Chapter 1

“Come on, come on, you need to dodge!” David Ayubbid Solomon screamed into his microphone. At twenty-two years of age he had reached his full height of nearly six and a half feet and built like a tank, the blonde haired young man was a study in contradictions. His copper skin had come from his mother’s side of the family, while his enormous build and brightly colored hair was a testament to his father’s Scandinavian heritage. His father had been working as a body guard in Iran in the early seventies when he had fallen in love with his boss’s sixteen year old daughter. Back in the United States, the difference in their ages would have made it an enormous scandal, but in Iran, the only question was whether her father would have approved. Fortunately, David’s mother was the third daughter of the Sheikh Lahijani’s fourth wife, and therefore wasn’t as socially valuable. That, and it gave David’s parents a good reason to evacuate his grandfather, his wives, and roughly fifty or so of David’s cousins back to the US when the Shah fell.

Forty year old political disputes weren’t of much interest to David, however. What did have his attention was the three headed, six armed, fireball-hurling demon that was about to destroy his guildmates.

“I said dodge!” David screamed again as his digital avatar threw up a glittering blue shield. Orange pixels exploded across his screen as the demon’s attack slammed into his defenses. Even then the little green bars that marked how well his party was continued to slowly dwindle. The demon’s own health was hovering at fifty percent, recovering at a rate just about equal to the damage they were doing.

“We are dodging!”

David heard the words twice, once in the headphones wrapped around his skull and once from the far side of the studio apartment where his best friend and heterolifemate Samuel was equally as glued to a computer. The two boys had been working with their guild to tackle the longest dungeon in their favorite MMORPG, Dragon War Finalis. They had been at it for more than eight hours, though that was counting the two hour long breaks the entire guild had taken for food and bathrooms.

“Well, try not dodging into the fire dumbass!”

David laughed at the sound of feminine outrage. Christine Roberts was their guild leader, and it had been her idea to tackle the dungeon in the first place. The pixiesh redhead was both funny and intelligent, and David would have asked her out a long time ago, if only it weren’t for the fact that she lived in New Mexico rather than his native Ohio.

There was a chorus of laughter from the rest of their guildmates, even as the demon began charging up a new attack. All six arms were raised skywards as the largest ball of fire yet began to swell above the demon’s head.

“DPS, now, now, now!” Christine shouted as her elvish archer popped out from behind the pillar she had been using for cover and began pumping as many arrows into the demon’s face as she could manage.

“We only have ten seconds!” Sam wailed as his mage popped up as well. He started hurling low level ice bolts at the creature’s shins, unable to rely on the higher level fire spells he normally used. The shards of ice flashed over the heads of two armored clad figures hacking at the demon’s ankles.

“Six ... five ... four...” David counted, his figure hovering over the button for his shield spell. “Three ... two ... go!”

Sam and Christine both rolled to a stop at his feet as he slammed the trigger for the shield spell. Demonic laughter echoed in his ears as the demon threw the screen-filling ball of fire directly at its feet. The two knights tried to get out of the way, but there wasn’t enough time. Agonized screams were cut short as the two knights were turned to black ash, their avatars temporarily deleted from his screen. The blue sphere snapped tight around mage, cleric, and archer, but even its protective magics weren’t enough to keep them unscathed. David watched with frustration as their health slowly drained away, leaving behind flashing red warnings.

“Fall back!” Christine ordered as the flames died away. She, David, and Sam scrambled back to the edge of the temple, where a flashing red circle marked the edge of the encounter. The demon laughed again as they crossed the line, then turned around and started to stomp back into the darkness, its health bar slowly refilling.

“Crap, we almost had it!” There was a dull thump in David’s headphones as hundreds of miles away she slammed her fist into her desk.

“We’ll get him next time, Christine,” David said soothingly as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. His body ached from sitting in one place for so long. “Hell, we’re not supposed to have even gotten this far!”

“He’s right, you know,” Angela Anotiz said as her knight re-manifested next to the others. Her husband George played the other knight, who was still missing. “We’re still ten levels shy and half a guild short. The fact that we got him down to even half his health bar is impressive!”

“I know, I know!” Christine answered. David could tell that she was pouting. Finally, Christine sighed and asked, “Do you all want to try one more time, or should we just call it here for the day?”

Angela’s knight shook his head. “I love you girl, but I’m beat. And we need to pick up Lisa from George’s sister in thirty minutes. So we’re going to call it here.”

“Ah, the perils of parenthood,” Sam moaned. “Let it not be said that there is no greater killjoy than having kids!”

“And you just want until you have some yourself!” Angela scolded him.

“You know I kid, Angela,” Sam answered with a grin. “Say hi to the rugrat for us.”

“You got it! Night, guys!” There was a click as Angela signed out of their chat and a moment later the knight vanished.

“I think I’m going to bug out as well,” Sam added as his avatar vanished. “Scary as this sounds, I think I need some fresh air. I’m going to go head to the park and watch the joggers bounce by, maybe scope out a yoga class or something.”

“Perv!” Christine laughed.

“Hey, a man has needs!” Sam protested. “In my case, I need to go look at fine looking women until I’m stupid enough to say something that will get me slapped!”

“Go have a fun, man,” David called out as Sam got up behind him and headed for the door. It slammed shut behind him loud enough that David’s mic picked up the noise.

“Hmmm, so I guess that just leaves the two of us,” Christine said huskily.

“Looks like it,” David answered. He had to fight to keep his voice level, as he had an idea where Christine was headed with things. His cock was already beginning to swell.

“I don’t suppose there might be a camera attached to that microphone?” Christine asked, even as David’s computer started flashing with the pop up for an incoming video chat.

“There is at that,” David answered as he clicked on the pop up. He was immediately rewarded with a shot of Christine leaning back in her own chair. The redhead was dressed in a faded t-shirt and a pair of baggy gray sweatpants, a perfectly relaxed outfit for a day in gaming.

“Mmm, so I’ve been thinking about our little gaming arrangements,” Christine purred.

“Oh?” David was deliberately trying to feign feigning interest. “And what about them?”

“Well, you’ve always been just such team player,” Christine answered breathily. She lifted her shirt up over her chest so that her bare tits were on display. They were modestly plump, topped by dark red nipples the color of ripe cherries. She leaned in closer to her camera so that he could watch her roll them between her fingers until they were good and heard.

“Well, it does help that I play the healer,” David said as he unzipped his jeans and lifted his hips to slide them down his legs.

“Well, I was thinking, good teamwork deserves some sort of reward,” Christine continued. Her eyes were half lidded as she slid one of her hands past the waistband of her sweatpants. “So, what I’d like to do is sort of ... help you prepare for our next raid.”

“Mmm, and just how were you planning on doing that?”

Christine smiled naughtily. “Well, I was thinking that while the others were gearing up, selecting their spells, that sort of thing, that I might crawl between your legs and just sort of ... you know.”

“Actually, I’m not sure I do,” David shrugged innocently.

Christine pulled her hand back out of her pants and held it up to the camera to show him how wet they were before going back to fingering herself. “Well, obviously I’d have to start by taking off your pants. Once that was done, I figured I’d work on getting you nice and hard. I’d start by running my fingers up and down the inside of your thighs as I kiss my way down your stomach. Once I reached your waist I’d wrap my hand around your long, stiff cock and slowly start to stroke it up and down until it was nice and big. And then...”

“And then?” David grunted. He tilted his camera down towards his lap, so that she could watch him jerk himself off.

“Why, I suppose by then you might have a bit of precum leaking out the tip,” Christine answered. Her eyes had grown wide as she watched him fondle his penis. “We wouldn’t want to make too much of a mess, so the only fair thing for me to do would be to lick you clean. Of course, if you kept leaking after that then I’d have to take some more drastic steps. I’d wrap my lips around that huge, thick dick of yours and suck it deep into my mouth. Then I’d just have to suck and suck until I could feel you getting ready to burst. And then do you know what I would do?”

“What would you do?” David demanded hoarsely. The thought of her hot little mouth wrapped around his cock had fueled more than one of his dreams. She’d shown him once just how deep she could take a man by fellating a Popsicle. He had absolutely no doubt that she’d be able to take him to the root.

“Why, I’d stop of course!” Christine grinned at him. “I mean, we don’t want to make a mess, after all. I can only imagine how much cum a dick as big as yours could store up. I bet if I sucked just a little too long, then you’d flood my mouth with your hot cum. It would just come spilling out over my lips, until it was dripping down my chin. There’d be no way to swallow it all!”

“What. Would. You. Do.” David grunted.

Christine’s hand ground against her clit as she panted, “There’s only one thing I could do. I’d have to climb out from under your desk and onto your lap. I’d take your fat dick in my hand and shove it into my tight little cunt, slowly sliding down your cock as you stretched me open. I’d start to bounce up and down, feeling you bottom out each time. My nails would drag down your back as your cock pushed me closer and closer to orgasm. The others would want to know what was going on, want to know what that panting sound was coming over the mics, but we’d be too lost in each other to tell them. My cunt would clench around your cock, eager for you to come deep inside of my pussy. I’d moan, begging you to fill me with your hot spunk. Go ahead! Show me how much cum you would pump into me! I want to see it shooting out of your cock!”

“Fuck yes!” David shouted. His hand was a blur as he jack his cock. He could feel the pressure beginning to build at the base of his cock, and he knew it was going to be a big one.

“Come on baby,” Christine moaned. “Cum for me!”

“I’m ... I’m-”

DING DONG.

“Shit!” David groaned. He was almost there, just a few more moments!

DINGDONGDINGDONGDINGDONG.

“You should probably go get that.” Christine moaned with disappointment.

“Fuck!” David quickly hiked his pants back up as he hopped over to the door, where someone was still frantically hammering his doorbell. He paused just long enough that his hard on wasn’t that obvious, then yanked the door open and snarled, “What?!”

If the delivery driver on the other side of the door noticed that he was about two minutes from death, he didn’t seem to care or even show any emotion at all. Instead he just popped his chewing gum and thrust a package into David’s arms. “You gotta package. Sign here.”

“I didn’t order anything,” David protested as he looked down at the packing slip. The package had apparently started in Iraq. Who the hell did he know in Iraq?

“Don’t care, this is the address on the package, you opened the door. Sign here.” The driver thrust an electronic signature at David, forcing the blonde to tuck the package under his arm as he scribbled a line of gibberish across the pad. The delivery driver didn’t even bother to say thanks or check the signature line before turning around and heading back down the hall.

David was still frowning at the box as the door closed behind him. He placed it on the desk in front of his computer as he slipped back into his chair. On camera he could see that Christine had lowered her shirt back down over her tits and had started to straighten her hair by using the camera as an impromptu mirror. She looked puzzled when her main view turned a fuzzy brown. “What’s that?”

“Not sure,” David answered as he took another look at the packing slip. Now that he had time to read it line by line, he saw that it had a couple of military custom stamps on it. That made even less sense. Who did he know that was both in the military and in Iraq? There was only one way to find out. David grabbed a nearby pocket knife and started slicing through the heavy brown packing tape.

The answer lay in the plain white envelope that sat on the top of a thick layer of Styrofoam peanuts. The signature on the front of it was easily recognizable. “It’s from my cousin, Sahar!”

“The one who wanted to be an archaeologist?”

“Yeah...” David’s voice turned soft as he remembered his spunky younger cousin. Sahar had always been a bit of a pain in her parents’ sides. They were both much more traditional than David’s own parents, which wasn’t all that surprising since Sahar’s father had been born of Sheikh Lahijani’s first wife, and therefore his grandfather’s primary heir. While the Sheikh had been surprisingly progressive for a man of his position, at least as far as his children marrying foreigners went, his first wife had been anything but, and her attitudes had been very firmly beaten into her son when he was younger. Neither had taken to America very easily, and preferred to live on one of the Sheikh’s more secluded estates in New York, the same where David had been born and raised. Sahar’s mother had basically been sold into bondage by her own family, who had been more impressed by the Sheikh’s wealth and status, even if he had effectively been exiled from the home country, than they had been concerned for their daughter’s well being. Completely beholden to her husband, she had offered her daughter little comfort, and so Sahar had spent as much of her time as she could with David and his parents.

As a result, Sahar was as American as she could possibly manage. When her father and grandmother had been planning an arranged marriage, she had fled to college under a secret fund arranged by her grandfather, who wanted his children and grandchildren to enjoy their new lives. But while Sahar had wanted to leave the trappings of her traditionalist family behind, the myths and lore of ancient Persia never ceased to fascinate her. In the end, she ended up devoting her studies to the past, earning a Master’s in Archaeology, with a focus on Middle Eastern history. But the last David had heard she was pursuing a Doctorate in California, so what the hell was she doing sending him a package from Iraq?

Dearest David,

I hope this letter finds you well. I imagine that receiving this package will come as a bit of a surprise to you, but I did not dare tell you or your parents about my plans to travel to Iraq until after I had left the country, for I knew your father would keep me from going. My father and grandmother always tried to force me into obedience, but their heavy handed discipline simply drove me away. Uncle David is a much kinder man that, and also a much smarter one. I know that he is fully aware of what the actual conditions are like in the Middle East right now, and if he had learned of my intentions he would never have attempted to discipline me; instead, he would simply have kidnapped me from the airport and locked me in the basement until I was old and gray!

Several months ago several recruiters from the army came around to the campus, looking for volunteers. No, cousin, I have not shaved my head and run off to play G.I. Jane. They were looking for archaeology students who would be willing to travel overseas and work several digs in what very closely resemble active combat areas and to help them combat the smugglers who are trying to sell off the country’s heritage. It was an offer too tempting to refuse! Going on a dig under any other condition would have involved ingratiating myself with this or that professor, and then wheedling the money out of the university to pay for our trip and equipment. Instead the government has paid for everything, and while the sleeping bags are not the most comfortable and the food is somewhat bland, the tools are more than adequate and we only have to deal with the occasional mortar attack.

Oh, but I wish I could see the look on your face as you read that last sentence! In truth, the dig they have me working on is very close to the Kurdish held territories. The only guns I have heard fired have been those of men hunting or celebrating weddings and other such things, and even then they are often at some distance away. Our camp is technically still inside the Iraqi border, and is under the control of the U.S. I cannot write where, exactly, for I am told that if I did they would simply censor the letter. Simply believe me when I say that I am quite safe from Daesh and its butchers.

The work has been hard, and though we have not had any major breakthroughs, extremely satisfying. There is nothing quite so incredible as slowly unveiling some ancient piece of history and once more returning it to the light of day. Much of what we handle has been dated back to the years of the Crusades, and early results indicate that some of it may even been associated with Saladin’s early rise to power. I greatly hope so! I remember many of Grandfather Lajihani’s stories about the great conqueror who once rid our homeland of western invaders and would love to take some the pieces home with me for my own personal collection, even as I recognize that this makes simply one of the newest invaders to wage war in our ancestral lands.

Oh, but I also have a gift for you! I had volunteered to assist the army with some of their translation work as well, as it gave me the chance to personally question some of the locals about the history of the area. I was speaking with one of the local clan leaders, and when I mentioned that Grandfather was Sheikh Lajihani, the clan leader became very excited. He asked me many questions about where we came from and who our family was. Thank god for that family tree I did back in high school, or I wouldn’t have been able to answer even a third of his questions! He said that he had a gift that belonged to our family, one that had been in the keeping of his family for generations. He told that it ought to be given to our family’s heir. When I asked him what it was, he only said that it was a great debt that belonged to our lord. I suppose this means that I should properly have sent it to my father, blood as he is of the blood of our grandfather, but I loathe the man and all that he stands for. Instead I thought of you, for while you are perhaps the most distant of Grandfather’s line, you are the most like him in terms of deed and thought.

I hope this letter finds you and your parents well. Please send them my love at the earliest opportunity, but please! Make sure that your father does not get it into his head to come and “rescue” me. There is already a quite lovely lieutenant here who plans on taking care of that. ;)

Hugs and Kisses

Sahar

“So? What is it?” Christine demanded as David finished reading aloud.

“Hold on a moment, let me fish it out.” David shoved his hand into the packing peanuts and started to fish around, not wanting to deal with the mess that would come from simply dumping the box upside down. His fingers closed around warm metal and when he pulled his hand free of the box he realized he was holding a large golden necklace. He let the chain spill from his fingers so that the amulet at the end spun slowly in the light for Christine.

“Ooh, that’s lovely...” she murmured. “What’s the design?”

“It looks like a lion, only the mane seems to be made out of sun rays,” David answered as he traced the lines of the face with the pad of his thumb. “It’s got these two wide wings coming out of the side, though they’re flat, rather than curved. Sort of like an airplane, you know?”

“Is there anything written on it?”

David turned the amulet over then shook his head. “No, not that I can see. It just repeats the same image on this side.”

“Huh.” Christine shrugged, then looked down at the time in the corner of her screen and frowned. “Damn, so much for picking up where we left off. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get dressed for work. On the other hand...”

She got up out of her chair and stepped back, so that her camera had her entire body in view. She turned around and stood with her legs slightly spread, then bent over and pulled her pants down, exposing her naked ass and bare cunt. She held the pose for just a moment, then quickly stood up and turned around. Her shirt came off next and she held it stretched behind her neck, arching her spine to thrust her breasts towards him. Then she whipped the shirt at her webcam, throwing her room into darkness.

“I hope you enjoyed the show! Talk to you soon!”

“Talk to you soon,” David replied. He reached for his own camera and flipped the switch to turn it off. Then he leaned back in his chair and flicked the corner of the amulet, watching the light play across the golden surface as it spun. It was only a couple of inches across, but incredibly heavy. It had to have been almost pure gold, probably several thousand dollars worth judging from the weight, but David had no intention of selling it. How had Sahar described it? A great debt.