Chapter 50

Evanis, with her falcata and dagger in hand, marched through the monastery. Sybelien followed closely behind.

“I can take your weapons,” the blonde offered as they approached a closed, high double-door.

Evanis didn’t react.

“He isn’t alone in there,” Sybelien warned.

Evanis kicked down the doors and two dozen monks spun in their seats, staring at the armed but otherwise naked woman invading their refectory. Sybelien followed as the warrioress proceeded toward the monks’ table.

Anjatta, sitting near the end of the table, stood up. “May I introduce, Sybelien Rossano’Shenta...”

“Ani’Mussai,” a monk’s gasp interrupted her.

“My demoness,” another translated, staring at Evanis’ undulating hips.

“ ... Daughter of Callandrea and Heiress of the Alorian Empire,” Anjatta continued, glaring at the two impolite monks. “And Evanis Danjala, Commander of the Imperial Alorian Guard.”

Evanis, ignoring the byplay, advanced until she stood before Jabbit, who sat between Anjatta and the abbot at the head of the table.

“Hello, Eva,” he greeted.

“Do I look as if I’m happy to see you, too?” She asked, her green eyes blazing.

“You look furious and when you’re furious you are always happy to see me.”

Evanis’ glower intensified.

“On the battlefield in Katerra, I was hit by a fireball.”

“It was a lava rock and not aimed at you,” he corrected.

“On my way here I was burned again; this time by a dragon.”

“You don’t look burnt at all,” Jabbit answered, smiling brightly. “I daresay you’re even more beautiful than ever.”

She took a deep breath.

“I killed your dragon.”

“Of course you did.”

Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on the hilts of her weapons.

“I have a branding that says I’m your possession.”

“I’d rather look at it as a token of our loving bond.”

Evanis’ rapid, heavy breathing made her nostrils flare and her muscles were so tense she vibrated.

“I’ll never submit to you.”

“I’ll never ask you to.”

“You think I’ll submit anyway because I need you but I don’t.”

“Of course you don’t need me to give you what you want. You take what you want, whenever you want.”

“Damn right, I do!” She spat, rammed her dagger into the table and grabbed Anjatta’s arm. “And tonight I want her.”

Then she stormed off, dragging the stumbling Anjatta behind. Sybelien sat down on the vacated place at the table.

“Are you still planning to eat that?” She asked, looking at the food in front of Jabbit.

“No, you can have it,” he answered.

“Thanks, boss,” Sybelien said, took the plate, piled the food on top of Anjatta’s half-eaten dinner and dug in.

The abbot thoughtfully regarded Jabbit. “As monks, we were taught to serve the gods in humility and reverence but it seems you are very lenient in this regard.”

“Sybil hasn’t eaten since the morning and now she’s hungry,” Jabbit replied. “She didn’t just take my food but asked for it and thanked me. That’s humble enough for me.”

“I was talking about the other young woman, the warrioress,” the abbot remarked.

“What told you Eva is a warrioress?” Jabbit asked. “Her weapons or her humbleness?”

“I understand your question,” the abbot said with a smile. “Both must be my answer - her weapons as well as her lack of humility.”

“I shought it wash tshe mentchioning of battlefields and killing a dragon that gave her away,” Sybelien chewed and swallowed.

Jabbit looked at the blonde by his side. “Your table manners are as bad as mine.”

“There is a lot my brethren and I will have to contemplate regarding today’s encounters,” the abbot acknowledged. “Maybe the ideas we have about our gods reveal our presumptuousness rather than humility.”

“If you need a second opinion, you can simply ask the next god who comes along,” Sybelien suggested.

“It was long ago but I still remember the day your mother was crowned Empress of Aloria,” the abbot said. “Full of hope and full of life, Callandrea was shining as bright as the sun. Will you shine like your mother or will your darkness consume all light, Sybelien Rossano’Shenta, Heiress of an Empire in flames?”

“I don’t know,” Sybelien answered and turned to Jabbit. “Boss, do I get a halo to make me shine or will you make me a sinister demoness so I have to lurk in the shadows?”

“Your table manners are even worse than mine,” Jabbit decided.

“No, It’s me who has to apologize,” the abbot avowed. “Princess Sybelien’s answer was justified. She stated her faith and loyalty and made it abundantly clear I have no right to question her.”

“Nah, she’s just snarky until she gets her dessert.”

Sybelien smirked. “You know me too well, boss.”

Evanis rushed through the corridors of the abbey, opening doors until she finally found what she was looking for, then she entered and set down on the bed.

“Come in and close the door,” she ordered.

Even if a bit slow and hesitating, Anjatta obeyed and followed Evanis into the chamber.

“I didn’t take you along to rape you,” Evanis said as the Ibanee princess closed the door.

“You did not?”

“No, I did not. So you can drop the scared virgin act.”

“It’s not an act,” Anjatta insisted.

Evanis rolled her eyes and stretched out on the bed. “During the passage to Katerra you’ve made it pretty clear how chaste you truly are.”

“Compared to you and your sister I’m still a paragon of virtue,” the princess snapped back.

Evanis laughed out. “Good! Now that you’ve adjusted your attitude to an agreeable level I won’t deny you that small victory - it’s true, Ansa and I are not chaste at all.”

“So, if I’m not here to be ravished, why did you drag me along?”

“Because now he’ll have to sleep alone.”

It was Anjatta’s turn to roll her eyes. “You took me as a hostage in your silly rebellion? Talk about an act...”

“It’s not an act,” Evanis insisted. “I’ll never submit to the little prick.”

“Of course it’s an act. You always do exactly what he wants. Your name-calling and threatening to kill him before you get laid is hardly a sign of resistance; it’s your mating call.”

“Shut up,” Evanis demanded but without much force.

The Ibanee princess sat down at the foot end of the bed. “I’m not trying to belittle you, Eva. Please believe me, I know exactly how you feel.”

“Great, so you know how irritated and horny I am right now.”

Anjatta chuckled. “Remember, I thought you intended to ravish me and still I followed you.”

Evanis grinned. “That’s true. Maybe it was a bit rash of me to dismiss your suspicion.”

“Do you want me to undress?”

“No, I’ll strip you. I want you acting reluctant and chaste again.”

“You want to play the merciless warrioress defiling the helpless little princess?”

“Yes! I love that.”

“I know you do.”

After dinner, a monk guided Jabbit to a guest room for the night. He had just undressed and gone to bed when someone knocked and the door opened.

“Hey Boss, I hope I didn’t wake you,” Sybelien said.

“No.”

“Good - may I come in?”

“Yes.”

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

“I killed the High Priest and his Untars and I wanted to thank you,” she said and frowned. “That sounds strange somehow.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sybelien looked at him and smiled. “That sounds even stranger,” she said and took a small step farther into the room. “I guess I should feel remorse but I don’t regret what I’ve done. The abbot talked about the darkness in me and meant evil but to me darkness means peace. Since I was a little child whenever I closed my eyes all I wanted was darkness but I dreamed. The ghosts of my murdered mother and sisters haunted me. When I pledged my life to you I hoped you would give me what I’ve been longing for. That’s what I thank you for; the darkness and peace you give me.”

“As I said, you’re welcome but I think you are too modest.”

“I’m too modest?” She asked and took another step toward the bed.

“Yes, you’re too modest if all you want is darkness and peace.”

“To feel at peace is more than I ever had.”

“Maybe it’s because you can only see with one eye.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, reaching the foot of the bed.

“Two more steps and I will show you what I mean.”

“I wonder how many poor maidens before me fell for that line,” she said as she took the two steps.

“The blind ones but rarely a one-eyed,” he answered.

Jabbit covered her eyes with his palms and Sybelien closed them.

“Maybe now you’ll see your dreams don’t need to be nightmares,” he said when he took his hands away.

Sybelien opened her eyes.

“What have you... , “ she gasped, then staggered and fell forward across the bed. “I can see with both eyes,” she realized, tearing up.

“It worked better than I thought it would,” Jabbit remarked, looking at the blonde lying in his lap. “But your sight will become blurry again if you cry now.”

Sybelien laughed and turned onto her back to look at him. “You’ll always be blurry to me. Even though you’re the only god I know, I’m sure you are the strangest of them all.”

Jabbit shrugged. “You have to sleep now. I want to know if your dreams are still nightmares.”

“All right, I’ll go.”

Sybelien moved to get up but Jabbit tapped her brow with a finger and she fell back down again. He undressed her, then lay down at her side and covered them both with a blanket. For a while, Jabbit listened to the soft whisper of her breathing before he fell asleep as well.

“I swear, she moved,” Anjatta said.

“Don’t stop!” Evanis prompted. “You’re just imagining things.”

“And now she’s staring at me,” the princess insisted.

Evanis peered through the Ibanee’s spread thighs at the cobra tattoo on her own right hip. “He’d never dare to do that for real. Now continue or I’ll stop licking you too,” she said and reinforced her demand with a slap on the butt hovering above her face.

“Auh!” Anjatta squeaked. “Of course he’d dare and you pretty damn well know that!”

“Gods, you’re useless on top,” Evanis stated. She grabbed Anjatta’s hips and threw her off, then straddled the smaller woman and knee-walked up to her face. “I’m even hornier than before. Stop teasing me and finally do something about it!”

The cobra hissed, flicking her split tongue, and a drop of liquid dripped from one of her long, curved poison fangs. Evanis gawked and Anjatta screamed as the falling drop only barely missed her face.

Evanis rolled off Anjatta and fell on her back. “He really did it,” she hollowly uttered, blindly staring at the ceiling.