Chapter 6

Ghent called from where he was looking out the window, “Betty, he’s here.”

She groaned and winced when she stood up. She was still feeling tender and weak-kneed from the night before, despite the sun being high in the sky. It was worth it, because she was also still riding the tenuous vestiges of euphoria from that orgasm.

Any other time, she might have thought the man was there to partake of her girls. Guildmasters tended to travel a lot. She knew this one and why he was here, because Alice had let her know he was coming. Betty stepped outside to greet him, because while the locals were taking advantage of Josephine humping any man that showed up at her door, Corra’s soldiers and travelers from the road were keeping her girls reasonably busy.

Betty spread her skirt in a curtsy and said, “Welcome, Master Stillbrand.”

He bowed his head and responded, “Miss Betty. Or, should it be Madame now?”

“Betty will do,” she said with a smile as he dismounted.

“I apologize for the delay,” Stillbrand said as he took off his silk riding gloves. “I felt it prudent to speak with young Pallah’s former employer on my way.”

Betty tried to keep from cringing when she heard that.

Fortunately, he calmed her fears when he said, “By his account, the circumstances of young Pallah’s dismissal had nothing to do with his services, but rather local politics. The goodman appears to regret his decision despite that. He asked if I might direct a journeyman toward his stables, which are in something of disarray.”

“Well, he had a good man, so that’s his own fault,” Betty said.

“Indeed,” the guildmaster replied, and offered a grin. He gestured with one hand while tucking his gloves into his belt with the other. “The stables?”

“Mmm hmm. Pallah is tending to our visitors’ mounts. This way.”

“A most interesting construction,” Stillbrand remarked as he took his horse’s reins and walked toward the stables.

“Our host is a brickmaker. No sense paying to haul in wood when he can build everything out of brick.” She saw Janus emerging from the workshop and said, “Here he is now.”

The guildmaster paused to let Janus approach.

“Janus, this is Guildmaster Stillbrand. Master Stillbrand, our host, Janus,” Betty said by way of introduction.

“Well met,” Stillbrand said as the two men shook hands.

“Well met,” Janus responded.

Stillbrand then asked, “Do you find young Pallah’s services adequate?”

“Adequate?” Janus chuckled. “Hell, Pallah’s got the place tidied up and orderly for the first time in a dog’s age. Couldn’t be happier.”

The guildmaster nodded. “A third endorsement only reinforces my belief that the journey here has been worthwhile. I was rather puzzled when I did not receive notice of his elevation to Master, after seeing his work and hearing from his Master - may he rest in peace.”

“Hope you’re here to fix that mistake,” Janus said. “Pallah deserves his shingle.”

“I will have to speak with him and see his work, but I admit such is my expectation.”

Betty said, “This way then. The sooner Pallah gets his due, the better.”

Pallah was already waiting by the main stable door, having heard the arrival of the horse. It was obvious by his nervous demeanor and pale coloring that he also knew who had come to call. Abel had joined him at the door, but Pallah waved for him to go back inside.

“May I take your horse, Master Stillbrand?” Pallah asked when they were within easy speaking distance.

“I am pleased that you remember me, young Pallah. When last I visited, you were little older than the lad I see there. Just some water and a rub down. I will not be staying, and it has not been very long since I last stopped.”

“Very good, Master,” Pallah said, and then took the reins to lead the horse to one of the stalls Janus had constructed once the number of horses often present made it difficult to segregate them in the barn otherwise.

The guildmaster grunted in approval at the sight of the clear water within the stall’s trough and its state of cleanliness. He watched Pallah rubbing down his horse for a few moments, and then began a casual tour of the building. Though Pallah concentrated on his work, his eyes still darted toward the decider of his fate quite often.

Betty - having made a living knowing what a man was thinking without him saying a word - already knew that the inspection was mere show. Stillbrand had made up his mind the moment he looked into the stable door.

Stillbrand returned to where Pallah awaited and nodded. “It is clean. It is orderly. It is well stocked. The horses are well cared for and content. You have earned your shingle, Master Pallah.”

Pallah stood up straighter, his face alight with pride. “My thanks, Master Stillbrand. If I may, I wish to take an apprentice immediately.”

A slight grin broke the guildmaster’s stern features. “It would seem you already have, but let us make it official, shall we? The lad’s name?”

“Abel, Master.”

“It will be so noted, Master Pallah. I may stop briefly on my return from having words with the headman of your region. I find it disturbing that I needed to personally rectify this slight to you.”

“You will be most welcome, Master Stillbrand,” Pallah said. “If I may, the headman was close with my Master, and his death was a great blow. Please consider this when you speak with him.”

When the guildmaster held out his hand, Pallah took the reins of the man’s horse and passed them along. Stillbrand pointed a finger at Pallah and said, “Respect for a fellow guild member - even one who has wronged you - will serve you well. We are a young guild, by most standards, and our unity is our strength.”

“I will take that to heart, Master,” Pallah said, and bowed his head.

As the guildmaster led his horse outside, Janus said, “I’ve got a few planks squirreled away in the workshop. Let’s not tempt fate and get your shingle hanging right away.”

Pallah and Abel couldn’t have looked prouder.

After offering her congratulations, Betty left them to their work, and found Raven leaning against the house. Wynn was approaching with a plains deer on a makeshift sled behind him.

“Damndest thing I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something,” Raven said. “Wynn was sticking arrows in the trunk of a scrub bush when that fucker came flying toward him. Boy knocked an arrow, let fly, and killed it mid-leap. Fell like a damn stone, practically at his feet.”

“It was a lucky shot,” Wynn remarked as he lifted the poles supporting the sled from his shoulders.

“Maybe, but you’re better with that thing than either of you let on,” Raven said.

Wynn shrugged. “Pa’s old bow was on its last legs. Guess I was fighting that a little more than I thought. Thank you for the new one, Miss Betty.”

“You’re welcome,” Betty said with a smile. “One of the General’s soldiers is inside. I’ll send a message and see if Corra would be interested in some fresh venison tonight. You might just have some coin in your pocket this evening.”

Wynn’s proud smile reminded her of his younger brother’s.

Betty said, “You should congratulate your brother. Pallah has his shingle, and he took Abel as his apprentice.”

“Really?” Wynn asked.

Betty answered, “Mmm hmm. I promised I’d help you all make a life for yourselves. Didn’t think it would happen here, or so quickly, but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Raven hiked a thumb toward the barn turned stable. “Go on.”

When Wynn headed that way, Betty waited until he was out of earshot and asked, “Why the exaggeration?”

The thief chuckled, held up her finger and thumb a short distance apart, and said, “Only a little. He really is damn good. He was feeling left out. Middle kid stuff. The moping set my teeth on edge. Figured I’d brighten him up between now and when you have one of the girls leave him slack-jawed and silly tomorrow.”

“Bring him by after we close up shop tomorrow evening,” Betty said. “I’ve got something special in mind.”

“Oh?”

“Thought I’d try something new, so he doesn’t get so attached his first time.”

“Like what?”

The brothers emerged from the stable at that moment, so Wynn could show off his kill. Betty stepped in and whispered her plan into the thief’s ear.

Raven exclaimed, “Hah! Well, that’s one way to go about it.”

“Think it will work?”

“I don’t think he’ll have any complaints, even if it doesn’t.”

The General’s soldier emerged, looking quite pleased after his romp with Jan. Betty waved toward the deer and asked, “Would you mind asking if the General would like some fresh venison this evening?”

The soldier looked at the deer and answered, “I don’t even need to ask. I’ll just let mess know it’s here, and they’ll send someone to barter. Any you can bring down, you can consider them sold. Every man with a bow or crossbow has standing orders to take down deer when the opportunity presents itself. It’s the General’s favorite meal.”

“Good to know. Thank you,” Betty said.

“No thanks needed. I may get to sit at the General’s table tonight for delivering the good news.”

Abel stepped away from his brother and said, “I’ll fetch you your horse, sir.”

“Good man,” the soldier said as Abel hurried toward the stable.

Raven pushed away from the building and walked toward Wynn. “Time to teach you how to haggle. Orphan brothers down on their luck is a good story. Even better when it’s mostly true. We’ll rob them blind and they’ll come out thinking they did a good deed.”

Betty suspected Wynn was going to do quite well on his first sale.

The old cook’s eyes rolled up in his head, his face contorted, and an explosive, almost gurgling sound burst from his lips as he spewed his seed into Betty’s pussy. It had taken a while to coax him to hardness with her mouth, but the scant time he’d lasted inside her balanced that, and would help keep other members of the large merchant caravan that had stopped from having to wait too long.

The spent man collapsed atop her as if he’d been clubbed over the back of the head. She could feel as well as hear his wheezing breaths where he lay with his face squished into her breasts. She caressed his sparse ring of hair and moaned for his benefit until it no longer sounded as if he was going to expire from the effort of the brief, frantic hump.

Once she cleaned up and got him dressed, Betty led the weak-kneed man to the front room, where she picked up her next charge - one of the merchants. He was all business - having his coin and erection at the ready. He humped her with methodical strokes, and his passive expression only broke momentarily as he ejaculated into her. After a brief recovery period, he rose, dressed, and left an extra coin before seeing himself out.

Her girls were apparently milking the men’s pricks with laudable efficiency, because Betty found nobody waiting for a turn when she emerged. Despite the quick turnaround, she saw nothing but satisfaction on the faces of the men as they left.

With the last of the men serviced, Betty relaxed and listened to the sounds of the caravan preparing to move on. Pallah walked in through the kitchen door wearing an even wider smile than the one he’d worn all day.

“Hope there’s more like those,” the young man said while patting his coin purse.

“I hear that,” Lana said. Betty and the other girls who were in the front room likewise agreed, because most of the men had left generous tips.

“General’s here, and he don’t look happy,” Ghent declared.

Betty rose from the couch and looked out the window. She had to agree with her man’s assessment. Corra exchanged brief words with the leader of the caravan before the train of wagons lurched into motion. He dismounted his horse as Betty emerged from the house.

“Something wrong?” Betty asked.

The general sighed. “Unfortunately, I am the bearer of ill tidings. It would appear that our mutual enemy still has allies - even among the governor’s lackeys. Someone has engineered his escape, and I fear you may very well be a target of Roja’s enmity.”

Knowing something of Draxnian politics, Betty’s brow furrowed. “Doesn’t escaping just make things worse? He’d endure a little shame and his family would probably have to turn loose some coin, but that would have been about it if he’d just let the governor punish him.”

“You have the right of it,” Corra said - his expression betraying that he was impressed with her knowledge. “This is not Roja’s first ... Shall we say, indiscretion. It may be that his family planned to leave him at the governor’s mercy. I find that unlikely in light of my involvement, but it is possible. Or, it may be that he is so enraged by his downfall that he is blind to the consequences of his actions.”

“And no matter what the reason is...” Betty said.

“He is extremely dangerous because he now has nothing to lose,” the general finished for her. “Fleeing custody makes him a wanted man, and not just a political prisoner to be bartered for coin and influence.”

“Good thing I’ve got extra men now,” Betty mused as she considered how to deal with yet another threat.

“If you see him, kill him,” the General warned. “I have little doubt that it will be in self-defense.”

Betty knew that was a risky proposition even with Corra’s backing. What passed for justice in Egoria always sided with the Draxnian occupiers. She also knew that the general was right, and Roja might very well give them no choice. “Thanks for the warning, General.”

“It is the least I could do, considering the indispensable nature of the information you provided in assisting his downfall, the rather improved morale of my men, and an opportunity to dine on venison.”

Betty curtsied and said, “Happy to be of service.”

“To our mutual gain. Your young hunter drove a hard bargain.” Corra chuckled, took a deep breath, and then said, “My men are seeking Roja, as are the governor’s men, but it is no sure thing. He still has allies and the skills necessary to hide in the wild.”

“We’ll keep a weather eye out too,” Betty said. “People hear things when they’re out and about, and their tongues get loose when they’re all knackered after a good hump.”

The general nodded. “Stay safe. I must say that I find our conversations a welcome diversion - even when they are of ill tidings. Were I not wed, I might find myself inclined to seek a few more private moments with you.”

“She’s a lucky woman.”

“I am a lucky man, and she is dearly missed. How I long for my next leave, even as I dread the mierdasha that will surely await me upon my return here.” Corra mounted his horse.

Though Betty wasn’t absolutely sure of the meaning of the Draxnian word, she was fairly certain it was a far ruder term for a mess - no matter how poetic it sounded. “Know how that goes. You turn your back for five seconds and everything goes to the hells.”

“And on that note, my back has been turned too long,” the General said, and bowed his head.

“Farewell.”

“And to you, good Madam.”

“If it ain’t one thing, it’s another,” Ghent said as the general rode away.

Betty sighed. “We could be safely choking on the stink of pig shit right now,” she said, referencing her original choice of a town a little farther east, which she’d abandoned because pig farming was the dominant occupation.

“At least it ain’t boring.”

Betty narrowed her eyes at the big man. He backed away with upraised hands and a chuckle on his lips.

“Boring is the last thing you can call this place,” she said as she headed back inside.

As darkness settled in the next day, Betty saw Raven and Wynn approaching the house, and couldn’t help but smile. It had been another decent day for the girls, and one in which Betty had felt no need to work with her legs in the air - which was always a plus. She signaled to the girls as she stepped outside, and heard three giggles in response.

“Happy Birthday, Wynn,” Betty said as the pair approached.

He grinned and said, “Thanks. I was going to go talk to Abel, if that’s okay?”

“You might want to hold off on that,” Raven said, and punctuated it with a chuckle.

“Because we have a little present for you,” Betty said. She took hold of the doorknob and nodded for him to approach.

The newly minted young man’s brow furrowed, but he shrugged and stepped up to the door.

Barely containing her mirth, Betty swung open the door to a chorus of three women saying, “Surprise!”

Wynn stood in wide-eyed and slack-jawed shock at the sight before him. Lilly, Ginny, and Jan were standing just inside the doorway. They were freshly bathed, shaved, and as naked as the day they were born.

Three sets of hands drew Wynn inside as his eyes darted every which way, taking in the vista of bared female flesh.

Betty couldn’t hold back her chuckle at the expression on Wynn’s face as the girls led him to Jan’s room. Raven hadn’t even tried. She doubled over with laughter and literally slapped her knee from the sight.

It took Raven a minute or two to catch her breath and come inside. Even then, she was wiping tears from her eyes. She and Betty sat down on the couch and looked at each other just as loud giggling sounded from the room down the hall.

They both broke out into laughter once more.

Raven was still sporting a rare smile when she said, “He’s not going to be worth shit for a week after they’re done with him.”

“With any luck, he won’t get overly attached after his first time.”

Raven said, “Just made it damn hard for any girl that tries to rope him in. She’s going to have to be a cock-hungry thing to compete with this memory.”

Betty let out a disagreeing sigh. “Oh, I’d say most men think a pussy in front of them is better than one that’s just a memory.”

“Fair enough,” Raven agreed. “He’s in for it when he heads back to my kip. Shad knows why I brought him over here tonight, and no brother is going to let that pass without teasing.”

Betty asked, “Does he know it was three?”

Raven pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. “Hmm ... No, I didn’t mention that. If the boy’s got enough gumption to throw that out, that would shut his brother up real quick.”

“I might just have to suggest that before Wynn leaves in the morning.”

“That will be rich to watch. Getting it turned back on him would be good for Shad, too. Time for him to learn he’s not the only man in the family and deal with it. He’s a little too secure in his big brother daddy thing.”

“How’s he coming along?”

“Learning to tickle the right bits. Gets me pretty good every time. Smart enough to realize it’s just fucking and nothing else. Getting it while the getting is good.”

Betty smiled and shook her head. “Good to know, but not exactly what I meant.”

“That’s the important thing, isn’t it?” Raven said, and twitched her eyebrows. “He’s learning. He’s got the touch to be a decent burglar. If nothing else, he’s never going to have a wife lock him out of the house. Kind of wonder from the way he was working on those driver pins whether he might make a decent jeweler or something. Said his pa was a tinker, and he’d learned a bit about working metal. Gold and silver are easier than tin to work.”

“He would have a leg up on anyone trying to steal his work.”

“There’s that. And he could do a pretty good job sticking them if he needed to. He was pretty much shit when I got him started, but he’s a natural, like you.”

Betty rolled her eyes. “You keep saying that.”

“Because I mean it. If you didn’t have those giant tits throwing off your balance and keeping you from squeezing into anywhere, you could walk the dodgy path.”

“My life is dodgy enough, thank you.”

“For the moment, but look at what you’ve pulled off here anyway. You’re going to give Alice a run for her money at this rate.”

A gasp, a groan, and two giggles from down the hall caused them both to shake with laughter for a moment.

“I’ll settle for making a decent living,” Betty said.

“Doubt you’ll have to settle, but whatever. Speaking of business, the cunt is still spreading her legs for every prick that walks in her door. She’s stacked up some serious coin by now.”

“What do you think she’s going to do with it?”

“Hard to say. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for any shady types, but Shad and I can’t be around there all the time. Maybe she’s just thinking she needs some gold to buy off any man who doesn’t drool over her. With the coin she’s stacking, she could bribe some serious people. May think that’s safer after you cold-cocked her and held a knife to her throat.”

Betty shivered. “Don’t remind me.”

“Don’t forget it,” Raven countered. “The world’s a shitty fucking place, and sometimes you’ve got to be just as shitty. You don’t have to like it, but you have to be ready, and you proved that you’ve got both parts right.”

“If you say so,” Betty said, hoping to change the subject.

Raven’s gaze suddenly snapped to one of the windows, and then her brow furrowed. “The fuck?” she muttered as she popped up off the couch.

“What is it?” Betty asked.

“Shad,” she answered as she opened the door. She waved for the young man to approach, and then asked, “The hell are you doing here?”

“Bad news,” he answered. “She turned men away for a few hours late this afternoon, and then that factor fellow showed up at her door.”

Raven groaned. “I suppose he left grinning like an idiot.”

“Two hours later,” Shad confirmed.

“That’s just great,” Raven growled. “Head back to my kip. I’ll be along in a bit.”

The young thief in training nodded, cocked his ear toward the giggling emerging from deeper in the house for a moment, and then turned to leave.

“How bad is it?”

“No way of knowing. He may be shrewd enough to just dip his wick and go about his business. Or, she may have charmed him. Or, she may have bribed him. He’s wearing a wedding ring, so she may be thinking about blackmailing him.”

“It never ends,” Betty sighed.

“Nope. I’ll get it untangled in a day or two. For now, I smell like a goblin’s shithouse, and I’ve been itching to try that new bath of yours.”

“All yours,” Betty said, and then sat back to wonder what complications the latest revelation was going to cause.

Betty heard Jan’s door finally open an hour or so after first light. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath, setting her face into a smile that wouldn’t be taken as mocking or teasing for the young man who was about to emerge.

Ginny and Lilly had already given her all the details before their first humps of the morning. Wynn had managed to survive the initial lick and suck from all three girls without spraying their faces. He’d then gone on to thoroughly explore their bodies and endure their stroking hands while still holding his cum. Ginny had even climaxed while he eagerly lapped her pussy.

His stamina failed him shortly after slipping into Lilly’s pussy, though he lasted longer than most virgins. Betty was a little surprised to find her juices flowing as Lilly described Jan going down on her to lap up Wynn’s creamy offering. The excitement of the unexpected licking had sent Lilly over the edge as well.

Like virtually all young men, he was hard again in no time. All three girls had taken turns riding him - bringing him nearly to the edge before leaving him to cool. Jan was the last, and sucked him clean of the other two girls’ pussy juice before mounting his hard young cock.

Lana and Ginny were both certain that Jan had her turn at a peak before he spewed his seed inside her.

Betty needed no eyewitness account beyond her own hearing to know that Jan had sucked the young man off when they awakened. The sight of his grin and weak-kneed walk as he emerged into the front room further confirmed it.

Much to Betty’s satisfaction, Wynn didn’t seem troubled by the sound of Lilly and Gina playing it up for the men humping them.

“Go get something to eat, honey,” Betty told the smiling young man. “Best relax while you can before Raven comes to fetch you.”

The final test of her plan happened not long afterward, when Jan took a man to her room. Wynn didn’t seem troubled, and his eyes followed Lana when she walked out back to the outhouse after a hump.

Wynn cleaned his plate, picked up his bow and quiver, and then said, “I’m going to go talk to Abel.”

“I’ll stall Raven a little if she comes by to put you back to work,” Betty said, and then winked.

A steady progression of men arrived looking to get their pricks wet. The girls were busy, but never overwhelmed, which suited Betty right down to the ground. She busied herself sewing up a new pair of panties with some soft cotton fabric and lace recently acquired through a special request to the General’s quartermaster.

When the door opened, she quickly covered her work with a dress that needed mending, as it was a surprise for Ghent, and she didn’t want him to see the new panties until she was - however briefly - wearing them.

Shad and Raven were both wearing wicked smiles when they walked in the door.

“I hope that means good news?” Betty said.

“Oh, you’re going to like this,” Raven said. “Decided I’d give Wynn a few hours reprieve, so I took his brother here into town to see what we could overhear.”

“And we got an earful,” Shad said, and then laughed.

Raven hiked her thumb toward Shad. “This one’s almost decent at sneaking around town now. We get a spare moment, I might just share one of my free ones with Lilly.”

Betty giggled as Shad’s face betrayed surprised excitement.

“Anyway, Miss Golden Pussy was raging again. Turns out the factor was playing her. While she was lying there full of his cum, sticking her tits in his face, and looking for an angle, he was apparently mining her for information. My guess is that she thought she had him good and latched onto her teat when he left.”

“But she was wrong?” Betty asked.

“So wrong. First light this morning, a bunch of the Governor’s men rode in. Hauled off half the officials and guardsmen in town, and replaced them with men they’d brought along. Almost every Draxnian, and a few local toadies. We got there just in time for the real show. Last thing he did before riding out himself was tell her...” Raven deepened her voice into an imitation of a man’s and said, “He eagerly awaited her next tax assessment, as she seemed to be doing quite well for herself.”

“That’s when she started screaming and breaking things,” Shad said. “She hasn’t paid a thin copper in taxes since she’s been here.”

“Town sounds like a beehive from all the people whispering,” Raven said. “Everybody knows she just got the rug pulled out from under her and she landed flat on her pretty little ass.”

“Do you think he got everyone who was sucking her tits?” Betty asked.

Raven nodded. “Enough that she’s got her work cut out for her. She’ll probably rebuild her little empire in time. Corruption is the national pastime in Draxnia, and she’s got a whole new crop of Draxnian pricks to tickle.”

Shad stiffened a little, and Betty glanced toward the hall, where she saw Lilly emerging.

The pretty Draxnian woman laughed and said, “Too true.”

Raven let out a purring moan as Lilly sat down to await her next hump. “Need to see what I can do about corrupting you some more.”

Lilly giggled and blushed.

A wicked, spiteful notion grabbed hold of her and Betty couldn’t let it go. “Ghent, honey,” she called toward the door.

It opened almost immediately. “I can almost hear her shrieking from here,” Ghent said, demonstrating that he’d heard the conversation.

“We’re running low on a few things. I think we should run into town for supplies,” Betty suggested.

“Oh, you evil bitch,” Raven said with laughter in her voice.

Betty offered the thief a cherubic smile and a shrug.

A change in the clomping of Studly’s hooves as they approached town caused Betty to lean over the rail of the wagon. The horse was lifting its feet higher and tossing its mane as it pulled the wagon along.

Ghent chuckled. “Heh ... It’s almost like he knows. He’s prancing.”

Betty shook her head and sat back. She fixed her gaze on her rival’s magnificent house and asked, “I wonder if she’s stopped screaming and breaking things?”

“Guess we’ll know soon enough.”

Ghent turned the wagon to make the approach to town while Betty scanned the windows of the house, looking for movement. She didn’t hear screaming, so she assumed the redheaded prostitute had gotten that out of her system. As they were passing by the house, Betty saw the curtains of one window whip aside.

Her smug smile drooped when she saw the other woman glaring at her with unbridled hatred. Josephine’s hair looked dull and disheveled. Her eyelids drooped. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her cheeks were pale and a little hollowed.

The transformation was both startling and disconcerting.