woman smiled. Wet fingertips ran from Isilda\u2019s temple and around the outside of her eye. They smeared across her lips, and Isilda accept them between, tongue rolling across the offered digits.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen rise, our sister, our lover,\u201d the woman intoned, and Isilda slowly got to her feet, thin trails running down her skin before she joined the circle to watch as the next prostitute stepped forward to accept the touch of their new goddess.<\/span><\/p>\n In the darkness, where candlelight could not reach, red eyes stared at the ceremony. A shadow flickered with the barest of movements, swallowed into nothingness.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: SinfulWolf The incense filling the room was pleasant, swirling across the senses and making everything in the room feel so much more alive. Slaves wearing gold skirts and bared breasts wandered amongst the guests, carrying silver trays full of grapes, strawberries, shrimp, and chalices of wine. Silk curtains hung from the walls, over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[10],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1058,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions\/1058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dominionschain.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}