The Creators: Book Two, Chapter 4_(1) free porn video

Prelude: Sorrow

DIAMOND

Sorrow’s gate was held by crumbling stone pillars, and adorned with statues whose features had been worn away by millennia of wind and rain. Only the hollows of their eyes, and the impressions of their mouths remained on their withered faces, giving them an expression of perpetual horror.

“I suppose I can’t change your mind, can I?” Arbitrus asked beside me.

“Nope.” I answered.

“If you don’t come back, Julia will kill me.”

“Yup.”

Arbitrus sighed, pulled out his pipe, and sat on the steps. Behind us, the astral plane changed from a land made of candy, to a world of metal and concrete, where odd machines raced down perpendicular roads, and a female statue held a torch aloft in a crowded harbor. I turned my gaze from the impossibility, and touched the gate. It creaked open, I stepped inside, and it creaked shut behind me with a foreboding click of the lock. Sorrow’s realm was a graveyard. The barren, exposed soil was wet with the rain that fell perpetually from the grey skies, and splattered on headstones, mausoleums and monuments, all decayed to ruin. The markers on the tombs were worn to illegible imprints, the statues were all as featureless as the ones outside, and the doors of the crypts were all ajar.

“Hello, Untethered One.” It was a sonorous voice, almost sweet, but tinged with a sigh of hopelessness. She was an elf, though it was impossible to tell what race she was. Her flesh was pale blue, her hair was silver, and though her complexion spoke of youth, her haggard eyes spoke of ancient world-weariness. Her sclera were navy, matching the color of irises that bore no pupils, but were rimmed with white. She was pretty, I guessed, but though she was naked, I found no attraction to her.

“Hi!” I said cheerily, extending my hand, “You must be Sorrow!”

“I am.” Sorrow said, shaking my hand weakly. Her palm was cold and clammy, her fingers were limp, and she offered me a melancholy smile that was somehow sadder than her frown. I didn’t want to be rude, so I gritted through the exchange with a smile, counting down the seconds until it would be polite to break off. As if she read my mind, Sorrow hurriedly withdrew her hand, averted her eyes, and shrugged her shoulders insecurely.

“I am sorry.” Sorrow said, wrapping her arms around herself, “I know my company is unpleasant, and my touch, even more so. Forgive me, Untethered One.”

“No, no…” I trailed off, avoiding her gaze, “it was fine.” I stared at my hand, wondering why everything had suddenly dimmed.

“You have come to ask me about the most ancient one.” Sorrow said, leaning against the stone wall that surrounded her vast realm.

“You know about her?” I asked. I supposed the revelation should have excited me, but it only slightly elevated my spirits.

“I do,” Sorrow said, sliding down the wall until she sat on the wet soil, hugging her knees, “but if I tell you what I know, then you will leave me, and I will be alone again.”

“Yeah.” I responded, sitting next to her. What was the point anyway? Even if I did find out about Corruption, nothing would change. The world would still be shit, people would still be shit, the future would always be darker, and the past would always be brighter. Alas, the past was dead and gone, and all the good times were dead and gone with it. I slumped against the wall, and kicked at the damp earth. “I guess I’ll just sit here. It’s not like it matters.”

“Misery loves its company.” Sorrow sighed listlessly, and produced a belt and pouch. She unbuttoned the pouch to reveal a syringe, and I held out my arm for her to tie the belt. She cinched me, I pumped my fist, she pushed the needle into my vein, and depressed the plunger. The heroin was cold, and its chill raced up my spine, and pooled tearful euphoria into my skull. I exhaled numbly, and felt my head rest against the stones. From my periphery, I saw Sorrow shoot-up, and fall into the same apathetic languidness. She rested on my shoulder, and her touch wasn’t as repulsive as it had been before. In fact, it was quite pleasant. She was an oasis of warmth in the cold rain, and when I turned to look at her, I saw her big, blue eyes looking back at me; shy, hopeful, and yearning. She was beautiful, the only beauty in this colorless world, the only thing worth breathing for in this perpetual darkness. I cupped her cheek, and Sorrow smiled, and its melancholy sweetness set a fire in my heart; not a passionate inferno, but a steady pilot light, one flicker from going out. I kissed her, and she kissed me, and our wet bodies moved together in the soil, breast to breast, thigh to thigh, lips to lips. We found the heat of each other, and moaned with slow breaths as we shifted beneath the weeping sky.

“Sometimes, I write poetry here.” Sorrow said as we walked beneath a derelict bridge, its outline barely visible in the fog. Five skeletons hung from its supports, rattling in the constant wind.

“Who were they?” I asked, my fingers linked with the Sentient’s.

“My melds.” Sorrow sighed, “None of them wanted me, but they called for me nonetheless.”

“They’re better off this way.” I mused.

“I think so.” Sorrow nodded.

We walked hand-in-hand through burrows and hovels, where gravestones stood at odd angles, their surfaces so calcified that they were barely discernable from the rocks. There were no plants in Sorrow’s realm, not even dead ones. Much like Wrath’s kingdom, Sorrow’s was a sterile, lifeless place. Even the skeletons that hung from the bridge looked like they’d never born flesh.

“This is my center.” Sorrow said, gesturing to a mausoleum that sat upon a hilltop. The soil gave way to bare rock all around the structure, exposing its crumbling foundation.

“Will you go in with me?” I asked her.

“I might as well.” Sorrow shrugged, “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

We walked into the stone building, the miserable twilight turning to deathly blackness. There were pedestals lit by slotted windows, much like in Wrath’s center, but at the very end, was a door. I walked to the end of the hall and grabbed the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge. I guessed it would only open for one person. I sighed, and examined the pedestal closest to the door: Sorrow’s oldest memory. Upon it, was a poem. Once I slumbered beneath a sky of gold, atop hills of diamonds sparkling and bold, where love was a wallet you could not fold, and my soul was the first thing that I sold. I read the next poem. Her mind was full of shallow things, of wealth and land and diamond rings, and when she saw the truth was hollow, she found poison sweeter to swallow. I nodded, getting a picture of what had happened to Sorrow. I did not understand why, the one I melded chose to die, was it the greatest form of greed, to steal the only thing you need? I read the last one. I think I’ve finally found the truth, of mortals’ quest to retain youth, to take from Holy Mother’s time, to the rafters you must climb. Here’s a rope and here’s a stool, here’s a weight and there’s pool, a blade will do but mind the mess, you just bought that satin dress. So I must change who I am, to gently guide the wanting lamb, avarice won’t cut the vein, but sorrow might compel the pain.

“Greed.” I whispered, turning to Sorrow, “You were once called ‘Greed,’ weren’t you?”

“Was I?” Sorrow replied, not seeming to care.

“Can’t you tell?” I asked, gesturing to the poems.

“It’s just blank parchment, Untethered One.” Sorrow looked pitifully at me, like she was examining a person who had lost their mind. I glanced at the door.

“Can you see the door?” I asked her. Sorrow gave me that sad smile again, and shook her head. I felt an overwhelming lethargy that goaded me to stay in this place of misery, to forever wallow in my comfortable despair, and make dazed love to the creature beside me. But then I thought of Mom, and Lucilla, and even had a passing thought of Justina, and I took Sorrow by the hand, and led her limply to the door. She tensed suddenly.

“Take me no further, Untethered One.” Sorrow whispered. I glanced to the side, and saw that we had passed the first poem before the mausoleum’s entrance. I gripped Sorrow’s hand firmly, struggled through the apathy that told me to stop, and dragged the Sentient to the next poem. “Stop!” Sorrow cried, but she was a weak woman. I dragged her past the next pedestal, and she shrieked terribly, splitting my ears with the sound. I winced through it, and hauled Sorrow the last few steps, feeling her shrill screams ringing in my skull. I could barely see the door I was reaching for, but I forced Sorrow’s hand to grasp it, fumbled with the knob, and hauled it open.

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Part One: Capture the Flag

WILLOWBUD

“…FUCK ME!” I cried, straddling Brandon in his office, his cock thrusting into me, his hands pulling my hair back as his mouth sucked on my jiggling, caramel breasts. He drove harder, his hips colliding with loud smacks, his tip pushing against my cervix, making my tongue loll from my gaping mouth as I panted my exhilarating euphoria. God, he was deep this morning. I grinded across his lap, my back wrenching in a violent wave; shoulders pinching together, spine curving, hips jerking forward and back, my ass applauding behind me. I grabbed his head and pushed his face deeper, suffocating him with what little chest I had, growling my approval as I felt him teeth me in defiance. He stood up, our pelvises locked together, and he dropped me unceremoniously on his desk, papers and candles flying, dishes clattering as I was dragged mercilessly across its surface. His torso pressed to mine, his weight sank into me, and I hooked my ankles behind his driving ass, and pulled him deeper. His breath panted against my neck as I hyperventilated against his, my lungs fiery with each desperate intake, my voice high with each exhalation. The familiar pressure ballooned with in me, causing tremors to wrack my form as it expanded; legs trembling, abdomen clenching, feet kicking wildly for purchase.

“Make-me-come, make-me-come, make-me-come!” I screamed, and he obeyed. I dug an encouraging nail in his back, and felt him return fire with the acceleration of his thrusts. I squeezed him with my thighs, with my arms, trapping myself in his violence, goading him to drive harder, to break me, to push me over the edge. The pressure expanded, electrifying every nerve, sending my heartrate skyrocketing. It was coming now, well-past the point of no return, compelling my back to arch, my mouth to scream, my eyes to widen, my head to fall back, and my throat to exalt my ecstasy.

“Oh God, fuck me, Sister Julia!” I screeched as I came. Brandon abruptly stopped thrusting, but he couldn’t stop from blowing. He groaned and growled as I sung over him, legs twitching in their lock as his cock opened my sanctity. Hot seed shot into me, pooling directly into my maternal reservoir, radiating into my depths as I spasmed with glee. Our sweaty bodies heaved as our diaphragms relaxed, and Brandon took my face into his, and looked steadily into my eyes.

“Did you just…”

LUCILLA

“…scream for ‘Night Eyes?!’” I panted against Julia’s neck, the sweat dripping off our bodies, the morning sun shining through the two-story window of our new bedroom. Julia gasped something unintelligible, and tried pushing me off her, but I locked my legs and pinned her shoulders to the mattress. Her cock was still hard in my pussy, but I’d had my release, and wasn’t feeling too frisky anymore.

“Hmm?” I narrowed my eyes at her, watching her face contort and redden.

“Yes.” She mumbled, looking extremely sorry.

“Julia, what the fuck?!” I hissed, “I don’t mind that you’re fucking her,” (bullshit) “but when we’re together, it’s supposed to be just us! Get her out of your head!”

Julia mumbled something again, trying to push me off, but I would not be denied. This was too far.

“What did you say?” I growled. She twisted her lips, seeming to block the words from exiting her mouth. “Julia, do you love her?” I hissed. Her lips trembled, and my heart began to sink. This was Passion all over again, only much, much worse.

“No!” she finally shouted, “No, I don’t love her! I’m addicted to her!” Julia finally managed to push me off her, and she sat upright, slouched, and put her face in her arms. “It’s not love, Lucilla, not even close. It’s… it’s like she’s giving me something I need, and if I go without for too long, it’s all I can think about. It’s not just the sex, it’s…” Julia looked up at me, genuine fear in her green eyes, “When she kisses me, she breathes Corruption’s gift into my lungs. I let it linger, let it take me, and then I push it out. I do it to show her that I’m stronger, to show her that Corruption can be resisted. Only what I don’t show her, Lucilla, is that it gets harder every time for me to let Corruption go.”

I stared at Julia with my mouth agape, and she hung her head in shame, the tears glistening in her emerald eyes. I crawled to her, still numb with the revelation, and wrapped myself around her, pulling her close, letting her feel my nakedness envelope her body. Her head dropped on my shoulder, and I brushed the hair from her face, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“You and I are getting Diamond, and we are leaving now.” I whispered, my voice shaking, “This is something you should’ve told me, Julia; this wasn’t a decision you had the right to make on your own.”

“I can’t run from this.” Julia whispered back.

“I’ll fucking hogtie you if I have to.” I spoke into her hair, “The further we get from Drastin, the better you’ll feel. We’ll take Brandon with us to Arbortus, and we won’t come back.”

“No,” Julia said, emeralds glinting, “I mean I can’t run from this, Lucilla. This is my destiny. This is what God made me for.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Everything that’s happened to me,” a tear ran down her cheek, “everything I’ve done, it was all to prepare me for this. I’d thought God had no purpose for me, I’d thought she’d abandoned me in the ashes of my home, but that was just my first step on her path. Night Eyes is my destiny, Lucilla; I was made for her. She has rekindled my faith, and shown me that I am still on the righteous path.”

“You’re fucking delusional.”

“I am not!” Julia said with such vehemence that I flinched. What was the one thing Julia held more dearly than me, or Diamond, or anyone else? Her fucking Holy Mother. I wanted to scream at her, but instead, I set my jaw, and listened.

“We’re like pieces to a puzzle, her and I,” Julia said, eyes flowing freely now, “scarred in the same way, molded in the same way. If I hadn’t killed my parents, if I hadn’t loved and killed Passion, if I hadn’t kissed you that night, then I would never have been able to face Night Eyes. The Holy Mother has sharpened me to pry Corruption from Willowbud, to understand Night Eyes so perfectly, that I know exactly how to destroy her. That is my purpose, Lucilla, and I cannot walk away from it.”

“And what is Night Eyes then?” I whispered, “The tool of Satan? Are you the champion of God on a holy battlefield?”

“Yes.” Julia whispered, “Yes, that’s right. I’m not blaspheming; it’s what I truly believe. It’s the only explanation.”

“The last time God and Satan had a bout,” I said carefully, “God lost, Julia. Satan made her his bitch; it’s the first chapter of your bible. If we’re operating on your logic, what makes you think you won’t share her fate?”

“Faith.” Julia beamed at me, “But not in God. In you, and in Diamond. You are what holds me fast, what keeps me from drifting away from myself.” Julia traced a tender finger along my arm, following the path of one of my many glowing lines, “You are what binds me. If you ever doubt my love, Lucilla, simply look at your own flesh, and see it burning with it.”

“Goddamn it.” I grumbled, staring into Julia’s loving eyes, “You really know how to push my buttons. C’mon, sit up; I’ve gotta suck your dick now, there’s no getting around it.”

BRANDON

“No, you can’t just suck my dick and get around this.” I said, putting my hand on Willowbud’s head, and pushing away, “What the fuck was that?”

“I told you,” Willowbud growled, stubbornly trying to get my penis into her mouth, “Sister Julia’s got me all horned-up, so in the heat of the moment, my mind was fucked. Don’t take it personally, Brandon; you know I love only you.”

“Really?” I snorted, “Because I haven’t been feeling the love since Julia got here.”

“Ooo, are we having an argument?” Willowbud grinned.

“No-no-no-no-no,” I said firmly, “you don’t get to turn this into a joke; we’re having this fucking talk. What is going on with you and Julia?”

“I’m trying to corrupt her, and she’s trying to save me from Corruption.” Willowbud said simply, “And she’s winning, Brandon, which is probably why I’m not too interested in you right now. There, we had the talk. Now, do you still want that blowjob?”

“Wait…” I frowned, my brain struggling to process what I’d just heard, “what do you mean, ‘she’s winning?’”

“What does it sound like?” Willowbud smiled, “Sister Julia really knows how to push my buttons, and Corruption’s almost left me twice now.”

“What?!”

“The first time, Sister Julia almost scared the bitch away, and the second, she almost convinced me to kick her out. I can feel the connection between us weakening, like a… like a barrier being pulled away, and on the other side of that barrier is the old me. I hate the old me.” Willowbud frowned for a moment, then grinned up at me, her white-lipsticked lips lowering to my tip, “So if you want this little romance to continue, lover-boy, you should consider intervening. Willowbud doesn’t give a shit about you, but Night Eyes wants to suck your cock.”

I hooked my arms into Willowbud’s armpits, and hoisted her atop me.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“I don’t need a blowjob, Willowbud,” I said as she shifted herself into the crook of my side, “I need to know if what we have will last.”

“I won’t make you any promises.” Willowbud sighed, “Promises make liars of people, and I’ve never lied to you.”

“No, you’re brutally honest.” I muttered. Willowbud chuckled her signature chuckle.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Her Highness.” Willowbud noted, “Should I be worried?”

“We’re friends of circumstance,” I said, and gave Willowbud a sneer, “and she sucks dick way better than you.”

“All that practice, no doubt.” Willowbud snorted.

“I’ve never known you to slut-shame; why don’t you like Lucilla?”

“She’s a princess.”

“So are you.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t exactly live the royal lifestyle, now did I?” Willowbud retorted. I turned my body until we faced each other, breath on each other’s lips, eyes inches apart.

“You don’t usually hide things from me, Willowbud.” I whispered, “Is it because she’s Julia’s lover? Are you jealous of her?”

“No, that’s not it.” Willowbud said, eyes staring intently back.

“Then why?”

“Her voice annoys me.” Willowbud said, then recommenced her journey to my penis. I palmed her face, and stubbornly resisted her teasing licks. She finally sighed her resignation, peeled away my fingers, and revealed an expression that looked entirely out of place on her face: sadness. Just the hint of it, but it was there. “I am jealous of Lucilla,” Willowbud said quietly, “but not because Julia loves her. Every time I look at Lucilla, and see those patterns on her body, I’m reminded of what we don’t have. She has something that I want, but you can’t give it to me. Or maybe you just won’t; maybe it belongs to someone else. Where is Angela?”

“I don’t know.” I answered carefully, “I haven’t seen her since I kicked her out.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.” Willowbud whispered back, the threat lingering on her lips.

“It’s the truth.” I said with as much conviction as I could muster, stopping myself from swallowing the pit that had formed in my throat.

“I hope so,” Willowbud trailed fingertips over my lips, down my chin, and rested them on my adam’s apple, “because if I ever see her again, Brandon, I’ll make a Sentient out of her.” Willowbud drew a slow line across my throat, and I swallowed. She grinned at me, ran her tongue over her white lips, and slowly kissed her way down my belly.

ASTRID

“Are you ready?” Tera asked me. The roar of the crowd swelled around me, within me, seeming to elevate my spirits with the elevation of decibels. Stomping feet thundered in time, a cadence of simple rhythms, of ancient times, of bonfire-lit shadows dancing beneath a heathen sky. It compelled that primal urge within me, that instinct of tribal blood.

“Yes.” I said with a hushed voice, not wanting to ruin the perfection of the moment. We’d prepared all we could, trained until our bodies were drained, practiced until every motion came as naturally as breathing. This was it. This was the moment.

“Alright,” Tera breathed. She turned to me, that killer’s sparkle in her violet eyes, “showtime.”

We stepped from the shadows, and into the light, into the mouth of the beast as it roared our entrance.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, whores and johns, creationists and heretics,” Mistress’s voice boomed over the crowd, “after a day’s delay due to… extenuating circumstances,” Mistress paused for laughter, “The Pussy Palace is proud to present to you: Death Kiss, and the Avenging Angel; the future champions of The Pit!”

Two whores flanked me, making a show of stripping my armor off piece by piece. Tera couldn’t resist sharing a kiss with her attendants as they disrobed her, but that wasn’t my style. I stared fixedly ahead, focusing myself, breathing deeply, feeling the anticipation build, feeling the wetness between my legs become more pronounced with each part of me laid bare. Tera was certainly a spectacle of depraved beauty, but I was the main attraction, and the calls for my name grew louder the more naked I became. My breasts were released, and they jiggled from their armored constraints to the roar of the crowd. A golden chain connected them by my nipple piercings, and I shuddered to think of how it would soon be used against me. My loin strap was freed, and as I was completely exposed, the call of the revelers rose to ear-ringing levels. I raised my arms above my head and arched my back, stretching my body with purposeful lethargy to build the moment. The thunder of the masses grew louder, as if controlled by the elevation of my hands. I unfurled my wings to their full span, and a blissful smile curved across my lips as the roar reached the peak of its crescendo. This is what I live for.

“Since this is a prelude to the championship, and I’m feeling like a generous god today,” Mistress’s chuckle sounded over the audience, “I will not be calling people up on stage. Today,” I felt the platform I was on sinking down, “there is no stage, there is no line, and there are no limits! Have at ‘em!”

Tera exchanged a lip-biting smile with me as the stone barriers Mistress had placed were lowered, and scores of hungry eyes surged forward. All I could do was take another breath, turn around, and fall backwards into the mass of men with a grin on my face. I didn’t struggle, nor protest, nor thrash. Men in a group are animals, but they soon found their places in the pack. I let my head fall between my shoulders and opened my mouth, and it was immediately filled. I opened my hands, and there were two more. I opened my legs, and three men jostled for position, their tips pressing between my options. It was like I was in heaven, and my every desire would be fulfilled simply by wanting it. I screamed around the man ramming down my throat as two men entered my pussy, and the third forced his way up my ass. A ripple of spasms shot up my abdomen as the pleasure and pain sung their debauched harmony, and I stroked the men at my sides with a fervency, matching the desperate pace of the men ravaging me. They stretched my womanhood to excruciating levels, but I just moaned around the man throat-fucking me, and waited for my body to adapt. Surrender is the key to ecstasy, so I didn’t clench, or fight, or even stop sucking for a moment. I let them use me, let them defile me, let them violate my sanctity freely, and in turn, they gave me the pleasure I sought. The pain in my pussy began to recede, the delightful promise kept, and I felt the tension in my nethers began to build already. Now that we’d all found our rhythms, and the ice had been broken, I decided to introduce myself to my new friends. I wrenched my back into an arch, forcing my pelvis down, crying around my gag as the men inside me all reached their maximum depths. I heard a chorus of groans, felt the pulsing of imminent release, and I grinned around the man in my mouth, and flexed those lewd muscles.

“Fuck!”

“Goddamn!”

“Hngg!”

And all three men thrust in turn, filling me to capacity, torturing the tender division that separated my channels, stretching my cunt wide. They bucked and heaved, and each forceful thrust caused my heart to skip, my grasping hands to squeeze, my sucking mouth to scream. In, out, in, out; my body was forced into a convex arch, my breasts the pinnacle, the back of my head level with my tailbone. Someone finally grabbed the chain between my nipples, and pulled. It pushed me over. My insides became a torrent of convulsions, my abdomen twisting and writhing in the air, trying to expel the euphoria ravaging me, my body unable to contain it.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Angel.”

“I’ll make you feel good!”

“Do you like it when I do that?”

No, no, no, that wouldn’t do at all. A woman covered in tattoos with a pierced pussy isn’t asking for fucking compliments, and she sure as shit isn’t looking to be doted upon. I rewarded the aggressors, and ignored the sycophants, and the pack of dogs turned to a pack of wolves.

“Come for me, whore!”

“Scream, you fucking slut!”

“Suck it! Suck it! Swallow it all, you fucking skank!”

Much better.Their degradation only brought me to new heights, and I happily complied with their demands. Hands were all over me now, running over my convulsing belly, squeezing my breasts as they were stretched, grabbing my ass and spreading it wide for the man gaping me, holding my legs open, choking me, pulling my hair. I was caressed and abused from the outside as I was relentlessly driven to madness from the inside. I became mindless, a being of sensation, an existence of the moment. I was overloaded with touch, overwhelmed with pleasure, and all I could do, was come. I came, and I came, and I came. Each release compelled me to coil around the men violating me, to suck with more avarice, to stroke with more desperation. I screamed my gagged delight, heaved in waves that started at my shoulders, and ended at my hips. My abs stretched, then clenched, my breasts jutted, then sank, my pelvis thrusted, then twisted, greedily trying to swallow the men into my vile holes, feeling my tenderness stretch and adapt, wanting more, needing more, desperate to feel them pierce me deeper, gape me wider, ruin me, destroy me, leave me leaking and used like the hopeless piece of sex that I was. FUCK ME! FUCK-ME-FUCK-ME-FUCK-ME-FUUUUUUUUUUCK!

ANGELA

I watched from my booth as Astrid and Tera performed their public services to their devoted fans. It was hard to tell, but it looked like Tera had two men in her ass, two men in her pussy, two in each hand, and two in her mouth. Her eyes were rolled back, her body was a twisting display of curves, and her motions were gracefully reactive, as if getting gangbanged was her natural state. I’d never seen a look of such bliss on someone’s face before. Conversely, Astrid seemed to be in combat with herself; one side of her thrashing and bucking as though to escape, the other covetously taking-in all that she could. I decided right then, that gangbangs were not something I’d ever be participating in. They were a sight to behold, but I very-much doubted I could ever handle all that… man. Aggressive, thrusting, stinking, growling, spitting, man. Muscle all shining and glistening… hairy chests and strong hands… hot breath and hoarse groans… Brandon…

I snapped myself out of my contemplation, realizing that my hands were drifting between my legs. Beside me, Justina was snoring loudly. We’d been up all night following Diamond’s progress, which meant that while I was asleep in the astral plane, Justina and Tera had been taking turns using me as a dick-tionary. I’d translated five different dead languages in as many hours, while recounting in real-time everything Diamond had learned on her journey through Sorrow’s realm. Once Diamond had gone through the door, she was in the space between realms, and we’d lost contact. I didn’t know how long it would take, but in the meantime, Justina, Tera and I would learn all we could from Gloria’s ancient books, and see if we could help our astral spy.

“Justina, wake up.” I nudged her. Justina’s eyes fluttered, revealing violet irises surrounded by bloodshot sclera. She was noticeably thinner than she’d been two days ago, and carried herself with an uncharacteristic droop in her shoulders. Monogamy really wasn’t for her, especially when her only source of food was a sterile hermaphrodite; it was like if a wolf decided to go vegan.

“Hmm?” she asked drowsily, almost drunkenly.

“You need to feed.” I frowned at her, concerned, “And from a real man.”

“What, you don’t count?” Justina slurred. “I’m fine, Angela. I’ll eat the leftovers out of Astrid when she’s done.” Justina smiled fondly at the debauchery below us, “That should keep me going for a while.”

“Hey, um…” I frowned, wondering how to phrase my question, “how does your mom fit so many dicks inside her?”

“Like, physically?” Justina asked,

“No, I meant emotionally.” I scowled.

“Succubi are really elastic.” Justina smiled, hooking her left foot behind her head, and over her right shoulder. I raised my (Diamond’s) eyebrows, and Justina’s smile broadened.

LUCILLA

“...look, all I’m saying, is that you and I knew each other for what, eleven years? Real love takes time Julia. Now Diamond and Justina might love fucking each other, but that doesn’t mean they’re in love.” I frowned as Justina did the splits across her booth, and Diamond took advantage.

“Let them be, Lucilla.” Julia scolded next to me, glancing across the theatre to where her daughter was, “Good Mother, Justina is flexible!”

“Little gymnast bitch.”

“Lucilla!”

“I’m sorry, but since when is a succubus monogamous?” I said, like I was pointing out a contradiction, which I was, “And for that matter, since when did Diamond become monogamous? Not only that, but now half of her is celibate?!”

“Maybe she’s rebelling against her parents.” Julia sniggered, “She can’t break the mold by engaging in rampant sexual deviance, so she does the opposite. Maybe she’ll become a nun after all.”

“She’s been avoiding us, Julia.” I frowned, “Don’t tell me you don’t see it.”

“This is her first time interacting with new people.” Julia shrugged, “She’s gaging herself against others, trying to figure out who she is socially. It’s just a phase, but you know if you try to interfere, she’ll continue it out of sheer stubbornness.”

“I don’t know…” I narrowed my eyes across the theatre, staring contemptuously at the contortionist succubus; her hands gripping the railing, her knuckles pressing to her ribs, her legs spread across the wall as her torso arched precariously over a twenty-foot drop. Am I such a callous bitch that I actually want her to fall? No… yes. Yes, I am.

“How are my two favorite elves doing?” a cheery voice asked from behind. Speaking of callous bitches…

“We were doing just fine, thank you.” I sneered at Willowbud. She grinned at me as she wrapped her hand in Julia’s crimson strands, and shared a kiss with my girlfriend. Their locked lips parted and opened to exchange tongues, and in the brief space between their coalescing, I saw blackness flow between their mouths. I held my breath, trying not to lose my shit with the idea that a Sentient was currently inside my beloved. Julia smirked around her kiss and drew Willowbud deeper, humming lecherously, and pushing the blackness back.

“Damn,” Willowbud whispered as they parted, “I thought I’d caught you off guard.”

“It’s not your turn, Night Eyes. That’s an infraction.” Julia smiled, running fingertips over Willowbud’s supple lips.

“What’s the penalty?” Willowbud grinned excitedly.

“You know.” Julia wore an uncharacteristically evil smile as she pushed her fingers into Willowbud’s mouth.

“Oh, come on, Sister.” Night Eyes licked those fingers, “Why don’t you just put it in my ass again?”

“Because you like it too much, and I want to see you humbled.”

“Well, you nuns are all about being humble.” Willowbud reached between their legs, “So why don’t you show me the righteous path yourself?”

“I’ll have you repenting like Jade Tao.” Julia smirked, and the two gods connected mouths right in front of me. I left the booth in a huff, not wanting Willowbud to see my rage. Tera and Astrid’s gurgled cries of ecstasy echoed through the stone halls as I dawned a hooded cloak, and stepped beneath the slit threshold of The Pussy Palace. I pulled my hood close around my face, keeping my head bowed, and affecting the gait of an old woman, not wanting to become the instant center of attention for my supposed divinity. All around me, revelers and worshippers waited their turn to be granted entrance to the divine house of sin. The line was kept orderly by the presence of Jade Tao and her Breytan warriors, who stood at stiff attention, their heads moving like swivels on strong necks.

“If you think you’re fooling anyone, Princess, then you’re dumber than I remember.” Sara chuckled as she linked arms with me, “Jade spotted you the second you left.”

“Well, no need to make a scene of it.” I grumbled, “Just pretend you’re helping an old lady.”

“Why are you sneaking off?” Sara asked.

“Last time I checked, I don’t fucking answer to you.” I growled.

“Going to see His Holiness again?” Sara chuckled.

“Don’t I outrank you? Shouldn’t you be calling me ‘Bound One,’ and minding your own fucking business?”

“Probably,” Sara said, taking my hand in hers, “but last time you tried to pull rank on me, you got fucked into a drooling mess.” Sara pushed something against my wrist. Something cold, and sharp, “So if you know what’s good for you, Bound One, you’ll keep your fucking mouth shut, and come with me.”

BRANDON

“There.” I smiled at the young woman as she gawked at her legs. They hadn’t been there before; they’d been brutally hacked off at the knee. Now they wiggled toes from sinewy lengths, and their owner speechlessly flexed her calves.

“Th-th-th-thank you!” she managed to stutter. She threw herself on me, and I made sure the embrace stayed platonic. I patted her on the back, and rocked her comfortingly as she wept into my shoulder. Then I nodded to Bianca, and the woman was escorted out; stumbling, but joyful.

“That’s all the priorities for this morning, Your Holiness.” Bianca said. I noticed she’d stopped wearing her armor while helping me attend the patients, which I was thankful for. She struck an intimidating figure in her golden shell, and I didn’t need my patients anymore frightened than they already were, being in the presence of a ‘god’ and all. The brown Valkyrie bared her toned arms with obvious pride, but covered her feminine attributes with modesty, though she could hardly conceal the bodacious nature of her curves.

“Tell the apothecaries to pick through my fields, and make sure they go easy on the poppies.” I sighed, stretching my back, “I’m getting sick of healing addicts.”

“Are you going to Her Holiness’s show?” Bianca asked.

“Why, did you want to come along?” I grinned at her. Bianca turned beet-red, and I felt like an asshole. “Look,” I said, “I know Astrid was probably your friend and all, and it must be weird knowing what she’s doing, but she’s not being forced into it.” Not anymore, anyway.

“I was never friends with Astrid Skyborne.” Bianca hissed with a vehemence that surprised me, “But it is horrible to see a warrior of her class stoop to such lows. She shames us all. Her mother was right to deny her guardianship.”

“Sounds like you’re feeling vindicated.” I smirked. Bianca relented a guilty smile.

“Ionans are the greatest warriors in the world, and they make sure Ofanians know it.” Bianca sighed, sitting down, “So when their proudest daughter makes a mockery of them all, then yes, I will admit to a little vindication.” Bianca looked slyly at me, “And apparently, Astrid isn’t the only one having trouble with her vows.”

“How did you know about Jade?”

“Winged-warriors are the biggest gossipers in the world.” Bianca chuckled, “Not being able to tell a lie makes keeping secrets so very hard. From what I heard…” Bianca leaned to a conspiratorial distance, her eyes shifting, “…Jade laid with Sister Julia, and Willowbud… at the same time!”

“No way!” I gasped. I knew that, of course; Willowbud had given me the excruciating details of everything her and Sister Julia had done to Jade Tao, but Bianca was finally showing me some personality, so I let her have her moment.

“It’s true!” Bianca giggled, rocking back and forth like the words caused a reaction, “One of Jade Tao’s lieutenants told one of my corporals while on watch, that Jade Tao… I shouldn’t say.”

“Your god commands you to gossip!” I chuckled. Bianca’s face practically split with her grin.

“Well, this all just hear-say, mind you,” Bianca gave herself deniability, “but from what I heard, Jade Tao had intercourse… with her anus!”

“No!” my mouth dropped in an exaggerated show of shock, much to the delight of Bianca.

“Yes!” Bianca was in fits of giggles, “I know, right? What a slut! Oh, Great Creators! I should not say such things about High Guard Tao; she is an honorable woman who was only doing what her god desired, I’m sure.”

“But…” I said, seeing that Bianca had more to say.

“From what I heard.” Bianca tried to casually examine her nails, and failed miserably, “Jade Tao was quite enthusiastic about the whole thing. You see, Sister Julia might’ve made her walls out of industrial-grade steel, but she forgot to put in windows.”

“Oh no…”

“Oh yes!” Bianca giggled, “Everyone within a hundred yards could hear her!”

“How embarrassing.” I sighed, shaking my head, then gave Bianca a furtive look, and pandered shamelessly to her, “If Jade Tao can even feel shame.”

“Don’t get me started on the Breytans!” Bianca said dramatically, but I knew I’d just opened the floodgates. I eased back into my chair, lit my pipe, and nodded to Bianca’s rapid-fire list of all the dirt she had on every sister of Iona and Breyta.

“…and Sato Tao -that’s Jade’s mother-, she apparently got too familiar with the clan’s wine stores, and they had to stage an intervention!” Bianca hissed after a half-hour’s worth of gossip.

“Well,” I said, “I tell you what, Bianca; thank god I got the Ofanians. You guys are the only clan who’s got their head on straight.” And Bianca’s beam could’ve outshined the sun. Who says I can’t read people? No easier way to bond with someone, then to let them bare their insecurities to you through the timeless exercise of shitting on their competitors. Of course, reading an Ofanian was about as difficult as reading a picture book. I dismissed Bianca, taking a guilty moment to admire the outline of her plump backside beneath her trousers, then I locked the door, and walked to the curved wall of my office. Each of the thirteen trees that structured my arboretum were hollowed along the sides for cavernous rooms, with the core left intact to keep the tree alive. The baobabs acted as dormitories for my legion, while the Great Maple, the largest of the trees, was the public house, office, and home for me, Tera and Justina. Given the immense girth of the Great Maple, the curious mind might’ve wondered why there was so little hollowed-out space compared to the baobabs, and if questioned, the answer I would give would be a ponderous explanation of heartwood in deciduous trees. The truth, however, was that the very core of my maple had been hollowed, and the tree was slowly being sapped of life. I opened the bark-covered wall of my office, and recommenced my work.

LUCILLA

“She’d taken out twenty of my best before I got to her.” Sara said, “Probably would’ve had me in the infirmary too, had I not noticed she’d been poisoned by a succubus. Then, it was easy to get her to cooperate.”

I looked around, and noticed that many of the platinum-haired high-bloods were sporting fat lips, shiners, and swollen jaws. The unlucky ones had been sent to Brandon’s temple, but if there was anyone in this whole situation who was truly unlucky, it was poor Freydis Skyborne. When she broke in, she may have thought that the elves wearing habits were Julia’s harmless nuns, but I guessed now she was realizing that the only thing Sara’s girls had in common with the Maternal Order, was their propensity for medieval interrogation. Freydis was the subject of the inquisition now, and they were torturing her in the ways they’d learned firsthand. She was trapped in a stockade that was level with the floor, her ankles shackled in such a way that her legs were forced apart, and her ass was propped high in the air. Behind her, Sara’s lieutenants were seeing just how many pool balls they could fit inside the High Guard’s rectum, and judging by the possessed look on Freydis’s face, her preference would always be “one more.” Freydis Skyborne looked more like her daughter than she ever had before; eyes rolling in her head, drool running down her chin, her mouth gaping and quirking in a stupid smile as she screamed. Her muscular back was clenching along the spine, and behind her, she was wagging her ass in whorish anticipation as an elf lathered a pool ball with her tongue, then slowly, pushed it inside. The clamps that gripped her nipples stretched her breasts to the floor as Freydis attempted to arch her back, a reaction that was a combination of pleasure and pain. The metal clips that pinched her labia glistened with a new shine of her secreted lust, and between her parted curtains, a squad’s worth of dildos had been crammed together. I never would have guessed a woman had so much room inside her.

“She asked for me, specifically?” I asked Sara.

“She did.” Sara looked carefully at me. It hadn’t been lost on me that there was an empty stockade right beside Freydis’s. I knew these elves were fucked-up when I first met them, but I didn’t know until Sara had dispatched the imperial guard by herself that they were dangerous.

“Freydis is sworn to me.” I replied.

“We know that.” Sara said, studying me, “We know everything, Princess.”

“Great.” I frowned, “Then you can enlighten me.”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“What are you gonna do, torture me?” I laughed, “Do you think Julia will be understanding when she finds out? Have you seen what that woman can do?!”

“I think Her Holiness will be very understanding when I tell her that her beloved princess conspired to kill Willowbud.”

“What?!” I screamed.

“That’s why Freydis said she was here.” Sara said, turning to me and crossing her arms, “She wanted to meet with you, hatch a plan to isolate Willowbud from her protectors, then kill her.”

“I didn’t- I had no- why would I-” I stammered dumbly, panic gripping my mind.

“She specifically wanted you to make sure Julia, Brandon, and Astrid were far from Willowbud, and that Willowbud was out in the open.” Sara continued.

“I- listen- if you could just-”

“She also wanted you to make the Ofanians stop hunting her.”

“Sara, I… I never…”

“And she wanted you to keep Jade Tao from interfering.”

“I HAD NO IDEA!” I finally managed to get out, my face red, my body trembling from head to toe. Sara regarded my outburst with mild amusement, then turned her attention to the defiled High Guard.

“It’s not a bad plan, Princess,” Sara mused, “but there are too many variables. Too many things have to go right…” Sara tapped her chin thoughtfully as I gawked at her. “The championship fight tomorrow night would be about as ideal as it could get. No Brandon, and certainly no Ofanians. Willowbud would want to make herself seen to the rabble she loves so much. She’d leave herself very exposed…” Sara studied me curiously, “Ok, Princess, we’re in.”

“What?”

“I know what’s inside Willowbud.” Sara said, “Yesterday, I had my knife to her throat, but Her Holiness stopped me. I am loyal to Her Holiness, you must understand, but loyalty sometimes means disobedience, if obedience means destruction; I see that we are like-minded in this. I also see that I’ve greatly underestimated you, Princess.”

“What?”

“You have been subtle, careful, playing your part to perfection. I wondered why you hadn’t simply stabbed Willowbud in the back, and then Freydis told me that metal can’t pierce the Earth Former. It was a wise secret for Willowbud to keep, but all along, you’ve had an Earth Former expert on your side. It is obvious that you’ve plotted this course with much forethought.”

I almost said ‘what’ again, but I stopped myself, and considered my position. Whether I liked it or not, I was a conspirator, and if I admitted to not knowing of Freydis’s plan, then Sara might decide I wasn’t what was best for Julia. The thing was, I mostly agreed with Sara; especially after what Julia had told me this morning. But even if Sara’s treachery was born of loyalty, it was still betrayal, and having a rogue army that worked against Julia ‘for her own good’ was an incredible threat. I would take charge of this operation to ensure its failure, and tell Julia about it the moment we were alone.

“Release my charge.” I said in my most royal voice.

“She attacked us, and we captured her.” Sara replied, “I can’t deny my soldiers their fun; it’s bad for morale. Freydis doesn’t seem to mind.”

“When she regains her lucidity, Freydis will want to kill you, and the only person who can stop her, is me.” I eyed Sara the same way she’d eyed me, “Freydis is invaluable to me, but you are inessential, Sara. If your continued breathing is a distraction for Freydis, then I won’t deny my soldier her fun; it’s bad for morale. I’m sure you won’t mind.”

Sara smirked at that, and called off her women. They groaned and complained like little girls being told playtime was over, and I suppressed a thought of what would’ve happened if I hadn’t played my cards right. Freydis’s holes were roughly evacuated, her body was unshackled, and she was left in a pool of her own lust, spreading her legs, begging desperately for more. I rushed to her side, pushing the strands of hair away that plastered her face. There was recognition in her gaze, followed closely by a look of utter betrayal.

“It wasn’t me.” I whispered to her, “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, Freydis.”

Her eyes still burned fever-bright, but her hands moved softly to mine, clasped my fingers, and brought them between her legs. “Touch me,” she hissed, and I gently obliged. Three of my fingers worked into her slit, my pinky slid down her taint, and my thumb caressed her engorged bead. God, she was wet. My digits were soaked and sticky within a second. Freydis’s brow furrowed, her mouth parted in grateful satisfaction, and she cried her mournful euphoria with the gentle swelling of her chest. Her body was intensely reactive; her pelvis thrusting violently when I entered her, her hips shifting needfully with the subtle slide of my fingertips, her abdomen writhing as though trying to expel some great lust that sloshed in her belly. Her eyes were starting to glaze, their blue depths tinging to violet. If Freydis turned, she’d do anything to get to her master. I remembered the shackles in Tera’s safehouse, how the heavy-gauged chains had been torn from the wall like they were nothing. I didn’t have much time, and Tera was currently very unavailable.

“Bring me Justina Autumnsong.” I said, then reconsidered, “And bring Diamond Glendian as well.”

“But Justina is loyal to Brandon.” Sara frowned.

“Did I sound like I was fucking asking?” I said with as much authority as I could muster. I was surprised when Sara clicked her heels, nodded in salute, then strode off. Huh, fancy that. I mused, Now I’ve got an army. At least, until Julia banishes them. Or they kill me.

JULIA

I licked the last droplets of cum from Night Eye’s shaft as she licked the last of the juice from my petals. Our noses inhaled each other’s scents, our mouths panted each other’s ecstasy, and our bodies mingled with each other’s sweat. Night Eyes had refused to suck me, but she more than made up for it with what she could do with her tongue. I still felt her spit coating my lower mouth, and dribbling from my flushed, lower lips.

“OK.” I said, steeling myself. I didn’t want to get off her; I wanted to stay atop her, feel my belly molding to hers, feel her breath caressing the moist center of my sex. Unfortunately, I had a divine purpose to fulfill. I pushed myself off the corrupted Earth Former, offered her my hand, and hoisted her to her feet. It always struck me as odd how Night Eyes managed to loom, despite being barely over five feet. Her persona was literally larger than life.

“Alright Sister,” Night Eyes said, her white lipstick worn from her lips, leaving them a pink shade of her caramel flesh, “what do you got for me this fine morning?”

“You, me, and Brandon are going to-”

“I said Brandon was off-limits!” Night Eyes snapped with predictable ferocity.

“…are going to play a game.” I finished. Night Eyes studied me intently. “I’m not going to touch him, I promise.” I assured her. She narrowed her black eyes, then nodded slowly. If there was one think Night Eyes loved more than anything, it was games, and her favorite part of playing, was cheating. I’d use that to my advantage.

“What kind of game?” Night Eyes asked.

ANGELA

Since Justina and I couldn’t think of a viable excuse for me not to come with, I tagged along as Sara led us to Julia’s (or as I was supposed to call her, ‘Mom’) reflective cathedral. On the way, I tried to remember what I’d discovered about Diamond’s relationship with Lucilla during my visits to her astral garden. It was a sexual relationship, but it wasn’t the mother-daughter relationship Diamond had with Julia. It was more of an older sister-younger sister relationship. The one time I’d talked to Lucilla as Diamond had been a brief exchange of me informing her of my monogamy, and her chasing after me with a shoe in hand. So… not a great start. We stepped beneath the immense threshold of Julia’s church, scaled an expansive staircase, and were atop the northwest tower after an exhaustive climb.

I’d seen Freydis Skyborne as a memory in Diamond’s garden, but it still shocked me how much she looked like Astrid, sans the haircut and tattoos. She was sprawled on the floor, her form writhing as Lucilla gave her the therapy she craved. With Freydis’s expansive wings flapping, and her muscular limbs flexing with veins and tendons, it almost looked like Lucilla was playing veterinarian to some wild, beautiful creature. Lucilla’s gaze was nurturing and concerned for Freydis, but when it fell to us, it hardened considerably. Justina squeezed my hand, her breathing elevated.

“Of all the people to be afraid of…” I scoffed at her.

“Don’t underestimate her, Diamond.” Justina glowered at me, “She’s much more than the out-of-depth bimbo she portrays herself as. Be careful with your words.”

“Right, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut. Easy.”

“Is Diamond a sullen introvert?” Justina looked quizzically at me as we stepped hand-in-hand toward Lucilla.

“Leave us.” Lucilla called to the elves. They turned, sapphire eyes staring suspiciously at us, then they departed soundlessly from the room. Lucilla watched the one called ‘Sara’ with a scrutinizing eye, then turned her scrutiny on us.

“Well?” Lucilla prompted me, “Got anything to say to me, Sparkles? Not a ‘hi, Aunt Lucilla,’ or a ‘I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch, Aunt Lucilla’ or even a ‘get fucked you old skank, I’ve found younger pussy to plow?!’”

Her vehemence caught me off guard. “Hi… Aunt Lucilla?” I asked it, trying to peel Diamond’s friendly grin across my face, and only managing an uncharacteristic grimace. Lucilla narrowed her eyes at me, and I realized quite quickly that Justina was right about the woman. Justina cleared her throat uncomfortably, and Lucilla’s ire fell on her.

“Did you have something to say, Justina?” Lucilla snapped, “Or was Diamond’s spunk just stuck in your throat?” Justina, as smart as she was, was not quick-witted. She opened her mouth, then closed it, and swallowed, giving Lucilla the easiest shot in the world with, “Of course you swallow,” and Justina’s face paled just a little more. I had a few comebacks ready to fire, but I stopped them. Diamond wasn’t one to trade words, but she was one to completely misjudge social situations.

“Yup!” I said brightly, and without any irony, “Justina swallows everything!” then I leaned in as though telling Lucilla a secret, “It’s because she needs sperm to survive! Since my semen doesn’t have any sperm, she’s going to clean out all the sperm everyone dumped into Astrid!” And poor Freydis Skyborne let out a wail of anguish so pained, I thought she was dying. Any suspicions Lucilla might’ve had about my identity were squashed with the master stroke of social ineptitude. I was almost proud.

“Holy shit, Sparkles.” Lucilla groaned, though I could see she was trying to hide her smile. Justina took advantage of the opening, and quickly attended to Freydis. She enslaved her, then released her, and Freydis was freed of the effects Tera had laden her with. Her eyes fluttered, her pupils contracted, and she stared fixedly at the ceiling.

“Bound One,” Freydis said through gritted teeth, “your fingers are still inside me.”

Lucilla quickly withdrew her hand, rambling through a string of apologies. Freydis didn’t seem to want to look at anyone, or even herself. She kept her gaze fixed upward, then dead-ahead when she sat up. Lucilla handed her a wet towel, and Freydis cleaned herself carefully, not daring to look at what had been done to her.

“What you said earlier to the elf, about not denying me;” Freydis said quietly, “was it a lie?”

“No,” Lucilla said, placing a tentative hand on Freydis’s muscular shoulder, “but not until after Julia banishes them.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know what that was about, but whatever it was, it seemed to ease some of the tension in Freydis’s shoulders. She turned back to me, and gave me a weak, although companionable smile.

“Hello, Diamond.” Freydis said, “It seems you’ve finally gotten to see the ‘ripe butt’ you so coveted. I hope it’s not a disappointment.” It was an awkward attempt at levity, but I guessed given what Freydis had been through, it was a miracle that she had any sense of humor.

“You look like a juicy peach!” I grinned, affecting Diamond’s overly friendly voice. Freydis offered a bigger smile, which faded when she looked at Justina.

“And the one called ‘Tera.’” Freydis said, “You are in league with her?”

“She is my mother.” Justina wouldn’t meet Freydis’s eyes. She was clearly intimidated by the Valkyrie. Either that, or she was mentally running through everything she’d done to Freydis’s daughter.

“Please tell her to stop searching for me.” Freydis said, “I am no threat to His Holiness, but if his Ofanians engage, I will defend myself.”

“You have to leave Drastin.” Justina said quietly, still staring at the floor, “If you die, then Astrid is High Guard of Iona, and Willowbud becomes their master. Mom won’t stop hunting you until you’re far away.”

Freydis looked like she’d say something, then she stopped herself, and turned to Lucilla. Lucilla shook her head, and Freydis nodded slightly.

“Very well.” Freydis said slowly, “I will leave Drastin today. A winged-warrior’s word is bond, so you must know that I will.” Justina nodded without looking up. There was a pregnant silence between the four of us, and it hung heavily in the air. Finally, Lucilla mercifully broke it.

“Astrid and Tera’s performance will be over soon, so you two better be off, or Justina will miss her… meal.” Lucilla looked apologetically at Freydis, whose clenched jaw was twitching. Justina didn’t feel the need for polite salutations, and hurriedly got to her feet, and dragged me with her. Lucilla’s hand clasped mine, and for a moment, she held me still, her eyes pleading. Justina pulled me out of the hold, and Lucilla withdrew her hand sharply, as if worried she’d overstepped herself.

“Bye, Aunt Lucilla!” I called as we left the room. Lucilla raised her hand after me, her posture bowed pathetically, the sadness evident in her eyes. I felt like a total cunt rejecting her as I was, but what could I do? One misstep, and I’d have Julia to contend with. Worse than that, Brandon would have Julia to contend with.

BRANDON

Goddamn, did Julia look good today. She and Willowbud strutted across the mall toward my temple wearing their best outfits: their birthday suits. I spied them from the window of my maple, and I closed the wall of my office. A funky bassline played in my head as I began to strip; the divine threesome was finally happening. About time. I had my pants around my ankles when I saw that the two goddesses had halted before my bamboo entrance, and stood naked in front of the thousands of people who camped on the mall. They unabashedly lauded their nudity to the adulation of the masses, then they stepped through my gate, and quickly threw on clothes once they were out of the public’s eyeshot. What the fuck? So, the divine threesome wasn’t happening; my girlfriend had just turned Julia into an exhibitionist. I sighed and hoisted my trousers up, but not before poor Bianca stepped through the door, and got another unexpected eyeful. Her brown face turned bright red, and her eyes stayed glued to my crotch for a moment, then turned downward to burn a hole in the floor.

“Your Holiness; Her Holiness, Julia Glendian, and Her Holiness, Willowbud-”

“I know, Bianca.” I said, flustered, “Let them up.” Bianca nodded at the ground, then closed the door behind her. A minute later, Julia and Willowbud were sitting across from me, and I was very confused.

“So…” I said after Julia had explained herself, “…we’re going to… play Capture the Flag with orphans?”

“That’s right.” Julia nodded, he