Chapter 20

Anika walked ahead of Kal and Kashka, trying hard not to eavesdrop on what felt like a private conversation, but voices bounced freely around the labyrinth’s stone walls and easily reached her ears. Something happened to the cat and mage that left the girl badly shaken, though whatever they experienced didn’t appear to have the same effect on Kal. While admittedly short, in the time she knew the mage and assassin, not once had she seen such tension between them.

“Stop apologizing, dammit!” Kashka snapped loud enough for the spider to hear clearly before lowering her voice again.

Something in the scrying pool made the cat-girl scream and collapse. A split second later, Kal groaned and dropped to one knee before throwing his hands out to either side as if forming some invisible barrier. Anika looked around but couldn’t see anything attacking them. As the mage gathered the cat in his arms, she gasped and clutched him in desperation. Kal sat rocking and whispering to her as Anika approached but held up a hand before she could get close enough to hear his words, although his tone was that of a parent comforting a child. A few minutes passed before Kal stood up, holding Kashka in his arms. But the cat pushed him away, insisting she could walk on her own. His face creased with worry, the mage asked if there was anything more Anika needed to do. The spider shook her head, deciding that she wanted to study the room some more before sealing it for good.

As they left and closed the door to the Ancient’s armory behind them, Anika noted the cat holding her head in pain. Kal would never willingly let Kashka suffer, making the spider wonder what happened that the mage’s healing spell couldn’t fix. Kal came dangerously close to dying during the battle with the Reavers but still managed to come out on top. Such a feat combined with his magical, and admittedly sexual, prowess, Anika built an image of the mage solving any problem he faced. That Kal couldn’t fix the cat’s headache unnerved her more than expected.

She peeked back to make sure they were still inside her pendant’s light and saw Kal’s arm around Kashka as he whispered something in her ear. The cat took a long, shuddering breath before looking up at him with a weak smile. Anika sighed as well. Seeing a hint of the Kashka’s normal demeanor filled the spider with the hope things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

The rest of the trip home was quiet except for the taps of Anika’s legs and Kal’s boots on the stone.

The glow of starlight illuminated the top of the steps as they emerged from the temple’s lower chambers. According to Anika, they spent most of the day below ground, and it was well past midnight. Stepping out into the temple breezeway, Kal shared a look with Anika and dipped his head in farewell before steering Kashka toward the tent.

The cat slipped out from under his arm. “You go check on Ria,” she told the confused mage. “I’ll follow in a few minutes. After an entire day underground, I want to enjoy the open air and sky above my head for a little while.”

Kal hesitated briefly, then nodded and made his way to the tent alone.

Kashka’s ear flicked backward at the tap of many small feet. “Kashka? If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” asked Anika.

The cat sighed before looking up at the arachne. The scant light made her eyes glow as she tried to smile. “No, I don’t mind. After looking at our families in the scrying pool, Kal wanted to check up on Azrin, the man who killed Kal’s lover and started him on this journey. Azrin is a lich, a powerful undead mage, and he somehow detected Kal spying on him. Kal thinks that because Azrin is animated by magic, it allowed him to sense the pool’s magic. When Ikuno gave up her life for Kal, they were bonded like he and I are now. While Kal doesn’t believe Azrin touched his mind directly back then, he did touch Ikuno’s. Because he and Ikuno were connected, Azrin recognized him.

“Kal has spells and training to defend himself from mental attacks and immediately blocked Azrin. So, he found another way to get to him.”

“Through your bond with Kal,” said Anika.

Kashka nodded. “His goal was to get at Kal, but on his way, he left memories in my head. Horrible, awful memories.”

The spider was confused, “How could this Azrin’s memories be that bad?”

“They weren’t his memories, but the final moments of women he abducted. He took control of their bodies and forced them to do things with him. They’re so vivid I can almost taste his leathery shriveled-up dick in my mouth.”

Anika made a face, “That’s ... gross.”

The cat-girl nodded. “But that wasn’t why I screamed. The unluckiest were taken with their families. He threw me into a memory of a mother stabbing her own child. Anika ... in her head, she begged and pleaded and tried with all of her might to make her hand stop.” Kashka’s eyes glistened in the starlight, “But she couldn’t stop herself, and I couldn’t stop it from happening. I feel like I killed my own kit.”

Emerging from the tent, Kal walked up behind Kashka and put his arms around her. “The memories will fade.”

The cat gripped his arms and took a few calming breaths. “I know. And I know that they aren’t my memories. But right now, they feel like mine. Maybe if I hadn’t just seen my niece a few minutes earlier this wouldn’t have hit me so hard.”

“I’m glad I didn’t bother you earlier. That sounds awful.”

“Back in the Labyrinth, I was mostly trying to convince her not to leave me,” Kal chuckled.

Anika stared at the cat in shock. “Leave him?”

“Azrin used me to get to Kal. I’m a liability to him.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not a simple as severing the bond and sending her on her way. Now that he’s touched her mind, he can find her again with relative ease. I had to convince her she would be an even greater liability if Azrin took control of her, like the women in her implanted memories, and used her to hunt me down. I doubt I’d get a chance to even defend myself.”

“Can he really do that?” she asked. “All these memories are of women in his keep. Do you think he could control me from afar?”

“Probably not, but are you willing to take that chance?” Kal leaned to the side and peered at the cat. “What was that thought? Sick of being my servant all of a sudden?”

Anika coughed. “Yeah, servant, whatever.”

Kashka ignored her. “It’s different when the cage is of my own making. Now I’m stuck with you because of Azrin, not just because I want to be with you.”

“How about if you look at it as you want to be with me and Azrin only gave you some extra incentive.”

“I like that,” she said, leaning her head back against his chest and closing her eyes. “It takes away his power over my life.” She turned around in his arms. “Kal, I want to be alone tonight. Completely alone. This may sound strange but, I need to grieve. Those women’s families may not have been mine, but right now, I’m having a hard time differentiating their memories from my own. And ... most of those women died by the same blade that killed their loved ones. Maybe it will give their souls some rest if I do what they never got a chance to.”

Worry etched Kal’s face. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

“I do. You have daughters and a son. I won’t put you through what I felt reliving those moments.”

He leaned down and kissed her head. “Are you sure about this?”

Kashka nodded, then squeezed him as tight as she could before pushing him away. “Go. Have some fun with Anika tonight. I felt your happiness when you checked on Ria. I’m guessing we will be leaving in the next day or so. Get your time in with her while you can.”

“I’m hardly going to be in the mood knowing what you are going through. Don’t forget, you need to kick our visitors out first.”

“Then I’d better go. I don’t know how much longer I can hold myself together.”

“I love you,” said Kal. “Yell, and I’ll come running.

“I love you too, and I know you will,” she answered, rising up on her tiptoes for a kiss. A soon as their lips parted, she darted around the mage and sprinted for the tent. Two sleepy and disheveled former slave girls hastily exited the magical shelter a few seconds later. The flap dropped into place and glowed around the edge, sealing it from the rest of the world.

Anika addressed the two women. “Alright, girls. You’re stuck sleeping with Kal and the rest of my men tonight,” she said, pointing toward the room used by Tavik’s second-in-command.

Karu sighed and pulled her shirt over her head while Tarah just whimpered.

“Stop,” said Kal, putting a hand on the disrobing girl’s arm. “She didn’t mean having sex with the other men or me, just that you are sleeping in the same room tonight.” The mage glared at Anika, “Poor choice of words.”

“Sorry,” the spider mumbled. “My men were told to keep their hands off you unless you approached them, and I don’t think you need to worry about Kal ton—” A groan from the mage interrupted her as he dropped to his knees holding his head. “Kal?” Anika asked.

Kal stood up slowly. “And to think, she muted our bond before doing this. If it’s this bad for me ... I should be with her.”

“No, Kal,” said Anika, moving in front of him and blocking the way to the tent. “I think she’s right. You have sons and daughters. Even if it wasn’t your memory, sharing the memory of killing your child would be much harder on you. She knows you’re here if you need her. Let her do this.”

“It doesn’t feel right leaving her alone.”

“You love her. I don’t think it should.”

Kal looked over at the girls. “Do you think they’ll be okay with your men if I’m not with them?”

“Where do you plan on sleeping?” the spider asked.

Kal pointed to the side of the tent next to the sealed opening. “Over there.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

Anika sighed. “Much as I want to trust my men, I’m not sure I can with two pretty young women if you aren’t there to keep them from getting out of hand. I’ll move them in with me for the night and let the girls have the room.”

Kal and Anika shared a quick embrace before the mage sat down next to the tent’s doorway. Rolling his cloak into a cushion, he laid down closed his eyes tightly as he dealt with the overflow of Kashka’s emotions.

“Kal.”

The mage came awake with a start and looked up to see Kashka standing over him in the buff. Her face looked worn and haggard from last night’s ordeal.

The mage scrambled to his feet and wrapped her in a hug. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” she said. “I think the worst of it has passed. Even now, the memories are starting to feel like someone else’s, not mine. But after that, I need some serious cuddling.”

“Serious cuddling I can do,” he said. Bending down, Kal lifted the cat into his arms and carried her back inside.

Anika joined them the next day when Kal finally felt it might be safe to summon Ria again. Holding the bag in his hand, he softly called the sprite’s name.

Kal, Kashka, and Anika all exhaled the breaths they’d been holding when the glowing avatar finally appeared.

“How are you feeling?” Kal asked.

“Horny,” said the sprite, staring at him and licking her lips.

After a brief explanation of events since the fight, Ria shook her head. “If something like this ever happens again, summon me right away so I can get rid of all the excess magic I absorbed. Remember Kal, you can pitch me into a volcano, and I won’t really care. A lightning bolt spell is just an inconvenience to us.”

“Now I feel silly for being so worried,” said Kal.

“Don’t feel silly,” said Ria as motes of light began streaming out of her bag. “Instead, take me to the bedroom and fuck me silly. I still have some energy to burn.”

The mage and cat planned on leaving the following day and invited the spider to join them in bed one last time.

“Are you sure you can’t stay a while longer?” Anika asked as she sank down on Kal’s cock. “My mating cycle starts in about a month.”

“No. We need to be on our way,” said Kashka before moaning and pressing down against Kal’s lapping tongue.

“That’s a shame,” panted the arachne as she raised and lowered herself. “But I suppose I can’t complain. I never believed in my wildest dreams I would have my own little harem of men willing to take care of me. But sometime tonight I want to feel him stretch my ass again. None of my men fill me quite as good as he did back there.”

The spider looked down at the cock inside her then grinned at Kashka. “I think he liked that idea.”

The former slave girl, Karu, decided to stay behind at the last moment.

“I’m going to stay and help Saida,” she said, blushing. “The men here treat me nice and don’t look at me like a piece of meat. A few even offered to pay me for a night with them, though gold doesn’t mean much around here at the moment.”

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of, Karu,” said Kal. “Some see prostitution as disgusting or immoral, but the little town where I grew up didn’t. I have fond memories of the few women whose company I’ve paid for. The first was more than a whore to me. She was also a teacher, and my lovers continue to benefit from those lessons. Other men said she helped them heal after losing their lover, so that’s something to consider as well. Many of the men here have lost their families and may appreciate an attentive ear as much as open legs.”

“Damn, too bad she didn’t mention this yesterday,” said Ria from Kal’s shoulder before affixing the girl with an exaggerated leer.

“Hush, you,” said Kal, shooing her away.

Anika waved goodbye as Kal and Kashka left the ruins followed by a small band of men. A few pulled carts they had cobbled together from wood scraps. They were little more than an axle, a canvas sheet between two poles, and some wooden structure to keep it from collapsing. Two of the former servants manned each cart, one to a side. Leather straps attached to the front of the poles looped over their shoulder to save their hands from the friction of constant pulling.

Later that afternoon, they arrived where the mage and assassin killed the last Reavers after defeating Tavik. Kashka leapt up into the trees to search for signs of the next trap as Kal halted the party.

“From here forward, there will be armed traps on the road,” he called out to the group. “Many of them use poison darts, so stay a good distance behind us and be patient. Even if we take a few extra days, we will still have plenty of supplies to get to Calfera.”

Kal waited for acknowledgment from Tarah and the men before continuing further up the road.

“Ugh ... I feel like one of my mother’s pincushions,” said Kal. Standing inside the tent, he stripped off clothes dotted with tiny bloodstains and tossed them next to the bedroom door.

“That’s because you’re being sloppy,” Kashka admonished, walking around him. “You can cure any poison with your magic, so you’re not being careful.”

“You’re right. I’m letting my impatience get to me. I’ve had enough of this jungle.”

“If you’re so impatient, then why not ask Ria to trigger the traps for you?”

Kal froze and stood there blinking. “Why the hell didn’t I think of that.”

“Likely because she was still recovering when we disarmed all the others. Lucky for you, the ape-women appeared to be getting just as impatient. The construction of their traps is getting as sloppy as your disarming methods. They’re easy enough to spot from above, and I wonder if we are getting close to the last of them.”

“I hope so. The poison darts may only be an annoyance to me, but they still hurt going in,” said Kal while crossing the room to the marble circle. The cooking grate rose out of the tent’s fire as he stepped onto the stone.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” came Tarah’s voice from the entrance. Cat and human looked in time to see the canvas flap fall back into place.

“I probably should have sealed that before undressing,” the mage grumbled as his clothes floated to his outstretched hand.

“I’ll go see what she wanted,” said Kashka.

“Probably somewhere to sleep away from leering eyes and grabby fingers.”

“Between you and Ria, she picked the wrong place.” The cat-girl laughed and darted out the door as Kal sputtered an attempted retort

Midway through the next day, Kashka reported no more signs of the ape-women’s nasty surprises. Everyone sighed with relief and looked forward to traveling at a normal pace once again

Tarah stuck close to Kal and Kashka, even though a few men tried to engage her in conversation.

“You know, they aren’t all assholes,” Ria told her from Kal’s shoulder. “You may have a potential husband back there.”

The girl’s eyes flicked to Kashka, “After being a sex slave. I’m not really interested in men.”

“Ahh, got it. That Saida must have a magic tongue.”

Tarah blushed crimson, “Not really. I mean, it felt good, but I’ve never really been interested in men.”

“Quit badgering her, Ria. Not all women who prefer women will be like Velt and Graff.”

After another four days traversing the Boordus Jungle, they reached the far edge of the rainforest. The trees and undergrowth ended sharply, replaced by fenced pasture land. They could still see a few piles of logs from the Calferan farmer’s clearing efforts along the forest edge. The wood looked too old for construction use, but splitting blocks nearby meant people still used it for firewood.

They saw cows, sheep, and goats grazing in the fields, but there were no shepherds. Kal glanced around, wondering if instead monster girls tended the herds. His mind wandered quickly to memories of the bovine women in Fazal until Kashka elbowed him in the ribs.

Further along the road, they came to a manned outpost. The soldiers stared with curiosity at the group of men, and a few women, coming from a direction that never saw any traffic. The outpost itself was laughable. Calfera went to the trouble of erecting an impressive stone gateway across the road. Barracks and a storehouse for the stationed soldiers’ supplies were visible through the large open doors. What made it comical was the lack of an accompanying wall. Kal could have simply jumped the pasture’s fence and walked around had it been just he and Kashka

“State your business,” a guard called out in Common as they approached.

“Delivering refugees rescued from the Remnant Reaver’s camp and seeking asylum. My companion and I are looking to catch a ship across the Great River.”

A few of the guards peered nervously down the road as if expecting a horde of rabid bandits on the tiny caravan’s heels.

“Did you manage to take out a few of them during your rescue?” the guard asked.

Kal opened his mouth to tell them they were all dead but thought better of it. “Yeah, a few. The camp has been taken over by a spider monster girl who wants to turn it into a trading post and rest stop between Calfera and Lassedo.”

“A monster girl? Who the hell would work under a spider?” another guard said.

“People who understand she isn’t interested in eating humans, like those who stayed behind.”

“Stayed behind?”

“This is only part of the men we rescued. The rest stayed behind to help her build and maintain this trading post she’s setting up. A few even became part of her harem, and I assure you they are all alive and well. The only things she’s sucked dry are their dicks. They aren’t complaining about that.”

“The Guard Captain and the Calferan Council will want a full account of what happened to the Reavers. I’m going to send one of my men with you,” said the guard before waving another man over and giving him his orders.

“Are things so dangerous between here and the city?” Kashka asked though she and Kal both understood the guard was a chaperone, not for protection.

“Do you know where the Guard Captain’s office is? Or the Council Chambers? Karm’s rotation out here is up in a few days. He’ll show you around the city before starting his furlough.”

“Just when things started to sound interesting,” said Karm. Looking over Kal’s group, he smirked. “But this could prove interesting as well.”

Kal didn’t appreciate the look the man gave Kashka and Tarah. “Before you get any ideas, both women sleep in my tent.” The man didn’t need to know only one shared his bed.

The guard they had been speaking to belted Karm in the shoulder. “Eyes in your head, soldier. You’re still on duty. Save it for the brothel when you get back to town.”

Karm grumbled for a moment, then dipped his head toward Kal. “My apologies. I should have held my tongue.”

Kal placed a hand on Kashka’s shoulder, stalling her snapping response. “No harm done, you wouldn’t be the first I’ve warned that grabby hands could cost fingers,” he said as Kashka pushed one side of her cloak behind her dagger.

“You arm your slaves?” the first guard asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I arm my companions. Despite the collar, she isn’t a slave.”

“But her accent is Fazalan.”

“And that’s where he freed me. But I am his servant by choice,” she said, tapping the collar, “not a slave.”

“Interesting, but unless you have trade goods to declare or other business, I suggest you be on your way. It’s still another two days travel to the city,” he said, then stepped to the side for them to pass.

Karm stopped at the barracks to collect his things, which were already packed in saddlebags, then whistled into the distance while looking out over the pasture behind the sleeping quarters. A few seconds later, a horse galloped up and easily jumped over the fence before trotting over to be saddled.

The next few days were blissfully uneventful other than Karm occasionally staring at Tarah’s breasts and bottom. Kal said something to the man as they made camp the first night.

“Your commanding officer told you to keep your eyes to yourself.”

The guard frowned. “He’s not here, and I’m not hurting anyone by just looking.”

“You’re making her uncomfortable, and the girl has been through enough—”

“Then cover her up like you do the cat,” Karm snapped.

“No,” Kal growled, getting in the man’s face. “She already wears men’s clothes to avoid male attention. I’m not punishing her because you insist on acting like an ass.”

The guard glanced around the camp at the other men, then the cat-girl. The feline didn’t appear to be paying attention to their exchange as she chatted with the human woman, but he also noted her cloak flipped back and wrists resting on her daggers’ pommels. Something about the cat-girl bothered him. Karm’s lips pursed into a thin line before saying, “As you wish,” through gritted teeth.

To Kal’s surprise, the tension between them didn’t last through supper and by the time they turned in for the night. Kal figured his magical tent with a fire pit for everyone to cook their food, and Ria producing a variety of food to cook, might have influenced Karm’s attitude.

When they crested a hill on the morning of the third day, the view beyond stopped Kal and Kashka in their tracks. Neither had ever seen such an expanse of water so large it turned the horizon into a flat line. After living her entire life in a savannah then the desert city of Fazal, Kashka had a hard time just comprehending how much water they were looking at.

Calfera rivaled Lantaris in size. Because of the port, buildings by the docks were tall and tightly packed. The outer city consisted of loosely situated residences for those who worked the seaport. Karm pointed out a large estate on the southern side of the city.

“That is the estate of Lord Boordus,” he said.

“As in, the Boordus Jungle?” asked Kal.

Karm nodded. “Named after one of his ancestors. Calfera has a council for managing the city’s affairs, but he’s the closest thing we have to a king. If Lord Boordus wants something, the council gives it to him. If you see him or any of his kin on your travels, watch your step. To the Boordus family, the rest of us are little more than maggots crawling through the streets.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” said Kal.

“Not one I care to tell.”

“How did one man become so powerful in a city ruled by a council?” Kashka asked.

Karm tapped the insignia on his arm. “Just under a century ago, a nation to the north attacked Calfera. We won, but it decimated our standing army. Even then, the Boordus family was powerful, and the Lord Boordus of the time offered up his personal security detail to bolster the remaining City Guard and Nightwatch. As Calfera tried to shore up its numbers, Boordus offered better pay than what the city could afford and snapped up all the men needed to fill the army’s ranks. Eventually, his men became the city’s military. He then bought up the lands immediately surrounding the city. The entire outer half of what you see is owned by the Boordus family. He builds the houses and stays wealthy off the rent of more than half the city. If you can’t pay up, then he has us at his disposal to forcibly evict the tenants.”

“He sounds more like a tyrant than a king,” said Ria from Kal’s shoulder.

“It’s not really as bad as it sounds. He keeps the houses in good repair and neighborhoods looking nice. But aside from that, the Boordus family is all about making money, and rent is kept reasonable to keep that money flowing. One of Lord Boordus’s ancestors got power-hungry and nearly choked the city to death by raising rent beyond what people could afford. They learned their lesson and now keep to the high side of reasonable.”

“What happens if people can’t pay rent? What are their options?” Kashka asked.

“You could move to the slums on the northern side of Docktown, that’s the area right around the port, you could leave the city, or you could join the military. We get significant discounts on our housing, which is a huge draw to join.”

“You don’t stay in a barracks?”

“No. Unless stationed at an outpost, I stay at my house in the new city. Only those trying to save their coin or in some kind of trouble stay at the barracks.” Karm looked down at Kal. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but some people may not be happy about your spider friend doing whatever it is she did to the Reavers. With the road through the jungle closed, people were turning their investments toward ports north of here.”

“It seems like a city this size should have had no trouble dealing with the Reavers. Why didn’t Calfera do something about them?” Kal asked. “I heard that you lost some men to traps attempting to take out Gaboh’s encampment, but only a few of those we disarmed would have been challenged a moderately skilled thief.”

“That happened before I joined,” said Karm. “From what I heard, the deaths of his guards at the council’s orders sent Lord Boordus into a rage. Especially since several guards left his employ and formed a small town guard under the Council’s direct leadership after the failure. He told them to let Lassedo deal with the bandits since they were closer. Calfera has been losing people to the north for a few years now, yet he hasn’t shown any interest in reopening the forest road. Some suspect he may be one of those investing in the northern ports.”

“Are you saying I may have made an enemy of the most powerful man in Calfera before I even arrived?”

The look Karm gave Kal from astride his horse was all the answer the mage needed.

Debriefing with the Guard Captain went relatively quickly. The man sent a rider out with a message to the council after taking custody of Tarah and the men from the Reaver camp. Kal instructed the captain to split the reward for taking out Gaboh and the Reavers between the refugees to help them rebuild their lives. Many were merchants and hoped to return to their former lives despite their ordeal.

After many goodbyes and thank yous, Karm led Kal and Kashka to the large, circular council building.

“I wish you luck,” said the guard with a bow. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a few months since my last furlough, and traveling with a couple of women, even mostly covered women, has me randy enough I may take one of the brothel girls home for the night.”

“They’re allowed to come home with you?” Kal asked

Karm grinned. “Another benefit of working for Lord Boordus. Woe be the soldier who mistreats one of the madam’s whores. I like the benefits that come with my job, even if the man I work for considers me scum. Slapping around a whore who doesn’t enjoy that kind of thing is a quick way to lose it. Farewell, Lord Kal and Lady Kashka.”

Kashka stared after the retreating man for a moment. “Lady Kashka? I don’t think anyone’s called me that before, have they? I kind of liked it.”

“Come on,” said Kal leading her inside the building. “Let’s get this over with.”

The Council’s Chambers were located in a large, round building with a domed roof. Immediately upon entering, hallways extend in either direction, which led to the various departments required to manage a city and the councilmen’s personal offices. A short walk past the hallways led into a roughly semi-circular auditorium. Rows of curved seating for the general public ran along the near wall while comfortable-looking chairs took up the steep stepped area behind the council’s bench.