It was a dark and stormy night... I always wanted to write that.
Actually it was a rather mild summer night. There was a mild breeze flowing into the window, bringing with it the scent of honeysuckle. It was late in the evening and I was sitting back with a cigar and a scotch. I was about as relaxed as I ever am on this side.
Which is not very.
I went to bed thinking that I was getting totally bored with the way things were going, I had a fairly decent job and a place to live... but it was boring. I don’t do boring well. My mind drifted back through the years and I wound up where I always did... Maine. I had been a sorcerer then, in the prime of my power. I had three lovely ladies wearing my collars. I was incredibly stupid. I had lost everything, including most of my power. Oh, to turn back time.
I figured that tonight I would go exploring again. I had gotten too used to the other worlds that my mind visited. They were beautiful, and sometimes surprising, but there was no one there. As antisocial as I am, I wanted some interaction. Preferably not mundane. So I figured to try something different tonight. I would seek for signs of life over there.
I suppose that I should explain. There are other dimensions, at least I think that is what they are. I was shown them by my son, the one with scales. The places that I always have visited up to this point were the ones that he had revealed to me. There is a world of mists that will materialize images of whatever you are dreaming. A world of crystals that sing. Normal looking ones that have no life other that the birds and strange beasts. I knew of about a dozen. But none that harbored anything remotely intelligent.
I was lonely.
I closed my eyes and relaxed. I felt the drift that comes just before sleep and pulled myself away and down. I was floating in a star field. I started to drift, knowing that my body was firmly anchored back at home. I have been told that my life signs drop to next to nothing when this happens. I don’t know, I am never there. I halted my drift and just listened. I let my awareness expand until I felt as if I was stretched across eternity.
Nothing.
I sat back and pondered... there had to be something. Someone.
I sighed, oh well, I figured I would head to the crystal world tonight. Then I heard/felt it. It was like a tugging at my being. Like something was calling to me. I followed the feeling. It was farther out than I had ever gone before. I paused a checked to make sure that I didn’t wind up lost. No, the connection to my body was as strong as before. So I continued.
I was drawn to a world, eerily like earth. It seemed to have a greater likeness than any of the others that I had been to. The closer that I got to it, the stronger the pull, almost urgent now. I came upon an island in the middle of an ocean, a rather large island. It reminded me of England. I sped towards it then across it, drawing ever closer to land. I felt like a bird. A very fast bird. When I saw it, It shocked me to my core. It looked..., hell, it was an old castle. It wasn’t one of the Hollywood castles either. This one looked as if it could stand up to a major pounding and laugh at the enemy. This one looked functional, almost as if it had seen use recently. But as I drew closer, it also looked deserted. The gates were thrown back and the portcullis were open. I found that I was being drawn to the tower in the center of the castle, surrounded by the main building. I had never seen anything like this in any of the castles that I had studied or visited. It looked out of place. As I glided over the roof, I noticed that it was in good repair. I had never in my travels, seen a castle in as good a shape as this. Approaching the tower, I was drawn inside.
I found myself in a room at the top of the tower and I wasn’t alone. It seemed that my perspective was off however, the female standing there looked too small. Her head was down and her hair, long and blond, covered her face. She was standing before a pillar, about two feet tall with a round stone ball, about a foot in diameter, sitting on top of it. I was coming to a stop directly on the opposite side of it, facing her. Then she looked up. My heart stopped. A very narrow face, quite pale, full sensuous lips... And pointed ears.
I felt a strange sensation, like I had something flowing into me. This flowing continued for a while as I stood there paralyzed. The ‘elf?’ stood there and watched. Finally it stopped and I looked down... I was there. I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I realized that my body had joined me. I reached up and touched my face. I felt numb.
The little elf beckoned to me then and motioned to the sphere on the pedestal. Staring at her, I walked to it. She motioned for me to touch it. I hesitated. She motioned again, more urgently. So I put my left hand on top of it. I felt a pulse for a few seconds, then a massive flow of energy. It burned into me. I opened my mouth to scream, but it ended as quickly as it begun. I stood there with my mouth open.
“So you are our savior.” She sounded amused.
I closed my mouth.
“I am for you. My name is Elerith.” She looked at me expectantly, like she was waiting for something.
To say that I was at a loss for words at this point would be like saying that an elephant is rather large.
“You do speak...” She looked at me questioningly. She seemed confused by this point.
“Um, yeah.”
I stood rooted to the spot. My head was swimming and my mind was wanting to shut down. I was fighting the numbness that was brought on by shock, the shock of being there, of knowing that I had no way home.
“You do not look as what I had envisioned for one of the creators.”
Her comment shook me out of my reverie.
“Creators?” I forced myself to focus on her words.
“The legends say that we were formed from the thoughts of the race of man.”
Like Memneth. I was stunned. So some of the fables were true after all. But how did they get here?
“You are the elven race then.”
“That will suffice.”
I studied her. She couldn’t be over five feet tall and that was a stretch, I figured closer to four six to four eight. The eyes tilted up at the corners, sapphire blue. Small mouth with full lips. My eyes wandered down. It was hard to tell from that robe that she was wearing, but enough curves shown through to hint at a very voluptuous body. The robe was closed to her neck and ended with a collar that circled her neck snugly. The sleeves long enough so that her hands were hidden and of course, it was floor length. Finished in brocade, she looked like a walking drapery. The pounding in my head was starting to subside, but there was still a voice in my head that screamed that I was trapped here.
“So, why am I here?”
“We need your help.” She looked away as she said it.
“Could you be a little more specific?”
“A few moons back, we had visitors from the sky. They seek to enslave our world.” She looked back at me with pleading eyes.
“And, I am supposed to...?”
“The writings say that one will come from beyond the stars and defeat our enemies.” Her look was bordering on panic by this point.
“Oh, and did they say how?” Even in my state, this sounded wrong.
“They said that you would come bearing great powers.” She looked down as she said it.
Maybe thirty years ago, I mused. “I see. And you are what I get in return, eh?”
“I am of the Arthurian sect. Ours is the keeping of the legacy. We are to be your servants.”
This was a twilight zone tale if I ever heard one.
“Then where will I stay while this is happening?”
“This stronghold is to be yours. We will bring in appropriate servants to put it back right.”
She was starting to look a little lost by this point. I don't think that I was following the script.
I considered the implications. I was here on this world with no way to go home to fight a star faring race with none of my powers and no real resources. Sounds easy enough. For some movie hero maybe. I sighed, well at least it wasn’t boring, scary as hell, but definitely not boring.
I sighed. “What now?”
“On the morrow, I will return to our city and bring back my sisters and servants.”
I glanced outside. The sun was high in the sky. “Why not now?”
“I couldn’t arrive before dark. This is a dangerous world after dark.”
I walked around the stone towards her, lost in thought. She backed away from me as I came next to it. She looked decidedly uneasy, so I paused and placed my right hand on it, just to rest it there. I felt the pulse again, this time it felt as if it was trying to communicate with me. I let my mind go blank and listened.
~You are damaged. I will fix you now.~
~What are you?~
~I have no concept of what... I am.~
I felt the pulse travel up into my head. It wasn’t all that unpleasant. Kind of like a massage from the inside. I noticed that my skin was tingling and it felt as if my hair was standing on end. I have no idea how long that I stood there, but when the pulse stopped, Elerith was backed against the wall, staring at me with her mouth open. I looked down at my hands and they were dripping fire. I’ll be damned! I summoned a veil and looked into my room. I considered returning, then thought, to what? There would be time for that later, if I wished it. With the power coursing through my body, it felt as if I had gone back thirty years. I was whole again. I thought for a few moments then reached through and started to gather a few items that I thought might come in handy.
“We will leave now,” I told Elerith.
“But the roads...” She looked panicked.
“We won't be using roads.” I smiled as I said it.
I started to get dressed – my normal garb, black pants and a silver shirt. I noticed that Elerith was watching me closely. Her demeanor was suddenly less than clinical.
“What?” I said with a half smile.
“Your pardon, I have never seen such strange garments.” She said in a rush; her face blushing as the words came from her lips.
I chuckled. When I started to buckle on my forty four, she really looked curious.
I said nothing. Then I thought of something that would be more appropriate. I summoned another veil and brought back my sword. She backed against the wall again. I looked down at it, a long broadsword with dragon claw guards and a claw at the end of the grip clutching a round crystal. As I stared at it the crystal started to pulse. On an impulse, I lay the blade of it across the stone. The crystal flared to life, pulsing in time with the stone. Finally the glow died down to a dull ember. I wondered what, if anything, I had accomplished. I picked up my Walther and tucked it into my belt and donned my shoulder holster with my Ruger twenty two in it. Most people laugh at twenty twos, but a properly placed shot will stop just about anything. That and I could drive nails with that little pistol. I left the heavy stuff in the pile. I topped the ensemble with my leather duster, then finishing with my black leather Silverthorne hat. Elerith just stared.
I walked to her. “Are you ready to go?”
She looked at me apprehensively. “You wish to leave now?”
I smiled. “Picture in your mind where your city is.”
I entered her mind and saw the image of what looked like the inside of a cathedral. Using that I summoned a veil. She sucked in her breath and started to back away again.
“Elerith?”
“Yes?”
“You are going to have to trust me. You brought me here, so you had better get used to things like this.”
I took her hand, which was ice cold, and drew her through with me. I heard a scream. Turning I saw a young lady, dressed much like Elerith, running away. I chuckled. I felt Elerith's hand tug from mine as she fainted. I knelt down beside her and felt her pulse; it was strong, but a little rapid. I reflected that it might be normal for her. There was so much that I had no clue about. I heard running footsteps and rose. Two guards came rushing in with their swords drawn.
“Back away from her, beast!”
I chuckled and drew my sword. That slowed them down significantly. I think it was the fact that it was glowing slightly and almost as long as they were tall.
“Now gentlemen, can't we discuss this?”
I nudged Elerith with my boot. She stirred slightly. One of the guards circled right, the other to the left. This was going to get ugly. I nudged her harder.
“Wha... what?”
“You had best arise, sleeping beauty, else there will be blood on the carpet.”
She came to a sitting position and looked at the guards. “Stop this!”
“Milady?”
“This man is here to help us.”
“Yes milady.” I could see the doubt in their eyes. I couldn't blame them.
They stopped their advance, but still eyed me uneasily. I slowly put my sword away and smiled. They seemed to relax when the sword disappeared. They didn't put theirs away though. I helped Elerith to her feet. Several other guards came rushing in with a few more of the drapery girls. They all skidded to a stop when they saw me. Hmm, must be the hat.
“Mistress, are you well?” One of the girls asked franticly. I noticed that she didn't come any closer though.
“I am quite well. I was just overcome from our guest's mode of travel. Melriea, summon a gathering. You might wish to include the townsfolk.”
“I take it that you didn't bother to warn people about my arrival.”
“I was planning on that on the morrow.” She looked at me a little irritably. “I suppose that we must do now as we can.”
“I wasn't supposed to come with you.”
She looked a little embarrassed. “I did this without a gathering, no one knows as of yet.”
“So you just decided to go summon me and didn't bother to tell anyone? Why?”
She hung her head down. “Because it is forbidden.”
Oh, this is lovely. Forbidden had that lovely ominous tone that just screamed trouble. Probably with a capital T. Well, I guess we would just see what happened and take it from there. We were escorted to an apartment and given an 'honor' guard. I could tell that they really didn't care for their duty. Elerith just took a seat and stared into space.
“Is there a problem?” I asked after a while, trying to draw her out.
“Other than I hadn't thought it through this far, no.” She smiled.
It was the first time that I had seen her smile. It did wonders for her.
“So, you really have no idea how they are going to take this?”
“No... no I do not. With you being here, the shock of what I have done will be all the greater. I had thought to persuade them into coming, then letting them meet you.”
“Quite the little scheme. What do you think will happen now?”
“Oh, it could go from a general outcry to a demand for my head.” She looked rather resigned.
“Hmm, I rather like it where it is; I think that I will have to persuade them to leave it alone.”
She smiled again. “I thank thee... I never learned your name.”
“You can call me Michael, I haven't gone by it in years, but it seems appropriate here.”
“How were you addressed where you come from?” She looked at me curiously.
“Oh, either George or Tracker.”
“Tracker?”
“It is a long story. Suffice it to say that I have earned it in many different ways.”
“I see, so Michael it is then.” She looked rather relieve to have her mind taken from the upcoming gathering.
“Tell me, what was on your mind when you offered your services?”
She blushed slightly. “The legends say that men could be entangled with a tryst. What can I say? It would seem that I did not consider everything.”
“You were expecting the men from the time of the books, I wager.”
“What other truths could I draw from?”
“Point... A favor if you would.”
“Yes?”
“At this gathering, stay close to me, I do not wish to harm anyone and if things get out of hand, I will summon a veil and get us out of there.”
“I will do as you ask. It would seem the best if things go awry... You really do not care for hurting people?” She looked at me strangely.
“No, I do not. I was trained in my world to do such things, but took no joy from them. I paid a high price because I refused to be their weapon.”
“And I called you here to put you into the same position.”
I sighed. “I know more now than I did then. I still, however, am going to try to do this thing without a massive amount of bloodshed.”
“You think that you can do this?”
“I have no idea. I just hope that things go better than the last time.” I quipped.
Another hour passed and we were escorted to another hall. It was packed with people. As we were led to the front all conversation ceased. The place reminded me of a courtroom. Elerith walked ahead to the bench, where a judge would sit in our world, I started to follow her, but I was brought up short by the guards. I held my peace.
“Sisters, people of Lanith, I wish to present to you Michael, from the world of men.”
Judging by the outcry, I would say that they were less than pleased to see me. Elerith let it go on till it died out. None of the sisters that were behind her spoke. She glanced over her shoulders, I could tell that she was relieved about something, but I couldn't tell what. Finally one of the townsfolk came to the middle of the room.
“It would seem that we are betrayed by the sisterhood.” He sounded like any other pompous ass that you would hear in courtroom back on earth.
The outcry resumed anew. After it died down, the spokesman continued, “We do have laws here sisters, which you seem to think are below you. As you do not wish to abide by our laws, then you can leave. You have two moons to leave Lanith, and never return... As for this 'man', he will be destroyed.”
I figured that things would be a little rough, but this was going to be really, really ugly. I was suddenly surrounded by guards. They drew theirs swords and started to advance.
“Stop this!” Elerith cried.
They paused, but only for a second. But that was a second enough for my sword to come out. I focused on it and felt it start to glow. The guards stopped their advance in mid stride. I let it build, and with a shout I pointed it towards the roof over the townspeople. It cut loose with a roar and a blinding bolt sprang from its tip. The roof exploded, showering flaming fragments down on the people. The guards fled. I ran to the bench and summoned a veil. Elerith in the meantime was talking franticly with her sisters. I kept the sword pointed towards the middle of the room, but the only interest that seemed to hold the townsfolk, was getting the hell out of there. Finally the girls started through one at a time. There were only a few who refused to go. Elerith told them to get away and meet up with us at the castle. When Elerith stepped through, I closed the veil. I forgot to tell her that I wasn't coming just yet. The spokesman for the mob was knocked flat and was only starting to rise. I reached out with my mind and froze him where he stood.
“Now, littleone, you and I are going to come to an agreement.”
He eyed the sword and then me. I could see the fear, but there was also defiance in his eyes. “I will not deal with the likes of you.”
I shrugged. “Then I will destroy you and your town.” I started to walk towards the exit.
“Wait!” The panic was evident in his voice.
“Yes?” I asked mildly.
“What do you want?” The despair was very evident in his voice.
“Mostly to be left alone. But there are a few of the sisters that were too afraid to travel the way the others went. I do not want them to be molested or interfered with in any way. Period. If you harm any of them, in any way, I will turn you and your town into a smoking crater. Do I make myself clear?” I never raised my voice beyond a conversational tone, but I could see the impact that my words had on the little elf.
After a moment's thought, he asked, “That is all?” He sounded mystified.
“Yes, I wish you and your people no harm, but if you harm one of the sisters, even be it by neglect, I will raze this town.”
“You do not... but... the stories say...” He sputtered, clearly confused.
I stared at him for a few moments as I put my sword away.
“Tell me, are you the same as every other of your kind?”
His brow furled. “No, I am not.”
“Well, believe it or not, not all men are the same either. Look around you.” I gestured to the room.
“I see destruction.” His face hardened.
“But do you see anyone dead?”
“I... no, I do not.” He looked confused.
“Now consider if I had let the tip drop down towards the people when I let the blast go.”
His eyes widened and he shuddered. Then he looked at me strangely. “We will do as you ask.”
“I thank you.” With that I summoned a veil and stepped through.
The last thing I remembered seeing was a look of total incomprehension on his face.
I was greeted by a frantic Elerith. “Are you well? Are you harmed?”
“I am quite well.” I said with a smile. “I just decided to continue my discussion with the gentleman that gave us our walking papers.”
“You...”
“I did him no harm, I just secured safe passage for the rest of your sisters, out of town.”
“At what price?” She looked shocked.
“Well if any of them are so much as scratched the town will be gone.” I smiled slightly as I said it.
“Gone?”
“I offered to redecorate it for him, I think the words smoking crater were the ones that I used.”
“Oh, my!”
“Which leaves us with another problem, what are we going to do for food and water?”
“The water will be no problem; we have a well, the food however...”
“Are there no towns that we could trade with, that are close?”
“But what would we trade?”
“A valid question. There must be something...”
She looked up at me in frustration. “I suppose if it came to it, we could trade some of the furnishings of the keep, but I hate to see them removed after watching over them for all these years.”
“Well, it might come to that. We will look into other things first. I just have no idea what. It does look as if we will go hungry tonight though.”
I could see no immediate solution. It wasn't a crisis yet, but it would get that way in a hurry. There was nothing to be done about it now though.
“Well, now that the excitement is over, let’s have a look at this place.”
We went out the door and started down a stone staircase that hugged the side of the tower. It was a long way down; I figured at least four stories above the roof of the keep. I was starting to think elevator. Went we got about three quarters of the way down there was a heavy iron bound door. We passed that one. When we got to the other side of the tower, I looked across. There was a series of doors that lined up with every revolution of the staircase. Since we were still a ways up that meant that there were several sublevels here as well. The third door that we came to we went through. We were on the ground floor. I figured that there must be at least six or seven levels below ground. Exploring this place could be a career.
We came out in a long wide hall, running perpendicular to the door. We went to the right. It was then that I noticed something curious. There was furniture. It was covered with dust to be sure, but it was there. I know that humans are less than honest, but I do have a hard time believing that any race when presented with an abandoned castle, would not help themselves to a few things to make life easier. I stopped at the first set of doors and opened one. It looked like a study of some sort. The next was a private library. Several rooms one right after the other, none of them touched.
I turned to Elerith. “Ok, what gives?”
She looked at me curiously. “Your meaning?”
“I mean that this place looks to have been deserted for quite a while, yet nothing is disturbed.”
She blanched a little. “That is because it is cursed.”
“Oh, silly me.” I shook my head. “Ghosts?”
“What are ghosts?”
“Spirits, shades, whatever.”
“No, it is a curse of instant death.”
“Then why aren't we dead?”
“Because the sisters are the caretakers of this legacy.”
I thought about that for a moment and realized that maybe a couple of pieces to this puzzle fell into place. “Didn't you say you were Arthurian?”
“Yes.”
“Do you, by chance, refer to King Arthur, as in Camelot?”
“No, that is not this place. This stronghold belonged to Merlinius Ambrosius.”
I pondered that for a moment, then it sunk in. I sat down. Unfortunately there was not chair behind me. Elerith came rushing up.
“Are you well?”
“I suppose... This... is... Merlin's... Castle.” I couldn't believe that those words escaped my lips.
“Yes, that was one of the old names for it.”
“My... GOD!” This was the world where legends came to die.
The implications were unreal. What else was on this world? Good lord! It suddenly dawned on me that this was where my kind had fled. Fled a world of intolerance, of greed, of hate. And it was being invaded. Probably by the same sort of mundanes that caused its creation. My head spun. I looked up at the little elf and smiled. She looked so concerned. A world of innocence, a world of peace. Suddenly my resolve hardened. Nothing could harm this world, I would see to that.
I regained my feet. Glancing over, I noticed that Elerith still looked worried. I smiled at her. She looked back into my eyes then stepped up to me. My arms went around her and she tilted her head back. We kissed for the longest time. She finally pulled free. Her skin was glowing red and she was breathing heavily.
Her eyes went back to mine again and she said. “That was unexpected.”
“My dear, that was a very risky move on your part.”
“I do not understand.” She looked perplexed.
“I doubt that my personal customs would agree with yours.”
“What is your meaning?” Her eyes still had a faraway look to them.
“Come here.” I took her hand.
I half dragged her into one of the rooms, it was a study. I had her sit in the middle of the floor, since the furniture was in drastic need of a cleaning. She looked as if she was anticipating my moves, as she started to reach for the fastenings of her robe. I stopped her and sat down in front of her. I gently put my hands to the side of her head and then found her thoughts.
~Just relax, I will do you no harm.~
~My, I can hear you!~
I slowly started playing back my times with my three little witches. I took my time and even gave her the sensations of our merging. I showed her how I was led to be a dom and how they had given themselves to me. It took quite a while, but when I was done, she looked shaken and had a tear in her eye.
“Are you alright?” I asked with some concern.
“Yes, sir.” She bowed her head to me.
Not the reaction that I had anticipated. I must have sat there for a while because she shifted and looked up to me.
“Sir, do I not please you?”
“Oh, very much. What you offer is very powerful to me, I am just unsure of the proper way to proceed from here.”
“How do you wish to proceed?”
“I do not know enough about you or your customs.”
“But I now know of yours. I will do as you will.”
That sat me back a little. She had to know...
“How will your sisterhood take this?”
“They will probably join me.”
I was stunned.
“You see, we were created to be what you have shown me. It is something that goes to our very being.” She continued.
“Then...” I was at a loss for words.
“Actually, they will not hesitate, once it becomes apparent. Our own males do not have the mastery that we desire in our hearts.”
Oh, shit!!!
“I suspected that you were a master when you arrived naked and not embarrassed. Then you calmly dressed in front of me while I watched. I was fascinated, as our males would never do such a thing.” She smiled softly, a far away look in her eye. “I do confess that you do look as if you will be a challenge for me to accommodate, however.”
I let that sink in for a few minutes. “What should I do to ease the others?”
She smiled at me and licked her lips. “Do as you would. We dream of doing some of the things that you have shown me. If you wish to make it a smoother transition, then let them all know from the start.”
I stared at her as I tried to wrap my mind around what had just happened. Hell, why not?
“Then I suppose that we should get them all together, then. After the others arrive. But I suppose that you should get the master bedroom cleaned, as you will be sleeping there tonight.”
Her face lit up. “Yes sir!”
Elerith almost ran from the room. I was amazed at the transformation that had come over her. I was also unsure on how I was going to handle it. I figured that I would worry about that as the time came.
I made my way down the hall and then out into the courtyard. It looked to be over a hundred yards across and surrounded the keep all the way around. There was a ring of buildings projecting out from the wall also. Just to the right of the gate there looked to be a guardhouse or barracks. Then what looked like houses, possibly offices or shops. This place was massive. As I studied it, I came to realize that there was no way that we could run this place with just the sisterhood. I walked across to the gate house and went inside. I studied the winch system for the portcullis and discovered that there was also a system for closing the gates. Well, I doubted that we would have guests any time soon, so I tried the mechanism for the gates. To my surprise it turned easily. I looked at it closely and thought that it would not really be a problem to motorize it. That led me to thinking about how to generate electricity. Then the problem turned to wiring. Nothing insurmountable but it would take quite a while. It struck me then that I was staying. I considered that revelation for quite a while.
I left the gate house and found the stairs that lead to the battlements. I came out of the stairwell into one of the gate towers. I climbed the ladder to the top and walked onto the wall. Looking out through the crenelations, I discovered an excellent view of the valley leading towards town. I wondered how far away Lanith was. Then I noticed movement down by the stream. They looked like deer. Hmm, venison would solve the meat issue but we would need other things like whatever passed for grain and vegetables. This could be possible. I surveyed the rest of the land around the castle, noting approaches. This place was in a prime defensive location. Finally I went back down to the courtyard.
I made my way back across the yard then detoured right through a large set of double doors. It looked to be the stables. It also looked as if you could keep about thirty head of horses in here. I walked back out then decided to go find Elerith. I made my way back into the main building, then on impulse I turned to the left. I found myself in a throne room. I frowned. Merlin was a magician in all of the lore. Why would he need a throne room?
Then I heard voices across the hall. Walking over I discovered three of the sisterhood cleaning the table and floor. It was a banquet room. I watched as they giggled, chatted and scrubbed. They were beautiful little creatures. I tried to imagine them with collars and had no trouble, thanks to the collars on their robes. I was immediately uncomfortable. Thinking back to what Elerith had said about them, I wouldn't have to imagine too long. One of them spied me and said something to the other two. They looked up then knelt. The grace and beauty of the move went straight to my soul... and pants. I decided to hunt up Elerith.
I found the staircase that I had missed, about halfway down the hall. I followed it to the second floor. The door at the very end of the hall was open. I walked down the hall and into the room, closing the door behind me. Elerith looked up with a start.
“Sir?”
I said nothing, I just walked over to her and started to undo her robe. She looked up into my eyes. Her expression was of wonder. Well, I was going to change that expression to something else entirely, in a minute or two. I finally got it open and she was wrapped in a gauze-like strip of cloth. I unwound her. Then I unwrapped whatever that thing was she had on between her legs. I was going to have to introduce these girls to lingerie. I stepped away from her and admired the view. My god, who would have guessed that was hiding under all those wrappings. I watched as her face colored from my inspection. I walked around her slowly.
“Beautiful.”
“Sir?”
“You are simply beautiful.”
With that I undid my belt and dropped my pants. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. I walked to her and picked her up. I felt her trembling. I lay her back on the bed and spread her legs. Then I dropped my face to her snatch and took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. I licked her from her tiny little asshole all the way up to her clit.
“S... sir... wha... ah... ah... what... are you... doing?”
“I am tasting your sweetness littleone.”
I licked her till she was panting like a freight train. Then I sucked her clit into my mouth and nipped it with my teeth. I was sure that her scream was heard into the next valley. I picked her limp body up and lay it fully on the bed. Lifting her legs I pushed up to her cunt with my cock. I very slowly pushed in. Her moan started to rise in pitch as my cock slowly penetrated her. She started to thrash around and wail. I wasn't even half way in yet. I pulled out a little then wormed my way back in a little farther. Then the door flew open.
“Mistress, are you...”
“She is otherwise occupied at the moment.” I chuckled without bothering to turn around.
“My god.” A breathless gasp, just louder than a whisper.
I went back to what I was doing and heard the door shut. I wasn't going to stop now. She was gasping, moaning and thrashing around almost constantly by this time. I finally bottomed out. Her eyes were like saucers. I waited for a few moments till I felt her loosen a little. Damn little. Then I started to stroke her. A look of panic came over her face. She couldn't scream because she was trying too hard to gasp for breath. I felt her body convulse and grip me hard, then again and again. I kept at her and the convulsions started coming one right after the other, over and over. It didn't take all that long, I blasted my load into her cunt and her eyes rolled back into her head. I lay down on her then rolled her till she was laying on top of me. I nudged her legs till they were spread obscenely open and let her lay like that till she awoke. Her moan and shudder did wonders for me, as I was still buried to the hilt inside of her. I felt myself start to get hard again. Her eyes flew open.
“S...Sir?” She gasped. “Sh... surely not again?”
“And why not littleone?”
“But, you just... No one could...”
“What do you feel littleone?”
“My god, it is getting bigger inside of me.”
“I've had my fun, now you get to have yours.”
“What do you mean, sir?” She said gasping.
“You are on top, ride me.”
I held her hips and she pushed herself up with her hands. She had no trouble bringing her legs around. Then she tried to lift herself up. She slid up about an inch then her eyes rolled up and she almost fell back down. She was panting hard. I rolled her hips around on me and she started to thrash around, her hair flying wildly. I lifted her back up and let her drop again. She spasmed on my cock and her eyes were wild. I let my hands slide up her sides then I cupped her tits, trapping the nipples between my fingers. She was still quivering slightly when I pinched her nips hard. She screamed as her back arched. Her little cunt fastened onto me like a vice. I started to bounce her, fuck her. She weighed next to nothing and could do nothing to slow me down or stop me. I supported her and guided her with my hands. When I finally exploded into her again, she collapsed onto my chest. I gently pulled out of her. She was breathing evenly and looked quite content. She also looked sexy as hell. I felt myself start to stir again. I took a pillow and lay her across it. It propped her butt up nicely. I was semi hard already, so I just rubbed it up and down her little slit. That was all the stimulation that I needed. I started to work it back into her. She hadn't gotten any looser, that was for sure. She hadn't stirred as of yet, so I decided to make it more interesting. Taking her gauze wrapping, I tied each wrist to it's respective ankle. It would be interesting to see her reaction when she awoke. I felt my cock pulse inside her heat. God she felt good. Finally I took matters into my own hands. I smacked her ass, first one cheek then the other. After the third or fourth smack, she started to fight to get free. I gave her ten, and then started to fuck her hard.
“My... lord... sir, what... are... you? This... cannot... be happening. Please... don't... stop... please... please.” the last came out as a whimper.
I was pounding into her hard. But I lasted awhile. When I came, she let out a squeak, not having the breath left for a full fledged scream. She had passed out again. I regained my feet and looked at her displayed on the pillow and felt a twinge again. I felt no fatigue what so ever. I started to wonder just what the hell that stone had done to me. I let her loose and put my pants back on. I thought on it awhile then decided to see if I could figure out what that stone really was.
I summoned a veil and walked through into the tower. What the hell, it beat using the stairs. I slowly walked around the stone, examining it. I was just a smooth sphere of what looked like marble. It did look shinier than when I first seen it, I thought. I looked for markings on the pedestal, but could find none. The room was just plain rough cut stone and was empty save the pedestal and the stone itself. Finally I walked up to it and placed both hands on it.
~What do you wish~
~I wish to know your function.~
~I am the interface~
~The interface to what?~
~The knowledge.~
~How do I use you?~
~By asking.~
~I have no fatigue now. Why?~
~You are tapped into the matrix.~
~What is the matrix?~
~The matrix is the power that envelopes this world.~
I thought about that for a while. Not knowing what to do with this information, I turned to more immediate concerns.
~What can be done to help these people?~
I felt the pulsing start in my head. Then it traveled down into my body so it felt that I was expanding and contracting with each pulse. Then I remembered things. Things that I had not known before. I was being taught. I saw the true nature of the power. I saw the true nature of the stone. I also saw the invaders, a strange cross between a lizard and a spider. I located their base and saw their strength. I also saw something strange moving towards the castle. A torch lit procession, several wagons and about two dozen elves on horseback. I pulled myself from the matrix and veiled myself back to my room.
Elerith was still asleep. I smacked her ass and she awoke with a start.
“It would seem that we are to have visitors soon.”
“Milord?”
“I am guessing that they are from the town.”
“But it is nightfall.”
“Well they are out there and drawing closer as we speak.”
Elerith looked at her wrap and shrugged, not bothering with any of the undergarments she refastened her robe around herself. Her hair still looked a little disheveled, but she still looked beautiful to me.
“Let us go look.” I said as I summoned a veil.
To give her credit, she didn't even hesitate this time. We walked through and onto the battlements. The night was warm, but she still shivered a little when she looked out at the procession.
“Milord, what do you think this is about?”
“I think we will find out soon enough. The gates are closed and I see no siege engines, so we have plenty of time to reply if they are not friendly.”
“As you say, milord.”
It took them a while to make it to the gate. We watched as one of them dismounted and walked closer to the castle.
“Hail, the keep!”
I recognized that voice. “State your business.”
“We brought your sisters and some supplies, we wish to talk.”
“Hold a moment.”
I veiled myself and Elerith down to the gate room and opened the gate.
“Are you sure that is wise, milord?”
“No, but it is a chance I am willing to take. I want you to go back to the keep and gather the sisters together. If you hear anything that sounds wrong, take them below.”
“As you say, milord.”
I walked from the gate house to the entrance. The town spokesman was there.
“You took me at my word?”
“Trust is not received unless it is first given.”
“May we enter?”
“By all means. The stables are off to your right. When you have your horses cared for we can meet in the main hall.”
“As you wish.”
I watched as the procession filed through the gates. The sisters were there, looking no worse for wear. They stopped next to me and dismounted. A couple of the townsfolk took their horses and led them to the stable. They eyed me warily as they approached.
“Sir, where may we find our sisters?”
“In through the front, first door on the right.”
“Thank you sir.” She said with a curtsy.
I watched them make their way inside. That made the count thirteen. I wondered if it was a coincidence. Knowing this place, probably not. Suddenly I felt very alien here. Thinking about it for a few moments, it was no worse than where I used to call home. I wondered if this was as close as I got to being at home. A strange world where the past never died, clashing with the future.
My thoughts were broken as the spokesman for the town came to me. “We will start to take the supplies inside now. Where do you wish them placed?”
“First, I would request your name. I do not care to address you as some animal.”
He seemed a little shocked. “My name is Gavin, sir.”
“I thank you, Gavin. Please see Elerith about it, as she knows more of this keep than I.”
He looked uneasily at me. “How will she treat with me, sir?”
I smiled. “As I tell her to.”
A stunned look came to his face. “Yes, sir. Very well sir.” It came out in a rush as he backed away, bowing.
After the organized confusion that would have been familiar to anyone who has ever moved anything from one place to another, the group started to trickle into the banquet hall. I had the sisters set on one side and the people from the town on the other. It was about an even match. The sisters looked uncomfortable and the townspeople looked embarrassed. Conversation was definitely awkward. Somehow this seemed familiar. Oh, well. I walked to the head of the table. All conversation ceased.
“Gavin, I assume that you still speak for the town?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What is this about?”
“We held another gathering when you had left. To bring it short, we were ashamed of our reactions to you. Once the panic fled us, we realized that you could have destroyed us all. That and you demanded nothing but the safety of the sisters. It was agreed that what supplies that we could send to you would be a faint apology for our actions.”
“I thank you for that, but please explain, why did you react so?”
“We only have the lore of the olden times to go by. When the masters left our world there were some men who were left behind. They tried to take the masters’ place by force. Many were abused and enslaved. Many were killed at a whim. The resulting war lasted ten season turns. We, as a race, fear your kind. We didn't realize that you were not of them.”
“Not of them?”
“No, you are of the masters. You wear the power as easily as I wear these jodhpurs. You have shown your mercy and wisdom. We can do naught but aid you.”
“What do you offer?”
“We can but offer little, The people of the sky have made it increasingly hard to work the fields. We do offer ourselves to aid you as we may.”
I looked at the elves, several men and a few women. They looked haggard from the trip. I then looked to the sisters.
“Which of you has the arts of the kitchen?”
Several raised their hands.
“Fix us a night meal. A light one as to let us sleep.”
“Yes, milord.”
I looked back to the townspeople. “Would you care to stay in the outbuildings until we can get a way established? I will take the help of all that will, but I can promise nothing in return except protection from the sky people.” I prayed silently that I wasn't offering something that I couldn't deliver.
Gavin stood up. “That sir would be quite enough. There may be more coming that feared the night ride. We will prepare for them if we may.”
“By all means. Will you be staying?”
“For a time. I must return to aid the town as best I can.”
“Then let us be about it. I know nothing of the skill of a worker, but I will seek into the knowledge to make sure we are safe.”
“Begging your pardon, sir, but you have no business working the fields. No more than I would have wielding your sword. Each to his own strengths.”
I smiled. “Well said.”
The townspeople got up and I summoned a veil and stepped through to the tower.