Chapter 17

He slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. Groaning, he put a hand to his head in an attempt to quell his pounding headache. The sound of someone running across wooden floorboards preceded the door to his bedroom flying open. A dark-haired, olive-skinned woman wearing the plain brown dress meant for working on a farm stood there, her eyes wide with tears of happiness shining in the corners.

She screeched something that he thought was supposed to be his name, but her mouth was full of food. From the looks of the sunlight streaming in through the window, it was still morning and he must have interrupted the woman’s breakfast.

Running around to the side of the bed, she jumped in beside him and wrapped her arms around his chest. In her excitement to see him, she must have completely forgotten about the contents of her mouth and her first few words came out as a jumbled mess.

The man cringed as she jostled him, groaning again at the pain that flared in his head. He also cringed at the sight and sound of the woman swallowing a mouthful of food in one gulp, that couldn’t have been comfortable.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she said, sitting up as she apologized frantically. “I was just so happy to see you were finally awake I couldn’t help myself!”

“Have I been asleep long?” he asked.

“Three days, ever since Bonn threw you.”

“Bonn?” the name seemed to trip a memory. “The horse?”

The woman nodded, “something on Bonn’s tack broke and you were heading into town to have it repaired. He came back without you a little while later. As far as anyone could tell something spooked him and he threw you.

“I couldn’t lift you, so I had to go into town and get help, the physician came along to look you over.”

“Telsin has a physician?” that seemed strange, why would the town need a physician?

She nodded. “He said that you hurt your head pretty bad and might have sprained an ankle. He was really worried that you didn’t wake up, even with smelling salts. Before he left, he said there was a chance you might not be the same person when you woke up, or that you might not remember things.” Her voice became somber, “He also said that you might not wake at all and just waste away from not being able to eat or drink. After three days, I was getting really worried that was going to happen.”

“You said something about losing memories?”

“Yes. Why?” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity even as a hint of fear made its way into her expression.”

“Um...”

“You ... you don’t remember me ... do you?” The tears of joy were now replaced by those of hurt as the man slowly shook his head.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said as she began to sob. “We haven’t been together very long and have only been married a couple of weeks.”

The man’s eyes widened in shock, “You’re my wife?!”

Looking miserable the woman nodded. “I ran away from my family’s merchant caravan to be with you and now you don’t even remember who I am.” Hiding her face in her hands she collapsed to the bed. “But you remember the name of the hoooorse!” she wailed, bawling into the bedcovers.

“Wait! Wait!” he said in a panic before gathering the woman into his arms. He grunted from the pain in his head from the quick movement but ignored it out of concern for this woman who was apparently his wife. “It seems to be related to people only. I remember Telsin and my horse, but I can’t remember the names of anyone who lives in town.” There was a long pause as his eyes widened in surprise. “Actually ... I can’t even remember my own name.”

The news seemed to alleviate the woman’s sadness and she was quickly composing herself. “You’re a liar,” she finally said, sulking. “I called out your name when I first came in.”

“You had a mouthful of breakfast, I couldn’t make out a word you said.”

Embarrassed the woman blushed. “I did, didn’t I.” The man waited for a moment before making a motion with his hand that he was expecting her to continue. “Oh! Kal! Your name is Kal.”

Kal ... that’s...” the man gritted in agony, a hand going to his temple as his head throbbed. A confusing image of a woman with blue skin flashed in his mind before being swept away by the pain. A few seconds later he tentatively opened one eye as the feeling faded.

Looking down at the woman, who was staring up at him with concern, he asked, “So I’m Kal. What’s your name?”

“Rowan.”

“Rowan ... Certainly doesn’t sound like a name from a girl born in Telsin, then again you have a very different look than the townsfolk as well.”

She smiled up at him. “You certainly weren’t complaining during our first night together, or second, or third. You spent so much money to be with me while we were here, but you stole my heart when you offered to buy me from the caravan.”

“Spent money? Buy you? Were you a prostitute?”

Her cheeks flushed with shame, “Since you don’t remember me I thought I should tell you now instead of keeping it from you. You loved me before when you knew what I was, I hope you can do so again.”

Kal chuckled, “A little late to worry about that if we are married already. You said you escaped the caravan to be with me?”

“I did. I waited a full week after we left before I ran, that way it would be too costly for the caravan to turn around and come back for me.”

“And now you’re my wife?”

“You made some council members witness it the very next day,” she said proudly, “as well as getting me declared a refugee which canceled the caravan’s claim of ownership if they ever come back.” She sighed and leaned against his chest, “Now I belong to you and I’ve never been happier.”

As she molded herself against him, her thigh brushed up against his morning wood through the covers. “Oh!” she said with a mischievous grin as she reached down to grab him through the blanket, “I’ve been taking care of this each morning you’ve been asleep, hoping it might wake you up. Let me do that today as well.” Creeping down the bed she pulled the blankets with her, leaving him naked. “Just relax and let your mind drift away while I work my magic.”

“Speaking of magic. Why didn’t you have a cleric come see me? I thought Telsin had one.” Kal shook his head trying to clear the fog from his memories. The stab of pain that accompanied the motion quickly distracted him from trying to remember anything and as he worked through the moment of anguish.

She was looking up at him with confusion etched on her face. “You were hurt, not dying, there was no need for the priest to perform last rites just yet.”

“Not for that, to heal me.”

“Clergy doesn’t heal people, physicians do. That’s why I called him.”

“I meant to heal me with magic.”

Her confusion deepened, “Magic? You must have been having some interesting dreams while you were out. There is no such thing as magic, Kal.”

Her last phrase felt wrong on a very deep level, though he couldn’t put his finger on why. A moment later he quit worrying about it as his cock disappeared into her warm wet mouth. Within seconds he was doing what she suggested and letting his mind wander as he enjoyed the pleasant sensations she was giving him.

“No, Ria. I appreciate that you and Kal are trying to get me over my fear, but this is going too far. There is no way that Kal is in mortal danger somewhere out in the swamp. I’m insulted that you would think I’m so naïve I wouldn’t see through your ruse,” the gorgon said in a huff.

“You ... you think I’m lying?” said the sprite, her expression incredulous while her voice was barely above a whisper in shock.

“O’ course you’re lying, Ria!” Sera snarled, her accent coming back in her anger. “Ye mentioned many times that you can only be so far away from your bag. How could ye be here if Kal is still out in the swamp somewhere? It’s more likely he’s hidin’ right outside!”

Ria didn’t hear the gorgon’s last sentence. Sera was absolutely right, she should have returned to her bag a few seconds after flying off to get help. Now that she was taking a moment to think about it she felt very ... alive.

The sprite looked down at her arms. “Aaah!” she screamed seeing what looked like small white flames rolling off them.

“What?!” cried the gorgon, startled.

“Get ‘em off. Get ‘em off. Get ‘em off!” yelled the sprite thrashing and twisting in the air as she tried to pat out the wisps of energy like they were fire.

Sera grabbed the avatar out of the air and held her so they were nose to nose. “Ye been glowin’ like that since ye got here. It ain’t hurtin’ ya.” Letting the sprite go, she continued, “Was going to ask why ye were doin’ that when ye came up with this ‘Kal needs rescue’ foolishness.”

“She hit me,” whispered Ria.

“Like bloody hell I did,” growled Sera.

“Not you! The glowing lady that has Kal. When I tried to wake him up she slapped me away from him.” The sprite held up a hand as if inspecting it. “Before I flew away it looked like she was staring at her arm, but it was actually her hand.” Ria looked down at her body with the white energy rolling off it like vapor before meeting Sera’s reptilian eyes again. “I absorbed one of her orbs of light, it must be why I look like this.” Remembering that the creature fed, the avatar was glad she didn’t have a stomach in the normal sense. The thought didn’t settle well with the sprite that she was charged with the life of the woman’s prior victims.

The gorgon was hardly convinced, “You two really thought this through, didn’t ya? You’re really thinkin’ I’m so dumb as ta believe that gettin’ slapped about by some shiny tart suddenly made ye able ta fly all over the world?”

Ria stared at the gorgon, slack-jawed, stunned, astounded.

Her amazement at the woman’s words gave way to blinding, incandescent rage.

“No!” she yelled in the gorgon’s face, “Neither Kal nor I think you are even slightly dumb. But for fuck’s sake, you are acting like a stupid cunt right now!” Sera stepped back from the sprite’s tirade but Ria was having none of that. Zipping forward, the little avatar grabbed the gorgon by the nose and forced the woman to look at her. “Kal is out there,” Ria growled with as much threat as a woman her size she could muster, “and he is going to fucking die because you think we are playing some kind of fucking game. It’s. No. Fucking. Game. The man you and me and Perra and Kuto and Ikuno and all the others love is about to die because the person I went to for help thinks this is all some kind of fucking prank!”

The sprite’s eyes went wide with panic as she realized what she just said. “No ... no, I can’t...”

Sera jerked her head away and rubbed her nose where Ria had grabbed it, her snakes hissed at the avatar menacingly but made no move to strike. “Can’t what?” she asked.

“Love. I can’t love someone, I wasn’t made to have that emotion.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not a person Sera, I’m a catalog, a table of contents, a magic artifact, an item, a thing. I was made over ten thousand years ago and have had countless owners. Can you imagine what it would do to me, watching person after person I fell in love with die of old age or in some gruesome manner deep in a dungeon? We can’t love for a reason,” she looked down at her glowing arms, “but right now I do. What did that woman do to me?”

Sera stared at the little sprite who couldn’t seem to decide if she was on the verge of joyous laughter or tears of despair. “You’ve never raised your voice to me like that and this whole situation has gotten strange enough you must be telling the truth. But I still can’t go outside, so now what?”

“You warned me that you were insatiable, but wow,” said Kal as he looked down at the woman lovingly cleaning his prick from the last amazing blowjob she just gave him. Though he didn’t mention it, he was just as impressed with his ability to get it back up time and time again. Even now he was reacting to the woman’s tender ministrations.

She replaced her mouth and tongue with her hand, continuing to ready him for more as she spoke. “I may have been a whore, but I loved what I did. You don’t remember, but when I came back I warned you of this before we got married. I used to have the men of the caravan to keep me satisfied, now you are all I want and need ... but I need a lot.” Rowan’s expression became more serious, “Actually, I’m not usually this bad, but after nearly losing you ... Give me a few days to work it out of my system.”

Kal smiled. “I’m not sure if this helps, but with my memory like this, everything we do will be my first time.”

A shiver of excitement ran through the woman, “Mmm, I like that idea,” she purred. “But when you slip into my bottom for the first time, don’t pull out an apologize for finishing so quickly. Just press against me, stay in there, and wait until you’re ready to go again.” His prick jumped in her hand, getting significantly harder at the thought. “Oh my ... someone really likes the idea of taking me in the ass.”

“I certainly do, and to think I haven’t even seen it yet. But first...” he reached down and grabbed her under the arms before pulling her up his body until she was sitting on his chest. Noticing the dampness against his skin he lifted the front of her dress and peeked at the very wet pussy beneath. “I think I’d like to find out what my wife tastes like.” Threading his arms under her legs he took a cheek in each hand and brought her closer to his face.

It seemed that he had done something similar recently, but the woman was ... covered in feathers? He only had a moment to think that was exceptionally strange before another shooting pain in his head drove the image away. He didn’t wince this time, the sensation had dulled as his wife made love to him with her mouth earlier.

There was suddenly a hand on his head. “Wait. No. You’re not supposed to ... She...”

He looked up at her in confusion. “You just made me feel wonderful with your mouth and I’m not allowed to return the favor? I don’t think so,” Kal said with a smile before bringing his wife’s sex to his mouth and running his tongue from bottom to top.

The hand pushing against his forehead gripped a handful of hair and reversed course, pulling him into her with a loud moan.

Her flavor was very unusual, reminding him of the air outside after a lightning storm. The odd comparison made him wonder just how many women he had done this to before.

After such an intense reaction from Rowan, he pulled back a bit and smiled up at her, “Have I been neglecting this part of you?”

She shuddered as his tongue went back to work, “It has been a very long time.”

The comment felt out of place considering they were still newlyweds, but he let it pass and focused his attention on pleasuring the woman above him.

Ria collapsed onto the step next to the tent’s exit, sobbing. “How do you mortals stand this?!” she cried. “My entire being hurts because I know he’s in danger and I can’t do anything about it!”

Sera was nearly in tears watching the sprite. The tiny woman was not dealing with having such strong emotions very well. It probably wasn’t helping that the gorgon had made no headway in getting outside and was standing in the same place as when they started. She was close by, but still couldn’t reach out to console the tiny woman.

“I don’t know Ria, it’s all new to me as well,” said the gorgon. She didn’t know if what the sprite had said was true and that she also loved Kal, but she could at least see the potential as her feelings toward him moved on from childish infatuation. Sadly, she still couldn’t offer any advice to the little avatar. All of her previous “loves” had been petrified by her and the things they did and said to her only happened in her imagination.

Sighing, the gorgon went over to the fire pit in the middle of the tent to warm up, walking around the far side so she could keep an eye on the distraught sprite. The glowing avatar had pulled the flap partly open, in hopes that facing her fear head-on might help Sera push past this mental barrier. Ria honestly believed that once she got outside then it would be like going over a large hill and after she reached the peak, the rest would be easy.

The gorgon wasn’t so sure. Just looking outside still made her stomach twist into knots until she closed her eyes and the feeling went away.

A thought came to the woman. Opening one eye, the desire to run away and hide returned immediately. Closing it again the snakes on her head formed a halo as she reached out with their senses. She could feel the cold air coming in and even make out some of the trees on the opposite side of the clearing where they had absorbed the day’s heat and were still cooling down. But she didn’t feel the strong desire to hide from what was out there. Turning, she walked back into her room. A couple of minutes later she stood about where she was before.

“Ria.”

The sprite looked up from where she had been lying to see Sera standing at the bottom of the steps with the blindfold she made the other day covering her eyes.

“I think I can do this,” said the gorgon stepping forward.

“Wait!” shrieked the avatar.

“What! I’m finally thinkin’ I can go outside and now ye don’t want me to? Make up yer damn mind!”

“Not that,” said Ria flitting up to the gorgon’s face. “That strip of cloth is from your bedlinens. Anything the tent makes will disappear if you walk outside with it.”

The sprite watched as understanding dawned on the gorgon’s face. Taking a couple of steps back, Sera undid the knot behind her head and let the strip of cloth fall away. “Any ideas then?”

“I’ll check his room, you look over on the bookshelves in his lab and library, he may have left a strip of soft leather over there we can use.” As the gorgon made her way to the other side of the tent, Ria flew into Kal’s room where Kuto was still lying motionless on his bed. A quick search didn’t reveal anything that could be taken outside.

The sprite hovered over the petrified harpy’s face. “If you can talk to him, tell him that Sera thinks she can leave. If this works then we are coming to rescue him.” She briefly entertained the idea of having the gorgon bite the frozen woman to see if she understood but decided against it. With her new emotional awareness from absorbing part of the creature, she couldn’t bear the thought that Kuto might somehow let them know he was already dead.

Shaking her head, she flew out into the main area to find Sera warming herself by fire once again, her look of disappointment telling Ria all she needed to know.

“As soon as we rescue Kal, he will need to cast his spell that makes me warm or I may not make it back here.”

“What good will that do if you can’t leave anyway?” asked the sprite.

Instead of answering, the gorgon removed her shirt and tore a strip from around the bottom. Within seconds she had a new blindfold of the shiny green cloth that matched her scales and was putting the remaining shirt back on. “Maybe he can fix it later,” she said, shrugging.

“If you are ready then let’s go,” said Ria, beckoning the gorgon over to the exit.

Steeling herself, Sera followed the sprite out of the tent.

Kal grunted as he filled Rowan’s behind for the second time in a row, pulling back on her dark hair as her fingers flew over her clit. She joined him in orgasm a couple of seconds later. As she had asked, he took her rear the first time and as she expected, fired off within a few seconds of burying himself within the tightness of her bottom. Also as she predicted, he was ready to go again a short time later. This time lasting much longer and getting to enjoy the feel of her pucker sliding along his cock.

Instead of staying in the bedroom, Kal had wanted to bend her over the dining table as he took her bottom. Rowan nearly ran out of the room and was already waiting for him with her dress flipped up by the time he made it out of the bedroom door. As he’d walked naked through the room, his wife’s rear had taken most of his attention as she shook it enticingly for his enjoyment. Now that they were done and he once again had his wits about him, some of the things in the room seemed out of place

The large tub off to one side really jumped out at him. The faint memory of a pregnant woman sitting in it was quickly chased away by the pain in his head that seemed to accompany these strange ‘memories.’ The large well-cushioned chair seemed to be associated with the pregnant woman as well.

“Where are you going?” asked Rowan, standing up and letting her dress fall back in place as Kal walked over to the other bedroom’s door.

“Just checking something.” Behind the door was a nursery, ready and waiting for a newborn.

He turned back to his wife. “You’re expecting?” he asked, glancing down at her flat stomach.

Her face brightened but seemed strained at the same time. “Yes,” her hand went down to the lower part of her belly but jerked away as though she had been burned. She nervously tried to play off the strange movement before continuing, “We just found out a few weeks ago. I- I wasn’t sure how you would react when you said your memory was hazy.”

The tub was for a woman on the verge of giving birth, the chair had been built for a woman well along in her pregnancy, and a nursery that wouldn’t be needed for months was completely set up and waiting.

Kal’s expression went cold. “No.”

The moment he uttered the word, excruciating pain flared in his head that drove him to his knees. Clutching his head and howling in anguish, he refused to be turned away from the memory he was trying desperately to recall.

Rowan also sank to her knees as she watched the man fight for his memories, tears streaming down her face. “No, please stop. Don’t do this,” she called out to him, “Stay here and make love to me. Stay with me until the end.”

If Kal heard her he gave no indication as he managed to break through the searing pain. His memories flooded back into him as he stood up. Looking down at his arms, his familiar runed leather vambraces appeared, as did the rest of his clothing with the comfortable weight of his red and black cloak settling on his shoulders last.

“You aren’t my wife. Who are you?” he snarled.

Still sniffling, the woman wiped the tears from her eyes before standing up. Pulling over one of the chairs for the dining table over she, she sat down and took a couple of long breaths to compose herself. “I’m here to ease your passing into the next life.”

“You’re trying to kill me?”

“No, something else is, and she will succeed. Even if she stopped now, she has already taken enough of your life that you would eventually die anyway. Instead of letting her victims watch in horror as she gradually sucks the life out of them, I bring them here where their last moments can be filled with comfort and pleasure. The will-o’-wisp lets me do this because she says the men ‘taste’ better when they aren’t filled with fear.”

“You know I’m going to fight you.”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

As if to prove her point Kal suddenly bent over and grunted as he sprayed his seed all over the inside of his pants.

Rowan waved a hand and his pants were once again dry. “That was your image reacting to what is happening to your body. She will get what she wants no matter how hard you fight her. As long as she has you enthralled, there is no escape.”

“Her? Aren’t you a part of this creature?”

The woman shook her head. “Not really. In some way I am, but I have no control over her actions. If I did she would have had a snack on some of your lifeforce, we would both be feeling deliciously fucked, and you would be on your way. A little tired but none the worse for wear. Unfortunately, she doesn’t think that way.”

“So where are we?” he asked, looking around, “The astral plane?

“No, just a tiny little pocket of thoughts and memories I made in your mind.”

“If you aren’t a part of the creature feeding me, then where did you come from?”

“Full of questions aren’t you?”

“I like to know what I’m up against, and you don’t seem to have any problem with talking to me. It seems like you would rather not see me dead, near as I can tell.”

“That’s true. It would be nice if she never took another life, but as I said, I have no control over her. I just make things easier for those passing on.” Rowan took on a distant expression before focusing on him again. “She seems to be enjoying you quite a bit. It looks like we have time if you want to know my story. But it will cost you.”

“Taking my life isn’t enough?” he replied sardonically.

“I’m not interested in your life, but I am interested in that,” she said pointing at his crotch. “Parts of what I told you were true. I was a whore at one time, and I enjoyed it very much. I only get to do this when she stumbles upon a victim, and those are rare. Let me ride you and I’ll tell you my story.”

“Sounds like a distraction to keep me from trying to escape.”

“By all means, please try,” she said with a smile that appeared genuine. “I would be sad to see you leave since I enjoyed our brief time together, but very happy if you were to succeed. It just hasn’t happened yet, and as I said, even if you were to escape, you would eventually pass on anyway with what the wisp has already taken.”

Kal frowned. “Your assurance that there is no escape for me is more than a little disturbing.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. All I ask is that if you can’t get out you will come back and let me make love to you until you finally fade away.”

“I’m dying and you want to fuck me?”

“No. You’re dying and I want what should be a horrible and terrifying experience to be as comfortable and pleasurable as possible.”

After a moment’s pause, the mage nodded and traced a rune in the air before vanishing

Rowan took a deep breath and looked around the room. “I’m sorry Kal, this would have been so much easier had I known how important these things were to you.” With a wave, the tub and door to the nursery vanished. She left the chair. She had a feeling he would be in it when he finally disappeared on her.

Kal stopped before entering the astral realm, he wasn’t very good at this part of astral magic but knew enough to bumble about without killing himself accidentally. If what his ‘wife’ had said was true, he wouldn’t need to worry about it for too long anyway. He seriously considered just going to the astral plane and cutting the line that tied him to his body, drifting along the bleak planescape until his consciousness faded into nothing.

No, he wasn’t ready to give up yet. Even if he couldn’t find a way out of this situation now, he would see if Rowan’s story offered any clues that might help him. Following the thread back, he came upon his body lying up against a twisted tree trunk. A group of glowing orbs was surrounded by the flickering outline of a woman riding his cock.

A couple of small changes to the scene would have made it much more fun to watch. Like having him awake and an active participant instead of blankly staring at a spot on the ground off to the side would have been a good start. As he watched, his body jerked and a couple of drops of clear liquid shot from the end of his prick into a growing puddle between his legs. At least the woman was leaning back as she rode him so it wasn’t getting all over his shirt.

‘Priorities, Kal,’ he admonished himself. A second later he was running through his very limited number of options.

The mage appeared in the farmhouse once again, the look on his face making it clear that nothing had worked. Whatever the will-o’-wisp had used to trap him was very powerful. Even forming an illusion of darkness in front of his eyes to block out any visual stimulus from the orbs turned out to be a failure.

Rowan jumped up from the lounging chair where she had been waiting and offered it to him.

“Dammit all to hell, you were right,” he muttered, flopping down in the seat she had just vacated.

“Either way you are going to leave me, I would have preferred your way. Still want to hear about how I ended up joined to a will-o’-wisp?”

“Price still the same?”

“Yes.”

“What the hell,” he growled, “there are worse ways to go.” His mind shied away from thinking about all of those he would be leaving behind. Things looked bleak but he wasn’t dead yet.

With a wave of the woman’s hand, he found himself naked again. Giving him a sad smile, she lifted her plain dress up and over her head.

“You certainly are beautiful,” said the mage, taking her entire body for the first time.