Chapter 21: The Duel, Or “Tit For Tat”

Athea looked at the people surrounding her and smiled. It was time to open the gate of the corral.

“What Hassika just said isn’t wrong, but it’s only a part of the truth. You’re humans; you’ve a different outlook on things than my brother and I.

You’re facing a war and trying to find a way to protect your families. Now look at my brother. Vernya isn’t our home; all he had to do to protect his family is to leave. But even if all of you flee to rescue yourselves, and the ones you love, he will stand in the middle of the battlefield until he dies, or the enemy is destroyed.

When you think about it, you’ll explain it with your human perception. He is a stupid brute, and doesn’t know any better. There isn’t anyone he loves as much as you love your family. He is a bloodthirsty monster who can’t help himself. Or whatever else you’re able to think up to explain it to yourself. Most of it would be true, but it’s your human truth, not my brothers nor mine.

Why should he flee? He will come back anyways to fight another war. Where you feel the desperate need to survive, he feels the need to destroy his enemies. He has no basic need for self-preservation. He is eternal. I am his family; our love is eternal as well. He doesn’t need to protect it. That is the truth of an immortal.

You can’t even imagine what the truth is for an immortal bound to a human existence! It’s a raging war of emotions. It is a never-ending fight for dominance and at the same time, a desperate struggle for balance within yourself. It’s a fight that can’t be won, and a balance unable to withstand a feathers touch.

As much as you wish it, I can’t tell you it’s safe for you to stay with us against the Manthakin, but we will stay! The path is chosen, my brother will fight this war. Twenty thousand; a hundred thousand; a million enemies; with or without you as allies; it doesn’t make any difference. I will be what he doesn’t have, his will to survive. I won’t lose him again!

Choose your path, and don’t come between my brother and me. That’s the only advice I can give you.”

The little girl in front of them was palpably radiating the power of will and her eyes shone with a glowing blue light.

As suddenly as the change appeared it vanished a moment later. The pretty girl with the disarming smile and pale blue eyes was back. The people around her had to visibly shake themselves out of their stunned fixation. Gillyn was once again the first to speak.

“You are right Athea, I can’t understand who or what you really are, but I know who I am, and the path I’ve to choose. I was wrong; an alliance between us isn’t possible.”

“I am Gillyn Canbierra, I speak for my clan and the clan is bound to my word. I hereby swear an oath of allegiance to you, Athea Maghon. If you accept us, we will stand at your side, from now on till you release us, or no one of our blood is left to abide by this oath.” Gillyn intoned solemnly and knelt, bowing her head to Athea.

The others stared at the kneeling Gillyn, and then at Cybrien, as he knelt and bowed his head too. Sahein was the next. She repeated the oath for the Callghannen Clan.

“I hope you know what you’re doing Gillyn.” Sinheyd murmured before she followed suit.

“I’ll accept the bond. From now on the Canbierra, Callghannen and Dohougney clans are under my protection until I’ll release you.” Athea said smiling.

Hassika sighed. “That’s what Assanka should have done too. It would have spared us a lot of trouble.”

Hassika had just finished her sentence when a groan coming from the door seemingly complied with her assessment.

“What have you done now, Zeza?” Roban asked, sounding anxious and frustrated. Ynerca stood at his side, looking wide-eyed at her sister and the other two women kneeling at Athea’s feet.

“I accepted their oath of allegiance and promised my protection in return. I just thought about a celebration with all their pretty sisters, but if you have that attitude, I can’t see that happening,” Athea replied haughtily.

Roban groaned once more and Ynerca giggled. “I thought you had another role-play underway!” She said cheerily.

“Somehow I’ve the feeling I should kneel too.” Bahren Mongel said grinning. “But I’m old and my knees are stiff. I really don’t have the authority to swear allegiance for the people of Notabir. I’ll just try to stay on your good side, and will give my men a stern warning to do the same. I will tell Notabir’s Mayor about this as well. He’ll be surprised!” Bahren finished laughing.

“You are only the third High Protector of the Canbierra history, and the first who isn’t from a Ghallan clan! High Protector means more than two Ghallan clans have sworn their allegiance to you. It also means you’re family now! Come and let me hug you, little sister!” Cybrien lifted and wrapped the giggling Athea up in his arms.

“Great, I’m the brother of the Matassaja and High Protector. A few month from now and I’ll probably need a list to remember all her fancy titles.” Roban grumbled.

“No reason to complain as long as you’re the only stud in her harem! Or would you prefer a fancy title?” Hassika asked smirking.

“Good point! I think I’ll take your advice and start looking for ink, feather and parchment, madam overseer.” Roban returned her grin.

“However, miss High Protector, duty is calling! Let’s get your highborn little ass to the holding cell. We have a captive awaiting your skillful torture.”

Hassika and Rhabina joined the group. Ynerca went with her sister back to the camp. The town guards at the quarters looked curiously at the two girls and Hassika, but the stern looking Bahren Mongel probably prevented any other sort of looks or comments they might have had otherwise. That didn’t prevent the dirty smirk of the captive, when they entered the cell. They also found out he was capable to use the common language.

“The white-haired witch; did they bring you so you can suck my cock?” He asked, still hanging from the ceiling where they left him. Cybrien immediately remembered his dislike of the man. The big clan warrior swiftly punched him in the stomach.

“Just for that I’ll rip the tongue out of your mouth when we’re done with you,” Cybrien snarled while the captive coughed and retched.

“Let him look and talk, Cybrien; that’s why I’m here,” Athea said smiling, but it wasn’t her usual warm and charming expression. Even her movement looked more like a snake as she slowly walked closer to him.

“What is it a man willing to kill sleeping children fears the most for himself?” She mused.

The captive stared defiantly in her eyes. The next moment a look of confusion and anxiety crossed his face. He frowned and shook his head, trying to clear his mind from his disturbing thoughts.

“Yes, those are the war-dogs you adore. They are very hungry; you didn’t feed them for a while. Didn’t you always wonder how your captives felt when they ripped the flesh from their bones? Now you will feel it yourself,” Athea imparted, her voice cold and merciless.

The man started to shake and squirm. The expression on his face changed from worry to fear, then to panic, finally terror and pain. He screamed to the ceiling, his body in spasms. Suddenly he relaxed again and a sigh of deep relief appeared on his face.

“Or maybe you want to know how the girls and women felt, hanging down from a tree, hogtied and helpless? Of course your comrades would do that! Why wouldn’t they, its war and they aren’t picky. I’ll even give you a tight virgin pussy, so you can experience all the pain, just like the young girls did as you raped them.”

When his screams died down after a long time, the man sobbed helplessly.

“How about watching your fat Warlord chomping on the limbs of your own children?” Athea inquired her voice the slash of a whip to the man’s mind.

“Please stop, I’ll tell you all you want to know. I’ll do everything, just make it stop!” The man wept and whimpered.

“Who ordered you to murder the children?” Cybrien hissed, without any compassion for the suffering man.

“The leader of the assassins, Dhragen Nathys. But he gets his orders from the priestesses of Keirgonna, Nigulla and Patessa. Stop! Not my little girl, I beg you!” He cried.

“How did you know which tent to attack?” Bahren asked ignoring the man’s plea.

He didn’t answer, just wailed in abject misery, tears streaming down his face. Roban gave his sister a stern look. Athea responded with a guilty little grin, shrugged and walked over to Roban. She snuggled against his side and watched as the man slowly stopped his pitiful sobbing.

“One member of the Arch-mage’s circle of scholars is a farseer. He’s watching the camps,” he finally answered, sounding tired and hopeless.

“He can do that? How? Just sitting at his campfire and thinking about us, or what?” Bahren asked upset.

“I’m not sure; he has a big crow as a pet. He sends it away, then starts to whisper something and closes his eyes. I guess he somehow can look through the eyes of the crow. I tell you everything, but I beg you to kill me when you’re done.”

“If you answer all of our questions I’ll kill you. You won’t have to play with my baby-sister again,” Roban told him smirking.

“I’ll tell my sisters to look out for crows and to shoot them down, or send their hunting-hawks chasing after them,” Hassika stated.

“Tell us all you know about the advance party. Command structure, names of officers, company insignias, numbers, weapons, armors, everything!” Roban demanded.

He did.

Before they left the cell, Roban snapped the man’s neck, quick and violent. Cybrien nodded, his sense of justice sated, he no longer felt the need to take a personal revenge.

Rhabina looked at Athea a little warily on their way back to Bahren’s townhouse.

“How can you do that Athea? I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, I just can’t understand how you can put anyone through so much terror and pain. It doesn’t seem to affect you at all,” she finally asked.

“I took a walk through his mind, watching memories. All I did after that was to exchange the victim in some of them. Everything he felt was his imagination of the things he saw or inflicted on others. I don’t know more about what he really felt than you do, and I don’t have enough compassion in me to waste it on someone like him,” Athea replied, her voice as emotionless as her expression.

“Maybe one day you will look in the dead eyes of someone you loved, and you will know you could have saved her, if you would have done what you couldn’t do. That’s the day you will understand it,” Bahren Mongel said without looking at anyone, seemingly lost in his memories.

Rhabina nodded and kept quiet after that.

At Bahren’s house he left the group and they continued their way out of town, and to the camps. Walking through the clan camps they got even more curious looks than usual, but none had bowed to Athea before. Today they did. Cybrien bowed extra deep to Athea, with a wide grin on his face, before he left them too. To Roban’s relief there was no noticeable change at the Amazon’s campgrounds. He even received the usual weary look from the guards at their tent.

As soon as they entered they could hear female sounding whimpers. The origin of the sound was lying on her back, knees bend and widely spread. Denyssa had tears streaming down her face and her hands clutched at her groin. All three women rushed to their friend’s side, leaving a worried looking Roban behind.

“What’s wrong ‘Nyssa? Are you still in that much pain?” Athea asked deeply concerned.

Denyssa didn’t answer but stared pleadingly up in her eyes.

“Ahem, I think I’ll look around for that crow the captive mentioned. I’ll be back later.” Roban murmured and hastily left the tent.

“THE COWARD! First he practically fucked poor Denyssa to death and now he is too gutless to face his victim!” Rhabina hissed in righteous indignation.

“Before you cuss at him some more, maybe you should take a closer look at her, and take a sniff at the smell,” Hassika whispered.

Although she whispered, they were too close together and everyone heard her. Denyssa furiously blushed and cried even louder. The three women looked at her now more curious than concerned.

“All right, spill it girl, what’s wrong?” Athea asked after a moment.

Again she only got a pleading look as responds to her question.

“DENYSSA! Don’t force me to dig it out of your head,” Athea warned sternly.

Hassika took Denyssa’s wrists and pulled her hands gently away from her crotch.

“Ouch, that looks really painful,” Rhabina remarked after she took a look between Denyssa’s thighs.

The girl sobbed even louder. Athea frowned and Hassika looked thoughtful for a while before she spoke.

“I think I know what happened.”

“We all know what happened. I just didn’t know how bad it really is,” Athea replied angrily.

“No, you don’t know,” Hassika sighed and then continued softly. “It’s OK Denyssa, I understand. I’ll explain it to the others and we get you something to sooth your pain.”

Athea and Rhabina looked puzzled at the amazon, but followed her outside.

“She is ashamed again...” Hassika started, but an inpatient Athea interrupted her.

“That much is obvious! But she doesn’t have a reason. I’ll have a talk with my brother. As much as I love him, he has to learn some more control, or he he’ll could hurt one of us even more seriously someday soon!” Athea huffed becoming even angrier.

“That wasn’t Roban’s doing, it was Denyssa,” Hassika stated, looking annoyed at Athea.

“Why would she do that, and how would you know?” Rhabina asked confused.

“Well, I put myself in her situation. She was lying here all day with nothing to do, a lot of memories from last night and a body which vividly reminded her of it as well.” Hassika illustrated her assumption.

“The poor girl!” Athea cried out, full of sympathy.

“Ohh! She got horny, and since she already was pretty messed up from last night, she made it even worse.” Rhabina summed up.

“Very horny! I guess the lingering pain from last night and all the memories ... well you know Denyssa. It was...”

“ ... pouring oil on an already white-hot fire, and she rubbed herself raw,” Athea finished for Hassika, and sighed.

“And now she feels ashamed because of it. Yeah, that’s typical Denyssa,” Rhabina agreed.

Suddenly Athea knit her brows and looked intently at Hassika.

“How come you’re not still in there and making fun of her?” Athea asked her curiously.

“That’s true! You should make some rude comments like: ‘You should take it in the ass as long your pussy is out-of-order!’ But you took us aside to spare Denyssa more embarrassment. That’s NOT the Hassika I know!” Rhabina agreed vehemently, but blushed when Athea and Hassika now turned their curious looks on her.

Hassika slowly shook her head. “Rhabina, Rhabina, could that have been your own thought? And it’s a good one! Anyhow, I’m not as heartless as you think I am. Once upon a time I was a young virgin too. I still remember how horny I was. For months it was like a fever, day and night, without any rest.” Hassika sighed longingly.

“How could you possibly have been even hornier than you are today?” Rhabina snorted.

Athea once again looked extremely thoughtful and the others noticed.

“What now? Did you uncover an even greater surprise than me having a heart?” Hassika asked dryly.

“I just had a really disturbing thought!” Athea said, still looking contemplative. “What if Roban didn’t flee because he felt guilty, but because he knew what was wrong with Denyssa.”

“You mean Roban knew it and left for the same reasons we did, to spare her embarrassment? That’s hilarious!” Rhabina laughed out loudly, but faltered when she noticed Hassika looking thoughtful too.

Both, Athea and Hassika, suddenly seemed to wake up out of a dream and simultaneously they shook their heads. “No, that’s impossible,” they agreed to Rhabina’s great relief.

They were back at their tent a little while later. Busy taking care of Denyssa, they at first didn’t notice Ynerca entering and greeting them. A lecherous grin appeared on her face as she watched the scene.